No Words

A sunset this beautiful is self-explanatory!  For more sky photos from around the world, please visit Skywatch Friday.

M: Mermaid Sighting

I saw this beautiful girl taking a sunset swim near Chinaman's Hat Island last weekend and her pose, combined with her long flowing hair, reminded me of a mythical mermaid (she is actually my friend's daughter!).  For more 'M' photos please visit ABC Wednesday.

Family Saturday Series: Number Three

Goggles - check.  Goofy Grin - check!

 On your mark...

Get set...

GO!

I is for Icky!!

That's one of the words my daughter and her friend used to describe the handful of sea cucumbers they were able to touch at the Maui Ocean Center.  There was no one else around when this very nice lady in one of the tanks began gathering several varieties of sea cucumbers, sea stars, and other creatures for the girls to examine.  They loved it!  For more 'I' photos, please visit ABC Wednesday.

Tree of Life?

Well, maybe not, but I love the combination of  sun, water, and branches.  For more sky photos from around the globe, please visit Skywatch Friday.

Drops of Sunlight

It was a magical morning at Lanikai Beach, the kind that makes you feel like you are part of something special as you sit on the sand and watch the sunlight dance playfully on water that is so calm and clear it seems too good to be real.  For more sky photos from around the globe please check out Skywatch Friday.

Look! A Turtle!

We easily spotted over two dozen sea turtles (Honu) feeding on the algae at Papailoa Beach last weekend.  This guy was particularly friendly, and hung around in the protected waters where we played for at least an hour. 

Sandy Beach Wipeout

Sandy Beach is also affectionately known as "Breakneck Beach"  - a name it owes to the steep shoreline and powerful shorebreak which make it a dangerous place for inexperienced body surfers and boogie boarders.  There is no shortage of young daring guys willing to take on the waves though!  I like the expression on this guy's face - still smiling as he's crashing :)

U: Unnamed Beach

This area, now actually called "Unnamed Beach" was once part of Ko Olina Beach Park, but was cut off from it when the nearby marina was built.  Here is a description of it from one of my books:

"It often has unusual-looking waves (thanks to a sandstone bench that waves smack into and prevailing offshore breezes that push the tops of the waves backward)"  - Oahu Revealed

I recently sat on the sand here and watched the sunset, and that description exactly matched what I saw - I especially liked the way the wave tops were pushed back, creating a spray that glowed in the late afternoon light.

For more 'U' photos, please visit ABC Wednesday.

Spider Lily

These flowers grow in the grassy area just off the beach at Kalama.  I'm amazed that something so beautiful can thrive with no maintenance, in an area that is always exposed to salty air and high winds!

View From My Paddle Board - Number Seven

Ocean + Paddle Board = Free Therapy

For more sky photos from around the world, go check out Skywatch Friday.

Q: Quilt that was a steal!

I've been wanting a more traditional Hawaiian quilt for awhile, but they are very expensive and I'm way to "frugal" (or cheap, as my husband would say) to buy one new!  A few weeks ago I was one of the first people to arrive at a community yard sale, and I spotted this quilt with two matching shams for TWELVE dollars.  It was even yellow - perfect for my room.  I asked about the size - I was looking for a king, but she said it was a queen.  I bought it anyway, not even bothering to unfold it, as there were already two other women ready to immediately snatch it up off the table should I decide to set it down!  When I got home and unfolded it, I was very excited to see that it is actually a king size.  It's not perfect, has some minor fading, but for $12 it's close enough.  Score :)

For more 'Q' photos, please go check out ABC Wedensday.

Our Super Moon

I saw other photos of last weekend's super moon that looked quite impressive, but to be honest the moon didn't look much different to me than any other night out here on Oahu!  At any rate, here it is...

A Dog Named Chica

Cool Rims

I am always noticing the bicycles around town, especially the beach cruisers, because many of them are personalized or just more colorful than the average bike.  This bright orange rims on this one caught my eye.  There is one particular bike that I've spotted several times in Kailua when I didn't have my camera with me.  It's completely covered in artificial flowers - I hope to post of pic of it one day!

Dusk at Ala Moana

Sitting on the sand at Ala Moana Beach Park, just after sunset.  For more sky photos from around the world, please visit Skywatch Friday!

