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.

Monday, May 26, 1941

Monday –

Just the rest of this day and we’ll be aboard the Rolling J. Frank headed or Honolulu – and none of us exactly broken hearted over going home. It poured rain the entire day
& night yesterday – and threatened to be very dull day, But Mandy, Fay & Cecil & I went down with Bunt to catch the plane home – it was such a relief to see all new faces of the travelers at the airport after having been “confined”  up here for “years.” After
seeing Bunt disappear into the plane with her arms full of orchids, leis, lauhala bags, coats and boxes – we had the driver take us to Maniloa Hotel in Hilo – where we luxuriated in the bamboo bar and enjoyed seeing the ocean antics on the rocky shore just
outside the glass walls, and forget for a few minutes that we were coming back to the drab camp with its constant rainpour. The drive to town was lovely – ferns and trees so freshly green from the rains, and yellow ginger in full bloom almost strangling the
highway.

Saturday night Randy & Jimmy S. flew over to take some nurses back on Sunday – we had a newsy chat after dinner until the nurses dragged them away to a party and left us nibbling
our boredom at the club. Mandy has just heard of her father’s orders to Hamilton Field (on the west coast) – and we’re all hoping that they won’t leave soon.

Last night I went to the movies with Capt. & Mrs. Pearce (They’re grand friends of Max’s) – then went to their quarters for a coke and war argument afterwards while Mandy was
playing bridge. It seemed so quiet in our cabin last night with everyone but Many and I gone.

This morning – Bunt having taken our only watch home – we almost missed breakfast. “Joe” builds the fire at six, so we know by its progress how much after six the time should
be.

They’re only a hundred soldiers here – and everything is so unlike an Army post – that we know nearly everyone and have become so intrigued with some of the enlisted talents,
should like to put them in our pockets & take them home. “Joe” Haskins – the striker (who now is just recovering from the shock of bumping into an orchid plant sitting possessingly in the middle of our shower) – Kemo, the driver –Kenny Wenny, our waiter who
gives us triple rations of butter & funny soup crackers – Murdock, the office boy who answers calls with, “No, he ain’t here & I ain’t his lady guard, so why the heck don’t you stop callin’ here?”

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