November 2011 Photos

Room Addition

Andrea and I went to a meeting with our architect and contractor to discuss the upcoming construction on the 1^st of November.

I spend time going from da office ....

... to da beach.

We stopped at the debris basin in upper Wailupe Valley to see what the 1.1 inches of rain we measured at out house did.

We stopped at Kalani High School to check on the robotics team.

The students get ready for the fire inspection on Thursday.

At the parking lot downtown we saw the Golden Princess cruise ship at the dock.

After meeting with Fritz Johnson and Arnel we celebrated the milestone at Roy's in Hawaii Kai. Construction starts in
three weeks.

The sun set over Diamond Head.

Bonsai Group

I drove alone to Pupukea on the North Shore for the bonsai group meeting on the 3^rd of November at Chuck Joyner's house.

Jan, Jim and Dawn Peerson, and Jim.

Jim works on his shohin black pine while Steve watches in the back.

Jim, Steve, Jan, Larry, Dawn, Jim, and our host, Chuck after lunch.

Neighborhood Board Meeting

Andrea and I attended the Nighborhood Board meeting on Thursday, the 3^rd of November at the Aina Haina
Library meeting room.

The Fire Department representative gives his report to the board.

Kalani Robotics at the Aliiolani School Crafts Fair

Andrea and I went to the crafts fair on Saturday, the 5^th of November, to help the team set up and do some browsing.

The students were selling LED light bulbs, bristlebot kits, and demonstrating bipedal microbots.

The students show and sell bristlebots.

First Anniversary of Return Party

That evening we hosted at our house a party celebrating the first anniversary of our return to Oahu. About 30 of our friends attended. Unfortunately, nobody took any photos! Attending included Sophie-Ann Aoki, Dr. Stanford Au, Paul and Patricia Aurely and their mother Carmen, Ann Brazier, Wayson Chow, Kathy Higa, Gregg Kashiwa, Pam and Daniel Kurose, Libby Lew, Bob McGlone and his wife Marion, Alyssa Miller, Estelle and Drew Murphy, Anson Rego, Karl and Phyllis Schwartz, Carl and Zack Young, Linda Young, Dr. Mark and Jan Yu, Paul and Faye Zasada and their daughter Gen and her boyfriend Eric.

Foster Botanic Garden

Andrea and I went to the Foster Botanic Garden in Honolulu on Sunday, the 6^th of November, completing one of our to-do list items.

We stopped for breakfast at Kit 'n Kitchen.

Kit has six bags of golf clubs on the floor behind me.

A sculpture called "Tree" near the garden entrance.

Granite ship's ballast stones at the entrance.

A bird's nest anthurium just inside the entrance.

Andrea hugs a tree.

Another great tree, a kapoc.

The House of Pure Aloha

Andrea and I went to our dental appointments first, then on to a cabinet shop and a bath fixtures showroom on Tuesday, the 8^th of November. Then we went back to Aina Haina and had lunch at Jack's restaurant followed by dessert at The House of Pure Aloha, run by Uncle Clay.

The Pure Aloha Oath is congruent with my philosophy.

Andrea gets ready to order her shave ice.

The Malama Maunalua Waialae Huki

Andrea and I went to Waialae Beach Park at 8:00 AM Wednesday the 9^th of November to help 70 4^th graders from Waialae Elementary School learn about conservation and restoration and pull invasive limu (leather mudweed) from the water. See this section as a separate page.

They fit all 70 4^th graders on one school bus, threee to a seat.

Uncle John teaches the students a song about conservation.

A large overlaid aerial photo of Maunalua Bay helps Ralph and me teach about the watersheds.

Andrea helps Ralph teach about the watershed.

Meanwhile, Kimo has half the students out in the water pulling (huki) out the leather mudweed.

Tegan teaches about the different kinds of limu, native and invasive.

The students enjoyed the hands-on lesson.

Afterwards, Andrea and I had lunch at Zippy's in Hawaii Kai.

Later, at the beach, we came across this in-work mermaid in the sand.

Eleven Eleven Eleven

On the 11^th of November, Veteran's Day, Andrea and I went to the Iolani High School VEX Robotics Competition in support of the Kalani Robotics team. It also happened to be 11/11/11 and a full moon! Naturally, at 11:11 AM I took a team photo.

The event was held in the Iolani High lower gym.

A mentor from the Wailua team took this photo of us at 11:11 AM.

Eleven eleven.

3008 S in action on the field.

3008 A in action on the field.

Afterwards we ate lunch at Jack's. Andrea had the BLT and I had the meatloaf plate.

And stopped at the Land of Food to get pea salad for Mom and apple pie makings.

And stopped again at the Christmas Crafts Fair at a home in Aina Haina. We just looked.

They had a big tent in the back yard.

That evening we went to Waikiki and saw a few APECers walking around in dark suits with APEC lanyards. We went
to the Moana Hotel Beach Bar for drinks, pupus, and hula.

Guitarists and hula dancer.

Kalani High School LEGO League Competition

On the 12^th of November Andrea and I went to the Kalani High School LEGO League competition, hosted by Kalani Robotics. The Kalani Robotics students set up the competition, ran it, and helped clean up afterward.

The cafeteria was set up with two practice fields for the LEGO teams.

Students sold bristlebot kits.

The competition fields were set up in the gymnasium.

Kalani Robotics students with their T-shirt cannon.

The T-shirt cannon in action.

Sister Jan had arrived while Andrea and I were at the LEGO League competition.

The next day (Sunday) we went to the beach. Here we are at Dillingham Fountain.

Home Improvement

On Monday, the 14^th of November, Andrea and I met with our contractor and architect about the construction starting the following Monday.

Arnel, Andrea, Fritz, and Clifford.

