Naialani

Our Hearts...

2012-02-12T09:12:00.000-08:00

I stand and watch the rising sun in the east, color the clouds of the North Shore, every year at this time I stand here and cannot believe how Waimea Bay, Oahu, rages during winter... I met my first wild and free bottle nose dolphin right here in ...the middle of this picture. As free as can be he, popped up in front of me.. "HI" .. I never heard him coming.. never saw a dorsal fin, he just was there. Looking into the eyes of the " other intelligent" creature who, has made their appearance to you, of their own accord is life changing.. I cannot explain to you what is in those eyes.. but I know they are more knowledgeable than I ... I wait expectantly for the waters of the bay to calm, to return to solid blue..I have come to understand that our heart beat sends out electrical impulses.. it is those impulses I think the dolphins sonars pick up and identify us by. Leave your boats and your kyaks and your boards on shore.. slip into the water, let the ocean and her creatures learn ur heartbeat.. I look forward to seeing in a short 2 months, if again, the beating of my heart calls to the dolphins, wild and free.....

Full On...

2012-02-09T14:55:00.000-08:00

We are into full on winter weather here in the islands... rough cold ocean, i will now be out of the water till March or April...

The best thing about the islands.... lots of stuff above water just as beautiful....

I will try and keep you as updated as I can as we move full on into our rainy season...I still remember the winter it rained 40 days and 40 nights straight....

It Is As It Should Be....

2012-02-02T08:19:00.000-08:00

After work... i felt the need to go to turtle rock.... i soon knew why... this turtle has fishing line wrapped around both flippers and his head...the line had tightened and this guy could not swim.. just float.. this turtle... look at his face,was asking for help... "Okay i said Be right back.. gonna get my scissors.." swam to shore..... went in my bag .. NO SCISSORS!! OMG... i hit the beach running... my big mouth a plus at this time.. "SCISSORS or a KNIFE PLEASE!!!!"... these guys hand me a knife... the kind u use to fillet fish.. OMG! "okay lani... Do no harm" I knew I couldnt do it alone.... fate took care of it... two beautiful Brazilian men saw the turtle...then saw me coming with the knife..."Please help me" I said... and they did... one spoke no English, one spoke only a little.. I donot speak Portugese.. BUT we KNEW without the need for words what needed to be done... This turtle now swims free .... and the 3 of us, united beyound words to aide one of mother natures children...it is as it should be.....

Grateful

2012-01-28T06:42:00.001-08:00

Since im having one heck of a time finding a peaceful ocean shoreline in winter here on Oahu, Im gonna just work while i wait.. yesterday while I sat here in one of my favorite spots, I wondered how old these trees were... i will have to find out =)... There is something real special about this spot and I thought about all the people I have met thru the years, right here, that where here because they had lost a loved one... One man in particular stands out... his wife went into the hospital sick on a Friday and by Monday she was gone.. he was devastated...what is it that has us look to the sea in forlorn times? What is the secret peace and comfort the beautiful blue Ocean and her shorelines give to us?... I am so grateful the Ocean is what it is....

Sunday Mornings....

2012-01-17T13:13:00.000-08:00

Its becoming a habit.... Sunday Mornings and the Sunrise....starting at dawn..it is a majestic sight!

here's my problem....

When the sun was finally up and i could see the shoreline...

I saw PLASTIC riddled this beach.... i was upset! I grabbed my recycle bag and went to work.... now here's the kicker.... this area i am in is a very religious area... big ole tabernacle sits right down the street...

This was in my thoughts as scooped up the plastic .... Christian, Bible believing, churches believe in the creator... they say he built this planet... if sooo.. why the heck are our beaches and mountains and valleys not filled with Bible believing people taking care of this planet? I want to be around when their creator asks them, " For what reason did I build you a house? did you NOT care or respect me enough to love and care for what i built?" I wanna be there, I gotta see what the answer is.....Sunday mornings need to be more than just about church...

I am am island gal.........

Standing in Beauty

2012-01-14T10:12:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Friday the 13th, 2012, walking back to my beach mobile from the shoreline,I, for some reason, was thinking about the US Marines that had urinated on the 4 dead terrorists in Afghanistan, when this Hibiscus caught my eye....

The only blossom on the bush, it stood alone in magnificent beauty! plants and animals don't seem to get caught up in THE ACT OF DISHONOR....they seem to float free amidst the drama us humans create.

They stand alone in grace and beauty, a beautiful example to us humans. May I Leilani, stand, even if its alone for all that is good and all that is right. May my life be one of honor and beauty.

I am an island gal......

Somedays....

2012-01-12T15:34:00.000-08:00

There are some days, like this day, on the island of Oahu, that you just go......

Whoaaaa....

The second week of January 2012 has been a beautiful week on the island of Oahu.

I am an island gal......

Respect

2012-01-11T11:46:00.000-08:00

It is Sunday morning 1-8-2012, early. With my little cloth camera bag adorned with turtles ,my new camera, a lantern and my beloved driftwood walking stick I make my way down the mountainside into the little cove called, Halona.

I love it here. This morning there were people, lots of them already there. A camera club had chosen this spot to catch and capture the sunrise. Cameras, expensive cameras and tripods galore, it was a surprise delight and I welcomed the company.

The last couple of years I have noticed the "awakening" I like to call it, of our place as humans on this planet. I watch as more and more people are out and about to witness the beauty of this planet. It is a good thing.
In the above picture you see one of the members of the camera club step to the shoreline to capture the glorious sunrise.......

This is the next shot.... hes gone.... Mother Nature in all her glory smack in the middle of sunrise made this guy grab his camera and run.... A WAVE... glorious wonderful whitewater, came barreling at him full speed...If there is ONE priceless lesson you will learn from Mother Nature, it is the word Respect.

We all chuckled and smiled. He will never ever step to the shoreline
again without using caution... Mother Nature not only gave him beautiful pictures, she also gave him a priceless lesson that someday may save his life.....

I am an island gal..........

New Year, New Week...Same Mother Nature..

2012-01-07T14:12:00.000-08:00

Sunrise January 1, 2012 was spectacular.....during the day the winds stopped....

The next morning the island of Oahu was enveloped in Volcanic smog....us humans here on the island struggled to find a clean piece of air... the sun fought to get a stand thru the vog and the clouds...

Mother Nature cuddled the sun and LOOK at the morning dawn the next day...I am so incredibly happy Mother Nature is still the same....

I am an island gal.....

2011-12-31T08:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning i hobbled down to the place i call turtle rock(ive hurt my knee somehow=/)... I got out of the car and l looked to the sky. Very thick dark clouds nestled in the sky except for one small round spot where the sun was trying to shine thru... every time i see something like this in the sky i think of my mom... I smiled and said, "hi mom. how about a rainbow?" i continued hobbling the short distance to shore........ I had to smile.... rainbow....

As we round out the year 2011... i ask you to believe in the good, the impossible, the magical.... I ask you to grasp hold of ALL the GOOD this planet has to offer and to LIVE to shine a light in all dark places. whether u believe in creation or evolution, Jesus or Darwin, there is no denying the magnificence of this planet. We as humans have been given ALL we need to live a life full of quality... begin with gratitude.... you will find joy! Happy New Year!

Mornings Again....

2011-12-30T18:55:00.001-08:00

I could sit and watch the mornings on the North Shore of Oahu again and again, morning after morning. Mother Nature is Magnificent. The sun rising in the East, the waters of the North color in celebration! It is Hawaii....

I am an island gal......

Priceless

2011-12-28T14:07:00.000-08:00

For Christmas my adult children and their spouses got together and bought me an underwater camera.......

I hit the water running..... there are no words its just.... priceless....

I am an island gal....

"Watch Over Him"

2011-12-21T13:22:00.000-08:00

I lifted my 3 month old grandson to the Ocean in front of me...

"Here is my grandson my ocean friend, when the time comes and he enters into your blue blue waters...... Watch Over Him"

I am an island gal.......

Going Back...

2011-12-11T07:30:00.000-08:00

I still have not replaced my camera so I take you back..... into the Blue....

