Pierced For Our Sins

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed"
Isaiah 53:5

Today is Good Friday, the day Jesus paid the ultimate price for all of our sins. Today's photo comes from St. Peter's Episcopal Church, after I videotaped a wedding. It shows His hands that were nailed to the Cross.

Aloha Dome

The State of Hawai‘i announced yesterday that it will completely cover Aloha Stadium with a white translucent synthetic fabric, and will use wind technology to keep the dome inflated. The state feels that the dome will preserve the 35-year-old steel structure into the 22nd Century. When completed, it will be re-named the Aloha Dome.

The stadium has been closed since February to facilitate the construction project. Because of our location in the middle of the Pacific, the salt air has continually attacked the steel, and caused an on-going issue of spending the money to fight corrosion. The dome must be completed before the middle of August, when the high school football season kicks off. Initially, the plan was to just cover the top of the stadium, but metallurgists with a structural engineering company suggested the entire stadium be covered. The Department of Accounting & General Services, which runs Aloha Stadium, and the Stadium Authority did not announce the cost of the project. Both repairing of the steel structure and the dome installation is happening at the same time.

It should be quite interesting when we return in August, to see how it affects our video broadcasts during the day. Night games shouldn't change much.

Today's photo shows the first phase of wrap that will form the new Aloha Dome.






April Fool! :-D

It's a covering for some of the repair work.

‘Iolani Palace

‘Iolani Palace is the only royal palace in the entire 50 states. Once its own sovereign kingdom, royalty ruled Hawai‘i before being annexed by the US.

Kramer Pacer

My 1990 Kramer Pacer guitar celebrates its 20th birthday this month.

Calla Lily

One of the calla lilies in a flower arrangement I got for Kat for our anniversary.

Family Portrait

A family portrait of Kat's sister and her family I took on Christmas Day.

Our Table Decorations

For our small reception, we had our table favors in these petite translucent pink take out boxes filled with small pieces of Mochi called chichidango.

I took this shot while Kat & I were placing the boxes next to the table settings before our ceremony.

Guideline

This is one of dozens of taxiway guidelines at the Honolulu International Airport. Earlier in the week, the winds shifted from tradewinds to Kona winds. I had the day off, and after running errands, I noticed planes making the westerly approach & departures. A friend invited me to take shots from the ramp, next to one of his planes. I got this shot while waiting for an airliner to depart. The guideline above is for Taxiway F that leads to Runways 22L and 22R.

Waiting Out The Rain

This pair of mountain doves wait out the heavy rain, during a downpour a few days ago.

Anemone

Kat noticed this sea anemone in the Kahalu‘u Fish Pond ...

Mosaic

In the Capitol rotunda floor, is the "Aquarius" pool, which is a mosaic created by artist Tadashi Sato. The artwork is roped off to avoid people from trampling the tiles.

Fleming Beach

Below the famous Plantation Course at Kapalua, is the D.T. Fleming Beach. It's one of West Maui's best beaches. There's also a quaint little pre-school, The Pre-School At Kapalua, at the entrance to the park ...

Happy 1st Anniversary ... To Us!

Kat & I celebrate our first wedding anniversary today!

This was alternate rings shot that I thought up, to the one I posted a year ago today.

Down The Aisle

A low-angle look down the aisle at Todd & Dyann's wedding, with the help of an ultra wide-angle lens.

Rafters

Rafters from the party area at Wet 'N Wild Hawai‘i.

Ride 4 Cops

Former police officer Harry Herington is riding his Harley-Davidson Ultra Glide motorcycle across the country to each state's capitol to raise awareness of the dangers of law enforcement, and support for the families of fallen officers. It's called Ride 4 Cops, a fundraiser for the Concern of Police Survivors (COPS), a relief organization to aid the families who have lost their loved ones in the line of duty.

After having his Ultra Glide shipped over from the mainland, Herington was joined by the Blue Knights and X-Solo motorcycle clubs to ride from Cycle City to the Capitol Building. The two motorcycle clubs are made up of active and former Honolulu Police Department officers.

