At my local snorkeling spot, a lot of trees on the shoreline have suddenly sported fall colors. I’m sure this has nothing to do with the season. Rather, I think a series of large swells has battered the trees with more salt spray than they’re used to and this is the result. Hopefully, they will bounce back when things settle down again, although swells in Hawaii were large enough last weekend for The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational surf competition to be held for the first time since 2016.
In this modern society, it seems like we’re always liable to be tracked or watched. On a recent walk at Upolu, this cow kept a close eye on me as I walked by.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Silence.’ See more responses here.
The current eruption at Kilauea has been putting out a considerable amount of vog. This volcanic haze can make life difficult for people, causing respiratory and other medical complications. But it can also cause colorful skies.
I was driving home from work last week on a day when the vog was heavy and the sky glowed. There wasn’t much wind – another reason the vog has been hanging around – so the ocean was calm. I’d stopped to take photos once, but when I saw this little boat heading for this band of sunlight, I pulled over again.
I’d lucked into a quiet break in the traffic and was far enough from the coast that there was no sound from waves coming ashore or from the boat’s engine. I watched for a while until the boat crossed the glittering band, before returning to my car and heading home.
Recently, I noticed that the neighbor’s grassy yard was sparkling with dew, so I hotfooted it over there and got these photos, getting my feet very wet in the process.
This sign and accompanying tube appeared at two local parks a couple of months ago. It’s part of a nationwide program to recycle discarded and snagged fishing line, which can be extremely harmful to marine life. The program has been going since the 1990s, but this is the first time it’s been available locally.
I used to see Ground Beetles all the time on my walks at Upolu, but this one was the first I’d seen in ages. I don’t think it’s because I’m becoming less observant. I think the numbers are down, for whatever reason.
This week’s Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge is ‘White and Gray.’ See more responses here. This photo of white-painted wind turbines under gray skies seemed to fit the bill.
On my last walk along the coast near Upolu Airport I came across this scene. The shopping cart is from Safeway, the nearest location being in Kailua Kona. But I was also intrigued by the contents of the cart: A street address sign, a vehicle license plate, a perfectly good lawn rake, and several bits and pieces relating to a Stihl chainsaw.
Behind the bank, there was a fishing rod, a chair, and other signs of someone having staked out the spot for fishing, so perhaps the cart was associated with that. Quite what that association was will remain one of life’s little mysteries.
Graham's Island 