DIAMOND

Waikiki beach with Diamond head in the background has always been a very photographed place. As a child it was one of my most favorite of places, though there were few buildings there, in contrast to todays view.

In this old photo that was damaged while digitizing it, you can see that there just isn’t much in the way of urban sprawl to damage the natural beauty.

Here I am playing in the surf. Note that the beach is quite a bit steeper than today’s beach. The building of an artificial break water stopped the natural erosion.

It was a much more laid back time in the islands  and fuel rationing during World War II still had everyone on bicycles. A shopping trip to the base exchange on a bicycle, was a much different experience as you can well imagine !

In this photo of Dad walking down Hotel Street in downtown Honolulu, there are very few cars. Today that street is bumper to bumper nearly 24/7 !

AH-7

When Navy dependents were allowed to follow their Sailor Dad’s over to Hawaii, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, we left San Francisco on the AH-13 the USS Benevolence.  Here is a look at her as she was then.

When our deployment was over we returned back stateside on the AH-7 the USS Hope. Here is a look at her.

On the return trip, we traveled from San Francisco to Mena Arkansas by train. The train depot hasn’t changed much over the years, but it was the hub of activity and a very busy place back then !

Our trunks caught up with us after a few days, and nothing would do for Grandma and Mom, except to put me in a souvenir grass skirt that was in one of those steamer trunks. Here is the photo that has embarrassed me for so many years.

I turned 70 last year, and the photo is now more funny to me than it is embarrassing, he, he.

TOYS

Today was one of those special January days that Ouachita Mountaineers experience from time to time. We drug some toys out of storage to get ready for some LAKE and Jugfishin’ !

The tarped down trailer to the right has our bait traps and fishing jugs, as well as the battery charger for the boat.

The boat is backed in by the 5er, ready for an oil change. We’ve got lots of stuff to do, but it won’t be long before we’re at the lake enjoying the fruits of our labor.

Big Fir campground on Lake Ouachita, we gotter’ on our minds !

MACERATOR

We have always striven to add redundancy to our RV’s various systems, and our black water system is no different. Our first fall back to the standard dump valve and hose, was to add a 35 gallon blueboy  portable black water tank. It has served us well, but we could see many times where a macerator could really add to our black water options.

We decided on this Flojet portable that operates on 12 volts, from our battery bank, for boondocking situations.

As space and weight is ever a concern for us, and we have never liked the large space required for water hose storage, we chose two 50’ hoses for the system carefully.

They are 5/8” inside diameter for full flow and made similar to a fire hose with a nylon outer shell. Here is a look at the compactness of the whole system.

Small and light weight, the system has served us well so far.

VELCRO

When we hung pictures in our Coleman fifth wheel, I thought that a simple  strip of velcro would keep them in place. However the deteriorating condition of our highways got to the pictures any way. They were simply shaken apart. It was time to start over.

I had to repair the frames and secure them better.

A hot glue gun put the frames back together.

And I am hoping that extra velcro hold downs will do the trick, or it will be episode number three of the great picture debacle  .  .  .  .  .  .  . Here is a look at the back of the frame.

The staples that tab in the heavy cardboard back are now hot glued to the cardboard and the corners are reinforced.

Comments and suggestion to help this go better will be greatly appreciated.

TRIDENT

It is a symbol of honor, suffering and accomplishment, yet as hard as it is to attain, it is only the beginning. We looked up the final resting place of an American Hero that had earned the trident, and carried it and all that it represents forward.

We had came to pause and reflect on this hero’s service to America. We had brought a small token of respect for his maritime environment. Others had also brought small tokens to show their respect. Some can be seen in the various photos.

Most of the small items will evoke a particularly powerful emotion from those with military service, though they have little or no value, to the civilian.

The date on this cloth patch will tell the story and tear at the heart.

Compare the date on the patch to the date on the military marker.

The back of the monument is simple and to the point. Much like the lives of the quiet warriors that we have been privileged to know.