Looking like a giant eyeball, I saw this ball valve on some equipment in Kawaihae Harbor.
Abstracts: Here’s looking at you
The king who united Hawaii
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Historical.’ See more responses here.
Here are a few more photos from this year’s celebrations commemorating the birthday of King Kamehameha I, the king who united the Hawaiian islands. The ceremony began with a welcome blown on conch shells.
The procession was led by the four Royal Societies in Hawaii. They are descendants of Hawaiian Ali’i including King Kamehameha I himself. Ali’i were the ruling class who were seen as the link between the people and the gods.
Hula dances were performed honoring the king. Hula was created by early Hawaiian settlers. It is often accompanied by chants and the movements are a visual representation of those chants. The subject matter can be anything from light entertainment to a sacred honoring of a god or goddess. Western missionaries disapproved of hula and encouraged Hawaiian rulers to ban it, but while there were some restrictions it was never driven completely underground as happened with some other traditional Hawaiian activities.
See more photos from the Kamehameha Day celebrations here.
Wedged in
On my last swim, I saw this Wedgetail Triggerfish slip into this crevice in the rocks. I thought it might have disappeared, but there it was, wedged in, side on. It might have been protecting eggs laid in there or just waiting for me to move on!
This fish is also known as the Picasso Triggerfish. In Hawaiian, it’s called humuhumu-nukunuku-ā-pua-a and it’s the official state fish.
Posted for Bushboy’s Last on the Card photo challenge. See more responses here.
Surf’s down
This looks like a deserted beach scene, but a closer look at the water shows quite a few surfers waiting for a wave. However, this was not one of those days when that wait was rewarded. The surf was down and the waves small. Still, Kohanaiki Beach Park is a great spot to linger, waves or not.
Upon reflection
I saw this praying mantis on a window reflecting the nearby hillside. That and the strong shadow of the mantis is what I like about this image.
Rainbow from the water
A band of cloud, some calm water, and a rainbow to set it all off.
Abstracts: Wired
There was some sort of marine object, a buoy possibly, hauled out on the beach in Kawaihae Harbor. I couldn’t really get a decent photo of the object, but I liked the look of this wire fencing material that was associated with the project.
Spotted Eagle Ray on the move
I don’t see Spotted Eagle Rays as often as I used to, but that’s true of many creatures that live in the ocean around here. This one went skimming by a small school of Yellow Tangs and out into deeper water. Happily, it looked in excellent condition with a beautiful array of white spots on its wings.
Graham's Island 