Local Boy Makes Good!

Well, the results are in and the winners have been announced.

My photo, "Kona Manta" has been selected to be part of Waikiki Aquarium's 2015 calendar. Thank you to everyone who supported and voted for me. And a special thanks to the one(s) who convinced me on the last day of the contest to enter my photo.

Also, a special thanks to Kona Honu Divers for the wonderful service and the spectacular Night Manta Dive. You all are awesome!

I'm honored to have been selected and look forward to 2015 to see the calendars out and about. Here's to continued diving the reefs of our beautiful Hawaiian waters and more photos of the spectacular life below.

"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever."

~ Jacques Yves Cousteau

See the photo here: Kona Manta

Mahalo for Supporting Captain Bobby Mitchel



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Vote for Captain Bobby!

Well, it's been a year now and with that comes a new calendar for the Waikiki Aquarium. Despite my reluctance to enter based on what happened last year, I was finally convinced by friends and family to enter on the last day of submissions, which was yesterday, 31 May 2014.

So, this year I decided to enter just one photo and concentrate on that one photo to hopefully be chosen for the 2015 calendar.

And here it is!

Here is the link that you can select to go the Aquarium's Facebook page to vote:

Click to "Vote for Captain Bobby"

Please remember to vote again as much as possible. They allow you to vote once every 24 hour period. 

Here is a list of their rules:

Public Voting will determine 20 finalists:

• Aquarium Facebook Fans can vote daily from May 26 - June 13, 2014.
• Top 20 photos (1 per individual) with the most votes become finalists.
• Three (3) judges will select the following winners: 11 winners from the public voting finalists and 1 Judge’s Choice winner.

Mahalo for your support and hopefully, this year we'll make it into the 2015 calendar. And don't forget to share the link with your friends or post it on your Facebook page so the word gets out there!

For all you manta ray lovers, he is another amazing photo from my recent dive with Kona Honu Divers.

Mahalo for voting for Captain Bobby Mitchel

Hey Monk Seal

In between dives in Kona, we had the privilege of being semi-entertained by a VERY green Hawaiian Monk Seal. He/She was just hanging out on the lava.

Being so green tells me that he/she doesn't really get in the water too much, nor gets around. What a life...

 

And tell me grey seal....

How does it feel

To be so wise

To see through eyes

That only see what's real

Tell me grey seal

...or should I say "green seal?"

Mahalo for diving with Captain Bobby Mitchel

Final Days to VOTE for your Captain!

Yes, the final week is here and this coming TGI 'Aloha' F Baby will mark the end of the voting to the Waikiki Aquarium's contest for the 2014 Calendar.

So where do we stand now? Well, as you know, I entered 23 photos in the contest and with some fantastic support and great marketing from friends, all the photos are doing quite well. What I have below are the rankings, photos, and links to the voting pages for the top photos that are either IN the top 20 or close TO the top 20.

Remember, only the TOP 20 move on to the judging stage.  Every vote counts and getting votes to the ones just outside the top 20 really helps so they can move up and into the finalists category and be considered by the judges.

So, let's keep voting, keep spreading the word, keep posting reminders, keep sending e-mails, and keep voting every 24 hours. Yes, you can vote again every 24 hours.

Okay, why the big deal, you may ask?  Why the aggressive marketing campaign for votes?  These aren't my best shots to date, but there were time constraints on the entries, so these are the best from this past year.  To be honest, this isn't about winning something or the prizes, I'm not even sure what the prizes are.  Here is my drive behind this particular contest.

Wait….pictures and links first. Please vote first, so you'll have less time for your 24-hour clock to re-vote and read below for more and if you aren't motivated to vote, hopefully my motivation for entering will motivate you to vote.

#2

Maui Humpback

#6

Sunset Humpback Breach

#9

Manta Flier

#10

Maui Humpback Breach

#13

Frogfish

#14

Shaka Diver

#15

Night Manta

#16

BACK OFF, BRAH!

#17

Sunset Spockin' Honu

#23

First Day Of Raccoon Squirrel School

#24

Just Pokin' Around

Remember, it's the last two which need that little extra shove to get them into the top 20 before Aloha Friday. Let's get them that extra push into the top 20!

