Bumpy Slippers

It is very popular in Hawaii to wear "slippers" ... which you can purchase here at the "swap meet" or open air market for $2.00 USD (1.57 Euro). In the mainland US these are sometimes called "flip-flops" or "thongs" ...

What are they called where you are?

Sandy Soles

After a week of work, some find it relaxing to take a stroll, walk, or run on the beach next to warm ocean waters rolling up on shore and cool offshore winds blowing against your back.

The round trip is approximately 4 miles long and a nice way to spend time on a Saturday afternoon - this photo was taken yesterday at 6 PM at Kailua Beach.

Its Not Easy Being Green

Someone recently told me that in Hawaii - trees don't have rings because we don't have seasons. I'm not sure if this is true, but the reasoning I was given was ... that the rings are caused by the dormant period trees undergo during winter months, and since Hawaii doesn't have winter, trees don’t have a dormant period ... therefore no rings.

I attempted to look at these logs for rings, but they were covered with moss, and otherwise deteriorated so badly that I’m afraid if there were any rings I wouldn’t have been able to see them anyway. So, I’m either spreading rumors or a cool fact … I’ll let you decide.

Hope you all have a lovely day …

A Window to the World

Move mouse cursor over image for a treat - Happy Weekend!
Oh yeah, this photo shows parts of Honolulu and all of Manoa Valley including the University of Hawai'i.

[ Here's the rest of the Hike pics ] =P

Guest Appearance

This photo was taken during a weekend stroll through the Wahiawa Botanical Garden.

This is a nice place to sit and contemplate, under the shade of bamboo, as long as you don't get interrupted by unexpected guests ... What ever you do - DO NOT click on this photo to see someone rumored to be Smeagol's friend.

Where is Smeagol?

This photo was taken during our weekend hike on Sunday, and it sorta reminded me of the scene from the Lord of the Rings movie - so where is Smeagol hiding? Click on the above image to find out if you guessed correctly * wink *

Japanese White-eye

More bird pictures ... This feathered friend is called a Japanese white-eye. They are very common and widespread on all main islands, in both dry and wet habitats, from sea level to tree line. Origanally introduced from Japan to O'ahu in 1929 and to Hawai'i in 1937; it is also known by its Japanese name, Mejiro.

Special thanks to my Dad for looking up this information for me.

Thanks to Dana's dad for the investigative work and I decided to add a pic to Dana's beautiful photo as a perspective image of this bird.

Lunch Time

My feathered friend has lunch in an Ohia tree. I'm sure his lunch is healthy, but I think I'll stick to foods that are not insect related.

Photo taken in a park in Mililani.

A look back

Unfortunately, I was busy today and postponed hike till tomorrow, so I'm posting a pic that I took at last weekend's paddleboard race. The paddleboarders are awaiting the start of the race outside Makapu'u. The image to the left is a close up of the starting line.

Hope you all have a nice weekend and stay cool or warm - depending on which part of the world you're from!

Watercress Farm

Considering that this photo was taken while driving down Kamehameha Highway at around 35 MPR (~56 KPR) it turned out ok, pretty good even ... don't you think?

I love this spot in Pearl City. Yep, in the middle of the city sits the tranquil little watercress farm. Just to illustrate - the parking garage you can see in the upper right corner is to a popular shopping mall called Pearl Ridge.

With the grass shack and coconut trees, it looks like it belongs on a disserted island some where lost in the pacific. It’s just so unexpected, that when you come upon it, you just have to appreciate it.

A Beautiful Day...

An elegant dress, a georgous bride and a beautiful day.

This post is dedicated to Celine and to all of you who have experienced this joyous moment.

Peace on Earth and may all your days be filled with Love!

Plumeria

If only I could capture the beautiful fragrance of this flower and send it though the internet lines right to you, then this sweet smell could make its way all the way around the world and back to me.

I intended to photograph something else for today, but was thwarted by automatic sprinklers. I'll try again later ... and until then ... I'm going to keep you guessing. ;-) So, for today you will be treated to this photo of a plumeria from my front yard.

Plumerias come in an amazing number of variations. This one is the most common here in Hawaii. This page has a lot of pictures of the different variations here on Oahu.

Baby in Daddy's Arms

I've been very busy this week so I did not take any pics today, so here's a picture I took on Sunday. In the pic is one of the finishers of the paddleboard race who was greeted by his wife and child. The child is in his arms with his blue paddleboard.

