An Open Love Letter to Berlin

Paul Klee’s The Lover is obviously in the abstract and darn if all I saw was The Pink Panther.

“Berlin, remember my time with you back in the summer of 87′, then again the fall of 89′, and yet one more time on my latest visit of 2019?”

Arriving autumn 2019 late in the morning after traveling almost 24 hours, the Tegel International Airport looked frumpish and out-dated. So naturally Tegel gave me no clues to the transformation I was about to realize in Berlin. Determined not to miss anything, my eyes foraged around as I studied the environment.  No doubt, I was anxious how to fit in.

My Army Brat Childhood Highlights Through Photography

President Richard Nixon was a part of my army brat life when he visited Hawaii on his way to China for a pivotal strategic trip.  Dad took this photo at a military parade on February 20, 1972. He was a Command Sargent Major whose job entailed facilitating VIP’s.  I was in a unique position to view history in the making because of my dad’s position.  Nixon’s goal for this trip was to improve relations with communist China.

Dirt’s Secrets

*This post is not possible without the assistance of Justin Stanley and Stephen Jenkins.

The study of past events in American History have always intrigued me as it relates to genealogy of my Jenkins family.  There is nothing more amazing and perhaps imaginative than pondering the Wild West or in this case the east coast in the 17th century of Virginia.  I had the opportunity a month ago to be included in a research project  by Real Estate Appraiser Justin Stanley of Hampton, VA.   Justin contacted me via my Descendants page on Facebook inquiring about land formerly owned by Jenkins owners in VA.

Lynchings

1911 lynching victims that were mother and son. You will see their monuments in the slide below. photo credit: google.

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice  or Lynching Museum was inspired from the Apartheid Museum   and  the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.  It was founded by the Equal Justice Initiative and its creator Bryan Stevenson.  Its location is in the Deep South in Montgomery , Alabama.

Top Fun Spots of St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine, Florida is a well preserved city.   Along the Matanza River which is the main entrance into St. Aug., my friend and I saw extensive marsh areas where habitat can live.  As one who enjoys nature, I found this body of water a must see.  What makes it so interestingly dark is that its name actually means killings!  Since St Aug. is the oldest surviving european city, many battles took place where many people were slaughtered.  Chaos was nothing new to this area in its over 450 year history.

Nuremberg : The heart of the city

 

(photo above courtesy of my collections of postcards from about 15 years ago.)

Can a building really mean so much?  The heart of a city is a big shoe to fill.  The feelings are certainly there when you walk through St. Sebald which is the oldest parish church in Nuremberg, Germany.

Official Seattle Landmark

I spent the day touching water.  It started with me fishing my car keys out of my toilet.. I know what your thinking and I will “relieve” your mind.  The water was clean. 

I 90 floating bridge is an incredible historic site in Seattle.

My second water touch was my aqua therapy appointment on Mercer Island, Washington.  It went quite well today. I have a lot of work ahead though.

This is a view under the bridge.

My third water touch was the cold waters of Lake  Washington near Interstate 90. I was able to get a bird’s eye view of  the 2nd largest floating bridge in the US. The largest is seen from afar called the 520 floating bridge. They are official Seattle landmarks. 

520 bridge is largest floating in the US

The bridge for I 90 was completed in 1940.  It is well travelled. My life and travels have taken me over these bridges over a 23 year span of living in Seattle. 

Under the belly of the bridge

traffic flowing over bridge as I took photos is light as commuters have not got off work yet.

Beautiful view of homes along the floating bridge corridors.

I found afresh seafood for lunch! now this fresh!

why not see it all? Thank you for following along my life’s adventures!

Ten Hawaiian Experiences

  1. I would be remiss to not mention food only because what is a vacation without unique food experiences.  Poke ( pronounced Poe -Kay ) is raw tuna or ahi.  Foodland makes it very good and so does Food trucks near Chinaman’s hat! I had the best poke from a guy who buys it fresh from the fish auction. Rib lets from Helenas or Highway Inn are amazing also.  Leonard’s bakery is a must stop if you have a sweet tooth! You never had a better donut in your life. Please rent a car to drive to these great eating spots! Their is a truck parked on the other side of the island also serving Leonard’s pastries.  God I wish I had ate more then one!! Last but not least – I recommend trying bonefish in gravy.  I had this at the Highway Inn. This is authentic cuisine which is a fave of the locals and now I know why. Bonefish is hard to catch! Ask any fly fisherman trying to catch one of these silvery skinned strong fish who fight hard when they are reeled in even by the most experienced fisherman. 
  
