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 Monday, April 14, 1941
Honolulu – Monday, April 14th
Dear Daddy & Mother –
Such a glorious Easter I had yesterday! The most heavenly day. I got up at 4:00 AM and, with Halland, went up on Punchbowl for the sunrise services – lovely organ and choral music and trumpet fanfare at the sunrise.
We got back to town about seven, and went to Waikiki Tavern for waffles – then to DeRussy for an early swim. Home, showered, dressed and at eleven Bob came. We had lunch at Pauls then came home for a while – decided to go out to Schofield for dinner – and drove over the Pali and arrived around the windward side of the island. Everything is so cool, fresh, green and blossoming that the trip was marvelous. We stopped at a banana grove for some fruit to nibble en route – and I was absolutely astounded at some of the vegetables they had – carrots larger than any giant turnips I’ve seen, and eggplant the shape of bananas.
At Haleiwa Hotel[1] – a large cool white palatial place on the north side – we stopped to rest a bit and sip a lemonade. Then on to Schofield about six, and to the Col. Dunlops where we dressed for dinner (I had on the red & white taffeta, and Mrs. Dunlop gave me two lavender orchids & a white one for my hair – looked awfully cute, but a little like a florist shop among my top pompadover). Over to the club where we met Col. Rice’s and dau. & old “Dad Rice.” He and Mrs. Dunlop’s mother are both 80 – and they were really a pair. He got more fun teasing me about my tough steak — & I was practically breaking hand muscles trying to cut it.
The orchestra played during dinner for dancing. And about nine we all parted & headed homeward. It had certainly been a long, but lovely, day for me. Going backward for the news – Saturday night Pierson Ray & I “climbed” Tantalus to the Smocks house – it’s perched on the steep top slope, down under the highway and garage. Had a grand buffet supper there. All the guests were strangers to me – from Safter – and I felt left out because they were all “old buddies.” But I did run across Jerry Haven, and had quite a nice chat with him. About nine we migrated to the gym at Shafter, for the post hop. Had a marvelous orchestra – but rather dull dancing except the wonderful waltz with Jerry.
The highlight of the evening was when the orchestra suddenly stopped, announcing a lunar rainbow outside. Of course, we all rushed out – I was so thrilled at the small arc of colored light made by the moon shining through the misty atmosphere. After twelve aloha, we caravanned up in Nuriana Valley to Maj. Franklin’s dau’s house and sat around tired, a little bored, listening to the phonograph –and finally home. Ray was a nice date but nothing exciting at all.
Sat. afternoon I went down to DeRussy with Holland – we stopped en route for me to order 2 doz. White glads for Uncle Ed’s & A. Susan’s Easter. At DeRussy, it poured rain – so we huddled under the sheltered wing, eating hamburgers and changing stories and gossip with “those present.” The rain stopped just in time for a lovely sunset – and, after waiting to see that, I rushed home with a ten minute allowance for dressing for the party.
Backing up again – to Friday night – Bob & I left town about five thirty to go out to Schofield for dinner with Dunlops. Had a very pleasant evening there. I was so amused at their Korean cook – when he came in to serve the first time – sticking his head down to me, very excited and bowing down “Good evening, missy – good evening, missy.”
From there to the frightful task of financial statements –
… or want to buy anything for Hawaii. Then there’s my tennis racquet all “busted” up again – I’d like to have it to take with me. It just seems like the harder I try to save – the more things come up that are necessary. I’m dying to have the top one my striped chiffon – but have to have a slip for it also, so guess It’ll have to wait a while.
You have given me such pretty clothes, and I certainly do enjoy and appreciate every one of them.
A last few jots of news & this has to be put in the clipper mail stack. Mrs. Wing called Sunday & wanted to take me to Kam School choral recital but I had already made the engagement for Schofield so had to thank her and say no.
Tonite I went with Bob down to the Green Lantern – had already had dinner so munched olives & lemonade. While he consumed fried shrimp. It was sooo nice to have a nice quiet peaceful dinner at home tonight, for a change. And get to bed before curfew. Too much partying & playing & going the last two weeks has practically worn me to a peanut shell – even tho I have gained weight – 125lbs. it is now. Isn’t that awfully chubby? My face looks like a persimmon it’s so round.
Hope you all has as lovely an easter as we had – wish I could have heard Daddy’s sermon – the Methodist preacher here can’t hold a candle to his preaching.
Honolulu is truly swinging into spring and it is the most super of wonderful! So lovely!
But time for another Goodnight, Love, Cecilia.
Want to receive TOM BUTT E-FORUM delivered to your email address? Click here to sign-up to receive the E-Forum. Tom Butt is the former mayor of Richmond, CA, having served 27+ years until January of 2023, eight of those as elected mayor. Tom Butt is an architect and founder of the 50-year old Richmond architecture-engineering firm Interactive Resources. He serves on the board of two Richmond nonprofits, Rosie the Riveter Trust and East Brother Light Station, Inc. Visit the Tom Butt website for additional information about Tom Butt’s activities and a digest of past E-FORUMS going back to 2000, http://www.tombutt.com. Subscription to this service is at the personal discretion of the recipient and may be terminated by selecting “unsubscribe from this list” at the bottom of this email. This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
[1] The illustrious property closed its doors in 1943, as the epicenter of Oʻahu’s tourism industry cemented itself in Waikīkī, and the building itself was torn down a decade later in 1953. But for a moment, this country estate served as a dream trip for affluent visitors and its legacy will live on for the ages. (https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/how-the-north-shores-oldest-hotel-helped-create-the-haleiwa-we-now-know-today/)