May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose

Does anyone know this strange man??

Ernest Tubb sang that song back in the dark ages. Thought the words were funny - maybe you were curious too......

May the bird of paradise fly up your nose

One fine day as I was a-walkin' down the street
Spied a beggar man with rags upon his feet
Took a penny from my pocket
In his tin cup I did drop it
I heard him say as I made my retreat

The laundry man is really on his toes
Found a hundred-dollar bill among my clothes
When he called me I came a-runnin'
Gave him back his dime for phonin'
I heard him sayin' as I turned to go

I was way behind one day to catch the train
Taxi driver said "We'll make it just the same"
The speed cop made it with us
And as he wrote out the ticket
I stood by politely a-waitin' for my change

"May the bird of paradise fly up your nose"
"May an elephant caress you with his toes"
"May your wife be plagued with runners in her hose"
"May the bird of paradise fly up your nose"

Good Bye Hawai'i

About noon on Tuesday we headed for Waikiki Beach. Wanted to have lunch at Duke's (it's located right next to the pink Royal Hawaiian Hotel) and walk on the beach. We also went to the International Market and walked along the shops at Waikiki Beach Walk. I picked out a ring at Cartier's but all I got was a picture. Guess we didn't have high enough limit on our Visa Card. Got some air pictures of Waikiki as we headed to Minneapolis. We had a wonderful time and appreciated the time with Rob, Carrie and the Luiken Family. Thank you very much - yes, we will hurry back as soon as possible.

Last Day in Kailua

Late this morning we decided to go to a beach and have a picnic lunch. We stopped at a store to buy some lunch items and while we were inside Vic found a little river with lots of wildlife. We went to a beach where you can see Chinaman's Hat and Turtle Island (the Marine base). You can actually wade out to Chinaman's Hat, but we didn't try it. We took a walk on the beach, ate our lunch and watched the people enjoying the water. There are many of these quaint little roadside stands that sell fresh fruit and vegetables. This afternoon Carrie and Marilyn walked to the market to buy some things for dinner. It is so nice because C&R can walk to many shops, several grocery stores and restaurants. They have a wonderful location.....and on top of that they can walk a few minutes to the beach.

A Very Busy Sunday

We went with Rob and Carrie to their little Hawaiian Church and afterwards met the Luiken Family for a burger before heading off to the air show at the Marine Base. Vic had seen the Blue Angels practice on Thursday, then we walked down to Kailua Beach to see the far away show they were doing on Saturday and now on Sunday afternoon we are on the base to see the close up show. You can see by the pictures of the kids we had a little wait before the show began. It started with a gal that Luiken's know, Patty, doing stunts with her plane. She put on quite the show! Then the Blue Angels entertained us for about 30 minutes. After the show we went to Luiken's house with a beautiful setting near the ocean. We ate outside and what a view that was with lights all around. They were such good hosts with the fun of four of their kids joining in (one away to University). We had such a great day!

Saturday Market, paragliders and Angels

This morning we took a drive to a Farmer's Market and then to a beautiful look out spot. It was a spectacular view of the paragliders. One was showing off for us and of course, we loved it. You will see one picture where one looked very close to the traffic, power lines and mountainside.....it gave you a strange feeling just watching them maneuver in that area. Later this afternoon we walked to Kailua Beach and saw the Blue Angels again. Vic caught them flying over a Navy Ship passing in front of us.

Blue Angels

The Blue Angels have arrived.....they practiced close enough to Rob and Carrie's house so Vic could get some pictures. He was gone for hours. We finally called him to see if he was ever coming back. He had walked a long ways up the beach. These pictures will give you an idea of why he was gone so long. It's so neat that you can read the writing on the planes when you click the picture to enlarge it.

Another Full Day

Vic and Carrie took their cameras early this morning to see what they could find. They found this old church that had some beautiful windows. We had to head back toward the airport as this was our day to return to Kailua. On the way we stopped to see two different waterfalls. Vic was able to get a picture of the Arizona Memorial from the plane as we came into Honolulu Airport. You can also see the USS Missouri. This ship is where Japan signed the surrender treaty. On Thursday evenings there is a great Farmer's Market downtown Kailua. We walked down there to buy some food items. It is a great place to get fresh herbs, flowers, breads or just to have something yummy to eat.

Lighthouse and more Kaua'i Beauty

Early this morning Rob and Carrie went out snorkeling. The old folks stayed home. Later we went to visit the Lighthouse and took a drive on the property where we are staying. The mountain in the picture is Bali Hai - near where South Pacific was filmed. NeNe is the state bird of Hawaii. Vic thinks it is funny that with all the beautiful birds, they picked this one - (a goose). The soaring bird is called Frigate bird and the little bird may be one of its young or the young of a Red Footed Boobie (I am not kidding) After lunch Carrie and Marilyn did a little shopping and the boys hung out at the condo. In the evening we went to a place where Rob and Carrie ate when they were here for their honeymoon. It was such a great place. The picture with the torches gives you an idea of the beautiful grounds after dark. You really can't see it well unless you click on the picture to make it larger.