January 2012 Journal Photos

The lunar new year begins this month at the new moon on the 22nd, the Year of the Dragon.

Happy New Year

Sans Souci Beach

The weather remained dry in the early days of January with zero measured rainfall in our yard for the first four days. Monday the 2nd was a holiday so lots of people went to the beach.


Lots of people enjoyed the sun with light tradewinds. Andrea and I swam straight out the channel and back rather than our usual
swim parallel to the shore due to the crowd in the water.


Tuesday was not as crowded as Monday at the beach, but we still swam straight out into the channel. I dove deep to the bottom
a few times.


The view toward the Natatorium.


Lenore treated us to dinner at the 12th Ave. Grill. The food was very good.

Barbecue

I barbecued duck breasts on Monday, January 2nd, upon returning from the beach. The Big Green Egg makes barbecuing easy. Just fire it up and when the temperature is at the desired level (350-450 F, generally), put on the meat and maintain the temperature with the adjustable vent.


First, clean the ash out of the bottom of the Big Green Egg using an ash hook designed for that purpose, after stirring the old charcoal
to get all the ash to fall into the bottom of the egg.


Screen the lump charcoal if necessary to get the fines and dust out of it. I used a half inch screen.


Load the screened charcoal into the Big Green Egg.


Arrange the charcoal evenly.


After lighting, replace the grill using the tool made for that purpose. It keeps your fingers clean. Use the starter fuel lumps sold by Big Green Egg for good results.


The grill handling tool can also allow lifting of the grill in case more charcoal is needed.

Zelko Woodworks

We drove to Zelko Woodworks in Kailua to take a look at the progress on our bathroom cabinet. We also got to verify that the stainless steel cylindrical handles we purchased would fit the drawers and doors. Wednesday, January 4th.


Andrea gets the bag of hardware out of the car at the woodworks.


Charley with the work in progress.


On the way back we stopped at Barnes and Noble in Kahala Mall to get the Dalai Lama's latest book, Beyond Religion: Ethics for
the Whole World
. They didn't have it.

Hooponopono Design Review

I attended the first part of the Hooponopono design review at the University of Hawaii in the Dean's conference room in Holmes Hall on Wednesday, January 5th.


The Hooponopono team gathered durign the teleconference using Skype.


The customer team was supportive and the review went well.

Remodeling Project

Activity was light immediately after pouring the foundation. We let it cure for a few days before Arnel removed the forms. He then laid out the walls and prepared for framing.

Lumber Delivery

Activity resumed with the delivery of lumber for framing on Thursday, January 5th.


One stack of lumber was put in the front.


The second stack was put on the side near the carport.

Framing


Framing work started on Friday, January 6th.


Meanwhile, Andrea does some pruning to maintain the yard.

Sans Souci Beach

Naturally, with all the construction and mentoring going on, Andrea and I need to get in some relaxation. Hence, our daily swims at Sans Souci Beach. We usually go around 4:00 PM when the sun is low.


A bit less crowded on Friday, January 6th.


It was clear over the Waianae Mountains.


It's a mix of regulars, students, and tourists at Sans Souci. The apartments were named for the beach, not the other way around.

FRC Kickoff

Andrea and I attended the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) kickoff event with the Kalani Robotics high school team on Saturday, January 7th.


We arrived at 5:00 AM after arising at 3:30 and having breakfast at Like Like Drive In on Keamoku Street.


The event was hosted by McKinley High School and was attended by teams from all over Oahu, including the 2011 Chairman's Award
winning team Wailua High School (The Hawaiian Kids, FRC 359).


They got the month wrong, it was not on Pearl Harbor Day of next December.


Mentors and parents.


The team checks off the major items for the kit of parts for the robot build.


Arnel and crew came on that Saturday to continue framing.


Andrea talks to Jeff, the painter.

Queen's Beach

Andrea and I went for a walk on Queen's Beach Sunday morning, January 7th. Queen's Beach is on the extreme western end of Oahu. The few houses that were there were completely wiped out in the 1946 tsumani. Building on Queen's Beach is no longer allowed.


We stopped for breakfast at Koa Pancakes in Hawaii Kai.


On the beach, looking toward Makapuu Point.


Koko Crater is in the background.


A clouple of surfers entered the water.


Andrea takes lots of pictures.


There are lots of coral cobbles.


Another shot with Koko Crater in the background.


At the stream mouth at the end of the beach.


The rocky point at the stream mouth.


The horizon is quite level.


Andrea at the stream mouth.


Heading back to the car.


That evening I got Skype set up on my laptop and discovered that Dell's Webcam software has a number of special effects.
Becky took this photo during the session and sent it to me.

FRC Build Week One

We took lunch into the robotics lab at Kalani High School on Sunday, January 8th.


Students move through the lunch buffet.


Discussing strategy.


The strategy is to score in hybrid mode, traverse the barrier, pick up balls, score some more, and end up balanced on a bridge.


