A BEAUTIFUL WEDDING ON THE MAGNIFICENT ISLAND OF MAUI

One of the supreme blessings in our lives has been our friendship with Charles and Lynn Pollard.  We met them in 1976, when we bought our first real house on a cul-de-sac in the Woodland Hills area of Kingwood, north of Houston.  Our new home at 1807 Fir Cove was two doors away from the Pollards, and, right away, they welcomed us to the neighborhood.  As I recall, Lynn was pregnant with their son Wade, and their daughter Amy was quite young.  I had no tools and no knowledge of anything pertaining to home ownership or home improvement.  Charlie had two of every tool known to man, and he was so generous when it came to helping me.  For example, he helped me build the fence around my backyard — no small undertaking on a pie-shaped lot.  Charlie and Lynn were so kind and helpful to us, and we would often seek their advice and input.  It has been such a pleasure to watch their children, and now their grandchildren, grow up.  And, the icing on the cake was that Charlie and Lynn both went to my alma mater, the University of Houston.  We went to many football games and several Cotton Bowls over the years … such great times!  Over the last four plus decades, we have enjoyed many good times with our friends Charlie and Lynn.  

So, when we received an invitation to their son Wade’s destination wedding and marriage to Erin Blinka, we were grateful and excited.  Neither Dorothy nor I had ever been to Hawaii, and we were really looking forward to the experience.  I was also humbled to be asked to play a small part in the wedding ceremony … what an honor!  So, this little blog post is my attempt to tell the story of that wonderful trip and joyous occasion.  Many thanks to the Pollards and the Blinkas for inviting us, and for all the planning and arrangements they made for the invitees.  This post is divided into three parts.  Part 1 covers the wedding and the various activities associated with the wedding.  Part 2 covers the boys’ fishing trip and visit to the Pearl Harbor Memorial.  Part 3 tells of our last two days in Hawaii, as Dorothy and I explored on Lanai and on Maui.  I hope you enjoy these wonderful memories!

PART 1 — THE WEDDING

I honestly don’t remember much about how we physically got from our home in Houston to our accommodations at the Royal Lahaina Resort on the western shore of the Hawaiian island of Maui.  I do recall that we flew out of Houston Intercontinental Airport shortly after noon on Friday, October 7, 2011, changed planes in Los Angeles, then had a flight directly to Maui.  Once on the island, we rented a car and drove to the sleepy village of Lahaina and our resort.  The Royal Lahaina Resort was a perfect place for us to stay: nice but not opulent, large enough to be comfortable without being overwhelming, and conveniently located for the activities we were soon to enjoy.  We would recommend this place without reservation to anyone considering a trip to Maui!  We settled in to a comfortable ocean-view room and began to acclimate ourselves to the rather significant time change.  

We relaxed at our hotel on the morning of Saturday, October 8, 2011.  That afternoon, we headed over to Gannon’s Pacific View restaurant and wedding venue, in the Wailea area of Maui, for the wedding rehearsal.  It was a relaxed affair, filled with love and anticipation!

Later that evening, we gathered for a Luau and rehearsal dinner. 

After dinner and the Luau, a great time was had by all as we hit the beach and did a group release of white Chinese sky lanterns.  What a lovely sight!

Sunday afternoon, October 9, 2011, on the Hawaiian island of Maui, was a perfect time for the wedding of Wade Pollard and Erin Blinka.  The stunning scenery and the love and joy on their faces made for the perfect setting.  Take a look for yourself!

After the ceremony, it was time for the customary photos of the new couple and their families.  Such a beautiful afternoon!

After the wedding ceremony and some picture taking, the newlyweds and their guests enjoyed a reception celebrating their marriage.  

On the Tuesday evening after the wedding (October 11, 2011), Wade and Erin took their wedding guests for a sunset cruise aboard The Pride of Maui.  It was a beautiful and calm evening, and the sunset was magnificent.  A fitting way to conclude a beautiful wedding adventure!

PART 2  — DEEP-SEA FISHING AND

A TRIP TO PEARL HARBOR

On Tuesday, October 11, 2011, Charlie and I took all the boys deep-sea fishing.  The next day, Charlie and I took Wade and Cole over to visit the Pearl Harbor Memorial on Oahu.  It is my understanding that, while we took these “boy trips”, the girls did some relaxing and shopping!  I hope you enjoy my memories from these two very enjoyable days!

Bright and early on the morning of Tuesday, October 11, 2011,  Charlie, Wade, Dwight, Cooper, Cole, and I boarded a 42′ sportfishing boat we chartered from Start Me Up Sportfishing Charters at the Lahaina harbor on Maui.  Although we didn’t catch many fish, we had a great time!  The water is very deep not far out of the harbor, and you never know what you might catch.  Watching Charlie’s grandsons and their excited smiles that day is something I will never forget!  

Early on the morning of Wednesday, October 12, 2011, Charlie, Wade, Cole, and I were at the small Kapalua Airport north of Lahaina, where we caught a short flight to Honolulu on the island of O’ahu.  Our mission that day was to visit the Pearl Harbor National Memorial.  A short cab ride from the airport brought us to the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites Visitor Center.  We spent some time at the visitor center looking at the exhibits and getting the lay of the land, deciding what we had time to visit.  We were delighted to visit with several Pearl Harbor survivors who were stationed at tables outside of the center.  

