Aunt Louise has a birthday

The primary reason for this trip to Hawaii was to celebrate Aunt Louise's 93rd birthday.



And it also gave us a chance to meet some of Mary's really fun friends,,,
(In Front) Mary
(Behind her) Aunt Louise
(Left to Right)  Me, Margaret, Marianna, Randall, Jim, Dean and Kaye



(Second from the left above) Debbie
(Second from the right) Saul

And Aunt Louise had a chance to tell some of her interesting tales from her 50 year career as an engineer for General Dynamics...designing airplanes.  Especially inspiring are the struggles she endured as a woman in the otherwise chauvinistic man's world that followed WWII.  We have certainly come a long way since then but there are still more advances to be made.  She has been an inspiration to my sisters and myself all our lives and I think of her every time I hear some young girl proudly proclaim, "But, I am not a feminist!"  Usually they are right...they don't have what it takes. 

"Umm, Chocolate is my favorite."

 

  Randall helped her blow out the candles.  I bet her wish was to go back to Hawaii some day.

  

  

 

Ed and Randy, more friends of Mary and Jim's, stopped by the next morning to wish Aunt Louise a happy birthday.



One day Jim took us downtown to Hilo to the Farmer's Market.

We watched this lady making baskets and the one on the left above became a birthday present.

Are these something new?  I'm not sure what the advantage is...

Other than to make you taller.   

Everything is so colorful.  Jim let all the shopkeepers know as we strolled along that Aunt Louise was celebrating her birthday.  Before long they were giving her little gifts (food, a refrigerator magnet, etc).  

There were lots of pets...

I wonder if I could train Sigh Me to ride in my purse.

and beautiful flowers,

 

Peculiar fruit...

And finally, no Hawaii trip is complete without a picture in front of a banyon tree.