Honu Holiday and a New Basker gets a New Name

This year the Honu Holiday party was close to home in Ewa Beach.  Our gracious hosts had a beautiful holiday decorated home that housed our group of volunteers, our yearly fundraising silent auction, potluck and gift steal, I mean exchange. 

 Our yearly Christmas silent Auction is a great fundraising event.  So many of our volunteers are talented artists that contribute their craft as well as many objects from the community.  I was fortunate to win my two bids this year, etched plates with Malama na Honu and the green dishes with little turtles in the lower left hand corner of the photo.

 Brad showing me where Diego Garcia is located on the map.

For our second year in the row, we volunteered to run the gift exchange/steal.  It is always a pleasure for Brad and I to participate.  My naturally loud voice and Brad's sense of humor seem to carry us through the event.  This year was no exception.  Although folks were smart and many of the items did not get stolen for each one was very well picked.  For those that did steal, the laughter was high with the good will even greater.  I will have to find someone to assist me next year when Brad is unavailable, but it just will not be the same without him.

Pictured above are four turtles.  Top left: Kuhina.  Bottom left to right: Punahele, L-28, and Hiwa Hiwa.

At the holiday party it was announced the newest basker, L-28, had finally gotten his new Hawaiian name.  Voted on my the volunteers, it was decided that the name wouldbe Hao'okanaka, or "Iron Man" in memory of the legendary surfer, Andy Irons, who passed away in November. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Irons

This subadult, gender is unknown, is approximately 25 years old weighing about 150 lbs.  Hao'okanaka first arrived on the shores of Laniakea Beach the summer of 2010.  Some of the physical characteristics of the turtle are it's very rounded shell, an indentation on top of the carapace and a white spot ( perhaps a barnacle or corraline algae) on the shell above the left rear flipper.