Starting work with the vision system camera.


Assembling the new VEX-bot for the VEX competition on the 20th.


On Monday, January 9th, I took Mom to Kahala Theater to see The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo. It is a great movie,
quite faithful to the books. I won't be surprised if it's nominated for an Oscar. This mural is in the lobby of the theater, with
many notable figures depicted. Click on the image for the high resolution version.


Framing continues. Here Arnel gives the "shaka" sign in the closet he's framing. The 4 x 4 king post is ibe (a hardwood). It will
support the ridge beam with its partner in the opposite closet. Monday, January 9th.


Detail of the king post hold-down bracket.


The other king post hold-down. The post lag bolts are not yet installed..


Monday evening we went to check on the robotics build. Here the students are laying out a backboard to be part of the field mock-up.


Old bathroom wall plumbing, Tuesday, January 10th.


View toward the Natatorium, Sans Souci Beach, Tuesday, January 10th.


The roof trusses were delivered Wednesday morning, January 11th.


Cutting plywood with a saber saw for the bridge field element.


Enlarging bearing holes in the gearmotor plate.


Two girl members help a senior team member.


The programming team at work.


On Thursday morning, January 12th, Andrea and I went to McKinley Car Wash (across Kapiolani Blvd. from McKinley High
School) to get a fillup and wash and wax.


View of the house addition, Thursday morning, January 12th, upon returning from the carwash.


Detail of one of the two post and beam interface bracket installations.


In the back yard, Andrea planted one of the milo trees that Karl on Hao Street gave us in the stream bank. Milo is a native tree
that can help reduce erosion. She has now planted four just below the edge of the yard.


Then amazing Andrea went on to weed the garden.


Andrea kept working while Pohaku inspected her work.


Friday the thirteenth: view of the building addition in the morning.


Meanwhile, down on East Hind Drive and Uhiuhi St., Hawaiian Electric contract workers fill a trench with concrete to cover replacement
underground power cables.

Hooponopono

I dropped by the Hooponopono (small satellite) lab in Holmes Hall on their regular meeting day, Friday, January 13th, before going to the Kalani Robotics Lab at the high school.


Everyone is very busy after the design review.


Back room activity.


At Kalani High School, Eric (team captain) configures the robot test bed for software development.


A swim meet was underway Friday night, so the students moved the chop saw to the next building up the hill.


ZJ (facing camera) shows new students how to tap a hole for a screw.


The swim meet was well attended.

Iolani High School Brainstorming and Simulation Event

Every year the Iolani High School robotics team very graciously invites other teams to their campus for brainstorming and game simulation. The event this year was attended by the Farrington, Kalani, Punahou, and Sacred Hearts teams, starting at 1:00 PM on Sunday, January 15th.


No work on the house on Sunday.


These small balance bridges are for two human-simulated robots. Balancing with just one person is hard enough.


The Iolani team also built a full sized bridge field element so we could get a feel for how it will work during the actual game.


An Iolani student (standing, left) led the discussions.


Teams working together so we all do well is an important FIRST value.


The game simulation got underway and we all learned a few things.

Framing

Arnel came to work on Monday, January 16th, Martin Luther King Day. In the afternoon, went to the movies at the Regal Theaters at the old Dole Pineapple Cannery.


Andrea took a picture of me waiting in line for popcorn. We saw My Week with Marilyn.


I took a picture of Andrea while I was waiting in line for popcorn. The theater has 18 screens.


Tuesday, January 16th, we took the car in to Cutter Chevrolet for service and had breakfast at Big City Diner.


Waiting for breakfast to be served. They have good food at reasonable prices.


Fritz Johnson, architect, came over to inspect the framing Tuesday morning, January 17th.


Later that day, a confluence of events conspired to keep the beach uncrowded. Kona winds, rain prediction,
vog, overcast skies, the first day back at work and school after the MLK holiday, and the first day of the
monthly box jelly fish incursion.


Andrea looking good and enjoying the uncrowded beach.


Progress as of Tuesday afternoon, January 16th.


Detail showing installation of the corner stud hold-down bracket. The concrete is drilled for a 5/8 diameter threaded rod.
All corners and a stud in the middle of the long wall get this treatment. Wednesday, January 18th


Thursday, January 19th, the Windows were installed.


View from the driveway.


View from the street.


View from the northeast corner.

FRC Build Week Two

In the second week of the build season, the robotics lab was open every day from 5 to 9 PM.


Andrea and I supervised on Thursday, January 19th. Seniors Codey and Grant work on the chassis.


Students work building hoop and backboard field elements.


The Wong family donated dinner for the team that night. The fried rice and chicken were great.


The eight inch aluminum wheels were delivered from the machine shop and students installed the tread material.


Students use safety glasses and hearing protectors while using the chop saw to cut chassis frame members.


Friday the 20th we met Danny and Richard Dickson, friends of the Johnson family, at Buzz's in Kailua for lunch.


