Christmas 1992

Christmas 1992
The Wedding

Well, they finally did it! After all the doubt and controversy surrounding their two and a half year courtship, David and Beth finally tied the knot, merged, bit the big one, incorporated, became one, got hitched, etc... Yes, they got married. And what a celebration they had. The Olympics will have a tough act to follow in Atlanta in '96. The gala reception was hailed as "the" party of the century. The silly string war following the best man toast took everyone by surprise. The video will probably go to "America's Funniest Home Videos". Many people asked about the 1001 gold paper cranes that were suspended from circles above the dance floor. These folded squares of paper are called TSURU (sue rue with a little spit at the front). They represent strength, loyalty, and long life in the Japanese/Hawaiian culture. The Bride and Groom also displayed a taste of "Hawaiian style" with the traditional haku (head) lei for Beth, and maile (twisted leaf) for David.

After a fast and furious calendar of events, and a relaxing Honeymoon in the Blue Ridge mountains, the Bride and Groom packed their 6 suitcases

and two boxes of wedding presents, and returned home to their dreary life in Hawaii.

A Boating Blast

When you live in the endless summer paradise of Hawaii, you just can't have too many water toys. That was Beth and David's excuse last summer when they forked out hard-earned bucks for a dive boat. SCUBA diving, and general water fun has not been the same. These two jokers are seen in, on, beside, and under the water every weekend. "Lu'u Ele'ele Nui", (Big Black Dive Thing) as the boat is affectionately known, is a 16' Navy surplus assault boat with the capacity for 10 close friends, or 7 fully outfitted SCUBA divers. When the waves are big, a fast ride on Ele can be more challenging than the Mesquite rodeo. Ele really comes in handy for the best Oahu dives, which are offshore. A local favorite, the Mahi, is a WWII Navy ship 185' long sunk in 95 feet off the Waianae coast. Finding it is a challenge. You have to line up a radio tower on shore with a profile of Richard Nixon in the Mountains. Then you follow that line straight out to sea for about 1/2 mile until some high school stadium lights in the distance are lined up with another landmark. When you think you are close, the passengers start looking over the side hoping to see white floats that are about 10 feet below the surface. A volunteer then has to swim down and hook a line to secure the boat.

Tiny Bubbles

The dive is always worth the trouble. It is not uncommon to see huge Manta Rays "flying" next to the wreck. You will also see some of the biggest Moray Eel known in the state. On one particular dive trip, a Yellow Moray started to come out of a pipe when, after seeing the divers, he quickly darted back to cover. Judging from the 3 or 4 feet he exposed before his retreat, and the size of his head, he was probably 7 or 8 feet long. Lucky for him he backed off before David pulled his knife! Exploring the interior of the ship can really be exciting. Although the Alexander expeditions have been very successful, they still have yet to fully explore the engine room, which is said to be, in the words of Cousteau, "really swell". Because of the depth, the divers only have 20 minutes of bottom time, and there is so much to see on the deck and in the pilot house that time runs out. I'm sure there are better dives, but as for now, the Mahi is where it's at.

U/W Videograghers

SCUBA diving will never be same for our Honolulu dive duo now that they are equipped with their own underwater video system. That's right! Thanks to all of you who made your wedding gifts payable to David and Beth Alexander, they are now filming their memories of the deep. Place your order for their forthcoming box office hit, "Godzilla Swims Waikiki". Hey, we've got plenty of Japanese to crush.

"Piercing Wind"

That's the definition of the Tahitian word "Iniki". You probably thought this article would be about bean burritos or something. No, Iniki was much worse than anything beans, cabbage, or even boiled eggs could do. Hurricane Iniki left the Island and people of Kauai much different than it found them. Trees and buildings unchanged for a hundred years were destroyed by winds in excess of 160 miles per hour. An already ailing tourist industry has hit rock bottom as many severely damaged hotels decide to "cash in their chips" and call it quits. The volume of Homeless and Jobless resemble that of a Mexican border town. Hundreds of volunteers from all the Hawaiian Islands joined the Hawaiian Tel "Iniki Force" to restore service as quickly as possible. Among them was a token white boy from Dallas Texas named David Alexander.

Hotel Hawaii

Beth and David always welcome guests to their Island home. And it's a good thing, because during their year in their new home, their occupancy rate has averaged one/month with stays from one to 15 days. Some guests saw other islands as well as Oahu. Below is the copy of the guest register with a sample of what a guest to the Alexander's might expect:

Barry and Pat Kaltenbaugh - 1 day, then to Kauai

Drive around the island with lunch at Turtle Bay Hilton.

Joe Alexander and BJ Moore - 1 week, Oahu

Deep sea fishing off the leeward coast of Oahu; Arizona memorial; Pro Bowl football game and post game Navy tailgate party with David's neighbor. They were also granted unlimited mileage on David and Beth's Mustang convertible, so there's no telling what they did on their own.

Mike and Chris Oertle - 3 days, then to Maui

Sunset Dinner cruise off Waikiki, and Snorkling in Hanauma Bay. David and Beth also met with the Oertles on Maui for a drive up Haleakala crater. (They still owe them a copy of the famed video..hint)

Carl Hellwedge - 1 day, Oahu

SCUBA Diving! Carl works for GTE in California, and extended a business trip to do some diving.

Larry and Menita Schuman - 10 days, Oahu, Kauai, Maui.

Sunset Dinner cruise; SCUBA diving; Arizona Memorial; Hanauma bay (including the famed "toilet bowl"..ask for details). The two couples had a most Excellent adventure with a 3-day all you can fly interisland ticket. They rented a jeep on Kauai, and spent the day exploring secluded beaches and beautiful valley vistas. They flew to Maui, via a stopover on Molokai, and stayed at the Sheriton Kaanapali Beach Resort just north of Lahaina, where they enjoyed a front row seat at an outdoor Randy Travis concert.

John Jensen - 2 days

SCUBA and hiking. David and Beth met John while on a hiking trip on Kauai. John is a pilot for UPS, and they get together when John comes to town. Congratulations on his recent wedding!

Dana Claset - 1 week, Oahu, Kauai.

Dana was lucky enough to spend her Birthday in paradise. Beth rewarded this good fortune by sending her on a 5-stop downtown Honolulu adventure that included lunch with David, a manicure, getting "leid" by a stranger, and finally meeting up with Beth and friends for drinks at their favorite pub.

Jennifer Dooley - 2 weeks, Oahu, Maui.The list is too long to mention. Unfortunately, David was working on Kauai during the majority of her trip, but Beth and her cousin Jennifer still managed to have a great time somehow. She also was granted unlimited mileage!

From the Editor

The Alexanders send everyone their warmest Alohas and Mele Kalikimaka Hauoli Makahiki Hou! (Call Beth for translation) And until next year's letter, may God Bless you and keep you safe.

What a year!!!! See you in 1993!

The Editor