An aerial view of La Perouse Bay near the southern tip of Maui. With the colors and the stark landscape, there’s something alien about this view, I think.
Abstracts: Coastline
Category Archives: Places
Sunrise from Pelekane Beach
On my way to work recently, this sunrise promised much, then faded, then regrouped with this vibrant display. Mauna Loa and Hualalai provide the backdrop.
City of Bismark
I saw this ship moored in Kawaihae Harbor recently. It looked unlike anything I’d seen there before, so I stopped by to take a look. I found the ship’s name on the stern, between the twin hulls.
According to Wikipedia, the City of Bismark is a Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport, operated by the United States Navy’s Military Sealift Command. It was built in 2017 and entered service at the end of that year. Ironically, when I first saw the ship, I thought it looked a bit beaten up and wondered if it was an older ship that someone had bought and was planning on fixing up!
Offering at Keokea
On my recent visit to Keokea Beach Park, I saw this on the rocky shore. It’s hard to know who placed it there. It could have been a local, but it could also have been a tourist. Tourists have taken to making such offerings, thinking they’re honoring Hawaiian culture. But they’re blissfully unaware that, in Hawaiian culture, the when, where, why, how, and by whom of these things can be very specific. Any deviation from correct practices can turn a good intention into an insult.
A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing, except perhaps in politics, where it appears to be a prerequisite these days!
Three’s company
These two bulls reside in a field beside the road to Upolu Aiport. I’ve never seen them more than six feet apart from each other! The cattle egret was just taking a break on a blustery day and took off soon after I took the photo.
A view of Haleakala
On my flight to Maui last month, I got this layered look at the observatory which sits atop Haleakala.
Strutting his stuff
The Common Peafowl (Pavo Christatus) is better known as a peacock. The adult males are wildly colorful, and would look right at home in a Las Vegas chorus line.
These birds weren’t seen in Vegas, but at Manuka State Wayside Park, when I was down that way earlier this year. It was only when I saw them that I remembered I’d seen them there before, when I first moved to the island and lived just down the road for a while.
There are a few wild populations on the islands, but supposedly, most are quite shy. These weren’t, wandering around the parking and picnic areas, and entirely indifferent to those of us taking photos.
In need of repair
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Fences.’ See more responses here.
Here on the Big Island, fences tend to be of two kinds – chainlink and painted wood. Walls and hedges are possibly more popular. Walls don’t need as much maintenance and hedges fill in easily all by themselves, though they do require trimming if they’re not to take over.
These fences are ones that have seen hard times. The top photo is the chainlink fence around Upolu Airport. Someone managed to take out a section of this recently. Not sure whether they got distracted or were going too fast and lost control, but several sections of fence got destroyed. Judging from the trail of damage, the vehicle can’t have fared well either.
The other two photos are of fences around Kohala Ranch, a subdivision in Kawaihae. These photos were taken after August’s big brush fire. The tidy white fences surrounding the property have been rather battered. Fixing the damage will be a significant task, though I think most of the folks living there were probably happy to have been spared more than this largely aesthetical issue.
Graham's Island 