Finished Another

I recently finished reading, The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason (You can read a brief synopsis here). First thought: good book. The story centers around students studying an old renaissance manuscript–always intriguing. After reading this book, I want to pull out all my medieval/renaissance literature. The books of the past can be so fascinating. I loved learning about how they were made, what types of things were written down, and how books became special objects passed time from one generation to the next. Though The Rule of Four is more of a present-day mystery, it made me reflect on books of the past. The authors did their job though, because the plot was good enough to stay engrossed and I finished the entire book very quickly. I recommend it to all who need suggestions.

Acting the Tourist

I find it an interesting coincidence that I tend to explore more of my surrounding sights and scenes when someone comes for a visit. True to this idea, we transformed into Hawaiian tourists with the arrival of my in-laws, and checked out a multitude of places–all of which can be found in any good Oahu sightseeing brochure.

We walked around Waikiki and stopped for a picture at the Diamond Head lighthouse (pictures courtesy of myself and Melba Trimble),

visited Pearl Harbor,

hiked around and up to see the Makapu'u Lighthouse (did this often, occasionally accompanied by Flat Stanley),

visited Hanauma Bay,

trekked through the Polynesian Cultural Center,

explored the beautiful Japanese garden on the campus of the University of Hawaii,

gathered fallen Plumeria blossoms at the Koko Head Botanical Gardens,

had Hawaiian shaved ice, saw some beautiful cemeteries and visited many other beautiful beaches. By the end of their visit, we were all pretty tuckered out. It was a busy week, but I appreciated how their visit spurred us into learning that much more about where we now reside. I truly enjoyed their visit.

Now, I'm looking forward to the next bunch of visitors so I can enjoy another new sightseeing tour. After all, there are still parts of the North Shore I haven't yet explored.