Category Archives: Places

After the fire

Land burned by a brush fire near Spencer Beach Park, Hawaii

A few days ago, I headed out on the trail from Spencer Beach Park to Mau’umae Beach Beach. I was curious to see how far last month’s brush fire, that burned near Mauna Kea Resort, had reached down by the ocean. A hundred yards into the walk the answer became clear. It reached the shore. Spencer Beach Park was untouched, but the woods on the edge of the park are one tree deep in places.

Land burned by a brush fire near Spencer Beach Park, Hawaii

I walked back to Spencer on the service road, a quarter mile inland. The power line ran along the ground or was draped in blackened trees. There was a clump of poles and other supplies in one spot, ready for restoring service.

Powerline down following a brush fire near Spencer Beach Park, Hawaii
Power poles and other supplies waiting to be used after a brush fire in Hawaii
A high voltage sign on lumber being used after a fire in Hawaii

The vehicle access road to Mau’umae Beach beach is closed now, as two small wooden bridges were destroyed in the fire. Currently, and for the foreseeable future, the only access to the beach will be along the coast trail from Spencer. It’s only a 15 minute walk, but that’s often enough to discourage people from going there.

A view towards Mau’umae Beach after a brush fire in Hawaii

Tree down

A tree blown over in Hawaii

Since the big windstorm of a few weeks ago, I’ve seen a number of Kiawe trees looking like this, on their sides with a disc of roots and dirt exposed. They’ll get cut up and probably used for smoke meat, but it will take a while to clear all of them. This one was below the trail at Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site in Kawaihae.

Relax and sit a while

A covered lanai in Hawaii

Looks very inviting, doesn’t it? A covered lanai in the late afternoon sun with a comfy, rattan sofa to relax on. The lanai above this is even more inviting, with a view toward Maui, currently blocked by trees.

But this is my neighbor’s old house, currently unoccupied and falling further into disrepair, with broken windows and a floor collapsing. I’d be leery of sitting on this sofa for fear of what’s living in it or that it might collapse. There’s also a chance that the hot tub on the upper lanai, could end up dropping on your head.

So perhaps, like many things these days, this is an invitation best experienced virtually.

Cattle Egret on a snag

A cattle egret on a snag on the Big Island Hawaii
A cattle egret takes off from a snag on the Big Island Hawaii

Cattle Egrets are usually seen flying or on the ground, in the company of cattle, horses, goats, and lawnmowers, as they forage for food. I saw this one perched on an old snag, and it remained there for some time, looking this way and that, before taking to the air and disappearing.