Hali‘imaile General Store

In the town of Makawao, is the restaurant called the Hali‘imaile General Store. It's owned by Beverly Gannon, who is one of 12 chefs credited with creating the Hawai‘i Regional Cuisine (a.k.a. Pacific RIm or Fusion - combining Asian and European cuisines). Kathy & I stopped here for lunch on day one of our Maui honeymoon ... and the food ... oh my gosh! It was so good! It was once a real general store, but now a full-scale restaurant and catering service.

When on Maui, you gotta try this restaurant! Great tasting food, large portions & reasonable prices! It's worth the drive!

Lavender

This month's theme week takes us back to Maui, but specifically UpCountry Maui.

Today's photo of a lavender flower comes from the Ali‘i Kula Lavender farm in Kula. It was one of our stops before making our climb up Haleakalā. Kathy wanted to go the lavender farm, and it was a great suggestion. There were a lot of photo ops of flowers, and views of the northern half of Maui. The scent of lavender was so relaxing too!

Ooh! Donuts ...

The only place to find Krispy Kreme Donuts in Hawai‘i is in Kahului, on the island of Maui, and it's located near the Kahului Airport. One can get their donut fix either before just leaving, or right after arriving on "The Valley Isle". Kat & I did both ...

Today's photo was taken right after arriving on Maui to get our Krispy Kreme fix ... priorities ... we knew where our first stop was to be.

Orchid For Sale

I came across these orchids for sale at a hardware store's garden shop. The store employees did not seem to mind the few shots I took.

Soaring

Dillingham Airfield, located in Mokule‘ia, is O‘ahu's glider and skydiving spot. While at nearby Ka‘ena State Park, we saw this glider soaring above us.

One-Sided Tree?

I noticed this tree in Hali‘imaile, Mau‘i, when Kathy & I had gone there to have lunch at the Hali‘imaile General Store. I saw that only one side of this tree was flourishing, while the side closest to the utility pole was barren.

Wai‘anae Mountains

Kathy & I had gone on a drive to the north side of O‘ahu this past weekend, which took us out to Ka‘ena State Park, right past Mokule‘ia. This was the view behind us ... part of the Wai‘anae Mountain Range. If you notice in the bottom half of the photo, there seems to be a roadway cut out of the mountainside.

Flower Basket

Celebrating our first month of marriage a few days ago, I got this basket of flowers for Kathy.

Shave Ice

When in Hale‘iwa, on O‘ahu's north shore, one has to make a stop at Matsumoto's Shave Ice. It's an institution in Hale‘iwa, that draws folks from all over the world to have a shave ice (a.k.a. snow cone).

Kathy's nieces and nephew were in town a few weeks ago, and we all stopped there after a day of picnicking on that side of the island. This shot was proof that they had their shave ice while they were in Hawai‘i.

Early Morning Drive

Going down Paiwa Street in Waikele in the early morning hours, on the way to jump in the morning rush hour fracas, toward metro Honolulu. The motion blur was done by slowing down the shutter speed.

This is the first shot I'm posting that was taken with my new camera, with more to come!

Odd Bird

While photographing an airliner a few weeks ago, I came across this bird waiting on a concrete tire block near my car. As I approached my car, the bird did not budge, but watched me. I was looking at the bird, and thought ... it's not a dove, nor is it a bulbo ... so I got this photo of it ... the face looks like a bird of prey in a dove's body.

Any ornithologists or bird watchers know what kind of bird this is?

Night Palm

A night shot of a coconut tree that I took a few years ago, after photographing a moonrise.

North Shore Wave

Waves break near the shore of Pupukea Beach Park. It appears that surfers were headed out to challenge those waves which were reported to be about 6-feet plus (face height) that day. We were at a family gathering at the neighboring Sharks Cove, o O‘ahu's north shore.

Sun Between The Towers

The sun peeks between both of the twin towers of the Pacific Guardian Life Center, and some coconut trees. The PGLC was once named the Grosvenor Center, but changed its name a few years ago. However, old habits are hard to break ... I still call it by its former name.

Fireknife Dancer

During the second half of the 2009 NFL Pro Bowl, fireknife dancers from the Polynesian Cultural Center performed in the south end zone during a TV timeout.

It's actually better to watch fireknife dancers in low-light or at night ... during the day does not do it justice.

Orange Gerbera Daisy

My mom received a flower arrangement from one of my cousins, and this orange gerbera daisy was part of the arrangement. One of my favorite ways of photographing flowers is to play with depth-of-field, like today's photo.

Lion Dance

Kathy's second shot of a Chinese lion dance that was performed for the pre-school she works at, to celebrate Chinese New Years.

