John takes the podcast on the road again!
This time, he is headed to Hawaii to visit his youngest granddaughter, Lucy Donnaway, to check in on her first year of college. His daughter, Shannon Donnaway, joins him.
We love these traveling stories.
Transcript
John Simon Sr. 00:06
John, welcome to Simon Says, inspire a podcast about life, leadership and building legacies. I'm John Simon, SR
Dina Simon 00:14
and I'm Dina Simon.
John Simon Sr. 00:16
We're recording from Oahu, Hawaii today, where Lucy is attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa Shannon. And I flew in from the Big Island, as they call the US, last weekend, actually, February the 18th, and we stayed until the following Friday, and we had a great time there. And I thought I'd share a little bit of the stories about what we did while we were there, and also a couple recordings that we did. I love it
Dina Simon 00:45
sounds great.
John Simon Sr. 00:46
I never been to a Waffen before. And one of the great things about it is it's not the largest island in the chain. It's actually the third largest, but it has the largest population of almost a million people, yeah, and there's a lot of people crammed into a small space traffic. It was pretty bad most of the time. But I will say one thing. In the three and a half days that we had to rent a car, we put over 300 miles on it, so we went from one end of the island to the other. So you sir did it was great to do that, and along the way, I met some really interesting people that I just pulled the microphone out and started talking to. And you'll later on, you'll hear the recording. I met a fellow, but I'm a Derek. His day job. He's a general contractor, but he's a lifelong surfer, and he's been doing it for 37 years, and we met him at a place called Sunset Beach, which is in the far north end of Oahu. And he had surfed around in the world. He told me a little bit about TG and surfing there, so it was interesting to get his perspective on surfing. And he talks about, you know, what it's like, and he's actually good. He was about 50 years old, so he had a lot of experience at it. Nice. Yeah. And then I met a father and son and a son of the name of Pat Bentley, and his son Tucker Bentley, and they were from Alberta, Canada, nice. And Shannon and I were sitting having lunch one day. In fact, this was at Pearl Harbor when we were there, and there wasn't a whole lot of seeding available. And I just said, Do you mind if we join you? And his wife and daughter had already got up, and they were going around, looking at a few different things, and he's no no man, feel free to sit down. And we started talking, and found that Pat and his son, that's their third trip to Pearl Harbor there, and he was a farmer, grain farmer from Canada, and his son, Tucker, works for John Deere, and he's a GPS and combine data specialist. So interesting, talking a little bit about farming and what it was like. So it's a very nice conversation.
Dina Simon 02:55
Interesting. And Pearl Harbor, wow, yeah, my
John Simon Sr. 02:59
first trip there, as I as I said, and Shannon and I went to the USS bowfin, which is a submarine that they have sitting there that you can tour. And it gave me a much better appreciation for what Gary Henson went through all those years and he was on a submarine because there's not a whole lot of room on the inside of those to maneuver, and especially when you put 100 and some people on it. So right? So it gave me a new appreciation for what he went through and and, of course, the USS Arizona Memorial, again, it's one of the most heart wrenching things, but they've done such a great job of memorializing everyone and every everything there. And then went to the air museum after that. So I did get to see that. And the end in USS Missouri. And the one comment they made, the war for the US started December 7, 1941 when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and it ended on USS, Missouri. So they have the ship that started and then the one that ended it, the treaty was signed on to USS, Missouri, so they have the beginning and the end of the war right there in Pearl Harbor,
Dina Simon 04:05
right there. Yep, interesting. Yeah.
John Simon Sr. 04:07
So we ate a lot of great food tracks. We don't have many of them here over there. They're They're everywhere. And I can't tell you how great the food was, because everywhere you went, it was as good or better than the last place you were nice. So we really enjoyed that too. And I was curious for Lucy to see what it was like. You know, they say after a while you get Island cheeser when you've been there too long. Now she's only been there since August, so she probably doesn't have it quite yet, but there is a lot to do there. We, as I said, we went out to the Far North Shore at Sunset Beach. And then Shannon and I, one day we went to the far south place, where part of the island where there's a beautiful lighthouse that we got to see and hike to. So nice. So that was a great part. So the whole trip was a lot of fun, and it was great to see Lucy and he. Her, everything that she's doing right now, and how she took a real chance of going that far away to college, but she seems to be thriving,
Dina Simon 05:09
yeah, and she loves nature and being outdoors, and so, you know, I totally get the island fever, like, once you're there and feeling you know that you're so far away. But she just would be the kid that would embrace all of the opportunities to get out and do things. And so that's so exciting.
John Simon Sr. 05:28
She was looking for a job. And, yeah, she can't get a steady job, I would say. But she started dog walking for a lady, and the lady has a little poodle that's probably, you know, seven or eight pound not a real big dog race, AI gap, but twice a week, Lucy takes a bus and goes over and and the ladies in a nursing that allows her to have a dog, so Lucy takes the dog for a 20 minute walk twice a week. And and all the older people in the nursing home, they love seeing Lucy come by and talking to them and all that. So Lucy gets to, you know, the third piece for her and the dog. So, yeah, so I think it's a win, win win, a win, win.
Dina Simon 06:07
Exactly, everyone, yeah, yes. Well, super excited that you documented the trip this way. And it will be fun to get all these recordings on this podcast so people can tune in. One
John Simon Sr. 06:19
other quick note is, when we were there, we bought a surfboard, and she wants to learn how to surf while she's there, so that she's already taken a lesson. And in fact, on Friday, Shannon took a lesson, so she just she wanted to try it also. So it's again, not many chances to surf whenever you're in Drago, Colorado, but there's plenty of it on the shores of Hawaii, yeah,
Dina Simon 06:43
and I think you shared, which I may it totally makes sense. But do you buy kind of a beginner surfboard, and then as you get better you graduate. So there's like, different levels of surfboards,
John Simon Sr. 06:54
yeah. Lucy, we got her a used board, and it was a seven foot board. And then as you become better at it, you get thinner boards and longer boards. And the, you know, the larger ones I saw were 12 foot boards. So one difference between a seven foot board and 12 foot board, right? Yeah, yeah. It was funny, because one night, Chad and I were watching TV in the room, and they had a surfing competition on TV from the beach that we were at, and one of the cells without their surfing, and his board actually broke in half. Wow. And I was telling someone about it, one of the instructors, when Shannon took her lesson, and he said, That's not uncommon, because their boards are so long and so thin, if they catch the wave the wrong way, they'll just break in half. And it did, it just mapped right in half. So I'd never seen that happen on TV before. Sure. Yeah,
Dina Simon 07:46
well, glad you had a fantastic trip.
