Tag Archives: Wordpress Photo Challenge

A manta ray glides by

Most weeks I post something in response to the WordPress photo challenge. This week’s theme is ‘evanescent,’ a word I wasn’t familiar with. The definition provided is “soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence; quickly fading or disappearing,” or, put simply, ‘a moment in time.’

To me, this is what any photo is, a snapshot of a given moment. Even the look of a fixed object, a landscape, a building, a monument, is always changing. It could be the light, weather, activity around the subject. Everything is in constant flux, sometimes in obvious ways, sometimes only in the detail. With birds, animals, bugs, even plants – blowing in the wind – those changes of passing moments are more obvious.

So I thought I’d take this week’s challenge as my theme for the week (or at least the remaining six days of the challenge). I start off with this photo of a manta ray. One of the great joys of snorkeling is never knowing what I’ll see that day. It could be a common fish engaged in some activity I’ve never seen before. It could be a glimpse of something unexpected. It could be something seen only at a certain time of year. Whatever it is, it almost always gives me a little jolt of ‘wow.’

While out snorkeling, I got a jolt of ‘wow’ when I saw this manta ray gliding along in the opposite direction. I turned and followed its effortless progress for several minutes until it headed into deeper water and disappeared. An evanescent experience? I think so, though it won’t soon disappear from my memory.

Telescope reflecting

The small mirror in the Cassegrain cabin of the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope on Mauna Kea, can be rotated to direct information to a variety of instruments. Here, it reflects about the only empty spot in the crowded space.

Abstracts: Lily Lake reflections

Palm trees and other foliage reflect off the calm surface of Lily Lake at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden.

For more information about Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, go to htbg.com.

Signs: Falling coconuts

This view is the best for determining if any coconuts are falling. A roundish object getting rapidly larger is a good sign that they are indeed earthbound. Getting such a photo is not without danger, but that’s all part of life in the tropics.

Makalawena beach

One of the things I like about the Big Island is that there’s so much variety in a relatively small area. It boasts 8 out of 13 possible climate zones (depending on whose definitions are used). It goes from sea level to almost 14,000 feet.

I’m happy to satiate my wanderlust right here on the island, traveling to see the outpourings of our most active volcano, climbing to the windswept summits of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, and of course, sweating it out on the coast.

The beaches and surf are hugely popular with tourists, but it’s almost always possible to find a sparsely populated, or even empty beach with a bit of walking. Makalawena, on the Kona coast, is one such spot. It requires a hike in, half an hour or so, but offers golden sand and a number of smaller pockets of sand where a person can soak up some sun and take a dip. Paradise indeed.

Pu’u O’o trail

It took me a while to discover the various trails off Saddle Road. That’s because, from the road, they look like they’re mostly lava with some scrubby vegetation, but this is misleading. The kipukas (areas of land where lava has flowed around leaving it relatively untouched) are full of plants and a haven for wildlife including many endemic species. The whole area is an example of the cycle of destruction and regeneration that shapes this island and, indeed, the Earth.

The Pu’u O’o Trail, off of Saddle Road, has nothing to do with Kilauea’s Pu’u O’o vent. It refers to the Pu’u O’o Ranch on Mauna Loa. The trail was used for moving cattle from one grazing area to another.

The trail alternates between crossing lava flows and passing through kipukas. Depending on the age of the flow, it might have a good deal of greenery on it, but more recent flows are stark lava fields. While the open lava flows offer great views of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea (assuming it’s a clear day), the kipukas offer shade and are alive with bird calls, most of which I don’t recognize.

After about 4 miles the trail intersects with the Powerline trail and a loop can be made back to the start, or simply retrace your steps. Bear in mind that if the clouds roll in, which they do on a regular basis, the trail is a good deal harder to follow.

For more information about this, and other hikes on the Big Island, go to bigislandhikes.com.

Abstracts: Impressionist photo of Hawaiian sea turtles

Kiholo Bay is a popular spot for Hawaiian green sea turtles. On a recent hike I saw several of them on land and in the water. A light breeze rippled the water and when the turtles swam just below the surface, their appearance was in constant flux. It was a nice surprise to find I’d captured this impressionistic effect.

Mountain of water

Sometimes I get caught up taking a set of photos of certain things. Lately, I’ve been trying to capture waves breaking toward me. On this day the water looked promising, but mostly the waves refused to break.

However, it was a pleasant surprise to find that I’d managed to capture this image. The water has lumped into a pleasing mountain shape and the coral below looks like aspects of its rocky face.

Graham's Island

Life on the Big Island of Hawaii