Author Archives: Shibby

Shibby

About Shibby

Digital creator and independent consultant in Raleigh, NC. Owner at Soul Surfer Consulting, working with All Things Open. Author: https://theopensourcecity.com/

Raleigh Snow Day with the Family

DCIM100GOPROIt snowed all day in Raleigh on February 24, 2015. Merri Beth and I were wakened at 6:30 am with a call from Wake County Public Schools announcing a two hour school delay—later to be followed up with canceling of school for the entire day.

Merri Beth left with Coco to head to daycare, but was back after a short while because they were closing for the day as well. Zander and I headed to Red Hat Tower for the day. We left the house around 9:30 am and were in the office in about 15 minutes with snowy conditions. There wasn’t much traffic in our direction and we made good time in slushy and icy conditions with steady snow coming down. Continue reading

GoPro Pictures from Snorkeling in Hanauma Bay

DCIM100GOPROWe took over 500 pictures from our vacation in Hawaii. And now you can enjoy all of them. We went to numerous places on the island of Oahu and even had a day trip to Kauai. These are some of the best shots using my GoPro camera while snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. What a great day all of us had! Check out all of our vacation pictures and adventures, but these pictures are amazing. Continue reading

Island Life in Hawaii: Saying Aloha on Christmas Eve

diamond_head_xmas_01I was up before 7:00 am, with most of my things packed up and ready to go. Wednesday, December 24, Christmas Eve, was the last day of our trip. I wanted to get one last surf session in and I was super stoked that I did. I was pleasantly surprised with how good the surf was at Diamond Head. I pulled up and paddled out immediately. Continue reading

Island Life in Hawaii: Waikiki, Shopping, and Surfing

star_honolulu_IMG_4714We had a wonderful time island hopping over to Kauai on Monday and got a chance to sleep in and rest this morning. Our vacation time was dwindling and Tuesday, December 23 was our last full day on Oahu. I needed to move the car, because our parking expired at 7:00 am. Zander joined me and we did a quick surf check at Publics in Waikiki, then further up at Diamond Head. There were some decent waves coming in, but we decided to surf later in the afternoon. Continue reading

Island Life in Hawaii: Kauai and Waimea Canyon

waimea_canyon_IMG_4703The surprise part of our vacation was a day on the island of Kauai. I had been planning a way to get together with our friends Jeff and Rachel, who live in Kapaa, and a day trip to Kauai, island hopping as it we call it, was the best way to get together.

Merri Beth booked one of the first flights from Oahu to Kauai on Hawaiian Airlines which was supposed to leave at 7:30 am and arrive at 8:00 am. MB, Zander, Coco, my mom, and I were up early, packed a day bag the night before, and were leaving our apartment around 6:00 am to head to the Honolulu airport. We got our boarding passes and made it through security in plenty of time. Continue reading

Island Life in Hawaii: East Oahu, Sunset Beach, and Sea Turtles

nu_uanu_pali_lookoutAfter a great day of snorkeling at Hanauma Bay we were ready to see more beautiful beaches. On Sunday, December 21, Merri Beth, Zander, Coco, my mom, and I loaded into the rental car and headed to the east side of Oahu to drive up the coast and to relax on the beach. Our first stop was the Nu‘uanu Pali lookout. Continue reading

Island Life in Hawaii: Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay

hanauma_bay_IMG_4563Happy Birthday Merri Beth. It’s Saturday, December 20 and our fourth full day on the island of Oahu. Lunches were packed in the cooler, beach chairs were ready, the towels were in the beach bag, and it was still dark out. Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve Park opened at 6:00 am.

Merri Beth, Zander, Coco, my mom, and I left the apartment in Waikiki early and arrived at Hanauma Bay around 6:30 am, the morning dusk just starting to appear on the horizon. We loaded all of our beach gear and walked down the hill to the beach after a short safety briefing at the visitor center about dangers on the reef. Continue reading

Island Life in Hawaii: Chinatown, Waikiki, and a Surfboard

pearl_harbour_IMG_4479The first half of our day, December 19, was spent at Pearl Harbor and Punch Bowl. Merri Beth, Zander, Coco, my mom, and I were heading to Chinatown to have lunch with a few friends that I met through Code for America and CityCamp Honolulu.

We found some parking in Downtown Honolulu and walked about two blocks to the restaurant that my friends selected. Continue reading

Island Life in Hawaii: Pearl Harbor and Punch Bowl

pearl_harbour_IMG_4480We were up early on Friday, December 19 and ready for our morning history lesson. Merri Beth, Zander, Coco, my mom, and I were heading over to the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites to learn more about what happened on December 7, 1941 and the years that followed.

We ate breakfast in our condo and were out the door before 7:00 am. We hopped on the H1 and headed towards Ford Island. Thankfully, we avoided most of the morning traffic and made great time to our destination. Continue reading

Island Life in Hawaii: Whale Watching and Hālona Blowhole

star_honolulu_IMG_4391After hiking Diamond Head, we were ready to get on the water and do some whale watching. After reviewing numerous options we decided on the Star of Honolulu. They have several tours available and we chose the premier whale watch cruise and lunch.

We (Merri Beth, Zander, Coco, my mom, and I) drove from Waikiki to Aloha Tower Marketplace, found some parking, and made our way to Pier 8. After we checked in, we had a few minutes before they started boarding the boat so we decided to walk around the pier area to enjoy the beautiful view. Once we boarded, we settled in at a table and waited for further instructions from the crew. Continue reading