So, okay, what's my motivation? Well, here's the story. Ever since I was a child, I have always loved the ocean and dreamed of being a Marine Biologist or Oceanographer. Jacques Cousteau was a hero of mine and I watched his show, The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau, every Sunday evening in the 70's. Also, every Sunday, my mother used to take us to Fort DeRussy in Waikiki to hang out and go swimming. It was our early 70's past time, to keep me out of trouble, or at least try to.  I'd always either end up at or beg to go to the Aquarium where I would spend countless hours looking at the fish and dreaming of being underwater.  I loved diving and learned to Scuba dive at an early age. Maybe it was my escape from reality, like Dustin Hoffman taking the plunge in The Graduate.  Okay, I know…shades of 'The Incredible Mr. Limpet' just went through your head. No, it's not like that though. This contest for me, then, is getting one, if not more, or my photos in the Waikiki Aquarium's Calendar. Yes, the place I hung out at as a kid and the place where I created and dreamed many of the realities that I am so privileged to be able to still experience today.  It would be a tribute to the little boy in me that dreamed of the under sea world and grew up trying to capture images that reflect all the beauty in the ocean.  It would be such an honor to be a part of the Waikiki Aquarium Calendar, a place that had such a significant impact on my love of sea life growing up. 

And while my Mother and Dad are gone now, I know that they would be proud that their little tumultuous rapscallion of a little boy found some peace in that Aquarium he so loved.

So there you have it, now please go vote! …and vote again every 24 hours :)

Mahalo for Voting with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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Time to Vote for Captain Bobby!

Okay friends, your Captain has entered a contest back in the Island homeland to possible get a photo published in the Waikiki Aquarium 2014 Calendar!

So, here's where you come in. Below are my 23 entries with a link directly to each photo's Facebook voting page. Find a favorite or vote for them all :) Yes, you can vote for them all and you can vote every 24 hours until 16 August, so come back here daily and get the easy link to help me get in the calendar for 2014!

Now check out these beautiful photos from my home and vote for one or vote for them all! And come back tomorrow to vote again. BTW, the contest rules stated that the photos had to be taken just from this year, 2013, so it was very limiting. Bummer, brah! I didn't have a lot of time to get back to the islands as much as I had wanted but I think I did get some pretty cool photos.

Maui Humpback

Sunset Humpback Breach

Maui Humpback Breach

Sunset Spockin' Honu

Frogfish

Night Manta

Octopus's Garden

Shaka Diver

BACK OFF, BRAH!

Honu Tailgating

You Say Humu…

Ulua

Sunset Breach

Manta Flier

Just Hangin' Out

Nudibranch

Just Pokin' Around

Raccoon Frenzy

Just Cruzin'

First Day of Raccoon Squirrel School

Thatsa Moray!

Solo

Hidden Crab

Mahalo for Diving with Captain Bobby Mitchel


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3D Miracle Ultrasound

So, Dawn and I are thrilled to announce that we are expecting a little boy in August.  His name is Dylan Kainalu.  The ocean is near and dear to our hearts and has special meaning for both of us since we grew up in Hawaii.  We hope our son shares our love of the sea.  His first name Dylan comes from the son of the God of the Sea and Kainalu is Hawaiian literally meaning ocean wave, figuratively to go with the ebb and flow, easygoing, which, we hope will be his Mana or spirit.

This past month, Dawn reminded me to work my schedule around the ultrasound which she scheduled with The Baby Connection. Well, an ultrasound, so no big thing, right? I mean I've seen about three ultrasounds of Dylan already and they're all pretty hard to make out. If I had a little buzz going or was in the right frame of creative mind, I could see some sort of a baby, but mostly it seemed like I was interpreting Rorschach images in a Psych's office, not that I've ever done that before.

Okay, she sends out invitations, yes, invitations, and 8 of us show up in this comfortable, leather couch room with a large flat screen monitor on the wall. We're not at a doctor's office, but at The Baby Connection, a business that specializes in 3D ultrasounds. No, 3D glasses and popcorn were not required, nor provided, but popcorn would have been cool. I wasn't thinking much about it until the first pictures started showing up on the monitor and then I got a glimpse of our son moving around and opening and closing his mouth. OMG!…Wait, this is my blog…Holy Shit! Un-freaking believable! There he is in 3D and moving….free diving without a tank in Dawn's belly. Leaky? Oh, you better believe it! It was all I could do to not burst out in front of these people.

