Author Archives: Graham

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About Graham

I take photos when I'm out and about, recording life on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Firehose of lava

This week’s Friendly Friday challenge theme is ‘Dramatic.’ See more responses here.

I’ve opted for a dip into the archives for this challenge. Two years ago, lava from Kilauea Volcano’s Pu’u O’o vent reached the ocean, tumbling down a cliff into the water. One day, the cliff collapsed, leaving the lava shooting out of a hole high up in the new cliff. This was called the firehose of lava because that’s what it looked like.

I first learned about it when I saw a video of the lava firehose on one of the news channels. What impressed me was that it was really hard to to see that it was a video. The flow was so strong and so consistent that it looked like a photograph. It was only by looking closely at the edges of the firehose that I could make out spatters of moving lava.

I headed down to the volcano, to take at look at this phenomenon, the day after I saw the video and was duly impressed by the dramatic scene. It was well worth the trip and well worth my quick visit. The following day another cliff collapse moved the firehose back and out of sight from the observation areas.

These are two photos from that visit. More photos can be seen in previous posts here, here, here, and here.

Cement tanks at sunrise

When people think about Hawaii, one of the things that comes to mind is wonderful sunsets and sunrises, such as this one, with the sun rising over the cement tanks. Well, maybe not that last bit, but that’s what’s happening here, the cement tanks in question being at the port in Kawaihae. And it was still a lovely sunrise.

Ramshot croton

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Yellow Autumn or Leaves.’ (See more offerings here.)

These leaves might not be Autumnal, but they still feature a good portion of yellow. They’re ramshot crotons (Codiaeum variegatum) and I don’t know if this is why they got their name, but the shape of the leaves is reminiscent of rams’ horns.

Farm stands

There’s a good deal of small scale agriculture on the Big Island. Many of these enterprises grow fruits and vegetables, which are sold to local restaurants, grocery stores, and at farmers markets. Several of these small farms also sell direct to the public. One or two have setups much like regular stores, but most have small farm stands.

The farm stands operate on the honor system. Fruits and veggies are displayed, a price list is posted, often on a chalk board, and buyers leave their money in some kind of small cash box. I don’t know how often those cash boxes are emptied, but even if it’s only once a week, no one’s going to make a killing by stealing one. There’s rarely a lot on offer at these smaller stands, but what there is is fresh, organic, reasonably priced, and very local.

Posted in response to this week’s Friendly Friday challenge on the theme of ‘Fruit.’ See more responses here.