Blue Buzzer

One of the paging devices at Nico's Pier 38 to alert you when your order is ready ... Kat & I highly recommend the food there! Food Network's Guy Fieri did a segment of "Diners, Drive-ins & Dives" there.

In fact, in tonight's edition of "Diners, Drive-ins & Dives", Poke Stop is one of the three eateries featured ...

Wine Glass Kaleidoscope

The theme week for May is "Phone Pix". There are times when busting out any camera might get me into trouble ... thank God for cameras built into cellular phones. Though the quality ain't the greatest ... I still get to capture moments.

Leading this theme week is, looking through a few layers of wine glasses in a store's display.

Expo 2010

Expo 2010 is being held in Shanghai, China, with its theme being "Better City, Better Life". The official airline for Expo 2010 is Shanghai's own China Eastern Airlines. To commemorate their sponsorship of Expo 2010, China Eastern had one of their newest Boeing 737-700s, B-5265, specially painted for the event. The 737 was at HNL as it made its delivery flight from Boeing Field, Seattle, WA to Shanghai. Along with Honolulu, B-5265 made stops at Majuro and Saipan before reaching Shanghai.

Light Truss

Part of one of the light truss towers at New Hope Leeward ...

Going Green

Our second phase of painting, was our bedroom, which we painted this shade of green in the roller tray. In the foreground, of it is a ball of painter's tape we used to mask off parts of the bedroom. I took this after we finished the major parts of the painting.

Piggy

The logo for Nippon Television (NTV) is this neon green pig. I got this little porker in a gift bag given by an NTV reporter and director whom I worked with several years ago. This little pig sits in my car.

Rock Wall At 10,000'

The rock wall that surrounds the 10,200-foot summit area at Haleakalā.

Running On The Beach

This little boy runs toward the ocean at Pahipahialua Beach. Even covered with sand, it didn't seem to faze him from playing with his siblings.

Across The Bay

At southern end of Kāne‘ohe Bay is Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i at Kāne‘ohe Bay on the Mokapu Peninsula, which is seen from the He‘eia Kea Boat Harbor.

Smoke Trails

Smoke trails toward me from the sparklers that our nieces and nephew were playing with on New Year's Eve.

Private Charter

PrivatAir is a Swiss-based business and charter aviation firm that flies globally. A few weeks ago, one of their Boeing 757-200 airliners, HB-IEE, stopped at HNL for a few days and spent another few days at Kahului, Maui. This 757 seats only 49 passengers luxuriously, while the same airliner with a commercial airline can seat over 200 passengers (depending on seating layout).

Passengers can be seen de-planing to board a mini-bus to take them to their hotel. I took this shot while driving down HNL's south ramp to get photos of the 757.

On a side note, the Rolling Stones chartered HB-IEE during their 2003 world tour. During U2's "All You Can't Leave Behind" world tour, the Irish rock band chartered one of PrivatAir's 737s.

Sunny Orchids

For my contribution for Earth Day ....

The sun backlights a bunch of orchids that recently bloomed.

Pinwheels For Prevention

Prevent Child Abuse Hawai‘i is participating in the national Pinwheels For Prevention™ campaign. Hundreds of blue and silver pinwheels were placed on the Beretania Street side of the State Capitol lawn for the week. The pinwheel is the new symbol of the prevention of child abuse and neglect.

Skylight

One of the skylights in the baggage claim area at the Kahului Airport.

Kahalu‘u Fish Pond

Along the windward coast line of O‘ahu, there are a few large man-made fish ponds built long ago. One of them is in Kahalu‘u, and is where the Aloha Ke ‘Akua Wedding Chapel is located. In the background, is the Ko‘olau Mountains, which line the entire windward side of the island. The strip of land lined with the palm trees separates the Kahalu‘u Fish Pond from Kāne‘ohe Bay.

Daffodils

A couple of daffodils in a bunch that Kat's mom gave us ...

Audience

Wrapping up April's theme week, HPD Officers, Hawai‘i State Sheriff's deputies, and survivors of fallen officers listen to statements made by Herington, Governor Lingle, Kirk Caldwell, and Chief Kealoha about the cause of Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.).

Group Shot

Harry Herington, Linda Lingle, Honolulu Police Chief Louie Kealoha, City Manager Kirk Caldwell (2nd from right), employees from NIC in Hawai‘i, and members of the two motorcycle clubs pose for a group photo.

Meeting The Governor

Harry Herington meets Hawai‘i Governor Linda Lingle at the steps of the Capitol.

Of the eight states that Herington has rode to, Governor Lingle was the first governor to meet with Herington, and issue a statement supporting his cause.

Harleys

A close-up of some of the Harley-Davidson motorcycles lined up after arriving at ‘Iolani Palace. Before their arrival at the palace, Herington and the other riders made a brief stop at Honolulu Police Department headquarters a few blocks away to pay tribute to fallen HPD officers in the line of duty. Between HPD and ‘Iolani Palace, the Ride For COPS were given an HPD motorcycle escort by several current HPD Solo Bike Unit officers.

Rolling Out

Members of the Blue Knights Motorcycle Club roll out of the Cycle City parking lot to begin the ride.

Harry Herington

Harry Herington poses for this photo before leading the Hawai‘i Ride For C.O.P.S. from Cycle City to the Capitol Building.

Prayer

The theme week for April is "Ride For C.O.P.S.". It's a nationwide motorcycle ride and fundraiser led by former police office Harry Herington, who is riding to the capitol of each state in the Union. C.O.P.S. (Concerns Of Police Survivors) is an organization in all 50 states that assists the families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. The fundraiser is raising money for the local chapters of C.O.P.S.

Before their ride from Cycle City to the Capitol Building, members from the Blue Knights and X-Solo Motorcycle Clubs along with NIC, Inc CEO Harry Herington prayed for their ride. So far, Hawai‘i has had the largest turnout of riders who rode with Herington to a state capitol.

Wedding Communion

Todd & Dyann celebrate the Lord's Supper during their wedding ceremony.

Wet Retriever

This Golden Retriever takes to the ocean at Mokulē‘ia Beach.

Furniture Store

While Kat was looking around a Pier 1 Imports store, I took a seat in one of the giant lounge chairs. I was reviewing some shots we had taken earlier in the day, and sneaked off this shot while waiting for her.

Magenta Gerbera

A misted magenta Gerbera Daisy from Kat's flower arrangement.

Cirrus Cloud

A cirrus cloud hovers over the Ko‘olau Mountains in the late afternoon.

Today's post is the blog's 1200th!

"Triple D" On O‘ahu

The Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives", hosted by Chef Guy Fieri shot several segments on O‘ahu in early October. One of the episodes airs tonight, featuring Nico's Pier 38, airs tonight at 7pm HST (10pm EDT/10pm PDT).

Other eateries profiled by "Triple D Goes Hawaiian" include Highway Inn, Hank's Haute Dogs, and Germaine's Luau. Guy also visited The Poke Stop (where today's photo was taken) and Rainbow Drive-in, and will be aired later.

Easter Bunny

Kat & I wish you all a Happy Easter!

We took this photo a couple of years ago at Hope968's Easter Egg Hunt with John, who graciously volunteered to wear the Easter Bunny costume. Kat helped with the games, and I shot video for the church.

Releasing Doves

At the end of Kirk & Merilyn's wedding ceremony, they released a pair of doves.

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.