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. You can order the entire book from Amazon in either paperback or Kindle format, click here.

Honolulu, Monday, December 23, 1940

Monday night –

Reporting from a short day. Slept till 11 – breakfast – then a good thorough room cleaning – back to sleep until dinner time. Earl (the Air Corps giggler) called to take me to a movie. So after dinner at Ruger with the family – we started to see “Bittersweet” Jeanette McDonald. But he didn’t want to go there & I refused to go to the basketball game (his choice) so we drove down Fort Street several times under the Christmas lights -- & never could agree on anything to do so went window shopping to all the florist shops and Oriental furniture stores. Saw the most beautiful little teak wood dressing table – I looked worse than a child at a candy store window with my nose pressed up against the glass, looking at all the carved chests and table nests. Then we drove up Punch Bowl (a volcanic crater on mid-island) & I could see all the lights of Honolulu – an Hawaiian boy with a guitar was sitting up on the top point of the crater, serenading the girls he was with. About that time we had a fire-cracker inspiration so went back into town into a Japanese market to get some Roman candles, torpedoes and sparklers (which were in a glass jar surrounded by wooden sandals, bamboo sprouts and queer, smelly, “foreign” candies. From there we drove out to the east coast of the island – and did our “banging” and “firing” from a cliff overlooking the sea. The colored flares were lovely, sailing over the cliff and down into the waves.

It's quite cool tonight (except in town) – I had on my blue wool suit & was very comfortable –

Can’t believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve – but maybe it’s a good prevention of homesickness if I can go ahead not realizing. Know you all are glad to have the Reids, Jr. there for the holiday – I think your sausage idea is very clever – say a Happy New Year and aloha to your Friday hookers from me.

Everytime (& tis often) I think of the grand presents and check you sent me for Christmas I sit back & just beam.

I can hardly wait to wear them – but will have a hard time deciding which to try first.

Uncle Ed doesn’t know that chaplain, but I’ll keep on the lookout for him when I am out Shafer way.

Those air mail letters labeled Beebe, Ark – Designers of Hooked Rugs really look wonderful to me – and I read each one over again nearly every day until a new one comes –so I won’t miss a word of them.

Mrs. Barnwell (who has a daughter my age) called today & said Joe had been over there & told her what a “lovely, sweet girl” (that’s me) – imagine – I was, so she just wanted to call & have me get acquainted with Lee (her dau). She says there are always loads of Annapolis men there when the ships are in & she’s very anxious for me to meet them. Which, of course, I didn’t mind at all.

Helen called tonight & gave me the party list for the Jan 25th party. Joe is taking me – which would be perfect if he were a foot taller and several years older (he’s taking me Sat. night on only one condition that I wear low heels because his on inch priority in height isn’t very impressive).

Here I’ve just been chatting along or pages & said practically nothing – so guess I’d better get in my little 2.00 bed, take a lasty look at the big dipper out my window – and sleep till I can say “aloha Christmas Eve Greetings” --