Two Visitors Equals Two Weeks of Fun in Hawaii

Well, this entry's from Brant. It's been quite the last couple of weeks! We've had two great guests (Danille--my sister, and Suzanne--one of Marcie's mission companions) and as a result we've done a lot of fun things. So, bear with the multitude of pictures found below, but hopefully it'll give you a taste for what we've been up to.

One day while I was studying for the tax section of the CPA Exam (took it on the 24th!), Marcie and Danille went to Waimea Valley. It's an area right by the beach that has a huge botanical garden and, as you can see below, a beautiful waterfall. Danille and Marcie got out and waded a bit and they had a great time.

On Thursday, the day before Danille flew back to the mainland, we went to the PCC (Polynesian Cultural Center) for the day. The PCC has six villages for six of the largest islands in the south pacific region (Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Aotearoa a.k.a. New Zealand). Each village puts on different presentations, dances, etc. to teach a little about the island's culture and history. The palm tree climber below was from Samoa.
At 2:30 each day, each island has a float in the river at the complex and performs some of its dances. Here below is Samoa and in the next picture is Spencer doing his best to impersonate the Samoan men!

Here's a little picture of the family in front of an area that talks about Easter Island.

When we were walking out at the end of the evening, we saw this statue and I simply couldn't resist the picture. All in all, the trip to the PCC was a great experience and we had lots of fun!

We had to go to the beach at least one more time before Danille left, so we quickly walked over to Hukilau beach the morning of her flight. We got some great pictures and had a great time. We were very glad she was able to come and spend so much time with us!

Our next visitor was Suzanne, one of Marcie's mission companions. Marcie was just chatting with Suzanne on the phone on Monday and told her Suzanne should come visit us because we have an extra room. An hour later, Suzanne calls back and said she had bought tickets to fly out the next morning and her bags were already packed! This last Wednesday, the four of us piled in our truck and we drove down to Pearl Harbor. It was a very somber experience but one that we just couldn't pass up.

Marcie, Spencer and me in front of the U.S.S. Bowfin, a submarine. The sub was commissioned exactly one year after the attack on Pearl Harbor and was called "The Revenge of Pearl Harbor." Miraculously, it went on nine patrols, had tremendous success and did not lose a single submariner in combat!

The most memorable part of the trip was visiting the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. When the Japanese attacked, a high-level bomber dropped an armor-piercing bomb straight through the heart of the Arizona, a massive battleship. The bomb went through several decks before exploding in the Arizona's weapon storage. The combined power of the Japanese bomb along with the explosion of all the Arizona's bombs was so powerful that the Arizona sunk incredibly fast and to this day, over 1,100 sailors are still entombed in the Arizona. It was a very humbling experience that helped us be more grateful for those who are brave enough to defend out country in the armed forces.

Below are pictures of the memorial itself; a part of the Arizona still visible through the water; the plaque dedicated to its sailors; another picture of the memorial; and a picture of the flag visible through the open ceiling of the memorial.

On a lighter note, this was a bench just outside the museum at Pearl Habor. Just in case it's too small for you to see, the sign reads "This bench is for authorized personnel only." Apparently they take everything seriously in the military, even the benches :)

Another fun part of the trip to Pearl Harbor was visiting the Battleship Missouri. It was the last Battleship built (1944), took part in the end of the war in the Pacific as well as the Korean war and then was recommissioned to help with the first Gulf War in the early 90's. The battleship was HUGE! It's the type of thing that makes every grown man turn back into a 10 year old boy :)

To put the size in perspective, the barrels to these "guns" handle shells that are 16 inches in diameter and can fire them 23 miles!

The Missouri is where the Japanese signed their official surrender in Tokyo bay. Below is the signature of the Japanese leaders, along with all major Allied countries and General MacArthur.

Suzanne left early yesterday morning and after a brief nap, we went snorkeling with another faculty member and his family. We went to Shark's Cove, but thankfully the Cove was void of any unfriendly creatures. The water was perfect and Marcie said it was one of the coolest thing she had ever done, and I agree--it was a lot of fun. We saw lots of schools of fish and some beautiful coral. Thanks, Nemrow family!