This was originally posted last year (2009), but as I’m getting my tripod out, and charging up my camera batteries in preparation for tomorrow, I thought it might be appropriate to bring it back to the front page of the blog. I hope you find it helpful. With the 4th of July Holiday coming tomorrow, I bet quite a few people are planning to go out and try to...

When my kids were younger, one of our favorite Friday night activities was to go down to Waikiki beach to watch the Hilton Hawaiian Village fireworks show. We wouldn’t actually go to the Hilton though. The military hotel, the Hale Koa, is right next door. And with an ID card, it’s totally free to swim in the pool all day long. Usually what we’d...