Cascade Mountains

While we've been getting more frequent breaks in the clouds cover allowing us a bit of sunlight, it is not often that the clouds clear away from the Cascade Mountains and give a clear view of the snowy peaks.

In the Pilchuck River

Returning home, I find that February and March are not as rainy as November/December and there are more frequent spells of sun to go for a walk. On this day, I ventured down to a local park along the Pilchuck River to see if there were anything worth photographing.

Mary's Trumpet

This lava tunnel is called Mary's Trumpet. Not sure what Mary we are referring to here but it is a trumpet because of the shape of the tunnel. When the water rushes in, it fills the space in the back so that when it comes back out there is a bit of noise.

At the Foot of Haleakala

Here, on the southern end of the island, we are under the eaves of Haleakala and its frequent cloud cover. Looking up the hill in the general direction of the volcano, we see a variety of cinder cones.

Butterflies at La Perouse Bay

On the last day in Maui, we drove south to La Perouse Bay to see what we could see. The beach here is very rocky, covered with lava. Amongst the lava outcroppings are these small yellow butterflies.

The Small, Large, and Incidental

While there is nothing striking about this pile of stones (some sort of pumice, I suspect) they do capture the nature of beaches on Maui.

Shapes and Textures at the Beach

Unlike most beaches I've visited in my life, in this place with tens of thousands of people living all around, nature is still allowed to bring its beauty right up to the shore. No clear-cutting and making way for progress (well not in this way) here. Just a nice, natural beach.

Enjoying the Beach

This arching tree trunk makes a nice place for folks to stack rocks. Rock stacking seems to be a popular pastime at beaches and along mountain trails everywhere.

Kamaole Beach

Even here where the sands are mostly white it is easy to tell that this place is formed from volcanoes. The lava rocks are scattered everywhere.

Olowalu Petroglyphs

There are petroglyphs here on Maui that tell the tale of a long habitation by the Hawaiians. I cannot find a site with much to say about them except that some of the drawings are thought to be more that 300 years old.

Red-Headed Cardinal

Those of us growing up east of the Mississippi are quite familiar with the bright red cardinal. In fact it is the state bird of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia. That's a fair sample of the part of the country in which I was raised.

But here in Hawaii, things are different. Here there is the red headed Cardinal. Exactly the same only totally different.

Turtles and Friend

Being used to east coast beaches, it is not often that you see animals on the beach. So a visit to Hawaii that reveals a beach full of turtles is a real treat.

Turtles Sunbathing on the Beach

A few minutes walk from the condo is a small spit of beach where the green sea turtles like to come some afternoons to catch a few rays.

February Flora

The condo we were staying in was part of a large, gated complex of condos. While many, maybe even most are short term rentals such as the one we are staying in, there are probably some with people in them permanently. As a result of the need to keep things nice for the residents and visitors, there is a full time grounds crew working here, mowing, planting, trimming and cleaning.

Because we are in a place with near perfect weather year-round, we can find amazing flowers most any time.

Black Crowned Night Heron Again

By the time I was leaving the wetlands, the heron I photographed earlier had moved to a new perch closer to the boardwalk. I was able to get some good headshots of him for his annual report (or some such thing).

Some Other Birds I Saw

Continuing my walk at Kealia Boardwalk, I found a few other birds. This one above is, I think, pacific golden plover, but I'm not 100% sure. At any rate, he's a handsome birds and has a nice reflection in the water.

Black Crowned Night Heron

About a 15 minute drive north of Kihei where we were staying, is the Kealia Coastal Boardwalk. This is an elevated boardwalk just off the beach and along the edge of a wetlands. The first bird I came across was another of the black crowned night heron. These guys like to pose for the camera.

More Views of the Iao Valley Stream

While the images from yesterday's post were pleasant, deeper in the shadows we find more interesting and colorful compositions.

Kepaniwai Park

Once back down to where the views are dominated by the works of man, I drove south to Iao Valley to find a place to eat lunch. These delightful park is an oasis for the soul. Surrounded by mountains and beside a stream full of water and laughing children, it is great place to sit and relax.

More of the Crater at Haleakala

This place must certainly inform the artists who imagine scenes on other worlds. For, in my travels, few places have rivaled the other worldliness of these vistas.

Haleakala near the Observatory

At the very top of the volcano we find a collection of observatories, which we mere mortals are not allowed to drive to, and vistas that can be a bit difficult to comprehend. On the slope above we look along a field of broken lava to abrupt change is slope beyond which appears only sky and ocean. Like one of the modern "infinity pools" one finds on hotel roofs, this "infinity field" on top of Maui is equally unsettling.

Haleakala

No trip to Maui is complete without a visit to the top of Haleakala to see the volcanic crater and the curious landscape there. I picked a clear morning and was able to see all around the crater to the edge of the clouds that are apparently always present on the southern side of the island.

More Sunset Eye Candy for Your Viewing Pleasure

Being on the western side of the island, we get all the sunsets. The sunrises on the other side of Haleakala, so we only get the morning light once the sun is well up in the sky. but the evenings can be glorious. I'm actually surprised that the island doesn't tip to one side each evening since nearly every one seems to flock to the beach on foot and by car to watch the daily astronomical spectacle.

A Couple more Herons

This fellow gave me a great pose in the shallow water near some bushes. With his reflection in the sepia colored water it almost looks like some sort of headshot for a business tycoon.

