What, you are asking yourself, are zoris?
When we first moved to Guam we were introduced to this comfy, cool shoe imported to the island by the Japanese. A rubber sole with a rubber strap that went from between the toes, along each side of the foot to near the heel, where it was attached to the sole...a Zori! They were great! They kept stickers out of our feet, and helped to keep our feet clean (although not to Mom's standards). Zoris were commonly slipped off at the front door to help keep the red dirt outside and off of the floors. We could wear zoris everywhere, except, of course, to church. They were part of the casual culture of the island and we adopted them into our wardrobe. I still wear them almost every day, especially during the summer.
These days we call them flip-flops, slippers, thongs... it was very, very difficult for me to stop calling them zoris. In fact, after a couple decades I started calling them thongs and finally started calling them flip-flops after moving to the midwest many years ago.
So, there you have it, zoris are flip-flops. We had never heard of them before we moved to Guam in December 1960. Today most of us have at least one pair. As for me, I have nearly a dozen!
Well, I'm heading outside to start the sprinklers...I better find my zoris!
Terry
Whenever I tell someone that Terry and I have written a book called Guam Adventures - Mystery of the Cave, the first question, of course, is an enthusiastic, "What's it about?"
I begin, "It's a middle-grade book about two sisters from an Air Force family living on the island of Guam in the early 60's."
But before I can expound further I'm looking at the whites of rolled up eyes.
"Wait!" I want to say. And in my mind I'm grabbing shoulders, staring menacingly into pupil-less eyes and saying, "Don't do that! It's a REALLY good story. There's action, suspense, fear, laughter, a machete and cockroaches ... it has it all!" But, decorum (and possible assault charges) prevents me. Instead, I plod on trying to find a concise way to explain the adventures of Jo and Susan on Guam.
"That's nice," Miss Whiteyes remarks, undoubtedly wishing she'd never asked, and wondering if there's a polite way to, "Exit, stage right".
So, I've decided that I have to come up with a quick, succinct description that will grip, entice, and make folks say ... "Tell me more," without giving the entire story away.
Ummm ... let me see ... "There's action, suspense, fear, laughter, a machete and cockroaches ... it has it all!"
Lynda
Our parents didn't ship a car when we moved to Guam. It probably would've taken months and months for it to get there. But we had several different "Guam Bombs". This 1941 Hudson was the closest fit to our memories of our first Guam Bomb. Ours didn't look as bad as the one in this picture because it was only 20 years old when we cruised around the island. I don't know what ever happened to that "sweet" car, but I do know it was pretty tough to see the movie from the back seat when we went to the drive-in on the Navy Base.
From time-to-time, Terry and I will be writing about what life was like in the early 1960s. What was going on in the world? What were the clothing trends? What toys or games were popular? Movies? Songs? Dances? And we'll post pictures when we can, hoping that the pics combined with the information will take you back to the era.
So, what was it like growing up in the early '60's? Of course, I can really only answer in retrospect, because at the time, I didn't give it much thought ... it was what it was, and it was good. Terry and I played outside a lot. Sometimes, we played games with the neighborhood kids: Red light, Green light, Mother May I, Hide and Seek, Red Rover. At other times we used our imaginations and created our own fun. There was no sitting in front of the television for us (not that there was much television to watch on Guam), regardless, Mom wouldn't have allowed it, "Go outside and play" was her mantra. We had chores, just like Jo and Susan in Mystery of the Cave - dishes, laundry, straightening up, helping with the little ones; family was a team effort.
Let me switch gears here ... this is the type of plane we flew to Guam on in the early 1960's - we called it a 'prop-job'. As you can see it has propellers, not jets. There was a time when, if you were flying somewhere you would specify 'airplane' or 'jet plane', as in "I'm leavin' on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again ..." (Peter, Paul and Mary song). Anyway, imagine flying with three small girls from California, to Hawaii, to Wake Island, to Guam, with only short layovers to refuel ... a very LONG flight. I tried to find an interior shot but decided against it because in the pictures I found the aisle's were so wide and the seats so comfy- looking I wasn't sure if they were of 1960's economy or first class (I think it might have been economy, gosh. Imagine not being shoe-horned into your seat, eating REAL food, and using a lavatory that you can actually turn around in ..., *sigh* imagine).
I've kind of jumped around today, but I hope you've found some of it interesting. I'll write more soon.
Lynda
My poor house...after three full weeks of writing, research and a couple dozen games of Words with Friends (oh yeah, I also went to work a few times), my house has become one big dust bunny! It has been so beautiful outside that we have had windows and doors open all day, every day. Arizona can be breezy and because it's so dry here, the dust gets stirred up. In fact, last night after hours of listening to the wind blow I realized it might be wise to close up the house. This morning, the pool has lots of debris on top of the water and the steps are really dirty. Inside,the tile floors feel gritting and crunchy. Boy, do I have work to do! Dust mop, broom, vaccuum, mop and dust rag, here I come!
Terry
Welcome to the WHaM Books blog!
Lynda and I are excited to finally be able to share some of our first book, Guam Adventures - Mystery of the Cave.
After tossing around ideas for a book about our childhoods, Lynda and I landed on the idea of writing about Guam. We were very young when we lived there and were blessed to have had the opportunity to experience the island, the people and the culture. There are many things about the island we have forgotten and some that we have vague memories of. They say as you get older you can't remember what happened yesterday, but the memories of your youth become clearer. I can't say that is entirely true,(maybe we aren't old enough, yet) but the essence of the island is part of us. We would have loved to fly over there to refresh those memories, but that wasn't very practical. Instead, we dug up some of Mom and Dad's old slides and spent hour upon hour online doing research. It has been a privilege to dig into the history of Guam and those who call it home.
Although our story takes place in the early 1960s, we have incorporated some very interesting details about World War II. I know, World War II took place eons ago, but the war had ended only 15 years before we landed on the island, and we wanted to stay in that era for our story.
In the days and weeks to come we will introduce you to JoEllyn and Susan Wilks, two sisters who lived on Andersen Air Force Base with their parents, Bill and Joanne Wilks and their little sister, Graci.
Stayed tuned for excerpts from our story, life in general, and share with us the adventure and challenges of writing a book and getting it published.
Blessings to you all,
Terry
When we first moved to Guam we were introduced to this comfy, cool shoe imported to the island by the Japanese. A rubber sole with a rubber strap that went from between the toes, along each side of the foot to near the heel, where it was attached to the sole...a Zori! They were great! They kept stickers out of our feet, and helped to keep our feet clean (although not to Mom's standards). Zoris were commonly slipped off at the front door to help keep the red dirt outside and off of the floors. We could wear zoris everywhere, except, of course, to church. They were part of the casual culture of the island and we adopted them into our wardrobe. I still wear them almost every day, especially during the summer.
So, there you have it, zoris are flip-flops. We had never heard of them before we moved to Guam in December 1960. Today most of us have at least one pair. As for me, I have nearly a dozen!
