Kaunakakai and Harbor
It is a good idea for a photographer to wander about from time to time without any particular subject in mind — allowing your relaxed brain to take in all that you see — not knowing what might be an interesting image to capture. It was in this state of mind that I happened to notice this painting on the side of one of the buildings in Kaunakakai — capturing a traditional plantation-style cottage complete with tin roof. The more I looked at it, the more I was transported to another time in this magical place called Hawai`i.
Nearby I was jolted back to the reality of our modern world with this memorial to those residents of Moloka`i who gave their lives in World War II, the Korean War and the War in Vietnam. Curiously, there were no names posted for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — let's hope that is because there have been none in those conflicts.
In this small, peaceful memorial park I spotted a Royal Poinciana tree that still had a few showy blossoms. This time of year, most should have fallen but this cluster was going strong.
On another part of the tree, a few other stragglers were hanging on.
But a big beautiful hibiscus was doing well. Of course, they bloom pretty much all year here.
Moving on, I drove down to the harbor and encountered this tree with some kind of fruit — with what appeared to be nuts inside. The tree was growing on an area set up for the local canoe clubs so I asked one of the older kids if he knew what it was — but he did not. My guess is that it is a Kukui tree — if not, I am sure someone will let me know.
Both the boys and girls canoe clubs were preparing to go out. The girls were ahead of the boys — they had their two canoes in the water and were ready for their practice runs.
The boys were doing exercises with a coach overseeing their efforts. Eventually, another coach arrived and gave them a talk — actually it was more like a chewing out — on the importance of committing themselves to their sport. Apparently a few of them had become lackadaisical about their practices. This went on so long that I finally gave up any hope of seeing the boys take their canoes out into the ocean.
Meanwhile, the girls set off in their second canoe.
However, as I watched the girls paddling in unison I was again pulled into an older time when Hawai`ians used canoes for transportation around and between the islands — plus for fishing. This is another facet of the rebirth of the Hawai`ian culture. It is good to see it flourish.BTW, I have been adding lots of new photos to my photography website. If you haven't visited in a while, feel free to take a picture trip to the islands, on me — by clicking here.