Beginning on November 1, which is the date of my mother’s first letter from her Hawaii trip 84 years ago, I am serializing day by day, the book, Cecilia King’s Extraordinary Senior Trip, which you can obtain from Amazon in either Kindle or paperback.

I hope you enjoy the upcoming nine-months in Hawaii 1940-41.

Honolulu, Friday night, November 16, 1940
Saturday night – Now the fleet’s in and there are hundreds of sailors swarming all over the city on the streets in cafes and buses. After getting Uncle Ed’s latest purchases of furniture in today we went to town shopping. Aunt Susan insists that I look absolutely perfect to the t’th degree and so she tried on bathing suits and shorts on me until my feet felt like falling to bits with the high heeled shoes. We brought home two bathing suits for Uncle Ed to choose between – a red & white candy stripe with full gathered skirt & bra top and a blue & white print – flared skirt – with top reversed color. This is my choice.

Or rather the white sateen with big pink roses blotched over it was – but was $15.00 so I dropped my eyes & left the place. Everything is so horribly high that I feel a nice naked hiding place should be my exit. No fallacy or fooling – I looked at every suit in my size at ten shops – from the cheapest in Waikiki to the highest in town & the lowest priced one was $10.00 except one pink plush that I couldn’t quite digest.
Nearly everyone at DeRussy wears, for play & swimming, print skirt shorts & bra tops. But Aunt Susan says I must be different & startling – so her choice of shorts is a white sharkskin one piece with navy zipper and navy belt – pleated shorts & really grand looking –- but heaven help me, it’s a practically two months allowance. A second choice was green chartreuse crepe with pleated skirt all over making grand looking sport dress. My choice was light blue burlap shorts with wide big cuffs turned up of blue navy linen – short loose zip jacket with fringed pockets, $13.00, $20.00, $6.00 (it had been worn in style show) as they come. Such are Honolulu prices – s rom this point I think the wise thing to do is to have anything I might need sent from Cohns. I really hardly know how to go about the clothes business because they certainly fall into lumps of money. And I have practically spent the gift I landed with. The radio to you (as Uncle Ed insisted) We’ve had lunch in town two days – and I have to take my turn at that -- & we’ll be in nearly every day next week – laundry & cleaning --- & I can’t use any of my suede shoes or wool dresses – Sorry for the page of worry but can’t quite see over the rock right in front of me now. Guess I’d better change pages and moods --
We went to the Moana Hotel (next to Royal Hawaiian) for lunch & I started to call my mess mate, Miss Nelson – who is staying there, and before I could give the number – out she walked from the elevator. So we all had lunch there together – her treat. I’m going to take her to DeRussy or somewhere next week – that is if my financial spine doesn’t break.
Tonite Uncle Ed took me over to DeRussy to look around – I’m a member there now & we saw Col. & Mrs. Bernheim (the dentist). Tomorrow is my paddle tennis date.
The house decorated tonite This is my room now.