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Life in mid-60s Samoa could get a little strange for a guy who grew up in urban Salt Lake City. Here are just two examples: (more…)

The word ‘oasis’ usually conjures images of date palm trees surrounding a rare source of water in a desert, perhaps with some camels…which is partially correct when it comes to the karez oasis near Turpan (sometimes written Turfan), located in the Gobi Desert of far northwest China.

The adobe ruins of Jiaohe — an important city at one time
on China’s “silk road” — near Turpan (more…)

When I was a Mormon missionary in Samoa in the early months of 1967, my companion and I were assigned to live in Samata, Savaii, in the Falelima district…where we experienced what some have called a miracle. Now, I experienced a number of miracles during my missionary days in Samoa, some of them even humorous, but you decide about this one, First, however, some background: (more…)

After “Uncle Bill” — William Kauaiwiulaokalani Wallace III — passed away on March 2, 2009, I started digging through some of my old photos to put together a pictorial tribute, along with a few comments. Most of these photos center around the BYU-Hawaii sailing canoe, Iosepa, and either have never previously been published or haven’t been seen for some time:

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

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Here’s the back-story: (more…)

One of the things I love about my work in writing and multimedia is the variety of interesting people and subjects I get to cover. For example, a list of some of my more interesting recent stories — most of which appeared initially on the BYU-Hawaii Newsroom web site — and my comments on them follows. Check them out: (more…)

While we’re happy that the Laie Hawaii Temple is undergoing renovations (for approximately the next 16 months) that will enhance and improve the facility, it still seems so strange to see the beautiful building stripped of its gleaming white paint. It’s also strange to not see it at night, because the lights have been turned off for now…which doesn’t mean “temple work” has stopped. For example: (more…)

During my six-month East-West Center fellowship Pacific Islands field study in 1971 (which I’ve previously mentioned a couple of times), my wife and I arrived in Sydney, Australia, late one July night: It was freezing cold (especially for Hawaii people), and I remember there was ice in the gutters. In those days many places in Australia did not have central heating, and the small hotel we stayed at only had a little “glow-rod” above the door that didn’t do much to heat up the room. The window in the bathroom was permanently wedged open an inch or two, so that room was like a refrigerator; and the sheets on the bed were so cold that we tried not to move around once settled, hoping at least one spot would soon warm up.

Sydney’s a fascinating place, even in the cold, but I soon made a decision that would stretch our modest, diminishing funds and lead us to a warmer clime for a while: We would take a break from studies and hitchhike to Gympie: (more…)

open source video, online video platform, video solution

Most of my regulars know I’m a writer and photographer, but you may not realize I have also been very interested in digital video for the past nine years  . . . so from time to time I would also like to share some of my video work on this blog, starting with the selection above (or watch the HD version by clicking on the link below): (more…)