Backyard project. Before.After.

When my wife and I first bought our home, the first thing we told our Real Estate agent was, we want a home that doesn't have a big backyard. I was fresh out of school, ready to work, no kids, or pets.  I had no need for any backyard.  Times have changed, I care more, still no kids, but I have a dog.  I wish we had a big backyard.  Below are just a few photos from the backyard renovation.  The task took longer than I thought because it was a lot of trial and error, availability of time, and thinking about what I actually wanted to do.  It's not quite the level of Southern Living, but I'm still proud of it.

The above two photos are shots of our backyard when we first got the house. At first my wife and I couldn't figure out why the previous owner would put a random pole (picture 1) in the ground.  Could it be a flower pot holder?  Bird feeder? And of all places, why is it in the middle of the yard?  We were baffled.

The above two photos are transitional times. I managed to take up all the weeds, lay down new topsoil, and tried to plant fescue seed (mistake#1, I wish I planted bermuda in the beginning).  For the most part, our yard began looking normal.  There was grass, no weeds, and no random pole in the ground.

But something weird happened.  When it rained, even a little bit, our yard began to puddle.  On occasion, I'd look outside and thought this was the second coming of the Cahaba river.  So why is this happening?  And how could I fix it?  Eventually, my friend gave me the idea to use a french drain  to get rid of the excess water.  This is probably my favorite part of the backyard.  French drains are great because they take excess water and funnel it away from our yard, while at the same time soaking the soil because of the irrigated pipe.

Here is the final result!  Finally right?  I hope you enjoy.

Dog days in the dog park.

Hawaii Slideshow - DSLR and iPhone 5 Photos

Last night I watched a documentary by Ken Burns on National Parks and got inspired. I put all the photos from Hawaii, both DSLR and iPhone, into a video slideshow.  While compiling the slideshow, reminiscing about Hawaii, I began wishing I had taken more photos on my DSLR.  Ah, but the iPhone is so convenient.  I can't leave home without it, I need a phone in case of an emergency, and it has a decent camera.  Hawaii isn't necessarily "DSLR friendly."  There is the beach and sand.  There is hiking and dirt and probably rain (gasp).  There are the thousands of tourist.  The tourists that kick sand when they walk on the beach.  DSLRs are bulky.  They aren't always fun to carry around.

Anyways, this is my last post about Hawaii and I hope you enjoy. I hope to one day return but I am really enjoying my time back in Birmingham, AL.  As my mother always said, home is where you hang your heart.  Currently, my heart is deep in the south, where days are scorching and you can feel the humidity against your face. I think it's time for nap.

(Mis)Adventures of the North Shore/East side of Oahu through my iPhone 5

"Pipeline - Ehukai Beach"

Below are panoramic photos as my wife and I traveled through the North Shore of Oahu.  This was a much anticipated part of our trip because we heard it was a great place to relax and see the beautiful waves, wildlife, and various scenery the island had to offer. Again, these photos were taken with my iPhone 5's panoramic option and I hope you enjoy them.

The top three photos were taken at Pipeline.  This is a famous surfing spot with great waves.  When the waves are forming, it often considered the wave by which all other waves are compared. One of the funny of things I learned about Oahu is that the nice waves usually form during the winter and not during the summer.

The first photo is probably my favorite because after I got the panoramic shot, my wife asked, "where are the waves?" To be honest, I was thinking the same thing. For such a famous spot (wiki here), there wasn't even a ripple in the ocean.  In essence, it was a big swimming pool with rocks at the bottom.

The above two photos were taken at Turtle Bay.  This is a nice place to snorkel since the bay is home to many types of fish and wildlife.  The beach is actually located on a resort site that is open to the public and reminded me of the season finale of Duck Dynasty.  Unfortunately, even with a name like Turtle Bay, I was informed there are no sea turtles actually in the area.

Pupukea beach.

This is a photo of Waimea Bay.  Like Pipeline, this beach is famous for its big waves.  Despite the off season, this is still a really beautiful place because of the surrounding mountains and hills that can provide for a great view of the bay.

Kuliouou Beach.  I can only describe this part of our trip as "exploration."  We just drove around and enjoyed God's creation.  Yes, we were the Asian-touristy-tourist people who drove slow, looked around, got googly eyed, and joked about how we could one day live in a place like this.

Pali lookout.

