The Camera Is Back!

Good News! After just one week, both DeAnna and I have new cameras to replace the ones that stopped working! DeAnna was able to replace her camera the next day because we have a Best Buy nearby, but since we got mine at Target - and there are no Target stores on the island - my mom volunteered to turn it in at a nearby store in Virginia. I mailed the camera and she got them to credit our account.

So today I went back to Best Buy and bought a replacement. It's OSU orange (just like DeAnna's) and the exact same model (Olympus Stylus 790 SW) so I'm already familiar with it. My thanks to my mom who wrangled with the Target returns desk clerk.

For my mom, here is the first picture from my new camera - a sunset looking west to the mountains from Kailua Beach! Thanks, Mom!

Camera Tribulations and Trials

As you know, our brand-new cameras died on us this last weekend. It was a real bummer. I did a fair amount of research before deciding to get this Olympus model of camera and once decided, DeAnna wanted one as well.

The main feature was it's ruggedness and ability to handle water. Ever since I've been in Hawaii, I've been staying away from some places because of the salt water spray or surf. I've been extra careful to handle my camera so that it doesn't drop onto the lava rocks.

The new camera can handle water, salt, sand and even being dropped! So while it may not be the best camera for the super-critical eye, it has enough features (along with the ruggedness) to make it the best choice for our adventures. One of the things I've been investigating is HDR photography. HDR images are created by 'layering' several images on top of each other so you can see shadows and brigh objects at the same time. Although I'm still experimenting, I created a few images that I thought I'd share with you.

This is a night view from our rooftop lanai.You can see clouds, mountains and the palm tress illuminated by apartment lights where otherwise you would only be able to see the streetlights in a normal exposure.



This is a sunset taken from work one night. You can see the brilliant colours of the clouds as well as the dark parking lot in the foreground.





Notice the rich colour of the sky as well as the various shades of green mountains and white clouds.


Lastly, this is what happens when you press the wrong button on your image-mapping software! The sunset turned out to be psychodelic and the bamboo forest took on a 3-dimensional look (seriously, click on the image and stare at it!)











Fortunately, DeAnna's camera was replaced right away by Best Buy. My mom has agreed to take my camera back to Target for replacement so it's in the mail (thanks, Mom!) I'm hoping that things go well. Naturally, I'll keep you informed of my progress in the great camera tribulation.

Three Day Weekend - Day 3

As with all good things, this weekend transitioned through Day Three with a more mundane selection of activities. I worked on my expense report and status report while DeAnna did her volunteer shift at the hospital. After that, we drove into Honolulu to the Best Buy to see if we could replace one of the cameras.

With lots of praise for the Olympus camera ("No one has ever had problems with one of these cameras!"), the blue shirt cheerfully retrieved a new one and helped us through the returns process. DeAnna now has a new camera again. My camera will be a little trickier to replace. We bought it at Target but there are no Target stores on Oahu, so we'll likely enlist the help of someone to turn it in for us.

The blue shirt mentioned that we should avoid pressing certain buttons on the camera while it's underwater. We read over all the instructions and there is no mention of avoiding buttons while under water. The blue shirt said that the Olympus Sales Rep told her about it. I'm assuming that this is the source of the leak in both cameras. You'd think this would be an important thing to mention to the purchasing public, not just the retail clerk.

After an evening walk on the beach, I'm finishing up the day writing this BLOG and packing up my camera. Back to work tomorrow. It's been a good time. My thanks again to Martin Luther King!

Three Day Weekend - Day 2

So what do you do after you've spotted whales? You go looking for Sea Turtle close-ups of course! DeAnna had heard of a beach where turtles are almost always around. Not so surprisingly, it's called Turtle Beach!

The beach is along the north shore, but it's not as popular as other beaches because it is rocky and waves pound upon it, making it difficult to swim or walk. Naturally, we were prepared... we were wearing our swimsuits, layers of SPF 50 sunscreen, Keen water sandals and our nifty waterproof cameras!

Armed with no idea of what to do, we climbed out on slimy rocks and into the surf watching for sea turtles. Before long, we saw one in the water just beyond the rocks.



However, we couldn't get much closer so we took some pictures among the rocks like this nifty picture of a Spiny Sea Urchin or this underwater movie of fish trapped in a tidal pool.







After a while climbing along the rocks, we came upon a sea turtle rest area! Several turtles were on the beach and among the rocks in the water. We slowly approached and snapped pictures from the beach and in the water You can see some of the results below.

Sadly, while taking these shots, both of our underwater cameras stopped working. After a little investigation, we found that some water had leaked into the battery compartment. It seems strange that after abusing these cameras so much yesterday that they'd both fail while wading around in the shallow, calm waters of a tidal pool. We're hoping that we can get them replaced soon...

Three Day Weekend - Day 1

It's a three day weekend thanks to Martin Luther King, so we decided to spend day one searching for whales. The whale is Hawaii's state mammal. Whales come here to birth their young and relax over the winter. Starting in December, they hang around off shore through March before returning to Alaskan waters in the summer. There are a few spots along the shore that are supposed to be really good to spot them.

