Randy L. Prothero - Hawaii REALTOR®

Roger Wilf is the home instructor I have used and trusted on majority of the transactions that I represented buyers. Roger is extremely good at what he does. A few of us call him inspector gadget. His brief case has meters and probes that can check things most inspectors would miss or not know how to check.

Roger is a retired Army Warrant Officer. After getting out of the Military he had a construction company servicing our area and built a nice business. He built relationships with several area real estate companies. The last few years he re-focused his business to just doing home inspections. His knowledge of local construction gave him a great advantage in that arena.

Recently Roger and his wife Lynn decided they would be retiring and moving to Florida to be closer to family. Roger's home that he rebuilt is now in escrow and there are getting ready to make the big move.

Roger will be a big loss to us and our community. Even though there are several good home inspectors in the area; it will be hard to fill his shoes.

Aloha Roger, good luck in retired life!

My schedule has been so busy the last couple of years, that I never seem to enjoy quality time in Hawaii.

The other day I made a commitment to change that. I bought a couple of sets of snorkels, masks and fins.

Today my oldest son Daniel and I hit the North Shore of Oahu. After about 15 minutes or so in the water, 3 large sea turtles decided to join us. They and a school of various tropical fish seemed to want to hang out with us. My son Daniel who is born and raised here never had an experience like that.

I used to skin dive regularly when I was younger. In those days you never saw a sea turtle. Since making them a protected species, they are easily seen almost everywhere in the islands.

After a nice visit to the beach, we took a nice drive through historic Haleiwa. Now that is what I call a day in paradise.

I made a commitment that from now on I will keep snorkeling equipment in the car and when the opportunity arises, we will take an hour and hit the water.

Aloha to all and Have a safe July 4^th.

While listening to the news the other morning I heard something that caught my attention.

But first a little background.

After flying between the Hawaiian Islands for more than 60 years Aloha Airlines filed bankruptcy for the second time in last few years. It flew its last passenger flight Monday. They shut down with over 400,000 outstanding tickets. They did not have a count of how many passengers were stranded, but they acknowledged about 700 were at the airport trying to get home.

1900 of there 3500 employees saw their last day on Monday. The word came down on the weekend and it happened that fast.

Now here is the part that caught my attention. The news reporter listed fierce competition and rising fuel costs as primary reasons for their financial problems. He further suggested that the lending industry crisis as the cause for their closing.

The story behind the story was that when Aloha Airlines got into financial problems a couple of years ago, there were many interested buyers for their company. They successfully went through reorganization and avoided the need to sell. In this round they had to sell to save themselves. The roadblock they faced was the potential buyers now are facing difficulty getting the needed financing to make the purchase. The mortgage industry problems were cited as the reason for Aloha not being able to secure a qualified buyer.

In a related story, the purchase of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Waikiki is in jeopardy citing the same reason.

While growing up in Chicago we always looked forward to the weather warming up, the plants blooming and the birds returning. Spring was a wonderful time of year when we were children. The days got longer and summer vacation was just around the corner.

Spring was also a time of renewal for homes. Spring cleaning was an annual event for most families. Getting rid of the items no longer used, putting away the winter wardrobes, scrubbing and airing out our home were among the tradition. After several months of hibernating we looked forward to the fresh breezes with the smell of flowers circulating through our home. Spring was an exciting time when I was a youngster.

As a young adult I moved to Hawaii. There are many reasons I decided to make Hawaii my home. One of them was that every day is Spring. We have warm sun and ocean year round. The smell of flowers is always in the air. I only have one wardrobe (no suits and ties). All of the things we loved as children about Spring can be enjoyed year round.

The people of Hawaii are different. In general they are much friendlier; what we fondly refer to as the "Aloha Spirit." Race, ethnicity and diversity are things that we see as our strengths, not challenges. For example my neighbors are from just about every race, nationality and religion you can think of and we are all good friends. With a population of about one million you would expect a big city mindset. It really does not exist. On our island of Oahu, everyone seems to know everyone. No matter where I go on the island I run into folks I know and get greetings from not only them, but from almost everyone I come in contact with.

We fondly refer to Hawaii as living in Paradise. Not just the natural beauty and weather give Hawaii that label. It is also the people. The combination of both that makes it Paradise and everyday Spring in Hawaii.

I am writing this post during the afternoon rounds of The Hawaii State Scholastic Chess Championships. My good friend Guy and I are running the Championships in the big hall at Windward community college in Kaneohe, Hawaii.

Last evening we had two rounds for high school only. Today we are running all five sections. K-3, K-6, K-8 & K-12. The K-12 section has more time on their clocks, thus the reason for the extra day to complete all six rounds. This years high school section has become quite exciting. Pearl City High School and Punahou have dominated this division for the last several years. This year Mililani High School has joined them as a serious contender. Lead by 2-time National Champion Robert Lau and Ryan Palomares who has several State Champions titles himself. Filling out their ranks is my step son Daniel Macalino (offensive line for the football team) and our neighbor Daniel Strickland (wide receiver and former rugby player from New Zealand). Both Daniels are making a strong showing in the event. Mililani High School has never won the state title in the history of the school. Their top three players are 2-juniors and 1-freshman.

After the first 4 rounds Mililani High School and Punahou are tied for first place with 2-rounds to go. Both Robert Lau and Ryan Palomares are undefeated with scores of 4-0 each. In the fifth round they are matched up with tough opponents who also have state titles under their belts. The tournament looks to finish in a tight race.

In the K-8 Division, Mililani Middle School is leading after 4 of 6 rounds, hoping to also win their first state title in school history also.

In the K-3 Division my youngest son Jacob who is a 1^st grader has a score of 3-1 and is fighting to finish in the top 1^st grade spot. Last year he won the Kindergarten title. This year the competition has gotten much tougher.

The final standings will be posted at: http://www.hawaiichess.org/