Beginning on November 1, 2024, 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 ” March 12 Just in from another marvelous trek to Schofield Barracks, and about to now settle down with needlepoint or palmistry for a quiet evening at home. Max was busy yesterday afternoon (being appointed by the major as a committee of one to plan the chow for the picnic) so Bob Hand came in to get me “looking very unhappy and badly cast in Walt”s 4-size-extra-big slack suit ” a fire in their B.O.Q had smutted or burned all his clothes and all of Beavers, still crated, new furniture. Being an hour late in leaving Honolulu traffic w “flew low” out to the north end of the island. At Pearl Harbor, a gigantic silver plane leaving the water and, in the darkness, it was gleaming by the last sun rays slipping through the Koli Koli pass in the mountain range ” We got out to Waialua beach just at dark ” all the 13th Field officers & their wives were collecting at the picnic site after playing softball. Max came rushing out to meet me & herd me into all the introductions ” they are a grand bunch of people. The table was set up on a grassy slope, off the beach, and below the waves were roaring in upon the sand ” and a full Hawaiian moon giving a picture light to the white beach and blue water with its white foam and caps. I”ve never seen such a beautiful, peaceful night. It was too lovely to even try to repaint ” more of a dream! But, back to the material ” we were all given giant plates piled mountain high with rice, noodles (very crisp and fine as string) and chop suey with bean & bamboo sprouts, fish and all the “necessaries.” With paper sacks filled with rolls and pound pieces of butter with a community knife ” we ate, and heartily, the best meal I”ve nearly ever tasted. Cherry & apple pie, and coffee in melting paper cups gave the finish signal ” and everyone packed off to camp, and a few back to the post. We moved into a quartet with Bob Hand, Bob Beaver & settled down at the club to settle the war problems ” and teasing me, but I found a partial ally in Beaver ” who, having only recently arrived, isn”t fully versed in 13th cousin hazing tactics yet ” and after my good nature & sense of humor (such as be) were exhausted they called a halt with the usual “Pore little ole innocent Cecilia ” but we love her dearly” and proceed with tri-strength to persuade me to marry Max. Finally, they started back campwards, and took me to Elmores, Bobby (Mrs.) Elmore is very attractive ” a N.Y. girl, quite young ” dresses beautifully and has lovely things in their quarters. Slept until almost noon today ” and left at one with Potts & Worley to come home ” changed into Worley”s car in town & went to get a hamburger for lunch ” tripped home to change to shorts & deposit my overnight bag ” then down to DeRussy for tennis. Went over to the Pavilion for a coke afterward, weaving our way through the bare feet & legs, slacks, flowered trunks, cameras, sunglasses of the Wednesday afternoon off-duty crowd. It’s really wonderful now that the real Hawaiian warm weather & trade winds have come to stay for the spring and summer ” cloudless days and balmy nights. Maybe I”ll stay until June or July? Not much news, aside from these rambling two pages. Dunlop called yesterday ” no go last night & he”s O.D. today so p”haps he”ll pop around tomorrow. Max”s camp moving to Ruger tomorrow. Got a letter from Grandmother & a birthday check —