11. Sunday in Lahaina

Some of us decided to attend the Lahaina Baptist Church on Sunday morning. It is a small congregation that meets in a semi-open air sanctuary in the town of Lahaina. We were only a part of a sizable group of visitors, which is likely a common occurrence in this resort community. After several contemporary musical numbers, with words displayed on a projection screen centered above the front wall of the worship center, the pastor led a thoughtful challenge for us to be Light in a world that is filled with much spiritual darkness. A tasty conclusion of the service included an invitation to share a cup of pineapple juice in a few minutes of fellowship after the worship service. We proceeded into the town of Lahaina to stroll the shops and restaurants that line the Front Street of the town. The splashing waves of the waterfront provide the backdrop for the very picturesque harbor town that once was a major whaling center of the central Pacific Ocean. After spending the afternoon at the pool and grounds of the Maui Marriott, Cynthia, Lorita and I watched the beautiful sunset that shows the sun dropping behind the Island of Lanai, from our vantage point on Kaanapali Beach. Mary Etta and Chester had dinner in their village of Kahana, and described their sunset as one of the most spectacular they had ever seen. From the vantage point of their village, the sun settled into the ocean midway between the two islands of Lanai and Molokai. Of course, the sun sets in every day in every time zone of the planet, but in my opinion, there is no more beautiful experience than to witness a sunset, in all its vibrant colors painted on the clouds hovering over and around these beautiful islands, with the view framed by the swaying palm trees and beautiful flowers that are the hallmarks of these beautiful islands.

10. Island Hopping

On Saturday, we traveled from Honolulu to the island of Maui. While waiting for our boarding time in Honolulu, an airport announcement indicated that several seats were available on another flight one hour earlier than ours. So we jumped at the chance to leave a bit earlier, which meant that we arrived earlier than our baggage, which was already checked on the later flight. So, after landing, I dropped off our party at a Wal-Mart store near the airport, and returned to collect our bags, while the rest of the troupe bought our groceries and other supplies for our week on Maui. From the airport in Kahului, we then drove across the “Island of the Valley” to find our three separate resorts on the West Maui coastline near Lahaina. Lorita is staying at the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort, the Browns are in the Kahana Beach Club in the village of Kahana, and Cynthia and John are at the Maui Marriott, located in the heart of the Kaanapali Resort area. All three resorts are within a couple of miles of each other, so it will be easy to move back and forth between the lodging places, and still have several of our meals together in and around the old whaling village of Lahaina. The contrast is already obvious from the bustling big-city atmosphere of Honolulu and Waikiki Beach to the much more laid-back, slower pace of the island of Maui. It will be another wonderful week of island living as we spend the next several days exploring our second of the Hawaiian Islands.

9. Waikiki Aquarium and Hanauma Bay

We found the Waikiki Aquarium located by the shore just west of the Hotel district of Waikiki. So on Friday, we spent the late morning exploring the many exhibits that focused on the colorful tropical fish found in these waters. It was an extremely informative facility, with other exhibits indicating the fragile ecosystem that is the foundation for life on these islands. The reef system, giant clams, and several varieties of jellyfish were displayed, along with two Monk Seals in an outdoor enclosure. We reached the Monk Seals just at feeding time, and watched one of the aquarium staff dive into the pool and swim around with one of the seals. It was apparent that the two different creatures had a very good relationship, as they swam and played together for an extended time. The narrator indicated that the seals had much in common with the tourists here on the Island of Oahu. Both humans and the seals spent their days just eating, swimming and lounging around in the sun. We finished off the day with a visit to the beautiful Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve. It was the location Elvis Presley used for several scenes in his movie, BLUE HAWAII, many years ago. It is still a spectacularly beautiful bay on the Southeastern coast of Oahu, and has some of the best snorkeling scenery in all of Hawaii.

8. It's ALOHA Time Again!

Here we go again! This time we are having a wonderful vacation time in Hawaii. This year, more than in the recent past, we are enjoying sharing the event with family. Mary Etta and Chester Brown, my sister and brother-in-law, are sharing the island spirit with us, along with Lorita Simonds, Cynthia’s sister. We have settled into Honolulu for a few days, staying in the heart of Waikiki Beach. We’ll be here till the weekend, when we fly together to Maui, where we will enjoy yet a different experience of island life. While we will likely go different directions in the daytime, we are sharing our evening dinner times. Our first dinner together was at Duke’s restaurant, named for Duke Kahanamoku, who popularized the surfing sport in the early 1900’s here in Hawaii. The setting was spectacular, overlooking the torch-lit Waikiki Beach at night. It was a beautiful event, as a traditional Hawaiian Grandmother trio came and sang to us at our table. Honolulu has many landmarks and beautiful sights to experience, in addition to Wikiki Beach, and its traditional landmark of Diamondhead crater. Our plans included a visit to the USS Arizona Memorial, followed by touring the Dole Plantation, which has become a popular destination of its own. So yesterday, we went to the newly renovated Visitor Center at the Arizona Memorial, walked through the museum exhibits, then watched the video presentation before going out to the white memorial structure, built over top of the mostly below water remains of the battleship that was sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Afterwards, we began the drive upcountry toward the Dole Plantation. However, we found the roadway closed by the police, due to a raging fire that had closed the highway and prevented us from getting to the Dole attraction. So, as a detour, we ended up on the North Shore, ate in a local eatery, and then toured a coffee company where the owner explained the process of harvesting, drying, and processing both the coffee beans and the cacauo beans that result in the various flavors of chocolate. We ate our first “shave ice” there, before following his suggestion of viewing the Makeena point area of rugged beach at the northwestern tip of Oahu. There we found several kite boarders gliding over and flying over the surf.

