Tag Archives: Sunday Stills

Sparkling waters

A moody sky above a sparkling sea and small beach at Kawaihae, Hawaii

This week’s Sunday Stills color challenge theme is ‘Diamonds and Quartz.’ See more responses here.

I stopped in Kawaihae to take photos of a very moody sky with some sparkling waters beneath it. But this was the first time I’ve seen the lovely little beach in the foreground. I’m not sure how one would access it, as it’s a steep drop off from where I stood, but I think it would be possible to come around that little point to the left.

Underwater world

Head on view of a Manta Ray in the waters off Hawaii
Hard to beat seeing a big Manta Ray coming straight towards me.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme, guest hosted by Cathy at Between the Lines is ‘Your Favorite Places.’ See more responses here.

The ocean is one of my favorite places. I love snorkeling and every swim is different, the conditions and the things I see. Here’s a sample. Captions on the photos.

Early one morning

Sunrise in Hawaii
Sunrise over the saddle between Kohala Mountain and Mauna Kea.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme, guest hosted by Susanne at Cats and Trails and Garden Tales, is ‘Early.’ See more responses here. I’ve gone with early mornings. Captions on the photos.

Greenery

Coral at Two Step, Hawaii
Tropical foliage in Hawaii

This week’s Sunday Stills color challenge, guest hosted by Susanne at Cats and Trails and Garden Tales, is ‘Jade Green.’ See more responses here. Just the two this week, in part because of inclement weather and power outages.

Top is an underwater view at Two Step, a popular snorkeling spot in South Kona. Second is some dappled light in the greenery at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden.

Hawaiian seascapes

An early morning swimmer at Hapuna Beach, Hawaii
A calm sea invites swimmers at Hapuna Beach…

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme, guest hosted by Cathy at Between the Lines, is ‘Seascapes.’ See more responses here. Captions on the photos.

Paddlers heading out from Kawaihae, Hawaii
…and paddlers up the coast at Kawaihae…

Chairman Meow

A ragdoll cat in a garden
On high alert on a trellis with Chilean Glory Vine (Eccremocarpus scaber)
A ragdoll cat in a garden
All that alertness makes a cat tired.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Love Your Pet.’ See more responses here. We don’t have pets currently, so here are some archive photos of Chairman Meow, our cat from our old home in Washington State.

He was a Ragdoll, a breed noted for its mellow temperament. Happily, he was not a hunter, though he would stare intently at birds, except for hummingbirds, which left him with a bewildered expression! He also shed boatloads of fine, soft hair. A thorough combing would produce a wad of hair, but when he walked away, more would fly off him.

In the mornings, he’d climb up on the bed and sit on us until he was let out. One house had a screen door and it was common to hear a thud against it in the morning, a sign he wanted to come in again. When I opened the door, looking down for him, he was nowhere to be seen. But when I looked up there he was, hanging halfway up, his claws gripping the screen. The old lady who lived across the street said it gave her a great deal of amusement to witness this daily ritual!

A ragdoll cat in a garden
Time for a rest with two paws out.

We were going to bring him with us to Hawaii, but he used to end up frothing at the mouth on the two mile car ride to the vet! So he stayed behind in a good situation until he passed away a few years back.

Sticky Buns

Sticky buns in Hawaii

Recently, one of our local bakeries shut its doors taking with it our source of sticky buns. They were a favorite treat of ours, so my wife looked into making our own. She’s had good luck with recipes at onceuponachef.com and found a promising option there. Yesterday, I got to try it out. Actually, I started on Saturday as the dough needs a while to rise, but can be refrigerated overnight.

We immediately made a change to the recipe, subbing macadamia nuts for pecans. It is Hawaii after all. But the whole process went fairly well. I only had an 8-inch square Pyrex pan rather than the 9-inch square cake pan called for, and I think that’s why the buns were climbing the pan’s side when I removed it from the oven!

Sticky buns in HawaiiSticky buns in Hawaii
Before going in the oven and after.

I was also not prepared for the enthusiasm with which the buns shot from the pan when I inverted it onto a parchment covered tray. It got a bit messy, but the crucial question is, were they any good?

They were indeed. Soft and chewy, but crunchy with nuts. A sticky bun crisis has been averted and all is well, at least in this little corner of the world.

Posted for this week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme, which is ‘Sweet.’ See more responses here. You can find the recipe here.