Leaving Safe Harbors – Part THREE

A Rocky Road to Hawaii

1982 - A Holiday That Changes Everything

Before Keld and I immigrated to Canada we had a holiday together every year. Either in Denmark or we traveled from Copenhagen on the “autobahn” through Germany to Switzerland and Italy.

All changed after we moved to Canada and had to provide our own living through our businesses. Either I traveled alone – with Harly – or Keld traveled alone, because one of us “had to hold the fort”.

But in February 1982 we decided to simply close our music business for three weeks and celebrate our 25^th Anniversary on Hawaii – together with our friends from California Fred and Peggy Mortensen.

Me, Keld, Fred and Peggy in Laie, Oahu. 1982

We stayed in a condo in Laie, Oahu that was right on the beach.  We could walk to the LDS temple and to “The Polynesian Cultural Center”.

Everything was awesome, until Keld got the idea – one day when we all four were sitting outside enjoying the beach - to ask the owner “if we could get a job there managing the Condos.

Both me, Fred and Peggy thought he was joking and made fun out of it. Nevertheless, Keld was serious and the owner said “Yes” we could do it for one year and then see what happens.

Reality Set In

Fred and Peggy went with us to the US Immigration in Honolulu to see if we could get a “temporarily” work visa.  The answer was no. So, I thought: “Ok. That is the end of that story”, but Keld kept pushing and said “We will apply when we come here”.

We went home to plan our exit from our “safe place in Vernon, British Columbia” where we had lived for 8 years in the same home that we owned.

Harly had gone to school there and we had adopted a girl Lucy August who was now 18.  She was not living at home at that time.

Besides our piano and organ business, that we now ran from home, I had started a small business downtown Vernon- “Sonja’s Boutique”, where I sold a few imports and clothing and jewelry on consignments. My little business had started to go well and I was not very happy at all that I had to close it.

Keld wanted me to go first, so I wound up my business and moved to Laie 1 May, 1982 to manage the condo’s by myself for two months until Harly and Keld could come 1 July – after Harly finished school.

It was scary to be left alone, because I was not used to cockroaches the size of little mice running across the floor, centipedes as huge as rats, scorpions sitting on the bathroom walls and sweeping up termites in the corners of the living room every day.

We managed 8 condos right on the beach in Laie, Oahu

Trying to go back.

I tried to convince Keld that it was a mistake and that I was very doubtful that we would obtain a “temporary work visa”, but I was speaking to deaf ears.

Keld and Harly arrived and after holiday Harly started in Kahuku school. Both Keld and Harly “loved” the place. Harly started to coach soccer for small kids and both Harly and Keld learned to scuba dive.  Keld was in his elements and loved going fishing for eels and whatever he could find in the Ocean.

I liked it too, but kept feeling “that we were not doing the right thing”.

Settling in Laie

One thing I loved in Hawaii was the culture of music and dance and I am deeply grateful for the experience in “that area”. I often went to the Polynesian Cultural Center and attended as many cultural events and other educational events I could at the Hawaii BUY University.

In our woman’s church “Relief Society” there was an old Hawaiian lady that offered to teach “painting” on her Lanai and about 10 of us women signed up.

That was the beginning of me painting for now 35 years.   It opened new doors for me. Until then I had done a lot of sewing, knitting, crochet and crafts in my life and always thought that painting was something “I could not do”, even though I had always wanted to paint like my sister Inge Lise.  Well that all changed in Hawaii.

Laie Beach

Hurricane IWA

While we were in Laie, we experienced "Hurricane IWA". 

It was one scary experience.

Wanting to go back to Canada

My feeling of uneasiness grew as I discovered that “we were not going to get a work visa” so in March of 1983 when I went Calgary, Alberta to help our daughter Linda who was having a baby, I felt strongly that I could not go back to Hawaii the last three months without losing my integrity.

In July 1983 we settled back in Vernon in our house that had been rented out for one year.  I was happy and content, until Keld three months later decided “that he wanted to go back and work for the Baldwin Piano Company in Honolulu.

He went for three months. Then again in 1984 he again went twice for three month and then on 12 May 1985 Keld came and announced to me that he wanted a divorce and wanted to live in Hawaii.

He applied for divorce one month later and we were divorced 1. November 1986.  One week later November 7^th,  he married Mardi Mooney.

They still live in Laie.

24 July 2017

Vibeke Lindhardt

PS: I have come to firmly believe that "couples and families who play together" stay together.

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