Category Archives: Places

Touch and go

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A U.S. military plane practicing touch-and-goes at Upolu, Hawaii

I don’t get down to Upolu as much as I used to, but recently I headed down that way and saw this large military aircraft looping around the airstrip. It was practicing touch and goes. I managed to get there in time to see it go around a couple of times before heading back to base in Oahu. I’m not sure what kind of plane this was, but clearly one of the large transport aircraft of the U.S. military.

A U.S. military plane practicing touch-and-goes at Upolu, Hawaii
A U.S. military plane practicing touch-and-goes at Upolu, Hawaii

The Numbers Game #106

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A Zygonisia Cynosure Orchid blooms at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
A Zygonisia Cynosure Orchid.

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 228. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

The foliage of a Moon Valley plant
Moon Valley plant.
Billbergia pyramidalis.
Why we’re in the mess we’re in today!
Tropical stream.
Cat’s Whiskers.
A spider in its web.

A look back at 2025

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A humpback whale and her calf swim in the waters off Lapakahi Historical Park, Hawaii
This Humpback Whale encounter was probably the highlight of the year (here).

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Year in review.’ See more responses here. As usual, I’ve picked a photo from each of the past 12 months and included a link to the original post.

Lenticular clouds over Mauna Kea at sunrise
Sunrise over Mauna Kea (here).
A Monarch Butterfly on a leaf in Hawaii
A Monarch Butterfly on a leaf (here).
A Manta Ray swims by in the waters off Hawaii
A Manta Ray passes by (here).
View of Kilauea Eruption in May 2025
One of the many episodes of the current eruption at Kilauea (here).
A Japanese White-eye on Octopus Tree flowers in Hawaii
A Japanese White-eye on Octopus Tree flowers (here).
The interior of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Hawi, Hawaii
The interior of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Hawi (here).
A male Sonoran Carpenter bee in Hawaii
A male Sonoran Carpenter Bee (here).
Art and chairs in the waiting room of Hilo Benioff Medical Center in Hawaii
A waiting room at the Hilo Benioff Medical Center (here).
A child jumps into the ocean from a rock tower at Coconut Island, Hilo, Hawaii
Jumping into the ocean at Coconut Island, Hilo (here).
Horses frolicking at Paniolo Adventures on the Big Island, Hawaii
A kerfuffle in the corral at Paniolo Adventures (here).
An indigenous I'iwi honeycreeper in Hawaii
A native I’iwi bird (here).

Mural and reflections

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A mural and reflections at Kailua Kona airport, Hawaii

More airport reflections, this time at Kailua Kona airport. This mural figure is part of a huge project, consisting of eight 40-foot panels! The commission for the mural was awarded in October 2018, and it’s scheduled to be completed in 2027.

For more information about the mural, go to https://www.calleyoneill.com/KonaAirportMural.html

St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Honolulu

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A view of St. Andrew's Cathedral in Honolulu, Hawaii

St. Andrew’s was originally the seat of the Anglican Church in Hawaii, back in the days of the Hawaiian Kingdom. But when the United States turfed out the Hawaiian royalty and took over, the church became Episcopalian and remains so today.

The main part of the cathedral is on the other side of the tower. I took this view because I was walking by on this street and I liked the traditional look of the church contrasting with the tropical foliage!