Pokai Bay Waianae, HI Landing at Honolulu International Airport after midnight in the summer of 1969 was a quiet experience. No lei greetings. No girls dancing the hula. No ukulele music. No principal's wife to meet me and drive me to my new home. Just a tired 22 year old 5th grade teacher who due to an air traffic controllers' strike had been stranded in San Francisco for 12 hours, thereby arriving on Oahu long after my arranged meeting time. The skies of United Airlines were rather unfriendly that day. Morning One opened with the promise of tropical sensory delights. The smell of the Pacific Ocean reached me on a primal level. It surrounded me as it surrounded the island, enveloping both of us in rhythmic hugs. The northeast Trade Winds lifted my hair with a lover's touch. The exotic flowers of plumeria, hibiscus, birds of paradise, orchids, bougainvillea and my personal favorite, anthuriums dazzled my eyes and spritzed my pulse points with their blended ...