Paw Prints

A dog's paw prints in the sand ...

Lion Dance

According to Chinese tradition, the lion dance is performed for celebratory occasions. For Jeff and Farrah's wedding reception, these two lions danced for the couple, and the lions were rewarded with the money. They also made their way around the ballroom receiving offerings from the guests as well.

Rotate!

This Narita-bound United Airlines Boeing 777-200 lifts off of Runway 22L, as the winds over the Hawaiian Islands shifted come from the southwest. Rotate is the term used by pilots that means lift the nose gear up on take off.

Sea Shells And Sea Glass

Sea shells and bits of sea glass sewn together to make a doorway curtain.

Aquarium

The aquarium at Disney's Aulani Resort.

Happy Valentine's Day

From Kat and I ... Happy Valentine's Day!

Narcissus

A few of the narcissus flowers for a plant we bought in Chinatown before the Chinese New Year's season.

Lazy River

This family of three floats down the lazy river around the pool area of Disney's Aulani resort.

Interview

Hawai‘i News Now's Ramsay Wharton and videographer Jon Yasunaga tapes an interview of our niece Kisa and Floyd from the United Fishing Agency for a possible run on the afternoon news. It turned out it did not run ...

Gathering Information

Hawai‘i News Now's Ramsay Wharton (right, yellow jacket) chats with our family members across a row of ‘ahi. She was there to do live reports for HNN's "Sunrise" morning news show about the high demand for ‘ahi during the New Year's season, and to do a report for that afternoon and evening newscasts.

Inside The Scrum

Bidders inspect the tail cuts as bids are taken for other fish up the line.

Down The Line

Auctioneers and bidders walk down the rows of fish for sale. The bidding is fast and furious. Each fish is tagged with the winner and the winning bid. Buyers from all over the island come to the auction, from the local grocers to the high-end restaurants. There are other types of fish for sale, like ‘aku (tuna), mahi mahi, ‘opa (moonfish), and opakapaka (red snapper).

Tail Cut

One of the United Fishing Agency workers cuts a portion of the tail section of ‘ahi for bidders to inspect.

‘Ahi

‘Ahi, or yellowfin tuna, is the high demand fish during the New Year's season, especially for the Japanese. Sashimi, or raw fish slices, of high grade ‘ahi is a staple of New Year's celebrations. Here in Hawai‘i, it has become a popular dish among other ethnic groups as well. Pictured above are fresh caught ‘ahi, with a portion of the tail section cross-cut for inspection by those seeking to bid each fish. The red strip on paper near the head, are core samples of the meat. The deeper the color red, the fresher the fish is. Poké is another common dish here that uses chunks of raw fish mixed with seaweed, onions, Hawaiian rock salt, or other seasoning.

Fishing Boat

Our theme week for February is the "Honolulu Fish Auction". In the pre-dawn hours on Honolulu Harbor's Pier 38, the United Fishing Agency hosts the only fish auction between Tokyo and Maine. Fishing boats unload their catch  in nearby mooring spots, like the "Lady Anna" above, and are taken into the auction, where their catch is weighed and tagged.

Nervous Moment

Emily shares a nervous laugh during her vows.

Fisheye Palms

A black and white, fisheye lens shot of the palm trees fronting our lanai.

Re-purposed

This broken surfboard did not go to waste, and turned into a bench.

Instagrams 5

The February installment of the Instagram collage ...

Row 1: Christmas tree at Ala Moana Center Stage; rainy morning traffic; with Iron Chef America's Mark Dacascos; sunrise from the airport; the Ko‘olau Mountains from the H3 East; rainbow over Waipio.

Row 2: homemade gumbo; Stan Sheriff Center; film truck for "Hawai‘i Five-0"; baby guppies in a cup; frozen yogurt from Yogurtland; submission to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner art page.

Row 3: model airplane at HNL; misted flowers; new plane, old photo effect; Christmas ornament; game camera for TV broadcast; Christmas shoppers at Nordstrom's.

Row 4: feather butterflies at Nieman Marcus; honey toast from Shokudo; family grave stone; final Continental Airlines flight to HNL; New Hope Leeward Senior Pastor Mike Lwin; changing end zone turf panels.

Pine Cones

A few pine cones on the wreath that friends gave us.

Honolua Boat

This boat sits in Honolua Bay while its occupants go snorkeling.

Acapella

Singers from the New Hope Leeward worship team start off their set with an acapella intro.

Dinner Time Kiss

Jeff and Farrah share a kiss during their wedding reception.

Fueling Up

This ground handler waits as his truck fuels up this airliner prior to departure.

Hula

The Hawaiian Air Serenaders perform hula during pre-boarding festivities for their inaugural flight to the Kansai International Airport (Osaka, Japan).

Battleship BB39

A group from Arizona made this giant scale model of the USS Arizona, Battleship BB39, as it looked like before the fateful day. They brought the model to Pearl Harbor to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Out Of The Tube

This surfer shoots out of the wave he's surfing.

Kung Hee Fat Choy!

Happy Chinese New Year! Today begins the week-long celebration.

The lion dance is a major element of the Chinese New Year celebrations, and big events like weddings. I got this photo during Jeff & Farrah's wedding reception, as one of the two lions were entering the ballroom.

Quiet Beach

We discovered a beach this quiet beach in Hale‘iwa, off the beaten path.

