the pomegranate tiger

I've been in the long, slow process of scanning old photos and came across this black & white of me on my wedding day. It was taken by a cousin who was into photography at the time. That's my father in the background just prior to putting on my headpiece/veil thingy and before leaving the house for the ceremony. I can't remember what I was thinking at the time. I know I wasn't scared. It's hard to tell from this photo.

The first time I went to Hawaii was also the first time I had been on a real vacation as an adult. By real vacation, I mean going for more than a few days away from my hometown and leaving the country. I was twenty-five years old. The moment I stepped off the plane, it felt like I’d arrived back at some kind of ancestral, prior-life home. The warmth, humidity and fragrance of the Hawaiian air enveloped me in a comfort that no other place has given me since. It doesn’t make any sense, but it feels like my spiritual home. I’m at ease on the islands. Over the years, I’ve returned more times than I can remember. My husband can remember the exact month, year and duration of each trip, but for me, it all blends into an (inclusive) I-wish-we-could-stay-longer/when-can-we-go-again/planning-the-next-trip/and here-we-are-again cycle. When our boys were young, we went almost every year. People used to ask us how on earth we could travel and vacation with young children and still enjoy ...

After reading The Boomer Chronicles and her blog about 60s memories , I rummaged around to find some old ticket stubs. This is what I was doing in August of 1964: Addendum: In case you can't see it clearly, the concert ticket was $4.75 and the movie ticket was $1.25. Of the two, I only had to pay for the movie ticket. At the time, I was waiting tables at my uncle's restaurant. One of the regulars was a local concert promoter. He gave me two tickets to the Beatles concert as a tip. I was ecstatic!