The winner of this 20+ mile (32+ km) race was Jaime Mitchell of Australia with a time of 2 hours 42 minutes. The first female finisher was Kanesa Duncan at 3 hours 12 minutes. One of the youngest participant was 12 y.o. Chris Fong who completed the short course (12+ miles = 19+ km) with a time of 1 hour 53 minutes.

Norfolk Pine

War in the Middle East - earth quake and tsunami in Indonesia ... All of this considered, it seams that there is nothing that I could post that would not seam trivial at the moment. For those of us not affected by the recent tragedies around the world, we should take a moment and thank God for what we have. (To avoid offending anyone ... if you’re an atheist, well - you don't have to thank anyone.) It is in times like these that I reflect on the fact that life is precious, short and should never be taken for granted. For those of you who are affected or know someone who is … my thoughts and prayers are with you.

On to the trivial … Today’s photo is of a a Norfolk Pine. These are very common on central Oahu, but can be seen pretty much anywhere throughout the islands. Here is a link to more info if you’re interested.

Photographing you photographing you photographing you

I was waiting for the paddleboarders to pass by Makapu'u point during yesterdays race when I saw this couple from New Jersey and both happen to be photographing in the same direction, so I photographed her photographing him photographing the scenery.

If you are curious what that scenery might be that they are so interested in, CLICK HERE

Please check out the winning blogs of the past week:

• Evil Cake Lady
• Michelle's Blog
• Ame's Blog

Visiting a Neighbor Island

Photo taken on the island of Moku Nui looking at Moku Iki.

This pair of islands is commonly referred to as "The Mokes," but their official name is the Mokulua Islands. You can see them in Kala's panoramic photo from yesterday (look at about 1o o'clock).

About 3/4 of a mile off Lanikai Beach in Kailua the northern island of Moku Nui is a popular kayaking destination. The trip to the island took us (novice kayakers) about 45 minutes (but I'm sure Kala (expert kayaker) could do it in less than 30). Moku Nui is about 1000 feet (305 meters) long & 800 feet (244 meters) wide.

The island is a State Seabird Sanctuary and right now the Wedge-tailed Shearwater is nesting. This means visitor have to stay on the beach and away from the birds, which are surprisingly not very afraid of humans.

P.S. I used my old HP Photosmart 318 to take this photo ... because I was afraid I would drop my Canon in the water ... you know being a novice kayaker and all. :-)

Kuli'ou'ou Run

Sooorrrrrrryyyy for the multiple image posting! (Click on images for better view!)

Yesterday, we started off with eight kids on the run/walk hike up the Ko'olau mountains, and ended with about four that made it to the top of the ridge after a run up the steep mountain.

This is ~1.5 hour run/walk hike (including rest at top) or for the more leisurely people, a 2 hour round trip.

The large picture is the view from the top of the Ko'olau mountain ridge. The clouds gather in the late afternoon (5 PM) and thus the greys in the image.

Have a nice weekend!!! * Big SMILE *

p.s. For those who guessed the right beach in my other post (Hanauma Bay) - send me an email and I will send you a postcard OR if you wish, I will post a link to your blog instead in my next posting.

Pau Hana Surf Session

I stopped for a breath of fresh ocean air before driving home from work today, and I was lucky enough to catch a glimps of these two surfers. The one on the left was just coming in from his surf session, and I think the other was just about to go out.

Photo was taken from a "look out" spot near the the base of Diamond Head Crater. The look out is (probably) 100 yards (that's ~92 meters) above the beach, so I was able to capture the moment from a bird's eye view using a telephoto lens.

Happy Aloha Friday!

An Evening Run Up Koko Head

I decided to take my camera along on this Koko Head trail run after paddling practice yesterday evening and this is the view I get to enjoy despite the burning lungs and wobbly fatigued thighs. Can you guess the name of the beach in the large image?

The small pics are views from the bottom, top, and side of the trail and takes less than 30 minutes to complete. I've drawn a line to outline the path of the trail and circle to highlight the people/parked car in the pics.

Rain Forrest

When I look as this photo I remember being perplexed by this question as a kid:

What is the difference between a tropical rain forest and a jungle?

I also remember coming to this conclusion: Jungles have monkeys and tigers, while rain forests have tree frogs and sloths. Otherwise, they are pretty much the same, well except that jungles are much more dangerous (on account of the tigers).

The embarrassing thing is … that until now, I’ve stuck with this conclusion. I guess that’s why I didn’t turn not to be a biologist. ;-)

Is there a biologist in the house?

This photo was taken at the Wahiawa Botanical Garden in central Oahu. The long stretching “vines” are Banyan tree roots.