I love the seasons...

....the huge waves of winter, which is going on right now, keep the dolphins away from
the shoreline....

When the water calms and the whales leave our the islands deep
purple waters, when the dolphins feel summer approaching, their curiosity gets the best of them and they head for the shallow water... " Lets see," u can imagine them saying, " Lets go see shallow water ,we haven't been there for months!"

It is at this time that being in the water is so incredible... I once had them swim with me to within 10 Feet of the shore.... people on the beach flying out of the water.. all they saw were dorsal fins..... I do miss those years,the dolphins and I alone out there, the years BEFORE people understood those dorsals were NOT sharks but dolphins....

BUT the MORE people see and understand the better for our Ocean. There are many people in the water now, who like myself wait for the dolphins, people who are willing, dolphin OR shark to share the incredible joy and beauty of this planet and her amazing Oceans....

In another Month I will hit the water again.... I wait like the dolphins for the calm summer waters of the islands....

I am an island gal......

"Where Are YOU?"

2011-11-28T08:19:00.000-08:00

I took these 2 pictures Winter 2010..There will be no Winter pictures from 2011 because I still have not replaced my broken camera. After years of walking around with a camera attached to my body I find I miss it terribly! Its a hard adjustment. I plan on replacing my broken camera in January 2012. Its winter water here in the islands, so this is a really good time to catch up on YEARS of things I have been letting go. You will KNOW the minute I get the next camera..LOL... I miss the Ocean...BUT my daily life is slowly taking on a more organized appearance...I best organize to the maximum..the minute I reattach the camera to my body, I will hit the water running...My animals will think I'm a stranger when I enter the front door, the beauty shop will think I died, my friends will scratch their heads and worry and I will start getting phone calls on my where abouts.... The funniest coming from my adult children,"MOM, WHERE ARE YOU?!"

I am an Island Gal.......

GYRATION

2011-11-25T10:56:00.000-08:00

I notice MORE and MORE people out at sunrise.....

This song and watching a sunrise can cause your brain and body to gyrate into the incurable, completely fabulous body aliment known as Gyration.... Careful if you are watching a sunrise on a cliff... it could get dangerous!

"Slide-Crawl"

2011-11-23T11:54:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago a woman my age was found floating in the ocean on the East side of the island of Oahu,expired.. gone.. Witness said earlier they had seen her walking on the rocks of the shoreline....

The rocky shoreline u see in this picture is VERY slippery.. Huge turtles use the slip and slide of these lava rock and sandstone shorelines to glide their bodies over the rocks and eat. In order to get this picture I had to LAY, belly down and "Slide- Crawl". That's a word I made up just for this activity. "Slide-Crawl"...

As Thanksgiving approaches I am EXTREMELY grateful for the safety that has been given to me over the years. If you are visiting Hawaii, keep the "Slide-Crawl" in your mind. It could save your life!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

I am an island gal.....

Little eyes.... Great Minds....

2011-11-17T09:07:00.000-08:00

My son-in-law on R&R from Afghanistan took the following pictures. They right away have become priceless to me.

There is a small plastic blow up ball on the reef, it is headed for the open Ocean.. There was NO WAY i was going to watch that happen, so I started over the very slippery reef lava rock that is covered in algae, determined to retrieve it.

My granddaughter see me and is on the shoreline behind me in a flash.. " STAY there Malia", I say. "These rocks are slippery!"

As soon as I had the ball, I turned and said," I GOT IT!!"

Explaining to my granddaughter how plastic and the Ocean don't mix was a joy for me. Her knowing that a turtle, a dolphin, or a whale could eat this piece of plastic and how that was not a GOOD THING was an important message ..

Once i got back to the sand,she takes the ball from my hands and says, " We need to GET rid of this!" Little eyes.... Great minds!!

Full Circle....

2011-11-16T13:50:00.000-08:00

Just being silly and carefree while swimming is fun. I took the above picture by accident. I was in the ocean upside down pretending I was a whale, when my camera went off. This picture is positive proof, that I Leilani use the ocean as one big beautiful playground....

When my kids were younger they didn't like swimming at the lagoons of the Koolina Resort. They called them "Baby Pools". "MOM! YUCK! nothing to do there, those are BABY POOLS"

So I found it amusing that my children and I ate our packed picnic one evening at the "BABY POOLS"....they have children now so the shallow and calm of these little lagoons are perfect for the children.

I sat, ate my dinner and smiled, I swallowed the urge to shout,"YUCK, nothing to do here,these are BABY POOLS!!!"....

We have come full circle...... I love it!

Follows you wherever you go.....

2011-11-14T11:45:00.000-08:00

The Ocean is my passion....I figured IF i would of followed that passion from an early age my life would of been quite different.

Since everything happens for a reason, the things Ive been thru, have allowed the life I now live... including the presense of my children.

Ive come to accept the fact that I have never ever been a "NORMAL" mom...What I do know for a fact is that I adore my children. Being together these last couple of weeks has been awesome....they are amazing adults!!

I want them to know...... My Love follows them where ever they go....

11-11-11

2011-11-11T20:05:00.001-08:00

Mother Nature at her finest. A full on big time storm during sunrise... The sun and the rain combined with a fierce wind all in a battle to see who was going to win. I was in heaven... taking pictures during a battle of the elements is one of my favorite things to do.

It was quite obvious on my way back home that neither the sun, the wind nor the rain had won....

On this once in a life time day 11-11-11....

It was the patient Rainbows that finally won the battle.... their peaceful presence a mediator between the sun, the wind and the rain....

I am an island gal........

Could, Can and Will

2011-11-09T13:35:00.000-08:00

My daughter and son in law heard me. While driving I grasped the steering wheel and said," Universe, hi, I would like very much for my granddaughter Malia to see a Hawaiian Monk Seal. They are so endangered by our modern day world, Universe, that if you wait she may never see one. Please...." I kept driving.... When we got to our destination, a beach on the south side of the island of Oahu called White Plains, there was not ONE but TWO Hawaiian Monk Seals basking in the sun. That's them behind my granddaughter. As she ran to get her poppa to tell him the good news, I stood looking at the view...

Diamond Head in the far background, the city of Honolulu rising to meet it, the sea breeze whipping up the top of the waves into a white meringue, that looked good enough to eat, the Hawaiian Monk Seals basking in the sun. Man, woman and child enjoying the sun, sand and sea. I had lived here my whole life and up until 3 years ago, had never ever been to this beach on the south side of the island of Oahu. I had spent almost a life time focusing on what was WRONG with this planet. Never venturing past or beyond my small little world here on the island.

I now live and strive to focus on what is RIGHT with this planet full time, 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Mother Nature tops the list of what is RIGHT with this planet. Its amazing how changing your focus, the way you see things, can change the way you live...

It is also a magnificent insight from Mother Nature herself, that helps you to understand,that what is WRONG with this planet could, can and will be wiped out in a fraction of a minute and what is RIGHT with this planet could,can and will remain eternal, in all its glory.

May this island gal... live, love, care for and respect what is RIGHT with this planet.......

All New

2011-11-08T08:54:00.001-08:00

After 2 months of agony I am finally moved into my new place.... when i say new, i mean new... floors to and including the ceilings and EVERYTHING in between are new. I would say i got lucky... but as you can see from the sunset view, and the rainbow that plays outside my front door, luck is not a strong enough word... Looks like Mother Nature and the Universe thought it time I had an "All New" place...

I am an extremely grateful Island gal.................

The Song in My Soul.

2011-11-02T12:23:00.000-07:00

Ive noticed lately I hum to myself alot. Any song, made up songs, I just hum... sometimes I break out in song....lalalalala!!! I just have to watch WHERE i choose to let loose.

Monday...it was Halloween and I sat in front of my granddaughter who is visiting from Boston. She was celebrating Halloween as a Black Cat and I was attempting to draw on her little face, whiskers and a red nose.

I didn't notice it at first,but shortly realized, that the whole time she stood in front of me, while I drew her whiskers, she was humming. I looked into her little brown eyes and I went back in time... spinning...

