A photo essay by Blake Moyer, age 3

Boom Boom II

Back in the salad days (or more appropriately, the fish course) of our Hawaiian experience, Luis and I went fishing on a boat called the Boom Boom II. It's a full service boat where Capt Tony and Rex, a crusty old fisherman with three teeth, bait the hook, cast the line, remove the fish from the line and fillet it for you to take home. The only tasks that remain are holding the pole, swinging it back and forth and reeling the fish in. It requires patience more than skill. It was still pretty exhilarating to realize that a fish was biting and reel that sucker in.

The fish we caught were skipjack tuna, also known as aku. It took a long time for the fish to start biting but once they did, it was one after another. We took turns with 4 other people on the boat and everyone got at least one fish. I spent a good portion of the time up on top of the boat where Capt Tony was steering and swapping tales of the sea with Rex. Rex had some good ones including the time he was night fishing off the coast of Molokai and got swept out of his boat by a big wave. He floated onto shore and spent the next few days picking opihi (limpets) off rocks to eat. He finally flagged down a passing ship and was rescued.

Aiea Loop

In February, on a whim, I exited the main highway of Oahu, the mighty and congested H-1, and followed a road called Aiea Heights all the way to the end. Its a road that winds up and up and up through residential areas until you reach a park and a forest of pine trees. It would feel like driving to another state if it were not for the palm trees mingling with the pines.

A heiau (the Keaiwa Heiau in Aiea no less) is not a word conjured up by a desperate Scrabble player, it is an ancient Hawaiian temple. Keaiwa Heiau State Park contains the remains of an ancient healing temple and some picnic areas. I walked around and took photos but that's about it.




























Last weekend, Luis and I returned to the park and hiked the Aiea Loop which is about 4.5 miles through the foothills up to a ridge. Even though it was a loop and technically impossible, it felt like we were going uphill for most of the hike. The views were worth it though and looking down on the H-3 highway snaking through the Koolau Mountains was spectacular. Although there were a good number of pine trees in the forest, there were eucalyptus, koa, and strawberry guava trees as well. It was a fragrant hike.

Luis' first weekend as a Lt. Colonel

Last Saturday, the day after Luis was promoted, we spent the day at Bellows Beach with my brother, Eric, his wife, Sherri, and their 3 year old boy, Blake.







































Luis and I had dinner at Eric and Sherri's house that evening and Blake gave his uncle Luis a special gift of a mango wood tray to congratulate him on his promotion. The card said Luis was #1 and Blake was quick to assure me that I was #2. Indeed.





















On Sunday we went to a beach on the North Shore and contemplated life.