Monday, December 17, 2012

Holiday Season So Soon?

Ah, November - You came and went so quickly....
Here are a few of our November activities.
We voted.  And we ate some delicious musubi - a Hawaiian treat made with rice and Spam and  wrapped with seaweed into a tidy, tasty brick.  Our local 7-11 has musubi that has been rated #1 on Oahu.  We like their banner.
 
 
November marks the beginning of the winter surf season here on the North Shore.  This year, it was also the one-year mark of my bi-lateral knee replacement.  We celebrated by taking a 5-mile bike ride to Hale'wai to watch the the Reef Pro surf competiton.  This is the first of three competitions that make up the Van's Triple Crown of Surfing.  It was our firsit-ever time to attend a pro-surf competition.
The event is free.  Lots of people attend and the beach is crowded.  We realize it is easier to see the details on TV through the camera zoom, but being here in person was...
...AWESOME
Plus, we got to see extra things between sets, like this futuristic "ironman" sort of thing.  Apparently the platform is jet-powered by water that comes through a hose attached to the back of a jet-ski.  Fun to watch.  Might even be fun to try!

Thanksgiving Day - Layden started it by going surfing.  He had a great time.  He went with a friend, Daniel, who is a very skilled surfer and who also took a video.  Here is Layden's 15 seconds of fame:
After the surfing was over, the men of the neighborhood congregated and collaborated on deep-fried turkeys.  
Injecting basting juice with a giant syringe.

This one is ready to dunk in the vat of bubbling peanut oil.
 
Done!  13 pounds in 35 minutes.  Golden brown and crispy on the outside.  Tender and juicy on the inside.  Yummy!
 
Meanwhile, I made the fixin's (plus another turkey just in case...) for 9 in this little kitchen.  Small space-spectacular view!
 
DECEMBER!  (Already???) 
We started December with a concert at the Waialua Bandstand.  Loved the Hawaiian drums.  Very resonant and quite a skilled group of drummers.

There was a also a lovely group of hula dancers.  Contrary to popular impressions, the best hula is NOT performed by grass-skirted 20-year olds wearing coconut bras.  Real hula is very dignified and graceful, and the best dancers are older.  This woman was lithe and light on her feet, and ever so expressive.
 
 We were in the mood for a good acorn squash, but there were none to be had, so we settled for this pineapple, peeking out of my frosty-looking thermal bag.
 
Laundry on the railing - baord shorts, swimsuits, rash gaurds.  December is not exactly frosty or cold here.
 
Layden has been invoted to sing with a professional choir this Christmas season.  The choir is called Melemai Kapu'uwaimai, which means "music deep from the heart."  They are quite a good group.
Their first performance of the season was at the mall. It was fun to go and watch - haven't seen a family member perform at the mall since we had gradeschool children.
 
This video doesn't really do the grop justice, but it isn't a bad recording for an iPhone.



 

 Tree trimming - watch out for falling fronds.  Love the way this guy weilds his machete while perched high up in the coconut tree.
















And, a little lanai trimming.  Seems like lots of us have put up lights on our railings.  Very festive.
 
 
 
 
ALOHA

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Sunday, July 26 2009

Sunday, July 26 2009
Remember this sign?
We have learned something really interesting about this "welcome sign" which we thought was a big billboard that was pasted onto an old overpass. It turns out that this is a defensive emplacement known as a rock drop. It is a big concrete box full of rubble and rocks. In the event of an invasion by North Korea the panels underneath the drop will be opened and release the rubble across the roadway, hampering movement into South Korea.

SOLAR ECLIPSE!

SOLAR ECLIPSE!
Might look like the moon - but it's the sun!
On Wednesday July 22 Asia experienced a solar eclipse and we got to see it! Miraculously the expected day of monsoon rain did not materialize and the sky was mostly clear for the duration. During the eclipse, which occured around 11:00 a.m., the sun was much too bright to view directly - we had to be satisfied with reflected images. But, as the sun began to re-appear, just enough clouds came in to allow us to look - and take a picture. It was quite something to behold and we feel lucky for the opportunity.

On A Clear Day...

On A Clear Day...
We had 2 days of church meetings in the Seoul area. Today the weather was remarkably clear and I was able to get a great view of the city skyline and the radio tower. Usually the sky is too hazy for a view like this. Pollution, rain, high humidity or dust storms are contributing factors.