Shipping Containers Stacked High

"Hawaii is the most isolated population center on the face of the earth. Hawaii is 2,390 miles from California; 3,850 miles from Japan; 4,900 miles from China; and 5,280 miles from the Philippines" (www.50states.com).

I actually think about this sometimes, and marvel at the efforts required to move enough goods here to sustain over 900,000 people on our island alone.  Here are some more interesting facts:

 Honolulu Harbor offers cargo vessels and commercial interests over 200 acres of container yards, more than 30 berth facilities, and over FIVE miles of mooring.  In 2005 Honolulu Harbor accommodated over 500 thousand cruise ship passengers and handled $3.3 billion US in imports and over $200 million US in exports. Major cargoes handled through Honolulu Harbor include automobiles, overseas cargos, breakbulk, general cargo, dry and liquid bulk, and petroleum products. Among the most frequent cargoes are general merchandise, scrap metal, lumber, vehicles, sugar, molasses, chemical products, cement, diesel, fuel oil, jet fuel, and gasoline (from World Port Source).

Amazing!

O: Oma'oma'o

Oma'oma'o is the Hawaiian word for green, and it's the word that comes to mind when I see this view.  I snapped this while eating at Haleiwa Joe's in Kaneohe.  For more 'O' photos, go check out ABC Wednesday.

Layers

I like the different colors and textures here - soft green leaves, rough grey bark, and crunchy brown leaves. 

Fried Bananas

This is my favorite roadside stand on the island - it's across the street from Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore, and they sell all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Every time we drive by (which isn't that often) I have to get a fried banana... probably the most unhealthy thing they have :)

Fireball

The sun looks like a giant beach ball on the horizon, as if it's just about to bounce off of the dark water and back into the sky.  Of course, it didn't bounce, just kept slipping beneath the horizon :)  For more sky photos from around the world, please visit Skywatch Friday. 

Got Milk?

I just like the colors of these old milk jugs at the keiki petting farm in the Honolulu Zoo (I prefer chocolate soy milk and vanilla almond milk myself though!).

N: New (RED!) Shoes

I saw this older gentleman and his dog resting on the trail to Ka'ena Point.  He was very conservatively dressed in his overalls and hat on this very hot day, but what caught my eye were his brand new bright red tennis shoes :)  For more 'N' photos, please go check out ABC Wednesday.

Kailua Town Hula

At a hula performance here in town.  I love her smile - to me it is the embodiment the aloha spirit!

Ahhh, Spring!

It's in full bloom - in my dining room, that is!  There's no way tulips would grow in my hot, dry, sandy yard, so the next best thing is a vase full of them on my table.  Happy Monday!

Field Trip - Hawaiian Style

I spent most of my day here, at Baby Makapu'u Tidepools, with my daughter's kindergarten class.  Watching a bunch of 5-6 year olds wading through the shallow water, turning over the rocks in the tidepools and then shrieking with delight at their discoveries - hermit crabs, sea cucumbers, even a starfish - was a lot of fun for me.  And the water...well, it was that stunning shade of turquoise that almost takes your breath away as you round the curve of the road and the sea stretches out before you!

For more sky images from around the world, please visit Skywatch Friday.

Solitude

That's what comes to mind when I look at this photo.  As I walked past the fisherman at sunrise, it was obvious that he'd been there for hours.  He had a little tent set up and coffee brewing on his camp stove.  Imagine sitting out there in the darkness, with only crashing waves and the occasional biting fish to keep you company!

U'i

Some of the beautiful ladies of the Hano Hano No Akua Ka Hula Hula halau.  This was taken right after their Easter sunrise performance yesterday, which was quite moving. 

Happy Easter!

Collecting Seashells by the Seashore

Two little friends collect sticks and shells on the beach after a sunrise hula service.  I love the morning light here, and the breathtaking backdrop that the Ko'olau mountain range provides when the clouds ascend and hover just above its peaks.  For more sky photos from around the world, please go visit Skywatch Friday.

L: Lizard Love

Saw this pair when I was weeding my flower bed the other day.  Like so many other animals, the camouflaging ability of these reptiles amazes me!  For more 'L' photos go check out ABC Wednesday.

A told B and B told C...

“Dare, double dare, you can’t catch me.  I’ll beat you to the top of the coconut tree.”  Whenever I see this photo, it reminds me of a popular children's book - anyone remember it?