John Simon Sr. 07:47
Yep, we did. I know that Lucy will have a great time over there as she continues her education, and I know she's going to look forward to hopefully many years over there. Yeah, awesome. Welcome to Simon Says, inspire a podcast about life, leadership and building legacies. I'm John Simon SR and today, February the 18th, I am at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport awaiting my flight number 123, on American Airlines to go to Honolulu, Hawaii to visit with Lucy. I am going to meet Shannon there. Shannon had a little bit of trouble getting out of Albuquerque this morning. She initially had planned on going from Albuquerque to Los Angeles to Honolulu, but her flight was canceled, going to Los Angeles. So American flew her to Davos Fort Worth, and she will pick up a flight there at about 11 o'clock, and she'll arrive in Honolulu about an hour after I do so I will follow up after that. Had a great flight today, left on time and arrived on time, and the weather in Honolulu is supposed to be great. Well, good afternoon. It is Monday, the 19th of February, President's Day, and Lucy has off of school today, so she's able to spend the entire day with Shannon and I. Right now, we are on the North Shore of Oahu, and we're headed to Sunset Beach. We just left the botanical gardens and saw a lot of beautiful trees and bird the peacock. Yeah. So Lucy, why don't you say hi to everybody on the podcast, Hi Jay, tell me, Lucy, how do you like it? Living here on the island,
Unknown Speaker 09:38
I really enjoy it. There's a lot of activities to do here, and it's very different from Durango, where I come from, but I'm really enjoying it so far.
John Simon Sr. 09:48
Well, that's great. Well, Shannon's driving right now, so we won't bother her too much, but we're headed, as I said, to Sunset Beach, which is just a mile or so up the road from where they're at. Right now, and it's supposed to be one of the more beautiful places to sit and watch the surf come in. I I doubt that there will be many surfers out there today, but we'll see whenever we get there. So we're here at Sunset Beach, and you can actually feel in the in the air, the the water coming up from display, from the from the waves that are out there. Shannon, what do you think of this view? I
Dina Simon 10:27
love it. It is spectacular. And
John Simon Sr. 10:32
the waves look really, really big today. Lucy, compared to other times you were here. How do you think they are? Oh, these
Unknown Speaker 10:40
are pretty big. This is probably the second biggest I've seen them. So I would not want to be out there swimming or surfing today as
John Simon Sr. 10:47
we walked over here, you can't believe the number of chickens and roosters that we saw just walking, walking alongside the beach. They apparently have found a great place to live here in the North Shore of Oahu Well, today is Tuesday, the 20th of February, and Shannon and I are at Pearl Harbor. We're having lunch right now. We ran into two gentlemen, and I assume your wife and daughter are here from Alberta, Canada. Let me introduce you to them.
Unknown Speaker 11:23
I am Thad Bentley and I'm Tucker Bentley.
John Simon Sr. 11:25
So Pat and Tucker Bentley are here, and I think Pat said that this is what your third time here, if there's any Pearl Harbor, okay, Tucker, how about you in your Oh, same, same for you. Okay, what do you like the most about it? Oh, Missouri
Unknown Speaker 11:39
is amazing. Like, just walk around all the older technology that has just blows your mind they have in those days. And the Arizona Memorial like that is just like breathing this takes run that way. Were
John Simon Sr. 11:52
you in the military at all? No way. What? Okay, much like me, depending on the age that you are and what you know, what was going on at the time. I had two brothers that were in, but I wasn't fortunate enough to go in. So Pat, why don't you tell our listeners what you do for a living?
Unknown Speaker 12:08
I'm a farmer, just grain farmer, cereal grains in Alberta. So
John Simon Sr. 12:12
so soon for like Kellogg or something like that. Or is it, or you really don't know, you just put these goes to the elevator and the way it goes. Yeah. Okay, Tucker, you work for John Deere, yeah.
Unknown Speaker 12:26
So I work with GPS and combine data, so every machine brings across data that's new now, so that I work with that and making sure it's coming across properly, and analyzing the data and what it's going to tell us off the based off that,
John Simon Sr. 12:39
it sounds like farming has gotten pretty technical compared to, probably whatever you started. It definitely has definitely, as I struggle to keep ahead of it, it's changing so fast. So how you know, the the part about farming is, is you're so dependent on the weather, and whether you get rain or you don't get rain, or what the winters are like, and everything. Exactly
Unknown Speaker 12:59
this year we're really, really locking snow, so we could be into a drought this year. So every year is different, you bet. Well, great.
John Simon Sr. 13:08
Well, I thank you guys for joining the podcast, and hope you continue to have a great time. How much longer are you here? You're here to the 24th Oh, wow. You got four more days. So since the 12th, okay, well, great. I guess what you leave Alberta. It's a long trip, so you might as well make the most of that. Yeah, okay. Well, great. Well, thank you, gentlemen. It was great talking to you. Thank you. This is John over at Sunset Beach, and I have Derek with me. And Derek, you look like a professional. Is that pretty much the case? No,
Unknown Speaker 13:37
I'm far from a professional. But Well, with all the
John Simon Sr. 13:41
logos I saw him on your board, I thought maybe somebody sponsored jack there, and you were, you know, maybe getting paid to do this fun thing that you do
Unknown Speaker 13:48
back in the day. But, yeah, not anymore. Okay,
John Simon Sr. 13:51
so what you're saying? It's a young man's sport. Baby, definitely. Derek, how many times did you get out today?
Unknown Speaker 13:58
I probably got like five waves this
John Simon Sr. 14:00
way? Yeah. And how long are they compared to normal waves? This
Unknown Speaker 14:04
place is very radical. It's a strong, strong way that will punish you for being out there. Well, I noticed
John Simon Sr. 14:10
your board has a few little dings of dents in it there. So how did they happen? That's
Unknown Speaker 14:14
actually from another spot in Fiji. It's really shallow reef and dry docked on the reef.
John Simon Sr. 14:21
So Derek, how long have you been doing this for?
Unknown Speaker 14:24
37 years? Probably,
John Simon Sr. 14:25
well, that's pretty good. You're only 40. So it started when you were about three. Yeah. What do you do for a living?
