Flower Petals Everywhere

Tropical storm "Flossie" got quite a bit of hype as it approached the Hawaiian islands. Fortunately, all we experienced were a few hours of light rain and some wind. The horrible (at least to our landscaping crew) aftermath were even more flower petals than usual strewn everywhere.

Tropical Storm

This is what a big Tropical Storm looks like. Yes, this is the face of Flossie which has shut down all government offices and many businesses here on Maui.

Wildlife and Wild Death

 This morning the Maui Pink Cap Swimmers got to see lots of underwater wildlife, and some dead wildlife as well.

On the live side we saw a number of Green Sea Turtles, two Starfish, one Spotted Eagle Ray, one Leopard Cowry, several regular Cowries, at least two Moray Eels, and lots and lots of fish.

On the dead side I found a mesh bag tangled inbetween some coral heads. When I pulled it up, I discovered at least four large dead fish. As we swam back toward shore, I noticed a spearfisher who looked a bit lost, and it turned out to be his morning catch. I think we made his day.

Click HERE for lots more photos from today's swim.

Grand Wailea

This morning I took a shortcut through the grounds of the Grand Wailea. I have stayed in their rooms - spectacular - and their waterfalls and pools - even better.

Best Show in Town

Only a few steps out the door there lies a big ocean, and spectacular sunsets of one sort or another every night of the week.

And how often do I measure those paces to the shore? Once a month? Maybe? But probably not even that.

Tonight's vista of color-edged clouds wasn't unusual, in fact it was pretty much average. But for a change, I was there. And I'm glad I was.

Wailea Marriott

 I've never stayed there, so I don't know what the rooms are like, but I love the grounds at the Wailea Marriott. Lots of old Ficus and Banyan trees combined with rock walls give a feeling of Old Hawaii.

And the pools aren't bad either.

Octopus Mating Dance

Step 1 - The Chase

Step 2 - The Approach

Step 3 - The Handshake

Step 4 - The Deed

Perfect Conditions

I had another fun Sunday swim with Maui's Pink Caps this morning in perfect, flat, warm conditions. I must have been a mighty good person in my last few lives to deserve days like this.

Click HERE for more photos from today's swim.

Too Much Weight

As it approached, I thought this was a remote-control toy helicopter. I don't know how they fit two people into that tiny cabin, but maybe that explains why they were flying so low - not enough power to get up more than thirty feet.

At least the ocean is bigger than the helicopter cabin, and it would have to be to handle all of the SCUBA divers heading out this morning.

Golden Eyes

Most people comment on the vibrant blue when they see an Omilu (above), but for me it is the golden eyes which are most striking.

And my favorite fish on the reef is the Racoon Butterflyfish (below). Don't ask me why, because I don't know, but I think they look cool.

Everywhere but Not Always

I know, I know, right now this is how it looks everywhere in the northern hemisphere, not just on Maui. But remember, this is how it looks and feels on Maui every day of the year.

And I know I've asked it before (sorry, but my walks do not vary much and I pass the same things every day) but why can't all parking lots everywhere look as nice as our South Maui parking lots?

Aloha Lisa

How sad. Another of our swimmers is leaving us and the island (again). At least we had a lot of fun while we were all together. A hui hou.

Honks and Laughs

Here I've been going on about how much fun I've been having with the Dolphins and Mermaids, all the while neglecting to mention the laughs I've shared with my friends on solid land.

Oh, and thanks to eveyone who honked at me today (here on Maui people ONLY honk their car horns to say "Hello" and NEVER for any other reason).

Ocean Creatures

Wow! Swimming with Spinner Dolphins this morning was almost as much fun as swimming with the Mermaids earlier this week. I am one lucky guy.

Not Normal

Yesterday someone told me how they still loved Maui. It can be easy to take the good things in life for granted because they are what is expected, they are normal. But Maui will never be "normal" to me. I grew up in the Midwest of the U.S.A. where we only experienced three or four perfect days of summer each year. Here, every day is that perfect Midwest day. I can never take this exquisite perfection for granted.

Maui Mermaids

What fun! This morning, Maui's Mermaids allowed me (along with a couple of other Y-chromosome-impaired people) to swim with them out in their ocean playground. Yipee!

Small and Fun

 Yet another spectacular Sunday morning for an outing with the Maui Pink Cap Swimmers. The water was flat and warm and, more importantly, the group was small and FUN. How could life possibly be any better? Answer - it couldn't.

Click HERE for more photos from today's ocean swim.

Dinner or Sunset

Okay, I hadn't taken any photographs for a couple of days and I was itching to make a blog post, so I fell back to the reliable choices of either taking a photo of my dinner or of the sunset. Well, dinner was peanut butter smeared on a banana, so I decided to go outside and check out the sunset option. While sunset was pretty much our average every day sunset, it was better than peanut butter on a banana. So here you go...

So Much More

I know, I know, it just looks like piles of dirt behind some tractors. But it is so much more.

A couple of years ago the community of Wailea began dumping all their green waste in a very large vacant lot in ten-foot-high piles. I was hoping they were doing some kind of composting, but they never did anything to the mounds except add more.

Until this week. They brought in a giant grinding machine which is quickly turning the entire lot into rich mulch which is being used throughout Wailea. Nice.

Because while people may come to Wailea for the beaches, they certainly appreciate the lush tropical landscaping.