The color of water

Small fish swim in Kiholo Lagoon in Hawaii
Little fish swim in the glacier blue waters of Kiholo Lagoon.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Everything Water.’ See more responses here.

I’m going with some abstract images from my archives. No text with these except for some brief captions.

Tufted Spiny Lobster

A Tufted Spiny Lobster scurries along in the waters off Hawaii

It’s fairly common to see lobster molts while snorkeling, but not live lobsters, since they’re mostly active at night. On a recent swim, I got down to the water earlier than usual and was rewarded by seeing two fairly lively Tufted Spiny Lobsters. The smaller of the two scooted amongst the rocks and never really came out into the open, but this larger one traveled a good distance over the sea floor before scuttling backwards under a ledge.

These lobsters are notable for the patches of blue at the base of their antennae and the pale stripes on their legs.

Konane game board

A Konane game board at Lapakahi, Hawaii

Kōnane is an old Hawaiian game with similarities to checkers or draughts but with more complications. It’s played on a board, or papamū, which can vary in size and material.

Older boards were often made in suitable rocks by creating hollows for the pieces to sit in. Sizes varied with most being rectangular with sizes such as a 14 by 17 configuration. The bigger the board, the longer the game. Game pieces were small pebbles of black lava and white coral. These days, wooden boards are common and some are made of cloth for portability. Square boards are more usual now such as an 8 by 8 configuration.

A Konane game board at Lapakahi, HawaiiA Konane game board at Lapakahi, Hawaii

These photos were taken at Lapakahi State Historical Park, which was the location of an old Hawaiian village. The papamū in the top photo and the slider was probably made relatively recently judging by the smooth hollows for the pieces, but the board in the bottom photo was probably used by inhabitants of the village and show that boards weren’t necessarily a regular shape. Such irregularities only added to the challenge of the game.

To play kōnane, the board is set up as in the photos with black and white pieces on alternating squares. A correctly set up board should show all one color pieces on a diagonal line. After colors are chosen and the first two pieces removed, players alternate turns in jumping over the other player’s piece or pieces, removing those that have been jumped. Moves can be made up, down, or to the side, but not on the diagonal or around corners. The object of the game is to be the last player to make a move.

Kōnane was hugely popular in Hawaii, but was frowned on by missionaries who disapproved of the unproductive time spent playing and the rampant gambling on games. These days, it’s becoming more popular again, with tournaments and online games being held.

For more information about kōnane, go to hawaiiancheckers.com.

A Konane game board at Lapakahi, Hawaii

Playgrounds

The pool at Kamehameha park in Kapaau Hawaii
The pool at Kamehameha Park in Kapaau.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Pets and Playgrounds.’ See more responses here. I’ve gone for the playgrounds part of this since I don’t have pets, unless you count the rat in the attic!

The shadow of a basketball hoop
Just waiting for the ball to drop.

As you might expect, I’ve managed to find seven photos with nary a single human at play in them. Most of the photos were taken at Kamehameha Park in Kapaau. However, I also stopped to take photos at a park in Waimea because I thought it was deserted, but I discovered there were a few kids with parents there. So I was careful lining up my photos. These days, an older guy taking photos in a kids’ park stands a good chance of being arrested or shot!

A water bottle left behind after a baseball game
After the ballgame.