Mourning gecko on a line

  • A mourning gecko clings to a washing line.
  • A mourning gecko clings to a washing line.
  • A mourning gecko clings to a washing line.

I played a game of peek-a-boo with this mourning gecko as it clung to a clothes line. I leaned one way to get a photo, it scooted round the other way, keeping the line between me and it. But patience won out and I was able to get several good views.

Mauna Ulu

A view of Mauna Ulu crater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
A view of Mauna Ulu crater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Burlywood.’ (See more responses here.) It’s a color I’d never heard of before, apparently a shade of khaki. I’ve gone for some photos of Mauna Ulu, a crater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

The Mauna Ulu eruption took place between 1969 and 1974 and transformed the landscape of the park. A good guide to the eruption can be found here. These days, it’s a quiet area and plants have gained a foothold in the main crater, though the slopes are still mostly barren. And it’s those slopes, seen from the air, that have a pronounced khaki, or burlywood color.

For more information about Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, go to nps.gov/havo/.

A view of Mauna Ulu crater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Rainbow runner chasing a mackerel scad school

A school of mackerel scads, or Opelus off Hawaii

On a recent swim, I was turning to head for home when I saw this large school of fish rocketing towards me. As they zipped by I snapped the top photo. I could see they were mackerel scads, known in Hawaii as Opelu.

The reason for their haste also became clear as the last of them went by. The bottom photo shows a rainbow runner hot on their tails. Both fish are members of the jack family, but it’s a family that doesn’t get along. Mackerel scads are a favorite food of rainbow runners.

In a matter of moments, the fish disappeared out of sight. These were the only two photos I was able to take of the episode and I was thrilled that both turned out pretty well.

A school of mackerel scads, or Opelus being hunted by a rainbow runner off Hawaii

Living in the past

The King Kamehameha I statue in Honolulu

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Images Inspired by Favorite Song Lyrics.’ See more responses here.

My final post on this theme is a photo with some history. This is the statue of King Kamehameha I in Honolulu. It’s appropriate for the old Jethro Tull song, Living in the Past. It also works for a favorite of mine, History Repeating by Propellorheads, with guest vocals by Shirley Bassey of all people! And for a final song, how about William Shatner singing(?) Has Been. I have a few William Shatner songs which feature on bad song compilations, but Has Been is actually a pretty good album in my book and speaks well to Shatner’s good humor when it comes to music.

Half moon

A half moon seen from Hawaii

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Images Inspired by Favorite Song Lyrics.’ See more responses here.

Day four of this theme response is a photo that fits three moon offerings: Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon is an album, but I like all of it. Walking on the Moon by The Police and I’ll Shoot the Moon by Tom Waits are both songs I like. I could have picked dozens of Tom Waits songs but I don’t have the photos to illustrate them!

Hawi humpback whale tail art

Artwork on a fence in Hawi, Hawaii

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Images Inspired by Favorite Song Lyrics.’ See more responses here.

Day two of this theme response is a photo that fits three quite different songs I like: Mountain’s Nantucket Sleighride, 10cc and their classic Art for Art’s Sake, and Steeleye Span with Let Her Go Down, even though this is a track that doesn’t feature the distinctive voice of Maddy Prior.

Sailboat running in white water

A sailboat in white water off the Big Island, Hawaii

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Images Inspired by Favorite Song Lyrics.’ See more responses here. I was going to put together a selection for this, but pressed for time, I’m splitting this into a series of posts.

This photo seemed like a good illustration for a couple of musical favorites: Blind Faith’s Sea of Joy and Me First and the Gimmee Gimmees with their version of Sloop John B