The Pineapple Maze

After a long summer and early fall hiatus, I've decided I need and want to get blogging again. There were so many things I wanted to write about our summer in the Mainland but I didn't and now it seems like old news, so I will just begin again.

Yesterday, Amber and I took her kids to the world's largest maze. It is at the Dole pineapple plantation. The center of the maze is shaped like a pineapple and all the winding paths are tall hedges of hibiscus trees mostly. Topaz really likes to do mazes on the computer and on paper, so we thought he might like to see what a real one is like.

When we went in, I was a little concerned thinking we had to complete the whole thing correctly on one path before we could ever get out again. If you know me very well, you know I am easily lost and always end up needing a bathroom right when none is available.

In this maze we were often lost, but you enter and follow a straight line to the center pineapple. Eight entrances go off from the center and you wind around in them. Back in the bushes they overlap so that you might go in one gate and come out another. In each of the eight areas you can eventually find a machine where you can mark your little passport with a picture that indicates you found that one. We let Topaz tell us which way to turn most of the time so sometimes we repeated the rows. When you walk directly to each sign post you cover a total of 2.4 miles, so I'm sure we did a little more than that. It is not too stressful because you can always wind you way back to the center and sit down and think about it or rest and drink water, if you take water, which we did and I would recommend.

We were doing quite well and still had two sign posts to find. Topaz was having a great time. Emerald was happy in her stroller, but I had a bit of a struggle pushing her as the paths were rocks. Anyway we were going along very well despite the repeats and periods of being completely lost when Topaz exclaimed "Look only two more places to find!" He seemed totally excited to continue on when about three feet later he said "I'm done Mommy let's go". We all were pretty well baked in the 89 degree weather and my shirt was completely wet from sweat so we really didn't argue. We went back to the center pineapple and straight out to the gift shop and bought Topaz a Pineapple Maze finisher T-shirt to celebrate the accomplishment. Our punchout clock said it had taken us one hour and twenty minutes.

The Dole Pineapple Maze is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records in both 1998 and 2001 as the world's largest maze. They still advertise it as the world's largest so I presume it still is.

Ward Camp

In a Mormon ward in Hawaii the yearly activity is a week at camp on the beach. Usually we miss this because we are in the mainland visiting our children when it occurs, but this year we were in town.

You would not believe the luxury camping that Hawaiian do. First of all they set their tents all up under "easy corners". These are sturdy pole and tarps arrangements that protect the tent and living area from rain, wind, etc. Being mainlanders ourselves we do not have easy corners so we just set our tent up. The first year we did this, about five years ago, our tent blew down a couple of times. This year we selected a spot a little more sheltered by trees for some shade and wind protection and did not have a problem. Some people hook up large double sinks to the available faucets. Our first time someone even brought a real china cabinet to camp to live just like at home. Unbelievable!

Hawaiian wards take huge generators to camp to power everything from lights and cooking stoves to TVs, etc. A staging area is used for group activities. This year the first one was a huge memorial dance for Michael Jackson with a performance of "Thriller" and pulsating lights. Other group activities included a Primary activity for the children one day, a Musical fireside on Sunday, nightly movies, and of course every ward camp ends with a huge luau including the kalua pork (pig cooked underground).

Topaz and Emerald went camping with us the first night. They loved scampering around in the tent and swimming on the beach. On the other hand, they did not love sleeping at night so it was a rather long night for me. It didn't help that the Michael Jackson Memorial dance loudly went until 11 P.M. and then some neighbors from another group played the radio nearly as loud until 4 A.M.

Since the beach camp was less than a mile from our house we luxuriously went home for showers and even slept at home a couple of the nights. We're not the campers we were when we were younger but all in all it was quite fun. Many of the locals make this their only vacation from work, but of course we mainlanders will go to the mainland to visit our families still too.

The Hawaii Tourist Hits Bishop's Museum

On Monday Tim had a doctor's appointment in Honolulu. Then he decided we would stay in town until supper and go to my favorite Red Lobster. With a few hours to kill he decided that he had not yet seen Bishop's Museum. This was my third time but it is always fun to go again.

We spent some time in the science museum where a gigantic globe acts as a screen with a show af various planets. The globe can look like Jupiter, Mars, or any of them and you can see the 360 degree appearance. Then the globe can show you earth and change the time so that you can see the splitting of the continents from one land mass. Also it can show the clouds and weather patterns currently existing on the whole planet. It is updated every 15 minutes and so it is really quite interesting. Of course they also show what is happening on earth with the global warming and what is expected to happen in the future. All very fascinating.

Next we went to the temporary exhibit of Animation. Here you can make cartoons yourself, put sound effects into ones already created, and every other conceivable variation that falls under this heading. Children would love all the buttons to push and nobs to turn here and the ability to see their own creations on T.V.

