Photo hunt Challenge

Its a cool and wet morning today so I'm on the my computer with a cup of coffee enjoying the morning and surfing the net. Well of course its photohunt day today and the of theme is trees is today's challeng. We have so many beautiful one's to show you in Hawaii, but what always comes to mind are coconut trees. Usually a beautiful grouping by the ocean with amazing vistas of the shoreline or moody skies. This scene I could never get tired of, its a picture along the shore where I take regular morning walks. Talking a picture and seeing it here, just immortalizes the beauty of this area - don't you agree?

I hope you enjoy the views from Hawaii.....


To check out more photohunts go to http://tnchick.com/

Photohunt Challenge = Orange

I enjoy the weekly photohunt challenges and this week the theme is orange. What a perfect theme to start of our halloween agenda just around the corner and orange is really the predominant color of this season.

One of my favorite Halloween spots is in the city of Petaluma about an hours drive north of San Francisco. Here you will find one of the largest corn mazes in California, along with the ubiquitous pumpkin patch, petting zoo and horse rides, huge sunflowers and of course lots of squeeling children.

The spectacular and huge blooms of these giant sunflowers are just that...bursting and huge circled eyes filled with millions of seeds. I'm surprised the birds haven't attacked all the flowers already - they look so inviting!

 

Well there were so many of these cute cut outs, I just had to ask someone to take a picture of me in one of these cute/silly frames - what a ham :)

Children are so fun to watch and their animated gestures and excited nature in participating in an event so delicious and lets them play is really special. I love to capture wonderful moments that shows you some of these magical moments.

Miniature pumpkins spilling out of containers and large displays of squash and other strange pumpkin colored vegetable draw you in to pick up one or more of them to take home for your Halloween displays.

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I really felt like a child again seeing all the colorful displays, the happy children and beautiful sunflowers and pumpkins, this time of year brings out the playful in everyone and thats such a nice thing to celebrate with family and dear friends.


To see more exciting photohunt submissions go and visit http://tnchick.com/

A World Below in Miniature

Going back to the city to see some of the amazing museums San Francisco has to offer is always an enriching experience when I visit.  The De Young Museum in Golden Gate park is one of my favorite destinations. Not only are the exhibits outstanding, the beautiful vistas from the tower and various outlooks into the gardens and the outdoor exhibits make the entire visit a complete and satisfying experience.




One of my favorite things to explore is the tower which offers floor to ceiling vistas and almost surreal city views from the park all the way to downtown. There are amazing bay and hilltop panoramas one can explore up here to many of the areas in the city.

Isn't it amazing to have these fantastic views, stay tune for some of the interior treasure's I would like to show you on another post.

This is my contribution to this weeks photohunt challenge for miniature, to see other posts on this meme go visit http://tnchick.com/

Photohunt Challenge = Orange

This weekend's photohunt challenge is right up my alley today. Orange is the theme, and what tropical climate doesn't include this hot and vivid color in its many flowers, you are surrounded by so many shades of orange everywhere you go in Hawaii.

I went recently to our Orchid show sponsored by the Hilo Orchid Society, and there were so many amazing new varieties of orchids being introduced at this show. Hawaii island in case no-one knows is also called the orchid isle due to the many orchid growers, nurseries and enthusiasts that grow and hybridize these exotic and special plants. This truly unique show covers the gamut of many orchid species including dendrobiums, cattleyas, cymbidiums, epipdendrums, phapiopedilum, phrags or lady slippers, vandas and too many others that are always being introduced at this show.

The first orchid shown is a truely exotic specimen that won the blue medal for phapiopedilum or lady slipper entry. Called Gertrude Hauserman, (I'm assuming the owner dedicated the name to someone significant) is quite spectacular and unusual because of its intense orange glowing effect and clustered nature.

Here's a side profile look of this beauty.

I've also included other oranged hued specimens that did not win medals but were showstoppers in their own right.

Here's another exotic beauty that just glows from the backlit light, isn't this one gorgeous?

Another beautiful cattleya that I was able to capture close up, but I didn't get a chance to find the markings on this one. I think the cattleyas are quite showy and dainty at the same time.

If you ever come to visit Hawaii island, come and visit a tropical nursery, a farmers market or some of our amazing botanical gardens. You are bound to see some exotic plants including some truly amazing orchids on display.

To see other blogs today with orange theme posts go visit http://tnchick.com/

Photo Hunt Challenge = Colorful

My colorful photohunt challenge this week was very easy, I recently went to visit this ti nursery close to where I live in Hawaiian Paradise Park in the Puna District and took an exciting photo tour of this colorful property.

This grower started his nursery as a hobby to eventually turn this into a full time business when he retires. Meanwhile, he has a stunning show garden and nursery up and running for business. I discovered this nursery after seeing his wonderful ti plants at the local Macuu farmers market in East Hawaii and after seeing all the vivid and colorful varieties, I was inspired to see I could visiit and photograph his nursery.

What I didn't expect to find was this exotic and other-worldy show garden in addition to this simple nursery. He grew some of the most exhuberant, bold, and variegated accent plants. Every time I turned to a new angle I was confronted with exciting compositions.

Intense colorations and intense shades of red from just this one plant... isn't it striking? 

All the curved surfaces and raindrops remind me of the sensual curves of another abstract painter with a very colorful palete.  This is a very inspiring place, don't you agree?

