Category Archives: Places

Not again!

A Great Frigatebird flies along the North Kohala Coat, Hawaii

Yesterday, I was walking along the coast, head down, into a stiff breeze, when a shadow fell over me and then on the ground ahead. I had to laugh. It had been a while since this had happened to me. It was the unmistakable large shadow of a Great Frigatebird. I grabbed my camera out of the bag, and wrestled it into action, knowing as I did so that I wouldn’t get any decent photos.

The bird passed probably 10- or 15-feet overhead. By the time I took this photo it was way ahead, even into the wind. Then it dipped down closer to the water and I didn’t see it again.

Great Frigatebirds are prodigious flying machines and they appear effortless in their flight. Had I seen it earlier, it would likely have changed course earlier. But I suspect it’s not an accident when they pass directly overhead. I think they’re just winding me up!

The Numbers Game #46

A curtained bed at Kohanaiki Beach Club, Hawaii
One of the amenities at Kohanaiki Beach Club.

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

The front of Chaba's Joy Cafe in Kapaau, Hawaii
Chaba’s Joy Cafe in Kapaau,
A Carolina green anole shedding in Hawaii
A green anole having a little trouble shedding.
A close up of taillight of a Honda Metropolitanscooter
The back end of a Metropolitan scooter.
Skydivers over Upolu, Hawaii
Tandem skydivers earthbound.
A bee scrambles over a clover flower
A bee on clover flowers.
Hawaiian stilts at Kohanaiki Beach Park in Hawaii
A pair of Hawaiian Stilts, the one on the left sitting on a nest.

Mules

Three mules in a pasture near Pololu, Hawaii

When I went out to Pololu a week or so ago, I saw these mules in a field behind a food stop. I had to climb on a gate for the top photo, taking the fence mostly out of the equation, with the added benefit of attracting the mules’ attention. By the time I took the second photo, the very next shot, the thrill had clearly worn off for them.

Two mules in a pasture near Pololu, Hawaii

What comes down, must go up

A surfer off Keokea Beach Park, Hawaii

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Bucket List Images.’ See more responses here.

I’ve never had a bucket list, but if I did, being able to do this might be on it. However, if I tried this now, I suspect all that would happen with the bucket is that I would kick it.

How did he get there? See the slide show below.

  • A surfer off Keokea Beach Park, Hawaii
  • A surfer off Keokea Beach Park, Hawaii
  • A surfer off Keokea Beach Park, Hawaii
  • A surfer off Keokea Beach Park, Hawaii

Raccoon Butterflyfishes

Racoon Butterflyfishes in the waters of Honaunau Bay (Two Step), Hawaii
Racoon Butterflyfishes in the waters of Honaunau Bay (Two Step), Hawaii

Last week, my wife and I fled Hawi in the wee hours of the morning to avoid being trapped at home by the Ironman race. The cycling portion of the race goes past our driveway and the road was closed from 7:00am to 3:00pm.

Our first destination was Two Step, more properly known as Honaunau Bay. Arriving before 6:30am, we were the first people there and had the bay to ourselves for a short while. It’s a great spot for snorkeling as it’s generally fairly calm, and the area is a marine reserve, which means the various kinds of fishing aren’t allowed. Experience has shown that fish in marine reserves are less skittish, which makes them easier to see and photograph.

These Raccoon Butterflyfishes are a good example of that. I see them elsewhere, hanging in the water, but if I approach they ease away from me. At Two Step, the fish stay where they are. I’ve had one or two come right up to me, presenting a different photographic challenge as they butt my camera housing.

This small school was drifting above the steep slope bordering the deeper part of the bay.

Kamehameha Park playground

A new playground at Kamehameha Park in Kapaau, Hawaii

There’s a new playground in town, specifically at Kamehameha Park in Kapa’au. The official opening is Saturday, but I took a sneak peek yesterday.

A new playground at Kamehameha Park in Kapaau, Hawaii

The playground was surrounded by orange tape so I couldn’t get a close look, but my first impression was that I was glad I wasn’t a kid anymore. I didn’t see a thing I’d know what to do with! The story that alerted me to the new playground noted it “features new tactile and interactive elements, challenging climbing structures, and various spinners and swings.” Some of the pieces looked like things that could cause a good deal of pain. Others suggested it would be handy to have a jaws-of-life nearby.

A new playground at Kamehameha Park in Kapaau, Hawaii

No, if I was a kid I’d probably end up sitting on the ground, rubbing my arm against the synthetic turf, to see how long it took before I caught fire.

Posted for Bushboy’s Last on the Card (top photo). See more responses here.