Unknown Speaker 14:32
I'm a general contractor. Oh, okay, so
John Simon Sr. 14:35
this gives you the opportunity to come out here during the day every while and catch a few ways. Yeah, exactly. Okay, yeah. Well, hey, Derek, thanks a lot. I wanted to find out a little bit about it. Meet someone from here. My granddaughter goes to college here at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. So I'm here visiting from Fort Worth, Texas, and my daughter from Durango, Colorado, awesome, which too many surfing in those places. Yeah, Derek, thanks for all your time. I appreciate it. Yeah. No worries. Thank you. We're taking. Hey. Well, good morning. It is Wednesday, February the 21st Shannon and I left the hotel about 830 this morning, and it's about 855 now. We just arrived at maku Summit, which there's a gorgeous lighthouse there. It's a two mile round trip walk from the parking lot up to the lighthouse, uphill all the way going there, and downhill all the way coming back. But it's well worth the time you put into the walk. Shannon, do you want to talk a little bit about
Dina Simon 15:34
it? Yeah, it was a great walk. The trail is paved the whole way, which is kind of nice. There's a lot of great scenery along you're kind of on the edge of the land. It goes down, straight down in a lot of places, to right to the sea. I think I saw some whales. I'm not completely sure. There were definitely something kind of popping up in the water.
John Simon Sr. 15:56
Well, I have to agree, it certainly was a beautiful sight up there, you could see a lot of rain. Even further to the south of us, that looked like it was coming down pretty good. We could also see quite a few other islands out there that are uninhabited, of course, but the Overlook was just great, and the scenery was wonderful. Prior to going to the makoopu summit, we stopped at a cove on the way, and it was in Kauai state scenic Park, and there's a sign whenever you get there that says, danger. Do not go beyond this point. Well, we use that kind of as a suggestion, as we kind of walked past it and climbed down the hill. But Shannon told me that when she was here back probably in 2021 was it or 2020 20? Why don't you tell us a story about you and Lucy and her friend being there? Yeah,
Dina Simon 16:51
so Lucy and I were on Oahu in March of 2020 right, as covid was kind of shutting everything down. So we had to find some good things to do that were outside, and we came upon the blowhole area. And I have a great picture from that year where it does say, danger, do not go beyond this point. And I have a picture of her and her friend just past the sign. And then now, when we were there today, that the sign is actually covered with stickers and bumper stickers and all sorts of just different things, and so you can't even read it anymore.
John Simon Sr. 17:30
So we took that as apparently it's okay to go there, even though you saw the sign back in 2020 so we actually hiked down to the bottom of the cove there, and the water was slashing in. There were probably a half dozen other people down there that made the trek down. But it was well worth and it only took us about, you know, to go down and up, probably 10 or 15 minutes. It wasn't very long. It was picturesque down there. When we got to the top of Summit, it's about a 500 feet climb from the bottom to the top. So it's a pretty easy climb, if, if anybody out there wants to try it sometime, and like I said before, it's two miles round trip, so a mile up and a mile back. And very much well worth the time. And it's a beautiful drive out there. Also, you go through a couple really nice little villages and towns that are on the southern side of Oahu. While we were here, we've taken the opportunity to dine at a number of the Hawaiian food trucks that are here, and we've had some great meals at them, and just a lot of fun. You may have eight or nine of them parked in what area, and you can get anything from barbecue to Mexican food to Chinese food to Polynesian type food and Portuguese. So there's, there's a lot of opportunities to try many different cuisines here. The weather has been spectacular in the in the low to mid 70s every day, and that into the mid 60s at night. So after we return today, we're going to go pick Lucy up this afternoon and after she's done with her classes, and then we're going to take a ride to a surfboard shop, because Lucy has decided she wants to learn how to surf. And I guess in order to do that, it really pays to have your own surfboard. So we're going to go to a surfboard store and check it out, and I'll let you know down the road how that trip turned out. Well, good evening. It is Wednesday, February 21 about five o'clock. Good evening. And Lucy Shannon and I walking the campus at the University of Hawaii at Manoa Shannon decided that she's already had a tour of the campus, but I haven't seen it yet, so she came along with Lucy and I, and Lucy made an arrangement as we were walking out of campus, it started raining, and about 10 minutes later, after the rain. And this beautiful double rainbow came up across the sky. And Lucy, how did you arrange that?
Unknown Speaker 20:06
Oh, yeah, that was all me who pulled a couple strings. Especially
John Simon Sr. 20:10
people stopped everywhere and were just looking up at it. And as we were standing there, it was, I think it was right by the, yeah,
Unknown Speaker 20:18
right next to the warrior Center, which is our gym, yeah,
John Simon Sr. 20:22
and the mascot for the university is the rainbow warriors for all of these sports teams. So as we were walking along, Lucy, pointed out a number of beautiful attractions. But before we talk about them, the trees on the campus are spectacular. There are gardens and trees everywhere that make this one of the most gorgeous campuses you could see anywhere in the world. Lucy tell us a little bit about some of the buildings that we went past.
Unknown Speaker 20:49
I didn't know what most of the buildings on campus are still to this day,
John Simon Sr. 20:54
but how about the gardens where they had the garden?
Unknown Speaker 20:58
Yeah, the Japanese garden is really beautiful. There's a tea ceremony building in there where they have traditional tea ceremony classes that students can take. Another interesting area is the Korean Studies building, which is beautifully designed and painted to be in a traditional Korean style Well,
John Simon Sr. 21:22
it certainly replicated what I've seen on TV. Shannon, what was your favorite part of the tour around campus? Although you've been there a few other times?
Dina Simon 21:30
Well, today we saw that one structure that was donated by a prince in Thailand, and I thought that was really
John Simon Sr. 21:40
needs. All in all, we're having a great time walking around here, and I can see why Lucy after she came here the first time, why she decided to make it her choice of a school that she wanted to attend, because it certainly is one of the more gorgeous you're ever going to see. So prior to going on our tour of the school, we picked up Lucy, and we took a drive about 1520 minutes from the campus, and Lucy was able to get her first surfboard. Lucy, do you want to talk a little bit about your surfboard?
Unknown Speaker 22:19
Sure. Got my first surfboard. It's a seven foot fun board, so it's good for beginners and intermediates. It was made up on the North Shore, and I think it'll be a great board to start learning on.
John Simon Sr. 22:32
Okay, well, I know how much you're gonna enjoy it, and as soon as you go out and surf a couple of times, let me know, so I can let the podcasters know what it was like on your new board,
Unknown Speaker 22:42
absolutely I will. Okay,
John Simon Sr. 22:43
great. Thanks. It's now Thursday evening here in Waikiki and Shannon, and Lucy and I just came back from dinner, we went to another food truck. Is probably our fifth or sixth food truck, and everyone was better than the other. But tonight, Lucy, why don't you tell the folks what you had tonight?
Unknown Speaker 23:04
I had garlic shrimp. My favorite. You can find it at almost any food truck in Hawaii, and it's always the best.