Sunday Afternoon Sail

Love the red sail on this canoe!

Lanikai Dogs, #2

This fellow and his owner emerged from a quick swim this morning at Lanikai.  He was a handsome dog - he had the face and markings of a bird dog, and the size, body shape, and speed of a greyhound!

Are you ever mesmerized by a sunset?  I am, it's one of my favorite things - sitting in the sand, feeling its last warming rays on my skin before the sun slips below the horizon, listening to the waves as they curl and break so rhythmically - for me, that's Hawaii.  For more sky images from around the world, please visit Skywatch Friday.

Ethereal

After a good rain, dozens of tiny waterfalls appear and cascade down the Ko'Olau Mountain Range for only a few hours - to me, it is always a magical sight!  In the bottom left corner of the photo you can see the Tetsuo Harano tunnels which cut through the mountain, carrying traffic on the H-3 from the windward side and leeward side of the island. 

K: Keiki Fun

Keiki (the Hawaiian word for children) having a great time riding the waves in their rings :)  Did you ever do this as a kid?  I used to love going to the beach with my brother and cousins, where we'd spend what seemed like hours doing this same thing on our floats.  For more 'K' photos please go check out ABC Wednesday.

Catch Your Breath

A pair of hikers stop to rest on one of the ridge-line trails above Kailua.  I liked the way their coordinating black clothing contrasted with the green landscape around them :)

Snowing...in Hawaii??

No, not really (but we did have a very nasty storm that involved some HUGE hail last Friday!  Apparently, it's a once-in-a-lifetime kind of event here in the islands). 

I've been MIA from my blog for over a month now, so some of you may have been wondering if I was swept out to sea!  I took a trip to Ukraine for a couple of weeks - which is where this photo was taken.  Since returning I feel like I've been playing catch-up, juggling company from the mainland, and just living life.  I'm ready to get back to posting now though, and I have a LOT of reading to do on my friends' blogs :)

Aloha!

Something Different

I am not normally into altering images - maybe a few basic fixes in iPhoto - but no drastic post processing.  Well, that may be about to change ;)  I recently found a few free downloads that I like, and one of them is Pixlr.  I used it to give this photo a more worn, vintage feel with the "dirt" application!  While this stuff is fun and I just love seeing the ways that others use applications to do really cool things, I think that I will ultimately remain more of a purist (even if that makes me more boring in the photography world)!

What downloads  or programs do you like to use for image alteration?

Winter Hike

The nice thing about doing sunrise hikes in Hawaii during the winter is that sunrise isn't until just after 7am (as opposed to just after 5:00am in the summer)!  Hawaii does not participate in Daylight Savings.  This was taken on a trail above Kailua and Lanikai - you can see one of the WWII pillboxes, with tiny Flat Island and Ulupa'u Head in the distance.  For more sky photos from around the world, please visit Skywatch Friday.

Friendly Reminder

I recently saw this t-shirt that the coaches in the AYSO soccer program are wearing for winter season...and it kind of cracks me up :)  However, I do think it's a nice way to get the parents in the right frame of mind as they show up for their kids' games. 

Bejeweled

I took this photo on one of my visits to the Byodo-In Temple.  I don't know what she signifies, but I thought the statue was interesting to look at (and my daughter loved all of her "jewels"!).

Un-Named Beach

Yes, that is really the name of this obscure strip of sand near Kapolei!  Surely someone should come up with something more creative.  But if you are looking for a spot to watch the sunset in solitude, this is one of several options on the island.  I think visitors are kept to a minimum here because  it's very hard to find and it fronts an industrial area.  I'm a little late posting, but for more sky images from around the globe please visit Skywatch Friday.

C: Can You See It From Here?

I snapped this bird's eye view of the offshore islands from the top of Makapu'u Lighthouse Trail.  In the foreground is Kaohikaipu Island, and rising up behind it is Manana (Rabbit) Island.  Farther in the distance are the Moku-lua, or twin islands as they are also called.  In the background you can see Ulu-pa'u Head with the islet of Mokolea off of its shore.  If you look to your left from this spot the VIEW of the Ko'Olau Mountain Range is equally stunning.  For more 'C' photos, please visit ABC Wednesday.