Summer Colors

From the ocean, we return back to the land where the colors of summer can be seen all around us. The red flowers in the photo comes from the Royal Poinciana tree that is actually native to Madagascar.

I just noticed Midnightbara also posted some summer flowers - check it out here =)

Pounders

I took this photo at "Pounders" beach on the drive around the north shore toward the windward side (east shore). The "fog" you see is actually caused when the wind hits the water, forcing little droplets of water into the air.

This is a good part of the island to visit on a hot day - because it has the effect of being a natural air conditioner. (And ... The view's not bad either.)

Happy 30th Brthday Bash for Hokule'a

The Polynesian Voyaging Society celebrated Hokule'a's 30th birthday with hula, food, song, and drinks at the Waikiki Shell Concert Hall. The Hokule'a is a Hawaiian double hull voyaging canoe. Press here to read about its first voyage to Tahiti from Hawai'i using only ancient navigation methods. The Beach Boys was the head billing for this concert.

[ View two videos of concert here ]

Playing with Fire

While my family was playing with sparkers on the 4th of July, I was taking pictures.

Good thing too ...

because I captured this really amazing image.

I'd like to dedicate it to the late, Johnny Cash in memory of his song titled "Ring of Fire".

And well, since this is supposed to be a photo blog about Honolulu (not Johnny Cash, Rings of Fire, or sparklers) ... here's a picture of the Honolulu Skyline at sunset. Click on the photo - because the full size image is much more impressive.

Smile!! =)

Year round sunny weather allows keikis (kids) to choose from a myriad of outdoor activities from the surrounding ocean to land.

This is one of the talented boys I coach and just a really great kid with some very loving parents. So, this post is dedicated to all the parents and guardians who give their keiki(s) a positive and loving environment to grow up! Surely, I'll miss some but here's a bunch to visit:

Natalie, SoCal - who also happens to be hosting a contest
Kate, St. Paul, MN
Jenny, Sharon, CT
Felicia, San Diego, CA
Mark, Saint Maxine, France
Marieta, Bloemfontein, South Africa
Ame, Santa Clara, CA
Sam, Montchauvet France
Tanty, Stavanger, Norway
Carol, Chattanooga, TN
Dutchie, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Diamond Head Crater

Diamond Head Crater is an icon of Hawaii. Normally seen (and photographed) from the beaches of Waikiki, only the portion of the crater that points toward the ocean (on the right) is visible. Check out Kala's image from yesterday here.

Until I saw it from this view, I never relised how big it was. I snapped this photo while celebrating with my family in Tantalus (a hill-side neighborhood) on the 4th of July holiday.

Also - Here's another WOOT to Kala and the awesome pictures he posted yesterday. Ohhhh-Yeeeaa!

4th of July - Thumbs up! =)

Posting a little late coz I got back in late. I will spare you a paddling image above and instead give ya a thumbs up on a terribly awesome day! Give a thumbs up back to the guardian angels that watch over the waters of Hawai'i for your ocean safety!

Anywayz, once a year, locals and visitors alike gather on the beaches of Waikiki to witness a truly hawaiian event - the Walter J. Macfarlane Memorial Canoe Surf race - except, this year, the ocean was as flat as bumpy pancakes.

Later in the evening, tens of thousands of people converged on the beach to marvel at the spectacular fireworks show.

[ View image gallery of the day and night events here ]

Give me a woot if you like the images - *smilez *

Old Glory

July 4th will be Independence Day, so I thought it was only appropriate to post a photo of one of the many flags in my neighborhood. Happy Birthday to the United States!

For those who are wondering ... Hawaii became a state of the United States on August 21, 1959.

Easter Island

Photographed outside my house --> Go here to guess a number between 1000 to 2000!

This post is for Andrea of Bazainville, France as she goes on her pilgrimage, helping the disabled along the way to reach the grout. Stop by her blog and wish her lotsa aloha! =D

Mililani Town

This photo was taken from a pedestrian over pass in Mililani Town which is in the center of the island of Oahu. The interesting thing about this photo is that even in the middle of the island, you can still see the ocean in the distance.

The road is named Kamehameha Highway. It runs (for the most part) vertically through the center of the island. It is named after one of Hawaii's most celebrated Kings, who ruled in the 1700s. He is most known for uniting Hawaiians across the islands. Pervious to this each island existed autonomously.

Here is a map of the island to help you visualize it (if your interested) ... Kamehameha Highway is the one numbered "99". http://www.aaccessmaps.com/show/map/oahu Incidentally, I was facing south (toward Pearl Harbor) when I took this photo.