Aloha and MAHALO!!!
- Thread starter WayneL333
- Start date
enchelycore808
Member
Aloha nui loa!
MikeandNicole
New member
Did you move or are you visiting?
Hey Wayne, What are you saying? I hope it means you're visiting Hawaii and I'll get to meet you in person.
freedive43
New member
Nice meeting you. See you in Denver.
WayneL333
New member
Hey everyone,
Sorry for the delay in posting in my own thread! Yes, I'm in Hawaii on a little spring break vacation with my family and I had the privilege and honor in finally meeting BOTH Rufus and Karen!
I met Rufus first at his home and facility and checked out his operation. On the day of my visit, he actually just got back from a collection trip. It was fascinating for me as a hobbyist to see the how the process begins with the collector. Anyway, Rufus was a very cool guy living my ideal life. I kind of found it funny that he had an empty tank sitting in his living room, never filled. But then again, when you have the ocean as your tank, everything else pales in comparison. He's a great cook too by the way and thanks again for your hospitality Rufus!
I met up with Karen the next day and all I spent the entire trip in awe of her work. I could barely comprehend her accomplishments and feats. It was truly amazing.
Here are a couple of pictures that I took. Sorry about the quality. I took them with my iPhone and the room was lit by natural lighting.
First, Jaws and Connie. Karen said they're usually hams for the camera but weren't being very cooperative. There was a beautiful Ventralis in the tank too.
Next are the Venusta and mystery Blonde. They were so cute! Karen said she had to start separating the baby Venustas because they were start showing aggression with each other.:
And lastly a video of Faith and Fabio. Faith has grown so much and looked very round(in a flattering way of course!) and happy. I'm sure she'll be producing babies soon. Fabio was a beast too. He and the Bandit were at least 5".
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Karen and I just spent most of the time sitting in front of her tank drinking a beer and me barraging her with a million questions. Rufus actually stopped by too.
Unfortunately the Bandits in the tank were too shy to show up in the pic. Thank you again Rufus and Karen for taking the time out to meet with me and making my trip insanely memorable!
Sorry for the delay in posting in my own thread! Yes, I'm in Hawaii on a little spring break vacation with my family and I had the privilege and honor in finally meeting BOTH Rufus and Karen!
I met Rufus first at his home and facility and checked out his operation. On the day of my visit, he actually just got back from a collection trip. It was fascinating for me as a hobbyist to see the how the process begins with the collector. Anyway, Rufus was a very cool guy living my ideal life. I kind of found it funny that he had an empty tank sitting in his living room, never filled. But then again, when you have the ocean as your tank, everything else pales in comparison. He's a great cook too by the way and thanks again for your hospitality Rufus!
I met up with Karen the next day and all I spent the entire trip in awe of her work. I could barely comprehend her accomplishments and feats. It was truly amazing.
Here are a couple of pictures that I took. Sorry about the quality. I took them with my iPhone and the room was lit by natural lighting.
First, Jaws and Connie. Karen said they're usually hams for the camera but weren't being very cooperative. There was a beautiful Ventralis in the tank too.
Next are the Venusta and mystery Blonde. They were so cute! Karen said she had to start separating the baby Venustas because they were start showing aggression with each other.:
And lastly a video of Faith and Fabio. Faith has grown so much and looked very round(in a flattering way of course!) and happy. I'm sure she'll be producing babies soon. Fabio was a beast too. He and the Bandit were at least 5".
<embed width="600" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullscreen="true" allowNetworking="all" wmode="transparent" src="http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf" flashvars="file=http%3A%2F%2Fvid9.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa89%2FWayneL333%2FIMG_1184_zps0c4cda13.mp4&title=">
Karen and I just spent most of the time sitting in front of her tank drinking a beer and me barraging her with a million questions. Rufus actually stopped by too.
Unfortunately the Bandits in the tank were too shy to show up in the pic. Thank you again Rufus and Karen for taking the time out to meet with me and making my trip insanely memorable!
Last edited:
aandfsoccr04
Active member
Well which one are you!?!?
Beautiful fish and looks like a great trip! I hope you have a wonderful time and make memories to last a lifetime!
Beautiful fish and looks like a great trip! I hope you have a wonderful time and make memories to last a lifetime!
That's wonderful! Glad you're enjoying your trip and are meeting up with new friends!
I'm so glad that Wayne was able to stop by! I thought he had come and gone already so was excited to get his call and have the opportunity to thank him in person for finding, babysitting and sending Faith our way.
It was a super fun visit since Wayne is so enthusiastic about our hobby and having Rufus and Sandra drop by was the icing on the cake.
I sure hope I have the chance to meet more of you Reef Centralers!
It was a super fun visit since Wayne is so enthusiastic about our hobby and having Rufus and Sandra drop by was the icing on the cake.
I sure hope I have the chance to meet more of you Reef Centralers!
WayneL333
New member
:wave:
I'm the guy in the middle with the smile ear to ear! And I did, thank you!
I'm the guy in the middle with the smile ear to ear! And I did, thank you!
WayneL333
New member
It was awesome meeting you too, and man I can't wait for Denver now. Mahalo!
WayneL333
New member
Hey Karen, if you ever figure out a way off the island that you're comfortable with and make over to California, please let me know. I'd love to reciprocate your hospitality. Mahalo!
WayneL333
New member
Thank you. It was definitely a very memorable visit!
WayneL333
New member
Thanks Denise and unfortunately no. I had planned to go today, our last day but instead I'm sitting in a dentist office waiting for an emergency root canal. Still best trip ever!
MikeandNicole
New member
Feel better!
