Observations Pertaining to Life upon the Observance of my 76^th Birthday

I woke up early today, my body still warm from the flannel bed sheets, thoughts forming and reforming in my mind. I heard the whispers, “Today is my birthday. Today I am 76 years old.” Over and over again.

It was surely a strange way to awaken.

I laid there, my body heavy and my mind still a bit fuzzy from sleep, and thought about it for a while. Yes, age is really just a number, just a way to keep track of the amount of times you’ve swung around the sun in your life. It really means no more than the number of pounds you weigh, the number of feet tall you are, the fact that you do or do not like Brussel’s Sprouts or liver and onions. But it does delineate you from others of our species and it does categorize you in certain ways.

I guess, when push comes to shove, I realize that I’m pretty old. I do understand that when I was younger, people of this age were considered quite old. Very old, even. Most of my family actually never attained this lofty pinnacle of age that I now sit on. It’s an attainment of some solemnity I guess; a grand mile marker. I assume no feeling of great attainment though. It’s not an athletic achievement, not a scholastic or mental achievement either. I didn’t memorize the Gettysburg Address or the opening lines to The Twilight Zone, didn’t run the quarter-mile in some memorable time. I just kept breathing and didn’t die.

Simple.

But in the grand theme of things, it makes me pretty happy, all things considered.

I do rue the attending health conditions brought about mainly by attainment of the age. The aches, pains and various other maladies incumbent of most older folks. I’ve received a mainly clear bill of health recently, from my lengthening list of medical doctors. My dermatologist even said I was perfect (and then ruined the sentence by continuing “for a person of my age.”) At least I’m healthy enough from a lot of bad things that might be assailing me now but aren’t. Knock on wood. But the wear-and-tear of the years is noticeable in a number of ways. I joke that you can point to any area of my body (I’m serious) and I’ll tell you a story of how it hurts or why it doesn’t work right any more.

Or how it’s starting doing this or that which it didn’t used to.

Old man aches and pains.

I guess in reality I am thankful for them. They are my earned merit badges, albeit not wholly welcome ones, of the years resting on my frame.

I wonder, sometimes, why I’m still knocking around, eating the good food (though sometimes I don’t taste it as much as I’d like), drinking the good drink (same problems) and breathing the good air. Is there a reason for that? Some master plan I’m not privy to yet? Or is it all “luck of the draw”, Darwin’s theory made manifest. Much, much smarter men than I have pondered the same question and have drawn many and varied answers. Libraries full of them. I try not to dwell too long on questions like that. A lot of better men than I pondered them, derived a lot of theories and now sleep the long sleep under the silent clods of the valley.

I make sure I’m thankful for every day that I’m given and to try to take advantage of them. I may not see as well as I used to but I see well enough. I may not hear as well as I used to but I hear well enough. The same goes for all my other senses. Maybe not as well as before but well enough.

The machine still functions.

I am also thankful for the still remaining friends and relatives that accompany me on my journey upon this green Earth. Too many of us have fallen by the wayside and all that’s left are fading memories and lingering ghosts. And tears – so many tears. I find I now wholeheartedly enjoy just sitting with old friends and playing the “do you remember” game. And the memories that are brought forth on those occasions are still as bright and shining as a spring day in April with a soft sun shining and the flowers waving brightly in the breezes. They’re clearer most days than events of yesterday or last week. I definitely know it’s not so healthy to dwell in the past. It’s much more beneficial to seek out new adventures and new vistas of which to set your sights on and enjoy. But the past still calls often and is not to be denied. We old folks have so MUCH of the past in us!

So, for the foreseeable future, I’ll stand on the bow of my ship of life and watch the rolling waves pass under the keel. And keep a watch out for the promised sunlit cove approaching on the port side just up ahead, the silver dolphins leading the way, the green palms waving in welcome along the sandy beach.

And enjoy the ride.

75

 

75

This particular thought has crossed my mind many, many times in the past few years. Sometimes it sparks to life when I wake up in the mornings and am rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Sometimes it pops into my noggin when I’m walking my dog on our daily ambles around the neighborhood. It even rumbles out of the darkness sometimes when I’m brushing my teeth on a gloomy morning before heading out to exercise class. And the question I’ve been musing about is this:

Why am I still here?

I guess a lot of this pondering is due to the fact that I turned 75 recently. And, to be honest, that number is, well, a doggone big one! Actually, 75 big ones. And if you didn’t give that fact a think or two, you probably are a bit brain dead. 75. Holy moly and son of a gun! I reminisce about my family and how this attainment was not achieved by many, if any of them. Actually, in my growing-up family, not at all. My mom made 52. My dad made 71 or thereabouts. My next younger brother only made 42. So… Why have I surpassed all those numbers to attain the big magilla that I’m at today?

And I try to attach some reasons to the fact.

Perhaps it’s just genetics. The combination of genes from my parents sort of hit a full house in the poker hand of life. Maybe. Probably not a royal flush though. I’m not 100 mind you. But 75 is a darn nice poker hand. A high-card flush at least or the aforementioned full house. Yeah, that’s probably the reason that has the most scientific underpinnings to it. But… then again, my brothers had the same parents, very much the same genetic roll of the dice and the results of that are: I’ve lost one and the other has had many heart problems and he’s 9 years younger. So that reason might be a bit suspect on further examination. Hell, we all had the same shots, most of the same kid diseases and lived in the same house together for all of our childhood. So? Why the discrepancy? Was it really the genetic dice roll?

I must be honest and acknowledge that I have had a heart attack and open heart surgery myself not that long in the past. Whether that’s the missing factor in the equation of my life I don’t know. I can’t imagine it being much of a thumbs-up, but who am I to say?

