Category Archives: Places

Mauna Ulu

A view of Mauna Ulu crater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
A view of Mauna Ulu crater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Burlywood.’ (See more responses here.) It’s a color I’d never heard of before, apparently a shade of khaki. I’ve gone for some photos of Mauna Ulu, a crater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

The Mauna Ulu eruption took place between 1969 and 1974 and transformed the landscape of the park. A good guide to the eruption can be found here. These days, it’s a quiet area and plants have gained a foothold in the main crater, though the slopes are still mostly barren. And it’s those slopes, seen from the air, that have a pronounced khaki, or burlywood color.

For more information about Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, go to nps.gov/havo/.

A view of Mauna Ulu crater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Living in the past

The King Kamehameha I statue in Honolulu

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Images Inspired by Favorite Song Lyrics.’ See more responses here.

My final post on this theme is a photo with some history. This is the statue of King Kamehameha I in Honolulu. It’s appropriate for the old Jethro Tull song, Living in the Past. It also works for a favorite of mine, History Repeating by Propellorheads, with guest vocals by Shirley Bassey of all people! And for a final song, how about William Shatner singing(?) Has Been. I have a few William Shatner songs which feature on bad song compilations, but Has Been is actually a pretty good album in my book and speaks well to Shatner’s good humor when it comes to music.

Hawi humpback whale tail art

Artwork on a fence in Hawi, Hawaii

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Images Inspired by Favorite Song Lyrics.’ See more responses here.

Day two of this theme response is a photo that fits three quite different songs I like: Mountain’s Nantucket Sleighride, 10cc and their classic Art for Art’s Sake, and Steeleye Span with Let Her Go Down, even though this is a track that doesn’t feature the distinctive voice of Maddy Prior.

Better Days: Spencer Beach Park building

An old building at Spencer Beach Park, Hawaii

This building at Spencer Beach Park is typical of how structures were built here in days gone by. A post and pier foundation raised it off the ground, keeping it relatively free from ground crawling bugs and improving air circulation around and into the building. Single board walls and single pane windows were the norm – not much need for insulation here. And it’s all topped by a corrugated iron roof.

This one has fallen into disrepair however, though it’s possible it’s still used for storage of some kind. Time, or a big storm, are likely to end even that option.

Sign of a brush fire

Smoke from a brush fire clouds the early morning sky

This is an early morning view of smoke from a brush fire burning south of Waimea. The fire started on Friday morning and high winds, up to 40 mph, caused it to grow rapidly. On Saturday, 8,000 acres were reported burned by noon and 12,000 acres at 5 pm. Sunday morning, at 11 am, that figure had jumped to 36,000 acres and by 1:30 pm was around 40,000 acres.

The fire jumped Highway 190 on Sunday afternoon, prompting an evacuation order for Waikoloa Village, a community with more than 6,000 residents. This order was later lifted as conditions changed and the immediate threat to the community eased.

As of Monday evening, the fire, while not fully contained, had at least been brought somewhat under control and its surge stopped, though a renewal of high winds could easily change all that.

Posted for Bushboy’s Last on the Card photo challenge. See more responses here.