Thanks Kat for another great shot!

"Just Married" Maui Style

I remember when newly wedded couples would honk the horn of the car they were in, as well as all those in their "motorcade". Those days in Honolulu seem long gone. However, while walking around the town of Pā‘ia (north Maui), Kathy & I heard the sounds of horns honking and blaring down Baldwin Avenue, one of Pa‘ia's main streets. Leading the way, was this pickup truck decked out with the "Just Married" poster, cans, and streamers. Tourists and locals alike, waved to the wedding convoy. To get this shot I had to jog down several yards, before the light turned green. Even then, the drivers continued to honk away. It just seems like days gone by, and something still carried on, on the neighbor islands.

Self-Portrait #...

Today's photo is a self-portrait that I took off the propellor hub of Kamaka Air's new Super Cargomaster, N145KA.

Stadium Sunrise

The sun peeks through the southeast corner of Aloha Stadium on the morning of the NFL Pro Bowl's Ohana Day. I got this shot right before we built one of our tripod-mounted cameras.

Little Hearts

Kathy has had these orchids for a few years, and at the end of last year, the whole plant broke out with lots of blossoms ... here's a sampling of those little heart orchids

Easter Egg Hunt

Today's photo was from a Hope968 Easter Egg Hunt taken a couple of years ago. I de-saturated the background through Photoshop.

Hope you all had a great Easter Sunday!

Resurrection Sunday

Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in Me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in Me and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this, Marhta?"
John 11:25-26

On Good Friday, Jesus of Nazareth was put to death by crucifixion on a Roman cross, because those who were seeking their Messiah, failed to see He was right in their presence. Instead, they thought He was a false teacher. But this was all part of God's plan, that His only Son would die so that our bondage from sin was released, because Jesus, at His death, took upon every sin man has committed (past, present, and future), and cast it into the depths of hell.

Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead, and vacated the tomb to walk the earth another 40 days before ascending into heaven. Today, we believers in Christ, celebrate His resurrection, and await His return to call us home.

I got this photo of this crucifixion scene at Diamond Head Mortuary.

At The Beach & Our Flight Home

Kathy's photo (top) captures this boy outrunning the waves on a Lahaina beach that is between waterfront buildings along Front Street. I had seen the boy challenging the waves as we walked along Front Street, and thought nothing of it; but it was Kathy who took out her camera and got the shot.

My photo (above) is the Mokulele Airlines Embraer E170 (N868RW) that will take us home to Honolulu. We highly recommend Mokulele when you fly inter-island.

In the following weeks, I will be posting more Kathy's photos and my photos from our trip to Maui. This was our first trip of many more we will be taking.

Maui Ocean Center

One of our adventures was at the Maui Ocean Center, loacted in Ma‘alaea. It was a quite an attraction, and we both ended taking quite a few pix there.

Kathy's photo (top) was taken in the walk-thru tube in the main display tank that features sharks, ‘ulua, stingrays, and other sea life.

My photo (above) shows a cylindrical tank of jellyfish illuminated with blue lights from above and below.

Hammock & Kā‘anapali Sunset

Kathy's photo (top) has us laying in a hammock right outside the Westin Maui, between Kā‘anapali Beach, and the beachside walkway that runs the length of the Kā‘anapali Resort area. What a way to kick back and relax!

My photo (above) has the sunset view I captured from our room (mentioned yesterday). The island outline on the left is of Kaho‘olawe. The boats are near the beach are sightseeing boats that come to shore to pickup (and drop-off) the tourists.

Balconies & Heavenly

Kathy's photo (top) shows the balconies of the The Westin Maui where we spent our time on Maui. She got this shot one afternoon, after we returned from sightseeing. I must say that Kathy's got a good eye for creative shots! I sure have a talented wife!

My photo (above) features us in our Heavenly Robes and laying in our Heavenly Bed in our room which was upgraded to ocean view, which meant sunsets every evening! The Westin hotel chain is known for their Heavenly® branded features in their rooms, namely their beds, towels, and robes. We thought this would make a funny photo, thank God I brought along my tripod.

The Grand Wailea

The Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa is one of the few five-star resorts in Hawai‘i. Kathy & I drove to the south side of Maui to sightsee, the Grand Wailea was one of our stops. Just walking through the lobby, you could feel the luxury.

For Kathy's photo, we had one of the hotel's staff take a photo of us in front of their wedding chapel, which a koi pond and coconut palm trees surrounds it. The chapel was not open for dhowing, but from what we could see, it was spectacular, especially the stained glass windows. According to Kathy, her brother got married in the chapel several years ago.

