The green zone and purple mashed potatoes
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People in WA were totally nuts about fireworks, so we thought we were well-prepared for New Year’s Eve here. We were wrong. In order not to sound like complete fuddy-duddies, I should mention that I got a nice head cold yesterday and my nose won’t stop running. I feel like garbage. And I don’t like being slowed down, although I am trying to keep the bright side in view (i.e. read the five books piled on my night stand). The fireworks started around 3pm and continued for almost 12 hours. Friends of ours from AZ were in Hawaii for a vacation and came by to see us (hi Cindy and Dale!) and mentioned they were at Wal-Mart and saw several nuns buying tons of fireworks and Gatorade. Sounds like a good time! So if the nuns are into it, you know what the local kids are up to. They’re still going today. Sam did well with the noise. He woke up twice with the big ones but went right back to sleep. I was thinking to myself it could be a lot worse – I could be in Baghdad huddled in a thin sleeping bag on the ground listening to RPGs overhead. And that would be in the relatively safe Green Zone. I didn’t even picture myself anywhere else. (I’m reading a book about the war right now, written by a Marine previously stationed here in Kaneohe.)
For New Year’s dinner, I made a beef roast in the crock pot, steeped in cream of mushroom soup. It’s not a recipe, but when Dave inquired about my concoction I told him it was Beef Wellington, or some other British guy. He always leaves me alone if I simply give it a recognized name, otherwise I’m the target of much teasing. I am just not into cooking here. I used to relish experimenting but I’m just not into it right now. The meat turned out ok and the purple sweet potatoes were a hit – they even matched our New Year’s napkins 🙂 And Gail – we used our new Corningware cookware. I felt like it was a real meal just because it was served up in traditional cookware. Thanks again for that nice “grown up” present 🙂 For dessert we’re giving one of our presents a whirl – Mom and Pete got us a soft-serve ice cream maker! Dave made vanilla ice cream to go on top of apple pie. We’re about to dig in, so I must sign off for now… 🙂
Ah…New Year’s in Hawaii. It isn’t the same at all now versus when I was a kid there. Now people have to get permits and there are limits on the number of fireworks you can buy. As a kid there were no permits and no limits. We used to pause at midnight and watch the hillsides light up and then turn into giant smoke clouds as everyone set off long strings of firecrackers. The sights and sounds were amazing though hated by pets and small children. The next day was a sea of red paper in the streets from the firecrackers. Lots of memories. Next year get in a car and drive up to one of the lookouts and look down on the city. That’s a spectacle that can’t be beat, especially on the town side where you can see over Honolulu and Waikiki.