Above is a shot of Lani Kai Beach.  Aka, close to where the Obamas vacation and also to be remembered as the place I swam with a sea turtle.  Unfortunately, that experience was not as I expected.  It didn't cross my mind that wild animals could get big.  The sea turtle swimming next to me was big.  It was beautiful and frightening at the same time.  I freaked.  I swallowed sea water.  And, I started flailing my arms and legs.  I probably killed some sea anemone.  Sorry.  So, when I calmed down, the turtle was gone.  

The last set of photos is from our Makapuu Hike.  During our hike, the sun was just peaking through the clouds, and a ray of sunlight would momentarily cast a radiant spotlight on the surrounding trees and shrubberies.  It felt like a scene right out of Lord of the Rings minus Frodo and Sam. 

With that, visiting Oahu was fun.  We weren't able to do everything we planned and not everything we planned went as smoothly as we wanted, but that is life.  My wife and I made the best of our situation whether it is what we expected or not, good or bad, rain or shine.  More importantly, I am glad to have share these experiences with her as we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary.  

I hope you enjoyed these photos and as I stated last time... 

As beautiful as these places are, I can’t help but think they are just a shadow of God’s majesty and glory.  To our God and Father be glory forever and ever…

  The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Psalm 19:1

Cousins Day Out

This is me and my wife with our niece Audrey hanging out in Huntington Beach.  Beach life is great but when its windy and chilly, there isn't any shame in taking refuge in one of shops across the pier.  Because she seems to be growing up so fast each time we see her, we are just glad to spend time with her when we can.  She is cute.  Really cute.  Her vast vocabulary of one syllable words and hand gestures declares to the world "I am cute."  Don't grow up too fast, life is simple where you are.

The photos below were taken in Irvine, CA at Woodbridge Lake and then Huntington Beach.  Our cousin Julie (from Hawaii) and her man-friend were able to join all of us and we had a good cousins day out.  My niece loved the ducks at Woodbridge and walking around Huntington Beach (even though it was chilly).  In the end, it is not where you are, but who you're with.  There is no time like family time.

 

 

Hawaii (Oahu) through my iPhone 5 - South Shore

The panoramic photos below were taken with my iPhone during our 4th wedding anniversary trip to Oahu. Hawaii is so beautiful it was hard to decide when to take my DSLR or just to leave it at home so that I could enjoy myself without having to worry about my equipment.  As a result, I ended using my iPhone 5's camera and it's panoramic option a lot and hope you could enjoy these photos from my trip.  

This is a shot from our first day in Hawaii as we got to celebrate Memorial day and the 15th Annual Lantern Festival at Ala Moana Beach. We had an opportunity to meet up with Lida's cousin Julie and her friends to see the festivities and remember the men and women who died while serving our country.  Around us were thousands of people, literally as far as the eye could see.

The above two photos were from our hike up Diamond Head.  Diamond Head Beach below.  This hike is just a few miles from where we were staying and is a great vantage point that was once used as a military outpost. The view of Waikiki from here is breathtaking.  You can see so much of the coast, the ocean's reef bottoms, and the easy rolling waves that makes this place so beautiful.

This is a tree right in the center of Waikiki.  I nicknamed this the Jack Johnson tree until I learned that it is called a Banyan Tree. If you look closely, it has these characteristic roots that grow from the limbs that extend downward into the ground. Because of those root extensions, it has a unique multiple tree trunk look. These trees are so cool.

Ala Moana Beach. On this day... My back got stir fried because I forgot to put sun block on. I was stand up paddle boarding with Lida and we saw a huge sea turtle.  (Thanks again to Julie and her friends for teaching us how to paddle board)  This beach was so nice because we got to get away from the crowds at Waikiki.

The above four photos are from Hanauma Bay preserve.  The big thing here is snorkeling with the fish and sea turtles.  Apparently many people swam with a sea turtle but me, oh well.

Last set of photos from the South Shore.  North/east shore photos later.  This is a view from the cliffs above Diamond Head Beach.  This became one of my favorite parts of my trip because of the view. (Same view from the Hike, but closer to the beach)  It was fun to relax and watch the surfers catch some waves.

As beautiful as these places are, I can't help but think they are just a shadow of God's majesty and glory.  To our God and Father be glory forever and ever...

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Psalm 19:1

Lantern Festival Hawaii

Congratulations to my wife!

Congratulations Jared!