We Were Lucky

 This morning the Maui Pink Cap swimmers headed out into deep, deep water to see what we could see.

We were lucky to have two groups of Spinner Dolphins swim up to us and accompany each of our own pods for a while. And then three Humpback Whales swam past, although they kept their distance, allowing us to watch and hear them blast their steamy breath into the air. And then there were the Rays, Turtles and fishies.

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

Mix Things Up

 We had (as almost always) another absolutely perfect day here on Maui's south shore, so what can I do differently?

I decided to take the same old photos of the same old places, but play around with painting effects. At least I managed to mix things up a little.

Cameo by Gil

 I saw lots of colorful fishies and even a couple of sea turtles on my ocean swim this morning. Even Gil made an appearance.

February Quiz

Quiz: What are we looking at in the top photo?

Hint: It is only temporary and appears multiple times in the bottom photo.

Manta Fun

 This morning a Manta Ray swam with one group of our swimmers then joined the rest of us for extended play time. We all left with huge grins plastered on our faces.

Click HERE for lots more photos from today's ocean swim (which included a shark, turtles and flounder).

Where Else?

 Why would anyone ever want to live anywhere other than on Maui? Every day here is perfect and there is always lots to do.

Singing of a Multitude

I was feeling toasty on my beach walk this morning. Summer is coming (what would Ned Stark say to that?).

Fortunately, a dip in the ocean, while being serenaded by the singing of a multitude of whales, cooled me off perfectly. 

Nuances of Translation

 Where does the time go?

My hair is almost long enough for my annual haircut. Or at least that is what the fishies were overheard saying this morning (assuming I got the nuances of translation correct).

Unexpected Holiday Bump

 Surfers were taking advantage of an unexpected holiday bump on the south shore this morning.

I was caught by surprise by this crustacean blocking the sidewalk on my walk. How did he get there?

And I'm still playing a little with the painting effect in my newest camera.

Happy Birthday Rich

We wore our hearts on our heads to celebrate Valentines Day.

And, more importantly, to celebrate Rich's birthday - Happy Birthday, Rich.

The turnout was large and conditions were perfect. Maui No Ka Oi

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

Warm Again

A few chilly days with highs only in the mid seventies have fortunately passed without harm, and we are now back to normal here on Maui. Thank goodness I can now put the long pants and sweatshirt away.

This Goldust Day Gecko was not one of the most colorful I've ever seen, but it made a nice contrast with this ginger flower.

Pretty Shallow

 I love swimming in deep blue ocean, but the shallows are where most of the fishies are.

While I swam in some of each this morning, all of the photos I took were pretty shallow.

Looming Barrier

 Maui's Mermaids were kind enough to let me swim with them down to the Wall (or what I call the Cliffs of Doom) this morning. Swimming to that looming, dark barrier was a first for several of them, but conditions were perfect and the trek was a joyful experience. Due to their smooth face extending below the water's surface, we were able to do flip turns and push off to begin our return swim.

Living Ferris Wheels

Traveler's Palms look a bit like ferris wheels from a distance. No matter how they were planted, the leaves (almost) always line up in an east-west direction, giving orientation aid to passing travelers. 

Hooray. It turns out the new camera I am planning on taking on my long trek this spring is also capable of taking painting-like photographs. I will have a lot of fun with this feature.

And Then There Were Two

 We moved the swim a few miles south this morning due to a stiff north breeze blowing across the ocean.

Even so, Jonathan and I were the only ones to actually go out swimming, and are we ever happy that we did.

The water was spectacularly clear, there was no surge at all, and we were surprised to discover that we were warmer underwater than we had been on shore. How sad that everyone else missed out on a great swim.

Frozen Maui Wonderland

 Here's a sight I don't experience on Maui often. Our small ponds froze over last night in the bitter cold.

Okay, just kidding. Although it did get down into the sixties [brrr].

These are salt water puddles which are drying up and leaving salt crystals.

Floating Bicycles

 The newest toy at the Andaz resort is the floating bicycle (I do not know what they are actually called). The pedals turn a bicycle chain which drives a propeller, not the expected paddle wheel.

Beach weather continues to be spectacular, not at all our usual windy winter weather.

But it is still cool enough to make brunch on the beach a great experience.

Sea Turtle Viewing

Water clarity was surprisingly bad this morning, but sea turtle viewing was excellent.