Disaster and destruction continue to dog my every footstep. With no respite in sight my spirits were drooping. Hopeless, everything is hopeless.
A quick dip in the ocean and everything was soon right as rain (whatever that means). Amazing how a little salt water up the nose can adjust my attitude. I have embarked on plans to repair the computer, repair the lenses, and more. Things are looking up.
Yesterday was not one of my better days. I got to my photo shoot and the clouds rolled in. I broke dishes, my most important camera lens shattered when I dropped it on the floor, and my computer is a non-functioning inert mass.
Warning: Don't come anywhere near me until the black cloud dissipates, or you may get struck by a stray bolt of lightening.
Do we swim? Do we dare?
Occasional high sets of surf were still rolling in today and the water started out pretty murky. Once past the break I could see the bottom, barely. Out to the arch, more of the same. Should we continue?
Of course we did swim. And the ocean floor was always visible, which is our yardstick for water clarity. And we had fun being tossed around in the Elevator and the Slosh, but quickly scooted out when the really big waves arrived. All in all, we had fun and got a great workout. Plus we got to spend time with friends.
I did something I've never done before.
I rented the movie Outsourced and liked it so much that as soon as it finished I got on the internet and ordered the DVD. I've purchased movies later, and I've promised to buy movies later, but I've never HAD to have the movie NOW.
Anyway, rent it.
A south swell is rolling in with occasional giant sets. I was careful to get in the ocean during calm periods, but still managed to get crunched by random huge waves. Unlike the previous episode last week, these were smashing the entire coast line and stirring up murk everywhere. I opted to cancel my swim since visibility was nil.
As I left the beach I stopped on the rocks to photograph one of the big waves; but, of course, none came in. I waited and waited and waited - nothing! The photo above was of a standard wave.
Twice this past winter when I've returned to the beach from a long swim, someone had taken my towel. In both cases I found the people and they claimed that they didn't think it belonged to anyone.?!
This morning people were crawling all over this sailboat which had been run aground overnight. I even saw people digging around in the cabin. How rude. That is not the way I was raised. I was taught to first make sure no one was looking...
See that tired guy? That's me returning from a multi-day photo shoot on the island of Molokai.
It was strange being without cell phone or internet service. Molokai prides itself on being a place where you can get away from it all. The thing is, they don't give you a choice.
Strangely enough, I didn't miss a thing. And, hopefully, nobody died waiting for me to answer their emails and phone messages.
The house I photographed had a wonderfully organic feel to it, as if it had actually grown out of the hillside. Yet it was perched like a bird ready to fly with the ocean below and sky all around. What a treat to photograph something different.
Sorry, but this is a super-duper rush blog entry as I need to run to catch a plane for an off-island photo shoot. Hurry, hurry.
Our newest swimmer, Olivia, finally joined us this morning. Since it was Fathers Day, her dad swam with us while mom kept her happy and fed.
We had at least four new members for the ocean swim. Maggie and Menny's excitement made the morning even more fun for me. The clear water after a week of murk was definitely a plus as well.
Ok, got to run. I may not be able to post tomorrow but hope to be back online Tuesday. Click HERE for more photos from today's swim.
The trade winds returned today - with a vengeance! Beach umbrellas were tumbling out of control down the beach and kayakers were struggling to return to shore.
Doug snapped this photo as we were driving back from the airport. If you look closely you may see Dorothy's house in there somewhere...
The Maui Pink Cap Swimmers have often wondered if Bruce is a He or a She. I don't think there is any question on the matter. A good indicator which tells us if Bruce is home is a pile of empty food containers (lobster shells) which have been tossed out the front door. Definitely a guy trait!
Oh, good news. The turtle, which crawled ashore yesterday at sunset, has returned to the ocean and is undoubtedly munching seaweed somewhere with a big smile on its face. Kind of like my own smile of relief.
One of my neighbors called me because they noticed a Green Sea Turtle lying motionless on our rocky beach. The poor thing has a growth completely covering its right eye.
We called the experts and got someone named Edward Fuentes. He reassured us that this is not unheard of and from our description of the turtle, it is probably healthy and will return to the ocean on its own.
I will check on it first thing in the morning and will report back to you.
UPDATE: I stand corrected, and very impressed. Please read the comment to this post.
Just like the Renaissance, sort of.
Patrons of the arts supporting artists working on a large scale can still be found. Check out the gates fronting any of the hundreds of mansions on Maui. Each one is unique and many are true works of art. While a few (upper right) are manufactured off island, most are built right here by local artisans.
I told you today would be filled with adventure, and it was! I spent my birthday helping capture, measure and tag our local Hawksbill sea turtles. The best part for me was being surrounded by people who are truly passionate about helping this endangered species.
The first two put up quite a struggle, both while being brought to shore and while being measured. The third one was just plain adorable. Hard to believe that this tiny turtle is five years old.
Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go.
I spent the day photographing another beautiful home on Maui. I always seem to get totally absorbed in my work - the day flew by without my noticing it. Tomorrow, on the other hand, definitely promises to be filled with adventure. Stay tuned...
It felt soooooo good getting back into Hawaiian ocean waters this morning. Attendance for the Sunday morning swim was down and surf was up making for murky waters and nervous swimmers. Even though visibility was poor, it was much better than I experienced last week in the Gulf of Mexico. And it wasn't yellow!!! Yellow water just felt wrong, and blue water feels oh so right.
One final dip in the Pacific Ocean for me before heading down to the Gulf of Mexico. I wonder what creatures I will encounter there? I'll do my best to let you know. A hui hou
Nice easy laid-back summertime on Maui. Who could want to be anywhere else?
Me, apparently. I head off tomorrow for a week with the in-laws at their annual Mudbug Festival in southern Alabama. Good Old Boys and Fried Food. Oh boy.
Way too murky and not getting any clearer.
I turned around ten minutes into my ocean swim this morning because visibility was horrible and I've learned that if a shark can't see that I'm a tasteless human, it may decide to take a bite.
Suddenly from the gloom emerged the great white whale... oops, wrong story. No, but as I was heading back into shore a pod of spinner dolphins swam by me including the white dolphin which I've been seeing recently (no, not the dating kind of seeing, but noticing). Anyway, they kept swimming by and under me, so I decided to hang around for a while. As you may notice from the photos (Click HERE for all of Today's Photos) the dolphins were nearly invisible unless they were really, really close.
Where are my goggles when I need them?
During my walk this morning I watched this stand-up paddleboarder chasing a dark spot in the water. Almost certainly a very large school of small fish, probably being herded by larger predator fish. I love swimming through bait-balls of fish and am fascinated by the behavior of the bigger fish chasing the smaller ones.
I am amazed at how well the swirling strategy of the smaller fish works. When swimming with dolphins I am easily distracted when they break into smaller groups and swim in different directions. I start to follow one group, then find myself following another group, then another. Like I said, it is amazing how effective their defense mechanism is. It really works.