Today's photo shows the gathering on the steps of the Capitol. Herington is seen in the center of the photo with Hawai‘i governor Linda Lingle (black pants-suit) before a small ceremony began. Herington stated that of the eight states he has visited, Governor Lingle was the first to meet him, and the turn out by the Blue Knights and X-Solo were the largest as well.

St. Patrick's Day

Kat & I wish you all a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We snuck this shot at a local-based party supply store ... gotta love those cell phone cameras!

Hammered

From the play "The Mourning Bride" by William Congreve comes the famous line: "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.", which was the alternate title to this shot.

A couple got into a heated argument when the girlfriend found out her boyfriend had hung out with another girl when he was out with the boys. The spat carried out into the parking lot, and was quite loud, as we could hear the whole story. It got really bad when she took a hammer to his Jeep. Loud thumps echoed through our neighborhood as steel took on steel and glass. It took a while for the police to show up, but things quieted quickly after a few minutes of their intervention. Apparently, a knife was taken to the tires later on.

It took a while for the car to be moved, but the boyfriend was never to be seen again.

I took this while driving to my parking stall ...

Three Generations

Three generations of this family enjoy their shave ice at Matsumoto Store in Hale‘iwa. Kat & I were waiting in line, when I managed to sneak this shot.

Little Greenies

My tiny green orchids are in bloom again ...

Ho‘okipa Beach

On the Maui's north shore, Ho‘okipa Beach is another hot surf spot.

Lavender Bee

A bee pollenates one of thousands of lavender flowers at the Ali‘i Kula Lavender Farm.

Nēnē

The state bird of Hawai‘i is the Nēnē, or Hawaiian Goose. This endangered species can be found at Haleakalā, and we came across this pair on a lawn in front of the visitor center.

Silverswords

Leaves of the silversword plant at the summit of Haleakalā ...

Clouds In Crater

Clouds billow through Haleakalā Crater.

Honolua Surf

A little further south is Honolua Bay, which is West Maui's top surf spot, and home to the Billabong Pro Womens Surf Contest. The contest is part of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) and the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.

We were there on Thanksgiving Day, and by the looks the amount of cars and surfers, these folks had no worries about cooking dinner, nor did we.

Looking Southward

The theme week for March is "Maui 11-09". Kat & I took a second trip to Maui during the Thanksgiving weekend. We went to a few new places, and re-visited a few places from our honeymoon last March.

Today's photo is looking southward at Mount Haleakalā from Honokahua in northwestern Maui.

Bridal Party

The bridal party from Kirk & Merilyn's wedding ... with a little extra Photoshop work

Wingspan

The largest variant of the Boeing 737, is the -900ER series. With a fuselage length of 138 feet, it can carry 180 passengers nearly 3,200 miles. Lion Air of Indonesia has ordered over 170 models, with at least 30 delivered. When completed, each brand new 737-900ER must make its way from Seattle to Jakarta, but must make one its three fuel stops at HNL, since the maximum range will not allow a non-stop flight. Unlike other 737 delivery flight stopovers which overnight here, Lion Air's 737 fuel stops last but a few hours.

Today's photo shows the 117'5" wingspan of a Lion Air 737-900ER as its being pushed back from its parking spot to depart on its second leg, it will continue onto Majuro.

‘Ukulele

The ‘ukulele is one the most recognizable musical instruments in Hawai‘i, although it was actually brought over by Portuguese immigrants.

Today's photo shows an ‘ukulele that my parents bought me over three decades ago, when they had me take lessons along with two cousins visiting from the mainland. After the lessons were done, I never took it up again, and found its way toward the back of my closet. When I moved to Kat's place it came with me ... but still sits in its box ... I just took it out to photograph it.

Sakura

Sakura, or cherry blossoms, in full bloom on a cherry tree we came across in a yard in Wahiawa.

Oh yeah ... Happy Girl's Day!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday ... Happy Birthday Mom!

