Category Archives: Weather

Rainy days and Sundays …

Banana plants thrive in heavy tropical rain. — Rain lashes banana plants in Captain Cook.

… They go together in this week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme of ‘Rainy Days.’ See more responses here.

Kahili ginger in the rain in Kalopa park Hawaii — Kahili Gingers illuminate a wet day in Kalōpā Forest Reserve.

There’s plenty of rain on the Big Island. Most falls on the wet east side, but the dry west side can get its share too. Hilo, on the wet side, averages around 140 inches of rain a year, and just to the west of Hilo is an area that gets more than 200 inches a year. In contrast, Kawaihae, on the Kohala coast, gets around 10 inches of rain annually, though I suspect last year was one of its wetter ones.

Cloud and rain on Mauna Kea — The highway to the Mauna Kea visitor center awash with rain.

Where I live, on the northern end of the island, we get around 50 inches of rain a year, but being on the shoulder of Kohala Mountain, that figure can change quickly going a mile east or west, or a mile up the hill or down toward the ocean.

Rain falls in Hawi, Hawaii — Looking out the window as a passing shower dumps a load of rain.

Another brush fire

A brush fire at Lapakahi on the North Kohala coast, Hawaii

I was driving home yesterday when I noticed some haze blowing out to sea. I thought it was rain at first, but quickly realized that this was smoke, likely another brush fire, and my heart sank. I was halfway home. Up ahead was Lapakahi and beyond that, Mahukona, two places I spend a lot of time at.

As I got closer I saw that the fire was burning at Lapakahi. Traffic was still passing on the highway though the land beside it was black and smoking. But strong trade winds had blown the fire, which apparently started near the park entrance, down towards the ocean.

My guess is the fire had been going less than an hour when I got there, though a considerable area had already burned. Fires were burning along the north edge of the area, not far from the road, but the most smoke and bigger flames could be seen closer to the ocean. It looked like the small visitor center had escaped, surrounded as it is by the looping access road. But other structures might not have been so lucky, and the native plants, birds and insects probably did not fare well.

KO Pizza

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Fun with Photo Editing.’ See more responses here.

I don’t tend to monkey around with photos much, outside the usual cropping, and adjusting color and the like. Still, I had several ideas for this challenge, none of which I liked when push came to shove.

Instead, I settled for these photos, a day and night view of the excellent KO Pizza food truck. The truck operates two days a week in Hawi, but they’re in the process of opening a permanent location in town. Menu planning is about to get much easier!

The KO PIzza Food truck in Hawaii at night

The light at the end of the rainbow

A rainbow and Mahukona Lighthouse seen from the water.

The Numbers Game #9

A Black-Crowned Night Heron juvenile in Hawaii — A juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron on alert.

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 130. You can see more responses here.

A passion vine butterfly lays an egg. — A Passion Vine Butterfly lays an egg.

Webs on the ground catch the early morning sunlight. — A Passion Vine Butterfly lays an egg.

A V22 Osprey aircraft at Upolu Airport, Hawaii — A V22 Osprey aircraft…and how it works!

A V22 Osprey aircraft at Upolu Airport, Hawaii showing how it is operated — A V22 Osprey aircraft…and how it works!

One of our barriers is missing

A series of high swells recently, played havoc with the place where I go swimming. Concrete barriers were not only moved around, but one went missing altogether! The decaying parking area was roughed up, with more potholes and cracks appearing. As a result the gate to the parking area was kept closed for several days while ideas were mulled about what to do.

A concrete barrier in the water at Mahukona Hawaii — The missing barrier under the water.

One day, several new concrete barriers appeared, though the missing barrier had been located – near the entry ladder, but underwater. Word leaked out that repairs were to be made. The sunken barrier would be recovered and the holes in the lot filled.

They were true to their word. Next day a crew arrived and the promised work was completed in a day. The barrier was back in place, its smaller replacements removed. The gates were opened and cars flooded in. It looked like a brand new place, relatively speaking.

Yesterday, I went down there to see how the latest big swell looked. The parking lot gate was closed again as expected. The swell was still building, but washed across the lower reaches of the lot. And the recently replaced concrete barrier was on the move again, heading across the parking lot, en route to the channel by the entry ladder!

The swimming entry at Mahukona Hawaii — Calm conditions, but a rather battered looking lot.

The parking area at Mahukona Hawaii — Barriers back in place and potholes filled!

The Numbers Game #8

A cattle egret stands on a sleeping cow in Hawaii — A Cattle Egret stands on a resting cow. No, it’s not dead!

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 129. You can see more responses here.