The giant golfball is back.  Many people who haven’t seen it before ask what is that giant golf ball at Pearl Harbor.  It is actually a white dome encasing a powerful military radar.   Run by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency it is the Sea-Based X-Band Radar.   The billion dollar gizmo is more than 280 feet high and scans the horizon for enemy missile threats and can track and discriminate nuclear warheads from decoys.  The radar is so powerful it can detect a baseball sized object over a thousand miles away.

Here is a postcard like view of Diamond Head taken from Magic Island on Bob’s Full Moonwalk.   I like the effects of the clouds in this picture which almost look like they were water-colored in though I promise this is an untouched photo.  On the far left you can see the famous rainbow of the Hilton Hawaiian Hotel.  In the water there are a few swimmers and paddle-boarders.  Diamond Head is perhaps one of Hawaii’s greatest iconic image and the volcanic cinder cone is a United States State Monument.

Happy King Kamehameha Day.  In Hawaii June 11 is set as a state holiday to honor Kamehameha the Great, the monarch who established the unified Kingdom of Hawaii.  Among the activities are a floral parade honoring the King and the decorating of  his statue in front of Ali’iolani Hale with lei as shown in the picture.  This year President Barack Obama proclaimed June 11, 2010 “King Kamehameha Day” calling upon all Americans to celebrate the rich heritage of Hawaii.  This year is the 200th anniversary of the formal establishment of the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810.  The king statue will also be decorated in Emancipation Hall in Washington DC.

We continue our Memorial Day salute to those who defend out country with this look at the National Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl.  I like to head out there on Memorial Day to pay my respects and photograph the decorated graves.  Each year every grave is given an American Flag and a flower lei.  Thousands of people drop by to pay their respects and leave flowers and mementos.  I stood on a wall to take this shot (nobody said photography was easy) which I captured a section of graves with flags as well as the large flag and of course the scenic Diamond Head in the background.  If you haven’t been to Punchbowl on Memorial Day you really must do it.  The sight of thousand of flags and lei bring a serene peace and is just a sight to see.

Mahalo to the cast and crew of “Lost” for 6 wonderful years.  Personally I loved the finale and the wild ride that the television show brought to us.  To salute Lost I have dug out a picture from a memorable hike on the Pu’u Ma’eli’eli hiking trail were we ironically got lost and ended up coming across the famous hatch which was a thrilling moment since several of us are huge Lost fans.  Lost brought millions of dollars and thousands of jobs and tourists to Hawaii.

Here is a view of Aloha Tower Marketplace which is a collection of restaurants and shops and also the docking place for cruise ships in Honolulu.  In the front you can see one of the lunch/dinner boats the Star of Honolulu which also does whale watching during whale season.

Today we feature the statue of  Saint Damien located at the state capital.  Governor Linda Lingle has proclaimed May 10 as St. Damien Day in Hawaii  to commemorate the date in 1873 when the Belgian priest arrived in Kalaupapa (on Molokai) to provide medical and spiritual care to those suffering from leprosy.  Damien would die of the disease in 1889 after 16 years of service.  Damien was named a Saint by Pope Benedict XVI last year.  The statue will be draped with lei at 10am in a public ceremony today.  In a few weeks a new Damien museum will open in Waikiki.

We leave you with one last picture of the Kawai Nui Marsh showing some nice reflections into the water.  For those of you interested in helping preserve the marsh check out Hawaiis 1000 Friends  Also check otu this cool Kawai Nui Marsh website showing marsh artwork of over 350 students.  I hope you enjoyed the series.  Special thanks to Bob Mon of Bob’s Moonwalks for leading our tour.  Also I would like to wish everybody a happy Easter or as we say in Hawaiian “Hau`oli Pakoa”

Hope you enjoyed our April Fools yesterday thanks for the Facebook and Twitter comments.   Here is what I call the “Island of Trees” which is located maybe about halfway down the walking path at Kawai Nui Marsh.  Nearly all of the marsh is covered by vegetation which is either floating on water or growing on a mat of peat.  In ancient times the marsh supported a 400-acre fishpond and agricultural system that sustained the Hawaii royalty.

Breaking news… we interrupt our Kawai Nui Marsh series to report that scientists have discovered water and ducks on the moon.   Top NASA scientist Bob Mon released the above photo that was taken on the “moonwalk”.  You can clearly see what appears to be a Google of ducks (hmm is that phrase enough to get gigabit internet speeds?).  Moonwalker Thad was so astounded be the findings that he promptly fell off a wall.  For more details following this one day only link for project Topeka.  (That got to be good enough to get Global Hawaii gigabit internet).  Happy April fools day everybody!