Decadent Dessert

While playing tourist around Wailea (on Maui), Kathy & I stopped at the Shops At Wailea shopping center. One of the stores there is Tommy Bahama, which includes their clothing store and a cafe. Kathy and I had lunch there ... suffice it to say, the food was yummy!!! Dessert was a tough decision ... we decided to share this concoction called Blackbeard's Butterscotch. All Kat & I can say ... if you ever go to a Tommy Bahama's Cafe ... you gotta have one of these desserts!

Palm Flowers

These palm flowers were in bloom on a tree in our subdivison ...

Happy Father's Day!

To all the dads out there ...

Happy Father's Day!

Lanterns

Wrapping up the Lantern Floating Hawai‘i theme week is a shot of ... the lanterns.

Lanterns honoring the dead are floated to sea, a Japanese Buddhist ritual called tooroo nagashi. For this event, people write the name of a loved one, and sometimes a short message on the paper walls around the candle.

Normally, the winds are off-shore which will carry the lanterns out toward the open ocean. However, this year, we had southerly (on-shore) winds throughout the weekend, though weather forecasts had off-shore winds for Memorial Day. The winds did not shift, and when the lanterns were released, they floated back toward shore. I got this shot right after the broadcast ended, and before we began to break down our video equipment.

KGMB has the broadcast of the event on their website.

Hula

The young ladies of Natalie A‘i Kamau‘u's hula halau perform a hula that was written for King David Kalākaua. Like yesterday's photo, it was taken during the dress rehearsal.

Taiko

Taiko are drums from Japan which have been around for a few centuries. The taiko group from Shinnyo-en usually leads off the the Lantern Floating Hawai‘i Festival, and their first number sounds like a huge rock band drum solo.

I got this shot during the dress rehearsal the night before the big event, as the sun was setting.

Show Whites

All those involved with the cameras ... shooters and cable pullers had to wear white. The normal stage attire we wear is black, but since the stage area was all white, we the camera crew were told to wear white. The stage managers and stagehands also had to wear white.

We got tagged as painters, bakers, waiters, and staff at the Kekela Ward at Queen's Medical Center. :-D

In The Water

Hawai‘i Stage & Lighting Rentals constructed this light and camera scaffolding which towered almost three storeys above the the water's surface. It held two TV cameras, the lighting control board, some of the stage lighting, and a platform for photographers and observers. A forklift was needed to get the equipment on and off the scaffolding.

Chain Gang

Well, sort of ... our impression of one, when we had to dig a trench to bury cables in the sand for a LCD monitor, and for the TechnoJib. We had to either dig by hand or by stick, since there were no shovels around.

TV Land

This month's theme week is the Lantern Floating Hawai‘i Festival, that was held last month.

Leading off theme week is a shot of our TV broadcast compound. The trailer on the left is our control room on wheels. The scaffold on the right is our cable bridge. The large bins hold our video cables, which must have stretched out to a few miles. We all had to wear hardhats, because finishing touches to the stage were still being hung from the light rigging and stage.

Sorry for starting this month's theme week so late ... I had a brain cloud.

Menchies

Kathy and I love to eat frozen yogurt ... and our favorite place is Menchies.

Today's photo was taken at the Kapolei store a few days after its grand opening.

Techno-Jib

The Techno-Jib was one of the mechanical cameras used in the Lantern Floating Festival broadcast, the arm can stretch any where between nine and 24 feet out. The Techno-Jib shown here is owned by SteadiCam Hawaii, whose owner Mark Morgan, is a top SteadiCam operator.

Clothing Malfunction?

The mannequin that's seated seems to have an issue with her dress ... is it too big? Or something wrong with the dress? Oops! Thankfully, it happened to mannequin and not a real model.

Kathy and I had gone shopping, and she stopped in this women's wear store, which will remain nameless, unless you women know which store we were in. While walking around, I noticed the dress faux paux ... I tell you, cell phone cameras sure come in handy ... especially since I wasn't carrying one of my cameras.

"Clothing Malfunction?" is the 900th post of the Blue Wave Pix photo blog ...

Archer

The Patsy T Mink Central O‘ahu Regional Park (commonly known as CORP) features an archery range near the swimming complex. This archer just let one of his arrows loose toward the target.

Wave On Sand

A wave breaks on the sand at Kaena Beach.

Late Night Departure

A small inter-island cargo plane makes a late night run ...

