Merrie Monarch Medal from 1967

When Ruth & Paul came to pick us up for our double-date, Paul brought along a wonderful gift for us.

It's a Bronze Medal from the 1967 Merrie Monarch Festival, held annually in Hilo, Hawai`i (where we got married) to commemorate King Kalakaua, the last King (though not last Monarch) of Hawai`i.

Kalakaua was referred to as the 'Merrie Monarch' because of the lavish parties the threw, his patronage of the arts, and because of all he did to restore traditional Hawaiian cultural traditions (including the hula) to the islands, after Christian missionaries had all but eradicated them.

The main competitions that occur at the Merrie Monarch festival are hula, with hula halau's from all over the state (and even from the mainland) converging on Hilo to celebrate and help perpetuate Hawaiian culture together. So it's likely this medal was awarded to someone for their exceptional hula back in 1967 - perhaps a halau here in Seattle? You can check out some photos, video, and commentary from 2009's Merrie Monarch Festival over at one of Dan's favorite blogs - Hilo Living.

One interesting note is the spelling of 'Merry', not 'Merrie', on the medal. Perhaps the naming has changed through the years, or perhaps it was a typo? It's definitely spelled 'Merrie' these days, as the official Merrie Monarch Festival attests.

Childhood Memories of Hawai'i

As my first official post, I thought I'd start at the very beginning of my Hawaiian adventures - my first trip to Hawai'i.

I was 3 years old, I believe, when my Dad brought the whole family on a business trip to Honolulu. While he did service calls, my Mom, sister and I spent the days exploring. At least that's what I'm told. I have very few memories of the trip, being so young at the time. Most are memory 'snapshots' - incomplete, blurry pictures from moments of the trip.

The first thing I think I remember of the trip is the Honolulu Aquarium. I remember a pool outside the main building, with some sort of marine mammal inside. I recall being able to walk down some steps to an underground viewing area, where you could watch the seals or dolphins or whatever they were from under water. I also remember the inside of the aquarium being cavernous, and believe I recall seeing an Opah - either stuffed or a real one.

My second memory is even less clear. It's of watching a hula performance in a courtyard below us, and I'm looking through bars, like a railing or something. I think I also remember falling asleep there, though I'm not sure.



And the last memory is the one captured in this photo - of sitting on top of a boat with my sister, sorting through clumps of rock and coral and seaweed, looking for crabs and things. I distinctly remember seeing the little creatures crawling around. This picture (and the memory) were on a glass bottom boat trip we all took together (that's my sister smiling for the camera, my Dad in the cowboy hat and mustache, me in the blue shorts, and my Mom's behind the camera). I could swear my Dad was scuba diving during the boat trip, and was one of the people bringing stuff up for us to look through - but I think that's concocted from other stories of this trip or other trips heard throughout the years, and is most likely a composition of multiple experiences.

The most talked about moment of the trip, however, is something I don't remember at all. Apparently, I decided to walk into the deep end of a swimming pool. I just walked over, stepped in, and sank to the bottom, making no attempt to swim or save myself. From what I'm told, this happened at the hotel pool while my Dad (a former lifeguard) was at work, and my poor Mother can't swim. I guess there was a guy sitting by the pool but he made no effort to help. My sister, just a few years older than me, jumped in and pulled me up to the top of the water, saving my life.

She later became a life guard.