We took this photo a couple of years ago in front of Shokudo Restaurant ...

Family Time

This family spends a quiet New Year's Day at Mokulē‘ia Army Beach.

Mansion In The Hills

This mansion stands alone in the uppermost part of Saint Louis Heights. I saw this mansion while we visited my grandmother at the Maunalani Nursing Center, which is on the adjacent Maunalani Heights.

Sorry, I didn't get any tsunami-related photos to post ...

Artsy Staples

A couple of years ago, I posted a photo called Sculpture?, today's photo takes a colorful spin on the same shot. Instead of using white LED flashlights, I used one with a green lens, and one with red lens.

East Honolulu

Landmarks of east Honolulu: (bottom to top) Hanauma Bay, Koko Head, and Makapu‘u Point, are seen from the air on one our trips to Maui.

Across Kane‘ohe Bay

Looking across Kane‘ohe Bay from Kahaluu to Kualoa.

Green Bananas

Green bananas for sale at a produce stand ...

Water Colours?

Heavy rains roll down the windshield of my car ...

Abalone Shell

One of the abalone shells from the grilled Kona Abalone stand at the KCC open market .

Camera On Camera

A wide-angle view from one of the camera positions during New Hope Leeward's Family Impact Conference 2009.

Arsenal Of Photography

Okay, it's not the arsenal of democracy ...

But I've always got something to take a photo ...

Shoot first, ask questions later ...

Flying Panda

In 2007, All Nippon Airways (ANA) painted one of their Boeing 767-381ERs like a panda to commemorate the 20th anniversary of air service between Japan and China. The 767, JA606A, was named "Fly! Panda", and the little panda over the wing is the design of the entire paint scheme.

Today's photo shows "Fly! Panda" lining up on HNL's Runway 26R, and awaiting take-off clearance to return to Narita, Tokyo, Japan.

Reflecting Clouds

Clouds reflect off of a calm Ke‘ehi Lagoon.

I got this shot while I was trying to catch the arrival of US Airways' first flight from Charlotte, NC to Honolulu, AWE807, this past December.

Contemplation

This contemplative man sits in deep thought among the dozens of lavender plants at Ali‘i Kula Lavender farm in Kula, Maui. It looks like he's taking in the sights and scents of the lavender, and the cool air.

2010 Great Aloha Run

Over 24,000 participated in the 26th Great Aloha Run yesterday.

Today's photo shows a bunch of runners finishing within the first hour of the 8.15-mile race.

Leaping Lion

Kung Hee Fat Choy! Happy Chinese New Year!

Yesterday also marked the beginning of the lunar new year, Year of the Tiger. The Chinese Lion Dance Club performed the traditional lion dance at Kapolei Commons. The club had one main performance, and followed it by going to certain merchants and performing for them. During the main performance, the lion jumped from one platform to another. The club also performed a dragon dance, and a few of martial arts demonstrations.

Happy Valentine's Day

Kat & I wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day!

Signing & Portrait

To finish off the painting of "Koholālele", Wyland used a spray gun to sign his masterpiece at the port side aft section of the jet (top). During the media event, Wyland also put his signature by the main entry door, under the Hawaiian Monk Seal.

Wyland posed with one of his paint brushes, while sitting aboard a moving scaffold, next to his work of art (above). After submitting this photo to Aloha Airlines, I was told it ran on the PR Newswire video screen in Times Square, New York City, along with a wide shot of the 737. Needless to say, my jaw almost hit the floor... I've had photos published in international magazines, but never on a video board!

Sadly, when Aloha Airlines shut down at the end of March 2008, N748AL was returned to its leasing company, and it meant "Koholālele" would never be. About six months after the shut down, VARIG (Brazil) leased the aircraft, and was re-painted in their colors, and re-registered PR-VBV.

It was an honor to work alongside an artist the caliber of Wyland, and to have been considered worthy to capture the process. I'd have to say, this has been the biggest assignment I've had.