I earlier mentioned that my very first airplane flight was when I was around 10-years old from Honolulu to Maui.  I was born at Queen's Hospital in Honolulu in 1940.  Grew up in Kakaako and when I was in high school, took a trip to Hilo.  The first 18 years of my life was otherwise spent on Oahu.  I left in 1962 for Los Angeles to spend the summer living with my older brother, who got me a summer job at the Naval Civil Engineering Center, Port Hueneme, California.  Then spent 3.7 years at Stanford University. During our junior year, most of my friends decided  to join the first full year of John Kennedy's just announced Peace Corps when they graduated.  So I had to do something similarly sacrificial.  To explore my possible future, I found a summer job with C. Brewer in Hilo.  Lived in the Boys Club, and adjacent was the little league field of a team I watched.  They went all the way to Williamsport for the Little League World Series in 1961. The Big Island became home after I

  For those new to this blog site, I'm on a 7-day Pride of American cruise through the Hawaiian Islands. Yesterday and today, the Big Island. This island has the audacity to call itself Hawaii, so the state has to differentiate it by calling it the Big Island of Hawaii.  And big it is. With an area of 4050 square miles, it is 41% of the State of Hawaii. Is bigger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined, about the same size as Connecticut and slightly smaller than the country of Qatar. Picking up from yesterday in Hilo, there is what I did on this side of the island. Lunch of Mexican Tortilla Soup and assorted curries and such on mixed salad. With a cone. We caught a shuttle to downtown Hilo and were met by my Blue-Bar Pigeon and friends. Walked through the Farmer's Market.  Rambutan. Soursop. Dragon Fruit. Longan, a cousin of lychee. Garlic and ginger. A large Jackfruit.  As long as my cane. Mangosteen, said to have curative powers. Did you know coffee also comes from Kau and P

I remember the first air flight I ever took.  I must have been around 10 years old, and it was from Honolulu to Kahului.  Visited relatives.  One cousin is now a doctor living in New York City, married to a psychiatrist.  Saw Hayden Mango for the first time.  It was large, beautiful and sweet.  I was only familiar with Common and Chinese Mangos.  Anyway, yesterday was my final day on Maui.  I had a small adventure.  Make it tiny.  I walked from the Pride of America all the way to Maui Mall, for the primary purpose of tasting Guri-Guri. Lunch of pork cutlet and pasta fagioli soup, with beer and a rose wine. Off I am to have Guri-Guri. Found Tasaka Guri Guri...and it was closed for Labor Day. But I had to have something, so went elsewhere and ordered a lychee boba.  This is that drink from Taiwan with tapioca balls. Found a table with a view of the Pride of America. Walked back to the ship. The ship left Kahului before sunset for Hilo.  Had a drink on our balcony and watched Maui slowly