What’s a trip to Hawaii…
without a Hawaiian sunset?
After being caught without my camera for a couple of spectacular sunsets, I made a point of getting to the beach this day with plenty of time to spare. There were few clouds to be found. The sunset itself wasn’t anything special compared to the splendor we had witnessed the day before, so I framed the scene to feature the rocks and ocean more prominently instead.
The next trip to Kaua’i
We’ve only been back a couple of days, and we’re already looking forward to next time. A few random things I’m going make a point of remembering.
- When taking pictures at sunset, keep in mind that the sun sinks below the horizon very quickly in the tropics.
- No matter how light your tripod is, you’ll wish you had a lighter one.
- Dive masks don’t work very well when you’ve got 3 days growth of beard on your face.
- Prescription goggles or a mask are a must if you have eyes like mine. Of course, it won’t matter if the mask is filled with water (see previous point).
- You can never bring too much sun block.
- More than one book to read is just dead weight to carry around. You won’t have time to read it anyway.
- Food is expensive. We brought food with us. Next time we’ll bring more.
- Gas is expensive. You can’t bring any with you, unfortunately.
- Make time for at least one shave ice every day. And yes, it’s “shave ice” and not “shaved ice.”
Pictured is the quaint and moderately famous Wishing Well Shave Ice truck in Hanalei. The truck doesn’t move, and probably hasn’t moved since the day they opened in 1983. A tip of the hat to the nice folks at Kayak Kaui (next door to the Wishing Well truck) who generously broke a large bill for me one day when we showed up for our shave ice fix. If we decide on a Kayak adventure next time, they’ll be our first call.
Humuhumunukunukuapua’a
If you sound it out slowly it really isn’t that hard to say… And no, it’s not the mountain in the picture, it’s the name of Hawaii’s unofficial state fish. I took it as a challenge to learn how to say it. HOO-moo HOO-moo NOO-koo NOO-koo AHH-poo AHH-ahh.
We’ve been in Kaua’i since Sunday and it’s been an odd combination of relaxation and pleasant sensory overload. A few high points so far… Playing with my family on the pier at Hanalei, boogie boarding at Poipu while a sea turtle the size of a dinette table swam around at our feet, and seeing the almost impossible beauty of Waimea canyon. As I got to the top with my camera, my first words were. “I don’t think you can capture this with any camera. It’s beyond words or pixels.
For me, the days have also revolved around timing.. Where am I going to be when the light is good for photography? There are so many possible subjects to shoot that it’s a bit overwhelming. I’ve been trying to plan ahead as much as possible without “feeling” like I’m planning ahead too much. I think I’m up for the challenge.
Kauai is a nice place.
Azure seas, green mountains and red rocks are beckoning so that’s all I have time to say right now. Watch this space… 
Dog days of summer
The dog days of summer were believed to be an evil time “when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies.” I have somehow always understood this on an intuitive, visceral level.
No, I’ve never been much of a summer person. The lack of A/C in the house growing up probably caused me irreparable harm. As a youngster I much preferred creating weird science experiments in the relatively cool basement to playing baseball outside in the heat. I guess nothing’s really changed…
Over the years, I’ve sort of gotten used to the humidity, but I inevitably start pining for the slopes this time of year. My friend Brandon took this shot of me in Colorado last November.
Aaah, I miss that sensation of my nose hairs freezing when I take a deep breath…