December 2024 Journal Photos

Clouds on our morning walk, Tuesday, December 3. Photo by Andrea.

Tuesday evening Andrea helped out at the Manao Heritage Center donor party while I stayed home. Photo by Andrea.

In the afternoon I started on the last episode, "Penelope," of Joyce's Ulysses. The book was banned as obscene in the USA in 1922.
Although I think the copyright is expired, I still claim fair use for educational purposes.

After.

I put the lights Andrea got in the ti to give to Kilohana when she goes to hula on Sunday.

It was a very nice dinner gathering.

Good people, good food.

A winter wonderland in Idaho, from my sister Chris.

Santa Clause arrives at Honolulu Hale at the Honolulu City Lights Parade Saturday night. Photo by Mike Smola.

At the bonsai club meeting.

The drawing winner of the bonsai that I donated and Eddie discussing it.

Andrea went to hula and took the decorated ti bonsai to Kilohana as a Christmas present. She liked it.

Andrea pruned the naupaka in front and prepared some light strings for decorating the yard.

Andrea photographed me screening black cinders to prepare bonsai soil for my upcoming demonstration.

I used a half inch screen, shown here, then quarter and 3/16 inch screens. I used the finest cinders mixed with shredded coconut husks.

In the theater, after the movie.

We stopped at Holy Nativity church to buy a Christmas tree on the way home.

The attendant trimmed the trunk for us.

The erected tree in our front room. The Douglas fir smells great.

After.

Andrea put lights and ornaments on the tree and put a blanket around the base, but Emma pulled it down to lie on.

Transportation of the Pacific. Coincidentally, my parents had these three prints, too. Click the image to see the full resolution version.

Art of the Pacific. These prints were in our bedrooms when I was a small keiki. Click the image to see the full resolution version.

Economy of the Pacific. Click the image to see the full resolution version.

We arrived at the Kahala hotel and saw the beautiful Christmas tree in the lobby. Click the image to see the full resolution version.

We found good seats for the seminar and had a couple of mai tais.

Cheers! We split a Kahala burger with French fries.

Aaron McGee was our presenter with the topic of ocean pollution by plastic.

The beautiful Christmas decorations on the stairs to the lobby. Click the image to see the full resolution version.

Friday morning I photographed this blooming dark red hibiscus.

I decorated a pine tree in a pot. Before.

Pine tree after decorating.

Our wooden Christmas tree.

All set up Saturday morning, waiting for the doors to open to the public.

Lots of bonsai on display. Keith's bonsai supplies on sale on the left.

Members look at the bonsai exhibit. It is my opinion that the club has jammed too many bonsai too close together.

View from the demonstration stage.

View from the other side of the stage.

Lined up outside ten minutes before opening at nine o'clock. The line was growing longer.

Doors were opened and the public entered.

The holding area. Patrons took number cards and brought purchases to their squares.

Keith helped me defoliate the kou tree to start the demonstration. Photo by Andrea.

After all the larger leaves had been removed, the pruning and wiring began. Photo by Andrea.

Cutting a wire. Photo by Andrea.

Doing a radical bend at the top of the tree. Photo by Andrea.

Putting wire on the secondary branches. Photo by Andrea.

Explaining about the holes in the pot, covered with screen. Photo by Andrea.

The tree was stuck in the pot at first, but I got it eventually. Photo by Andrea.

Checking the depth of the pot. Photo by Andrea.

Placing the tree in the pot. Photo by Andrea.

Adding potting soil. The nebari (rootage) is visible above the rim of the pot. Photo by Andrea.

Wiring the tree into the pot. Photo by Andrea.

Signing a book for James. Photo by Andrea.

Witht he auction winners of the demonstration bonsai. Photo by Andrea.

I asked Shogo's wife to take pictures of me at the book signing table.

A second photo at the signing table.

Then Andrea showed me how it's done.

The book jacket is missing, so here's the title page. Asimov knew his classic literature too: fourteen hundred pages covering every play
Shakespeare wrote. I have two hundred pages to go (Richard III and Henry VIII).

I put up a Caution: Coconuts sign on Thursday the 19th.

Andrea and I went to a care home in Mānoa with her halau to perform for Caring Mānoa.

Waikīkī.

Silent Night.

I'm reading the novel Rebecca, supposedly one of the great novels of the last century. Written in the first person and past tense,
it is fascinating. Several of Daphne Du Maurier's storys, including this one, have been made into movies.

Things were getting into full swing quickly. Christmas music was playing on the stereo. Photo by Andrea.

