Mike Duncan Photography

Kailua, Oahu - Day One

Mike — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:16:40 +0000

Our first day in Hawaii was what vacation is all about. Sleeping until 8:00 AM is actually considered sleeping in at this point because it still feels like sleeping until 2 o’clock in the afternoon. Beating the jet lag will be one of the greatest challenges of this trip, I expect, unless you consider trying to find a good Thai food restaurant a great challenge. According to my aunt, who apparently is a Thai food connoisseur, there are no good Thai food restaurants in the area, although the leftovers they brought home last night made a fair morning’s breakfast.

I ended up eating instead of going to the beach. When I woke and rose to start the day, I found that the house we’re renting was completely empty. Over the cell phone my dad tells me the whole family decided to go to the beach this morning without me. Apparently, they sent my little cousin into my room to try and wake me up. Since I don’t remember it at all, I don’t imagine him being very convincing. So I heat up a little Thai breakfast (which feels like lunch) and sit by the pool by myself. I don’t mind the setting at all. Here is the view from an upstairs balcony:

The View

Eventually my family came home and turned on the women’s World Cup final soccer match. I usually cannot stand watching soccer, but this game for some reason was exciting. I was sad to see the U.S. team lose. After the game we spent a little time by the pool, and we saw some geckos tanning out in the sun.

Gecko

Later we all took a ride to Main Street, Kailua and stopped to get some ice cream for the kids. Here my cousin is enjoying a tasty bowl of French vanilla.

Cold Stone Creamery

On day two of our stay in Kailua we will be going snorkeling at Hanauma Bay and shopping in Honolulu.

Sea-Tac Layover

Mike — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 22:41:12 +0000

I am currently sitting at the Alaskan Airlines terminal in Sea-Tac Airport in Seattle, WA waiting to board my 5:40 PM (PST) flight to Honolulu, HI. The layover time here is over six hours. Upon arriving at Sea-Tac our first job was finding a place to eat. Since our baggage was transferred to the next plane automatically, I won’t have to go to baggage claim until we get to Honolulu. Finding a nice restaurant in an airport is close to impossible. As my folks and I eventually settled on Maki Japan, a food-court-style restaurant that offers fried rice, grilled meats and packaged sushi, I quickly snagged a table that was being watched like a suit on sale at a men’s store closeout.

Killing six hours of downtime is a chore in and of itself. After meandering throughout the airport in search of nothing in particular, a text message from a new friend reminds me that Seattle has impeccable coffee, so I decide to try it. Common sense evades me as I stroll up to a Starbucks and order my familiar caramel macchiato. Unbeknownst to me at the time, and what I ultimately end up asking myself is, “Doesn’t Starbucks coffee taste the same no matter where you go?” The affirmed answer to this determining question ends up being, “Yes.”

Trying Seattle's Starbucks' Coffee

So, in this way I continue to find trivial ways to stay entertained, though I’m quickly running out of ideas under the relentless surveillance of my parents (still strong after all these years), and I’m sure they’re running out of patience just as quickly. To be honest, there’s really not much to do in an airport. Yet my optimism will not subside because I’m positive that the best is yet to come. At the back of my mind is the blue and aqua-green water, palm trees, white sandy beaches, waterfalls and exotic flowers I’m about to relocate to. Honolulu, Hawaii, here I come!

Genesis Art Invitational - Opening Reception Thursday, July 1

Mike — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 15:09:47 +0000

The Genesis Club Art Committee will be having its Opening Reception on July 1 at the ARTSWorcester Aurora Gallery on Main Street. The art exhibition will be available for viewing through July 17. Three travel and two concert photographs not seen here, belonging to moi, will be on display there.

This collection features pieces including paintings, photographs, sculptures and graffiti by 25 artists from Genesis Club that will remind viewers of the heights to which beautiful minds can aspire.

Janice Seymour, the director of the Aurora Gallery, invited Genesis Club members to demonstrate their artistic talents and the staff of the Aurora Gallery evaluated submissions. The resulting show features work by artists primarily from Greater Worcester. With creative images ranging from Jonathan Marchand’s Inspired by an Artist to Timothy Bancroft’s Study in Charcoal, the Genesis Club Art Committee demonstrates that individuals with disabilities have unique and sometimes unexpected strengths.

The Genesis Club Art Invitational opening reception is Thursday, July 1 from 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm. The Aurora Gallery is located on 660 Main Street in downtown Worcester. Gallery hours are Tuesday and Saturday 1 pm - 4 pm, and Wednesday through Friday 10 am - 4 pm. For more information, please contact the Aurora Gallery at (508) 755-5142 or info@artsworcester.org.

Columbus Day Weekend: a Calm Before the Storm

Mike — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:18:22 +0000

Dartmouth Hall

Baker Memorial Library

Baker Tower

Over Columbus Day Weekend I went on a trip north to Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH to meet family who wanted to visit during the time off. Dartmouth students had recently arrived on campus in September after a well-deserved summer break, and I followed the action by breaking out my camera and photographing a couple of my favorite buildings near the green.

Columbus Day Weekend is only a couple of weeks before Dartmouth Night. Every October prior to Homecoming, Dartmouth holds a tradition kept since 1895 called Dartmouth Night, which includes a parade, speeches, bonfire, and the next day, several athletic events. While the College held its first organized bonfire in 1893 after a football victory over Amherst, freshmen did not begin running around the fire until 1904.

As the tradition stands today, first-year students must run around the bonfire with their classmates however many times as the number of years that will have passed between 1900 and the year of their graduation. For example, on Dartmouth Night during my freshman year as an ‘05, our class had to run around the bonfire 105 times before we could stop. Each year the number of laps increases by one. This year, first-year students had to run around the bonfire 113 times.

I did not get a chance to return to the college during Dartmouth Night, but I heard it was just as wild as the ones from years past. Maybe next year I’ll have to make it an effort to be there.