Clipper50

Lekeleke burial grounds At the end of our road there is a huge lava field that is a sacred Hawaiian historical sight. It marks the location of a huge battle in 1819. In the 1819 Battle of Kuamo‘o, Hawaiian forces clashed over the traditional kapu religious system. The dispute pitted the forces of Kekuaokalani, nephew of Kamehameha I, who sought to preserve the traditional system, against his cousin, Liholiho (Kamehameha II), who had abandoned the kapu system. Liholiho was victorious, but many warriors from both sides perished in battle and were buried on the property, including Kekuaokalani and his wife, Chiefess Manono. With her dying breath, Chiefess Manono is said to have uttered “Mālama kō aloha”‐ “keep your love”‐ a plea to both sides that no matter what obstacles come to Hawai‘i, keep your love ... read more

Well, we are into the new year and are settling into a nice routine. I am getting up around 6:30 each morning and taking a walk up the hill to the Keauhou Shopping Cente where I have found a lovely coffee shop. I sit outside, enjoy a good cup of coffe, perhaps a banana scone and listen to the birds chirp as they wake up. Going up the hill each morning I encounter a few runners training for the Ironman competition. They run full speed straight uphill for 2 light poles (about 200 yards), then walk back down. They do this several times.....it makes me tired just watching them. I think I’d rather be a “clay man”.....you are much softer but the training is not nearly so tiring! I walk back home in time for the ... read more

Our last day at sea! The clocks went ahead an hour last night. We attended the illusionist show in the Main Stage last night. We went early enough to get good seats in row 3. The kids were hoping to be chosen as an assistant and although they came close, they didn’t get picked. The show was very entertaining. The fellow was Leon Etienne- check him out on YouTube. He did some great card tricks as well as cutting his assistant in half! Last night turned out to be another unusual night. Grandma woke up about 3:00 to the terrible smell again and she put on her robe and went to Guest Services again. They came to check out the smell and then dispatched crews to clear it out again. She had to go outside on ... read more

I woke up this morning and I went out on the deck while the rest of the gang slept in. This was to be our day in Glacier Bay. I grabbed a coffee and went out on the back deck and it was so foggy I cold hardly see 10 feet in front of me. As I was sitting there, I turned and looked the other way and I began to see small pieces of ice floating in the water beside ship. Within minutes, the sun started to peek through the fog and very shortly afterwards there was blue sky and you could see the shoreline very clearly. I quickly went down to our state room two rouse the crowd and get them to come up on deck as the scenery going by was absolutely gorgeous. ... read more

Everyone had a great sleep last night And the kids slept in till 9 o'clock. The time went back an hour as well today. Weather continues to be gray and wet on the outside, thank goodness for the indoor pool! We took advantage of room service again this morning and enjoyed a relaxing breakfast. About mid-morning we saw 2 rather large “tender boats” approaching the ship so Jack and I went on deck to watch as a couple of hundred folks abandoned ship to head off on a 6 hour tour of Tracy Arm Inlet. One Aussie couple were watching with us and commented how they were glad they cancelled their tour as it was so foggy, visibility would be very poor. They saved $540.00 US per person and all they would have gotten was cold ... read more