I had forgotten about my childhood humming... I loved singing and humming so much I spent all of High School in Concert Glee. A position I had to audition for.

It dawned on me right there as I was looking at this precious girl, that I had somewhere, in my early adulthood, LOST the SONG in my SOUL.

Ive always had a hard time describing how the dolphins have changed my life...

My granddaughters presence this Halloween have given me the answer... The dolphins, their presence, their joy, their intelligence have returned to me, The SONG in My SOUL.

I am an Island Gal.......

Forward and Backwards

2011-10-26T15:27:00.000-07:00

These are just a few of my favorite " Turn Around " captures. I was finished, leaving, walking away... I would just happen to turn around and BOOM something fabulous was going on BEHIND me....Mother Nature is real good at that... ALWAYS something fabulous!

I marvel at how extremely lucky we all are to live on a planet that gives us so much beauty forwards and backwards!

I am an island gal.......

Little Hands all grown up....

2011-10-24T11:09:00.000-07:00

I have his art work from Kindergarten. A 5 year olds tiny hand paintings to bring home and show mommy...page after page of little painted hand silhouettes, Ive kept some as souvenir's of his early days in school....

But this picture of those little hands all grown up carrying his newborn son, my grandson.. I will keep till the day I die. Little hands all grown up.....

Mini Me

2011-10-23T07:03:00.000-07:00

Its about 4:30 in the afternoon. The clouds had hugged the island all day long. We were done swimming, it was chilly. My granddaughter steps up to the edge of where the grass meets the sand. I stared at her standing, watching the water.I quickly clicked this picture. She is just like her grandma.... it is never enough just to watch the ocean.... it calls to us... "Come to Me", "Come to me". We miss the Ocean even when we are standing next to her. We must swim, we must feel the sea. So we gaze lovingly at her when we MUST stay dry.

This will always be one of my favorite pictures... The gift of our grandchildren begins with the insight as to how WE were as children. The gift never ends... always changing our grandchildren are perfect pictures of OUR childhood.

I am adopted, I have no relatives other than my children and now my grandchildren. To see this little girl, soooo in love with the Ocean at 5, I have come to understand that the love of the Ocean flows in my blood, and now in her blood as well. From one generation to the next, we have been standing, gazing lovingly at the sea.

YEARS from now one of my greatgreatgrandchildren will be standing ,gazing, a "mini me" of great great grandma who so loved the sea.. what an incredible gift.

I am an Ocean loving island gal......

.....OF WHAT??

2011-10-20T16:23:00.001-07:00

I love these two sunrise pictures , they come with a story.... I had pulled to the side of the highway, pulled my car onto the grass embankment so I was safe from other cars. I turned the flasher lights of my little beach mobile on......

After about 10 minutes, it was still dark , a Honolulu police officer stops,rolls down his window and says," Ma'am??..... Is everything okay?"

"Yes", I replied, "Thank you,I'm taking pictures."

He looks at me like ..OH great a wacko.....

He opens his mouth and says," OF WHAT?"

I was standing in front of a huge open field, it was dark...He was asking a valid question....

I said,"Hang on!"....

He did.... almost at that moment the sky exploded in color.....

"OF THAT!" I yelled, as i ran to start clicking my camera....

I turned after a minute and smiled at him.... "Thank you" I said....

" NOOO Thank you", he replied...

I often wonder if he was Thankful for the sunrise he saw, or for the fact that I was just part wacko....

I am a part wacko Island Gal.......=)

Only God Knows...

2011-10-19T12:22:00.001-07:00

My little camera is out of service. I have thousands of pictures, so I'm gonna try to take u back with me,show you some of my favorite pictures,what i think and why they are my favorite. The pictures we take are such a good addition to our memories!

Took the above picture on the North side of the island of Oahu.....

Took the below picture on the west side of the island of Oahu....

The waters on each side of the island of Oahu are strikingly different...

The North side waters colder,murkier from river run off,while the west side waters bright,warm, blue and green, with magnificent coral heads...

so I didn't notice till just recently that these two pictures may be of the same turtle...its really hard for me to say because the pictures were taken about a year apart from each other. Wouldn't that be amazing if this turtle recognized me and my little camera? That he repeated his pose on the North side, just as he did on the west side.. gosh... u know... Only God Knows.....

I love these two pictures, they weren't planned, they were a gift from the ocean..The bottom picture , blown up much bigger, hangs in a judges chambers here on Oahu. It is a fitting place for a turtle this wise to be in an environment where wisdom is so very, very important.

I am an island gal......

Life Before Camera

2011-10-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

Sunrises,

Sunsets,

Dolphins and more

dolphins... I have forgotten what life was like before my camera became attached to my right hand...

Blessed....

2011-10-06T07:31:00.000-07:00

We all are blessed by the presence of this planets creatures... sometimes, someplaces, some minutes, sometimes for only seconds at a time, it feels like they have a direct connect to something much higher than any one human can comprehend. I never tire of watching this planets goodness...

Hot Sun, Blue Blue Water, Not a cloud in the sky.

2011-10-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

The suns been so bright and hot, you cant look at the ocean straight dead center, you have to stand to the side .

Ocean glare is like no other, its blinding. Hot hot sun, blue blue water,not a cloud in the sky, its my favorite...

once underwater if the water is clear it is just mind-bending.... Hot sun, blue blue water, not a cloud in the sky.....

Old Hawaii

2011-09-30T08:48:00.000-07:00

Sunday Sept 25th the sun rose over the island of Oahu just blazing! Its been a really hot week here in the islands, a hot that is hard to describe. Its like an oven! But before that sun got too hot on Sunday I was treated to the sight of the east side of the island of Oahu that was just magnificent. The East shore line of Oahu, still undeveloped, green and filled with the sounds of "old Hawaii".

I am an "Old Hawaii" island gal.......

Island Fantasy

2011-09-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

There is something insanely surreal about the islands and her shorelines...Im sitting on the shoreline watching the sunset.. a fisherman is casting his line way out, looks like he trying to reach those sailboats who are in the path of the sun. Its Friday... Its not a movie... its real....the ocean and her shoreline do that. They create an Island Fantasy...

Raining Rainbows

2011-09-19T17:17:00.001-07:00

It was an amazing sight.... 9-19-11 It was raining rainbows!

9-11-11

2011-09-11T16:24:00.000-07:00

There are a brief few seconds between darkness and light during a sunrise that are mindbendingly beautiful. Usually my little camera cannot catch it, it is still too dark, but this morning 9-11-11, for some reason my camera caught it.

I had to sit down while taking this , it was magnificent.... It goes to reason that coming from Mother Nature, the most stunning would be during the BALANCE of darkness and light....

The Universe Speaks

2011-09-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday 9-4-11.... Sunset...And the Universe speaks...

37 years ago on Sept 4,1974 ,I, Island girl... gave birth to my first child, a boy... I was so young, made so many mistakes..

Yesterday 9-4-2011 ... my first grandson was born.... I will not make the same mistakes twice....

Yesterday 9-4-11... the Universe speaks....

A First...

2011-08-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

Even being from Oahu, standing at Makua on the western tip of the island of Oahu is impressive. Its a beautiful beach.

In my entire life I had never swam here, Makua, home to many many dolphins. I took the plunge into these beautiful blue waters very carefully. The dolphins were swimming by the boat u see in the first picture, but it being my first time here in these waters, I just swam to get the feel of the ocean. When i turned to look toward shore, I was spellbound! Those mountains you see were very sacred to ancient Hawaiians. At this moment, in the water, I could see why.

There is a least a good mile of sand here, lots of native Hawaiians fishing, an occasional ATV riding by. Again as with many sacred places in Hawaii the quiet is deafening!

It would not surprise me one bit if I moved down here permanently. If I do, move here, it will be a HUGE step for me. But the beautiful blue water, this side of the island of Oahu?

God lives out here... he truly does.

I am an island gal.

Balance...

2011-08-16T18:52:00.000-07:00

Mother Nature is all about balance, even when we cant make rhyme or reason out of the weather, Mother Nature has a plan.

