Checking out the prop & spinner...

Brad listening to MP3s through the plane's audio panel. Keith brought a portable CD player on our trip, but we never had a chance to try it out because his batteries were dead.

Our tie-down spot is in the northeast corner of the airport. The big buildings in the background are all part of Boeing.

A happy pilot.

Pilot Brad getting ready to get in.

The keys!

Look at me... I'm a pilot!

Beginning with the 2000 model year, Ovations have an optimized McCauley two-blade propeller rather than three, which saves a little weight and gives a bit faster cruise speed.

Being from Seattle, Henry is unfamiliar with the wonders of sunlight combined with a magnifying glass.

Brad and Henry squinting on the Laupahoehoe breakwater.

Fruit smoothies and fresh papaya. Mmm.

Henry and Brad near Akaka Falls.

Yes, we all bought matching Hawaiian shirts. No, the three of us never wore them on the same day.

Henry playing scientist in Kilauea Iki. The top of the largest mountain in the world looms in the distance.

Discussing the crater's past as a lake of molten lava.

The rough surf sent waves splashing up over the patio where Brad & Henry are standing in this picture (much to Henry's delight).

Sippin' our drinks and relaxing poolside.

Brad at the beach.

Unlike Henry, Brad is fully acquainted with the relaxational properties of hammocks.

We managed to forget to bring any of Henry's many pairs of sunglasses. Not that he'd wear them anyway, but he was Mr. Squinty.

Mr. Serious gets a ride.

It's All Done With Mirrors

Daily Shoot 66: "Make your camera the star of the show today. Use another camera or mirror to put your camera in a photo of its own." I really wanted to get a shot of the camera from a different perspective without resorting to using a second camera. I was holding two handheld mirrors here and using the 7D's Live View to make sure everything stayed lined up. Kathy hit the shutter release and scurried out of the shot while the timer counted down. She didn't realize she'd walked back through the background, prompting my laughter. I tried a backdrop behind the (reflected) camera, but lighting it turned out to be a pain with my single Speedlite and waning daylight. Focus issues and motion blur (thanks to movement of the mirrors) left me with only a handful of even remotely usable images out of a couple hours of effort. It was fun, though!