John Simon Sr. 23:12
And how good is the corn that they serve? Oh, it was
Unknown Speaker 23:16
pretty good. I don't eat very much corn, not as much as I'd like, so but
John Simon Sr. 23:21
it's really special here, that flavor of it and everything Shannon. What did you have tonight?
Dina Simon 23:26
I had Hawaiian Barbecue, chicken and rice, and there's always a salad on the side with a little pineapple salsa. It was very tasty. You
John Simon Sr. 23:36
know, one of the things I noticed about the meals here that we've had, none of them ever come with bread and butter. You know, they all come with a salad, and most of the time, they come with some type of a rice or a macaroni salad, which is not like the typical macaroni salad that we would consider it in the States. It's not as mana easy as the one we have, but it is still pretty good. Tonight, I had one of my favorites. I had fresh Mahi Mahi, and it was probably the best I've ever had, especially with the little glaze that they had on top of it, along with the corn and the rice and the little salad. Shannon and I had an interesting breakfast this morning at a place very close to the hotel here called Sunny's, and you walk up an order, and you just stand around and you can eat inside or outside, wherever you want to go. But a big thing here on the island is one of the things Shannon has, and I'll let her explain it to everybody. Well,
Dina Simon 24:36
it's not a big mystery. I think Hawaii is kind of known for it, it's spam, so it's fried spam, and eggs is a very popular breakfast, and it's really tasty.
John Simon Sr. 24:47
And I was able to have a breakfast burrito that was all veggies in it, and it was really, really good. So out of the five days that we've been here, we haven't had a. Bad meal at all, and I certainly look forward to coming back after Lucy returns here next January to experience a little bit more of the island. Lucy, are you getting excited about finishing and then going off to the Navy for your boot camp and basic training?
Unknown Speaker 25:17
Absolutely, the semester is moving a lot quicker than I thought it would. I'm already to midterms, so as soon as I know it, I'll be heading out to just past Chicago for my basic training, and that'll
John Simon Sr. 25:33
be at the Great Lakes Naval Station there, and that's where they do the boot camp and the basic training. And then from there, where do you go? Then
Unknown Speaker 25:41
I will head to Pensacola, Florida for my technical training.
John Simon Sr. 25:45
And how long will that last? About 12 weeks. Okay. And then once you finish your technical training, what happens?
Unknown Speaker 25:53
Then I can start working. So I'll work two days out of every month, but hopefully I'll have a little time I can spend in Durango before I come back here immediately,
John Simon Sr. 26:04
and you'll end up coming back here.
Unknown Speaker 26:06
I will probably be here in January so that I can go for my spring semester. That's
John Simon Sr. 26:12
right, it'll be it'll be your spring. So it'll be January as opposed to August. Okay, well, I'm sure that after your basic training and boot camp and technical training, you'll be glad to get back to Hawaii.
Unknown Speaker 26:25
Absolutely great.
John Simon Sr. 26:27
Shannon, what do you think of all that?
Dina Simon 26:29
I think it sounds like a great plan. I'm super proud of her, and
John Simon Sr. 26:33
I think the experience she will have will be second to none. Well, we're back again on the podcast, we have Lucy and Shannon in the car. Shannon's driving. It's raining here on Oahu right now, just sprinkling a little bit, but it's still not a bad day here. So we just left the surfboard shop and Lucy was able to find a surfboard that she can really use for years to come. It was one that is just the right size for her that they had, and she bought new fins for it. And I don't know what they call it, but a surf leash. So you take the surf leash and you put it around your ankle, and if you fall off the board, which you know may happen to Lucy once or twice, as she learns, but you don't lose your surfboard. So Lucy, why don't you tell us a little bit about the board that you have, maybe wear, was made, and what type of you know surfboard it is, sure.
Unknown Speaker 27:30
So it's a fun board, which is good for beginners and intermediates, because it's a little bit wider and thicker, so a little bit easier to balance on than a short board would be. It's about seven feet long, and the shaper that made it is fluid rhythm. It's about a year old, and I'm really excited to try it out.
John Simon Sr. 27:53
And I think you mentioned, or the young lady who sold it to us mentioned that the board is made on the North Shore of Oahu.
Unknown Speaker 28:00
Yeah. The shaper works on the north shore here in Oahu, so it's kind of neat to have a board made here.
John Simon Sr. 28:09
You'd call it a local board. Yeah. So when do you think you'll take the board out for the first time? Well,
Unknown Speaker 28:18
as soon as I can, we'll see how my class schedule lets me the latest would be on Friday.
John Simon Sr. 28:28
Okay, so today's Wednesday, so you may have to wait a day or so to get it out. Generally, when do you go surfing?
Unknown Speaker 28:37
It's better to surf in the morning. A little bit better conditions, so as early as I can wake up. Do
John Simon Sr. 28:46
you think that the fact that you have skied before and the fact that you have used a paddle board before, do you think that'll help you a little bit when it comes to the balance and everything you need for a surfboard?
Unknown Speaker 28:58
I hope so. Last time I went surfing, I feel like I did pretty good balancing. So that's that's probably why. Okay,
John Simon Sr. 29:07
so it's a really nice looking board. It's kind of an off white with red around the edges of it and the middle so it, it's just been recently waxed, so I think she is ready to go out on Thursday or Friday and give give it a try out there. Shannon, are you thinking of giving it a try while you're here?
Dina Simon 29:29
Well, I was just saying that I feel like I've been here too many times to have not tried surfing. So maybe if I have time on Friday, I'll go take a lesson. So
John Simon Sr. 29:40
Lucy, I know you've surfed here a few times before, along with Megan Kylie, but is it fairly close to where you live? There
Unknown Speaker 29:50
are two spots that are good for beginners, that aren't too far. Diamond Head, where you guys drove by earlier today, and why? Plains is on the west shore, probably 45 minutes from campus.
John Simon Sr. 30:04
Okay, so when do you think you'd be ready for the North Shore, where we were the other day?
Unknown Speaker 30:09
Not for a long time?
John Simon Sr. 30:13
Yeah, as the guy said that I interviewed, that's pretty radical up there. And the waves were really, high. So I think, I think it's one of the ones where you'll take a little bit of time and get some experience behind you, and then you can take it up to the North Shore and try it up there one time. Sounds like a plan? Okay, well, it's a mission completed. We talked about this whenever we arrived on Sunday that we were going to do it. So today was the day. So I'm excited for Lucy that she'll have an opportunity to try another sport and just see how she does it. Talk to you later.