Later that day we took Jan to the beach.

View to the west.

On Tuesday, the 15^th, we went to Fergusson to order the bathroom plumbing fixtures and lights, stopping on the way at Home Depot to buy Lehue Ohia and a tall pot for the juniper in the front of the house.

But first we had lunch at Sam Choy's, an item on our to-do list.

We sat next to the fishing boat.

A customer offered to take this photo of us.

It's a big and roomy place.

After lunch we met with Malo who was very helpful.

Two days later (Thursday) we requested a quote on windows and a sliding door from Screens 'n Things, and had
lunch at La Mariana Sailing club on Sand Island Access Road.

Dinner Party

On the 17^th of November we had Jan's friends, Sean and Leslie, who had just arrived from the mainland, over for dinner, and Paul and Faye. I barbecued chicken thighs.

Andrea, Lenore, Jan, Sean, and Leslie.

Faye and Paul joined us for pupus and wine before dinner.

We served buffet style and ate at various locations around the room.

Lenore, Sean, Leslie, and Jan enjoy dinner.

Becky Arrives

Becky arrived on Continental Airlines at 8:37 PM at HNL on Friday, the 18^th of November.

Earlier that evening I stopped in at the small satellite lab at UH to see how Hooponopono was doing. Steady progress.

Andrea gave Becky a lei.

Andrea and Becky.

Sans Souci Beach

I went alone to the beach on Saturday, the 19^th of November.

A canoe ceremony on this end of the beach.

A flotilla of young people on that end of the beach.

Lots of police to watch the flotilla.

More police and a ladder truck.

Breakfast at Longhi's in Ala Moana

We all went to breakfast at Longhi's on Sunday, the 20^th of November, bringing neighbor Mrs. Young with us.

We had a nice table by the open window: Andrea, Janice, Betty (Mrs. Young), Lenore, and Becky.

Andrea put this photo of Becky and Me enjoying our food, taken with her cell phone, on Facebook.

Jennifer, our waitress, offered to take this one of all of us.

We took two cars, so Andrea, Becky, and I stopped at Foodland on the way home from Longhi's.

Dinner with the Youngs

Mrs. Young invited us to join her family for dinner on Sunday, the 20^th of November.

Lenore is all dressed up to go to a party for people who have been with UH for 50 years or more.
She rode to the event with Estelle.

At dinner at the Young's house. Linda, Pam, Carl, Zack, Dorane, Janice, Becky, and Andrea. Backs to camera are
Betty's sister Amy and Betty Young.

Andrea, Betty, Amy, Linda, Pam, and Carl. We had some great home cooking.

Daniel in the kitchen.

Amanda accesses Facebook.

Betty, Amy, and Linda.

Home Improvement

Work on our home remodeling project began on Monday, the 21^st of November.

Becky learns about money Tuesday morning.

Andrea talks to Arnel Tuesday morning.

The roof is nearly off.

Tuesday evening we went to Gyo Taku for dinner.

Lots of good Japanese style food.

Andrea confronts a Calvin and Hobbes dessert monster.

Wednesday morning Arnel and Daniel finish removing the old masonry wall. Most cells were hollow.

After lunch Wednesday we went shopping for a bathroom cabinet and counter top.

In the evening we went to Bluewater Grill for dinner.

At Bluewater Grill.

Andrea enjoys the evening at Bluewater Grill with her dragonfly earrings from Becky.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was on Thursday, as usual, the 24^th of November.

The day began with our moving the refinished desk into Lenore's bedroom.

Becky on the slab where the front bedroom used to be.

In the afternoon, Becky and I went to the beach.

Becky and me.

Carving the most excellent turkey.

Thanksgiving dinner! All the food prepared by Andrea and Becky was superb.

Becky helping in the kitchen.

Reindeer

We went to the Top of Waikiki restaurant on Friday, the 25^th of November. On Saturday Becky and I made some reindeer out of haole koa.

Becky and me at the Top of Waikiki restaurant.

Becky and Lenore. The food and drink were great as usual.

The two larger new reindeer with the small birch one Becky brought from New York.

Hale Koa

We went to the Hale Koa at Fort De Russy on Sunday, the 27^th of November to meet Betsy Butler, 53rd AD member of the California Legislature and her mother Peg.

We had Sunday champagne brunch at the Hale Koa.

Andrea engages Betsy in conversation while Becky listens. Becky later said "She's cool."

Together in the hotel lobby. Betsy, Peg, Becky, and Lenore Seated; Andrea and Rick standing. Click the image to
link to the high resolution version of the photograph.

Later that day Becky and I hiked up to the top of Diamond Head. Here we're at the beginning of the trail inside
the crater.

Half way up.

At the summit overlooking Waikiki.

Visit to Horans

On Tuesday, the 29^th of November, we took Becky to Kaneohe Bay to visit the Horans at the mudflats.

On Monday I went to the beach by myself while Becky took Lenore to see The Descendants with George Cloony at
the Kahala Mall theater.

Tuesday morning, the Bobcat excavator is driven onto the property through the space where the soursop trees used to be.

I take a photo of Becky at Makapuu with Manana Island in the background. The sea isn't really tilted, just the photographer.

This is the photo I was taking in the photo above.

Horan greets Becky. He was very pleased to see her.

Horan wore the shirt we gave him for his 94^th birthday in October.

Horan tells Becky about that sculpture of him made by students.

Andrea and Suzi.

We pose for a picture just before leaving to have lunch at the Koko Crater golf course.

At the golf course restaurant. I had a great teriyaki burger with french fries.

Before returning home we stopped at Uncle Clay's House of Pure Aloha for shaved ice and ice cream. I had the chocolate coco-mac.

Email Richard dot J dot Wagner at gmail dot com