Wyoming Breezes

a street near Waikiki Oahu, Hawaii June 1976 Doesn't this photo remind you a a time when life was much less complicated and cars were "tanks" or basically "land boats"? Taken on my first trip to Hawaii in 1976; I returned in 1985, and again in 2010.

tourists examine a lava field in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park  June 1976 Forty-two years ago, I visited Hawaii for the first time, and the tour featured a stop at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It was a desolate landscape, filled with lava fields and very little vegetation. lava mound Hawaii Volcanoes National Park June 1976 Kilauea caldera rim taken from the Kilauea Visitor Center Hawaii Volcanoes National Park June 1976 It doesn't look anything like the images that are currently on the nightly news. Those living in the path of Kilauea's recent eruptions must be terrified. Not many people think about having a live volcano in their backyard. Do you? I live 240 miles from the world's largest supervolcano caldera in Yellowstone National Park  and sometimes ponder the threat that it "could" present. The likelihood of an eruption is small . . . or is it?

dancers at the Polynesian Culture Center June 1976 Lately I've been yearning for color, as the landscape is still brown and grey with a bit of the white stuff still visible here and there. I searched my old photos and found these two images from the first trip I made to Hawaii - June 1976. Hawaii is beautiful and colorful - the perfect getaway (even in photos) for a winter weary soul. Polynesian Culture Center June 1976 I returned to Hawaii in 1985 and then again in 2010.  Have you visited Hawaii?

USS Arizona Memorial Pearl Harbor, Hawaii June 1976 Today, we honor those who served and defended our country at home and abroad. We honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. USS Arizona Memorial Pearl Harbor, Hawaii June 1976 Punch Bowl National Cemetery of the Pacific Hawaii June 1976 Currently, the United States has 147 national cemeteries. The US Department of Veterans Affairs website has a cemetery locator and a grave locator  available. America's fallen have also been buried abroad: a list of those sites can be found on the American Battle Monuments Commission website.

Nature's simple beauty Hawaii June 1976

Hawaii June 1976

Kona, Hawaii June 1976 I was intrigued when I saw this man (probably the local guide) cleaning a fish on the dock for one of his customers. Kona (on the big island) is one of my favorite places to visit in Hawaii. I've been there twice: first in 1976 with a friend on a formal tour and again in 1985 with my sister and niece. In 1985, we rented a car and drove the perimeter of the island at our leisure. The diversity of scenery is amazing: rugged coastlines, black-sand beach, an active volcano, lava fields, coastal towns, green rolling hills, dry plains. Do you have a favorite place to visit in Hawaii?

Beach Buddies Kona Coast Kona, Hawaii June 1976 These children were so happy and carefree the day I saw them on the beach. I wonder if they are still friends some 37 years later. Are any of your childhood friends still a part of your life?