Then I start thinking about stuff I did or still do and other stuff I didn’t and still don’t do that may or may not have affected my longevity. Good things and bad things – at least good and bad according to most scientific studies. I smoked for many years and that surely did not add to my longevity. Lord no. When I think back on that dirty habit I wonder how I survived it. But then again, I don’t and didn’t very often drink to excess. Is that a plus? Did that fact partially nullify the smoking? They say red wine is good for you. Then again, recently, I’ve heard that’s a fallacy. Funny how that fact and many others wobble around in the purgatory between OK and not OK.

I’ve been pretty much a one-woman man most of my adult life, but then again, I did date and do this and that as a younger male. You may fill in those “this and that” blanks as you wish. Maybe all told that’s not really a plus or minus. A push maybe?

Then I start thinking about things I’ve done personally that might be the longevity reason d’entre. Maybe eating oatmeal occasionally is the be all and end all secret to longevity. Or loving or hating chocolate is the key. (I personally love it.) Or possibly the little exercise class my wife and I attend thrice weekly is the watershed event. I really have to figure that as a plus in any evaluation.

I’ve often queried my dog (take that as you will) as we wandered through the neighborhood on our daily walks on these questions and, although she’s pretty emphatic on her disapproval of squirrels, rabbits, other canines and definitely on individuals of the feline persuasion, she’s not very helpful on my existential ponderings. So be it. She’s entitled to her own doggie thoughts.

I then look upon my siblings and think about what they may or may not have done to achieve the consequences that they have enjoyed and suffered in their lives. Did I do or not do any of those activities? A lot? A little? Any? And did those activities affect their ultimate fates? Or mine?

A whole lot of questions end up floating around and very little answers are forthcoming. I’m beginning to feel that may be the ultimate answer to life – that the questions keep piling up and the answers become more and more difficult to come to. And maybe that’s the way things were intended to be. Some questions being very, very difficult to answer, even approaching impossible, due to the myriad of variables involved.

I’d like to tie this mental exercise up in a tidy bow, shiny paper, with a card and a kiss, but my unfortunately finite mind keeps trying to up the ante with more and more outlandish propositions. Maybe it was the near-accident I almost had last Thursday down the street. Maybe I was supposed to bite the big one then, but due to… what? I didn’t. The angle of the sun in the other driver’s eyes? The banana I had for breakfast a half-hour before? My great-great grandfather’s aversion to strawberries? Some other cosmic event imperceptible by we mortals?

You can absolutely and positively drive yourself bonkers falling down those rabbit holes.

So, in any event, I’ve attained the elevated and majestic age of 75. And that achievement may or may not have been arrived at by… who knows?

All I do know though, is that I’ll again walk my dog and she’ll keep a close eye out for furry critters along the wayside and I’ll keep a weather eye on the clouds and the west wind and try to meld those climactic observations into a new version of why, how and when. And once again, undoubtedly conclude that the whole exercise is and will forever be a fool’s errand.

 

Our Hawaiian Vacation

 

Our Hawaiian Vacation

Aloha and Mahalo to all our friends and family for taking a peek at this. Judy and I have just returned from a long-awaited vacation to the Hawaiian Islands. We’d planned on doing just that LAST year, but our friend and neighbor Mr. Covid had vastly other plans for us and the vacation was put on hold. The world closed up and a lot of plans were dashed. Luckily, at least for some of us, the world has opened up a bit recently and vacations are now attainable. There are restrictions of course, but with some careful planning and investigation you can comply with most of them and at last get that vacation.

We were lucky enough to be able to use the Delta and Hawaiian Airline vouchers from last year for most of our airline tickets, so that was an upfront blessing as they were already paid for. Most of the activities that we desired to do were open for business albeit for masked and vaccinated folks mostly. Hawaii is still very strict as to who can enter and what their status must be for admission. You can investigate those requirement yourself if interested, but how it affected us was this: you had to go onto a Hawaii Safety website, upload specific information about status and make sure you had identification and your vaccine card to be admitted to the state and most establishments. It became second nature to check your pockets before leaving any place – id, vaccination card, mask, money. With those things, most of the islands were open to you.

So, if you’re interested – I’m assuming there are a few of you out there – lets get going, shall we?

There were four of us involved this time. Myself, Judy, my brother Chuck and his friend Dave both from the Bay Area in California. We would be the four amigos for this trip. But first we had to meet up with Chuck in San Jose, California and get ready to go.

Friday: Start Day

This was our travel day to California. We had flights starting in the early afternoon, so there was NO early arising needed this time around. Sitting in the terminal at Cleveland around noon was achieved and our first flight to Atlanta was fine with a full plane. We generally book window and aisle seats and hope the middle one will be empty. This flight was full, so we had a travel companion. Quiet dude, so no necessity for chit-chat. Next flight was partly empty, so we got our vacant middle seat. Four and a half hours westbound. Watched the movie “Jungle Cruise” and dozed a bit. Most of the flight was after dark. My brother picked us up at the San Jose airport which is about five miles from where he lives. A quick drive and we were at his place. After a late supper of cheeseburgers from Jack in the Box it was sleepy time in his NEW queen-sized bed in his guestroom! He’d put on flannel sheets and they were very comfortable. We slept well, but wanted to wake up at 5 a.m. - 8 a.m. at home. We’d struggle with the clock all during the vacation.

