Daddy-Daughter Dance, Snow Day and Book Fair

 So a little while back I got to take my daughter to a dance, and she picked our outfits.

 Very dainty.

 princess curls...how about the dad in the kilt?

 as each princess was presented, they were showered with rose petals

 fun with a friend

 lollipops and roses

 and last month we had a snow day

 the dog loved it

 our snowman we built

catching snowflakes

 capes from grandma

 so cool

 then the under-the-sea book fair

good times... 

with some great kids

ELDP San Diego

In San Diego, we got to experience Marine Basic Training first hand.

 It was definitely eye opening and different from Air Force basic.

 Marching around MCRD

 Assault Course

 Of course I had to go here and get pics for the wife. In a strange turn, I've also been to seen the bar where Desperado was filmed.

 

 "I feel the need..."

 Great balls of fire!

 Maverick's helmet

 Kayaking at La Jolla above the kelp forests, we could see down into them with the fish and some sea lions swam up to us.

 North Island

 The ship formerly known as a Littoral Combat Ship, now a frigate.

 We were given a tour of the LCS simulator, and I got to "drive" the ship.

 We also got to try our hand at the submarine wet trainer. We kept springing leaks and flooding. The picture doesn't tell how cold the water was. When it first hits you it is immobilizing and that yellow box is a flashlight for when the lights went out. Much respect for submariners.

 One of the most difficult tasks ever. As you tighten the patches it's like putting your thumb on the garden hose and the water comes out with such force, you really have to be careful.

 We got to tour the real thing as the Hampton was in town.

 Obligatory awesome hamburger pick since I'm a foodie.

 Walking the beach at Coronado, the same beach that the SEALs train on farther down.

 California is so beautiful

 Living here would be amazing, too bad it's not also an AF town.

 tons of helicopter traffic

 

 The famous Hotel del Coronado

 How's that for a sand castle?

 complete with Disney characters and all

 

 Purple sunsets and palm trees and perfect temp.

  The hotel looks pretty cool at night.

 Then from the air on the way home.

 Downtown San Diego and the harbor.

 An incredible time to learn more about the Marines and Navy.

ELDP: Hawaii

 Quick on the heels of our trip to Korea was Hawaii. It was an excellent trip for the learning about all of the different services missions on island.

 At Pearl we took a boat from the divers to visit with the EOD techs 

 We went to the Leadership Reaction Course at K-bay with the Marines, and I channeled Karate Kid.

Our squad was the only one to succeed on this obstacle and our program visit made the base paper.

 We were at Pearl Harbor for the ceremony on December 7th and this past year it was again on a Sunday.

There were flyovers and the most amazing part was seeing the veterans.

we then did a tour of the Missouri 

 a most impressive battleship, with the Arizona memorial in the background 

 So these guns were at the WWII surrender and in the Gulf War.

 

 

 

 really glad I'm not in the Navy

 and this is all kinds of room compared to the sub we saw in San Diego

 floating office

 officer's quarters 

 Captain's cabin 

Coasties.  

 that is their ice breaker on a stopover before heading to Antarctica

 

 they did a helo to water rescue demo

not bad for Department of Homeland Security  

 now that's a cool job  

 we then visited with the Navy Salvage Divers  

 Far from recreational diving.

 decompression time in the chamber is part of their plan not just an emergency procedure

 Then we got the boat tour over to see EOD which took us past the Missouri again 

 

 That is the dent on the side where she was hit by a Kamikaze

 a closer look 

 past the Arizona memorial 

 a somber locale 

 back past the Missouri 

 the harbor

 EOD

 their robot

 driving it around

 saving the world from a coconut bomb 

 their heavy helmet 

22s in the base turn into Hickam, the airspace is definitely busy 

 an impressive group

 The coastie 2 star had us to dinner at her house, and she just happens to live in the lighthouse at Diamond Head. 

 Entrance to her residence.

 view from the balcony

 rainbows everywhere 

 water so clear you can see down into it

 

 we were able to go up in the lighthouse 

 amazing views

 I'd live here. 

 Their lampshade had a Pirate feel... 

 Nightfall

 a narrated boat tour of the harbor  

 the Arizona

 

 It still leaks oil, but the fish don't seem to mind.

diagram of the Arizona memorial over the ship  

 

 golf course at Hickam 

 such a beautiful place, but I like Okinawa more

 a blue cheese and banana pepper burger to end an excellent trip

 Though a dive I had planned with a friend had to be cancelled because of punitive action against the whole group due to members staying out too late in Korea, she did put together a snorkel trip to Hanauma Bay right before departure.

 I do miss tropical ocean.

The waves threw me around like a ragdoll, at one point putting me on a coral head and I had to wait for another wave to come back to pick me off. As cool as it is, I like visiting but don't really long to be stationed there. We'll see what the future holds.