Tag Archives: Sunday Stills

Looking back at 2023

Late afternoon sun of the coast of Kohala, Hawaii
January: Approaching sunset off the Kohala coast (link).
A chocolate birthday cake
February: A yummy birthday cake (link).

Sunday Stills challenge theme this week and next week is ‘Your 2023 Year-in-Review.’ See more responses here. As before, I’m going with a favorite photo from each month of 2023, with a caption and link to the post the photo first appeared in. This week, I’m posting favorites from January through June. See the rest of the year next week.

A praying mantis drinks from a puddle of water
March: Time for a drink (link).
A manta ray swims in the waters off Hawaii
April: Meeting a manta (link).
Piglets wrestle for a mango
May: They’re not cute and funny these days (link)!
Leis draped on King Kamehameha statue
June: The king’s birthday (link).

Red and green and nothing in between

A red anthurium flower at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Gardens
Red anthurium flowers with green leaves.

This week’s Sunday Stills color challenge is ‘Red and Green.’ See more responses here. I’ve gone for a mostly plant-based response, except for the last.

A Royal Poincana tree in bloom in Hawaii
A Royal Poincana tree in bloom.
Traffic lights showing redTraffic lights showing green
A traffic light going from red to green!

Sunrise from Pelekane Beach

Sunrise at Pelekane Beach, Kawaihae

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Waiting for Peace.’ See more responses here.

This peaceful scene was taken at Pelekane Beach in Kawaihae. It’s a favorite spot of mine for an early morning walk, when it’s very quiet and calm. But it hasn’t always been that way.

In the late 1700s, King Kamehameha I ruled the north and west parts of Hawaii Island, but was engaged in a war with his cousin who ruled in the east. Kamehameha was advised to build a sacrificial temple for Kūkaʻilimoku, the war god. So Kamehameha had Puʻukoholā Heiau built. That’s the structure silhouetted on the hill to the left of the photo.

Kamehameha invited his cousin to the site, ostensibly to talk peace, but when his cousin arrived, he and his entourage were duly captured and became the first sacrifices to dedicate the temple. So not so peaceful after all. But this action ultimately led to Kamehameha being able to bring all the islands under his rule, ending many years of fighting and bringing stability and peace to Hawaii.

That situation largely lasted until the late 1800s when the Hawaiian Kingdom was overthrown in a coup d’état by a group seeking annexation to the United States. This duly happened, though the aftershocks of this event continue to disturb the peace in the islands to this day.

Well rounded

The rounded hills of Kohala Mountain and a weather radar known as the golfball
The rounded NEXRAD Weather Radar sits on the rounded hills of Kohala Mountain.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Rounded.’ See more responses here. Another mixed bag this week with captions on or below the photos

Brown in Hawaii

A horse on the coast of Hawaii
A brown horse on the North Kohala coast.

This month’s Sunday Stills Color Challenge is ‘Brown.’ See more responses here.

I’ve gone for a selection of animals, mostly. Captions on the photos as usual.

A brown anole in Hawaii
A brown anole, looking miffed.

Tropical leaves

A gecko on a heliconia leaf at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Gardens
A Gold Dust Day Gecko on a heliconia leaf.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Leaves, Autumn or Spring.’ See more responses here. Here are some leaves from Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden with captions on the photos.

Anthurium leaves at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and GardensAnthurium leaves at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Gardens
Anthurium leaves seen from both sides.
Fern fronds at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Gardens
If you have ferns, you’ve always got fronds!
The tree canopy at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Gardens
Looking up into the canopy.