KAILUA-KONA — Forty-four years ago, 24-year-old Sandy Jordan and her young sons, Scott and Joe, posed for a photo on the mauka side of Kuakini Highway.
The two boys, ages 3 and 4.5, looked on with their locks flowing in the wind, little bellies out and cute thumbs up, trying to hitch a ride. Mom stood proudly behind them in a flowing floral blouse typical of the era.
It was June 1974, and Sandy and the youngsters had just moved here from California.
“I love the memories, and it was so wonderful back in Kona in 1974. It was a fabulous place to raise kids,” Sandy reminisced while talking about the black-and-white shot.
Now 68, Sandy said she can’t remember for sure what they were doing at the time — it was a quickly snapped photo — but believes they may have been hitchhiking or waiting for a ride. With them was photographer Zane Mathias, Sandy’s then-boyfriend.
“I told the kids to put their thumbs out and Zane took a picture of us,” said Sandy. “It turned out to be a cool photo of us.”
A cool and memorable photo it was, remaining in the family’s photo box for decades as Scott and Joe grew up, attended college and returned to Hawaii Island to raise kids of their own.
“I’ve always loved that photo,” Sandy said.
So much was her fondness that after finding the photo in storage three years ago the exact blouse she’d worn that day in 1974, she had an idea.
“When I saw it, I decided that I got to get this picture and we got to redo it,” Sandy said.
Last year, she started seriously asking her boys if they’d take part in recreating the moment Zane had captured some 44 years ago.
“She was really on us for months and months,” Scott recalled.
They finally agreed. She gave them a copy of the photo to study, even asking them to grow out their long, blond hair again.
“About a month later they each came to me separately and told me, ‘We have jobs, mom,’” Sandy said.
The hardest part of recreating the special moment — other than the boys having grown into men and finding time in everyone’s schedules? Locating a white belt to match the one worn by Joe in the original photo, Sandy said.
“I finally found it in a thrift shop,” she said.
With everything ready, all they needed was a gathering time, and when Zane recently connected with Sandy because his wife, Beth’s family was coming to Hawaii Island, a date was finally set.
And, when the morning of Saturday, Feb. 24 came, all four met again, on the side of the Kuakini Highway, just like they had nearly 44 years before.
The boys — now ages 49 and 47 and quite a bit bigger but wearing the same style clothes — took their positions next to mom, she in her floral blouse with purse and cigarette in hand.
They put their thumbs out and 82-year-old Zane snapped the shot.
“The whole thing was very goosebumpy,” said Zane. “But, it was fun.”
Sandy, who received the photo this week, in time for Mother’s Day, was surprised by just how enjoyable the re-creation adventure ended up being.
“It was so fun to get together and take it again. We just had a blast that morning — a lot of laughs, a lot of memories,” she said. “I love that we have all lasted this long. How lucky for us.”
Scott seconded that sentiment.
“After seeing the picture, it kind of reminded me of what a long, good life we’ve had here on the island,” he said.
Added his brother, Joe: “I’m really happy with the way the new picture came out, it looks so much like the original.”
As for recreating the original, again, in say 10 years?
“That’s a possibility,” said Sandy. “A real possibility.”