To Balance the murky milky water all year this year, Mother Nature has risen to superb with her sunsets...

These two sunsets on the North shore of Oahu happened on 2 consecutive days! It was Magnificent!!

The video shows you just how murky the water is!

Raising Baby

2011-08-11T20:45:00.000-07:00

This is as close as i could get to a mother Hawaiian Monk Seal and her newborn pup. What struck me is the place she chose.

Absolutely beautiful... a little pond that sits above the open ocean..

What a beautiful place for raising a baby!

They are to the middle left of the first picture.

They will be here for at least another 4 weeks, I will go back with a different camera and try to get a closer picture of the pair.

Its be awhile since Ive been to this part of the island... I had forgotten how remote and magnificent it is!

I am an island gal......

How Can it Be?

2011-08-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

To get to this stretch of beach on the North Shore of Oahu I had to leave my car in an area that has become a home to the homeless. I was concerned about my car but being out here won over in the end and off I went.

Saw two wild boar in these bushes... They looked at me like I was the scariest thing on the planet and took off running..

Saw two canoes taking off practicing for the races they enter in all year. It was so quiet out here, it was like I had left modern Hawaii behind and stepped into the past. I was beyond delighted.

This turtle laying in the sun out here in the quiet,a turtle who once in the sun and on the sand, very rarely open their eyes, acknowledged my presence by opening his.

How can it be that we have given up this peace, this quiet, this harmony, for the world most of us live in? How can it be?

I am an island gal.......

Quiet Awe

2011-07-25T21:34:00.000-07:00

Videographer I am not... this turtle comes ashore... tired... ready for the sun...
(sorry its blurry, the sun was really bright!)

Ive seen alot on the shorelines, but this big mans quiet awe of the turtle that had just come ashore took my breath away...

This man stayed for awhile, just sat and watched this turtle. What a joy it was watching both of them!

I am an island gal.......

A Good Island Gal

2011-07-13T12:59:00.000-07:00

As you might well tell from this post, I still cant see the hand in front of my face underwater. But the island of Oahu is a green I have not seen in many years! Picking these pineapple is considered stealing so after taking pictures in this field i went to the store to buy one. I sure was tempted to have one straight out of the field BUT......

I am a good island gal......... lolol..

Then Sings My Soul

2011-07-10T19:27:00.000-07:00

ive seen this Palm tree a million times on the way to Waimea Bay. I have often thought,man, that tree is beautiful against the sky.. This mornin I stopped.. NOTHING prepared me for the sun rising over the mountains... nothing.. "Then sings my soul..." 7-10-11 sunrise on the North Shore

Knock me off my Feet...

2011-07-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

I love watching the sky during sunrise. The colors change every second almost and its a constant surprise, every morning. This morning was no different... BUT...

What this cloud changed into almost knocked me off my feet.

I am a humbled island gal......

Harmony, Joy and Love

2011-06-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

That second point in background, where the tall trees are, is where I started. Usually I have my binoculars,they are a must when scanning shorelines, but today I had forgotten mine.

I stood way down there looking up the shoreline and i knew the three small bumps I saw on shore were not rocks, so i started walking. Walking on sand for a distance can be grueling but this stretch of beach here is beautiful, so the walk goes quickly. The TV show LOST was based here that's how beautiful this stretch is.

I finally arrived and I was so glad I made the walk.. 3 turtles..all spaced on the sand in equal distances, the biggest turtle at the top, the smallest turtle at the far end. It reaffirmed what has become so obvious to me about nature. That harmony is a daily part of all wildlife big and small.

I noticed when I got here that 2 guys where swimming in the water, bouncing around playing just having fun. They got real quiet when I laid down on the sand and started taking pictures. I looked over and they were giving me the strangest looks. I kept on clicking, all of a sudden MASS HYSTERIA!!, these two gentlemen visitors are walking Oahu's shoreline and thought those 3 turtles were ROCKS. They realized while i was clicking away that these were turtles. They were from the East Coast and truly these 2 guys became bundles of joy! Camera phones clicking away!

On the way back, this turtle was pulling himself out of the water to sunbathe,he looked exhausted and my heart one more time filled with love for a planet truly truly magnificent.

Graceful and fast in the water, these turtles, Ocean Flyer's, become so heavy and slow, I wonder why they bother to come ashore. Their love of the sun is so strong that they endure great struggle just to reap the rewards of Mother Natures sunshine. One of those rewards is the green algae that live on their shells, dries up and some of these turtles have fabulous shells!

The Ocean you see in the pictures? underwater? still milky from all the rain.

I continue to wait for some harmony, joy and love in the visibility department! LOLOL.....

I am an island gal......

Eureka!

2011-06-19T18:58:00.000-07:00

This picture is not too good... I was in a hurry to get that plastic cup OUT of the Ocean. AN inner ear issue keeps me from diving more that 4 feet deep, and this cup was at least in 8 feet of water.. I swam back to shore... found a 4 foot piece of driftwood lying on the beach... swam back out .. dove down,grabbed the cup with the stick...

Flew back up to the surface..... EUREKA! i had it! That plastic cup is no longer in the Ocean.

After that the day was calm...

turtles and blue water....

The water is not real clear yet...so I continue to wait, in between life's EUREKA moments!

Land of the Rain

2011-06-07T15:03:00.000-07:00

I am sorry for the lack of underwater blogs. For weeks now the island of Oahu has been subject to not just rain, but torrential rains... The water from the mountains flowing with a vengeance into the sea..You can't see your hand in front of your face under water. Not good... I was practically screaming at the estuary that flows into Waimea Bay a couple of mornings ago... Early.. just me screaming... "WHY? WHY?"

The rainbow that appeared was my answer....I am an island gal, waiting for the Land of the Rain to return to normal.....

Like A Kid

2011-05-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

As sunrises go this one was a beauty. I was on the east side of the island in the state owned park of Malaekahana(maw-lye-kaw-hah-naw). I spent some time in this little driftwood frame hut someone, probably an adult acting like a kid, built. I sat there like a kid, pretending I was a castaway. It was quite easy for me to act like a kid, i was a little ashamed and embarrassed about my castaway play so i scurried out to find bushes to view the sunrise in....

Settled into the brush(u guys know bushes are my second home) a woman in her late 60s walked across the screen on my camera, I lowered the camera and watched her. It was still quite dark, the water grey and black but like a kid, she walked right in. I know she didn't see me because she was singing and bobbing in the water, just like a kid.

Moving around alot, different shots, during sunrise, I stood and left the bush rounding the corner just as fast as i could......SURPRISE.... the woman's husband, also in his late 60s, was there, standing, arms stretched upward toward the rising sun and he was as naked as a jaybird!

I just didn't have the presence of mind right at that moment to take his picture... after all, we ARE really ADULTS just acting like kids!~

I am a adult island Gal........I think.... =0)

Opala(trash) O- paul- ah

2011-05-18T12:43:00.000-07:00

On Sunday morning I walked the beach of Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu, I was on my usual mission, picking up Opala(trash) off of the beach.. There wasn't much, someone had already been there before me. The water at the Bay was not clear so i left....

Fast forward to Monday morning 24 hours later... A beautiful, very endangered Hawaiian Monk seal was sleeping on shore at Waimea Bay, his head resting on a piece of OPALA!(trash). In a 24 hour period a beach goer had left a piece of trash on the sand..

It is against the law to get closer than 100 yards from these guys so it is important we keep Opala(trash) off the beach before they get there! You can imagine my reaction... are we not as humans smart enough to get our Opala(trash) into its proper receptacle?

Part of the problem here I feel, is that people are not aware that a Monk Seal may rest here. We all, myself included have come to live our lives so far removed from nature that we exist without this planet in our thoughts and in our hearts. I posted this picture on a local news stations website hoping to get the word out that these beautiful animals rest here at the Bay.

This particular seal is thin folks. I sent the pictures I took to NOAA here on the island. They monitor these extremely endangered animals. They are very near to becoming extinct. Sitting near one, this early in the morning, took my breath away. I told him i was glad to meet him, and that i had his picture so people would know he had lived on this planet , in our ocean.