Dina Simon 30:51
Well, I want to thank my father in law, John Simon, for taking the podcast to Hawaii. How fun he obviously is. Loving this when he gets to take the podcast on the road and there, John has not ever met somebody that would he would consider a stranger. So loves meeting new people, hearing their stories, and just love that they're willing to lean in and share them on the podcast. So until we talk again, you
John, welcome to Simon Says, inspire a podcast about life, leadership and building legacies. I'm John Simon, SR
Dina Simon 00:14
and I'm Dina Simon.
John Simon Sr. 00:16
We're recording from Oahu, Hawaii today, where Lucy is attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa Shannon. And I flew in from the Big Island, as they call the US, last weekend, actually, February the 18th, and we stayed until the following Friday, and we had a great time there. And I thought I'd share a little bit of the stories about what we did while we were there, and also a couple recordings that we did. I love it
Dina Simon 00:45
sounds great.
John Simon Sr. 00:46
I never been to a Waffen before. And one of the great things about it is it's not the largest island in the chain. It's actually the third largest, but it has the largest population of almost a million people, yeah, and there's a lot of people crammed into a small space traffic. It was pretty bad most of the time. But I will say one thing. In the three and a half days that we had to rent a car, we put over 300 miles on it, so we went from one end of the island to the other. So you sir did it was great to do that, and along the way, I met some really interesting people that I just pulled the microphone out and started talking to. And you'll later on, you'll hear the recording. I met a fellow, but I'm a Derek. His day job. He's a general contractor, but he's a lifelong surfer, and he's been doing it for 37 years, and we met him at a place called Sunset Beach, which is in the far north end of Oahu. And he had surfed around in the world. He told me a little bit about TG and surfing there, so it was interesting to get his perspective on surfing. And he talks about, you know, what it's like, and he's actually good. He was about 50 years old, so he had a lot of experience at it. Nice. Yeah. And then I met a father and son and a son of the name of Pat Bentley, and his son Tucker Bentley, and they were from Alberta, Canada, nice. And Shannon and I were sitting having lunch one day. In fact, this was at Pearl Harbor when we were there, and there wasn't a whole lot of seeding available. And I just said, Do you mind if we join you? And his wife and daughter had already got up, and they were going around, looking at a few different things, and he's no no man, feel free to sit down. And we started talking, and found that Pat and his son, that's their third trip to Pearl Harbor there, and he was a farmer, grain farmer from Canada, and his son, Tucker, works for John Deere, and he's a GPS and combine data specialist. So interesting, talking a little bit about farming and what it was like. So it's a very nice conversation.
Dina Simon 02:55
Interesting. And Pearl Harbor, wow, yeah, my
John Simon Sr. 02:59
first trip there, as I as I said, and Shannon and I went to the USS bowfin, which is a submarine that they have sitting there that you can tour. And it gave me a much better appreciation for what Gary Henson went through all those years and he was on a submarine because there's not a whole lot of room on the inside of those to maneuver, and especially when you put 100 and some people on it. So right? So it gave me a new appreciation for what he went through and and, of course, the USS Arizona Memorial, again, it's one of the most heart wrenching things, but they've done such a great job of memorializing everyone and every everything there. And then went to the air museum after that. So I did get to see that. And the end in USS Missouri. And the one comment they made, the war for the US started December 7, 1941 when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and it ended on USS, Missouri. So they have the ship that started and then the one that ended it, the treaty was signed on to USS, Missouri, so they have the beginning and the end of the war right there in Pearl Harbor,
Dina Simon 04:05
right there. Yep, interesting. Yeah.
John Simon Sr. 04:07
So we ate a lot of great food tracks. We don't have many of them here over there. They're They're everywhere. And I can't tell you how great the food was, because everywhere you went, it was as good or better than the last place you were nice. So we really enjoyed that too. And I was curious for Lucy to see what it was like. You know, they say after a while you get Island cheeser when you've been there too long. Now she's only been there since August, so she probably doesn't have it quite yet, but there is a lot to do there. We, as I said, we went out to the Far North Shore at Sunset Beach. And then Shannon and I, one day we went to the far south place, where part of the island where there's a beautiful lighthouse that we got to see and hike to. So nice. So that was a great part. So the whole trip was a lot of fun, and it was great to see Lucy and he. Her, everything that she's doing right now, and how she took a real chance of going that far away to college, but she seems to be thriving,
Dina Simon 05:09
yeah, and she loves nature and being outdoors, and so, you know, I totally get the island fever, like, once you're there and feeling you know that you're so far away. But she just would be the kid that would embrace all of the opportunities to get out and do things. And so that's so exciting.
John Simon Sr. 05:28
She was looking for a job. And, yeah, she can't get a steady job, I would say. But she started dog walking for a lady, and the lady has a little poodle that's probably, you know, seven or eight pound not a real big dog race, AI gap, but twice a week, Lucy takes a bus and goes over and and the ladies in a nursing that allows her to have a dog, so Lucy takes the dog for a 20 minute walk twice a week. And and all the older people in the nursing home, they love seeing Lucy come by and talking to them and all that. So Lucy gets to, you know, the third piece for her and the dog. So, yeah, so I think it's a win, win win, a win, win.
Dina Simon 06:07
Exactly, everyone, yeah, yes. Well, super excited that you documented the trip this way. And it will be fun to get all these recordings on this podcast so people can tune in. One
John Simon Sr. 06:19
other quick note is, when we were there, we bought a surfboard, and she wants to learn how to surf while she's there, so that she's already taken a lesson. And in fact, on Friday, Shannon took a lesson, so she just she wanted to try it also. So it's again, not many chances to surf whenever you're in Drago, Colorado, but there's plenty of it on the shores of Hawaii, yeah,
Dina Simon 06:43
and I think you shared, which I may it totally makes sense. But do you buy kind of a beginner surfboard, and then as you get better you graduate. So there's like, different levels of surfboards,
John Simon Sr. 06:54
yeah. Lucy, we got her a used board, and it was a seven foot board. And then as you become better at it, you get thinner boards and longer boards. And the, you know, the larger ones I saw were 12 foot boards. So one difference between a seven foot board and 12 foot board, right? Yeah, yeah. It was funny, because one night, Chad and I were watching TV in the room, and they had a surfing competition on TV from the beach that we were at, and one of the cells without their surfing, and his board actually broke in half. Wow. And I was telling someone about it, one of the instructors, when Shannon took her lesson, and he said, That's not uncommon, because their boards are so long and so thin, if they catch the wave the wrong way, they'll just break in half. And it did, it just mapped right in half. So I'd never seen that happen on TV before. Sure. Yeah,
Dina Simon 07:46
well, glad you had a fantastic trip.
