Donna Wendt showing us Mauanalua Bay |
The last time I spent a day with genealogy blogger Donna
Wendt, it was at the 2011 Southern California Genealogy Society’s Jamboree in
Burbank, California. We had known each
other online, since we had a few common ancestors and I had written about genealogy
in Hawaii, where Donna resides. We
continued to correspond online, and when I learned I was going to Hawaii I
contacted Donna about a meet up. I was
hoping to attend one of the Honolulu County Genealogy Society’s meetings while
I was on Oahu, and Donna is the webmaster of their blog. She also has her own blog. But, even better than a society meeting, we
decided to get together for lunch and tour of her end of Oahu, known as Hawaii
Kai.
Donna shows Mom the Koko Crater, and the steep hike up the slope on a former cog railroad track. Donna is an avid hiker in Hawaii. |
Donna was a great tour guide. We saw fantastic scenery at Koko Head and
Mauanalua Bay, near her home, and drove as far as the lighthouse as Makapu’u
Head to see the other side of the island.
She showed us an ancient heiau (sacred site) and a place where kids
jumped off the cliffs into the waves . We saw funky
sites such as the home of Dog the Bounty Hunter, Duane Chapman, and beautiful scenes such as the canals and
waterways of the marina at Hawaii Kai.
She is not only a terrific genealogist, but a very accomplished tour
director, too!
Donna and I, and the kids were jumping off the rocks behind us! |
My Mom, Hubby and I had a terrific time. It was fun spending “Another Day with Donna”. She shared a lot of her genealogy research
with us all, including her New Hampshire and New England lines, and showed me
her thick notebook of research for her DAR application (her application had
been accepted, and she received her notification only the day before we
arrived!) I hope she will be returning
to New England soon, so we can reciprocate with a tour of our own backyard for
Donna.
Donna's blog is full of genealogy and stories of her adventures around the world as an operating room nurse with "Operation Smile". This terrific volunteer organization repairs children's cleft palates, and Donna has traveled to China, the Middle East and South America. She is a retired Army nurse who has chosen to live in Hawaii, and who could blame her for such a wonderful place to retire!
Donna's blog is full of genealogy and stories of her adventures around the world as an operating room nurse with "Operation Smile". This terrific volunteer organization repairs children's cleft palates, and Donna has traveled to China, the Middle East and South America. She is a retired Army nurse who has chosen to live in Hawaii, and who could blame her for such a wonderful place to retire!
Another Day in Paradise with Donna Off Portlock Road on Mauanalua Bay |
Note: Donna beat me
to the publication of a blog post about our meet up on 14 October 2012. You can read it at her blog at this link: http://anotherdaywithdonna.blogspot.com/2012/10/heather-wilkinson-rojo-in-hawaii-kai.html
The URL for “Another Day with Donna” www.anotherdaywithdonna.blogspot.com
Honolulu County Genealogical Society blog http://honolulucountygenealogicalsociety.blogspot.com/
Honolulu County Genealogical Society website www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~hihcgs
Wow, Heather, I'm speechless! That was a very comprehensive review of our day in Hawaii Kai, which I enjoyed very much. Thanks for the visit, cousin! Aloha, Donna
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