For my photo, I got a shot of the famous water display and dolphin sculptures that lead to the pool area. The long promenade is one of the signature features of the hotel, among several others.

What's Up There? & ‘Ahinahina

Top: Kathy caught me looking at the upside-down flowers at the Kula Lodge.

Above: The ‘Ahinahina (or Silversword) is an endangered species and unique to Haleakalā. I got this timer shot of Kathy & I with an ‘ahinahina plant in front of us before the clouds really rolled in.

Lavender Farm & Haleakalā

This month's theme week is "Honeymoon". Kathy & I took a few days to take our honeymoon on Maui the week after our wedding. Since we were both armed with cameras, I decided to do a two-fer this theme week. So, one of the photos will be from Kat, and the other mine.

In the top photo, Kat got this shot at the Ali‘i Kula Lavender Farm in Kula. This farm was such a serene and fragrant place in UpCountry Maui. We walked around the farm soaking up the scent of lavender, and snapping a bunch of photos, while enjoying the cooler temperature. Kat even got a king protea from one of the ladies who worked there, which we kept with us during our trip.

In the above photo, here's a shot of the crater at Haleakalā. This was taken at the crater lookout, some 9,000 feet above sea level. As you can see the clouds are rolling in, within several minutes of taking this shot the area was covered in clouds, and the temperature was 30°F colder than at the Kahului Airport. That day the daytime high was 72°F, which meant we were near 40°F(!). Throw in wind chill ... there was a stiff breeze blowing (around 10mph), which dropped the temperature to the high 30s ... and we were wearing slippers.

Red & Green Ti Leaves

Everytime I've walked through the Ala Moana Shopping Center, I've wanted to get a shot of these ti leaves. Ti leaves usually come in all red or all green, this one seems to be a hybrid, though they are quite common here in Hawai‘i. The ti leaves for people of Hawai‘i, is a sign of good luck, and the University of Hawai‘i athletic department will ask fans to bring leaves when they attend home games (and even fans who travel with the teams).

DC-8 Cockpit

This is the cockpit of Murray Air Douglas DC-8-71F, N872SJ. This cargo jet was in town a few years ago doing cargo runs between Micronesia and Hawai‘i. While it was undergoing some basic maintenance, a friend and I went over to take a peek at this classic bird. The guys working on the DC-8, let me take a look at the 1960s-vintage cockpit.

This DC-8 was originally delivered to United Airlines in the 1960s, and was registered as N8096U. After its stint with United, it was converted from a passenger airliner into a cargo freighter, and found its way to Murray Air (of Ypsilanti, MI) in 2005. Murray Air recently changed thier name to National AIrlines.

Girls In Front Of Rock Wall

I took this photo of Tiffany and Chelsie, then played around in Photoshop changing the color of the rocks in the wall behind them.

Bug On Back

It seems that even robotic bugs cannot right themselves, just like the real ones ...

I thought I had an April Fools photo this year, but sorry to say, not this year ... oh well.



April Fool!

Westside Coast

Looking further down the west coast of O‘ahu toward Ma‘ili ...

Deadwood

This dead tree stands atop a knoll at Kalaeloa Harbor.

The Kick Is Up ...

New York Giants placekicker Jon Carney takes a practice kick in the fourth quarter of the 2009 NFL Pro Bowl. The ball is the brown blur in the middle of the frame.

New Orchids

These little multi-colored orchids are from a plant I bought a couple of weeks ago at an orchid exhibition...

Live Trucks

During Barack Obama's visit to Honolulu on his campaign run for the presidency, live uplink trucks from the local TV stations set up camp near where the then-Senator's plane would park. TV cameras several yards away fed the trucks, which were beamed to the stations to interrupt local programming to show the arrival of the Hawai‘i-born president. Obama's first stop was a park, a short distance away, where he atended a rally in his honor.

Waterfowl On Falls

One of the waterfalls at the Ko Olina Golf Course that houses these ducks and swans.

Globed View

I came across this globe-like decoration at the A&W Root Beer restaurant in Mililani when Kathy & I had gone there for lunch. Silly me had to get this fish-eye-like view before we ate lunch.

Oil On Water

A couple of weeks ago we had some heavy rains that soaked O‘ahu. While out shopping one day, I had gone back to the car to retrieve something for Kathy, before I got the item, I got this shot of this motor oil slick floating on the rain water. A car had leaked oil close to where I got this photo, and was being carried along with the flow.

Golden Gerberas

A couple of gold gerbera daisies I shot at a garden shop ... :-D

and they are one of my wife's favorites!