After our tour of the visitor center, we took a water shuttle to the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial.  This memorial is built over and straddles the sunken hull of the U.S.S. Arizona, which sank during the December 7, 1941 attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor.  The memorial marks the resting place of 1,102 men killed on the Arizona during the attack.  It is a very special place, and the hushed tones and reverence of the visitors was very moving.  

After our somber visit to the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, we headed over to the U.S.S. Bowfin Submarine Museum.  The U.S.S. Bowfin is a fleet attack submarine that fought in the Pacific theatre during World War II.  The Bowfin was launched exactly one year after the attack on Pearl Harbor and was nicknamed “The Pearl Harbor Avenger”.  We enjoyed touring this submarine and marveled at how the sailors could spend months on end in these tight spaces!

From the U.S.S. Bowfin Submarine Museum, we headed over to visit the historic Battleship Missouri Memorial.  The U.S.S. Missouri is best known for being the ship upon which General Douglas McArthur accepted the Japanese Surrender on September 2, 1945 in Tokyo Bay.  It was remarkable to be able to stand on the very spot on the teak deck of the ship where this historic event took place!

My friend Charlie Pollard had a long and prosperous career as a private investigator.  In fact, he is by far the best I have ever seen — he is skillful and brilliant in an elegantly understated way.  One of and his many skills is his ability to get people to open up and talk.  Charlie never meets a stranger!  After looking at my first draft of this blog post, Charlie reminded me that he had a memorable conversation with Toby, the gentleman pictured with me in the above photo, and that Toby had been a crew member on the U.S.S. Missouri (“the Mighty Mo”).  Here is what Charlie had to say about his conversation with Toby that afternoon:

“The last picture in the Pearl Harbor section, with the tour guide, I can’t help but remember that he served on the Mighty Mo as the captain’s cook.  He said the Mighty Mo is the largest battleship the US ever made or will make as it is now obsolete with ships being nuclear powered now and the Missouri being steam powered.  He said the Japs had two larger battleships that were both sunk in the war. He also said the Mighty Mo was last in service in the first Gulf War in the early 1990’s, when he served as the cook.”

PART 3 —  EXPLORING LANAI

AND MORE OF MAUI

On Thursday, October 13, 2011, Dorothy and I spent the day exploring the beautiful Island of Lanai.  We took a 45-minute ferry ride early that morning and were on the Island of Lanai by 9:00 a.m.  Lanai is a beautiful and unusual place.  98% of the island is owned by Larry Ellison (founder and chairman of Oracle).  There are no stop lights, no fast food chains, and no malls.  There are two hotels on the island, both owned by the Four Seasons.  The larger of the two hotels is on the beach, while the smaller hotel is at the top of the island, in Lanai City.  The Four Seasons runs a shuttle from the beach hotel up to the hotel on the top of the island, so it is very easy to get around.  Lanai used to be the world’s largest pineapple plantation.  It was purchased by James Dole in 1922, and he turned it into a pineapple plantation (now abandoned).  Dorothy and I enjoyed our day on this quaint, quiet, and beautiful island!  

After spending the morning in the lush gardens of Lanai City and enjoying the cool temperatures, it was time to hit the beach and do a little hiking!

Our last full day in Hawaii (Friday, October 14, 2011) was spent driving the scary, one-lane-road on the north shore of Maui and visiting Haleakala National Park.   We also squeezed in a visit to the world famous Mama’s Fish House!  Our first stop that morning was the Plantation Course at Kapalua.  For many years, the PGA Tour has held its first tournament of the year (for winners on tour the previous year) at this course.  I had seen it many times on television, and it was nice to see it in person.  Dorothy even let me buy a shirt from the pro shop!

From Kahului, we made the drive through the pastoral countryside to the Hakeakala National Park.  As we climbed to the summit, it got much cooler and windy.  The views were outstanding, and the landscape other-worldly!

After spending much of the afternoon getting to, and enjoying, Haleakala National Park, we decided to drive back to the North Shore and pay a visit to the world-famous Mama’s Fish House.  We enjoyed an excellent fresh seafood dinner and the beautiful views from the dining room.  Mama’s did not disappoint!  It was a fitting way to end our Hawaiian trip…

I had often heard Hawaii described as a paradise.  Honestly, prior to actually going there on this trip, I was prepared to be disappointed.  I figured that there was no way that Maui could live up to a moniker like that!  But I was wrong.  Maui exceeded our expectations in every respect.  The weather, the landscape, and the people we met were simply outstanding.  Of course, the fact that we were accompanied by first-class friends like the Pollards certainly had a lot to do with it.  We are so grateful for their steadfast friendship, and for their invitation to join them in Paradise!  Tom McCoppin, July 19, 2020.

Postscript:  On the way home, we stopped by the Lang residence to drop off some island gifts for the grandkids.  As you can see below, Lucy Lang was delighted to receive her Hawaiian dress and beads ….