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 :)