John Simon Sr. 07:47
Yep, we did. I know that Lucy will have a great time over there as she continues her education, and I know she's going to look forward to hopefully many years over there. Yeah, awesome. Welcome to Simon Says, inspire a podcast about life, leadership and building legacies. I'm John Simon SR and today, February the 18th, I am at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport awaiting my flight number 123, on American Airlines to go to Honolulu, Hawaii to visit with Lucy. I am going to meet Shannon there. Shannon had a little bit of trouble getting out of Albuquerque this morning. She initially had planned on going from Albuquerque to Los Angeles to Honolulu, but her flight was canceled, going to Los Angeles. So American flew her to Davos Fort Worth, and she will pick up a flight there at about 11 o'clock, and she'll arrive in Honolulu about an hour after I do so I will follow up after that. Had a great flight today, left on time and arrived on time, and the weather in Honolulu is supposed to be great. Well, good afternoon. It is Monday, the 19th of February, President's Day, and Lucy has off of school today, so she's able to spend the entire day with Shannon and I. Right now, we are on the North Shore of Oahu, and we're headed to Sunset Beach. We just left the botanical gardens and saw a lot of beautiful trees and bird the peacock. Yeah. So Lucy, why don't you say hi to everybody on the podcast, Hi Jay, tell me, Lucy, how do you like it? Living here on the island,
Unknown Speaker 09:38
I really enjoy it. There's a lot of activities to do here, and it's very different from Durango, where I come from, but I'm really enjoying it so far.
John Simon Sr. 09:48
Well, that's great. Well, Shannon's driving right now, so we won't bother her too much, but we're headed, as I said, to Sunset Beach, which is just a mile or so up the road from where they're at. Right now, and it's supposed to be one of the more beautiful places to sit and watch the surf come in. I I doubt that there will be many surfers out there today, but we'll see whenever we get there. So we're here at Sunset Beach, and you can actually feel in the in the air, the the water coming up from display, from the from the waves that are out there. Shannon, what do you think of this view? I
Dina Simon 10:27
love it. It is spectacular. And
John Simon Sr. 10:32
the waves look really, really big today. Lucy, compared to other times you were here. How do you think they are? Oh, these
Unknown Speaker 10:40
are pretty big. This is probably the second biggest I've seen them. So I would not want to be out there swimming or surfing today as
John Simon Sr. 10:47
we walked over here, you can't believe the number of chickens and roosters that we saw just walking, walking alongside the beach. They apparently have found a great place to live here in the North Shore of Oahu Well, today is Tuesday, the 20th of February, and Shannon and I are at Pearl Harbor. We're having lunch right now. We ran into two gentlemen, and I assume your wife and daughter are here from Alberta, Canada. Let me introduce you to them.
Unknown Speaker 11:23
I am Thad Bentley and I'm Tucker Bentley.
John Simon Sr. 11:25
So Pat and Tucker Bentley are here, and I think Pat said that this is what your third time here, if there's any Pearl Harbor, okay, Tucker, how about you in your Oh, same, same for you. Okay, what do you like the most about it? Oh, Missouri
Unknown Speaker 11:39
is amazing. Like, just walk around all the older technology that has just blows your mind they have in those days. And the Arizona Memorial like that is just like breathing this takes run that way. Were
John Simon Sr. 11:52
you in the military at all? No way. What? Okay, much like me, depending on the age that you are and what you know, what was going on at the time. I had two brothers that were in, but I wasn't fortunate enough to go in. So Pat, why don't you tell our listeners what you do for a living?
Unknown Speaker 12:08
I'm a farmer, just grain farmer, cereal grains in Alberta. So
John Simon Sr. 12:12
so soon for like Kellogg or something like that. Or is it, or you really don't know, you just put these goes to the elevator and the way it goes. Yeah. Okay, Tucker, you work for John Deere, yeah.
Unknown Speaker 12:26
So I work with GPS and combine data, so every machine brings across data that's new now, so that I work with that and making sure it's coming across properly, and analyzing the data and what it's going to tell us off the based off that,
John Simon Sr. 12:39
it sounds like farming has gotten pretty technical compared to, probably whatever you started. It definitely has definitely, as I struggle to keep ahead of it, it's changing so fast. So how you know, the the part about farming is, is you're so dependent on the weather, and whether you get rain or you don't get rain, or what the winters are like, and everything. Exactly
Unknown Speaker 12:59
this year we're really, really locking snow, so we could be into a drought this year. So every year is different, you bet. Well, great.
John Simon Sr. 13:08
Well, I thank you guys for joining the podcast, and hope you continue to have a great time. How much longer are you here? You're here to the 24th Oh, wow. You got four more days. So since the 12th, okay, well, great. I guess what you leave Alberta. It's a long trip, so you might as well make the most of that. Yeah, okay. Well, great. Well, thank you, gentlemen. It was great talking to you. Thank you. This is John over at Sunset Beach, and I have Derek with me. And Derek, you look like a professional. Is that pretty much the case? No,
Unknown Speaker 13:37
I'm far from a professional. But Well, with all the
John Simon Sr. 13:41
logos I saw him on your board, I thought maybe somebody sponsored jack there, and you were, you know, maybe getting paid to do this fun thing that you do
Unknown Speaker 13:48
back in the day. But, yeah, not anymore. Okay,
John Simon Sr. 13:51
so what you're saying? It's a young man's sport. Baby, definitely. Derek, how many times did you get out today?
Unknown Speaker 13:58
I probably got like five waves this
John Simon Sr. 14:00
way? Yeah. And how long are they compared to normal waves? This
Unknown Speaker 14:04
place is very radical. It's a strong, strong way that will punish you for being out there. Well, I noticed
John Simon Sr. 14:10
your board has a few little dings of dents in it there. So how did they happen? That's
Unknown Speaker 14:14
actually from another spot in Fiji. It's really shallow reef and dry docked on the reef.
John Simon Sr. 14:21
So Derek, how long have you been doing this for?
Unknown Speaker 14:24
37 years? Probably,
John Simon Sr. 14:25
well, that's pretty good. You're only 40. So it started when you were about three. Yeah. What do you do for a living?
