Sunflower Farm

One of the sunflowers at a sunflower farm in Waialua, captured with a honeybee collecting pollen.

Waimea Canyon

Waimea Canyon, on the island of Kaua‘i, is one of the island's biggest natural tourist attractions. On a clear day, the view of the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific" is majestic, including the Pacific Ocean at the end of the canyon.

Stewardesses And Surfboards

A pair of Virgin America flight attendants pose with specially-made longboards on the event stage before the arrival of their inaugural flight from San Francisco.

Emi Playing With A Toy

In a rare moment, Emi plays with one of Yuki's toys.

Tomorrow marks Emi's 9th anniversary of her "gotcha day".

Happy Valentine's Day!

Pacific Rim Cup

The Pacific Rim Cup soccer tournament is an annual event at Aloha Stadium, hosted by Blue United, and features two J-League and two Major League Soccer teams. Unfortunately, the 2020 and the 2021 editions were canceled due to the China Corona Virus pandemic. Today's photo shows an Under Armour match ball and the champion's trophy at the press conference of the inaugural event.

Gum Wall

The gum wall at the Public Market in Seattle. Yes, we left our mark on the wall as well with a hashtag #ivankatsea2014. I read that the walls in the alley were scraped clean a few years after we left our gum. Of course, people resumed leaving their gum wads on the walls.

Yuki And Her Toys

Yuki's toys gather over her as she falls asleep for her nap.

Colored River Rock

Colored river rock on display at Geoubunga. I raised the saturation levels to boost the colors.

Sir Richard Branson

In November 2015, Virgin America began service between San Francisco and Honolulu. As owner of the Virgin Group, Sir Richard Branson made the inaugural revenue flight, and is seen above exiting the Airbus A320. In Virgin style, the inaugural flight actually parked on HNL's South Ramp with a parking spot converted to a Virgin America lounge, and a stage complete with the airline's branded longboards. Even the A320 used for the flight was named "Pineapple Express".

Color Splash Bird Of Paradise

Hau‘oli Makahiki Hou! Happy New Year!

This year's first photo was taken with my iPhone, and used the Color Splash app to remove the color from background of this bird of paradise flower.

The Chainsmokers

The electronic dance music duo, The Chainsmokers, headlined the 2017 Dream Weekend Concert at Aloha Stadium. Today's photo was taken during the duo's finale.

Unfortunately, this year's concert was canceled because of the China Corona Virus pandemic.

Hawai‘i Bowl Presser

Coaches and players from the University of Hawai‘i Rainbow Warriors and the Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raiders meet with the media for the 2016 Hawai‘i Bowl, a few days before the Christmas Eve game. For the Rainbow Warriors, seated left to right: Linebacker Jahlani Tavai, Wide Receiver Marcus Kemp, and Head Coach Nick Rolovich.  For the Blue Raiders, seated right to left: Linebacker D.J. Sanders, Quarterback Brent Stockstill, and Head Coach Rick Stockstill. The Rainbow Warriors won the game 52-35.

Jahlani Tavai now plays for the Detroit Lions, Marcus Kemp now plays for the Kansas City Chiefs, and Nick Rolovich is now the head coach for the Washington State University Cougars.

With the China Corona Virus pandemic, this year's bowl game was canceled by ESPN Events and the Hawai‘i Bowl.

Wedding Cake

 

Today's photo of this wedding cake is from my cousin Jay's wedding. He married his high school sweetheart Tiffany, five years ago this week.

USS Arizona

Tomorrow, December 7th, is the 79th anniversary of the attack on the Pearl Harbor Naval Station by the Imperial Japanese Navy. One of the US Navy battleships that were sunk in the attack was the USS Arizona (BB-39). This model of the battleship seen above, was brought to Pearl Harbor from Arizona, in December 2011 for the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the attack.

Coaches

At media day of the 2018 Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) state football finals, Mililani Trojans Head Coach Rod York [left] and Saint Louis Crusaders Head Coach Cal Lee pose for a shot together as they wait their turns to be interviewed by the local sports reporters. The Trojans and the Crusaders faced off in the HHSAA's Open Division Championship during the Thanksgiving weekend, with the latter winning, 38-17.

Sadly, due to the China Corona Virus pandemic, the HHSAA is looking at moving this year's season over to next spring.

Strawberries & Blue Flame

At Ruth's Chris Steak House, their feature dessert for anyone celebrating a birthday, is their strawberries & chocolate, lit a flame with brandy.

Mark Dunkerley

Mark Dunkerley served as the president and chief executive officer of Hawaiian Airlines for over 17 years. He oversaw the growth of the airline from an inter-island and west coast airline, into a major airline in the Asia Pacific Rim.

This photo was taken after the airline unveiled its modified Pualani logo and livery at a ceremony at the Hawaiian Airlines Cargo Facility. In the background, is the Boeing 717-200 that was the first in the fleet to have the newer livery.

Hawaiian Airlines also celebrated its 91st anniversary on November 11th.

Pilot Wave

With Veteran's Day on Wednesday, we would like to honor of all the veterans who have served in our armed forces, thank you for your service!

A pilot from the District of Columbia Air National Guard's 121st Fighter Squadron gives me a wave from his F-16C Fighting Falcon pilot, as he taxies out to Runway 26L for departure. A detachment of four F-16s and a tanker, were returning to their base.

Streaky Clouds

Streaky clouds form over central O‘ahu in the late afternoon.

RareBirds

Our November Instagram collage features rare (and not-so-rare) airliners photographed at HNL, and the original photos were posted on the HNL RareBirds Instagram page.

Row 1: Amazon Prime Air 737-800F; FedEx 777-F; Regency Airlines 737-700; UPS Airlines 747-400F; Asia Pacific Airlines 757-200F; and Kamaka Air C208BF.

Row 2: Sun Country Airlines 737-800; China United Airlines 737-800; Westar 727-100; US Air Force C-17A; Antonov Airlines An-124-100; and former British Airways 737-400;

Row 3: Japan Airlines 767-300ER; Miami Air International 737-800; Embraer ERJ-190E2 demo jet; Cebu Pacific Air A320-200; Lucky Air 737-700; and DHL Airlines 767-300ERF;

Row 4: Kalitta Air 747-400F; Northern Air Cargo 737-300F; former Alaska Airlines 737-400C; Hawaiian Airlines 717-200; two Wamos Air 747-400s; and former Avianca A320-200.