Tonight's Sky

The clouds rolled in late in the afternoon on June 23rd. They had character, so my trusty Nikon grabbed them out of the sky and put them in digital form. Blue sky is great. Grey sky is ugly. A partly cloudy sky is the best.

Ingenious Korean Movers

I currently reside in a twenty-four story building. When we moved in, we had to reserve the elevator so that they could put padding on the inside to protect the floors and walls of the elevator. They also raise the ceiling in the elevator so that long couches and other furniture will fit. If the item does not fit in the elevator, then you are out of luck.

Moving in Korea is not the same. They have this ingenious way to get even a grand piano into a penthouse suite. The photographs I took a couple of months ago of a unit being moved in the Dream Town Apartments shows how they get items from point a to point b. If you have never seen this method before it is amazing to watch. If you spend a lot of time in Korea it becomes common place and not very interesting. I bet the Koreans would get a kick out of me stuffing a mattress into an elevator!

Water Feature along Kalakaua in Waikiki, Hawaii

This is a nice little waterfall found along the sidewalk in Waikiki, Hawaii. It is a place where a lot of people like to stop, pose, and take a snapshot. I too could not resist taking a photograph.

Longest Volcano Tube in the World

This was an interesting find on the Island of Jeju in South Korea. This is where the largest known volcanic                     tube in the world is found.  The tube was huge compared to the ones I have seen in Hawaii. It was a cool, rainy day and water was dripping from the ceiling above, so after a few minutes of walking this tube, we decided to turn around. We do not know how much longer it was, but we are convinced that they are correct about it being the longest. Yes, we were skeptical before the long walk. You can see the fog inside the tube in the first picture.

Blue Heron in Flight

This blue heron was diving for fish just off of the beach at Waikiki. The flight was no more that twenty feet, but the three shots show the bird going back to its hunting perch. 

Man with Birds

There are a couple of people that show up most mornings on the Kapahulu Pier. They feed the birds and seem to enjoy the attention.

Crane at Ilikai

This crane was at the Ilikai a week or two ago. It was lifting trees to the upper level. This is not the main Ilikai Hotel, but the building just Ewa of the main building.

Tree Trimming at Beachwalk

One morning about a month ago, the trees were being trimmed along Beachwalk in Waikiki, Hawaii. Even thought the tree trimmer was busy trimming the palms, he caught eye of the camera and posed.

Valley of the Temple

Here is a temple located on the Island of Oahu. The surroundings are beautiful, but the building itself lacks the intricate paint of those I have seen in Asia. They do charge you to drive into the area, so beware since that is another shocker compared to the temples in Asia.


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Cactus in Makapu'u

This little cactus was found on the way up to see the Makapu'u Lighthouse on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu.


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Flower in South Fort Worth, Texas

Here is another flower photograph from Fort Worth, Texas.

Fort Worth Botanic Gardens, Texas

Fort Worth has a great botanic garden just east of downtown. Here are some colorful flowers from that visit.

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Signature Tree

This is a tree located in the International Marketplace in the heart of Waikiki, Hawaii. The photograph is not all that great, but if you click on the image, the large image will allow you to see all of the writing.

I normally hate photographs that are not level, but this one is an exception. The tilt adds character and kind of goes along with the little boy. What do you think?

Tractor Tire Ring

I do computer aided design work that involves jewelry design. Here is a rendering of a tractor tire ring that I just finished. You know, some people like tractor tires on their fingers.

This was designed in Rhino and rendered in Flamingo. You can find my CAD website here.

Old House along the road in Arkansas

This old house was somewhere between Bentonville and Eureka Springs, Arkansas. If it could talk, it would probably have a lot of stories to tell.

The Birthplace of Walmart, A Humble Beginning

Walmart is the largest employer in the world and even if you hate Walmart, it is worth study. Going to Bentonville, Arkansas was a lot different than I had expected. You would think a multinational company that raked in billions of dollars a year would have a magnificent building for their headquarters. I was so wrong. It was simply a large warehouse building. It even lacked windows like most warehouses. Wow, I was in disbelief. I could not even grab my camera to take a snapshot. It simply was just like any warehouse in America. Even the grave of the founder, Sam Walton, was pretty much a simple headstone and nothing more. You know, you hear the story of him riding around in an old truck even though he was worth a lot of money, and it really sinks in once you visit. Well, I did grab my camera for a fast picture of the original store of Sam Walton. Here she is. It is hard to imagine that the Walmart and Sam's Club empire that employs more people than any other business started in this mom and pop looking store. Like I said, it is worth some study.