Saturday: California Day One

Up and at ‘em around 9 am Pacific Time. My brother made us some dynamite breakfast burritos which were quite good. He’d been planning on having some stuff for us to do while we were in his hometown, so we started out at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum late that morning. We toured that, saw bunches of mummies and artifacts of the ancient Egyptian’s time, and enjoyed the place. Then it was off to a beautiful rose garden where we took lots of pictures and enjoyed the still blooming flowers. Don’t know what the blooming season is for California at that latitude, but most of the rose bushes still had good blooms. It was a nice walk. Then we stopped at one of his favorite Mexican restaurants called Aqui and had margaritas and chips/salsa. The drink – Chuck’s choice for us – was called Sunrise Industrial Drink Margarita. Frozen and delicious. It reminded Judy and I of a concoction we’d drank on several of our Caribbean cruises called Miami Vice. Yummy. Then it was back to the house for a few more drinks made with lemons from his lemon tree in front of his house. He made us home-made spaghetti and meatballs for supper which was quite good.

Sunday: California Day Two

Up to showers, coffee and some family chit-chat with my brother. He cooked again for us. French toast and sausage links. I read our local Sunday paper online (quite handy during a vacation). Checked in with Hawaiian Airlines – our carrier to the islands and back – and also took care of our Covid responsibilities at the Safe Hawaii website. Went golfing that afternoon with Chuck and two of his buddies, one of which was Dave who would travel with us starting the next day. The course was Santa Teresa and it was a beautiful place. We even had deer watching us tee off on several of the holes. Close up! They weren’t afraid of us at all. My game was not as pretty as the course, but it was fun time with the guys as that was a bit late for a golf round back in Ohio. We stopped for a beer and chit-chat after the round and picked up Subway sandwiches on the way home for our long west-bound flight coming up the following day. Supper was delivered pizza, macaroni salad and jalapeno poppers. Worked on packing for our trip tomorrow.

Monday: Fly to Maui Day

Up early – 6 am – and finished the packing for the plane ride west. Took an Uber to the airport and met our traveling companion Dave there. Had to show the ticket agent the vaccination code we received online yesterday along with our identification. This earned us an orange wrist band that “proved” we were not sick and were A-OK to visit Hawaii. The plane was not full so we four kinda stretched out on the six seats of our row. It was a five plus hour flight and was a little bumpy due to a big front approaching California from the Pacific. Watched “Justice League” on the laptop. Two hours difference from California. Hawaii does NOT change back and forth from Daylight Savings Time to Standard when most of the rest of the country does. It’s nice and warm here! Over 80 degrees. We took a little outdoor tram from the airport to the car rental area and got a GMC SUV. All our luggage for the four of us JUST fit in the back. Tightly. Drove down to Chuck’s time share place called World Mark. The reception desk there required us to log onto the Hawaii Safety web site and show our codes again. The orange bands from the airport were NOT enough. Finally we were admitted to the facility and exchanged our orange paper bands for some elastic blue ones that identified us as World Mark guests and also unlocked our apartment door. Our digs were on the second floor and were quite nice – two bedrooms and a Murphy bed in the living area for Chuck. Judy and I had one of the bedrooms and Dave the other. TV’s, washer/dryer, balcony (always called a lanai in HI) and this and that. Very beautiful tropical landscaping and plants all around the buildings. We later went for supper in a 2^nd story restaurant down on Kihei Road. (Our town name on Maui was Kihei) I had fish/peppers/onions/mushrooms teriyaki with rice. Very tasty! Judy was mahi-mahi, fresh, and chips. Watched the sun go down over the Pacific beach. Dave and Chuck took a walk and Judy and I rested. We noticed that a LOT of Hawaii is just plain gorgeous – palms waving in the trade winds, wonderful weather, friendly people. You know you are in the tropics immediately. Almost all road and street names are in Hawaiian. LOTS of vowels and some incredibly long!

Tuesday: Maui Day One

Up and shower/shave. Breakfast in The Kihei Cafe, a local must try place. About a 40-minute line, all outside but the day was nice so it was no problem. Seating was also all outside. Very good food and fast once you ordered and sat down. We noticed live chickens walking around the dining area and basically all around the islands. I was feeding a rooster some cheese shreds from my omelet. Friendly little bugger. We stopped at a grocery and got some staples for the room – Cheerios, bread, butter, rolls, juices, milk, etc. We then took a drive up to Lahaina up the west coast highway. It’s a picturesque old whaling town. Walked around for a while and checked out the old prison for rowdy sailors from the old days. Walked around the gigantic banyan tree in the public square area also. Huge! Judy bought a lime shave ice with macadamia nut ice cream on the bottom. Mmmm…! Drove back to Kihei then and the time share. Chuck, Dave and I went down to the pool for a while. Nice warm water and not terribly crowded. Later we went back to the room and got dressed for dinner. Drove to an Italian place. It was in the same building we had breakfast in except it was upstairs. Excellent food. I had peppers, onions, sausage, marinara over spaghetti. Yum! Excellent waitress. Stopped at a convenient store on the way back to the room and picked up some souvenirs. The convenient store was called ABC Store. That chain was everywhere on the islands and sold everything from liquor to souvenirs, fresh sandwiches to Hawaiian shirts, toothpaste to local beer. We frequented them often.