Unknown Speaker 14:32
I'm a general contractor. Oh, okay, so
John Simon Sr. 14:35
this gives you the opportunity to come out here during the day every while and catch a few ways. Yeah, exactly. Okay, yeah. Well, hey, Derek, thanks a lot. I wanted to find out a little bit about it. Meet someone from here. My granddaughter goes to college here at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. So I'm here visiting from Fort Worth, Texas, and my daughter from Durango, Colorado, awesome, which too many surfing in those places. Yeah, Derek, thanks for all your time. I appreciate it. Yeah. No worries. Thank you. We're taking. Hey. Well, good morning. It is Wednesday, February the 21st Shannon and I left the hotel about 830 this morning, and it's about 855 now. We just arrived at maku Summit, which there's a gorgeous lighthouse there. It's a two mile round trip walk from the parking lot up to the lighthouse, uphill all the way going there, and downhill all the way coming back. But it's well worth the time you put into the walk. Shannon, do you want to talk a little bit about
Dina Simon 15:34
it? Yeah, it was a great walk. The trail is paved the whole way, which is kind of nice. There's a lot of great scenery along you're kind of on the edge of the land. It goes down, straight down in a lot of places, to right to the sea. I think I saw some whales. I'm not completely sure. There were definitely something kind of popping up in the water.
John Simon Sr. 15:56
Well, I have to agree, it certainly was a beautiful sight up there, you could see a lot of rain. Even further to the south of us, that looked like it was coming down pretty good. We could also see quite a few other islands out there that are uninhabited, of course, but the Overlook was just great, and the scenery was wonderful. Prior to going to the makoopu summit, we stopped at a cove on the way, and it was in Kauai state scenic Park, and there's a sign whenever you get there that says, danger. Do not go beyond this point. Well, we use that kind of as a suggestion, as we kind of walked past it and climbed down the hill. But Shannon told me that when she was here back probably in 2021 was it or 2020 20? Why don't you tell us a story about you and Lucy and her friend being there? Yeah,
Dina Simon 16:51
so Lucy and I were on Oahu in March of 2020 right, as covid was kind of shutting everything down. So we had to find some good things to do that were outside, and we came upon the blowhole area. And I have a great picture from that year where it does say, danger, do not go beyond this point. And I have a picture of her and her friend just past the sign. And then now, when we were there today, that the sign is actually covered with stickers and bumper stickers and all sorts of just different things, and so you can't even read it anymore.
John Simon Sr. 17:30
So we took that as apparently it's okay to go there, even though you saw the sign back in 2020 so we actually hiked down to the bottom of the cove there, and the water was slashing in. There were probably a half dozen other people down there that made the trek down. But it was well worth and it only took us about, you know, to go down and up, probably 10 or 15 minutes. It wasn't very long. It was picturesque down there. When we got to the top of Summit, it's about a 500 feet climb from the bottom to the top. So it's a pretty easy climb, if, if anybody out there wants to try it sometime, and like I said before, it's two miles round trip, so a mile up and a mile back. And very much well worth the time. And it's a beautiful drive out there. Also, you go through a couple really nice little villages and towns that are on the southern side of Oahu. While we were here, we've taken the opportunity to dine at a number of the Hawaiian food trucks that are here, and we've had some great meals at them, and just a lot of fun. You may have eight or nine of them parked in what area, and you can get anything from barbecue to Mexican food to Chinese food to Polynesian type food and Portuguese. So there's, there's a lot of opportunities to try many different cuisines here. The weather has been spectacular in the in the low to mid 70s every day, and that into the mid 60s at night. So after we return today, we're going to go pick Lucy up this afternoon and after she's done with her classes, and then we're going to take a ride to a surfboard shop, because Lucy has decided she wants to learn how to surf. And I guess in order to do that, it really pays to have your own surfboard. So we're going to go to a surfboard store and check it out, and I'll let you know down the road how that trip turned out. Well, good evening. It is Wednesday, February 21 about five o'clock. Good evening. And Lucy Shannon and I walking the campus at the University of Hawaii at Manoa Shannon decided that she's already had a tour of the campus, but I haven't seen it yet, so she came along with Lucy and I, and Lucy made an arrangement as we were walking out of campus, it started raining, and about 10 minutes later, after the rain. And this beautiful double rainbow came up across the sky. And Lucy, how did you arrange that?
Unknown Speaker 20:06
Oh, yeah, that was all me who pulled a couple strings. Especially
John Simon Sr. 20:10
people stopped everywhere and were just looking up at it. And as we were standing there, it was, I think it was right by the, yeah,
Unknown Speaker 20:18
right next to the warrior Center, which is our gym, yeah,
John Simon Sr. 20:22
and the mascot for the university is the rainbow warriors for all of these sports teams. So as we were walking along, Lucy, pointed out a number of beautiful attractions. But before we talk about them, the trees on the campus are spectacular. There are gardens and trees everywhere that make this one of the most gorgeous campuses you could see anywhere in the world. Lucy tell us a little bit about some of the buildings that we went past.
Unknown Speaker 20:49
I didn't know what most of the buildings on campus are still to this day,
John Simon Sr. 20:54
but how about the gardens where they had the garden?
Unknown Speaker 20:58
Yeah, the Japanese garden is really beautiful. There's a tea ceremony building in there where they have traditional tea ceremony classes that students can take. Another interesting area is the Korean Studies building, which is beautifully designed and painted to be in a traditional Korean style Well,
John Simon Sr. 21:22
it certainly replicated what I've seen on TV. Shannon, what was your favorite part of the tour around campus? Although you've been there a few other times?
Dina Simon 21:30
Well, today we saw that one structure that was donated by a prince in Thailand, and I thought that was really
John Simon Sr. 21:40
needs. All in all, we're having a great time walking around here, and I can see why Lucy after she came here the first time, why she decided to make it her choice of a school that she wanted to attend, because it certainly is one of the more gorgeous you're ever going to see. So prior to going on our tour of the school, we picked up Lucy, and we took a drive about 1520 minutes from the campus, and Lucy was able to get her first surfboard. Lucy, do you want to talk a little bit about your surfboard?
Unknown Speaker 22:19
Sure. Got my first surfboard. It's a seven foot fun board, so it's good for beginners and intermediates. It was made up on the North Shore, and I think it'll be a great board to start learning on.
John Simon Sr. 22:32
Okay, well, I know how much you're gonna enjoy it, and as soon as you go out and surf a couple of times, let me know, so I can let the podcasters know what it was like on your new board,
Unknown Speaker 22:42
absolutely I will. Okay,
John Simon Sr. 22:43
great. Thanks. It's now Thursday evening here in Waikiki and Shannon, and Lucy and I just came back from dinner, we went to another food truck. Is probably our fifth or sixth food truck, and everyone was better than the other. But tonight, Lucy, why don't you tell the folks what you had tonight?
Unknown Speaker 23:04
I had garlic shrimp. My favorite. You can find it at almost any food truck in Hawaii, and it's always the best.
John Simon Sr. 23:12
And how good is the corn that they serve? Oh, it was
Unknown Speaker 23:16
pretty good. I don't eat very much corn, not as much as I'd like, so but
John Simon Sr. 23:21
it's really special here, that flavor of it and everything Shannon. What did you have tonight?
