July 6-The Aloha Spirit Blesses Us Again

I had the girls up early for a 7 am practice. There is a large field across the street from the hotel that is part of a military recreation facility, and they don't seem to care if we use it. The team gave me a spirited practice and worked hard for an hour and a half. Which was followed by showers and breakfast.

We loaded up the vans and hit the road at about 10:30 for an around the island tour. Katharine's college friend Carol grew up in Hawaii and her father had sent us his suggested tour, which we modified a bit. The first stop was the Pali Lookout, a gorgeous spot up in the mountains with an amazing view. It is where King Kameameha won a battle to consolidate his control over Hawaii.

From there, we visited the Byodo-In Buddhist temple, a replica of one in Japan and enjoyed the beautiful building and setting, the koi pond and the large Buddah.

We then drove through interesting scenery and great sea views until we stopped for lunch in a small town, Hauula. There were two places open, next to each other, a Domino's pizza and Papa Ole's, which served local food. Most of the group opted for pizza, but those of us who risked the local food were rewarded with a great, and reasonably priced, meal. And to top it off, apparently because I told them we were a group from NY, the owner gave us a sheet pan full of some of the best banana bread I ever ate as a gift. The aloha spirit blessed us again.

A few more miles down the coast, was the beach house of Katharine's friend Carol's family. We pulled into the driveway and in about 5 minutes were on an essentially private beach with small waves. We all jumped in and the kids used Carol's familiy's boogie boards and had an amazing time, which ended with a little soccer on the front lawn.

We reluctantly left Carol and her husband Peter and continued to head around Oahu. We passed beaches famous for surfers and sea turtles, but neither beach had anything to see, so we continued to the quaint town of Haleiwa, and visited Matsumoto's, universally considered the best "shave ice" place in Oahu. We braved the line for delicious snow cones with flavored syrup. Mine was watermelon, honeydew and banana cream, and was delicious.

By then, we were all exhausted, so we drove straight back to the hotel, through pineapple fields and other great scenery. After another round of showers, we went a few blocks down Ala Moana Road to the Wailana Coffee House, which did not blink at our large party and assigned us a very capable waiter. The Wailana is basically a diner, but one that has kimchi and seaweed in the salad bar. A bunch of the kids had pancakes.

The camaraderie and bonding among the girls has been fun to watch. The car rides have been hilarious.

Tomorrow, we have a visit to Pearl Harbor, team check in and a luau.