Graduation Day

'Tis the season for high school graduations! These seniors from Aiea High School celebrate after receiving their diplomas this past Friday night at Aloha Stadium. I was the hand-held video camera, and got this shot when the diplomas were handed out. Our other two cameras covered the diploma part, while I had cover ... just in case. Aloha Stadium hosts five high school graduations, which our video crew captures the ceremonies to broadcast on the JumboTron, and to record for sale.

To all of the 2009 graduates ... Conrgatulations!

Station 29 Re-opened!

After almost two years of construction, the Honolulu Fire Department's new Station 29 is opened! The McCully-Mō‘ili‘ili Fire Station was totally re-built from the ground up to this modern facility, that began in July 2007, and recently re-opened on June 1st. Not only did they get a new firehouse, they got a new fire engine (above)! Thanks Nick for the info!

I was running errands in the neighborhood yesterday, and noticed that Station 29 was up and running, so I took a detour to document it. In the process, Ladder 29 received a call out as I parked my car. I got a few shots before Engine 29 received their call out, seen above. Both trucks bolted up University Avenue, followed by two police cars and an ambulance.

Matching Colors

When Boeing introduced the Aviation Partners Boeing Blended Winglets on their 737 Next Generation series, a few airlines leave them grey, some airlines choose to paint these performance enhancing additions to match their color scheme, while others choose to match the design on the tail.

Hainan Airlines is one several airlines to match their tail logo design with the winglets on their 737s. I got this photo when Hainan took delivery of their latest 737-800, B-5466, last week.

June Brides

June is a big season for weddings ... June Brides ... Here in Hawai‘i, there usually an up-surge in weddings. From local couples to couples from all around the world, our island state is a magnet for wedding couples and honeymooners.

Today's shot is from Kirk & Merilyn's wedding taken a couple of years ago as Merilyn repeats her vows from Gabe, before putting Kirk's ring on. I was the second photographer, hired to shoot alongside Jayson Tanega, to capture alternate angles and candids. I added a spot focus, and desaturated the blurred section through Photoshop.

When Kathy & I tied the knot a couple of months ago, we asked Gabe, the minister, to perform our wedding ceremony, and we hired Jayson to take our wedding photos. I've known Gabe for over 20 years, he's a great friend, former co-worker, and former associate pastor to us. I've known Jayson for over 10 years, and have always liked his photographic eye.

Jacaranda

Jacaranda flowers are in bloom all over the state of Hawai‘i ... Up Country Mau‘i was where we really noticed these purple flowers, though there are several places around O‘ahu that have Jacaranda trees.

Yogurtland

Several months ago, Yogurtland opened their first franchise in Honolulu, near the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Kathy & I had gone to check it out ... to which the line had gone out the door ... even after we left, close to 10pm(!). People patiently waited their turn to make their own desserts. It was the launch of other self-serve frozen yogurt franchises to pop up all over O‘ahu.

I got this shot with my cell phone's camera ... one of the few instances it came in handy.

Long Shadow

Wide-angle lens + afternoon sun = long shadow ...

It was taken a few minutes after I took the shot I posted yesterday.

Sun And Trees

The late afternoon sun through the trees in the back of the subdivision where we live ... seen through a wide-angle lens.

Getting Lei'd

Forgive the play on words ... I couldn't help it ... :-D

Those aboard this Xiamen Airlines Boeing 737-800, B-5456, received a lei greeting upon deplaning the airliner after arriving at HNL. These folks were part of the delivery flight team, and the lei were provided by the ground handling company. Before boarding the shuttle bus, the those on the flight took pictures at the bottom of the stairs.

I took this shot after B-5456 arrived from its flight from Boeing Field (Seattle, WA).

Rainy Rush Hour

Add a little rain to rush hour traffic, and it adds even more time for me to get home ...

Caution!

Caution tape blocks off a section of Aloha Stadium during renovation and repairs ...

Glass Globe

Part of one of the light fixtures at the Roxy store at the Ward Cinemas complex ... I got this while Kathy was shopping ...

‘Āhinahina

‘Āhinahina, or the Haleakalā Silversword, is one of Hawai‘i's native, and rarest plants that can be found only at the Haleakalā National Park on Maui. Today's photo was taken at the 10,000-foot elevation mark.