Dina Simon 23:26
I had Hawaiian Barbecue, chicken and rice, and there's always a salad on the side with a little pineapple salsa. It was very tasty. You
John Simon Sr. 23:36
know, one of the things I noticed about the meals here that we've had, none of them ever come with bread and butter. You know, they all come with a salad, and most of the time, they come with some type of a rice or a macaroni salad, which is not like the typical macaroni salad that we would consider it in the States. It's not as mana easy as the one we have, but it is still pretty good. Tonight, I had one of my favorites. I had fresh Mahi Mahi, and it was probably the best I've ever had, especially with the little glaze that they had on top of it, along with the corn and the rice and the little salad. Shannon and I had an interesting breakfast this morning at a place very close to the hotel here called Sunny's, and you walk up an order, and you just stand around and you can eat inside or outside, wherever you want to go. But a big thing here on the island is one of the things Shannon has, and I'll let her explain it to everybody. Well,
Dina Simon 24:36
it's not a big mystery. I think Hawaii is kind of known for it, it's spam, so it's fried spam, and eggs is a very popular breakfast, and it's really tasty.
John Simon Sr. 24:47
And I was able to have a breakfast burrito that was all veggies in it, and it was really, really good. So out of the five days that we've been here, we haven't had a. Bad meal at all, and I certainly look forward to coming back after Lucy returns here next January to experience a little bit more of the island. Lucy, are you getting excited about finishing and then going off to the Navy for your boot camp and basic training?
Unknown Speaker 25:17
Absolutely, the semester is moving a lot quicker than I thought it would. I'm already to midterms, so as soon as I know it, I'll be heading out to just past Chicago for my basic training, and that'll
John Simon Sr. 25:33
be at the Great Lakes Naval Station there, and that's where they do the boot camp and the basic training. And then from there, where do you go? Then
Unknown Speaker 25:41
I will head to Pensacola, Florida for my technical training.
John Simon Sr. 25:45
And how long will that last? About 12 weeks. Okay. And then once you finish your technical training, what happens?
Unknown Speaker 25:53
Then I can start working. So I'll work two days out of every month, but hopefully I'll have a little time I can spend in Durango before I come back here immediately,
John Simon Sr. 26:04
and you'll end up coming back here.
Unknown Speaker 26:06
I will probably be here in January so that I can go for my spring semester. That's
John Simon Sr. 26:12
right, it'll be it'll be your spring. So it'll be January as opposed to August. Okay, well, I'm sure that after your basic training and boot camp and technical training, you'll be glad to get back to Hawaii.
Unknown Speaker 26:25
Absolutely great.
John Simon Sr. 26:27
Shannon, what do you think of all that?
Dina Simon 26:29
I think it sounds like a great plan. I'm super proud of her, and
John Simon Sr. 26:33
I think the experience she will have will be second to none. Well, we're back again on the podcast, we have Lucy and Shannon in the car. Shannon's driving. It's raining here on Oahu right now, just sprinkling a little bit, but it's still not a bad day here. So we just left the surfboard shop and Lucy was able to find a surfboard that she can really use for years to come. It was one that is just the right size for her that they had, and she bought new fins for it. And I don't know what they call it, but a surf leash. So you take the surf leash and you put it around your ankle, and if you fall off the board, which you know may happen to Lucy once or twice, as she learns, but you don't lose your surfboard. So Lucy, why don't you tell us a little bit about the board that you have, maybe wear, was made, and what type of you know surfboard it is, sure.
Unknown Speaker 27:30
So it's a fun board, which is good for beginners and intermediates, because it's a little bit wider and thicker, so a little bit easier to balance on than a short board would be. It's about seven feet long, and the shaper that made it is fluid rhythm. It's about a year old, and I'm really excited to try it out.
John Simon Sr. 27:53
And I think you mentioned, or the young lady who sold it to us mentioned that the board is made on the North Shore of Oahu.
Unknown Speaker 28:00
Yeah. The shaper works on the north shore here in Oahu, so it's kind of neat to have a board made here.
John Simon Sr. 28:09
You'd call it a local board. Yeah. So when do you think you'll take the board out for the first time? Well,
Unknown Speaker 28:18
as soon as I can, we'll see how my class schedule lets me the latest would be on Friday.
John Simon Sr. 28:28
Okay, so today's Wednesday, so you may have to wait a day or so to get it out. Generally, when do you go surfing?
Unknown Speaker 28:37
It's better to surf in the morning. A little bit better conditions, so as early as I can wake up. Do
John Simon Sr. 28:46
you think that the fact that you have skied before and the fact that you have used a paddle board before, do you think that'll help you a little bit when it comes to the balance and everything you need for a surfboard?
Unknown Speaker 28:58
I hope so. Last time I went surfing, I feel like I did pretty good balancing. So that's that's probably why. Okay,
John Simon Sr. 29:07
so it's a really nice looking board. It's kind of an off white with red around the edges of it and the middle so it, it's just been recently waxed, so I think she is ready to go out on Thursday or Friday and give give it a try out there. Shannon, are you thinking of giving it a try while you're here?
Dina Simon 29:29
Well, I was just saying that I feel like I've been here too many times to have not tried surfing. So maybe if I have time on Friday, I'll go take a lesson. So
John Simon Sr. 29:40
Lucy, I know you've surfed here a few times before, along with Megan Kylie, but is it fairly close to where you live? There
Unknown Speaker 29:50
are two spots that are good for beginners, that aren't too far. Diamond Head, where you guys drove by earlier today, and why? Plains is on the west shore, probably 45 minutes from campus.
John Simon Sr. 30:04
Okay, so when do you think you'd be ready for the North Shore, where we were the other day?
Unknown Speaker 30:09
Not for a long time?
John Simon Sr. 30:13
Yeah, as the guy said that I interviewed, that's pretty radical up there. And the waves were really, high. So I think, I think it's one of the ones where you'll take a little bit of time and get some experience behind you, and then you can take it up to the North Shore and try it up there one time. Sounds like a plan? Okay, well, it's a mission completed. We talked about this whenever we arrived on Sunday that we were going to do it. So today was the day. So I'm excited for Lucy that she'll have an opportunity to try another sport and just see how she does it. Talk to you later.
Dina Simon 30:51
Well, I want to thank my father in law, John Simon, for taking the podcast to Hawaii. How fun he obviously is. Loving this when he gets to take the podcast on the road and there, John has not ever met somebody that would he would consider a stranger. So loves meeting new people, hearing their stories, and just love that they're willing to lean in and share them on the podcast. So until we talk again, you