Billion-dollar oops

Not only do we have a great view of Pearl Harbor, we currently have front-row seats to the effort to free a guided-missile cruiser stuck on on a reef just offshore. (Picture taken from the house.)

Saturday mornings...

I'm fortunate one of the senseis from Karate for Christ (now called Savior Martial Arts) transferred here with the Navy about the time we came here with the Air Force. It's a blessing to be able to continue the same program. The Poock family (who we met through work) is giving it a try now, which encouraged Nathan and Matthew to take another shot at it this morning.

It's kind of weird being the teaching assistant. But it's a good weird. Melvin and I have been working, just the two of us, on Saturdays since November. That's really helped me with some technique. Hopefully everyone else enjoyed today enough that we'll keep having a growing group!

Lt. Dan Band

We took the boys to see Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band, who kicked off their 2009 USO tour at Hickam AFB. Lots of classic rock music... including Sweet Home Alabama (that alone made it worth the trip...).

Sorry for the blurry picture... yours truly isn't so skilled at photography yet that I can deal with zoom lens and weird lighting at the same time. ;)

Bowling for family time

Now granted, we had the bumpers up so we could all bowl on one lane, but it was pretty cool to watch Matthew get a strike on his very first frame. He and Michael ended up with the high scores of the day, and Nathan wasn't very far behind. (Nathan was visibly excited when I finished the 10th frame a couple pins behind him... "I beat Dad!")

Spotlight on Hawaii

I never get tired of seeing this effect as the sun bursts through clouds.

Extending the ohana

I'm blessed to work with a lot of friendly, interesting people here. Tracey is a reservist associated with our office. Her other job is with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. (She's the one who first told us about Waimea Valley.) We finally got our schedules together so she could have dinner with the family.

We didn't mean to make her 'sing for her supper,' but the first thing she did when Matthew showed her the ukulele he bought (with his own saved money!) was to tune it and show him a few things. (Thanks, Tracey!). We had a good time recounting and comparing family memories... but then, since she's a sister in Christ we're already part of the same one!

Home away from home

This is for everyone who wants to see where I (Don) spend at lot of MY time... (click to enlarge)

Here's the history part: the headquarters I work in was a barracks on Hickam when the Dec. 7, 1941 attack occurred. The Air Force has preserved the battle damage in the interior courtyard as a monument to those who fell that day...

What troubles me is this pock-marked wall is the exterior of our public affairs offices. Do you think they're trying to tell us we're expendable???