Last year (2017) I took my family to the Big Island of Hawaii for a Christmas holiday. I’d been to the Big Island several times before – the first time back in 2002 and then again in 2006 and last year for work and an earlier trip to explore the possibility of buying some land…
There’s that annoying phrase you hear every four years – “As Ohio goes, so goes the nation” or sometimes it’s “New Hampshire” – I was in New Hampshire once and I’ve been to Ohio a couple of times. I met some fine people in both places – but that kind of thinking needs to go…
I’m a big fan of Nico’s at Fishmarket at Pier 38 in Honolulu and of Nico’s in Kailua – just not as big a fan as I used to be.. This is a restaurant that I’ve been eating at since a friend introduced me to it back in 2004. At that time, it was a…
The name Oahu has no meaning in the Hawaiian language except for the place itself. The island is nicknamed ‘The Gathering Place’ and for over a millenium, this small 596 squrare mile patch of land in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean has been exactly that. A gathering place. Oahu is the third largest…
Sometime around 1736, a child was born who would change the world. He was a big infant born on a big island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The world didn’t even know that he, his people, or his islands existed – but they would learn. He is one of just 101 statues in…
If you’ve ever dreamed of hiking to the top of an extinct Hawaiian volcano – this hike is for you. Sure, you can join the thousands of other tourists climbing up the inside of Diamond Head – but if you want to climb the outside of a volcano, get away from the entrance fees, experience…
One of the most visually striking tourist attractions on the Windward side of Oahu, is the Byodo-in Temple. While it looks like it has been peacefully sitting there for a thousand years, the temple is actually just fifty years old. Built in 1968, it was commissioned and designed to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the arrival…
“Trust in Allah, but Always Tie Your Camel” this is the punchline of an ancient Arabian proverb. There is both wisdom and humor in the idiom, but at a more basic level – this is a lesson in survival. These walking ships of the desert provide a lifeline to those who survive in the vast…
The only thing better than having a yacht…is having a friend with a yacht. In 2011 and 2012 – I was fortunate to sail with my friend Graham on his yacht Jouster for a couple of really great voyages through the Gulf of Volos and into some of the Greek Aegean islands. As a little…
I feel like the entire year of 2018, both nationally and internationally – economically and politically, can be reflected pretty well by my own working life over the same period. So, it makes sense to touch on that a little bit. I’ve been a productivity machine these past few months. I’ve been learning new skills,…