7. Family Time at the Beach

This year’s beach trip during the week of July 4 included a special birthday celebration for Jacqueline. Cynthia had prepared a Luau theme for the birthday dinner. So we wore shell leis and enjoyed lots of pineapple for the birthday celebration. Happy Birthday again, Jacqueline! The night of fireworks up and down the SC coastline made for a spectacular – and sparkling – way to celebrate. Then later at the end of the summer, Cynthia and I celebrated our 46th wedding anniversary by returning to Williamsburg and Virginia Beach, where we visited on our honeymoon all those years ago. Krista brought Bryan down for a couple of days to share that beach time with us. The early morning walks with Bryan started off a practice that I hope we can continue for many years into the future.

6. Krista's Ordination and Graduation

Two major events in our family’s life happened very close together in April and May of this year. Krista had her Call to Christian vocational ministry affirmed by her church as the church held a service of ordination in April, shortly before her graduation from Baptist Theological Seminary (BTSR) in May. We were so pleased that so many of our family could be present for both events. Both events were truly very significant events for our family, and many of Krista’s friends to celebrate together.

5. No Cruise this Year!

It’s been a long time since we have re-visited Sandcastles and Sunsets. The biggest change for our annual travel plans has been the cancellation of the “Chaplaincy Program” by Norwegian Cruise Line earlier this year. Shortly before the Holy Week sailing this year, I was informed that the program had ended. While that was indeed a sad notice, I am so very grateful for the over 30 years of relationship with NCL. Those cruises, on so many different ships and to so many different places, became the travel highlight of each year. So with wonderful Bon Voyage memories, we bid farewell to a delightful chapter of our lives.

4. Port Sulphur Trip

Our Concord Church group left from Virginia to travel to Port Sulphur, Louisiana, while we were in Florida. So we left Orlando on Tuesday morning to drive to New Orleans and then to Port Sulphur to join them for a Mission project to help with clean-up and recovery from Hurricane Isaac, in late 2012. That hurricane hit 7 years (almost to the day) after Hurricane Katrina. These folks have had a very difficult time for several years trying to get back to normal, and then Isaac set them back again. We helped with debris clean-up, home repair and several projects at the Port Sulphur Baptist Church, which served as our home base for that week. It was a labor-intensive experience, but the group displayed a wonderful spirit throughout the whole time. All of us felt that we had received as much of a blessing - doing what we did - as the people who live there. They were extremely appreciative for all the work that was done on their behalf. I kept thinking of the verse in Matthew that says: "Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these ... you have done it unto me."

3. Heading for Warm Weather

Again this year, as the snow falls in VA, we start looking toward the South, and the warmer days of Florida in January. We left Richmond just after a snow that blanketed Virginia, and headed South. A stopover with Ruth in Charleston, SC gave us a chance to catch up on each other's recent experiences, and share a bit of belated Christmas, too. The overnight visit was a treat, as well as a welcome break before the rest of the drive to Orlando. We have settled into the Bonnet Creek Resort, and are surrounded by wonderful memories of the last time we were here with all the family in the summer of 2011. We each had a separate condo, all with a view of the Disney Epcot Globe from our porch balconies. What a treat to have the whole family in our unit each night for a dinner together, and then to watch the Disney nightly fireworks from our front porch. Still that was not quite as enjoyable as watching the parade and fireworks all together inside the park on our one day when we visited the Magic Kingdom. But this year, we are enjoying Bonnet Creek just the two of us. Fortunately, it has been warm enough to swim in the pools and enjoy the water slides and Lazy River. We had our traditional Ghiradelli ice cream treat in the Walt Disney Village tonight. We left our Park tickets in Richmond, so we will just enjoy the surroundings this visit. And we are expecting to meet our Richmond friends, the Hiltons, for a Super Bowl party on Sunday night. They are every-year-SnowBirds, and get to stay for several weeks every winter. Our shorter visits have coincided with their stays for the last few years. And we get to catch-up on all the latest from our former Bon Air Baptist Church at the same time. After the Super Bowl Get-together with the Hiltons, we moved to the Orlando Hilton Grand Vacation Club for a few more days of relaxation before leaving for Louisiana and the Mission Trip group that had departed from Virginia. The Hilton facility is also a beautiful lakefront property that makes it easy to just enjoy vacation. That's all for now. More later, I'm sure.

2. Train Display at Bevell's in Blackstone

For a Sunday afternoon treat, several of our Youth Group at Concord Baptist Church made a trek to Blackstone to visit the Model Train display in Bevell's Hardware Store. It is avai;lable from November each year till the 2nd Sunday of the New Year. What a fantastic display of detailed miniature circus Big-Top, amusement park, mountain village, and a replica of Blackstone, including a drive-in movie theater and baseball park. All of this display is surrounded by several different modern and vintage era model trains in constant motion.

1. First Snow in January

A light snowfall began our New Year in Pictures. What a beautiful sight when it is coming down. Happy New Year!