Hall of Fame: Hilton Hawaiian Village Guards

Stand at attention!  

Mr. Hunter and the Hilton Hawaiian Village Guards have arrived.

When we were staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, the guards were part of a daily evening ceremony.  One afternoon we happened by as the guards were lining up and preparing to make their big entrance.  I asked if they would mind posing, and as you can see, they obliged.  I love this photo!  And it also makes me laugh to see the young man wearing the crown of palm fronds who snuck into a second photo of Mr. Hunter, the guard, and yours truly.

In 1997, the guard welcomed Michael Jackson when he arrived to stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.  I wonder if any of these guards were part of that reception.  Here's a photo of Michael flanked by the guards.

Photo from about MJ et al's blog entry about Michael Jackson's 1997 Hawaii visit.

The Hilton Hawaiian Village Guards also paid their respects at a 2007 memorial service for Don Ho.  Since 2009, this civilian drill team has been known as the Hilton Hawaiian Village Royal Honor Guard.

Hilton Hawaiian Village

Honolulu, Hawaii

July 2003

Official site for the Hawaii Royal Honor Guard - http://hiroyalhonorguard.webs.com/

Imitations: Ana

Ana's an actress, so it's no surprise that she can do a mean--even hypnotic--imitation of Mr. Hunter.

October 2003

A Brief Reunion with Space Shuttle Endeavour

You can bet Mr. Hunter made sure to be there when Space Shuttle Endeavour flew overhead on its farewell flyover tour of California.  

Mr. Hunter and some of the many people who waited at Moffett.
That's the skeleton of Hangar One in the background.

Our first glimpses as Endeavour arrived.

Endeavour and its 747 (SCA905NA) flew about 800 feet above us at Moffett Field. 

As we recounted in this June 2011 post, Mr. Hunter and his keeper had the thrill of seeing Space Shuttle Endeavour launch on June 5, 2002.

Space Shuttle Endeavour launches on STS-111.

Two delighted shuttle launch spectators.
That's smoke from the STS-111 launch in the background.

A few years later, Mr. Hunter got to tour
one of NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.
Here's a Wikipedia article about these special 747s.

A bittersweet sight.  

Endeavour flies away to finish its farewell tour. 

Moffett Field

Mountain View, California

September 2012

Hall of Fame: Bill Clinton

Here's one of the all-time best Mr. Hunter moments.  

Then-Governor Bill Clinton came to our school while he was running for President in 1992, and Mr. Hunter, my best friend, and I were close to the front of the crowd when Clinton arrived.

The one thing that would have made this photo perfect would be if I'd captured the moment when Bill Clinton was shaking my friend's hand.  She was off to my right and did get to shake his hand, but she wasn't wearing bright red nail polish, so we know that's somebody else.

When we got this photo developed over at a one-hour processing place,

we laughed so hard at how it had all come together.  And then we spent a bit of time studying all the faces and patterns in the background and finding all these goofy connections.

Sublime!

October 1992

Mr. Hunter and an Apollo Command Module

Mr. Hunter pretended he was an Apollo astronaut -- and maybe a little bit of a Major Tom, as well -- when he peeked through the window of this Apollo command module door.  

Mr. Hunter's floating in a most peculiar way.

This particular Apollo command module was on display at the astonishing and highly recommended Saturn V Center at Kennedy Space Center.  The spacecraft was originally intended for NASA's Apollo 18 mission, but instead flew on the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, which was the first joint mission of the United States and the Soviet Union.

The John Weeks site gives more details about this Apollo spacecraft, which has since been moved from Kennedy Space Center to the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

Apollo/Saturn V Center

Kennedy Space Center

Merritt Island, Florida

May 2002

Mr. Hunter and the Ocicat

What happens when a cat who likes to play meets a wooden tiki doll who likes to pose?  A festival of photos!

Rufus is an ocicat, and while he lives in the same house as Mr. Hunter, the two of them haven't really spent much time together.  But the other day, when Rufus got into his classic "seal" position, I grabbed my camera and then thought, Why not get Mr. Hunter involved in this?  I was just looking for a quick, cute photo.  

