Earlier this year, I was lucky to work with my mom on her latest passion project: her second cookbook. The Ono Loa Cookbook recently launched in Hawaii featuring 230 recipes from 25 public high school culinary programs. In April of this year, we traveled to 14 of those schools. The mission was to take photos, record video, and interview the students and teachers. Much of
If things seem like they've been quiet on this blog, it's all for a good reason! In late August, I traveled to Italy for my wedding and honeymoon. The trip itself lasted about 3.5 weeks and was absolutely outstanding. As you can imagine, planning a destination wedding, even an intimate one, was a challenge. So much of the time prior to leaving was spent with lots
If you've traveled to British Columbia in Canada, odds are you haven't been to Gabriola Island. You've likely visited its much larger, more well known big brother, Nanaimo, as it's just 5 kilometers away. But if you haven't taken the short 20-minute ferry ride over to Gabriola, you're missing out on a sliver of Pacific Northwestern paradise. Covering 22.24 square miles, Gabriola is
As a long-time resident of Seattle, I've traveled my fair share of the West Coast of the USA, but haven't spent much time in Arizona. That was the main reason for a somewhat spontaneous weekend trip to the Southwest, specifically the Grand Canyon and Sedona. The trip involved a flight to Flagstaff, where a rental car was secured. From there, it was a
Sandwiched between Mexico and Guatemala is the Central American country of Belize. As the only Central American country with English as its official language, Belize is unique in many ways, particularly its melting pot of cultures. On the coast, you'll find cultural markers of Creole and Garifuna, while inland towns are full of more Hispanic and even Amish traditions. I have been fortunate
Pike Place Market is a cherished landmark in the coastal city of Seattle, Washington. Besides having an iconic role in Hollywood film Sleepless in Seattle, the public market is a favorite destination for travelers. From crafts and artwork to ready-made food and fresh ingredients, Pike Place offers bits and pieces that appeal to a wide range of people. At the very least, swing by and
Chicago is one of those great American cities that I didn't quite get until recently. It's likely because my first visit almost six years ago was in the dead of winter. This time around, I had the opportunity to travel to Chicago to assist with photographing a large conference. After shooting hundreds of images a day for four days, I had about a day and
Arguably one of the earth's most gorgeous places is the wilderness area of Montana known as Glacier National Park. Encompassing 1, 583 square miles, the park contains over 700 miles of hiking trails and is crossed by driving the scenic and mountainous Going-to-the-Sun Road. As a child, I recall a family vacation to Glacier National Park with my parents, younger brother, and grandmother in which we
Ever since my boyfriend and I first met in 2012, we've made it a tradition to spend the 4th of July on a road trip adventure to celebrate being American citizens and truly enjoy our place of residence. Since then, we've adventured to Glacier National Park, Bend, the Oregon Coast, and Gabriola Island in British Columbia. This year, we returned to our outdoorsy roots by
North America's largest grower of hearts of palm is located on the lush Hamakua Coast on the Big Island of Hawaii. Owners Michael Crawford and Leslie Hill started Wailea Agricultural Group (Wailea Ag) in 1994 by transforming old sugar cane land into an ample 110-acre food forest. Today, the land is home to tons of tropical flowers, plants, fruits, and spices that all grow in abundance.