The one thing we all have in common as humans is our Opala (trash).
Even if you live nowhere near these islands keeping track of your Opala (trash) is important. Next time a piece of Opala(trash) gets away from you, please make the effort to go get it. Somewhere , someplace on this planet, an endangered animals life will be made so much safer!

I am an island gal.......

Citizen Care

2011-05-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

There is a sign up there on that fence, it says "do not touch the turtles" .. A sign made by the people who live in this area... i am always amazed how dedicated the people who live on the oceans shoreline are to her animals.. That turtle right there on the beach was out like a light...lolol.. it is within out power as humans to care for this planet! =) The water I am taking this picture from is like a washing machine... will post about it later!

Happy Mothers Day.....

2011-05-08T09:17:00.000-07:00

WE were so close there was not one thing we did not know about each other. We drove my father crazy, talking on the phone for hours 3 times a day, for 30 plus years! He'd say , 'Take 2 aspirin and go back to bed!". Her spirit was so strong that even her passing HAS NOT diminished our closeness. I feel her many times out there in the water with me. She would LOVE these pictures! Because I knew her so well i know that she would want you to know...

Her and my father had a plan..... it came to pass...

Her and my father had a vision....i am still a work in progress...

Her and my father their whole being, the reason they lived, was for the Lord Jesus Christ....

I cannot mention my love for my mother without mentioning her Love for God. As long as i can remember, my parents Bibles were always together. One on top of the other ready in a flash for them to grab and use.

They still sit this way in MY home today.... may I, my moms daughter, remember what we had, cherish what only her and I knew, and may I strive to live for the Lord...

Happy Mother Day my friends..because you love me... my mother would of loved each of you!

An Island Gal

2011-05-07T19:55:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting in the bushes.. I've cut my leg from a hidden sprinkler system. My sarong is torn and the bugs are biting me. I wouldn't want to be any other place.

This one sunset was worth the wait and the sprinkler system that caught me off guard

The bushes I am sitting in belong to one of Hawaii's last monarchs.. Princess Abigail Kawananakoa. She is quite a woman and not only am i cut , bleeding, hot and bug bit. I am just a little concerned she may find me in her bushes.

Ive noticed that I can always find a bush to be in to get what i think will be a great picture.. It drives me nuts!

if you come to Oahu... make sure you visit the west where the sun sets.. you wont need to be in the bushes there are alot of great places to sit and watch the sunset. I am just......

an island gal...........

Who did this mess?

2011-04-30T23:41:00.000-07:00

Im posting this because i have been laughing all day over it...We are truly blessed by the laughter animals bring to us. These three are adorable!

Island DNA

2011-04-27T10:09:00.000-07:00

I am an adopted child so until my children were born I knew no blood relatives. I got real lucky with my children. Where I am wild and carefree, my children are quiet, focused and more reserved.

THEN I met my granddaughter! She is me....

Half of the time my daughter is at her wits end! "How DID this happen?" she says.

She is four, passionate about animals, and just LOVES the ocean. At 4, National Geographic is her favorite TV channel.

In this picture that dark shape in the water is a wild and free turtle swimming around my granddaughter.

She says she is from Boston, but I think her DNA says.....

She is an island gal........

Magnificent Weekend!

2011-04-26T22:35:00.000-07:00

Good Friday April 22, was also Earth Day and the sunset that night set the tone for the weekend.....

Saturday Morning..., early, the waters were clear, calm and warm... it was delightful! Turtles seemed to be enjoying it as much as I was..

Then, Sunday Morning, Easter... I sat on the far North side of the island and watched the sun rise in the East. The word "Magnificent"was so evident in this sunrise....

I noticed when I slipped into the water later, that the turtles seemed to be going somewhere.. Quess they had put on their Sunday best and were headed for the beautiful, blue open water!

ahhhhh life in the Big Blue... how magnificent!!!

I am an island gal....

Being Wild and Free

2011-04-20T13:20:00.001-07:00

I do the darnedest things. I have this little glitch in me that makes me forget that RULES are made for a reason.

I call this turtle BIG... He will periodically swim into Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu and cruise up and down the shoreline. His BIG dark shape in the water has frightened many tourists and then caused general chaos once they realize its a HUGE sea turtle!

I have often wondered if he realizes the great concern and then pure joy he causes. Its rare for a turtle this large to venture into shallow clear water just to swim so I get the idea he just does what he wants being a wild and free turtle.

I was delighted to see him. Its been a year at least since I had last seen him at the Bay, so I hurried into the water and started taking pictures.

Big did what most large sea animals do when seeing a human close to them, he went for deeper water. I tagged along after him thankful he was in a neutral gear. A turtle this big can disappear in a flash but he just cruised not fearing me but not liking or wanting my attention.

In Hawaii it is not legal to touch,harass, feed, kiss or hug a sea turtle.. This applies to EVERYONE including me.. You would never of guessed that when I reached my hand out toward this magnificent turtle and gently petted his shell.

Well! BIG was NOT enlightened by my touch. Turtles can turn on a dime and that's exactly what he did. He was in my face so fast all I could do was shut my eyes, turn away from him and swim like heck.

Thankfully turtles are not violent creatures but that was a warning to me, the only ones in the Ocean with the right to do exactly as they please are our ocean creatures who are just Being Wild and Free.

I am an island gal........

SHE

2011-04-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

She reaches her hand out not to touch the turtle, but in a greeting, ages old... a greeting of love and respect....
"She" is my daughter and I am extremely blessed.....

I am an island gal..........

Calm after the Storm....

2011-04-06T15:56:00.000-07:00

After venting in the last post i feel so much better! Thank you for reading..

I am slowly working on the mindset that I, alone, can save the planet.

The storm has past and delivered to me my granddaughter... all the way from Boston, Mass. She and my daughter are here for a visit. Is it possible that a child I did not give birth to could be so much like me?

She is a light to me, a reflection of the child I once was. All is calm, all is good.

I am an island gal........

Mother Nature doesnt Carry a Shovel!

2011-04-04T09:23:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day, yesterday, April 3,2011 at Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu. The water a beautiful clean blue, the sun shining off the water blinding your eyes if you were not wearing shades.

Turtles I had not seen all winter swam back and forth, the look of recognition on their faces when they saw me, "The Paparazzi".

The beauty was obviously too much for some people to handle. Selfish, self-centered bozos who had brought shovels to the beach to aid then in their pathetic need for attention.

They even brought a video camera with them to record for Youtube no doubt, their intended feat of manhood. What where they doing?

They were using their shovels to open the mouth of the Waimea Bay River.

Brown, dirty, standing fresh water that when released turns Waimea Bay into A dirty brackish wasteland of saltwater and fresh water or as locals call it "shark water"

I walked over to them and had some choice words for these useless self centered airheads. Talking to people like this is really a waste of breath, but I have long ago decided to speak up against stupidity.

Eventually the lifeguards, after complaints from several people stop these bozos dead in their track. These guys were so disrespectful they even gave the lifeguards a hard time. And isn't that what this really is all about? Disrespect?

I asked them, "What about all the people on the beach who came with their children to enjoy the blue clear water?" "OHHH well" they said, "Nature would do this anyway"... BOY are they idiots..their selfcentered, egodriven, disprestful, small brains cannot grasp the fact that Mother Nature doesnt carry a shovel!

Right Out My Front Door.

2011-03-31T16:02:00.000-07:00

All these sunsets were taken from my front yard over the last 2 weeks...

It is plainly evident that I have been looking in the wrong place for color in the sky.

All those sunset trips to the beach and the most color I see in the sky is happening right out my front door!

I am an island gal......

Spring .. Let the Waiting Begin.

2011-03-21T10:04:00.001-07:00

I was standing in the sun but soon those dark
clouds were over me dumping rain so cold it sent scores of people flying up the beach for shelter.

And so it is here in Hawaii, its called duck in and duck out...rain one minute, sun the next. Winter is not quite ready to leave us on land. BUT....

The Ocean tells a different story! The water is warmer than the rain, and she is clearing up. The snow storms under water are becoming lighter and as you can see the BLUE is incredible!

