June 2 2010 by Darrin.

Item one…  Anna called me over from the shop last night to see a good looking storm begin to roll in.  We captured 36 minutes of HD video, then condensed it into a 13 second time-lapse MP4, with sound effects from freesound.org (a great place for royalty-free sound effects).  You can watch it as an MP4 off of our website by clicking the thumbnail below, or if that doesn’t work, try the YouTube link (below the thumbnail) to watch it there…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHExryPLfMY

Item two…  I forgot to mention last month that all the Hawaii 2009 movies are finished and available (in WMV format) on our personal website.  Just click the thumbnail below to go to the Hawaii 2009 video collection…

Item three…  After almost three years of editing with Avid’s “prosumer” editing software, Liquid 7 (v7.2), I’ll be moving to a new system.  Avid has finally ended development for Liquid, to focus more on the consumer and professional ends of the non-linear editing (NLE) spectrum. That middle niche pro-sumer market was just too small, I guess.

As a way of saying thanks for using Liquid (and “sorry we stopped supporting it”), they’ve made existing customers an extremely attractive offer.  I’ll be moving to Media Composer 4, which includes many other pieces of software as well, for compression, DVD/BR authoring, effects, graphics, and titling.  Total value if bought individually is over $6,000!  The offer?  US$495.  As you can imagine, I went for it, as did most Liquid users worldwide.  There will be a tremendous learning curve, but that’s what winter in Wyoming is for.  I’m lookin’ forward to it!

For the record, MC4 is used extensively in professional production.  It was recently used for editing 24, the newest Star Trek, The Hurt Locker, and Slumdog Millionaire - just to name a few.  Very cool!

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March 30 2010 by Darrin.

This post brought to you by the wind and sun!  75 MPH wind in WY last night, no sleep, and this morning no grid power - so we’re on the solar backup system.  And wouldn’t you know it, it’s getting too windy for the turbine, and the clouds are rolling in!

 Five months after going to Big Island, Hawaii, I finally started messing with our video.  Here’s a 3-minute “promo” video of the “Makalani Oceanview Cottage” where we stayed last November.  The owner didn’t have trouble renting it out, but I promised him I’d make something for him to use in the future.  It was a very nice place, secluded, with great views.  Click the link below to see the video on YouTube…

Makalani Oceanview Cottage Video

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November 4 2009 by Darrin.

We’re home again and enjoying our weather here!  It was 65F when we left, and 64F when we drove home.  While in Hawai’i the ranch saw 17″ of snow.  The only signs remaining are a few drifts around the house, and some serious mud.  We arrived last night after being up for 36 hours, which ended in 4 hours of driving from Denver to the ranch.

We’ve exhausted most of our photos, but there are a few left.  On our last day at the cottage, I found a friendly gecko not afraid of a flash, and an ominous (but harmless) arachnid…

That night, the haze cleared out to give us a great full moon setting over the ocean.  It’s a little fuzzy - I had no tripod, and it’s a 1/4-second exposure…

And after seven nights of a red ball setting into the ocean (without much color or cloud), we saw this on the way to the airport…

Back in the Rocky Mountains, another nice sunset gave us something to compare on the drive back to Wyoming…

Know what?  We like it here!

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November 1 2009 by Darrin.

DISCLAIMER!!!  I have fixed the formatting on this thrice now.  It just reverts to its screwed up form.  I’m at Denny’s on a VERY busy Sunday morning.  There was no where to park at the beach, so no nice coffee and coastal view.  Here kids screaming and running around, parents yelling, poor waitresses dropping stuff.  It took me 25 minutes to get an iced tea.  I’m going to blow off my final proof-read, and head for the solitude of the cottage.   I freaking HATE civilization.

Before I get started, here are a few photos of the Sheraton resort where Anna’s doing her course.  The wild goats are on the golf course across the road.

If you stay there for the course (which most people did), it was like $269/night.  Rooms with no view were a little cheaper - maybe $175/night.  I tried connecting to their wi-fi, but it was $24.95 PER DAY, which could be paid with your credit card, OR billed directly to your room.  What a rip-off.  $269/night, and they can’t provide the internet?