Thanks to the amazing technology of 3D ultrasound, we were able to share glimpses of our little Dylan with family and close friends.  This was no Dreamworks, baby. This was the real deal and he was right there moving around. Dawn had a smoothie and some chocolate about an hour earlier so he'd be extra active and it worked as he moved around. In looking at the live video, we watched in amazement as he moved his hands by his face, open and closed his mouth and made facial expressions that really helped us to feel like we already know him.  The still shots are incredible.  Below you can see one of our favorites, our little man making a heart with his fingers - unbelievable!  Feels like he's already trying to communicate to us.

Yes, that is 100% real. There is no Photoshop here. His little hands miraculously made the sign of a heart in the picture above. 

And then it really started to hit me as I began to see myself too. No, not the pool cleaning guy, but me as a little boy. Take a look at this picture below of me and compare it to the one above.

Bobby Mitchel, circa. 1964

It's no longer a little baby in there, but now he's just Dylan, our son, whom I already know. Hey, Dylan, looking forward to meeting you in person soon. :)

and hey, Baby Connection! You guys rock!


Mahalo for 3D-ing with Captain Bobby Mitchel

Seasons Change

Mahalo for Reflecting with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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Hungarian Goulash ~~ Not Just A Pretty Name

When I was a kid running out the door to go play, I would often ask my mother, "What's for dinner and what time do I have to be back?" And in her thick, German accent she would yell back once in awhile, "Goulash." Yuck! To a kid that just did not sound good at all. On the same level as gruel or maybe slop, you'd might say, and I wasn't diggin' this at all. But when we had it, I ate it, of course, because as a kid of the sixties, I wasn't going anywhere from the kitchen table until I finished dinner, or "You know what…would happen." I could muscle through and choke down the Goulash, but I spent many a night sitting at the kitchen table for hours staring at sautéed liver and onions, lamb, peas, and a few other 'jewels' from my childhood. Occasionally, I'd use the fork or knife to build little fortresses out of the meat blocks only to be attacked by the broccoli or asparagus creatures from the far side of the plate. Sometimes I paid dearly for this: Yes, I was a rascal as a kid. I could only fit so much into my napkin and bummer dude, no dog to feed under the table! True, here are even pictures documenting the event(s), thanks to my three older brothers, but I won't post any of them here.

Yeah, the word "Goulash" to a kid really doesn't have the same appeal of let's say, burger, spaghetti, pizza, or anything else like that. It sounds rather what I would call "Yuk" as we sat down to the dinner table. Oh, and these were just thoughts, because if I actually voiced my opinion, again, "You know what…" would happen. Over the years we had this dish quite frequently and I actually began to really like it as I got older. I mean after you get over the whole onion thing, it was basically spicy beef, gravy, and some sticky, slug-like dumplings.

You see, as a T-shirt, shorts, no shoes kid growing up on the beach in Hawaii kind of kid, I wasn't really used to sitting down to a table and having something like this:

Oh, but now that I'm older, I'd fly all the way to Salzburg, Austria and pay big Euros to have almost the same meal as my mother would make way back then. In December 2008, my wife and I traveled to Europe and we spent a few days in Salzburg over the holidays. 

Restaurant Alt-Salzburg

One evening we asked around to get info from the locals and we found this wonderful, quaint restaurant carved into the mountainside of the city, just past the cemetery that the Von Trapp family hid in during the movie, The Sound of Music. The Restaurant Alt-Salzburg was literally a jewel in the rough and, while not much to look at from the outside and hard to find, it boasted a fantastic, authentic menu and yes, Goulash was a special that night! Oh, I'm not kidding and yes, it was what I ordered too. It also came with Herb Spaetzle which is just about the same as the dumplings that my mother would make with her Hungarian Goulash.

I'm sure my mother would have been proud and yes, she would have enjoyed the evening there with us too. Well, she was in our thoughts that night and we talked about it at the table for a bit as I reflected back on my childhood and what all this meant to me now.

So, I went from running away from it as a kid to flying thousands of miles to have it authentically prepared. Ha! No stuffing napkins at the Alt-Salzburg that evening and definitely no meat wars on the plate with the spaetzle creatures either.

Now, enough of the history behind the dish and onto the recipe. Do I have your attention yet? Do you have some of the same childhood memories and/or experiences? Are you salivating from looking that the photos above? Okay, recipe time it is!

Basics…European Cooking: Meat; vegetables; gravy, lots of gravy. There you have it, Europe in a nutshell! Oh, and wine!