A view of the food table from the kitchen passthrough. Photo by Andrea.

Keiki at the buffet table. Photo by Joan Rich.

People filling plates around the buffet table. The smaller table behind was for desserts. Many guests brought food items or wine.

Libby and Bob brought Betty from next door. It was great to see her.

Betty saluted and others were busy eating.

Andrea sat on the garden wall with Brian, statewide Teacher of the Year.

I had moved bonsai and put down folded towels for wall seating, and it was needed.

We got to test out our new gray plastic chairs. We bought 20 to replace the white stacking chairs which were failing after a dozen years of parties.

In addition to the LED light strings, I had two white LED drop lights suspended over the glass table under the lychee tree.

The long table arrangement, seating 12, was full.

Kids in the background are helping themselves to our non-alcoholic cranerry-pineapple-ginger ale punch. We went through two bowls of it,
and the full container of ice water.

The glass table was augmented with two folding card tables under the lychee tree where Andrea and I got married. Becky and Eric (now in Connecticut), too.

We had lots of food and people went back for second helpings. Andrea made two kinds of meatballs in the heated containers on the left.

Andrea, Bob, Betty, and Libby. Photo by Andrea's camera.

Kilohana, Juliette, Jill and Andrea. Photo by Andrea's camera.

Kevin and keiki, Zhanna, and Anna. Photo by Andrea.

Sitting with the hula ladies. Photo by Joan Rich.

Guests and hosts in motion. Photo by Joan Rich.

Our brief Christmas newsletter, by Andrea. I was on TV, twice, promoting our club's bonsai show.

Before. About two years in this pot, growing wild for at least a year.

After pruning and wiring. I used a wire brush to remove moss from the nebari.

Monday we went to the open house at Matt and Diane's. We didn't get any pictures. I showed Matt how to make Manhattans, and we each had one.
Andrea was the designated driver, so when we got home, I made one for her. Andrea got me this great Christmas shirt. Love the Santa Submarine.

Presents have been appearing under our Christmas tree.

On our Christmas morning walk, Andrea photographed the sky with a slim moon up high. New moon coming on the 30th, just in time for the New Year.

For Christmas breakfast we had the traditional Christmas stollen while drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. Photo by Andrea.

A small book on tyranny from Becky with a note. A local Yale author from a local bookstore in Connecticut. Photo by Andrea.

Ready to cut into the package of Joshua tree seeds Becky Sent. Photo by Andrea.

Andrea made apple sauce after lunch with the two new induction cooking pans she got for Christmas on the pegboard.

For dinner we had pork rib roast which I carved wearing Andrea's reindeer glasses.

After dinner we went for our evening walk and I turned on the battery lights in the bushes with the remote control.

On Friday, the 27th, I photographed my bonsai hau tree that has leafed out since the November defoliation.

Andrea started the tour with the 1821 site model in the gift shop and then led the people to the Chamberlain House.

She paused briefly on the walk to talk about the site.

Inside she talked about the 1851 model.

She told the story of Opukahaia who convinced the missionaries to come to Hawaii.

Talking about the hale pili and the frame house.

A trolley full of tourists came by.

Andrea gave me a concert quality kazoo for Christmas and I was learning to play it on Sunday. Photo by Andrea.

Monday morning we got 0.39 inch of rain. Photo by Andrea.

I asked Brandon, our waiter, to take our photo after he brought our Roy's Old Fashioneds.

We had crab cakes to share and separate Caesar salads with a chocolate soufle to share for dessert.

Andrea got this nice picture of the sunset and me eating my salad.

Zack, Kendrick, Sabrina, Jaena, and Ashley poke the pig in preparation for roasting.

Meanwhile the fire is getting ready. I had brought over some macadamia logs to supplement their kiawe and mango wood.

Paul and Faye sent New Year's greetings from Connecticut.

Kendrick, Zack, and Carl put the pig on the rotisserie fire.

At 2:00 PM the pig is roasting nicely.

The roast pig is coming along quite well with the roast masters posing, Zack, Sabrina, and Carl.

Carl took this one with me in it, although I protested that I had not helped directly.

Just after six, Zack and Kedge (Kendrick) take the pig off the fire. Photo by Andrea.

Kedge and Zack remove the skin and then carve the meat. Photo by Andrea.

Enjoying dinner. Me, Mike, Lorrie, and Jake. Photo by Andrea.

Carl made balloon toys for the keiki. Photo by Andrea.

Every child got a balloon toy. Photo by Andrea.

Libby, Jake, Bob, and Lorrie. Click the image to see the full resolution version.