Let’s start the new year with the sun coming up behind the Kohala Mountains and a Happy New Year to all.
Posted in response to Becky’s January Squares challenge theme of ‘Up.’ See more responses here.
Sunup over Kohala
Author Archives: Graham
The sun sets on 2020
As the sun sets on this strange, unhappy year, here’s a photo of a more tranquil sunset. The long, low island on the left is Kahoʻolawe, with Lānaʻi visible just to the right of it. The southern coast of Maui is on the right.
Cow with new calf
I saw this cow with her new calf on my way to my daily walk. Newborn calves tend to have a similar look about them. They’re very clean and bright and they have no idea what’s going on. They get on their feet pretty quickly, but there’s a shaky period until they figure out what legs are and how they work. They don’t stray far from their mothers, particularly when there’s a strange two-legged creature in the vicinity. And they can’t go long before they collapse and need to rest.
Mind you, compared to how I was as a child, they’re positively turbo-charged in their development.
Signs: Tsunami hazard zone
The coastal regions of Hawaii are dotted with tsunami warning signs. Basically, any place within reach of a tsunami gets a sign.
I came across this sign while hiking the Puna Coast Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It stood out as a dot of color in a field of lava and scrubby grasses. What I liked about the sign was its sage advice ‘In case of earthquake, immediately go to high ground or inland.’ At this spot, the high ground is inland, so that kills two birds with one stone.
On the other hand, getting to that high ground inland involves scrambling over a mile or more of rough lava. Also, if the earthquake was big enough, it might just mean that you could encounter lava from a new eruption heading down to the coast to meet you. The sign doesn’t offer any advice on what to do then!
For more information about Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, go to nps.gov/havo/.
Cool bus
I wasn’t paying too much attention to this vehicle as I drove behind it in Kailua Kona. It had typical school bus shape, colors, and lettering, a bit rougher looking than most perhaps, but then some are. But it finally dawned on me that the lettering wasn’t in poor shape; it was deliberate. That’s when I looked closer and saw what was in the back windows.
A converted school bus, someone’s RV or mobile home, and not that cool to be honest.
A bird of paradise flower, comrades
The sixth year of this blog starts with a photo I took to isolate a bird of paradise flower against the blue sky. But when I looked at it, my first thought was that it looked like some kind of Soviet emblem from the days of the Cold War, possibly something associated with the space race or armaments.
The only thing that rules that out is that the flower is far too colorful for that kind of thing. Perhaps the version below would be more appropriate. Onward comrades to Year 7.
Decorated tree
A week or so ago, I saw a small group of people decorating this dead tree alongside the main highway a couple of miles shy of Hawi. Lavished with tinsel and ornaments, it might be this tree’s last hurrah in the world, but what a way to go!
Christmas year-round
In Hawaii, snorkelers get to celebrate Christmas year-round thanks to the Christmas wrasse. I’m not sure why it got that name – it has others – but I suspect it has to do with its colorful appearance. Regardless, I’m sure it would like to join me in wishing everyone a happy Christmas.
Graham's Island 