Beautiful Friends

I would seriously consider taking up portrait photography if there were the remotest chance that all of my clients would be as beautiful as my buddy, Kathy, who so kindly allowed me to take a snapshot of her this morning.

Fortunately, I can rely on Maui being consistently beautiful for my camera.

Mermaid Swim

Some of the mermaids talked me into swimming with them this morning. I'm glad I did. Mahalo (They do not like having their pictures taken, hence just this photo of some of the many fish we saw)

Frayed Nerves

I swam out to the "aquarium" this morning and it was, as always, stunning. On the way out I watched two lobsters engage in battle for prime living quarters. This guy (below) didn't hold out long against a lobster twice its size.Although nerves were frayed, nobody was injured.

A Series of Two

Here's another addition to my "Beachwalk" series. Well, I guess you can call it a series since there are now two whole photographs in it.

Even though the ocean has warmed up a lot, there remain those of us for whom immersion is still a chilling experience. Or maybe she's waiting for her nailpolish to dry?

Even though they're getting pretty old, this brood of Frankolins were sticking close by their mom.

Despite Our Fears

 We were afraid the water would be too murky to swim in this morning, but we were wrong. I am really glad we gave it a try despite our fears.

Besides, what would a Sunday be without a group ocean swim?

Click HERE for more photos from today's swim.

Abstract Idea Gone Bad

What the heck was I thinking?

I was thoroughly enamored of a patch of agave I passed on my walk this morning. So much so that I turned around and went back to take these photographs. But I'm afraid I got a little (a little?!) carried away with altering the basic color for effect. I loved the abstract nature of these photos, and wanted to remove them a little further from reality, which the different color accomplished. But this time I went a bit too far. Oh well, live and learn.

Aquarium Living

Sometimes I feel like I live in a fishbowl. And in my case that is a good thing. 

Here are a couple of quick snapshots from my ocean swim this morning.

Orchid Graveyard

Many grocery stores here on Maui sell beautiful orchid plants which are draped with stunning blossoms for low prices. Visitors buy them to brighten up their condos - but what to do with the plants when they depart? Some condo complexes have special spots for orphaned orchid plants where everyone can enjoy the fading flowers. On one such rock this morning I saw this baby pineapple plant among the wilting orchids. What a lovely change.

I walk past this parking lot a couple of times each week. Why can't all parking lots be this beautiful?

Splash Yoga

Another first for me. This morning I got to watch several ladies attempting yoga poses on paddleboards.  There were a lot of splashes, but far less often than I expected. I wonder, what's next?

Another Birthday Day

My Birthday celebration continued for one more day with the help of my Sunday Swimmer friends. Fun, fun, fun. Thank you everyone for making this one of my most enjoyable birthdays ever.

Click HERE for lots more photos from this morning's ocean swim.

Up in Olinda

I keep forgetting about all the variety Maui has to offer.

We hiked through both pine and deciduous forests in Olinda where it was 68 degrees Fahrenheit, while down in Kihei it was a muggy 88 degrees. What a joyously wonderful way to spend my birthday.

Special Mornings

What are my morning walks like?

I get to spend time with friends I see along the way. We walk, we chat, we go our separate ways.

If I'm lucky, I get to spend time with those I love.

And I get to try new things. Sometimes I even play with objects which I pick up along the way.

Fluffy

Got to love those fluffy clouds. We don't get them very often here, and I could not resist snapping a couple of photos on my walk this morning.

No Longer Freezing

Almost summer. We still found ourselves slowly working our way into the ocean this morning, but the water is definitely warmer. We also found ourselves playing a lot more now that we no longer needed to keep moving to prevent ourselves from freezing to death.

Click HERE for more photographs from today's swim.

Offerings

The ancient Hawaiian ruins near my house sit deserted and hidden between two housing developments. I assumed that almost nobody knows about them, but this morning I noticed small offerings left on one of the mounds of rocks. Apparently someone other than me has been visiting and appreciating the remnants of Maui's distant past.

I also noticed a profusion of unusual flowers surrounding the site. What are these?

Sideways

Tropical fish are a challenge for a swimmer (like me) to photograph. Scuba divers have it easier because they can stay still in one spot for a long time which allows fish to get used to them. Since I still can't hold my breath for more than fifteen seconds, every instant counts when I am down below. Fortunately, when fish feel a little threatened, they do not swim away, they simply turn away. Just as you see in the photo below, almost all of my fish photos are of their back sides. And every now and then I get really lucky and manage to snap the shutter at the instant one turns sideways to me (above).

Happy Birthday, Sandy

Happy Birthday, Sandy. I can't tell you how much we all appreciate your kayaking presence every Sunday morning (not to mention how much fun you are to have around).

Click HERE for more photos from this morning's ocean swim.