Beautiful Blessing

Emi, which means beautiful blessing in Japanese, is our blessing that we recently adopted from the O‘ahu SPCA. What was to have been a two-week foster care of this miniature Dachshund, turned into our new addition to our family after we fell in love with her.

Beyond The Lagoon

The rock formations outside Ko Olina's Lagoon 4 "‘Ulua", looking further westward. The rocks also form breakers for the westerly surf swells. The large white building is the Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa

Dancing Minnie

Minnie Mouse leads the Disney Aulani poolside guests in a short dance.

Underwater View

Looking at the beach from under the surface of the ocean.

Gazing

Farrah and Jeff gaze into each other's eyes ...

Biggest Order

Lion Airlines of Indonesia recently placed the largest order by any airline, with Boeing, for 230 737NextGenerations and 737MAXs. Their delivery flights stop through HNL for a few hours for fuel, before continuing on across the Pacific. Very rarely, will the flight crews overnight here. Today's photo shows the forward section, along with the wing.

Glass Ball

These glass balls were used by Japanese fishermen many years ago, which were used to be tied to fishing nets. They come in various sizes, from about baseball size to larger than a basketball. We found this one in a store, ready to be used as a hanging.

Pistol-Packin' Mama

Kat's mom takes aim with an Airsoft pistol that our nephew had.

Beachgoers

A group of tourists get settled on Honolua Beach.

Plumeria

A bunch of plumeria shot with a fish-eye lens, and given an old photo look.

Paw Prints

A dog's paw prints in the sand ...

Lion Dance

According to Chinese tradition, the lion dance is performed for celebratory occasions. For Jeff and Farrah's wedding reception, these two lions danced for the couple, and the lions were rewarded with the money. They also made their way around the ballroom receiving offerings from the guests as well.

Rotate!

This Narita-bound United Airlines Boeing 777-200 lifts off of Runway 22L, as the winds over the Hawaiian Islands shifted come from the southwest. Rotate is the term used by pilots that means lift the nose gear up on take off.

Sea Shells And Sea Glass

Sea shells and bits of sea glass sewn together to make a doorway curtain.

Aquarium

The aquarium at Disney's Aulani Resort.

Happy Valentine's Day

From Kat and I ... Happy Valentine's Day!

Narcissus

A few of the narcissus flowers for a plant we bought in Chinatown before the Chinese New Year's season.

Lazy River

This family of three floats down the lazy river around the pool area of Disney's Aulani resort.

Interview

Hawai‘i News Now's Ramsay Wharton and videographer Jon Yasunaga tapes an interview of our niece Kisa and Floyd from the United Fishing Agency for a possible run on the afternoon news. It turned out it did not run ...

Gathering Information

Hawai‘i News Now's Ramsay Wharton (right, yellow jacket) chats with our family members across a row of ‘ahi. She was there to do live reports for HNN's "Sunrise" morning news show about the high demand for ‘ahi during the New Year's season, and to do a report for that afternoon and evening newscasts.

Inside The Scrum

Bidders inspect the tail cuts as bids are taken for other fish up the line.

Down The Line

Auctioneers and bidders walk down the rows of fish for sale. The bidding is fast and furious. Each fish is tagged with the winner and the winning bid. Buyers from all over the island come to the auction, from the local grocers to the high-end restaurants. There are other types of fish for sale, like ‘aku (tuna), mahi mahi, ‘opa (moonfish), and opakapaka (red snapper).

Tail Cut

One of the United Fishing Agency workers cuts a portion of the tail section of ‘ahi for bidders to inspect.

‘Ahi

‘Ahi, or yellowfin tuna, is the high demand fish during the New Year's season, especially for the Japanese. Sashimi, or raw fish slices, of high grade ‘ahi is a staple of New Year's celebrations. Here in Hawai‘i, it has become a popular dish among other ethnic groups as well. Pictured above are fresh caught ‘ahi, with a portion of the tail section cross-cut for inspection by those seeking to bid each fish. The red strip on paper near the head, are core samples of the meat. The deeper the color red, the fresher the fish is. Poké is another common dish here that uses chunks of raw fish mixed with seaweed, onions, Hawaiian rock salt, or other seasoning.

Fishing Boat

Our theme week for February is the "Honolulu Fish Auction". In the pre-dawn hours on Honolulu Harbor's Pier 38, the United Fishing Agency hosts the only fish auction between Tokyo and Maine. Fishing boats unload their catch  in nearby mooring spots, like the "Lady Anna" above, and are taken into the auction, where their catch is weighed and tagged.

Nervous Moment

Emily shares a nervous laugh during her vows.

Fisheye Palms

A black and white, fisheye lens shot of the palm trees fronting our lanai.

Re-purposed

This broken surfboard did not go to waste, and turned into a bench.

Instagrams 5

The February installment of the Instagram collage ...

Row 1: Christmas tree at Ala Moana Center Stage; rainy morning traffic; with Iron Chef America's Mark Dacascos; sunrise from the airport; the Ko‘olau Mountains from the H3 East; rainbow over Waipio.

Row 2: homemade gumbo; Stan Sheriff Center; film truck for "Hawai‘i Five-0"; baby guppies in a cup; frozen yogurt from Yogurtland; submission to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner art page.

Row 3: model airplane at HNL; misted flowers; new plane, old photo effect; Christmas ornament; game camera for TV broadcast; Christmas shoppers at Nordstrom's.

Row 4: feather butterflies at Nieman Marcus; honey toast from Shokudo; family grave stone; final Continental Airlines flight to HNL; New Hope Leeward Senior Pastor Mike Lwin; changing end zone turf panels.