Happy Hawaiian Memories

Since I no longer have internet in my room, one of the more important uses for my computer is playing music. I don’t require much variety in my life, so I have about ten CD’s copied to my hard drive, and I only listen to two of them regularly. My favorite by far is Ko-Aloha by Daniel Ho. Not only is Hawaiian music easy on the ears, this was Kate’s, and by extension my, most listened to CD in Hawaii. Some nights I am once again sitting on the couch with Kate and little Sabrina is playing on the floor in our first house there. It is a unique memory that I treasure because in retrospect having only one small child is peaceful in a way our house will never be again, and because that house was so distinctly Hawaiian.

Based on the number of layers of paint on the walls, I would guess that it was built shortly after WWII when Americans would be satisfied with single wall construction and louvered windows in place of air conditioners. There was tile on the floor and the cabinets were old, but it meant that you were in Hawaii. It meant you were at home. About six months before we left the island they tore it down to build new housing which was indistinguishable from mainland housing. Sad. Those nights at home between duty days and underways will probably always be one of my happiest memories.

I do have to be careful listening to Daniel Ho, though, because another distinctly Hawaiian memory that he brings back is walking up to SubBase on Pearl Harbor. I hope they never tear those buildings down because they also capture Hawaii. The main building has a huge native Hawaiian tree that I’m sure Rhonda could name in front of it, and is where Husband Kimmel had his office in December 1941. The whole of SubBase is almost frozen in time. If I had to guess which year I would say 1964. Submarines had their heyday during WWII and the Cold War when they had a more appreciated mission – an imperative if that is the right word. The buildings just make you feel like you are still a part of those eras with their oldness, and even when the submarine brass is around those buildings, they seem to forget their mania with passing the next inspection and finding ways to be more by the book than the next guy. It is hard to be a Nuke – a word with a meaning that any submariner knows and any Submariner disdains - when you are on SubBase because it is the hallowed domain of warfighting Submariners. As I said, gotta be careful with Daniel Ho because, unfortunately, submarines are filled with Nukes and not the Submariners of old and nostalgia makes for Department Heads.

But I can love our old house without need for care.