Seated Hang Gliders

I'm not exactly sure if this is the correct name for this activity, but I think it's called seated hang gliding(?) Never the less, it looks like a lot of fun!

Moon scapes

If I had to imagine how the moon would look like, this would come close. In reality, this is on top of a mountain in the Ko'olaus with Mt. Olomana's twin peaks in the distance.

Honu Country

Honu - Turtles love the algae buffet!

North Shore Sunset

We happened to stumble upon this beach while looking for horses and discovered this beautiful sunset!

North Shore Horse

Carpet Tree

I call this the carpet tree only because when you sit on this tree, it feels like you're sitting on a carpet. Much of the tree is covered in this mossy material which i do not know what its called but if any of you do, please let me know, I'm curious to know.

This photo was taken from an elevation of 3500 feet, one of the highest peaks on the island, so theres some interesting plant life here.

Double Rainbow

There was forecast for Tropical Storm, then it got down graded to a Tropical Depression for the weekend, and in the end, it was simply two beautiful rainbows in the horizon.

Video Slideshow

This YouTube slide show is sorta like a compilation and celebration of my one year and some months with the DP group and all the wonderful people I've met so this is really my way of saying thank you to all of you for your kind comments. Thanks also to Eric of Paris DP, Denton, Nebel, Ham and others who have contributed to the effort in the DP community.

A truly special mahalo to Connie of Saarbruecken and my dear friend A.L. who inspired me and gave me the patience to make this =)

For those who know how to watch YouTube videos in fullscreen mode, here is the direct link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFxGDY8a8iQ

For the rest, simply click on the play icon on the image above.

me ke aloha pumehana!

Sumida Farm

Situated in between tall buildings and tons of concrete and asphalt sits, in my opinion, one of the most remarkable landmarks on O'ahu, not so much for what you see, but for what it represents.

Started in 1928 by Moriichi and Makiyo Sumida, this watercress farm has withstood the scourge of development in the heart of the concrete jungles of Pearlridge and hungry developers. Their son, Masaru fought developers of Peralridge Shopping Center to keep the states largest producer of watercress from turning into phase III of the shopping complex. Masaru passed away at the age of 84 in 2003 but the farm and family tradition lives on through his children.

Go to the Flickr page if you wish to see a zoom out picture of the surrounding area.

Poke and Guacamole

Poke - raw fish with some shoyu, diced spicy peppers, onions and limu (seaweed) and guacamole - not eaten together - just photographed together. The guacamole was for something else =)

Kidnapped paddles

I usually like to go paddling after a hike and this is one of the pictures I took while on my canoe facing towards Waimanalo and the Ko'olaus.

The photo inset shows a portion of the paddle design on the back of my paddle blade. Written on the front is a portion of the lyrics to the song Ka mamakau'a by Palani Vaughn - A song about a band of hawaiian warriors who attempted to reclaim the queen's monarchy back in the late 1800's.

There's only two paddles on this planet with that design in the back and the song in the front because I did the designs myself. The original paddle (a double bended shaft Gillespie brand) was taken from my mothers house about six months ago, and the second paddle, you can see, is resting on the canoe in the pic.

Another paddle taken from the home was my very first canoe paddle and one that was hand made by my uncle. A 56" paddle with a unique curved T-top handle.

If you see these paddles, please let me know. Here's pictures of the two that is missing...

Have a nice week.
Live Aloha!

Machu Picchu Like

When we first approached this triangular rock formation, I thought it resembled Machu Picchu. Its strange how these things are formed. This was one of the main obstacles to going further and we wondered for a bit how we would get through with no ropes. I ended up climbing it, went over the top, managed to find a side trail from the back side that leads back to the front.

Conversations

This is another picture from yesterday's hike. I waited for my friend to advance to the
next peak so I could bring this image to you all. Isn't it quite amazing?