Wednesday: Golf Day

Today was Golf Day! Up and breakfast on our lanai. Cheerios, coffee, breakfast rolls, juice. Off around 9:30 and up the highway to Pukalani Country Club, about 40 minutes away. This course was in the highlands about halfway up one of the old volcanic mountains, so with the altitude there it was about 10 degrees cooler than at the coastline. It was a very pretty course with lots of Norfolk Pines and Palms lining the fairways. The course was quite busy as it was one of the less expensive ones on the island. We rented clubs and they were good ones, TaylorMades. Dave, Chuck and I played and Judy rode along to keep us in line. My game was about normal – good shots amid the bad ones. Putted fairly decently. As I said, beautiful course with many views of the ocean and the valley below. We paid around $100 apiece, but that was, by island standards at least, budget priced. After the round we had lunch at the clubhouse restaurant – outside of course – and not quite as expensive as Kihei. Mushroom burger and macaroni salad along with a drink. Then we drove back to Kihei and World Mark. This was another absolutely lovely day – normal I found out for Maui – with a blue, blue sky and a few fluffy clouds. Around 80. Noticed some Hawaiian birds making some odd sounds in the trees. Very different than northeast Ohio. Very exotic. Noticed that the sand trap sand on the golf course was quite dark. Probably from its volcanic origin. Took a nap that afternoon then went down to the pool area later where Chuck and Dave were lounging around. The Tiki torches were lit and a fair amount of people were around talking and laughing. Kids through oldies like us. Saw one group grilling steaks at one of the provided grills. Looked good! Sat and jawed with the boys for a while then I walked down the street to the local ABC store and bought some roll-ups, potato chips, pop and fresh cut pineapple. Brought it back to the room and had our “supper” then. Chuck and Dave came back later and we all watched some TV.

Thursday: Maui Day Three

Up early, shower and coffee on the lanai. (Could get used to this!) All four of us went to Lava Rock Restaurant and sat outside on their 2^nd story lanai dining area. Nice area. Hearty breakfasts all around – omelet for me – and mimosas! Amused ourselves watching a garbage truck pick up dumpsters down below us. Hehehe. Walked down to the beach across the street with Dave and Chuck. Very Hawaiian looking with palms waving in the trade winds and the small breakers coming in from the Pacific. (This was the normal lee side of the island – normally no big waves there.) It was a very clean beach with virtually no shells or shark teeth. Walked along looking for dropped jewelry. Don’t laugh, it happens. We could see two to three islands offshore and the bulge of the second volcano on Maui to the north. Back to the room after a bit and took a little nap. Chuck and Dave hit the pool again. Woke and we all went to Kalima Village to shop a for a while. It’s open air and close to the restaurants we were eating at earlier. I had a cherry shave ice with macadamia nut ice cream on the bottom, then we all ate at a nearby fish restaurant. I had fish tacos, Judy shrimp. Bought two Hawaiian drink coasters and a sea glass bracelet along with some silver pineapple earrings for Judy. Then back to the room.

Friday: Snorkeling Day

Today we were going snorkeling! Up real early at 5 am and drove to the harbor about halfway to Lahaina at 6. Boarded our ship the “Calypso” at 7:30 (after doing vaccination this and that) and off we went. About 140 passengers/snorkelers. It was a largish 3-deck catamaran with a crew of about 10. Seemed a lot of crew, but they had a lot of jobs – lifeguards while in the water, catering, deckhand, naturalist, speaker, instructors, etc. Stopped at Molokini Crater about 3 miles off the coast for our first stop. Molokini is part of a volcanic crater that sticks out of the water. Imagine a half-circle of naked rock sticking out of the water and that’s just what it looked like. Soon we were all geared up and in the water and I soon discovered I was NOT a lover of that sport and was soon back out of the water. Leaky mask (mustache), leg cramps, stomach discomfort. I’m definitely NOT a water baby! Chuck and Dave loved it and swam all over the area seeing the fish. Breakfast on the boat was a big muffin, a couple pieces of sweet baked bread, a fruit cup and a drink. We lifted anchor after an hour and a half and motored to another spot they called Turtle Town. Everyone snorkeling was soon back in the water. Unfortunately the turtles were not to be found on that day. Who knows where they were hiding? Lunch was a pulled pork sandwich, chips, slaw, chocolate chip cookie, pop. We returned to the dock a bit after noon. Not even doing that much snorkeling it was worth it for me. Back to the time share by 1. Went to the pool and relaxed again for a while, after which we drove to a Tiki Lounge for margaritas and supper. They had a guitar player there for live entertainment. He was unfortunately pretty bad and we were not impressed. Coconut shrimp for me, Dave crab cakes, Chuck a deluxe hot dog and Judy a chef salad. Two margaritas apiece. Enjoyed the Tiki Hawaiian vibe. Then back to the room by 6:30. Hit the sack early as tomorrow was fly day to Oahu and Honolulu. Flight at 1 pm. Noticed the myna birds were very loud in the trees at supper. Bought two flowery Hawaiian neckties after our meal and the clerk gave me a free Aloha bracelet. Friendly and pretty Asian lady.

Saturday: Fly to Oahu Day

This was another travel day. We were up and at ‘em at a somewhat normal hour and finished most of the food we’d laid in at the time share. We drove back to the Maui airport around 10 am. Gave the car back to the rental place (note: car rental prices in Hawaii are OUTRAGEOUS) and got checked back in with Hawaiian Airlines. TSA was normal and we waited at the departure gate for about an hour and a half. This was quite a smaller jet as the trip was only about 100 miles. We all were split up throughout the plane. Landed a little after 2 and a funny and talkative van driver took us to our hotel, the Ala Moana. Had to go through vaccination protocols again at the hotel front desk before we got our room keys. Starting to kinda get used to it. We all were on the 22^nd floor of the hotel, Waikiki Tower (they had 2 towers) about 3 rooms apart. Our lanais were looking toward the east with views of the harbor, the Pacific and a lot of Waikiki. There was a gigantic outdoor mall next door, the Ala Moana Mall, and that would be where we would generally eat and do whatever the next 5 days. This mall was HUGE. Built in 1959 with 25 stores at a cost of 5 million dollars. It now contains 350 stores and is worth about 6 BILLION dollars. We all got LOTS of exercise walking to and around the mall.