My goal again this year as in the past 3 years is to get dolphin pictures right where this turtle is! Wish me luck, this is very shallow water. oh, but the pictures would be magnificent would they not?

The dolphins will be here soon, passing the Bay and at times entering the Bay in joyous harmony...I am delighted .... Let the waiting begin!

Paniolo...

2011-03-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

From the Big Island of Hawaii...our youngest island where the volcano erupts and the cowboys still roam... Paniolo Hawaiian word for cowboy!

A friend of mine took this I had to share it! ... Only in Hawaii..

Rhythm of the Ocean...

2011-03-07T01:14:00.000-08:00

There is a rhythm to the ocean... Tide in ... tide out... I knew if I sat for awhile in this small shoreline pond, turtles would appear.

Sure enough, soon they were there. I watched two visitors to the islands walk back and forth on the shoreline. They had no clue there were turtles right in front of them. Turtles blend in so well that many many people miss them.

I hauled myself up over the rocks and said , "HI". I saw the look on their faces.. "ot roh a LOCAL!.. we've been warned about the LOCALS"....I smiled and said," There are two turtles right over there in that pond". SQUEALS of delight burst from them!

I could still hear their delight as I left. There is a rhythm to the Ocean.....

I am an island gal...........

How Did I Get Here?

2011-03-04T18:29:00.000-08:00

I asked myself this question over and over as I sat on the cliffs of the East coast of Oahu watching the sunrise.

A woman who at one time was afraid of practically everything I now scale these cliffs alone, eager to see what the sun brings with it.

It took awhile to get here I know that, I just don't remember the details. Maybe just maybe if I did remember the details I would not be where I am...

Here's the amazing thing... it used to be just me up here... after I took these pictures I turned around... there were 8 PEOPLE BEHIND ME! lolol.... guess i wasn't the only one wondering, "How Did I Get Here?"

Life is for living...

I am an island gal.....

Adventure or Nothing?

2011-03-03T10:05:00.000-08:00

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing." ~ Helen Keller

I had to share this quote!

What a wonderful adventure this planet gives us!!

I am an island gal...

Out My Front Door

2011-02-28T13:10:00.000-08:00

No matter where we live, nature surrounds us. I probably walked by this tree in my front yard a thousand times and never saw the butterflies.. SHAME on ME!

The Butterfly and the Bougainvillea Tree.

I am an island gal...

Sneak Peak

2011-02-24T01:01:00.000-08:00

I guess you can tell my little beach mobile has been repaired and i am on the road again! I thought i would give you a first look at the new spot i have found to swim in.

The water is still tooooo winter cloudy but this weekend may be promising! You will be the first to see what is under the water here at the place i call Paradise2...

I am an island gal..

Angels and a Lesson!

2011-02-22T06:49:00.000-08:00

Ive always called these Angel Fish... their correct name is" Moorish Idols".I actually got a picture of them yesterday! Usually they take one look at me and are down the ocean highway!

They are such beautiful fish! Their colors just pop out at you! A Big Thank you my local friends Don Bloom and Vernon Enriques who taught me their correct name!

A big M A H A L O to William Kapaku Jr who brought the song that plays on this page to my attention!

I am a " constantly learning" island gal!

The Faces of a Hawaiian Sunrise..

2011-02-20T14:01:00.000-08:00

I get to where im going while its still dark.. I just dont want to miss any part of the many faces of a sunrise. In winter the skies just explode! All of these picture belong to the SAME sunrise!

I am an island gal.....

AULANI

2011-02-20T07:08:00.000-08:00

Disney has been building a hotel out on the west side of the island..Disney is calling it AULANI...in Hawaiian it means "messenger of a chief"... yesterday this sight stopped me dead in my tracks. Its really is starting to look like Disney.

I tried to get in but they have all construction openings guarded! Shucks.. i wanted to see if Mickey Mouse was in house yet!

I will keep you posted.. sooner or later Mickey WILL show up!

Little Spider, Big Spider..

2011-02-16T13:04:00.000-08:00

After several weeks of my beachmobile being ill, she is up and about and running magnificently! Yesterday after work I headed out to the middle of the island to see what sunset had in store .

We are full into winter weather here, so the skies were cloudy and gray.. I didn't care, I was going anyway!

I notice i spend alot of time in the bushes taking pictures, whether I am at the ocean or not, I can always find a bush I need to stand in to get the picture I want.

Yesterday was no different I found myself again crawling thru the bushes! I accidentally ran into a spider web. ( I sooo dislike that feeling) I just happened to see the spider, he immediately became busy busy repairing what i had messed up.

I clicked this picture and then for unknown reasons dropped my camera, lens first in the mud....

When i got home I took a look at the picture I took. Do you see the WEB the clouds are making?? ( Laughing ) Well no I wonder i dropped my camera! Big spider in the sky had his eye on little spider in the bushes !

After cleanup my little camera is okay.......

I am an island gal......

Wait for the Light

2011-02-04T14:06:00.000-08:00

It was still dark and I was in an area I was not familiar with. This area for many years had been for "Military Personal Only" but had since been open to the public. Bouncing down the dirt road, just me in my little beach mobile, the thought did occur to me that I had "lost my mind".

I knew the ocean was to the right of me, so I parked the car. Once out of the car I realized that it was so dark, if I walked away from my car I'd never find it again.

I stood there for a few minutes, clutching on to the open door of my little car, afraid to let it go. The little light on inside of my car was the only light I had. Standing there i mumbled," NOW I KNOW you have lost your marbles!"

I was there for the sunrise and almost as soon as thoughts of my mental soundness left me, the pale pink and blue light of dawn began.

"OKAY, we are in business here" I uttered and started up over the small sand mound that had appeared in front of me.

There are times when my legs become like soft rubber at the sight of Planet Earth, This was one of those times. A fallen pine tree still green, a row of silent fishing poles standing at attention, Diamond Head in the background, the famous icon dwarfed and humbled by the magnificence of the rising sun. It was breathtaking!

If you haven't watched a sunrise in awhile, say hello to the darkness and wait for the light... It is well worth it!

I am an island gal.....

Woe is Me?

2011-02-02T20:09:00.000-08:00

My Little beachmobile is in need of repair.

The mechanics that work on her said, " Leilani, park that car and don't use it till we get it fixed".

Well,I was devastated!

I just was overwhelmed with.... "WHY ME?", "POOR ME" , "WOEEEE IS ME".

I found my self walking around my house in a funk, I'm not used to being indoors,stationary,inactive...

Then I just happened to look out my front window...

This rainbow hanging perfect out my front window created a jolting crystal clear perspective for me.....

There is NO "Woe is me", just......

Thank you!

I am an island gal....

Million Dollar Question.

2011-01-29T21:01:00.000-08:00

I carry a pair of Binoculars during the rough winter months. I stand and scan the shore line looking for the elusive Hawaiian Monk Seal. I run into alot of turtles this way and this guy was no different. Basking on shore, safe from the rough winter water and lava rock shore line this guy was "out like a light". Turtle van Winkle so to speak.

I had to walk quite a distance to get to him so I just sat and waited, I was there for pictures of the sunset. I sat a fair distance from this turtle for over an hour... Not once did I see him move... I remember thinking at the time, " Boy, that's one tired turtle!".

AHHHHHH but my camera saw something different ! This guy lifted his head Twice.... Here's the million dollar question?

What made this "Turtle Van Winkle" lift his head not once but twice in the hour i was there and when i wasn't looking at him?

I am curious to know what you think!

Ying and Yang.... New Waters..

2011-01-27T18:05:00.000-08:00

A FEW DAYS before the medical spill that just trashed the little beach I call Heaven.. I found a new place to swim..

I found it by accident, which seems to be how really good things happen in this life. Its too rough to go in this little cove right now but at the crack of summer.... i WILL be in that water!

I will be sure to keep you posted... the water looks amazing even in the roughness of winter.. I am always always aware of the Ying and Yang of life.. For every good there is a bad... For every bad there is a good...