Without the dumplings, there are 3 basic steps in this recipe:

1. Brown the meat
2. Combine all the ingredients into the crockpot
3. Thicken as necessary for serving

First, cut the 2 pounds of stew meat into ½ inch, bite sized cubes. Over medium-high heat in a skillet, halfway cook 3 strips of good, thick-cut bacon. Add the 2 pounds of meat and stir frequently to brown all edges. It should look like this:

Then add 3 tablespoons of flour to the meat and cook for a few minutes more to give the meat a good crust. It is not necessary to cook the meat as that is what the crockpot is for in this recipe. Now the meat should look like this:

***NOTE***

My mother used a pressure cooker for this recipe when she made it. I don't use one because, honestly, I don't know how and I've heard bad stories about them and how they can be dangerous. I do, however, have the original pressure cooker she used and it sits idle in one of our cabinets. Maybe some day…

Secondly, combine all the ingredients into the crockpot. It should look like this:

And here are the ingredients:

Isn't that Hungarian Paprika color beautiful. And, at this point, I'm sure you are getting a lot of yummy smells too. Just wait a couple of hours and your home will smell amazing. Please, Yankee Candle Company, DO NOT make a candle of it. Y'all need to back off a bit and take it down a notch. Not every smell and scent needs to be a candle! Trust me.

Now, turn the crock pot on and cook on high for 4 hours, covered, and then uncovered for one hour. During the last hour some of the moisture will cook off and help thicken the Goulash.

IMPORTANT

Let's talk spices for a minute. The key to this dish is, you guessed it, Hungarian Paprika. So, how many of us have Hungarian Paprika in our spice cabinet? Yeah, I thought so. And if you said, yes, how old is it and when was the last time you used it? Spices lose their flavor and spiciness as they age. So, please go get some fresh Hungarian Paprika for this recipe. Like I've often said before, if you want a quality product, you have to use quality ingredients. Remember the Mai Tai?

By the way, if you lived in Hungary way back when and went to the store, did they call it Hungarian Paprika or just Paprika? Hmmmm…..Oops…squirrel! Back on track now.

Lastly, mix together in a small bowl some cornstarch and water to make a smooth, milky, thick liquid. A tablespoon at a time and about 10-15 minutes in between, add the cornstarch mixture to the Goulash until you have your desired thickness. I don't like it runny nor do I want it thick like a stew. It should look like this:

Lookin' pretty ono already, eh, brah? Yeah, at this point, multiple taste tests may be required, if you know what I mean. And just wait 'till your dinner guests show up and get a whiff of the smell this recipe permeates throughout your home. You'd better have a few spoons handy.

Hungarian Goulash in my family went from something I really couldn't stand as a kid to now, as an adult, a goal of working hard to try and re-create it as my late mother made it when I was growing up. Ironically, it turned out to be "one of those meals" that I requested when I would come home from college or visit after I moved out and lived on my own, traveling the world. No, liver and onions never got to share in that privilege. Even today…"Yuk!"

Well, I hope you enjoyed my adventure back to my childhood and I hope you try the recipe for yourself. While not exactly like I remembered it to be, it's pretty dang close, and maybe even better. Oops, did I just say that out loud. I kind of flinched a bit when I wrote that…had to look around to see if my mother saw it. :) I don't think I'm going to tweak the recipe at all either. Honestly, this was my first attempt at it, and while it took all day to make, adding bits here and there, adjusting spices, and tasting, it's a keeper. Winner winner, Hungarian Goulash dinner!

Hungarian Goulash over Jasmine Rice

Next, I am going to attempt to make my mother's authentic dumplings to go along with this meal. The jasmine rice was great, but the dumplings will make it perfect. I tried to make the dumplings once before and it was a complete mess. My mother happened to be in the hospital when I was back home visiting in the early 90s. My Dad and I actually got her recipe out and gave it a shot. Total failure…there is indeed an art to slinging raw dough into hot boiling water without making a complete mess and one HUGE dumpling. It was not a dumpling night for us, but it was somewhat of a bonding session for the two of us with my mother in the hospital.

I'll definitely post the recipe and instructions for the dumplings here when I can. I should include a video too since, like I mentioned above, there is an art form to making them correctly. Until then, try the Goulash and rice and let me know how you liked it.

Mahalo for Cooking with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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