The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 748. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.
I was swimming on the morning of July 4th when I saw these four Eagle Rays ahead. The three closer ones were clearly younger pups and had a good deal of curiosity about the big, clumsy creatures they’d encountered.
They were quick to show how good they were at swimming, curving around in graceful arcs, diving and soaring effortlessly.
Back and forth they went, swimming quite close at times. In the meantime, the fourth ray, which I think was probably the mother, hung around at a discreet distance, monitoring the situation. I imagined her thinking, ‘We’re never going to get anywhere if those three don’t get a move on.’
This week’s Sunday Stills color challenge theme is ‘Red, White, & Blue.’ See more responses here.
Yesterday marked the 250th anniversary of Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States of America. This photo encompasses some of how Hawaii came to be part of this nation.
The statue is of King Kamehameha 1. He was born in Kohala and was the Aliʻi (chief) who, in 1795, united all the Hawaiian islands under one ruler. This rule, under him and his successors, lasted until 1893. It was overthrown in a coup by the ‘Committee of Safety,’ who were mostly of U.S. descent, and supported by the U.S. military. The Committee declared a Republic of Hawaii with the intent of having the U.S. taking over, which it duly did in 1898. It remained a territory of the U.S. until August 21, 1959 when it became the 50th state.
The flag on the left is the USA’s stars and stripes. On the right is Hawaii’s state flag, featuring the British Union Jack in the top corner. That’s there because of the British influence with the Hawaiian royalty. This dates back to Captain James Cook, who was the first European to make contact with the Hawaiians. Subsequently, British advisors and support helped the Hawaiian Kingdom come about and survive. There’s a story that in 1812, when the U.S. and Britain were at war, King Kamehameha designed this flag with elements of both nations’ flags, so as not to offend either. Alas, there’s no evidence for this assertion!
So how do Hawaiians feel about celebrating July 4th? Well, I’m not Hawaiian, but any day that’s a public holiday is welcomed, and any excuse to set off fireworks is popular too, though it was surprisingly quiet here last night! I know some Hawaiians who served in the U.S. military who are proud of being part of the U.S.. I also know there are others who want to see Hawaii restored as an independent nation. No doubt, there are many in between. However, I don’t expect to see the return of the Hawaiian Kingdom any time soon.
Kohanaiki Beach Park is known locally as Pine Trees and is a popular surf spot. But even when there’s decent surf, there will almost always be spots where toddlers can dip their toes into the water.
When I’m in the water and taking photos of things out of the water, I’m never sure whether there’s water on the camera housing. In this case, these three drops appeared in the photo, but I kind of like it!
A Sailfin Tang showing why they have that name.
I saw this trailer parked in one of the small cemeteries in Hawi and immediately wondered what they were putting in there. It’s not refrigerated so I hope it’s not what I first thought of!
Posted for Bushboy’s Last on the Card. See more responses here.
The flower of a Brazilian Red-cloak (Megaskepasma erythrochlamys). Posted for Terri’s Flower Hour. See more responses here.
Graham's Island 