Back to the science building, next we went to the Planetarium for a presentation based on the Hawaiian skies as seen from Mauna Kea on the Big Island. Mauna Kea is actually the highest mountain on earth if measured from it's base under the ocean. It rises into a starry sky where not man-made lights disturb the viewing. We stuldied the starryo night in a land where you can see the Southern Cross.

With only a limited amount of time left we toured the volcano exhibit. Here a gigantic volcano erupts every twenty minutes and you can see it from three levels. At the top lava bubbles and steam blows, in the middle you can touch various kinds of volcanic rocks and learn what happens to make them different, and on the bottom you travel through a cave with florescent drawing by early Hawaiians on the walls to see under the vast volcano.

We were unable to spend time in the historic and s;endid Hawaiian traditions and artifacts hall and many of the other things but the Bishop's Museum is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.

These links Should Work Now-Two YouTube Videos Not to Miss

Here are links to a couple of You Tube Videos that are well worth watching.

One is singer Susan Boyle on American Idol that is a surprise.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY


The other is a tour of Minatur Wunderland in Hamburg, Germany that is quite cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN_oDdGmKyA&feature

Shingles

Tim has been diagnosed with Shingles. Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox and can occur in adulthood in those that had chicken pox as children. It is the second eruption of the virus and it may have lain dormant in the nervous system for years after having the disease. It usually occurs in senior citizens after age 5o when there is a weakening of the immune system. There is a vaccination for shingles but you have to be 60 to get it. Sometimes younger people get shingles but that usually happens after some health crisis that seriously weakens their immune system or stresses their nervous system such as in auto-immune diseases like HIV or something.

Shingles occurs on only one side of the body and starts in the nervous system. It often occurs as a band around the middle from stomach to back, which is like Tim's which is one spot front and one spot back. It can occur on other parts of the body and can leave scars. This root beginning often means there is a great deal of pain and the area of breakout can be extremely sensitive to touch or even slight breezes or clothing for months or even years after the break out is healed. So far Tim has not been experiencing any pain.

Shingles is only contagious to people that have not had chicken pox, such as babies and young children, and then they get chicken pox, not shingles. The doctor prescribed some anti-viral pills for Tim. Just a few pills cost $140.00. Fortunately our insurance through BYU-H plus Champus Tri-care through the military covered the cost. It is amazing how expensive medications are these days.

No More Beach Baptisms

According to Elder Whiting our Area Authority there will no longer be baptisms performed on the beaches of Hawaii. This truly Hawaiian tradition has had a few problems. The priesthood brethren that act as witnesses don't really like to get their feet wet so they often don't walk out into the waves far enough to really see if the ordinance is completely accurate in its' performance.

Another problem has been that even though baptisms are held at very early hours there is still often a cute bikini clad young woman or swim suited macho guy running or swimming in the area affecting the sacred nature of the baptism.

As much as I have loved the beauty and uniqueness of the baptism in the sea, there is also the problem of hearing the little talks given or the words said in the actual ordinance due to the wind that is often blowing in my ears. It has been an awesome moment to look up the street from Temple Beach directly to the Laie, Hawaii Temple and that site will now not accompany baptisms. The only baptismal font in our Stake happens to be in Amber's ward building in Kahuku 1st ward. It remains to be seen whether baptismal fonts will now be added to the existing building in the area.

I am quite sure the person receiving baptism will still receive a lei from family and friends in token of congratulations on taking this important step in their spiritual development. After all this is Hawaii.

Hawaii's Slippery Slope

The Hawaii State House panel has already approved House Bill #444 claiming it does not redefine marriage but certifies "civil unions". Back in 2007 this bill failed to win support, but now we are told that it has gained diverse support especially from churches. The representatives say people are more tolerant here and this is not a defining issue for them. Many people seem to feel that if gays can't marry in California and other Mainland states they will want a place to come where they will be openly accepted and allowed to flaunt their alternate lifestyles. Civil union bill supporters claim that a blatant injustice currently separates same sex couples from enjoying all the benefits of married heterosexual couples. They want the same benefits and they want to file joint taxes and adopt children.

I believe this bill tries to circumvent the will of the people as expressed in their "defense of marriage" amendment passed in 1998. This amendment reserved marriage for opposite sex couples. I think "civil unions" are an attempt to legitimize gay marriage by using another title. This word play makes it appear that government has sanctioned gay marriage.

Certainly I don't want same sex couples to have the right to adopt children, whom I believe God wants to have both a father and a mother. Children can become confused and led astray when we allow unnatural and immoral behavior to become an accepted part of society. Hawaii is standing on a slippery slope in moral issues according to recent choices. I believe we can only have hope to solve our state and our national challenges if we remain worthy of the divine assistance of Almighty God. The Lord our God is one God. He is no respecter of persons but He also does not look upon sin with the least degree of allowance.