Lilikoi Cupcake

A close-up of a lilikoi (passion fruit) cupcake from Let Them Eat Cupcakes, a new cupcake bakery in downtown Honolulu, that have the best cupcakes in town. This the first photo posting taken with my iPhone4.

Memorial Day

At the National Cemetery of the Pacific at Pu‘owaina Crater, each grave marker is is decorated with an American flag and a lei for Memorial Day.

A big mahalo goes out to all those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of our country and the freedoms we enjoy.

Warming Up

AFC All-Star and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassell takes aim at a receiver during pre-game warm-ups at the 2011 NFL Pro Bowl. Now, if only the labor strife can get settled ...

Orchids ...

More orchid blooms from my garden ... my dad gave me this plant, which originally was given to my mom last Mother's Day.

Red Hill 3 Departure

A rearward view of HNL's Runway 4R as we depart on the "Red Hill 3 Departure" routing as we leave for an aerial photo flight in a Cessna 172.

Parking Wars

This Honolulu Police Parking Enforcement officer tags this car for an expired meter in downtown Honolulu. I got this shot from the inside of a store on the across the street. About ten minutes after, the car's owner arrived to find the ticket tucked under the wiper blade. He looked at it, shook his head, then got in his car to drive off.

Cake Pops

One of the dessert trends of late are cake pops. The lollipop-sized pieces of cake are covered with white or milk chocolate and sprinkles. Kat decided to try it out with a cake that had been given to us. Pictured above is a batch she made, and that we donated to our church to sell for a fund-raiser.

Camera View

Looking through the viewfinder of Oscar Valenzuela's camera, as Hawaiian Air's CFO Peter Ingram speaks at the blessing festivities before the airline's inaugural flight to Incheon, South Korea. The Hawai‘i News Now video journalist was part of the media pool covering the event.

Cocoa

Cocoa, the chocolate Labrador Retriever, scopes out the waves at ‘Āweoweo Beach.

Upstream

Looking upstream at the Board of Water Supply's pumping station in Nu‘uanu, with de-saturated colors via Photoshop.

Big Guns

Today is Armed Forces Day! Thank you to all of our military personnel serving our country, to those who have served, and to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. In fact, the entire month of May is Armed Forces Month.

The battleship USS Missouri (BB-63) features nine 16-inch guns capable of launching a 2,700-lb armor-piercing artillery shell about 20 miles. Anecdotally, a math teacher once put it: it could shoot my Volkswagen Beetle from Pearl Harbor to Wai‘anae, and wipeout a city block. Pictured above, is the aft turret of three 16-inch cannons, which photographed during a video shoot on the fantail of the "Mighty Mo".

The de-comissioned battleship is now a floating museum and memorial moored at Ford Island in Pearl Harbor. Sadly, World War II naval veteran Harold Estes, who was the driving force to have the USS Missouri docked here, passed away on the 17th.

Honeymooners

During Island Air's 30th Anniversary celebration, this newlywed couple was one of the passengers aboard this flight to the of Lāna‘i. They asked a ramp worker to take their photo on the boarding ramp before entering the Dash8. The couple said they were spending their honeymoon at one of the two resorts on Lāna‘i. The lei were gifts to all of the passengers on that dayʻs flights. Yes, those are pizzas from Costco.

Chinatown Shopping

Shoppers look through a store with the Oahu Market in Chinatown.

Sun And Its Aura

A few weeks ago, a thin layer of high altitude clouds caused this aura to form around the sun, and this a shot from our parking area.

Police Week

This week is National Police Week, and this past Sunday was the Peace Officer Memorial Day. We honor all those serving in law enforcement, and the families whose loved ones died in the line of duty. Today's photo shows members of the Honolulu Police Department's Solo Bike Unit practice a motorcade escort for a VIP visit.

Magenta Orchids

The most recent blooms of these magenta-colored dendrobium orchids.

Seeing Double

During a recent worship service at New Hope Leeward, there was a hula performance. I got this shot as the church's video camera and I were capturing the same dancer.

We're Married!

Owen and Belyn celebrate their wedding during a post-ceremony photo shoot we did at Kewalo Park.

Cargo Hold

Today's photo shows the inside of the cargo hold of a Boeing C-17A "Globemaster III". The pallets in the middle of the floor will be air dropped over the Pohakuloa Training Range on the BIg Island. I took this shot while we were passing Maui at 12,000 feet, before taking my seat on the left. I was part of a social media group that was invited for this flight as part of the RIMPAC 2010 military exercises.

Stacked Rocks

One Saturday, Kat & I had gone to ‘Āweoweo Beach, and as we waded in the water, I found these round rocks, and stacked them a top each other on a huge stone in the sand. I also made the stack in the background.

Honohono Orchids

A second stem from my Honohono orchids bloomed last month with triple the amount of flowers as the first set of blooms last year.

It's A Hemi!

This 1971 Plymouth Hemi'cuda was part of a classic car show at Waikele Center. Kat & I had stumbled upon the car show returning home from church a couple of weeks ago.

The Plymouth Barracuda was one Chrysler's muscle cars of the late 60s to mid 70s. As a boy, the Mopar cars were my favorite make of hot rods.

LIghtning Bolts

In the beginning of the month, the Hawaiian Islands were hit by a spring storm that brought thunderstorms over each island. Today's photo shows bolts coming down a few miles south of us.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!

This is the first Mother's Day without my mom, and it's a bittersweet one. I miss her, but I know I will see her again in Heaven. Today's photo is from her memorial service. Today would have also been my parents' 57th wedding anniversary.

I got this from my Facebook page:
"Re-Post this if you have a Mom in Heaven!
If flowers grow in heaven Lord, then pick a bunch for me. Place them in my Mother's arms and tell her they're from me. Tell her that I love her and miss her, and when she turns to smile. Place a kiss upon her cheek and hold her for a while. I miss you Mom......and I love you with all my heart"

Melt

Another popular food truck is Melt, which specializes in grilled cheese sandwiches. They are usually around downtown Honolulu for lunch on weekdays.

Gogi

One of the popular food trucks is the Gogi Korean Tacos. The line for this truck stretched to the other end of the lot. The Gogi truck made a cameo appearance on an episode of the CBS hit TV series "Hawai‘i Five-0" about a serial bomber.

Whoopie Pies

These cream-filled dessert delights are made by Fairy Cakes. The featured flavors were Lilikoi (left) and Red Velvet.

Get There Early

When February Eat The Street opened at 5pm, there was a small crowd, but within a few minutes, lines began to form from each food truck or tent. The key to this event is to get there early, as many of the favorite food trucks sell out before the 9pm closing.

Ice Cream

This family gets their ice cream fix from the Lickety Split ice cream truck.

Chimney Cakes

One of our favorites is Zsoli's Chimney Cakes. These light sugary Hungarian delights are quite delicious when eaten hot.

OnoPops

The theme week for May is ."Eat The Street". That is the name of a monthly food fest that features over 30  of O‘ahu's best food trucks and mobile food vendors. Held on the last Friday of each month, the food fest draws a few thousand people. Kat & I usually get there early to avoid the long lines.

Today's photo shows the OnoPops booth which features ice pops made from locally-grown fruits, and other local ingredients.