Sunday: Oahu First Day

This was our first full day on Waikiki. Not sure whether I should call it Waikiki, Honolulu or Oahu – it was kinda all three. Got up and walked to the Mall (you’ll see us do this a LOT) for breakfast. Got it at a Thai place in the huge food court in the middle of the mall. Surprised that a Thai place would have American breakfasts, but they did. French Toast, eggs, bacon. And the ever available Loco Moko. This dish is a pile of seasoned rice topped by a ½ pound hamburger patty, brown gravy and an egg. Our traveling partner Dave was mysteriously attracted to them and ate them at a LOT of occasions! Actually, since this was a Sunday, there wasn’t much open at the mall, so we were lucky. Even there in the food court they had a security checkpoint where they viewed your vaccination card and I.D. before you could enter. Walked back to the hotel. Judy’s legs were hurting so she stayed at the hotel while Dave, Chuck and I got a Pink Trolley (bus that made a loop in downtown Honolulu) and rode it downtown. $5 on-and-off all day. Got off and did some sightseeing. Dave suggested we look at the “Pink Lady”. He explained that that term referred to one of the original hotels there in Honolulu, the Royal Hawaiian. And it was painted pink. It was built in 1927 and is one of the oldest in Waikiki. We walked around and marveled at the rococo architecture and the 20’s-style decorations. In some of the corridors there were pictures and other artifacts of the “old” days. Pictures of old movie stars, sports heroes and, of course, of Duke Kahanamoku, the erstwhile symbol of Hawaii and the sport of surfing. We left the Pink Lady and got some lunch at a place downtown. Walked a bit further and checked out the statue of Duke there on the beach. It’s made out of bronze and is about twice real size. He’s standing in front of a surfboard and there are usually flower lei’s left on his outstretched arms, around his neck and at his feet. Right behind Duke was the beach and we saw surfers, water-boarders and other water lovers. And of course the bikini-clad ladies that made Waikiki Beach the holy grail of girl watching that it was. We grabbed the Pink Trolley at that spot after a while and rode it back to the Mall. Then made the hike back to the hotel.

Monday: Day of Infamy

This was the day we would tour Pearl Harbor. We were picked up at the hotel by Harold, our Pearl Harbor Tours van driver and guide for the day in a black Mercedes 12-passenger van. We soon picked up another six tourists – three from Saskatchewan – and were off through heavy morning traffic to Pearl Harbor and their visitors area. We got wrist bands showing we were paid and were then ready to go. We got in line for the launch out to the memorial and soon were gliding on the water of Pearl Harbor. This area was an active military base and had more rules to be followed. The Arizona Memorial is a very, very moving place. You could feel the vibes of history everywhere you looked. The ghosts of the men killed there were present for those who cared to look. The atmosphere was heavy with memories, at least that is how it felt to me. You could feel the echos of what happened 80 years ago like they were yesterday. We saw the oil floating on the water still leaking from the fuel bunkers of the battleship after 8 decades. We could actually see a lot of the ship under the water below us, rusting it its grave. We took pictures, but it’s doubtful they captured the solemnity of the place. There were helicopters flying over the harbor – tours I assumed – and they reminded me of the Zeros diving down from the blue sky on that Sunday morning and dropping their bombs and torpedoes. Definitely creepy. Our time at the memorial wasn’t long and soon we were riding the launch back to the mainland, a lot of us a bit shaken from the experience. We were informed that every year, on December 7, an envoy from Japan traveled to Pearl Harbor and gave a formal apology to the U. S. for the surprise attack. After that we caught a bigger bus that took us over to Ford Island where we would tour the battleship Missouri. We visited the small memorial to the Oklahoma which was sunk the same day as the Arizona which was just outside the Missouri area. Then on to the Missouri. This, if you don’t remember, was the ship on which the surrender of the Japanese took place on September 2, 1945, in Tokyo Bay. We walked on what was called the “surrender deck” and saw the actual spot the surrender document was signed. So within a half-mile or so we saw where the war for us began, with the Arizona Memorial and where it ended there on the Missouri. A facsimile of that surrender document was displayed there along with many pictures of the event. We took the tour of the ship which included a lot of the upper decks and then a LONG trek through the lower decks where the sailors, marines and officers lived. Thank goodness for the arrows on the walls that you followed. Without them I’d have been lost many, many times. A lot of pictures were taken of the interesting areas there. Finally the last stairway was climbed and we took our leave of this, the last battleship on earth. When the Missouri was decommissioned in 1992 there were NO more of her kin left on the planet. We wolfed down a quick hot dog before resuming our tour with Harold. On our return to the hotel we slowly drove through the “Punchbowl”, an extinct volcano caldera and a cemetery near Honolulu where a lot of the war dead were buried. We even saw the grave of the writer Ernie Pyle who is interred there. We also stopped at the old Hawaiian palace and saw the statue of King Kamehameha, the last ruler of the islands before they became an American territory. The old Hawaii Five-O headquarters was across the street and a lot of us remembered it from the classic TV show. Then back to the hotel. Harold gave us lots more interesting information during our drive, much more than I can remember now. The tour lasted from 7 am to about 3 pm. Then, after a rest in our hotel rooms, we adjourned to a bar over in the mall for mai-tai’s and to watch some Monday Night Football on the bar’s TV’s. Judy and I then walked to the food court for some supper then back to the room. LOTS of walking that day – a new record for me. We were pretty tired. Collapsed soon after.