Herons

 

Outside the pond with all the stilts, the most numerous birds are the herons. I find them perching in the trees and posing in the water.

Kealia Pond

The stilts are noisy bunch and are really running things in this pond.

Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge

The Kealia Pond is a nice wetland area in which to spy a few of the local birds. The most numerous here now and the most engaging are the Hawaiian Stilt. It is a subspecies of the black-necked stilt.

Morning Light and Some Longer Exposures

If only the boat had held still for my image! Such arrogance to move when I did not want it too. Otherwise a calming image of the morning.

Morning Time on the Beach

As the sun breeches the crest of Haleakala, morning comes to our section of the shore line. With only a small bit of investigation, I find a sailboat that has been grounded on the beach in a recent storm. Just can't be good news for the sailor/owner of that boat.

And the Sun Goes Away...

The scales of motion... the slow turning of the Earth, the glacial rate of erosion of the beach rocks, the fast rate of water motion, and the gentle ebb and flow of the ocean, combine to make this an interesting composition.

The Golden Hour

With the sun beginning to disappear, the light takes on a more golden hue and for a few minutes, everything seems to be aglow.

Secret Beach at Sunset

As the sun crept closer to the horizon, the reds and yellows got more intense.

Welcome to Hawaii!

Finally, an escape from the endless rain and cold of the PNW to sunny Hawaii. On my first night there, we drove to a place called Secret Beach (although it isn't much of a secret any more) to watch the sunset.

Mostly Man-Made Items Today

There are many metal fences in town, standing alongside the dominant white wooden fences. All degrade with time in the rain and epiphyte attacks, but the metal ones seem to do it with grace and dignity.

On the Prowl Between Rain Showers

Looking for photo compositions along my well walked paths leads me to both old and new things to see. Above is what was originally, no doubt, a driveway for wagons and has now become mostly unused. To wide and in the wrong place to be a walkway and to narrow to be a drive for cars, it sits gated and locked and largely ignored.

Local Artwork

Artwork in Edmonds ranges from the ridiculous to the sublime in some oder I cannot fathom.

Along the Streets

In keeping with yesterday's theme of things in Edmonds windows you just don't seem much elsewhere, here's a store filled with whale themed things.

A Trip to Edmonds

Since the lockdowns of 2020, our big event is drive to Spuds, the fish 'n chips shop in Edmonds, buy a order or their great cod and chips, then sit in the car and eat. We are extravagant and fancy on out outings!

This trip we went totally crazy and drove the few blocks to the main part of town and did some low level shopping. That is, E shopped while I bought a coffee and had a walk about to take a few photos.

This storefront above is something you just don't see on the east coast. A bookstore advertising books by and about Asians and promoting the lunar new year. 

A Little Color in Our Lives

This is the plant you saw in black and white yesterday. It is interesting how the green leaves have blue streaks on them.

Sunshine!

Here's proof that we finally have a little bit of sun in our lives. The high pressure dome that was holding in the fog and clouds has lifted and, for a day or two at least, I have a chance to walk about with worry about rain. And I can see things!

We are down to the skinny end of things with photos at the moment. As I'm sure you are aware, there is a time lag between when I take these photos and when you see them. When we are on a trip, this lag can be as much as a month as the images just keep coming on a nearly daily basis. At home in the winter, I aim for maybe a week but it is often less.

Sunshine Reveals that Color does Still Exist in the World

It is amazing what one can find lying on the ground if the sun will only come out so you can see it. Even though it is months since these leaves were on a tree, it remains possible to find color and texture in the low-angled light on a winter's day.

Down By the Stream

With a little sunshine on my shoulder, I headed out for a look about. Of course, there's the usual bare tree branches with colorful and detailed epiphytes to see. Can never get too many of these.

Exploring the Neighbors Plants

The epiphyte outcropping on this tree is filled with these small green moss fronds that always put me in the mind of the breathing apparatus seen on nudibranchs. Every time I see this, I wonder if the shapes are related.

A Break in the Bad Weather

One of the houses a couple blocks from us is a converted church. In front are a few trees in what is now the sidewalk and these are surrounded by metal frames to protect them. You know how those church going hooligans are about running over trees, right? The tops of these heavy metal frames have these eyes in them, I presume for lifting them into place. Like everything else outside here, these have started a crop of moss.

Epiphytes Galore

In between rains (yes, that does happen), I try to get out for a walk. Some days the only things that catch my eye are the lowly lichens and mosses.

Interesting Things on a Day with Poor Lighting

I find it interesting to see plants that, even in winter dormancy, retain their dignity and symmetry. Sure this flower was quite different when in full bloom and what is left is but a shade of its former self. Nevertheless, the "bones" of the plant still carry the message of grace.

Back Nearer to home

I started to make the title of this post be "Back on Dry Land" but then I realized that there is no dry land here just now. For the second time in as many weeks, there are reports on the radio of houses, built on hills of now super-saturated soil have slid off of their foundations and trapped people and/or pets inside. A new thing to think about if we are offered a house sit in the northwest in winter in a fancy house sitting on a hill. Yikes!

Mukilteo Beach - 5

Of course, we weren't just visit the beach to take photos of rocks and trees. We also came to play. The children were suitably clothed for the weather and enjoyed digging such sand as there was. Not how we normally think of dressing for the beach, is it.

Mukilteo Beach - 4

I find the abstraction of the wood and stone appealing. These organic shapes always display figures unexpected.