Who knew that Rufus would take Mr. Hunter for a new toy?

Rufus the Seal with Mr. Hunter the Soon-to-be Toy

Rufus springs into action

Timber!

The two friends sit still for more formal portrait.

Meow!

March 2012

Hall of Fame: Mr. Hunter Gets a Scolding

...maybe it's because he likes to break the rules sometimes.

Can't say that Mr. Hunter looks particularly perturbed here.

Seems to me that Mr. Hunter has a defiant look on his face now.
I don't think the exterminator guy is going to get anywhere with him.

I was actually so excited when I came across this truck and realized that Mr. Hunter had an opportunity to make friends with the Western Exterminator Company mascot.

Hollister, California

July 2005

Hall of Fame: Mr. Hunter's Seaweed Dreadlocks

How do you like Mr. Hunter's wig?

He found it while strolling along Goose Rocks Beach in Maine.

This is one of my all-time favorite Mr. Hunter photos.

Goose Rocks Beach

Bonus moment: a certain delicate chihuahua sneaks into the photo shoot!

Hi, Grendel!

Goose Rocks Beach

Kennebunkport, Maine

October 2006

Concerts: Grinderman

We saw Grinderman on their first North American tour.  Naturally we got there early so we could be at the front of the line and stand right in front of the stage.  The show was--of course!--raucous and astonishing and frenzied and everything else you'd expect from Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, and Co.  

And at some point it occurred to me that I had a Flat Mr. Hunter with me.  

Looks like he enjoyed the show.

Flat Mr. Hunter likes his view.

The stylish, piratical Warren Ellis.

Nick Cave's boots.

Smoking, considering which song to play next.

Warren Ellis holding his violin like a guitar.
He also had a tiny, violin-sized electric guitar.

Nick Cave, with Frank's arms in foreground.

Nick Cave's hand.

Flat Mr. Hunter is positively beaming!

July 2007

The temptation to put Mr. Hunter in your bag...

Mr. Hunter must be a charming fellow.  

Look how some people have tried to smuggle him away in their bags.

In this photo, Steve's heading off for some important journalistic work with a pleased-looking Mr. Hunter in tow.  

And when Allyson stopped by for a visit after traveling around the world with the original Flat Mr. Hunter, she thought it might be time for the real Mr. Hunter to tag along with her.

"Shhhh."

Mr. Hunter loves Miss Allyson an awful lot, so he was tempted!

August 2005

and

December 2006

Imitations: Gabriel

An entry for the Hall of Fame, and one of Mr. Hunter's favorite photos.

The always-dramatic Gabriel imitates Mr. H.

Gabriel's pose brings up a question: Does Mr. Hunter have a big lower lip?  Or is he, in fact, sticking out his tongue? 

People have imitated Mr. Hunter using both of these approaches.

What do you think?

August 2004

Hall of Fame: A kiss from Peter

Such a tender moment between Mr. Hunter and Peter!

Peter was feeling plenty affectionate that afternoon.  Look what happened when he ran into Erik...

A transcendent moment.

January 2005

Hall of Fame: Headstanding with Amey

Love this!  Amey thought that Mr. Hunter might want to practice some yoga with her, so they both inverted themselves for a bit of headstand.

No yoga mats or blankets required... even though it was a rainy afternoon!

November 2010

Hall of Fame: PR Breakout

Mr. Hunter witnessed a few Project Runway breakouts over the years.  Whenever Gabriel was involved in the discussion, things could get dramatic.

According to my notes, Gabriel was right in this prediction that Marla would be the next to go.

Very serious business!

January 2006

Hall of Fame: Hulk Hands

Huw always comes up with notable Mr. Hunter poses.

You can see that Mr. H feels perfectly relaxed, 

even though he's cradled in the hands of the Incredible Hulk.

August 2004

Hall of Fame: Richard and Jim

I love this photo something fierce!

I stopped by the Y! offices in Manhattan to say hello, and Richard and Jim came up with this delicious and gentle moment.  You can tell that Mr. Hunter feels so nurtured in their arms.

New York City, New York

September 2005