Tuesday: Blue Trolley Tour

We got muffins from an ABC store in the mall the night before and ate them for breakfast along with some hotel coffee. Judy stayed at the hotel today and eventually walked to the mall to do some shopping. Dave, Chuck and I walked to the Pink Trolley stop. We rode it to its second stop and then transferred to the Blue Trolley for our ride along the southern shore of Oahu. That trolley was old school, wooden bench seats and all open air. Easy to take pictures from! Our driver’s name was Keiki and he was very informative and funny in his narration of what we were seeing. We again went by the Duke Kahanamoku statue downtown and then headed out to Diamond Head and beyond. We saw lots of homes that Keiki informed us were millions of dollars in value. We saw the hospital where Barrack Obama was born and the house where he lived from age 4 to 6. We stopped at the Halona Blow Hole and watched the small geyser that appeared when particularly large waves hit the rocks. Very picturesque. Then on to view more of the rugged southeastern coast. We saw a particular beach named Sandy Beach and Keiki told us a story about it. It seems that President Obama used to body surf on that particular beach when he was a youngster. While president and during one of his trips back home he tried doing it again at that exact spot. The waves slammed him down onto the beach and knocked him right out. The Secret Service had to revive him and then admonished him that he was NEVER to do that again! We stopped at Sea Life Park – kind of a Sea World type place at the end of our eastward trip – turned around and headed back to town. The coastline was, like I said, very rugged – surf and rocks and small beaches on the seaward side and high volcanic hills inland. Picture postcard Hawaii country. We got off the trolley at the Waikiki Shopping Center downtown again and walked to Duke’s Bar and Restaurant. Quite a famous place I’m told. BBQ chicken wings and beer for me then. Mmmm…! Right on Waikiki Beach with all the fabulous views! Wow! Then walked again to the Duke statue and waited for the Pink Trolley to take us home. While there we watched the beach babes again. Also wow! Soon we were back to the hotel for a quick afternoon snooze. Judy and I grabbed a prepackaged sandwich from a store in the hotel for supper. Judy had done some shopping at the mall earlier and made some purchases.

Wednesday: The Last Day in Hawaii

This was a lazy day for Judy and I. We all walked to the Eggs and Such Restaurant for breakfast. It was a LONG walk – clear to the far end of the mall – probably ¾ mile to get there. We ate a good breakfast that was NOT food court quality for a change. Judy had Macadamia Nut Pancakes and they were so yummy. (She gave me one) Dave and Chuck again took off and rode downtown for more touring (and bar hopping) while Judy and I ambled back to the hotel and did some laundry. We were running out of clean clothes! I went down to the hotel swimming pool and spent a few hours bobbing in the water and sunning on one of the loungers. So very, very tropical with the palms waving above my head and the hot Pacific sun beaming down on me. Totally relaxing. I was trying to maximize to the utmost the few hours we had left on the island. We decided to do a BW3’s restaurant for supper. It was near the Target store at the mall (of course, where else?) where Judy had been the day before. As I said, this was a beautiful day in Hawaii. It was as if the islands were giving us a fond aloha with it’s sunshine and fair trade winds. We were planning on a 10 am departure from the hotel for a 1 pm flight homeward. I was not even trying to figure out times and distances for the flight. My time sense had been hosed since leaving Cleveland around time change day and jet lag had finished the work. Supper was at the BW3’s as planned. Chicken wings, onion rings and a beer. Chuck and Dave had been celebrating most of the day and were pretty wasted by then so Judy and I bid them a fond adieu and went to the Target next door. We bought doughnuts for tomorrow’s breakfast. We then hiked our LAST time from the mall and back to the room. We finished the day by doing some packing and getting ready to leave in the morning.

Thursday: Flight to California Eastbound

We flew the long flight over the Pacific that day and watched the sun set from 35,000 feet. Home to San Jose and a good sleep in Chuck’s guest room on his new bed.

Friday: In San Jose

We rested most of the day at Chuck’s house. Ate at a family-style restaurant and just took it easy. Did a lot of talking.

Saturday: Last Day in California

Chuck made burritos for breakfast again and they were great! Watched some TV and again talked and enjoyed each other’s company. Mexican restaurant for supper. Did some packing for our flight home tomorrow.

Sunday: Flight Home

Left Norman Minetta Field in San Jose a little after noon that day and flew to Atlanta for our connecting flight to Cleveland. Full airplanes (Thanksgiving coming up and lots of travelers) and Judy and I had a passenger in the center seat both times. Again watched the sun set from the air. The Cleveland flight was a late one, around 10-ish and we got into Cleveland somewhat after midnight. We arrived home around 2 am. Tony had the lights on for us. Yay!

Some Notes on the Trip:

Duke Kahanamoku is almost a god around Hawaii. Very venerated and loved. He was actually Waikiki’s first sheriff and a hell of an interesting guy. Five Olympic medals, 3 gold, 2 silver. He was the driving force for surfing worldwide. Quite a heroic figure. Also venerated is Barack Obama. Lots of references to him throughout our tours. Very loved around the islands.

We liked Maui kinda better than Oahu. Much more laid back. Less people, less tourists. Maybe prettier also?

Pearl Harbor had WAY more impact on me than I imagined it would when I booked our tour. I literally felt ghosts all around us while we were there. I kept reminding myself that THIS WAS THE PLACE THAT ALL THAT BAD STUFF HAPPENED. Right there! The helicopters buzzing around the memorial seemed to be Japanese Zeros bearing down on us. Judy and I had watched a TV documentary at home about one of the last survivors of the Arizona’s cremated ashes being interred with his shipmates by divers under the memorial back in 2019. And we saw and remembered his name carved on the memorial on a smaller piece of granite there. He was back with his buddies. It was very moving. The Missouri was another place of memories. The surrender spot and all the parts of the last battleship ever anywhere. Sent chills up and down your spine. Also there were a LOT of steps to climb and descend. I think I did them well for a fellow of my advanced age. An incredible engine of war and home away from home for many sailors. Almost too much to take in at one time.

