Yesterday provided quite a contrast in emotions.

The morning spent with my mother who, at 98, is in hospice care and facing that final journey.

Then, in the late afternoon and evening, a party around the corner from our home in Kaaawa celebrating birthdays four generations apart.

Several hundred people gathered to celebrate Ward Lemn’s birthday, and the first birthday of the twin great-grandchildren who share his birthday (although, of course, a number of decades apart). It was, as always at the Lemn family home, quite a party.

Preparations, including catching, cleaning, and cooking a variety of fish, have been going on for well over a week. The tents and tables were in place by Friday morning. Decorations must have been done by menehunes, as the place was decked out beautifully.

Ward wore a jumpsuit made by his late wife back in the 1970s. The kids, and there are lots of them, were excited by it all. The young women dressed to kill. It made quite a statement.

The food was superb, although vegans were sort of on their own. The well-practiced cooking crew made it all look simple. And don’t confuse the pupu table, shown in several of the earlier photos in the sequence, from the dinner service that appears later. It was BYOB, which of course we did.

I’ve been the semi-official photographer for several of these big parties, and they keep getting better and better. I hope you enjoy the pictures and the cross-section of family and friends who present quite a portrait of Hawaii.

–> Click here to enjoy more photos from this celebration in Kaaawa