The little beach I call Heaven will have to wait while the ocean cleans her.. meanwhile, I will slip into the new waters of a beautiful beautiful place. I have a feeling this place will be called Paradise.

I am an island gal....

No more Drought..

2011-01-23T07:39:00.000-08:00

They say we are no longer in a drought here on Oahu! LOLOL you think?

Massive amounts of water have caused chaos here on the island...

I hope its over.. but we havent even hit the rainy season yet!!

The picture is of one of the MANY small rivers flowing into the ocean.. this river at world famous Sunset Beach ONLY exists if there is too much rain!! Straight from the mountains it is FREEZING COLD!!

i am an island gal......

Toxic Waters

2011-01-16T14:35:00.000-08:00

http://www.kitv.com/health/26507228/detail.html

You, my readers all know of the beach i call "Heaven".... it has been violated in the worst possible way imaginable.

I am so glad i had the opportunity to introduce you to this little beach...

I am so upset i can barely write this..

I don't know if i will ever be able to enter the water here again.. I am so glad i have pictures...

Must it come down to only pictures to KNOW what we had? Or can we as humans LEARN to LOVE and care for Planet Earth!

Till I take my last breath I will encourage everyone I meet to PLEASE live with great Love for our Planet!!

In this place that I Love........ i am an island gal......

A Locals Sunrise

2011-01-09T17:14:00.001-08:00

A Local Sunrise... The pole has stood there all night... i can see the campers moving slowly, reluctantly , sleeping with the ocean by your side is Bliss...... Sunrise... its not about catching a fish, its just about being there......

I am an island gal.....

January 1, 2011....1-1-11

2011-01-02T06:50:00.000-08:00

From the time the sun peeked over the horizon and thru out the day, January first two thousand eleven was a bright beautiful day!

After all the rain... after all the brown mucky water, yesterday was a welcomed sight!!

The rains turn everything green ,green, green! The return of the cooler winter tradewinds, allows the air to be clean and crisp.

It really was a beautiful day... a beautiful welcome to the year 2011.

Happy New Year from the island gal.........

Dreamin....

2010-12-28T15:10:00.000-08:00

For the past 2 weeks the weather has been filled with rain... good thing is.. we need the rain.... bad thing is ...the water is awful. Rivers running into the ocean create brown water. I am so glad i have pictures of the clear summer water... i know i wasn't dreamin the whole thing!

This blog will take off again once i can see what is under the blue blue sea....

I am an island gal.......

Never Forget

2010-12-12T21:06:00.000-08:00

Ive been organizing photos.. i literally have thousands... How did i get this many! Surely i am not in the water that much??? smile....

I came across this photo... and I stopped...remember the post about me swimming out tooooo far and this turtle swimming me back in? I have a couple of him because i stopped thinking about drowning and started taking his picture. Each one is a jolt in the arm when I look at them....

I will never forget this turtle.......thank you Mr Turtle!!

I am an island gal.....

By Design

2010-12-02T17:35:00.000-08:00

A creature of habit, I sit in my usual spot. A beautiful flat, smooth piece of Lava rock, on a small cliff overlooking the early morning Ocean. The early morning ocean is dark gray, capped in white and I sit and wait ,watching as the sun turns the ocean I love so much, different and delightful shades of blue.

I whistle as I watch the ocean for the unmistakable sign of dolphins. Water rippling with excitement is a sure sign that the dolphins have arrived, swimming with their usual joy and abandon. I hear footsteps and voices on the rocks behind me. Lava rock is not easy to walk on and the voices are a mixture of excitement and frustration.

"xxxxx-cuse-a-meeee?", "xxxxx-cuse-a-meeeee?" , I turn my head as I reluctantly turn my attention to the human world. I see two Japanese tourists standing next to my little lava perch. My first impulse is to completely and totally ignore them. Each year beginning in September and going on for months the nation of Japan kills and captures more than 30,000 dolphins. My heart has been in a state of heaviness since Sept. This is just the dolphins, the nation of Japan also hunts and kills thousands of whales under the cloak of research and offer 10's of thousands of dollars for Blue Fin Tuna, which as of right now in the year 2010 is close to extinction. Japans endless appetite for anything from the sea is ruthless and in the year 2010, senseless.

The horror of the killing of 30,000 dolphins in Taiji,Japan flashes in my mind as i answer" YES?". " What time the dolphins come?" "what time the dolphins come?" I hear myself being asked. Their faces are flushed with excitement. I shallow my urge to ask them " Why? We don't hunt and kill dolphins here" Instead I'm replied," Oh soon i hope, with dolphins you never can be too sure when they will come." I look them both over, making sure they were not carrying harpoons and then continued saying," If you wait they may come."

We all fall silent , eyes focused on the Ocean. I swear i could not help myself when i suddenly blurted out, " Do you know about Taiji?" Their eyes immediately fell to their feet. " OH they KNOW" , i thought silently. I took a deep breath and continued on in conversation with them, sharing my views on the ocean and our need as humans with 6 billion people on this planet in the year 2010 to cherish and protect her and her creatures.

They explained to me how Japan has always been a fish eating nation and how much they enjoy whale meat a delicacy, more so than beef. I held my temper in check and continued right on saying," We can no longer steal from the ocean. We MUST start eating only what we can grow in farms from the ocean. We MUST leave the ocean and her wild animals alone. Our world, this planet and the billions that live on it in the year 2010 demands we protect, not misuse the ocean."

I shared with them how I no longer eat beef or pork and have how I have stopped eating ALL ocean caught fish. For me as a Hawaiian that's a profound change in my diet. They fell silent looking at me intently. I know by being raised around Japanese people that their silence could mean nothing, they can agree with me but they will continue right on dogmatically in their customs. I continued on anyway, I share with them how I have swum with the wild dolphins for 8 years and how the deaths of the dolphins in Taiji, Japan brings me great sorrow.

The dolphins never came that morning and i parted ways with the two tourists from Japan hoping my words would stay with them as they returned to Japan.

I never told them I was part Japanese, never told them how ashamed i was of the country some of my ancestors came from, a country stuck on stupid, lost in senseless tradition, oblivious to the real world issues of 2010.

I will tell the next set of Japanese tourists I meet. I seem to have found a way, quite by accident of speaking for the ocean. Right now in the year 2010 we have the technology to preserve this planet. We have, each one of us ,the power and knowledge to make a difference! Let's make this happen! It is not by accident i feel that we have this ability, we were born to care for this planet... it is BY DESIGN!!

i am an island gal....

When it rains...

2010-11-30T17:24:00.000-08:00

... there are clouds....

and when there are clouds here in the islands......

the sunrise lights up the morning skies and they are absolutely beautiful...

I am an island gal.....

Fancy Mouse..

2010-11-28T13:19:00.000-08:00

We set up rat traps all over the shop... something was eating our chips etc. Months we waited... it was eating our computer wires too. Dog gone it!! We finally caught it Friday by hand... it was a Chinchilla!! cutest thing you ever did see... Chinchillas are NOT native to Hawaii... where it came from we have NOOOO clue.

I am an island gal..........

Thankful.....

2010-11-25T12:23:00.000-08:00

Sunrise in the islands....

To be able to share with you these things, in this place that i love, has brought me great joy.

I am so very Thankful for the opportunity... Happy Thanksgiving my friends!!!

I am an island gal.......

Why the Beast?

2010-11-17T11:38:00.000-08:00

I called her a BEAST in a past post... beautiful sunset... beast of beach.. Her reef sits inches under the waves of winter! I finally found a video that will help explain...

I want to say that I think these guys who are called the "Pipeline Posse" are crazy... I could say more but we will just leave it at "crazy".

The reef picture of the pipe was taken by pro photog Sean Davey... he is good... and he is a long time ocean man...

I am an island gal........

Hear, See and Remember

2010-11-09T14:26:00.000-08:00

It is sooooo surreal , I can barely find the words....

I got to the ocean early Monday morning, the air cool and crisp, the morning sun gleaming off the blue of the ocean. Because it was a Monday there was only one other car in the parking lot. I hurriedly tucked my camera into my bathing suit,quickly put on my mask, bit down on my snorkel and headed for the water.

