January 2016 Journal Photos

New Year's Day

It was a cool night (66 F) and a clear morning.

Hau'oli makahiki hou!

Dinner with Simina

Simina invited us over to her place in Waikiki for dinner on Saturday, January 2^nd.

We had Romanian food with Simina and her Mom and then Simina took us to Ron's place to see him, Kai, and his Mom.

We stopped at the Kaimana, a beach hotel, for a Manhattan on the way home. Photo by our waiter.

The next morning, Sunday, I photographed a poor man's bonsai pot I was constructing from a cookie tin.

Yes, we have some bananas today!

Sunday afternoon I sprayed the cookie tin pot with simulated stone paint, and gave a second coat to an older construction.

Downtown with Ron

Andrea and I took Ron downtown for a meeting on Tuesday, January 5^th.

While Ron was in his meeting, we walked around. Here we passed the Kamehameha statue on King Street.

Then we visited the Hawaii State Museum of Art.

The Herb Kane exhibit.

We then went to lunch at Kincaid's in Ward Warehouse.

On Wednesday morning I photographed the false kamani I potted on Monday.

Ron sent me this collage of photos of his 93 year old Mom. She's been ill recently.

Jennifer Crites sold a high resolution copy of her photo of the Japanese bridge at Liliuokalani Park in Hilo.

Dinner with Simina

Simina invited us out to dinner in Waikiki at a Thai restaurant Thursday, January 7^th.

Andrea and I stopped first at Hula Grill in the Outrigger Hotel for a Mai Tai.

The bar tender told us about this great Herb Kane painting in the second floor room at the hotel with the waa koa.

We sampled all seven of the pupu plates at the Thai restaurant on the third floor of the Royal Hawaiian Center. These are the first few.

Photo by Simina.

Manoa Heritage Center Tour

Andrea and I both conducted tours for second graders on Friday, January 8^th.

Margo took this one on the trail behind Kualii (the house).

After the tour the keiki got healthy snacks and juice.

When I came home I found Emma sleeping in her bowl.

In the afternoon we went to the beach. It was a gorgeous day behind the Waikiki Aquarium.

Photos with a selfie stick with the hotels and Queen's Surf Beach in the background.

FIRST Robotics Competition Kickoff

Team 368 once again hosted the FRC Kickoff at McKinley High School on Saturday, January 9^th.

We arrived at 4:45 AM and went inside to wait for the broadcast video.

Carl took this one with Andrea's camera.

McDonald's once again provided Egg McMuffins and coffee.

Mentors chatting. Photo by Andrea.

After the game reveal video, we got the manual decryption password and went home to nap and print the manals. @Ahead)Together!FRC^2016

Tracy and Dan Wedding Celebration

Tracy and Dan were married on the mainland last November 8^th and the family held a celebratory luncheon at the Palace Seafood Restaurant in Chinatown on Saturday, January 9^th.

Tracy and Dan were at the entrance on the second floor to greet the guests.

We were seated at table number six.

Libby showed us one of the two cakes for dessert.

We saw this artwork on the first floor on the way back to the car in the parking lot.

At 3:00 PM we went to Kalani High School to meet with the students to continue brainstorming the game strategy and robot design.

Bryan showed me a great book on last year's FRC. Photo by Andrea.

The students were attentive and enthusiastic.

FRC Build Season Week One

Students began meeting daily from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM and on Saturdays.

Good progress was in evidence on Wednesday, January 13^th. Here, the test bed electronics are being assembled.

Field element mockups are in work.

The CAD model is coming along.

On Friday I went downtown with the Black Dragon.

We stopped at the State Art Museum. Photo by Ron Van Clief.

In the afternoon we went to the beach and I saw my friend the humuhumunukunukuapuaa again. I've seen him every weekday for the last two weeks.

On the way home we saw the passenger of this silver Ford F150 4-door throw trash out his window. Kamehameha alunus? Malama aina?

Sam Cooke Celebration of Life

Andrea and I helped at this memorial event for Sam Cooke on Saturday, January 16^th.

The January issue of Green magazine had this editorial on design using bonsai as an example by my friend Kevin Whitton.

We arrived at the Central Union Church at 2:30 PM.

A few people had already arrived.

The church was packed full. People stood to sing Hawaii Aloha. Click the image to see the full resolution version.

Later we went to the Kaimana for pupu and cocktails.

Mits Aoki Foundation Meeting

Andrea and I attended the lunch meeting at the Church of the Crossroads on Sunday, January 17^th.

Mits's daughter Sopie Ann spoke about Mits and his work.

Alan Gamble, designated Mits's successor, talks about the work and the digitizing of the archive.

Kevin Ryan visited Beach Cities Robotics in Redondo Beach and took this photo with mentors Peter, Ken, and David.

Barbecue Dinner at Simina's

Andrea and I went to dinner at Simina's apartment in Waikiki on Sunday, January 17^th.

The sky was clear with a great view of Diamond Head from the rooftop barbecue area.

Simina, Ron, and Andrea.

Photo by Simina.

Andrea, Ron, and Simina's mother Mariana.

Photo by Simina.

We were joined by Steve, Virgil, and Kimberly.

FRC Build Season Week Two

I continued support to the Kalani High School robotics team.

I helped with shooter wheel speed calculations. Monday, January 18^th.

I attempted to repair Ron's mother's eyeglasses.

They broke at the welded bridge.

I bonded them back together with some four-ought steel wool and expoy.

Tuesday morning I took off the tape and they're ready to wear.

The students have a daily team status meeting at 5:00 PM. Thursday, January 21^st.

Mentor Wayland wathes students operate the mill.

Students do 15 seconds (ten frames per second) of stop motion video using a whiteboard.

Two students work together with the chop saw.

On Friday, January 22^nd, we went to the beach and I saw this helicopter hovering over Diamond Head crater.

Malama Maunalua Limu Huki

On Saturday, January 23^rd, Andrea taught the watershed lecture at the limu huki, and I came by and took some pictures.

Paiko Beach. A group of students is in the water pulling invasive algae (limu, generally leather mudweed).

Andrea teaching a watershed science class.

Shift change. The lecture students prepare to go out and replace the huki students.

Bill arrived last Wednesday. We barbecued chicken thights on Saturday evening with pupu on the lychee tree lanai.

Birthday Dinner at Michel's

On Monday, January 25^th Andrea and I took Lenore and Bill to dinner at Michel's for Lenore's 91^st birthday.

On Monday I had the beach mostly to myself, arriving at 2:20 in the afternoon.

We had a six PM reservation, used valet parking, and entered Michel's on the first floor of the Colony Surf apartments.

We had a nice table with a sunset view over the ocean.

Lenore got a special on the house dessert of chocolate decadence.

Closeup view of the birthday dessert.

FRC Build Season Week Three

I went to check on the team on Wednesday night, January 27^th.

Daily status meeting.

I received my mentor's certificate of appreciation in the mail.

Thursday evening Andrea and I saw Harold and Maude at the Manoa Valley Theater. Stage set photo by Andrea.

On Friday morning, January 29^th, Andrea took her car to Lex Brodie's for a wheel noise and took this photo of a fish
pond landscape at the corner of Queen and Piikoi while she was waiting.