One of our rotors is missing

A wind turbine at Hawi Wind Farm has its rotor removed for maintenance

Yesterday, I stopped by Hawi Wind Farm on my way back from a walk because I’d seen this scene on the drive down. The rotor is, of course, not missing. It’s lying flat at the base of the turbine. And it wasn’t just one rotor in this position. A second turbine also had the rotor removed.

Ironically, it was a sunny day with virtually no wind but, because it was Sunday, no one was working. They’ll probably be back when the 40 mph winds and lashing rain kick in again, just to make the work challenging!

Posted in response to Bushboy’s Last on the Card photo challenge. See more responses here.

Trees and cloud

Trees and clouds on the slopes of Mauna Kea, Hawaii

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Eerie.’ See more responses here.

I couldn’t think of too many eerie things amongst my photos. This image of trees on the lower slopes of Mauna Kea, shrouded in cloud, is as close as it gets. This is a fairly common occurrence as clouds tend to build up during the day and often reach this area in the afternoons.

Also posted in response to Becky’s October Squares challenge theme of ‘Past Squares – Sky’ (See more responses here), and to the current Friendly Friday challenge theme of ‘Weather’ (See more responses here).

Signs: No parking

A No Parking sign on the Kohala Coast, Hawaii

The coast road between North Kohala and Kawaihae is dotted with these no parking signs. There are virtually no houses along this road, so why the signs? Well, the views are lovely and in the winter, humpback whales frolic just off the coast. Who wouldn’t want to pull over.

Consequently, a 40 mph minimum speed limit is in place along this highway together with these signs. The net result is that people still crawl along taking in the view and pull over to watch whales wherever they please.

Posted in response to Becky’s October Squares challenge theme of ‘Past Squares – Circles and Squares.’ See more responses here.

Balloon plant

A prickly balloon plant

I’ve seen balloon plants (Gomphocarpus physocarpus) in local pastures before, but not up close like this. The balloons are the fruit of the plants. The long hairy spines become stiffer and spiky-looking when the balloons inflate prior to releasing their seeds.

Posted in response to Becky’s October Squares challenge theme of ‘Past Squares – Spiky.’ See more responses here.

Abstracts: Rock-boring urchin art

Channels made by rock-boring urchins in Hawaii

Yesterday I posted a photo of a crown-of-thorns star, with a few rock-boring urchins in it. Today’s post shows one example of the channels left by these urchins. This image initially looked like a brain to me, but then I began to see more of a tree in it.

Posted in response to Becky’s October Squares challenge theme of ‘Past Squares – Spiky/Lines.’ See more responses here.

Crown-of-Thorns star

A crown-of-thorns star and rock borer urchins

I saw this crown-of-thorns star working its way across the rocks in shallow water. Those spiky spines are venomous so this is not something to handle. Also visible in this photo are some equally spiky, though not poisonous, rock-boring urchins

Posted in response to Becky’s October Squares challenge theme of ‘Past Squares – Spiky.’ See more responses here.