Pink Clouds Over HNL

Pink sunset clouds hover over the Honolulu International Airport.

Cal Lee

Saint Louis School Crusaders' head football coach Cal Lee gets interviewed by KITV's Brandi Higa (left) and KHON's Rob DeMello before the 2018 Hawaii High School Athletic Association Football Championships. The Crusaders were slated to face the Mililani High School Trojans on that Friday night; and resulted in a 38-17 win over the Trojans.

Lee is one of the most winningest coaches in Hawai‘i high school football, with a 296-41-5 high school record. He has coached the Crusaders to 19 Prep Bowl or HHSAA Championships. His last game coached was the 2019 HHSAA Open Division final versus the Kahuku Red Raiders, with a 45-6 victory. He has since stepped down as head coach, but remains the Crusaders' defensive coordinator.

Hale‘iwa Beach

A black and white photo of Hale‘iwa Beach, on O‘ahu's North Shore.

Rainbow Warrior Fans

At the season finale of the 2016 Hawai‘i Rainbow Warrior football season versus the UMass Minutemen, Outrigger Hotels & Resorts gave out Hawai‘i "H" flags to fans as the entered the gates. This couple had their flags stuck in the back of their caps as they watched the game. The Rainbow Warriors beat the Minutemen, 46-40, to secure their Hawai‘i Bowl invitation.

Bruno Mars

Three years ago this week, Hawai‘i's own Bruno Mars held three sold-out concerts at Aloha Stadium. The massive stage was built in the north end zone to accommodate fans on the field. With 36,000 tickets sold per night, he and his band entertained the crowd during his two-hour-plus show. Much of Bruno's wardrobe (as seen above) was Hawai‘i-themed, as he wrapped up his 200-show "24K Magic" world tour.

United's 747 Farewell

Four years ago today, United Airlines flew their final 747-400 revenue flight from San Francisco to Honolulu, as United Flight 747. The airline held a special event to mark an end of an era, complete with a rain shower (Hawaiian blessing) as the jumbo jet landed and taxied to the gate. Upon its arrival at HNL, this 747 had a orange lei draped over the forward section of the "Queen of the Skies". Today's photo shows a United employee capturing video of the lei-draping on her iPhone. This flight ended a 45+ year run of 747 service with United.

I was fortunate to collaborate with a freelance writer/photographer who was aboard the flight, documenting the pre-boarding festivities at SFO, the flight, and media event at HNL.

I had a couple of flights on United 747s in the 1970s, one going to San Francisco in the summer of 1975, and returning from Los Angeles in the mid-winter of 1976. There's nothing like riding on a 747. The cabin is spacious.

Monarch Butterfly

A monarch butterfly rests on an areca palm leaf in the butterfly exhibit at Pearlridge Center.

Happy Halloween! 🎃

Hula

At the blessing of Island Air's first Q400 aircraft, Hawaiian music by Ho‘okena, and hula led off the celebration.

Icy Feet

One of the seniors from ‘Aiea High School cools down her feet after their morning graduation rehearsal at Aloha Stadium. She stood in the pile of ice that was emptied out from a water cooler to hydrate the Class of 2017.

How Now Brown Cows

A bull and a cow graze in a pasture next to Ho‘okipa Beach, on Maui's north shore.

Clouds Atop The Ko‘olau

Clouds shroud the tops of the Ko‘olau Mountains, as seen from Ho‘omaluhia Gardens in Kāne‘ohe. The gardens feature native Hawaiian plant life, a small lake, and a camping area.

Touchdown!

A running back, #3, from the Pearl City High School Chargers (purple jerseys) football team crosses the goal line for a touchdown against the Roosevelt High School Rough Riders in an Oahu Interscholastic Association Division 2 game. The Chargers blanked the Rough Riders 42-0.

Flying Honu

All Nippon Airways has a trio of these Airbus A380 super jumbo airliners that have a special honu (Hawaiian green sea turtle) livery. This one above, seen seconds from landing at HNL, is the green variant, named "Kai". Up until the Wuhan Corona Virus, these A380s were exclusively flying between Tokyo and Honolulu. Since then, the "Flying Honu" have only had limited service last month.

Couple On A Beach

This couple spends a quiet moment on a north shore beach.

Seattle Skyline

The downtown Seattle skyline as seen from the observation deck of the Space Needle.

Yuki & The iPod

Yuki borrowed my iPod and earbuds when I stepped out of the bedroom.  Not sure what she thought of my taste in different types of music.

Crashing Wave

A wave crashes on the shoreline rocks at ‘Āweoweo Beach.

Sun And Norfolk Pines

The sun peeks through a cluster of Norfolk Pine trees.

787 Landing

This Japan Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is seconds from touching down after its flight from Tokyo Haneda International Airport, with the iconic Diamond Head in the background. With the winds blowing from the south, the air traffic pattern is reversed to an east to west flow.

Country Shave Ice

Country Shave Ice was a small shave ice shop located in Kaimukī. After closing their shop, they mainly do pop-up and craft events. They uses locally-sourced natural flavors. Pictured above is Kat's Okinawan Sweet Potato / Haupia shave ice (left),  and my Hawaiian Orange Dream shave ice.