Hale‘iwa Beach

A black and white photo of Hale‘iwa Beach, on O‘ahu's North Shore.

Rainbow Warrior Fans

At the season finale of the 2016 Hawai‘i Rainbow Warrior football season versus the UMass Minutemen, Outrigger Hotels & Resorts gave out Hawai‘i "H" flags to fans as the entered the gates. This couple had their flags stuck in the back of their caps as they watched the game. The Rainbow Warriors beat the Minutemen, 46-40, to secure their Hawai‘i Bowl invitation.

Bruno Mars

Three years ago this week, Hawai‘i's own Bruno Mars held three sold-out concerts at Aloha Stadium. The massive stage was built in the north end zone to accommodate fans on the field. With 36,000 tickets sold per night, he and his band entertained the crowd during his two-hour-plus show. Much of Bruno's wardrobe (as seen above) was Hawai‘i-themed, as he wrapped up his 200-show "24K Magic" world tour.

United's 747 Farewell

Four years ago today, United Airlines flew their final 747-400 revenue flight from San Francisco to Honolulu, as United Flight 747. The airline held a special event to mark an end of an era, complete with a rain shower (Hawaiian blessing) as the jumbo jet landed and taxied to the gate. Upon its arrival at HNL, this 747 had a orange lei draped over the forward section of the "Queen of the Skies". Today's photo shows a United employee capturing video of the lei-draping on her iPhone. This flight ended a 45+ year run of 747 service with United.

I was fortunate to collaborate with a freelance writer/photographer who was aboard the flight, documenting the pre-boarding festivities at SFO, the flight, and media event at HNL.

I had a couple of flights on United 747s in the 1970s, one going to San Francisco in the summer of 1975, and returning from Los Angeles in the mid-winter of 1976. There's nothing like riding on a 747. The cabin is spacious.