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Stand Up Paddle Event

Will I see you there?

Jeju Do Chinese Restaurant's Sweet and Sour Pork

After a day of traveling the western part of Jeju Do, we had the driver take us to a Chinese restaurant. My wife grew up in Korea and wanted some Chinese food that she just cannot get in Hawaii. I on the other hand love the sweet and sour dishes without all of the food coloring and cooked in more of a traditional style. This is the sweet and sour pork dish. Yes, I succumbed to taking pictures of food. Oh well, my mouth is watering just thinking about this dish. The Chinese people living on Jeju Do have had a very rough life. The history is well worth reading about.


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Monk Seals, Rocky and Buster, on Queen's Beach Waikiki, Hawaii

The monk seals of Hawaii are not only protected, they are closely guarded. When Rocky and Buster decided to do a little sunbathing on Queen's Beach in Waikiki, two Honolulu Policemen put up a barrier and had to keep people away. You could say they are treated like royalty wherever they go. This is an event, so I will post more than one photograph.  They are not very glamorous to look at, but here they are.

Honeymoon in Hawaii from Korea

I met a real nice couple on the beach in Waikiki last Saturday. They were on their honeymoon, but were leaving soon to go back to Korea. We will have to get together next time I visit Korea or they visit Hawaii! I wish you both a long and happy marriage.

Old truck on Jeju Do

Out in the country part of the island of Jeju, there were these old trucks that caught my attention. It was a rainy day and it was a little hard to get the driver to pull over for photographs. I bet they just love someone like me that wants to shoot everything. Anyway, the driver and my wife had a great time teasing me about taking this photograph of one of the old trucks. I just wish I had of stopped at the truck without the hood since the motor was even more fascinating.

Waterfall on Jeju Do (Largest Korean Island)

Here is a beautiful waterfall found on the Island of Jeju in South Korea. There were more than one waterfall seen along the hike, but this was the largest and prettiest. There is something about waterfalls that will make a long hike worth the effort.

Flowers of Seoul

One Monday in Seoul, we decided to go visit the National Museum of Korea. That was a horrible move on my part since when we arrived after taking the bus and a couple of subway trains we found the museum closed on Mondays. Well, I saw a sign that said that the Family park was a fair walk away. Once again I messed up. I confused it with the Children's Park which is a great place to visit unlike the Family Park. We then dragged ourselves back to the subway wanting the day to get better. We saw signs everywhere pointing to this new venue, so we rode the subway excited about being able to see something in Seoul we have not seen. That was strike three. With all of the advertising, one would not expect the place to be under construction and not even open yet...

I did however get a photograph of the flowers in front of the museum. The grey and rainy skies did provide some nice blooms.

Island Restaurant off of Inchon, South Korea

Here is a restaurant that was on a little island we took a ferry boat to. There were a few restaurants on the island and some very small hotels as well. The tour buses were in full force carrying mostly Chinese and Japanese tourists. This island was seen on a couple of Korean dramas as well. It was picturesque and had the feel of a place you would like to call home.

We must have arrived after a large tour group left since the other side of the food establishment had dishes all over the tables. You will notice that the tables are low so that you can sit on the ground while eating. I was glad that I wasn't the dishwasher! The room to the left is where the owner resides. The commute to work is very short. They had many tables outside as well that overlooked the ocean that was maybe a hundred yards away. I would bet that this place is even more beautiful when the snow is falling. Yes, snow is pretty when you live in Hawaii. :-)

Lonely Boat in Incheon, South Korea

We ate lunch on a little island just outside of Incheon, South Korea. When lunch was over, we got in a fairly long line of vehicles waiting on the ferry ride back to the mainland. This boat was sitting in the mud at low tide, so I jumped out of our Komando Ssangyong jeep like vehicle and shot this photograph. The weather was on the grey side which really made this boat look lonely.

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Korean Airlines at Gimpo Airport, South Korea

Here are a couple of photographs of a Korean Airline's jet getting prepared for flight. These were shot through the glass window at Gimpo Airport as we waited for our flight from Seoul to Jeju Island.