Anyway, with Anna occupied I spent the remainder of Thursday back at the cottage and then Honomalino Bay.  This time the sun was shining and I ventured far enough south to get to a bit of white(r) sand beach.  I did swim a little, but not comfortably!  There are rocks everywhere, and with the surf churning up sand, the snorkel stayed in my pack…

Friday, after dropping Anna off at the Sheraton again, I went farther south to South Point (Ka Lae).  It’s the southern tip of the Big Island, and the southern tip of the USA.  (No, it’s not Key West, as some would have you believe.)  There are two distinct wind farms there.  One is a rusted out vertical junk heap, with broken turbines missing their blades.  The other, in the background of the photo below, is more current, and operational.  If the trees look like this, it’s a safe bet that a wind farm will pay off…

My goal was Papalokea: Green Sand Beach.  However, on the way I visited Heiau o Kalelea.  These are ancient canoe moorings on the west side of the point.  The fishing here is fantastic, as the blue waters are loaded with tuna, mahamahi, and marlin…

Many years ago the locals fished these waters in canoes.  To keep from drifting away, they tied the canoes off to holes in the rocks.  Without the safety line to land, the winds would easily drive the boats out into the southern currents, where they would be carried directly to Antarctica!  In the following shots, you can see one of the boat hoists that they still use to launch small craft.  Today, this hoist is anchoring a heavy fishing line that’s floating offshore…

To get to Green Sand Beach, you have to travel 2.25 miles of rugged coastline via a sand/dirt road.  As that’s forbidden in the 2WD rental car contract, and totally impossible anyway, I decided to hike it.  The walk north east to the beach was pleasant with the afternoon sun on my back and ocean breeze in my face.  This is what I walked through…

About a mile away, if you’re following the coast, NOT the roads, you’ll start seeing green sand among the black lava rocks.  I’m very happy I did this, as the contrast really shows the color of the sand well.  The color comes from a semi-precious gem, olivite, that’s ground up by, you guessed it, the crashing surf…

At the beach itself, it’s all green and you have a hard time noticing the true color of the sand.  Nevertheless, here’s the secluded beach…

For what it’s worth, I had to Photoshop five people out of the photo and I did NOT walk down to the beach itself.  (Time constraint for picking up Anna.)  Clearly, you need a 4WD for this one.  In fact, the people at the beach drove past me on my hike in.  When I got there, they had been swimming for likely a half hour or better.  And the buggers passed me on my hike out.  I was covered in sweat, beaten by the sun, and then had to eat their car dust AGAIN.  In LESS than my transit time on foot, they’d made the drive in, enjoyed swimming, and come out again.  The next time, we’re renting a Jeep.

A few geckos back at the cottage…

Saturday, I decided to see the rest of the island.  Yes, that’s an ignorant statement because you’d never see it all if you lived your whole life here.  I mean that I drove the rest of the “main” roads around the island.  You can think of the Big Island as having a funky figure eight of main highways.  There’s basically a ring or belt road somewhat around the perimeter, and a road cutting across the island in the saddle between the mountains (volcanoes) Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.  This central road is thus called the Saddle Road.  It reminds me of Wyoming, and is high desert…

Here’s Mauna Lea to the north, with a couple of the observatories visable at the top.  (Extreme hand-held magnification!  Sorry for the quality!)

You can drive to the top, but here’s another 4WD road.  There’s a Visitor’s Center at a bit above 9,000′ in elevation.  (The peak is 13,796′)  Here’s a still from my video camera, overlooking the center…

From the Visitor’s Center, they lead caravans of private 4WDs all the way up the mountain.  (On Saturdays, at least.)  When the cars come back down, the guys at the Center set up telescopes and have a star party for the guests.   They have an impressive array of “amateur” glass there…  (The “big guns” are up top, of course.)

Also, safely inside, I noticed an Astro-Physics set-up (apochromatic refractor telescope and motor-driven German-eqatorial mount) with an SBIG CCD imager.  I’ve been on the AP waiting list for a lens and mount for four years now.  That stuff is in high demand and of the best quality.  Never seen one in person!  I got video, but no photo.  One day, I hope to build a small observatory at home, behind the house, using very similar gear.

Leaving Mauna Lea, I headed back to Hilo where we’d been Wednesday.  I was heading to the Farmers’ Market again, after more fresh veggies for Anna, and some salsa and green papaya salad (Thai) for me.  Here’s my loot, and salad feasting, back home…

North of Hilo, I visited Akaka Falls.  The sun was wrong, but I made the short, paved hike anyway.  Four hours earlier, it’d have been perfect with the lighting much better…

Still farther north, into rainier country, the Big Island has plentiful rivers flowing into the ocean.  These gulches are gorgeous, and more of what Anna and I expected in Hawaii.  As you drive north, there’s big green on your left, and big blue on your right.  I then visited Laupahoehoe Point, an incredibly beautiful but historically tragic place.  Tsunamis in 1949 and 1960 killed 220 people, and destroyed the little town.  It’s a park now, and just the natural waves are ominous.  I can’t imagine “the big one” rolling in…

That’s all for now.  It’s Sunday, and I’m going to enjoy the cottage.  I might even shoot some video for our host, Harry.  Edited into a five minute movie, he might pick up more business for his rental.  And maybe give us a break for the next time, when we come back with a 4WD to cruise in.

Best to all…

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October 29 2009 by Darrin.

Thursday morning here, and I find myself at Kona Coffee Company in Kailua-Kona.  Yup. the same Kona we hate.  Too many people, WAY HOT and HUMID.  But the coffee’s decent (100% Kona, of course) and the internet is free.