National Cemetery Of The Pacific

The National Cemetery Of The Pacific, located in Pū‘owaina Crater, is heavily decorated to honor our fallen soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. Each grave marker is decorated with a lei and an American flag, as well as flowers from family and friends. The Memorial Day service also features a 21-gun salute from US Army Howitzer cannons and a F-15 fly over by the Hawai‘i Air National Guard.

On a personal note, Kat's dad is buried here, as he was a veteran who served with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

Sea Star

One of the many sea stars at the Maui Ocean Center ... this one was in the touch pond.

Small Yellow Flowers

I got these tiny yellow flowers at a public garden ... I'm not sure if they are black-eyed susans ...

Kaena Beach

Where does one seek to escape the hustle and bustle of Honolulu? Rural O‘ahu provides some quiet getaways to spend a quiet day at the beach ... located on the northwest point is Kaena Beach.

240SX

When I had first got Photoshop Elements a few years ago, I took a try at playing with the motion blur feature, and this was onr of the first photos I experimented with ... a photo of my then car.

Softball Field

A wide shot of the softball field from the "Fly Ball To Left Field" game.

Kipapa Gulch

Behind our home is Kipapa Gulch, it runs from the Ko‘olau Mountains into Waipahu. On the other side of the gulch is the town of Kunia, and the trail leading down into the gulch leads to former military bunkers.

New Udom Blooms

One of my Udom Blue Angel orchids bloomed ... and it also gave me a chance to use a friend's wide-angle lens.

Reef Fish

Reef fish cruise around looking for food on a reef fronting the Aloha Tower Marketplace.

Watch Out For That Pole!

While walking around Makawao, we came across this witch on her broomstick, who became one with the utility pole, at the corner of Olinda Road and Makawao Road.

Delivery Flight

The Boeing 737 airliner is the most popular airliner ever built, over 6,000 models have been built since the late 60s. The 737 has been seen all over the world, on every inhabited continent. Due to it's relatively short range, under 3,000 miles, it's not designed to fly long over-water segments. Though a few airlines use the 737 to serve Hawai‘i from the US mainland and Canada. However, to deliver brand new 737s around the world, airlines usually make multi-stop treks from Boeing Field in Seattle, WA to its new home. Most Asian 737 customers receive their new "Baby Boeings", by crossing the Pacific Ocean with at least two stops.

Today's photo is of a brand new AIr China 737-800, B-5423, that is making its TransPacific journey from Boeing Field to Beijing, China. Honolulu is the first stop, in which the crew and aircraft will overnight here. The flight continues the next day, which departs for Majuro (Marshall Islands) then overnights at Saipan (Northern Marianas Islands), before arriving in Beijing.

I got this photo as I was returning from photographing another aircraft, and I wanted to get more angles of this 737. I was going for wide-angle lens look as we were driving around the 737.

Purple & Green

I found this plant that has the inside of the leaves green, and outside purple. I've seen it around town in yards and landscaping.

Trail Of Roses

A trail of roses leads to the honeymoon bed. Some friends had decorated the room after the reception for the wedding couple, of a wedding I had photograhed.

Foam On Sand

The whitewash foam from a wave rolls onto the shore.

Fly Ball To Left Field

This batter hits a fly ball to left during a Makule (Senior) League softball game played at the Patsy T Mink Central O‘ahu Regional Park. The left fielder misplayed the fly ball, and gave up a base hit.

Happy Mother's Day!

To all the moms ...

Happy Mother's Day!

Tubular Bells

Along Makawao's Baldwin Avenue was a shop that had a bunch of large wind chimes hanging on their awning.

Protea

UpCountry Maui is one of the best places to get fresh cut protea flowers. Everywhere we went, there was always an abundance of these flowers. I got this shot as we walked around the Kula Lodge.

At The Edge

I got this shot while at the crater lookout of Haleakalā National Park, which shows us above the clouds. However, in a matter of several minutes, we were covered in those clouds.

Artist's Studio

Makawao is also known for its arts and crafts, as a majority of its shops are clothiers, artwork, and crafts. Sherri Reeve is one of those artists whose gallery / studio is a part of the Makawao artist community. She specializes in watercolor, and even doing 3-D layering of her work.

Boys Day

We interrupt Theme Week for this special post ...

On May 5th, the people of Japan celebrate Boys Day. With 25% of Hawai‘i's population being of Japanese ancestry, the tradition of flying the carp (Koi) flags is carried on here as well. Girls Day is celebrated on March 3rd.

I got these koi flags while Kathy & I took a stroll around a shopping area in Hale‘iwa.