Under the sea

Anyone who knows me knows that I love Hawaii. It's my happy place. I can relax, recharge, and refocus. Part of the love of this place is the hidden world under the sea. I can snorkel for an hour or better and always find something new to see. It's a world I love to view and never tire of what lies below. With a rented camera in tow, I captured a few things from below.

 These guys did their best to hide from me. I followed them around for a bit then quickly snapped this shot.

 We had so much fun playing in the high surf. I tried numerous times to take a photo and the swell would rise up and hide them. Mark said he could hear us up in the room laughing and carrying on.

This black and white fish is one of my favorites. He's rather shy and hides under the rocks. Wish I'd gotten a better shot of him!

A look around...churches and arrivals

The last week has gone by in a flash!  The little boys and their parents arrived yesterday and the slow relaxing days have been sped up!  We will run, scream, and splash. Memories are about to be made. The house is awake, this needs to be short. Oatmeal has been requested.

 A historic church in Paiai.So pretty, and a remembrance to Father Damien who helped the lepers on Molokai.

 A bird of paradise is always a welcome sight!

And after taking our friends to the airport, doing lunch out, picking up more rations, the little boys and their parents finally arrived! Such a happy welcome sight.

Scavenger hunt Sunday

Another week of scavenger hunt Hawaiian style

Linking up with Ashley for the scavenger hunt
                                                           Window Beauty

 This church may not look like a beautym but it was built in the 1800's. A Tsnami came through and destroyed the entire town, all but this church.

                                                                 Little Things

                                                          Illustration

                                                                       Valentine

 I think my valentine this year will be these heart shaped taro plants

                                                                        Work of Art

Someone long ago made this statue. I have no idea what it symbolizes, but it was intriguing.

Nurture Winter, white

Joining Kristy over at Nurture Photo Challenge.  This week's prompt is white, minimalism.

I'm sure she was thinking of snow, fog, and all of those wonderful winter happenings. For me, it is the beach. The fluffy white clouds that hang over neighboring islands, the white surf that laps at the volcanic rock, and the shells that have embedded themselves in the rock. When I think of Hawaii, I think of color, but this was good, it forced me to look beyond color and find the beauty in white. Thanks Kristy!

A look at the things around us

This island of Maui has many different faces. The upcountry is a cowboy's paradise with distant views of the ocean, and fields of grass, and hills filled with birds and animals. The flora and fauna are bright and interesting, and the old buildings from a time gone by are still standing.

 A book in a store described this as a jungle fowl cock. I say rooster, and he was showing off for us. Parading up and down the beach and making sure we took notice.

 I still compare all sunsets to the one that we saw last year. Maybe it was a once in a lifetime shot, but I will stand each night and watch the sun quickly slip into the ocean and await the painting that appears in the sky.

 A wood oven that baked amazing pizzas.

Not a typical little things Thursday

This Thursday, it's not the little things I share, but the very large things. We went out on a whale boat yesterday. I'm a member of the Pacific Whale foundation, and I like to go out on their boats to watch the gentle giants of the sea.

It was total whale soup! We couldn't travel several times as we were "mugged" by the whales who came too close to our boat to be able to go anywhere. I usually go on the sunrise trip, but we are with friends who thought it better to sleep a bit longer.  The boat was packed to the max, and there was no wiggle room. I missed some whales that were breaching, as there were too many heads in my way, but I still enjoyed myself, and did capture a baby whale attempting a breach out of the water. This baby also rested her head across the head of her mother. Very sweet.

Today, with the money made from our trip yesterday, local school children will go out with the foundation and have a class at sea. How wonderful for the students! Hands on learning is the best, and if they are going to continue to live in Hawaii, they need to appreciate and help protect the animals that live in their ocean.

 This was all the "oomph" that the baby could muster. He'll get better as time goes on and get his entire body out of the water.

 This was a tail slapping session. The whale had been slapping it's tail on the water for about nine or ten times.

 My view from the front of the boat

The sun was shining, the ocean was flat, a beautiful way to spend a couple of hours!