Anna’s started her four-day course this morning, so I’m on my own for the rest of the daytime here in Hawai’i.  I left Anna here at the Sheraton Keahou Bay Resort and Spa.  Here’s what that looks like, from the road above…

[DAMN!  Forgot my cable.  Oh well…  Here’s one from where I’m sitting right now, a few miles away, from my phone instead…]

So what’s been going on for the last few days?  Beaches, relaxation, and listening to stories from home about the Blizzard of October, 2009!  (That’s not snickering you hear.  Really.)  To recap for you, Kona sucked(s).  But the cottage 30 miles south is really nice, and owned by a school teacher (art) from Pennsylvania, by way of 21 years teaching in Seattle.  It’s pretty tastefully done in an Indonesian style that Anna just loves.  Here’s what you find driving in.  The directions say, “turn right at the Buddha”…

And the porch, through the foliage…

Down below, there’s a meditation hut.  In the following pix, you’ll see the hut, a great airchair (for meditating with a beer, and the view from the chair.)

Flowers are everywhere (as are geckos, mongoose, tropical birds, turkeys, chickens, rats and bugs) and here’s the bouquet that greets us on the table…

Outside, it’s, well, tropical paradise…

We hung out at Makalani Cottage the rest of the day Monday, and Tuesday ventured just a few miles south to Maloli’i Beach.  From there, we took an intimidating 20-minute hike through spooky jungle and Hawaian burial grounds to Honomalino Bay.  It’s georgeous!  The hike it littered with “NO TRESSPSSING” signs, but our host and all the books assured us it IS legal, and public access.  The people just don’t want you in their front yards! Here’s the Bay that evening…

No - no sunset to die for.  We haven’t seen ONE since we’ve been here.  The mornings are beautiful, the heat and humidity come on at around 1000, and by 1300, it’s overcast and hazy.  Is it the time of year, bad weather, the location on the Big Island, or just Hawaii in general?  Where are those sunsets?

Yesterday, Wednesday, we planed a “big one”.  We headed for Hilo in the northeast of the island.  There’s a great farmer’s market there, and it was  packed with all sorts of stuff.  Coming out of the trees near Naalehu, Rt. 11 opens up by the ocean, and Honuapo Bay.  Here’s that, through the building haze…

 Hilo is a little more “homey” and less touristy than the Kona area, and there were lots of hippies there.  (Everywhere…)  At the market, veggies, foods, baked goods, Asian prepared stuff, and flowers overflowed.  These buckets were $5 each…

 After a Thai lunch, we headed for Rainbow Falls, just out of Hilo…

Feeding the Falls, you find the Boiling Pots.  Not sure why they’re called that.  The water’s not hot.  Just turbulent…

From Hilo, we headed back and on the way hit Hawai’i Volcanoes Nation Park.  It was mostly closed due to high levels of SO2 gas, which Anna’s trying to suck up.  Compared to Yellowstone, it’s oderless…

At least we could see Kilauea Crater…

The only other thing open to visit was a huge lava tube, which you can walk through.  Here are a few photos from that very cool experience.  Note Anna way down at the end in the last one…

And finally, on the way home, we hit Punalu’u Park - famous for the black sand beach.  The sand is rare, and is created when lava hits seawater and shatters like glass.  It’s then ground into sand by the crashing surf.  Absolutely gorgeous!  Here’s some lava as it approached the sea…

…and the beach just left (north-east) of it…

Oh well.  Enough for now.  I’m sweating into the keyboard as I type.  I’m going to get some fuel, hit Safeway for some more bagels, sausages, and half-and-half, and then head “home”.  After a nap, I think I’ll hit Honomalino again, this time with snorkel and mask.

Did I mention it was snowing in Wyoming.  Oh yeah, I did.  It’s breaking my heart.  But THANKS MOM for holding down the (snow) fort, watching the dogs and cats, and not complaining.  You never do.

 Until the next time, unless I’m eaten by a shark…

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October 26 2009 by Darrin.

Yes, it’s true…  We’re in Hawai’i.  No fooling.  Alaska didn’t work out, and that was the second to the last state of the union Darrin had never visited. (Anna has LOTS to see yet!)

Hawai’i was the last, so here we are.  No photos yet, as we got here yesterday and had to stay in Kailua-Kona at a temporary hotel last night.  We booked a vacation cottage, and will see it in a few hours.  Look for more stuff in a few days.

We hear there’s a foot of snow predicted tomorrow at home, but the sweat is rolling here.  Feels like Baltimore in summer!  Anna loves it!  Darrin’s not sure, and his bitching only him hotter.  Anna’s got him in flip-flops and he feels a little better.  Now he can bitch about his toes hurting!

More later from Paradise.

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