One thing I like about macro photography is that, sometimes, something in the photo gives a twist to the scale of things. This stick insect could be any size, but the tire tread suggests it’s fairly small. Except the tread looks so big and imposing, perhaps it’s a tire on one of those huge earth moving machines, which would make the stick insect a formidable size.
In fact, it’s just a truck tire and if the insect doesn’t move, it will become even more closely acquainted with the treads.
Benches are the friend of pedestrians everywhere. One nice feature of the hike up Pu’u Wa’awa’a is that there are several benches where one can not only rest, but also enjoy spectacular views – if the weather cooperates. This bench is one of two on the summit and this is the view looking north toward the coast and the Kohala mountains.
A few days ago I posted (here) about the view from an old blockhouse on the Pu’u Wa’awa’a trail. Today, I’m taking a look inside. As I mentioned before, the building is now a shelter for livestock with assorted detritus on the floor, but light through the empty windows still casts a bright image on the painted walls.
For more information about Pu’u Wa’awa’a and its trails, go to puuwaawaa.org.
On the north side of the Painted Church at Honaunau the windows look out onto a small graveyard. It’s a most peaceful scene, both inside and outside the church, but still with a distinctly tropical feel.
For more information about the Painted Church at Honaunau, go to thepaintedchurch.org.
The trail up Pu’u Wa’awa’a passes through old ranch land, some of which is still used for livestock. Part way up, near the old quarry, is a small, flat-roofed building made with concrete blocks. This could have been a home for a ranch worker or perhaps a basic office associated with the quarry.
Whatever it was, it no longer is. The building is gutted, the doors and windows gone. Nowadays it serves as a shelter for sheep, goats, cattle and whatever else wanders in. One things it still has is a commanding view of the Kona coast.
These old windows look out onto the side of the hill and down toward the coast in the distance.
For more information about Pu’u Wa’awa’a and its trails, go to puuwaawaa.org.
Another layered view, this time of Maui, from North Kohala. Rocks and surf in front, the Alenuihaha Channel in the middle, with Maui in the background, and a layer of cloud thrown in for good measure.
In the absence of anything to indicate scale, this photo could be seen as anything from a large reservoir during a drought all the way down to a small puddle drying out. In fact, it’s closest to the latter. I like how the mud is layered as it dries out, and the coloration of the different levels.
In this view of Mauna Kea from the Pu’u O’o Trail, the trees of a kipuka, clouds rolling over the saddle, and the bulk of the mountain, create a layered effect.
Graham's Island 