Loved our hotel in Waikiki, The Ala Moana. The 22^nd floor which our rooms were on gave wonderful views of downtown and the harbor. I still have vertigo being that high though out on the lanai. Great housekeeping, super friendly staff. Easily as nice as the crew on our cruises.

Saw many chickens loose in a lot of places on both of the islands we visited. Also lots of pigeons and myna birds. Very interesting. Found out mynas are very LOUD birds.

Many, many Asians of all ilks everywhere. Asians are the top ethnic population on the islands – Japanese, Chinese and Korean top them. Then white, two or more races, native Hawaiian or Polynesian, then others. Most informative signs and menus in restaurants are in English, Japanese and Chinese – sometimes Korean also. And apparently a lot of normal visitors and tourists to the islands are Asian. Pre-Covid that is. They have not yet returned according to several of our guides. The place is REALLY hopping when they are there. And, in my opinion, a lot of the Asian women we saw there are astonishingly beautiful.

So this entry in our bucket lists has been at last checked off. I doubt we’ll ever see anyplace as beautiful and inviting as Hawaii was for us. If you ever have the opportunity to visit, please take advantage of it. You won’t be disappointed.

A Friend Gone Much Too Soon

 

 

 

 

A Friend Gone Much Too Soon

This blog is about a friend of mine named Chuck Beckler. He died last week. I will miss him for a very long time.

So I got the sad call at the end of a warm and sunny day in May of this year. It came from another friend and she tearfully told me that our dear friend Chuck had passed away. And, of course it was a shock as all calls of that kind are, but not totally unexpected. He’d been ill – off and on – for quite a while. Mainly heart problems – he’d had multiple stents implanted in his heart vessels over the last number of years, plus an open heart surgery a number of years ago. And a heart attack or two along the way. But he seemed to be, as all of us who knew him thought, a survivor. For as out of shape he was, and he’d be the first to admit as such, he was doing all right. Then this awful virus came along last year and apparently he caught it. I guess after the initial misery and a hospital stay, he was sent home with an oxygen mask and that was to be his companion for the rest of his life.

I’ve been lucky in my own life and had been blessed with several best friends. He was my first. Chuck and I met back in grade school – maybe around fourth grade, give or take a year or two? Our family had moved and that had necessitated a change of schools for us kids. And Chuck went to that new school. We hit it off quickly and become best friends. Around that time we also became Boy Scouts and shared the passion of belonging to the best organization for boys in the world. We loved the camping trips, canoeing, learning the skills of Scouting plus enjoying the energetic camaraderie of pre-teens and teens. Between school and Scouts we spent a whole lot of time together. I’m sure his folks thought I was one of their own kids from time to time as often as I was there at their home.

Chuck and I even had newspaper delivery routes that adjoined!

To be honest, we raised a little hell in those days too. Nothing major to be sure, but we weren’t little angels either. Looking back I’d call us just a couple normal kids doing normal things for that time period.

We passed through grade school and junior high together, hanging out, goofing off and doing all the things kids did who were friends. In high school we belonged to a group of boys – some called us a gang. We called ourselves “The Lads”. We really did nothing too outlandish. We went to the local teen places and dances all dressed alike. And boy that was fun! We even got mistaken for the band at a couple of the school dances! Chuck, I and a lot of our friends inhabited a strata in the local high school cliques a bit above the “hoods” who actually were criminally inclined and the “popular folks” and “jocks” cliques who were kind of above us. We had a lot of fun and really enjoyed each other’s company.

After we graduated high school in ‘65 we both had major decisions to make. This was when the Vietnam war was really ramping up and most of us guys of that age were REAL likely to be drafted. I don’t think we wanted to leave the choice of how we would be spending the next few years to the draft board or the Army. We eventually decided to take different paths. Chuck’s dad was a Marine and he decided to follow in his footsteps. He volunteered for that branch and was accepted. He went to boot camp. Not long after that my path led to the Air Force, also as a volunteer and I was soon also in boot camp. Chuck and I saw each other a couple times during our stints in the service during leaves and such, but not a whole lot. He ended up getting married in that time period and started a family. I did not. (He was still WAY ahead of me in the girl department!) He also saw things and did things “over there” that would haunt him the rest of his life. I was privy to hear some of his war stories and would shudder as he recounted some of the more bloody ones. Or, to be honest, laugh at some of the goofy things he was involved in over there. (Ask me someday about the mongoose story.) He was proud of his time in the Marine Corps, had patriotically done his duty, and to his last day still considered himself a Marine and was proud of it. And I thanked God for his service and also thanked God that I would NOT have memories as terrible as his were. I did my four years for my country and helped support in some small way his endeavors. He was one of America’s brave men who really paid the price of that miserable war. It was also in that time period that he was exposed to Agent Orange and that exposure was also undoubtedly a factor in his final demise.

Our lives touched from time to time after our stints in the military. We both came back to this area after serving our country and worked and went to school. He moved west for a while to the Bucyrus area, selling ice cream if memory serves, then returned to Wooster sometime later. I won’t pretend we saw each other every day during that period, but we’d occasionally get together to go fishing or hunting or to just sit down, chew the fat and drink a few beers. We were still friends. And still pursuing careers, raising families and sustaining, as well as we could, our marriages. He was even the best man at my wedding in 1972!

Let me tell you something important before I continue. I considered Chuck one of a couple guys who were the most instrumental in making me the man I am today. He was the one, very early on, who’d metaphorically had taken my hand and shown me that girls were NOT the scary ethereal creatures that I kinda thought they were. He showed me that they were just as curious about us guys as we were about them. He put me in situations where I had to talk to them, dance with them and try (lord I tried) to be comfortable with them. He was a good looking guy, comfortable with himself and had LOTS of girlfriends. I was, well, at least in my mind, not so much in the looks department and definitely NOT experienced with the opposite sex. And wow was I shy! He convinced me that I COULD date girls and COULD be better in the boy/girl thing. If it hadn’t been for Chuck I’d probably been a wallflower and God knows where I’d have ended up. I will bless him for his helping hand to my last day.

