This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Sunrises and Sunsets.’ See more responses here.
Let’s start with a sunset for a change. While waiting to go snorkeling from the beach at Mauna Kea Resort, the sunset was lovely, in the sky, the water, and on the sand.
Sunrise over Kohala Mountain can be a cloud-shrouded disappointment, but other times it is a wonder to behold.
Last weekend, there was an island-wide fishing tournament. I’d seen people camped out the day before the event, when I went on my walk around Upolu, but on the day, I was on the east side of the island.
This camp caught my eye for its location, at the foot of a steep, wooded cliff. I don’t know whether there’s a path to the spot or whether it’s only accessible by foot. Neither method looks easy, and it’s not a spot I’d want to be in if the winds picked up.
I have no idea how they fared, though they should get some points for bravery. In case you’re wondering, I didn’t enter the tournament, though if I had, I’d have been a strong candidate for dead last!
I don’t see sharks a lot, but when I do they’re usually Whitetip Reef Sharks, which are fairly common around the island. I’ve seen others, including a few Blacktip Reef Sharks, but haven’t got photos of them before.
A few days ago, snorkeling out of Lapakahi, this Blacktip Reef Shark emerged out of hazy waters, heading my way. When it saw me, it veered off to the side, zipped past, and continued on its way. The shark was no more than four feet long, but there was no mistaking it with those markings.
It was a short encounter, so I only took a few photos and, given the conditions, had no great hopes that the photos would be any good, or that the shark would even be in them! So I was pleased that this one shot turned out halfway decent.
This month’s Sunday Stills Color Challenge is ‘Pastels.’ See more responses here. Well, I couldn’t resist this headline, could I? It doesn’t look quite so bad when the colors fade to a kinder, gentler shade of purgatory.
These are from St Benedict’s Painted Church, on the slopes above Kealakekua Bay. Father John Velghe moved the church from the coast to its present site in 1899. Once it was rebuilt, he painted the interior as a mini cathedral with scenes from the bible adorning the walls. The paintings have faded over the years, but are still quite striking.
For more information about St Benedict’s Painted Church, go to https://thepaintedchurchhawaii.org/
I was taking photos of this Vriesea Bromeliad when I noticed the gecko doing its morning yoga. I believe this is the backward bending lizard pose.
This pair of Long-spined Urchins was attached to the front of the concrete ramp, in Kawaihae harbor, that the military uses to bring vehicles and supplies ashore to Pōhakuloa Training Area.
The small Indian mongoose is the poster child for bad ideas in Hawaii. Introduced back in the days of the sugar plantations, the idea was for them to get rid of the rats running rampant in the cane fields. Alas, rats are nocturnal, mongooses diurnal, so their paths only crossed on the shift change. Instead, the mongooses appreciated the absence of predators in Hawaii and the abundance of ground-nesting birds and were major reasons for the extinction of many native bird species.
They are most frequently seen running across roads, like big sausages with little legs. Closer up, there’s an intensity about them, as seen in this photo. I’ve had a couple of close encounters and have no wish to get into an altercation with one. I’d probably win, but would likely bear the scars of victory!
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 145. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.
Graham's Island 