I find these hikes so much more fulfilling and enjoyable than the marked trails and perhaps
you can see why. As my friend and I was discussing the various grades of difficulty, he
considered this an advanced hike where as I called this an intermediate-advanced since
there's other more difficult climbs on this island, thus, we finally agreed to add a new level
of difficulty - Hardcore, the highest level of difficulty. With that new addition, this then,
became advanced. Did you get that? =P
Just one of many conversations we had on this hike.

July 4th Hike

If you are looking for July 4th fireworks photos, please visit these people:
http://omahadailyphoto.blogspot.com/2007/07/happy-4th-of-july.html
http://staytondailyphoto.com/2007/07/fireworks-on-display.html
http://minneapolisdailyphoto.blogspot.com/2007/07/ive-seen-fire-and-ive-seen-rain.html
http://sandiegodailyphoto.blogspot.com/2007/07/bombs-bursting-in-air.html
http://selmaala.blogspot.com/2007/07/independence-illuminations.html
http://saintlouismodailyphoto.blogspot.com/2007/07/thursday-arch-series.html

Reflection Framed

Thanks to Sonia for the original idea, Kate for the inspiration, and to
my friend, for being so patient, photogenic, and beautiful in her many ways.

Reflection

"Reflection" by Christina Aguilera

Look at me
You may think you see
Who I really am
But you'll never know me
Every day
It's as if I play a part
Now I see
If I wear a mask
I can fool the world
But I cannot fool my heart

Who is that girl I see
Staring straight back at me?
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?

I am now
In a world where I
Have to hide my heart
And what I believe in
But somehow
I will show the world
What's inside my heart
And be loved for who I am

Who is that girl I see
Staring straight back at me?
Why is my reflection
Someone I don't know?
Must I pretend that I'm
Someone else for all time?
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?

There's a heart that must be
Free to fly
That burns with a need to know
The reason why

Why must we all conceal
What we think, how we feel?
Must there be a secret me
I'm forced to hide?
I won't pretend that I'm
Someone else for all time
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?

Theme Day -> Red

Shanghai, China - Mumbai, India - New York City (NY), USA - Manila, Philippines - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Hamburg, Germany - Stayton (OR), USA - Los Angeles (CA), USA - Hyde, UK - Oslo, Norway - Brookville (OH), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Stavanger, Norway - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Joplin (MO), USA - Singapore, Singapore - Selma (AL), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Chandler (AZ), USA - Stockholm, Sweden - Seattle (WA), USA - Boston (MA), USA - Arradon, France - Evry, France - Baton Rouge (LA), USA - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Boston (MA), USA - Grenoble, France - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Greenville (SC), USA - Hilo (HI), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - La Antigua, Guatemala - Brisbane (QLD), Australia - Singapore, Singapore - Tel Aviv, Israel - Hong Kong, China - Sequim (WA), USA - Paderborn, Germany - Saarbrücken, Germany - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Tenerife, Spain - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Sydney, Australia - Naples (FL), USA - Cologne (NRW), Germany - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Mainz, Germany - Toruń, Poland - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Singapore, Singapore - North Bay (ON), Canada - Jakarta, Indonesia - Montréal (QC), Canada - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Baziège, France - San Diego (CA), USA - Prague, Czech Republic - Ampang (Selangor), Malaysia - New York (NY), USA - Kajang (Selangor), Malaysia - Sharon (CT), USA - Newcastle (NSW), Australia - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Nottingham, UK - Villigen, Switzerland - Chicago (IL), USA - Torquay, UK - Brussels, Belgium - San Diego (CA), USA - Mexico (DF), Mexico - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Cape Town, South Africa - Paris, France - Seoul, Korea - Manila, Philippines - Milano, Italy - Austin (TX), USA - Chennai, India - Madrid, Spain - Seoul, South Korea - Wailea (HI), USA - Toronto (ON), Canada - Ajaccio, France - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Zurich, Switzerland - Sydney, Australia - Budapest, Hungary - Moscow, Russia - Auckland, New Zealand - Torino, Italy