Welcome 2017

Happy New Year!  Hope you ushered in the new year in style!  Most of you had new year several hours before I did!  We went to the movies last night about the time people on the east coast were singing Auld Lang Syne!  Afterwards, when we returned home, we opened a bottle of wine and sat on the lanai to wait on the new year.  There were a lot of fireworks being shot off all around us so that made for a nice view.  Today we had to wake up early in order to go to a local bar to watch the Steelers play!  The game came on at 8 a.m. here!  Luckily, the bar/restaurant served a pretty good breakfast and a never ending glass of OJ.  We weren't so sure the Steelers were going to get a win even if they were playing a team that has only won 1 game this season.  The Steelers coach announced earlier in the week that he would not play at least four of the offensive stars, including the quarterback, in today's game.  He wanted to rest them for the play off games starting next week plus today's game was a meaningless game for us since we already have made the play offs.  But, in Overtime, we got the win so we were happy!

We had a good week last week.  We had tickets to go to Pearl Harbor on Tuesday.  Ashley & I have been but Sonny has not and that was #1 on his list.  Well, we were watching the news Monday night when they announced that Obama and the Japanese prime minister would be making a visit to Pearl Harbor on Tuesday to pay homage to the victims of the 1941 bombing and Pearl Harbor would be closed to the public!!  Grrrr!  Ashley called the following day and was able to get tickets for Friday so at least that worked out.  Obama has been vacationing here and staying in a rented house not too far from where Ashley lives. It has been amusing to watch the news every night and he is big news - reporting what he did that day and where he ate for dinner!  He has played golf a lot since he has been here at the Marine base which is also where Sonny has been playing.  Sonny has not seen him there but one day he had to wait on one of the holes because Michelle Obama was a few holes in front.  They keep the public back a few holes on either side for them.  At least they don't close the course!  It has worked out well for Sonny.  The first time he played golf there, he got paired up with another man who had ties to Texas.  They have ended up playing golf 3-4 times.  Ashley drops him off on her way to work and picks him up when she returns.  One day last week, his friend was busy so Ashley dropped him off at a public golf course.  As it turned out, the golf pro there was selling a set of used golf clubs and made Sonny a deal.  Now he has his own clubs to play with here and won't have to pay to rent them each time.  He'll just leave the clubs here at Ashley's when we leave.  He's already gotten a call today to play golf tomorrow so maybe Ashley and I will have a little beach time!

This is Sonny's view on the golf course!  Not too bad, huh?

The weather has not been great while we have been here.  Temps have been mostly in the 70s although Friday at Pearl Harbor it didn't get out of the 60s and there was a drizzly rain all day.  I think it has rained a little bit every day except today.

Here are a few pictures I have taken this week.

The 3 of us at one of my favorite restaurants here.

We stopped at a scenic view site and while looking at the view, this rainbow just appeared.  You couldn't really see it in the sky but it was gorgeous reflected in the water.  It was just amazing!

This is Tripler Hospital where Ashley works.  She took us there on Christmas so she could leave a few gifts for her residents who were having to work on Christmas.

Ashley with the Arizona Memorial in the background.

These are the 2 wreaths that Obama & Japanese prime minister left.

After touring the Pearl Harbor Memorial, we drove across a bridge to Ford Island which was at the center of the Pearl Harbor attack.  It is used now by the Navy.  This is a memorial to the USS Oklahoma for the 429 crew members who were killed in the Japanese attack.

This banyan tree is on Ford Island and is huge!!

North Shore Beach

USS Oklahoma names

We watched surfers at the Bonzai Pipeline on the North Shore of the island.  Oh how I wish I could surf!

Trying to capture the sunset on the North Shore Bonzai Pipeline

These are just some of the poinsettas at the Hale Koa Hotel which is the military hotel in Waikiki.  We have been here a few times - sitting on the beach and Friday night we went to a show.