School Excursion

Click here to see 9/30/11 outtake photos at Honolulu Photo of the Day on Facebook

As a chaperon for my toddler's school's outing, I had an enjoyable experience riding in a school bus today. It reminded me of past excursions as a child and the excitement of adventure for the day. The open air windows, the bluish-gray vinyl bench seats, the high steps leading to the interior, the metal mini-fans, and the coin collector next to the bus driver, are a few nostalgic details in this prehistoric dinosaur. What is amazing is that the buses are still in operation and they are transporting another generation of kids to a variety of outings. These youngsters are building memories marked by the same details of the same buses that are from my youth.

The day trip was to the Children's Discovery Center  in Kakaako  where there were dozens of stations to explore and role play in such as mechanic, bus driver, fireman, sailor, newscaster, dentist, scientist, etc... Since I had a retro mindset, I photographed things that were from a different time period. See them at the above link as outtake photos on facebook.

Kahumana Cafe' and Farms in Waianae

Click here to see 9/29/11 outtake photos at Honolulu Photo of the Day on facebook

The Waianae coast has been well preserved over the years and there is very little change in the landscaping and development. Up in the hills of Lualualei, there is a quaint farm that was recently restored. They began growing various vegetables and a tiny restaurant was built called Kahumana Cafe'. The dishes on the menu ranges from butter grilled chicken or shrimps served a farm fresh salad and grass fed natural beef meatloaf served with a side of potatoes and greens. Brittany who came to Hawaii, volunteers her time to help build and run the farm and cafe'. She says that it's a non-profit organization and that all the tips goes back into maintaining the farm. My meatloaf entree' was delicious! The ambiance and the presentation of the food is also ace! Check out the outtake photos on facebook to see the interior of the cafe' and the special of the day, meatloaf.

That's Sum Barber!

Click here to see 9/28/11 outtakes at Honolulu Photo of the Day on facebook

Those barber shop candy cane poles are a thing of the past and I found one while passing Sum's Beauty Center in Chinatown. It symbolized blood and bandages, the red for blood and the white for bandages. I suppose the blue was added to the newer candy cane poles to make them all American. The barber used to be a place to go to for minor surgery and for teeth yanking! Chop, chop, go to Sum's for sum full service in salon! There might be more than you bargained for.

Taco Tuesdays

Click here to see 9/27/11 outtakes at Honolulu Photo of the Day on Facebook

Every Tuesday there is a line up of a new generation of lunch wagons in the downtown Kakaako district. It is Taco Tuesday, which is a spin off of a mainland trend. There were a variety of tacos to choose from at several wagons. I ordered the Japanese style taco from Shogun Tacos. It had pork, sprouts, an oriental sauce, and cabbage, wrapped in an 8" tortilla.  Although it had it's own unique flavor I had hoped for something that tasted more interesting and exciting. I did notice that the Korean tacos were sold out, thus it would lead me to believe that the Korean tacos could be their specialty. Also in the line up were a local plate lunch wagon, burger wagons, other taco trucks, and an ice cream wagon. The customers ranged from business people to students from the nearby medical school. It's a must try if you haven't been there already.

No Brakes

Click here to see the 9/26/11 Honolulu Photo of the Day outtakes on facebook

The brakes on my car wore down to where it made a grinding noise today. Luckily I made it to the repair shop and had them assessed and replaced. It was inconvenient but necessary. Even with the worn out brakes I drove to the shop without thinking twice about not being able to stop until I had the chance to reflect upon this image.

More than a Cafe

Click here for 9/25/11 outtakes at Honolulu Photo of the Day on Facebook

Patisserie La Palme D'or  located at the Ala Moana Shopping Center serves a variety of unique handcrafted drinks and desserts. I had an iced tea with a layer of passion fruit jelly at the bottom that was both visually appetizing to the eye and also satisfying to the taste. What I enjoyed the most about this beverage was stirring the jelly into the tea. Figuratively speaking, I take great pleasure in stirring things up in more ways than one thus, this drink was quite fitting to my personality. Thank you to Erika and Javin for concocting this refreshing drink for me on this hot afternoon. It went down in two and a half gulps. Gulp, Gulp, Gul... and gone!

