Cabin Sunrise

I took this when we were staying in one of the cabins at Bellows Beach a few weeks ago.  From left to right, Manana Island, Kaohikaipu Island, and Makapu'u Head can be seen rising from the water.  I love the stillness of a windward sunrise.  For more sky images from around the world, please check out Skywatch Friday.

R: Rain, Rain

We've had crazy amounts of rain this week on the windward side of Oahu.  Even though it was taken with an iPhone while my husband was speeding down the highway, I couldn't resist posting this drive-by photo of the waterfalls that spontaneously appear on the Ko'Olau Mountain Range for just a short time when there's a downpour. There must have been over a hundred waterfalls yesterday - twelve just in this shot alone . Such a stunning phenomenon!  For more 'R' photos, please visit ABC Wednesday.

Hermit Crabs

These little guys provide loads of fun for kids who like to climb around on the black lava rocks dotting the shores of many Oahu beaches.  Hunting for them, catching them, watching them peek in and out of their shells, letting them crawl around tickling little palms, and finally releasing them...

Our New Bundle of Joy!

Well, I've tried and failed numerous times now to get back to daily photo posting.  The truth is that  it's been one heck of a busy year in our household!  In ten months we doubled the number of kids we have, from two to four.  Last December we arrived home with our newly adopted 8 year old daughter.  Then just a few weeks later, we found out we were expecting a baby - major surprise!  Blogging has taken a backseat to many other things this year.  But baby boy was born in September and is happy, healthy, and beautiful.  He is not, however, a cooperative subject for photo shoots :).  This was about the best one I could get when I attempted some beach photos with him at Waimanalo. 

Scents of Paradise

Sweet-smelling Plumeria in dappled sunlight. 

A Summer To Remember

“And yet day and night meet fleetingly at twilight and dawn," he said, lowering his voice again and narrowing his eyes and moving his head a quarter of an inch closer to hers. "And their merging sometimes affords the beholder the most enchanted moments of all the twenty four hours. A sunrise or sunset can be ablaze with brilliance and arouse all the passion, all the yearning, in the soul of the beholder.” - Mary Balogh, A Summer to Remember.  For more sky photos from around the world, please visit Skywatch Friday.

E: Ele Ele

What does Ele Ele mean, you ask?  It is the Hawaiian word for black.  For today's ABC Wednesday meme, I cheated a little and posted a photo from Maui rather than from Oahu.  This was taken at the island's only black sand beach, at Wai'anapanapa Park.  For more 'E' photos please click HERE.

Close-Up Look

Wouldn't this be the coolest thing ever if you were a kid?

KBay Pier

The clouds over the Ko'Olau Mountain Range looked especially mystical on this day.  I stopped at the pier on Kaneohe Marine Corps Base to snap a few photos.  Often you can see amphibious landing craft parked here, but only fishermen dotted the docks this time. 

I Want To Revive The Photo Blog!

It has been SO very long since I even attempted to post on this blog.  We have had an incredible amount of change in our family and my focus has been there - it has been nearly all-consuming for several months.  But I am feeling ready to devote some time to sharing my love of the island once again.  So I'll start with this little babe.  I recently took newborn photos for my good friend, and to give them a Hawaiian flair we used some hibiscus and a giant elephant ear leaf.  We were both happy with the results.

Z: Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Zip-A-Dee-A
My oh my what a wonderful day
Plenty of sunshine headed my way
Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Zip-A-Dee-A!

Doesn't this just look like a place that evokes happiness, as the lyrics from this 1946 song were also meant to?  For more 'Z' photos please visit ABC Wednesday.

Kicking Up Sand

Two beautiful young sisters frolicking at Lanikai Beach.

Fascinating

One of the dolphins at Sea Life Park snorts water from her blowhole as she passes by.  I am fascinated by these animals - by how intelligent and social they are.  I never tire of watching them.

Dreamy

Orange sky, blue water, swaying palms - nature showing off it's splendor on Maui.

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

Ti

One of my favorite plants here in Hawaii is the Ti Plant (also called Ki or La'i).  I love both the red and green varieties, and they look striking planted together, especially when the sun shines through the leaves, highlighting all the striations.

The Ti Plant has historically had many uses in Hawaii, and throughout Polynesia:

- Its starchy rizomes, which are very sweet when the plant is mature, were eaten as food or as medicine.

- Its leaves were used to thatch the roofs of houses, and to wrap and store food.

- Leaves were also used to make items of clothing including skirts worn in dance performances. The Hawaiian hula skirt is a dense skirt with an opaque layer of at least 50 green leaves and the bottom (top of the leaves) shaved flat.

In ancient Hawaii the plant was thought to have great spiritual power; only kahuna (high priests) and ali'i (chiefs) were able to wear leaves around their necks during certain ritual activities.  

Ti leaves were also used to make lei, and to outline borders between properties it was also planted at the corners of the home to keep ghosts from entering the home or property. To this day some Hawaiians plant Ti near their houses to bring good luck.

The roots of the Ti plant were used as a glossy covering on surfboards in Hawaii in the early 1900s.

In Hawaii, Ti rhizomes are fermented and distilled to make okolehao, a liquor.

Two Daredevils

Wintertime means big waves on the North Shore.  A small part of me would love to be the camera-person you see in front of the surfer (but the other 99% of me would be terrified to stare up at a wall of water that big!).

Happy New Year!

Wishing my friends much Peace, Love, and Aloha in the coming year!

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...