Today was GAME DAY and James and I dressed accordingly. My cousin, Larry, who lives in Fort Worth and is an avid BAMA fan, was going to call us and keep us up to speed on the game. We went to a parade starting at 9 a.m. that is the Festival of Flowers. It is an annual parade and went down the main boulevard of Waikiki. Very unusual parade. They had lots of bands (mainly high school) and marching units from the Naval Station and the Marine Station. There were also traditional units such as the Royal Hawaiian Band. Most of the “dance teams” were in hula skirts and were very energetic. The floats were unusual and some of the “color guard” were in traditional Hawaii dress. The main tradition for the parade is the recognition of a princess and her court from each island. Each princess is dressed in beautiful attire and rides on a horse. Her court is dressed in corresponding colors. Something very unusual is the fact that each “court” is followed by “pooper-scoopers” with very elaborate “pooper-holders.” You had to be there! Yes Stacey, there was one group of young majorettes and their very skillful leader. Each vehicle (and there were lots) had a beautiful floral arrangement on the hood. Miss Hawaii was in one of the vehicles and Miss Teen America was in one also.
Larry didn’t call a lot and when I called him I found out why – BAMA was behind at the half by 10 points. As soon as the parade was over we headed back to the room where the four of us watched the last half. It got so loud in our room that I thought the security guard might come up – but all that excitement helped BAMA come from behind and win by 4 – GREAT against a top 10 team. As we left the hotel and headed to the car, James made another friend. I knew he liked chicken but this is WEIRD!
We decided to go downtown and tour the capitol and the palace. The capitol is very unusual and extremely modern; however, since Hawaii was the last state to be added to the Union it is fitting that the capitol would reflect a more modern era. It was not open for tours but we were impressed with the “openness” of the building. On the grounds of the capitol is a very unusual sculpture depicting Father Damien. He was the priest who volunteered to go to the leper colony on Molokai, the Hawaiian island where victims of leprosy were exiled, and minister to the victims of the disease. After years of living and ministering to the ill, he contacted leprosy and died. The sculpture recognizes the sacrifice of this priest as well as the inhumanity of forcing exile on people who were ill. From there we got a bite to eat and then headed to the Royal Palace. This is the only royal palace within the United States. Hawaii was a sovereign nation ruled by a democratic parliament and a royal monarch until the U.S. financial involvement resulted in the United States forcing the over-throw of their government. On the grounds of the palace is the “Coronation Pavilion” which was built by King Kalakaua. Once inside we toured the grand hall with an elegant staircase, hand-carved from native Hawaiian woods. On the first floor are an elaborate dining room and the Throne room. The stair case leads to the second floor with the bed rooms and the bed room where Queen Liliuokalani was imprisoned to allow the over throw of the government. The palace's original cost was a whopping $360,000. King Kalakaua was a man of vision, not only having electricity installed four years before the American White House had it, but he also had indoor flushes, and telephones. In the basement we were able to see the crown jewels. This was a wonderful tour. On the grounds of the Royal palace are a huge Banyan tree and the statue of the last Queen of Hawaii, Queen Liliuokalani. As we were leaving the area we saw a memorial dedicated to the men and women of Hawaii who have served in the military. It has an eternal flame and is very impressive. We also rode by the new Governor’s Mansion and learned that the old mansion is now the Bishop Museum.
As we got back to the hotel we decided to take a trolley to the “strip” on Waikiki and we walked through the International Market Place (lots of junk) and window shopped at the expensive stores. They had lots of street entertainment (music, magic, etc.) but we were so tired we decided to head back to the hotel and get a bite to eat. Before we left, James just had to get his picture made with Elmo – I think that is for Ally’s entertainment.
This was a FULL day and I didn’t get to add the post until now. Looking forward to tomorrow!!
The ballgame about gave me a stroke.
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