2.  The next logical stop is a great hike to burn those calories off after eating so good!  That would be diamond head. The photo above I took on the initial hike up looking down toward the man made  Tunnel to get inside the volcano which is where the adventure begins.  After you spend a good hour and a half hike with plenty of water and  macadamia cliff bars- you will find yourself overlooking the most gorgeous views of Oahu. This national park is visited by at least a million people a year! I met one man who runs it 4 times a week up and down for exercise! Wow. Now that is a motivator. 

   

  View from the top of Diamond head! Worth the hike! Don’t ya think!!!!!

3. Seeing  the firework show done every Friday at 745p by the Hilton is a must. You can enjoy the beautiful sunset while sipping on a Mai Tai sitting on Waikiki Beach culminated by the sky lit up by fireworks. It is Nivana! 

  
4.  Rent a car to go to The Polynesian Culture center.  My dollar rental magazine had a coupon for buy one get one free into this awesome attraction! That was a $60 savings and worth every penny. Don’t ya think my smile indicates that! 

  

5.  Don’t forget to enjoy nature. The birds are adorable. 

  
6. Enjoy the environmental aspects of the islands by checking out the rich coral, fish, and rich history found in what lies beneath the sea. Ok – maybe it’s just those hot chicks on surf boards. Even the dude surfer seems to be about to fall off his board staring those girls down! 

   

7.  Go explore the island by driving leisurely down perhaps the Wainae Coast.  You will experience a slower pace, but I must warn you that there is heavy traffic at times so being patience is a must. I found it worth it. The views were worth it on the secluded beaches we found to enjoy. 

  
8. Make sure to take in some history by seeing  Pearl Harbor or visiting the rich history of the military bases.  There a few ways to enjoy this. One is by tour guide that I think is a must if you are short on time.  My favorite way again is by renting  a car. It is fairly easy to snag a free ticket to ferry across to The USS Arizona Memorial.  Warning: windy weather can cancel ferry service . Get there by 630am and you are sure to get on a ferry as the wind will not have kicked up that early in the morning.
  
9.  Make sure to visit one of the five botanical gardens. I was mesmerized by the beauty at Wahiawa.

  
10. Please think about going to the Aloha Bowl on either Wednesday , Saturday , or Sunday. You will definitely enjoy the opportunity to save money on a souvenir that could cost you half of what you might pay in downtown Honolulu. 

Please return soon as I will expand on a few of these tips in the next couple of blog posts!

  
My room was so comfy!!!

Why Am I Comfortable Today?

  
While driving along Palm Circle on Fort Shafter, I was brought back to another time.  It was here I experienced Hawaiian life first in 1969 as an army brat. This base was named after General William R. Shafter who liberated Cuba in 1898. It is also the oldest military base on the island.

  
Many of my Alabama family and friends will appreciate the hound’s tooth dress my mother made and wore on a beautiful hawaiian day when dad received honors for his army career on the island. Over a quarter of a century before this photo was taken, Fort Shafter was hit by Japanese bombers who targeted its artillery. It is on the field above where you see the young service men and women raising our flag that we sustained casualities.  The famous movies Pearl Harbor and Tora, Tora, Tora were filmed on location here. 

   

Above you will see the second post I lived on. This base is the largest outside the continental United States called Scholfield Barracks.  I captured in this photo buildings that you can see if you were to watch the classic film  From Here To Eternity.     

  
 
Mother always dressed my sister and I up in clothes she made for us while living on the Hawaiian bases. Who would have ever thought a little over 25 years before this photo was taken Japanese pilots would warm up their guns above us before bombing our Army Air Corps pilots’ home base Wheeler Army Airfield?

  
 
Perhaps Hawaii’s most famous scenic picture I took is of Pearl Harbor itself. It is underneath this structure you can see the remains eerily of the sunken Battleship Arizona. It is this tourist spot visited  by millions that led to the United States entering WWII. 

I hope you enjoyed learning  alittle history not only about your blogger, but about the Hawaiian Islands.  It is good for us to understand why we are comfortable today as I titled this post, but also to keep in mind that our defense needs to stay our priority if we want to continue to stay that way. 
 

Tokyo Meets Seattle

  
Since landing in Honolulu, I have been going nonstop. This is a place where memories are indeed made. For me fortunately, many past childhood thoughts came flooding back as I embarked on visiting my past homes on the island of Oahu. I lived here for over four years from 1969-1974. Come down memory lane with me, but first let’s stop at Pearl Harbor. It was today, I was approached by two young adults traveling from their homeland of Japan.  They  seemed to be working on some school project and handed me a paper with historical questions they politely asked me to answer. 

We quickly became friends and are now following each other on Instagram. I was touched by their genuine desire to know my reactions to Pearl Harbor.  However, today we stood together gladly not allowing the past to identify who we are in the present.  As an American, I welcome my new friends to my country.