Inouye

I was not very familiar with Daniel Inouye until about two years ago, when he spoke at a Japanese heritage function in Portland. Senator Inouye has one of the most recognizable speaking voices you'll ever hear. His face and voice become more familiar to me as I watched Ken Burns' documentary series "The War" on Oregon Public Broadcasting back in late 2007. His stories of World War II left me mesmerized. I knew him more from that moving series than from his long tenure as Hawaii's premier nationally recognized leader. I told him that, too. While my interest in the Tribal Leadership Forum was naturally high anyway, his presence ended up cementing my decision to attend. The Forum administrator's indicated that his speech would be made availabe online in the near future.
As for the fire, the photos don't quite capture how cool looking the fireplace was, with the flames being breathed out of the dark pebbles.