Monday Video – Octopus Home Movie

I have shared some strange videos in the past, but this one may win the Grand Prize for weirdness.
Enjoy.

Sunday Reflection – Water

As you may know, we were just in Hawaii for a wonderful, 2-week vacation.  Being an island state, water is a big part of the life of Hawaii.  Water surrounds each island, there is substantial rainfall and plenty of waterfalls, especially on the East coast of each island.

The major water that affects the Hawaiian islands is, of course, the Pacific Ocean.  There were many days that Betty and I just sat and watched the waves approach and meet the shore.

The rhythm of the waves was almost hypnotic and the sound of water crashing against sand over and over again was very relaxing.

The sea pronounces something, over and over, in a hoarse whisper; I cannot quite make it out.  ~Annie Dillard

I find myself at the extremity of a long beach.  How gladly does the spirit leap forth, and suddenly enlarge its sense of being to the full extent of the broad, blue, sunny deep!  A greeting and a homage to the Sea!  I descend over its margin, and dip my hand into the wave that meets me, and bathe my brow.  That far-resounding roar is the Ocean's voice of welcome.  His salt breath brings a blessing along with it.  ~Nathaniel Hawthorne, "Foot-prints on the Sea-shore"

Needless to say there is much life in the ocean – fishes, coral, shrimps, etc., etc., and the Bible talks about water a lot – from Genesis to Revelation – with the final emphasis being that of the water of life.

And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." (Genesis 1:6)

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.  (Revelation 22:17)

The sea has a power – not just the power of the water itself – a power that comes from its depth and width and from its constant movement.  The sea is never still.

The sea is both refreshing and threatening.  It gives us life and it takes life away.  It is so big and wide it far surpasses the ability of our minds to encompass it.

The sea is truly a creation and gift from God.

The sea hath no king but God alone.  ~Dante Gabriel Rossetti, The White Ship

He that will learn to pray, let him go to sea.  ~George Herbert

Just Kidding

Yesterday we said we were leaving Hawaii – but we were just kidding. 

Our flight that was supposed to leave last night at 10:45 PM was delayed for over two hours because of mechanical problems and then finally canceled after midnight.

USAir put us up at a nice hotel on the beach and we got here about 2:00 AM.  It’s a nice place with a nice view so it’s not all bad and we have confirmation on another flight that leaves at 11:15 PM tonight (God willing).

So, one more day in paradise – it’s hard, but someone’s got to do it.

Oh, It’s Time to Leave

Today, Thursday, was our last full day in Hawaii.  We spent the day at the beach like we did on Tuesday.  Tomorrow, we check out, but our flight doesn’t leave until 10:45 PM so we’ll have all day to explore the Kona Coast area.

My computer will be packed so there’s no more posts until we get home.  So, here’s a video that’s an overview of our time here in Hawaii.

Swimming with the Dolphins

When we go on vacation, Betty has most of the good ideas and she had another one for today.  This morning we sailed on the catamaran ‘Alala’ which is Hawaiian for ‘Raven.’  We waited on the beach and they sent in a small skiff to take us to the boat.

It was a beautiful morning and we had a great sail out.  One of the features of this boat is to find Spinner Dolphins so we might have a chance to swim with them.  Spinner Dolphins are called that because they will occasionally jump into the air and spin around. 

We sailed about 3 miles North up the coast and there they were.

Several swam along with our bow wake for a mile or so.



Eventually we sailed ahead of them so we could get ready with our snorkel gear.  The plan was to get into the water and let them swim towards us which we did.
When the dolphins got close to us they would dive down and swim under us.  It was great to watch them swim below us in groups.  The captain estimated there were possibly up to a 100.  We saw several groups of a dozen or more swim right below us.  It was really cool.  (I took some pictures with my disposable underwater camera and when it’s developed I will post some of those pictures – if they’re any good.)

After swimming with the dolphins, we boarded the boat and headed a little farther North to a place called Crystal Cove – and the name was appropriate.  The water was crystal clear.
 
We put on our snorkel gear again and snorkeled in the cove for about 45 minutes.  It was great fun.  There were ledges and fairly deep crevasses to explore with lots of fish.

We had a leisurely sail back to the hotel.
 
It was great fun.

 
Once again a short video of our morning.

Relaxing Tuesday

After going fairly steady for several days, we decided to enjoy just being at the beach. So this will be a short post.

Sweet dreams to all.

East to West

(Now that I have a good Internet connection again, I caught up on my posts.  This one is yesterday, Monday.  Sunday, Saturday and Friday’s posts follow this one if you’re interested.)

On Monday morning we left Hilo and headed to the Western side of the Big Island for a stay at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel.

On the way we stopped in the Waipio Valley for a horseback ride.

The Waipio Valley is believed by Hawaiians to be the home of King Kamehameha who united all the Hawaiian Islands in the early 1800’s.  Up until a tsunami hit the valley, thousands of people lived and farmed there.  Today, only about 50 people, mostly taro farmers, make their permanent homes in the valley.

To get down to the valley you ride in a shuttle van, in our case driven by our wrangler, Kione.

The ride was beautiful and very interesting.  We even saw a wild hog and some wild horses.

Here are some pictures from the ride.

 

At the end of our ride we had a group picture with Kione.
After the ride we drove to Hapuna Beach and checked into our hotel.
 
While sitting out enjoying the beach breezes…
We had a visitor… a Gray Francolin…
Finally, a good sunset brought our day to an end.