Late afternoon light streams through lowered blinds to create this pattern on the lace curtains inside.
Snake the gecko
I first saw this gold dust day gecko in one of the pots on the lanai. It took me a moment to register that their was something different about it. When I did notice, I christened it Snake. Not sure whether the moniker is appreciated, but Snake continues to be an occasional visitor.
Bicolor chub
The bicolor chub’s distinguishing feature is that its rear third or half is dark. Sometimes, as with this one, the head turns dark and sometimes the back also, so only the belly is light.
Moon landing
When I saw these skydivers I thought of Kurt Vonnegut’s satirical essay “Excelsior! We’re Going to the Moon! Excelsior!” The connection was really nothing more than the title.
In this case, I imagined the captions as “Coming in for landing,” “Whoa, just missed,” and “Let’s go round again.” I bet this is along the lines of how the moon landings were faked!
The reality is these were part of Upolu Airport’s newest/only economic enterprise, B.I.G Skydiving. On this outing, a couple of solo skydivers had already landed. These two were on a tandem skydive, where a paying customer has the much-needed security of being attached to an experienced skydiver.
For more information about B. I. G. Skydiving go to skydivebig.com.
Green Darner dragonflies mating
The headline pretty much says it all. I saw these green darner dragonflies at the anchialine pond at the south end of Kiholo park. Anchialine ponds are landlocked, but connected to the ocean underground. They contain a mix of fresh and saltwater. The air above the pond was thick with dragonflies so I’m keen to return and spend more time there.
Gray francolin
The gray francolin is an introduced game bird. It’s one of those birds that, when disturbed, takes off running. Get too close though and it will take wing. This happens often when I’m out walking, since they blend into their surroundings so well. They take off in panic and my heart does the same.
On the other hand, it’s also possible to have an idea of the location of every francolin within a half mile or so. This is because they have a distinctive and piercing call, one that winds up for two or three rounds before launching into full volume. Sometimes these birds take up residence in the cane grass, not far from the house. When they do, it’s goodbye to sleeping in much beyond 6 a.m.
Tangled trunks
For dense foliage, the east side (otherwise known as the wet side, or Hilo side) of the Big Island can’t be beat. Here the trunks of two trees are entwined by a tangled vine, surrounded by exotic foliage.
Coconut palms line the beach
Think of Hawaii and chances are coconut palms and golden beaches spring to mind. These were north of the park at Kiholo. Head south from there instead and the beaches will be black sand.