Our first stop was on the windward shore along the cliffs above the Dragon's Nostrils at Makapu'u. This cliff used to be a war time observation post, but these days, the road to the top has been converted to a paved pathway. After about 20 minutes of lung-bursting hiking in the morning, we reached a vantage point about 400 feet above the waves and gazed at the water below. Eventually, we saw a lone whale cruising just beneath the waves. Finally, he broke the surface and we saw his fluke before he disappeared. (The picture here is cropped and zoomed in as far as it will go)

We were underwhelmed but not deterred. After lunch, we drove to the leeward side of Oahu. It was the first time we'd visited the western shore, so it was an interesting experience. In general, it is 'poorer' than the rest of the island. Lots of broken-down houses and literally miles of homeless people living on the beach. The mountains are very pretty, but mostly covered with grass because this side of the island doesn't get much rain. By the time the trade winds come across the windward side mountains, any moisture is condensed out as rain so the eastern side is tropical and wet, but the western side is arid.

Anyway, we drove along the Farrington highway until we found a nice beach that wasn't populated by homeless people and we stopped to take a look around. Makua beach is stunningly beautiful in the afternoon sun.The waves arrive without the impedance of an offshore reef and thus crash onto the shore. There is a lot of surfing along the Wai'anae shore, especially here. As we walked down the water, lifeguards came over to warn us about the waves. Things didn't look that bad until we got right down to the water's edge...

That's when we saw just how big the waves really were! Since both DeAnna and I got waterproof cameras, we took different pictures and movies. I chose to get an in-depth (some pun intended) perspective. DeAnna chose to get a more editorial view of things.


Here is a movie that DeAnna took of me getting involved in some wave action...



And here is the view of that same wave from the inside...



I came away with sand in my pockets and embedded into my skin, but it was fun with this great camera. Watch for more adventures on Day 2 of the three day weekend!

Sea Turtle

It's been really easy to get out of the blogging habit. Truth is, We just haven't done much worth writing about.

The first week in January was my company meeting in Dallas. That was a whirlwind of meet-&-greet as well as learning what's happening now that we're joining Accenture. Now, I'm trying to figure out my time and expense reporting out here on the remote island of Hawaii. There is a real possibility that the system won't be ready in time for me to get reimbursed for my expenses... it's a bit stressful because living here is not cheap and I can't float several thousand dollars for very long.

So to relieve some stress, I went snorkeling this morning. It was a short excursion (the water wasn't as clear as I normally like it), but in swimming, I came across a feeding sea turtle! You might think that sea turtles are everywhere in Hawaii. We've seen a few from the shore, but it's rare to actually swim with one!

Since the water wasn't very clear, I didn't have my camera out. It was packed in my waterproof fanny pack. When I saw the turtle, I swam around it for a few minutes watching it feed. I decided that I didn't have anything in my fanny pack that would be ruined if it got wet, so I got out my new underwater camera and started taking pictures!

At one point, the turtle looked up and started swimming towards me! As he swam by, I kept shooting pictures. For a little while, we swam over and under each other. The turtle took a breath or two and then went back to the bottom to munch on some seaweed.

The sun was warm, but the water was a bit chilly, so I didn't stay out very long. That's the story of my sea turtle encounter. I'm glad I had my new underwater camera along for the occasion!

New Year's First Entry

Now that the big Holiday season is over, I realize it's been 3 weeks since I made an entry. This entry won't be very satisfying, but at least it's an indication that I'm still around. I have a couple of pictures that I'll post soon, but here are a few headlines:

Christmas Break
DeAnna and I went to the mainland over Christmas break. Long before I took this job at GeorgeGroup, we were planning to have DeAnna's kids out for Christmas to Minnesota. Since that wasn't going to happen, we modified our plans to visit Seattle instead. After that visit, we went to Dallas for my annual company meeting and then have returned home to Hawaii. That is still a strange thing to say - "home to Hawaii"...

New Camera
My old camera (which was less than 1 year old) was suffering from several months of rough handling and salt water, so I got a new Olympus Stylus 790 SW. Aside from the ease of use, this camera is waterproof down to 10 feet, shock proof and freeze proof! Watch for some interesting new pictures such as this panoramic shot of Seattle which is stitched together from several smaller shots.


More Deployment Information
As I gather more information about my assignment here in Hawaii, it is becoming clear that I am likely to stay here longer than the original 6-month commitment. That may open up additional possibilities in the fall of 2008, but for now, it looks like I'll be here at least through the summer.

DeAnna Volunteers At Hospital
DeAnna has officially started volunteering at the Castle Medical Center here in Kailua. She has a nifty uniform and is fitting-in nicely.

New Car
OK, not actually a new car - but a new rental. This makes the fifth 'different' car I've had since September 15th. Some cars have been great and others have been dogs, but it's interesting to try and drive so many different vehicles!

MUST-HAVE Travel Items
Just a couple of items that every airport traveler absolutely must have: Travel Socks (makes an amazing difference in your energy and comfort during and after your flight) I have noted a remarkable difference in how good I feel after a long flight when wearing these socks. I recommend the padded socks. Quiet Time foam ear plugs (blocks out the cabin noise and keeps your attitude fresh) I've tried several and the purple foam plugs are much better than the others. If you wear noise-canceling ear phones, you can hear your music without ANY jet noise or crying babies during your flight. They also help reduce the ear-piercing volume of the flight attendant and captain announcements.

I'll have more of a post in the days to come. Until then, it's nice to be home... home in Hawaii!