I love it when friends and family come to town. Of course it’s great to see them, but it also usually ends up the time I do a lot of touristy stuff. This happened this weekend when a high school friend came to town and Robbie and I joined her and her boyfriend at the Arizona Memorial. The first time I did the tour was back in late 2000 when I was on vacation. In the last couple of years, the Memorial’s Visitor Center was remodeled and under heavy construction. They did an amazing job providing new museum-quality exhibits, interior and exterior displays, and lots of shaded seating. There is still plenty of space to wander around and take in the history around you in what at times can feel like solitude yet you’re surrounded by folks all around.
I opted not to bring Jacob and was glad. Just too young…Robbie solo was just right. I “sold” the experience to Robbie as “a boat ride” to get up close to the Memorial we usually see from the Mall’s monorail. He had trouble (read: a whining meltdown) when he learned we had to see a short film before taking the boat ride. I still don’t know why. But he settled down for the movie and was really focused and quiet and I was really grateful. He’s not quiet getting the concept of time and history. Of the 1941 attacks, he referenced it as happening “yesterday.” Yet another thing I’m not too worried about right now. Once on the actual Memorial, he seemed more interested in the fish swimming around, but that was also fine with me. The picture attached is the Arizona’s mooring quay, seen from the Memorial, with the Ford Island Bridge in the background.
From the Memorial, we drove the mile to the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet. The one and only time I’d been there was back in ’06. Once every five years is fine with me! That’s all I’ll say about it. It was all OK in the end as I enjoyed the time with friends and we were able to buy a boogie board for cheap to replace the one we lost a few weeks ago. Win-win!
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