My feet are truly only comfortable when I am on the sand but lingering on shore this morning was not in my mind. I could see the dolphins out in the deep water and I wanted to get into the ocean as quickly as possible.

There were waves breaking on shore, I carefully ducked under each one until "LALALALA!" I was out in the open ocean. I started calling underwater, thru my snorkel to the dolphins. "Dolphin... Dollll Phin.... DOOOOLLLL PHINNNN" I called for 15 minutes.. nothing. They stayed in the deep water, not the least bit interested in the human voice that called to them.

I have learned not to swim after the dolphins, I swim in the general area and I call. If they come I am delighted. Dolphins are beautiful no matter where they are,but in shallow water with the sun making stained glass patterns on their bodies , they are stunning!

I swam and I called, I swam and I called ... nothing.

Disappointed , I swam towards shore. "You crazy lady", I said to myself, "You are calling dolphins,How silly is THAT?"

I picked my stuff up off the beautiful sand and climbed up to a small cliff over looking the ocean. I was going to have to be content with watching the dolphins play from this perch on shore. It was enough. I love the ocean. I love the dolphins.

Sitting there I started to whistle, "wheewwww a whit" whewwwww a whit" short bursts of sound we all use to get the attention of a friend, animal or human. A small sailboat pulled up off shore in front of me, I watched it drop anchor it was beautiful.

What I did next I have no explanation for. I cupped my hands around my mouth and started calling in a sing song voice. " Dolphinnnnn.... dollllphinn", "Doooolllllphinnnnn". All of a sudden the two men on the sailboat in front of me dove into the water, swimming madly, furiously, directly towards me, and then it happened......

Glorious dolphins right beneath my ocean perch,in very very shallow water. They didn't stay, they swam right by me, one BIG dolphin surfacing,blowing air out( i love that sound) as if to say "WE'RE HERE"! So amazed I could do nothing more than raise my hands to the sky, throw my head back and laugh in pure joy.

The dolphins had swum in from the deep water, coming from my left, swam in front of me and continued off to the right, the two men from the sailboat? They continued swimming to the right following the dolphins , hoping to catch an up close glimpse of those magnificent animals.

I walked to my car in a fog. "Did this just really happen?"

I have spent the last 8 years, every free moment I have in the Ocean waiting for all too short swims the dolphins. In those couple of minutes with me on land and my dolphin friends in the ocean, in that brief moment every sore muscle, every lava rock cut, every sea urchin stab,every near death ocean experience i have had ... in that moment every memory of those was gone.

They are NOT just fish... they possess an intelligence we as human will probably never understand.....they hear us, they see us, they remember us.

I am an island gal..........

Next Time

2010-11-07T09:55:00.001-08:00

It was raining but i headed west anyway...

the setting sun thru the clouds was just magnificent..

Then as if to say goodnight to the sun, turtle heads started popping up out of the water...

I reach for my camera " OMYGOODNESS look at the turtles!"... Went to snap the picture my BATTERIES were dead! (faint)

Mother nature doesn't have a rewind or pause button but she does have a magnificent NEXT TIME button!

I am an island gal......

Trick or Treat

2010-10-31T22:30:00.000-07:00

I had to smile....

Its Halloween and these turtles looked liked they were lined up trick or treating!!

I am an island gal........

Sunset at the Pond...

2010-10-20T14:58:00.001-07:00

10-19-10
My darling daughter Rayna named this part of sharks cove, a beach on the North shore of Oahu," Princess Pond" when she was 4 years old.. she is 28 now and the years have passed in a blink.. my mind does not remember the years.. my BODY does.. getting down here was a tee tee touchy!

My mantra the whole way down was "DO NOT FALL" DO NOT FALL" the rocks are really sharp! The sunset was magnificent...

I am an island gal.....

Strong Stormy Wind.

2010-10-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

I just want to stop.... and take the time to thank this planet and her creatures

for the joy they bring to me.

In the past couple of weeks i have felt the presence of a strong stormy wind getting ready to blow into my life...

And sure enough... whoooshhhhh it was here in the form of a former close friend who is addicted to drugs.

Drug addiction is worse than death, and i have 0000 tolerance for it. I gave this person 2 days of my time, speaking EVERY moment on them reentering rehab. Its all i will give. No more.

Saying a permanent goodbye is never easy. But I donot allow such ugliness into my life.

I have the dolphins to thank for that. They taught me to LOVE myself. The planet around me has taught me the LOVE of great beauty.

Drug addiction is ugly, it should not ever be tolerated on a planet of such beauty.

I mean to offend noone, this is just MY .02 cents.

I am an island gal.....

Sunrise 10-10-10

2010-10-12T16:11:00.000-07:00

Sunrise on 10-10-10...

Beautiful view from Sandy Beach on the East side of the island..

While i was in the area, I climbed the cliffs above Hanauma Bay to get a picture of the bay from the ocean side...

Imagine my surprise when i ran into these blooming cactus! Never ever,lived here my whole life, had I seen these before... they look like flowers from the movie AVATAR...

Mother Nature at her finest!

I am an island gal.........

Beauty and the Beast

2010-10-04T17:13:00.000-07:00

Sunset at the infamous Banzai Pipeline. This is the most dangerous beach on the planet in my humble opinion.

I havent been in the water here since High School. Swimming here is not on my bucket list. To swim here may mean kicking the bucket!

The hawaiians call it EHUKAI...meaning red water....

I dont think that name came from watching a sunset here!

Beautiful sunset, beastly water!

I am an island gal...

Winter

2010-09-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

The ocean on the North side of Oahu has announced winter is here...

Its hard to believe these two pictures are the same beach!

Over the weekend the flat beautiful blue waters of summer have turned grey and wild!

As i do each year I settle in for ther next 5 months hoping I can find somewhere to swim..

I wonder where the turtles go?

I am an island gal.......

Heavenly..

2010-09-22T07:43:00.000-07:00

The North side of the island of Oahu is beginning its winter season. Waves are staring to show up and the currents are becoming stronger.

I headed west to the little beach i call heaven..

Once i am here its real hard to leave. The water is amazing!

I swim around taking pictures like crazy.

Here's the thing I'm so busy clicking ,I sometimes miss the most amazing! The rainbow that is across this turtle i missed.

Somehow i get the idea HE KNEW. I wondered why he stopped and turned to look at me in the water.

Another lesson for me... I am sometimes so busy looking, I just DON'T really SEE!!

The Right Thing

2010-09-20T22:33:00.000-07:00

As if the Ocean sensed my deep sadness over the turtle BBQ...

It sent in all its grandness...

dolphins....

The short time I spent in their presence Monday has help to lift my spirits..

I cannot save the world...

i can only try the best i can to do the right thing, one day at a time....

I am an ocean loving island gal.....

I wonder...

2010-09-17T15:03:00.000-07:00

There is something magical about your presence being recognized by a wild animal.

I always remember they are wild and no matter WHAT kind of animal they are, its best to respect their space..

I do ask this question quite often," I wonder what they think of us?"

Suspicious BBQ

2010-09-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

I paid a visit to turtle rock... on my way to the showers to rinse off the saltwater....

my nose was assaulted with a weird BBQ smell....

I'm pretty sure a man there was cooking a turtle on his BBQ grill.

He saw me staring and covered it...

Its been a long week.... To think that some of the turtles I take pictures of are no longer alive saddens me.

Ive called every single authority I could think of. They are working to make sure it was not a turtle.

The residents who live in the Big homes on the beach where turtle rock is were horrified when i let them know what i saw and smelt.

They have hand made signs on the beach to make sure people KNOW even touching a turtle is not legal!

I really hope I was wrong..... God Bless our Ocean friends...

Amoung Friends

2010-09-08T19:02:00.000-07:00

I watched this guy haul himself out of the water...

Little by little, about a half hour it took him to finally come to rest next to his friend.

Are they then that different than we humans are?

Step by step we reach our goals...

In the end, we find togetherness with our friends...

I am an island gal......