We need your articles for the Fall edition Summer August, 2014 - Issue 67 Gardner Newsletter One place we wanted to see was Sea Life Park. There was not a discount for that. Soon after we arrived, we were enjoying the beautiful blue water and wonderful sun on Lagoon #2. I struck up a conversation with a lady exercising in the water (I don’t swim) and she gave us discounted passes for us and the family to Sea Life Park. We saw nearly every tourist place on the Island. At the Macadamia Nut place, Jada our hostess, encouraged us not to buy souvenirs. "Wait until Wednesday. We'll go to the Swap Meet where they are 1/3 of the price." There I was able to buy items for a Luau at The Pines at home and other trinkets to help remember our Cousin Teresa’s trip. Amazing Hawaiian Vacation The first Sunday we attended a church service in an old By: Teresa Vasko factory....1000+ people there. There were Hawaiian dancers on the stage In May, a friend asked me to go to Hawaii with her. I didn't think for several of the hymns in this it was a possibility so I didn't think about it. Her friends prayed that church called 4 Square New Hope. I would go. Without knowing this, I mentioned it to my husband the Very memorable. next day. He said, "I can't see why you shouldn't go." This was the start of a vacation of a lifetime. That evening Dee and I went to a luau. This was the most expensive Dee, the friend I traveled with, had a friend whose husband is in outing that we had. Jada told us to the military, so we had a place to stay and a tour guide for the two get to the front of the line so we weeks we were there. Nearly every day we did two or three "touristy" could get seats near the middle things on Oahu. The family we stayed with lived in military housing on section where all the really expensive Ford Island in Pearl Harbor. Every time we left the Island we passed ticket holders sat. We laughed about the USS Arizona. NOAA, National Oceanographic & Atmospheric two teachers cutting line, but there Administration, a large golf ball shaped structure, was in the backyard. were two lines and we went in the We enjoyed military discounts, to many of the places we went. middle. Sea Life Park Hawaii is a marine mammal park, bird sanctuary and aquarium near Makapuu Point, north of Hanauma Bay on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, United States. The park first opened in 1964, and includes exhibits that let visitors interact with the animals by swimming with dolphins, sea lions, and rays, taking a sea safari in the aquarium, and feeding the sea turtles. The park was acquired in 2008 and is operated by Palace Entertainment, the U.S. subsidiary of Parques Reunidos from Dolphin Discovery which had acquired it in 2005. We enjoyed the entertainment get the images he saw that day out and talked with the couple sitting of his head and he started drinking. across from us. He is a Baptist Eventually, his wife left him and his minister, as was Dee’s husband. We children would have nothing to do Bunny Maria enjoyed them nearly as much as we with him, but he kept drinking to get did the show. The next Sunday we rid the horrible memories. Happy 84th Birth- listened to one of his church services day! on the computer. I have never been He got very ill and went to a excited about history, but here we military doctor. After an exam the Bunny Maria, the Orignal Gang of Ten’s favorite were surrounded by it. doctor told him that he needed cousin, celebrated her 84th birthday in Maynard, MA at her and Tony’s home on June 21st. Bunny is to stop drinking and to forget the Grandma Gardner’s sister’s daughter. The Gardner Each time we left the Ford Island memories that haunted him or he cousins (and others) may remember Great Aunt we passed the USS Arizona which would die. Dick Fiske said, “I have Laura as the proprietess of the old farm stand where she sold fresh vegetables in Stow, MA for was sunk on Dec. 7, 1941 at the start tried”. The Doctor got in his face and many years. Tony and Bunny have three children. of WW II. The USS Missouri where said “ Pray to God that He will help Pictured here are Jim, and his girlfriend, Paula, and the peace treaty was signed at the you to forgive or you are dead.” Mr. Charlene , and her husband, Amr. They also have a son, Charles, who lives with his partner in Sterling, end of WWII, was within walking Fiske did that. MA. distance from where we stayed. The next year he went to the Jada told us a true story that Memorial that is held every Dec. 7th. we’d have never heard if we weren’t A Japanese man came up to him and staying with her. While she was said, “I am one of the bombers and visiting the USS Arizona, an elderly I want you to forgive me.” Mr. Fiske man (Dick Fiske) was talking with replied, “ I already have.” The two her and told his life story. He was a men became friends, and met each Pearl Harbor survivor. He could not December for many years to put BUNNY MARIA “Pray to God that He will help you to forgive ...” flowers on the memorial for their in the Pacific... beautiful, sad and lost friends. quiet. PAULA, JIM, TONY, BUNNY In time the Japanese man died Before I went to Hawaii, a cousin and the next year his daughter on my Dad›s side of the family came. When Dick Fiske died, his sent me a picture on Facebook daughter came; and now the two of our family celebrating my 8th women carry on the tradition. grade graduation. That was great. Then Facebook showed me other We went to the Punch Bowl and people I might like to befriend. Only looked up the grave of Mr. Fiske. The one other time had I checked this Punch Bowl is like Arlington National feature - the list is endless. That BUNNY, PAUL TONY Cemetery only for those who died day I checked it and there was Dick THE USS ARIZONA ARRIVES IN NEW YORK CITY HARBOR Metcalf living in Honolulu. We toured the only Palace Near the end of our stay We connected and met for on US soil, climbed Diamond Dee and I were trying to think coffee in Hawaii and caught Head, toured Chinatown, swam of some way we could let this up on family. and dined at Dukes on Waikiki amazing family know how Beach, saw Iwo Jima statue, much we appreciated them Dee and I went to the beach 7 Dole Plantation ... and many and all they did for us. The times in 2 weeks and we never other sites. Mom home schools her three went to the same beach twice. children and the Dad is a chief The 184-foot-long gleaming white structure was built to honor the 2,390 people who died December 7, 1941 during Japan’s infamous attack on Pearl Harbor, including 1,177 heroes still entombed in the Arizona. The original memorial was a flagpole attached to the broken main mast of the ship with a commemorative plaque. This tribute was ordered erected in 1950 by Admiral Arthur Radford, then-Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet. The battleship USS Missouri (BB 63) is In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved the towed past Diamond Head en route to design for the present structure, which was completed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on June 21, 1998. in 1961 and dedicated a year later. There are three main Secretary of the Navy John H. Dalton sections of the memorial: the entry and assembly room; signed the Donation Agreement on May a central area designed for ceremonies and general 4th, allowing Missouri to be used as a observation; and the shrine room, where the names of museum near the Arizona Memorial. The those killed on the Arizona are engraved on a marble wall. ship was towed from Bremerton, Wash. on a submarine and they have would not return that and I folding pattern using palm tree a lot of company so they have happen to know that there is leaves. Wow! very busy lives. an Origami pattern to make two bills into a fish. Of course I We ate apple banana, We were at the Polynesian can’t remember how to do it.” dragon fruit, Malasada Cultural Center, which was (Portuguese donuts), Hokulani amazing. As we walked Believe it or not, around the cupcakes, Matsomoto shaved through the different villages, next corner there was a hut ice (several times), turtle waffle I said to Dee “ We could give where a Polynesian girl was ice cream cone for lunch, the kids money and the parents teaching the tourists that exact macadamia nut Hershey kisses Bunny Maria MORE Happy 84th Birthday! ( the little flag on the blue wrapper said "Aloha"), Hawaiian wedding cake and much more. Dee & I each lost 4 lbs while on vacation. When I told my daughter about our vacation where we all resided in a TONY AND BUNNY MARIA small house with four adults ,three kids, two large dogs and a cat, she didn’t think that sounded like fun.