Chuck was in a couple marriages in those years. I won’t dwell on them as I considered his triumphs and trials as his business. If he was standing here I’m sure he could “fill in the blanks” as he saw fit, but I won’t. I’m sure there are others here who could tell many stories about those years.

He and I started being closer after he married the love of his life, Pam. We wondered, at first, what he saw in this southern girl with all the sass, but we also grew quickly to love her. She was definitely the yin to his yang and the wind in his sails. We got together many, many times during this period of his life. Our New Year’s Eve shindigs became a tradition for both our families and our friends. We’d have a few drinks, tell tall tales, eat wonderful hors d'oeuvres, watch the ball drop on television at midnight and eat the obligatory pork ‘n sauerkraut. Later we’d make our way home in the cold starry night of the new year, or they’d do the same. It was the exclamation point for the previous year and always opened the new one properly.

I’m not sure how we’re going to accomplish that now…

My wife and I discovered ocean cruising around 2010 and immediately fell in love with it. Being on the ocean in a big ship, being waited on hand and foot by the marvelous crew, meeting all sorts of compatible people and waking up each morning to a new country outside the “front” door was exhilarating and intoxicating in equal parts.

We just had to show our friends.

So in 2012 we cruised with another couple, Alice and Dan, and they took to it also, loving the ambiance of the big ships. And, at last, in 2014, Chuck and Pam joined Alice and Dan and us for another cruise. We sailed from San Juan, Puerto Rico and visited a number of other Caribbean islands. Chuck had suffered one of his heart attacks only a few weeks before the cruise, but was lucky enough to get the OK from his docs to go with us. We had a great time, touring the islands, seeing the wildlife there and visiting beaches that were known globally as some of the most beautiful ones in the world. Gazing at the blue, blue waters and watching the flying fishes leap from wave to wave while the ship was on the move were wonderful parts to our voyage. We ate great food, saw amazing sights and during the trip Alice and Pam became best buddies! They enjoyed each others company like long-lost sisters. And that friendship lasted throughout the remainder of Pam’s life.

In 2015 Chuck and I took a road trip on our own. Our old friend from childhood, Neal, had taken a turn for the worse, health-wise, and Chuck thought we should go see him while we were able. We visited with him for a couple days in the small Kansas town he was living in at that time. We shared memories of the “old days” and caught each other up on our doings over the intervening years. Neal had made a bad choice in the ‘60’s and had paid the price by serving a number of years in prison. He’d made a new life for himself after his incarceration and was happy to describe how he had accomplished that turnaround. It was an interesting and enjoyable trip. While there we dined one evening at a local Mexican restaurant. When we left I looked back and noted the name of the restaurant was “La Casa Grande”. I laughed and told Neal – of course you’d take us to a place to eat named “the Big House!”

I believe Neal passed away the next year. He’d been on heavy dialysis for a few years and unfortunately was ineligible for a kidney transplant. He’d been our friend (and Chuck’s neighbor) since the very early ‘60’s.

Judy and I cruised with another friend and his wife in 2017 to Alaska, Larry and Sally. His family sailed with us also, so there were ten of us at the dining room table that trip. It was a very enjoyable cruise.

Then in 2018 we again sailed with Alice and Dan. We embarked on this one from New Orleans. Chuck and Pam joined us on the New Orleans portion of the vacation which was the embarkation port for that cruise. They had other things they needed to do, so were unable to sail with us that time. We, however, definitely did enjoy their company while we were there in the Crescent City, touring the French Quarter in a mule-pulled wagon, eating the wonderful Cajun and Creole food and enjoying each others company. We were sad to say goodbye on our embarkation day when we each went our separate ways.

Chuck and Pam were in our lives a lot in those days. We joined them for cookouts at their camper, fishing trips on their pontoon boat and spent other good times together as the world and time permitted. We were long-time friends enjoying our later years.

Pam got really sick in 2019 and we lost her that spring. Chuck made a brave face of it, but we all know he was hurt badly by losing her.

Then the Covid-19 struck last year and in the winter Chuck got it. It affected his lungs probably the worst, and he was sent home with an oxygen tank as his new companion. Judy and I stayed hunkered down that year, staying away from everyone, but I did make a point to call Chuck a time or two to see how he was faring. That’s when I learned about his contracting the virus and his oxygen dependency. He was, however, upbeat about getting better and had many plans on where and when he was going to go fishing when he got better.

I talked to him the Saturday before he passed. He was still upbeat even then and sounded like the Chuck I used to know, laughing and joking around about this and that. We talked about fishing again. He was truly a fanatic about going fishing. I hung up after our conversation feeling optimistic about his chances and wished him well in my heart.

And then I got the call on Friday and all those rosy plans that us humans like to make came to a screeching halt.

So how do I sum up a lifetime’s friendship with Chuck Beckler? Over the years he had been a teacher, a student (I taught him how to quit smoking), a confidant, the best man at my wedding, an ear on the other end of the phone, a shipmate, a brother-in-arms and the best friend a guy could ever have. My life will certainly be less rich now that he’s gone, less vivid and less fun. His wise words about the future have now been lost. It’s been said by others that the day he passed, if one could listen closely enough, you’d hear Pam yelling at him in her distinctive Kentucky twang as to why it took so long for him to join her. I would answer her question, if I could, by saying he needed to make a lot of our lives better and happier by sticking around down here for a little while longer.