Cheshire Cat Photo Blog(...said the Cat: 'we're all mad here....')

De plane! De plane! Or maybe…

… De sailboat! De sailboat!

Those of you who follow “Larry, Prince of Darkness” might well wonder what he is up to, next. It turns out that Larry Ellison, Oracle Corporation‘s co-founder and CEO, has closed a deal to buy most of the Hawaiian Island of Lana’i for an undisclosed amount. (“Evil Hands Are Happy Hands“) Ellison has agreed to purchase 98% of the 141-square-mile island (which is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands by acreage) as confirmed by the statement today by the office of Hawai’i’s governor.

I can almost hear my friend Peter on Maui moaning, “There goes the neighborhood!” 😉

Billionaire David Murdock, who has owned 98 percent of the island since 1985, is selling the land after reportedly losing between $18 million and $25 million each year on the island. The state of Hawaii owns the other 2 percent of the island.

The Maui News reported that the asking price was between $500 million and $600 million, but the selling price was not revealed. There was a rumor that Ellison was competing with Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, for the property, since the Gates rented the whole island for the wedding in 1994. Those folks love to compete, and I could personally see Gates bidding for the island, even if he were not interested in it, just to irritate Ellison! 😉 Ellison already owns a house on the island. Heck, Gates might have wanted the island just to EVICT him!

In his statement, Governor Neil Abercrombe said:

“It is my understanding that Mr. Ellison has had a long standing interest in Lana’i.  His passion for nature, particularly the ocean is well known specifically in the realm of America’s Cup sailing. He is also a businessman whose record of community involvement in medical research and education causes is equally notable.”

“We look forward to welcoming Mr. Ellison in the near future.”

Whatever it takes to get him out of California…. If they could find some place offshore for Gates, that would be fine, too!

This MIGHT just be the first beneficial use of offshoring in high tech history! 😉

-Bill at

Cheshire Cat Photo™ – “Your Guide to California’s Wonderland™”

You can view higher-resolution photos at the Cheshire Cat Photo™ Pro Gallery on Shutterfly™, where you can also order prints and gifts decorated with the photos of your choice from the gallery. The Cheshire Cat Photo Store on Zazzle® contains a wide variety of apparel and gifts decorated with our images of California. All locations are accessible from here. LIKE Cheshire Cat Photo on Facebook here! If you don’t see what you want or would be on our email list for updates, send us an email at info@cheshirecatphoto.com.