Huli Huli Chicken

Click here to see the outtakes for 9/24/11 at Honolulu Photo of the Day on Facebook

Happy Saturday! Huli Huli chicken is smoked-flavored using the Hawaiian Keawe (Ke-ah-veh) wood for fire. Huli is a Hawaiian word that means to turn over. Before mechanical rotisserie like the one above, the chickens were placed on a grill and it took two people to turn over (huli) and cook both sides of the bird. With a unique taste, it is a big favorite with local people. For anyone who has never tasted it before, it is a dish that is a must try when visiting the islands. Koala Moa has a shop on Nimitz Highway for year round huli huli cravings.

Keeping My Feet Dry

Click here to see outtakes for 9/23/11 at Honolulu Photo of the Day on Facebook

  

 I had envisioned drug addicts, homeless people, hoodlums, old tires, an old television, garbage, computer parts, etc... under this bridge. Aside from graffiti, it was quite clean upon arrival. The fun part of taking this picture was finding a way to keep my feet dry while snapping the shutter.   

Construction on Merchant Street

Click here to see the outtake for 9/22/11 on Facebook.

One thing about Honolulu is that there is never a shortage of construction jobs. There is always a pothole that needs filling, a street repaving, sewers rerouting, electrical rewiring, and buildings in renovation. Case in point: Merchant Street, where this captured view is just one of many hundreds of orange-striped horses used to redirect drivers and pedestrians.

September 21, 2011

Happy Wednesday. Catching a moment is great when the subjects are completely relaxed in front of the camera.

Who Cut the Cheese?

Click here to see the Honolulu Photo of the Day Outtakes for 9/20/11

Cheese with wine, cheese with pasta, cheese on pizza, fried cheese, macaroni and cheese, cheesy cheesy cheese! The image above was captured at the end of the day at Whole Foods in Kahala. It was difficult selecting today's "photo of the day" because there was an earlier photo that was taken with a young lady who was volunteering with the Friends of the Library of Hawaii who had a strong contending image. I will feature her and the Friends of the Library of Hawaii in an upcoming shoot. But for today, it's about all the different kinds of cheese and what you can make with it.

Full Service?

An old school gas pump with rotary numbers sits in the heart of downtown Honolulu tucked away in a State building. This little station is still full service for all of the Hawaii State vehicles.

The Answer is Mu-Ryang Sa

Click here for the Outtakes for today's Honolulu Photo of the Day on Facebook.

Happy Sunday everyone! The Mu-Ryang-Sa Buddhist Temple located in Palolo Valley is such a peaceful and sacred place that I felt my higher consciousness when I was there. I was on the grounds for only a few minutes when a shift to a meditative consciousness switched on within me. Everything around me was pristine. But then I noticed that upon leaving the temple I immediately felt the stress of city life once again. The outtakes from this shoot will be posted on Honolulu Photo of the Day Facebook Page this evening.

Where's Your Umbrella?

The photo of the day is in! There is a dead end near the University of Hawaii where this umbrella had no one to keep dry. When you need an umbrella, there isn't one to be found. When you don't need one . . . well?

Click here to see the outtakes on Honolulu Photo of the Day's page on Facebook.

Lion, the King of Coffee

One of my favorite local coffee shops in Kalihi is Lion Coffee Cafe. Their iced coffee on a hot afternoon is legendary. It hits the spot with a bit of sweetener and half and half.

Click Here: to see the outtakes of the day on Honolulu Photo of the Day Facebook page.

Come Pau Hana with Me

So it's not a Friday evening yet but Pau Hana or after work get together can begin a day early. Click on Honolulu Photo of the Day's Facebook page to see the outtakes.

Honolulu Cityscape

It was a challenge choosing the photo of the day today because as it turns out there were several images that could have been selected. Today's photo was selected because of the color and it was the most dramatic image making it the strongest photo out of the group. Please check out Honolulu Photo of the Day on Facebook where a few outtakes have been posted and feel free to join this blog as well as "Like It" on Facebook.

Drip Drop Drip

This cluster of flowers popped out like maraschino cherries. An early drizzle subsided and it was sunrise.  I was inspired by the color red. What type of flower is this? Does anyone know? I'd like to know! 

A Hawaiian Full Moon

The moon at its fullest during a still twilight -- its candle power illuminates the Hawaiian night sky. In the same breath, this is the very first post for "Honolulu Photo of the Day" and this image marks this blog's official premiere launch.