Andrea, Lenore, Danny, and Richard. Andrea had the striped marlin salad. I had the scampi and spinach salad and it was quite good.


We stopped for photographs on the way out.

Roofing

With the completion of the framing, the next phase was roofing.


Arnel installs the final windows in the masonry wall. Roofing materials arrived on Saturday, January 21st.


Andrea enjoys the view of the golf course at the Oahu Country Club, site of the Women's Campus Club luncheon.


Great views all around in the spacious dining room.


People mingle as preparations are made for the lunch and presentation.


Andrea with Wendy McClain, Steve Dawson and Deborah Washofsky.


At our table were Estelle, Lenore, Elsie, Mary, and Andrea.


The senior ladies enjoyed their lunch. Andrea and I had sirloin steak sandwiches.


Ruth Dawson gave a fascinating lecture about celebrity and glamour.


The country club has a number of interesting art works. This bronze is a pa'u rider.


Later that day (Saturday) Danny (Donna) and Richard Dickson came for a barbecue. Here we have drinks and pupus uner the lychee tree.


Richard, a retired neurologist, took some photos too.


Andrea assisted with the barbecue.


Everyone enjoyed the lamb and Richard was a good sport and wore the paper crown that was in the one remaining Christmas popper.


Actual roofing work started (and finished) Sunday, January 22nd.


View from the northeast.


This is the type of ridge vent used.


The join of the new roof (left) to the old roof (right).


On Sunday the students began the assembly of the robot.


We brought food from Aina Haina Chop Suey restaurant to celebrate the lunar new year that evening.


Monday, January 23rd, Lunar New Year day had very good beach weather.


Tuesday, January 24th, Pohaku likes resting on the Horan plate.


Tuesday, January 24th: A horizontal decorative 2 by 6 band has been nailed to the new addition to match the original
house. The original band was partly functional, being a good place to put light switches by doors, etc.


Andrea adds green compost from kitchen vegetable waste to the garden.

Interior Work

With the completion of the exterior work, the next phase was interior work, starting Wednesday, January 25th.


Andrea installs jalousy glass in the windows.


Plumbers at work in the bathroom.


Andrea and I took Lenore to Bluewater Grill for her 87thbirthday. Her friends Lynn, Estelle, Carol, and Ann joined us.


We sat outside by the water of Hawaii Kai lagoon.


It was a beautiful mild evening.


Thursday morning we drove to Zelko Woodworks in Kailua to look at our bathroom cabinets to be delivered next Tuesday.


I checked the dimensions with Charley. Looks like they're going to fit!


Prof. Fred Hung and his wife Hwa invited us to lunch at the Golden Duck restaurant in Kahala.


Lenore and Andrea enjoy catching up with the Hungs.


The food was great.


The plumbing for the bathroom sinks from the bedroom side. Thursday, January 26th.


The plumbing for the bathroom sinks from the bathroom side.


The plumbing for the shower.


Thursday evening I stopped in to check on progress with the robotics team.


David and ZJ were assembling the robot.


Eric and Carson were working on software development using the robotics testbed.

Hooponopono

Hooponopono work continues with a ship date goal before spring graduation. I visited the lab for their regular weekly meeting on Friday, January 27th.


But first Andrea and I went to the beach. A view of Sans Souci Beach from the Hao tree arbor where I have been doing pullups
and bardips for 35 years.


A view of Waikiki from the Natatorium. Notice the kaimana (diamond) shaped holes in the wall.


Andrea watching a todler on the beach.


I talked to student project manager Larry Martin about system test.


Working as a group.


Working alone in the clean room.

Hawaii Opera Theater Production of Aida

Andrea and I took Lenore and Estelle to see the Hawaii Opera Theater (HOT) production of Aida at the Blaisdell Concert Hall on Sunday, January 29th.


But first Andrea and I walked to Foodland on Saturday and stopped at Uncle Clay's House of Pure Aloha for shave ice and ice cream.


When we got home I took this "action" photo of Arnel working in the new bathroom.


We went to the pre-performance Aida lecture first (right rear area, Andrea et al. walking back behind palm tree trunk).


Everybody's going in, the show's about to start.


Quinn Kelsey, left, as Amonasro and Lori Phillips as Aida. Photo from the HOT Website.

Interior Work

Interior work continued in the last two days of January.


Monday evenin, January 30th, I attended the board meeting of the Aina Haina Community Association (AHCA).


Ray lays bathroom floor tiles on Tuesday morning.


Arnel and his helper Chito (injured hand) work on the bedroom closets.


Tuesday afternoon I saw a monk seel resting on the beach just Ewa of the Natatorium.


View of Sans Souci Beach from the palm trees in front of the Sans Souci Apartments.

Email Richard dot J dot Wagner at gmail dot com


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Last updated February 4, 2012, by Rick Wagner. Copyright © 2011-2012, all rights reserved.