National Hug Day 2012

Stylists from the Marsha Nadalin Salon & Spa gathered around Kāhala Mall to give out free hugs during 2009's National Hug Day.

Birthday Candles

Lit birthday candles atop a cake for one of my aunties ...

Streaks

Streaks of high altitude clouds fill the sky over Central O‘ahu.

Honolulu Fish Auction

Early each morning, fish buyers from restaurants and markets head down to the Honolulu Fish Auction on Pier 38. It's the only one of its kind in the western United States. Pictured above are bidders looking at ‘ahi (yellow-fin tuna) to purchase. The fish for sale are all fresh from fishing boats that unloaded their catch hours before the auction's start.

We had an opportunity to go before the New Year. In Hawai‘i, ‘ahi is in high demand during this time of the year, as it a Japanese custom to have sashimi (raw tuna slices) included in the New Year's celebrations. This also drives up the price to over $40 per pound (retail) for premium grade ‘ahi.

Moonset Pines

A full moon sets between a pair of Norfolk Pines.

Celebrity Interview

Each New Year's season, TV crews from Japanese TV entertainment shows gather at the International Arrivals exit at the Honolulu International Airport to get interviews with Japanese celebrities.

For the past three years, I have been off the assignment, but I stopped by the airport a couple of weeks ago to chat friends who were on the camera crews. The photo above, shows the one interview that happened while I was there, was with professional wrestlers Kensuke Sasaki (white t-shirt) and Akira Hokuto (white hat) and their children.

Happy 9th Birthday!

Last weekend, our home church, New Hope Leeward, celebrated it's ninth birthday. Pictured above, is Pastor Mike Lwin on stage, with the balloon decor behind him.

Bug's Eye View

Almost a bug's eye view from the blades of the new UBU Sports Series S-5M synthetic turf at Hawaiian Airlines Field. I took this photo while doing pre-game set-ups for a University of Hawai‘i Warriors football game.

Strawberries Flambé

With one of my brothers-in-law and me having birthdays a few days apart, my mother-in-law decided to celebrate both birthdays as one dinner event. We went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, and my brother-in-law and I both got these Strawberries Flambé as birthday desserts. The blue flame is from the alcohol burning off.

Dawn Colors

The sky turns various colors as the sun comes up behind me, as the moon sets.

Wolfpack

A football helmet of the Pac-Five Wolfpack on the turf of Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium. I took this photo during an injury time-out, while shooting the on-field camera.

Pac-Five is a sports amalgamation of 13 small private schools on O‘ahu, where students combine to form teams in 13 sports. The original five schools that make up Pac-Five are: Maryknoll High School, Hawaii Baptist Academy, University Lab School, Lutheran High School, and the Mid-Pacific Institute.

Wāhine Volleyball

One of the volleyballs of the nationally-ranked University of Hawai‘i Rainbow Wāhine (Women's) Volleyball team during their pre-game warm-ups. Na Wāhine finished off the season falling in the NCAA Regionals.

I've been on the broadcast TV crew that covers Hawai‘i home basketball and volleyball games at the Stan Sheriff Center at the Mānoa Campus.

Happy Birthday Cobe!

Happy Birthday to our nephew Cobe!

Kaukonahua Road

The theme week for January is "iPhone Photos". Leading off, is a shot Kaukonahua Road, as we ventured to Waialua. This portion of the road is lined with pine trees, that almost forms a tunnel.

Komoda Store

During one of our recent Maui trips, a magazine writer/photographer was doing a profile of Komoda Store, in Makawao. While we were there, the writer gathered the Komoda Store people to get a group shot, and I jumped in to this photo as well.

The store is known for its super-delicious baked goods. Folks come from all over the "Valley Isle" to get their breads and pastries. Locals who visit Maui from other islands, like us, make it a point to stop there for breakfast and snacks. Komoda Store is a must-stop when on Maui, and you need to go early! 

Turn Here

A ramp worker from AirServce Hawaii marshalls this Virgin Australia Boeing 737 to its overnight parking spot, after arriving from Seattle-Boeing Field.

Rear Axle

A car's rear axle and wheels abandoned in an empty lot.

Blue Crabs

A box full of soft shell blue crabs for sale at a Chinatown seafood vendor.

Croton Flowers

A close-up of tiny croton flowers in bloom.

Bang The Drum All Day

One of the drummers on the New Hope Leeward worship team bangs the drums while rehearsing the song "Deep Cries Out".

Instagrams 4

Happy New Year!

Leading 2012, is our monthly Instagram collage. Here is the January edition ...

Row 1: cupcakes from Let Them Eat Cupcakes; Kaukonahua Road; sunrise clouds; traffic on HNL's South Ramp; 

‘Aulani aquarium; sun through twin palms.

Row 2: a beach in Kāhala; moonset pines; lazy river pool at a house; morning traffic; Pac-Five Wolfpack helmet; multi-colored rose bouquet.

Row 3: Diamond Head back view; soccer ball on the Waipio Soccer Stadium pitch; closed Borders store; replay machines in a production truck; fountain at Ala Moana Center; early evening weekend traffic.

Row 4: ‘Aulani coaster; Japanese tourist wedding at St. Peter's Church; Radford Rams vs ‘Iolani Raiders; pumpkins; sunset over the ocean; EFP camera for a soccer game.