I hope you enjoyed this ti farm tour, its a very special place on this side of the island. 

To visit other unique interpretations of this colorful theme go visit http://tnchick.com/

Photohunt Challenge = Public

Our Saturday photohunt challenge was to interpret the word public and here in Hawaii everything is open to the public. One of my regular haunts is this beautiful japanese garden in Hilo called Queen Liliuokalani Gardens right off banyan drive, this is a scenic area with beautiful views of Hilo bay,the town and the Hamakua coastline.

This authentic japanese garden was built in the early 1900's as a tribute to Queen Liliuokalani who was the last reigning monarch in Hawaii before its annexation to the United States. The gardens are also a memorial to the many japanese immigrants that migrated to the Big Island to work at the many sugar plantations during the turn of the century during the annexation period.  Many nationalities of immigrants including the japanese went to Hawaii to work at these plantations and build a new future for themselves and create this new melting pot called Hawaii.

This thirty acre garden is filled with amazing Hawaiian and oriental plantings, intimate and grand walkways, pagodas, beautiful ponds, bridges and vistas to Hilo, the bay and large green areas for picnicking.

One of the favorite areas is this shaded dell with thousands of impatiens blooming underneath these huge monkeypod trees...it just illuminates this shady corner of the park and creates a magical area don't you think?

I just love public gardens like this. Isn't this a great park to just explore and wander, or find a nice shady tree to relax and take a nice long nap with the wind blowing behind your back.

To enjoy other interpretations of public go see http://tnchick.com/

Free to Enjoy

It's amazing too think alot of what you can see and do here in DC is free and open to the public seven day's a week...The museums here are truly an amazing treasure that is a gift to the public and yes free is good!

The National Gallery of Art is a place one can discover so many unique spaces, artwork and people converging into this amazing space. To have free time to explore these places without a crowd is a real treat!

A whole room devoted to one of my favorite artist, Calder and the amazing free floating sculptures he has created here are captured magnificantly in this space.

I love the free floating forms, the interesting shaddowed affects and the interplay of all the kinetic objects, I can spend alot of time just seeing all the movements.

Aren't the shadows amazing and magical ?

Free for the viewing at one's own time and desire, what a real luxury and generous offering, a true gift....thank you Smithsonian it is wonderful.


To see other interpretations of free go visit http://tnchick.com/

Purple is the Color

Back to participating on the fun photohunt challenges that occur everyweek and this weeks word is Purple, not a typical color I see when I do my photography. Outside of sunset skies and dark landscapes turning into dark night and purple colored flowers, I went for what I typicially will find my environment.

On a recent hike to a beautiful garden I was able to capture some wonderful macros of an artichoke bloom drawing a busy bee foraging through its sticky pollen anthers. The shocking lavendar/purple constrasting against the yellow and black body of its busy guest.

The little fellow was too focused on his task to notice my poking lense at his every move....and seeing his every move in detail.

To see other purple interpretations go visit http://tnchick.com/

Words That Inspire #5

 "The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in". Morrie Schwartz





When I think of these words, I see this manifested everyday here in Hawaii. One of those kindred spirits is Rose Acevedo who is a board member of the Sierra Club. Here's what she's up to feed our local food bank in Hawaii.

Pepsi Co. Refresh Project is offering a million dollars every month for great ideas that support local communities.



My idea, FRUITBUSTERS, to help feed the hungry in East Hawaii was approved by Pepsi on May 1st.  The goal of FRUITBUSTERS is to develop a small crew who will rescue all the ripe fruit from trees whose owners can’t do their own picking.  This abundance of fruit will then be donated to food banks and meal programs in our area.



We need your support, so please log on below to vote. Everyone who registers can vote EVERY DAY until May 31. 

hank you for your vote,

Rose Acevedo

Picking fruit, that would otherwise just fall to the ground and go uneaten, and donating to our local Foodbank  is a wonderful idea.  Please help us by voting for this project below.


http://www.refresheverything.com/fruitbusters








Okay you have the words, now let inspiration guide you and we look forward to seeing your interpretation Here's the link tool below to add your URL address and name/city

I will be on the mainland in June so Words That Inspire will be on hold.


To view other memorial inspirations go to http://tnchick.com/

To My Mom a Special Thank You

Who ran to help me when I fell,  And would some pretty story tell,

Or kiss the place to make it well?  My mother.

~Ann Taylor

A mother is a mother still,  The holiest thing alive.

~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Food is always a central part of our family gatherings and my mom is always the center of making and sharing food, one of our favorite pastimes in our gatherings.

My mom and dad love to spend quality time with the grand kids since they come only a few times to visit them in Alameda, California where I grew up.

Happy Mothers Day grandma...We Looooove you!!!!!  Thank you mom for everything...you are everything to me!


To see other mother's tributes visit http://tnchick.com/

Pau Riders in Verticle

Photo Hunt Challenge - Verticle


The Pau Rider's come to the Merrie Monarch Festival to march in one of the most spectacular parades in Hawaii today.



They come festooned with beautiful and huge cascading leis for their horses and for each rider's, elaborate head and neck ornamentation.

The colors of the gowns and native flowers reference the local origins of their particular islands.

To visit other interpretations of the photohunt challenge - Verticle visit http://tnchick.com/