Saturday, December 6, 2008

Lava Tongue

Christmas in Manoa Valley
(Click on Pics to enlarge)


Ted Trimmer:
"December Sunset"



















Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas), girls!




OOOOO, Red!




Pho in Chinatown & Cops!










"In youth we feel richer for every new illusion; in maturer years, for every one we lose." - Anne Sophie Swetchine



"Describe things as better than they are and you'll be called a romantic; describe them as worse than they are and they'll call you a realist; describe them exactly as they are and you'll be thought of as a satirist." - Quentin Crisp



"It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in an argument."


- William Gibbs McAdoo


A mile-wide "tongue" of lava is crawling towards Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It takes a six mile hike over dangerous new terrain to see (feel & smell) it up close, but you can look in on Pele's activities courtesy of Big Island vulcanologists at: http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/cam/ , or: http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/cam3/ .

Move over humpbacks: Two Sei Whales were spotted last week off Maui in approximately 50 feet of water. Longer and narrower than our customary humpbacks, and wearing shorter flippers, they boast a magnificently tall, sickle-shaped dorsal fin. Habitue`s of deep, temperate seas, these guys are "extremely rare" in Hawaiian waters. If they can make it here, so can YOU!
The older I get, the more I identify with my heart, rather than my appearance. Good thing too: my appearance isn't what it once was - but my heart is growing everyday! Thanks for "walking along" with me through the run-up to an island Christmas. . . . A L O H A! Cloudia







19 comments:

David Cranmer said...

Beautiful photos. I longingly remember my island Christmases.

laughingwolf said...

mele kalikimaka... and a fabulous new year, too :)

Cloudia said...

Nice to see you, David! aloha-

Than YOU Laughingwolf!

Barbara Martin said...

Great photos, and more memories for me. My late uncle would send Christmas cards with "Mele Kalikimaka" on them with photos of the beach and palms. I kind of miss that, but here you are, Cloudia, with your wonderful posts.

cheryl said...

Lovely photos, reminds me of whale watching in the St. Lawrence years ago though the sunset wasn't as nice :)

Gemma Wiseman said...

Love all these shots! Would you believe the first time I heard Mele Kalikimaka was in an old Bing Crosby song! Always loved how the words slipped off his tongue!

Cloudia said...

Barbara: So glad you enjoy coming here!

I Ponder: So nice of you to bring your whale memory to our forum. Aloha-

Greyscale: Thanks for reminding me of Bing Crosby' version. i've been humming it all fay . . ARGHHH!!!

Junosmom said...

Hi Cloudia, thanks for the comments on my blog. I've been to yours before. I try not to let the beautiful photos get me down about where I live :-) I do try to find beauty in the snow in the sky and the ice forming in horse water buckets, but I really think I was meant to live in Hawaii. At any rate, I'll stop in again. Aloha and howdy y'all.

Charles Gramlich said...

That is definitely a classic bike. My brother had one much like that but it was unridable by the time I got old enough to be able to.

Feisty Crone said...

Great photos, as usual. And I'm old enough to know that an able and kind heart beats a model's exterior any day.

Maria Verivaki said...

thanks for the colourful shots of your lovely island - they are very cheery

Anonymous said...

It's a wonderful time in Hawai'i! What is hanging from the palm tree in the photo with the motorcycle? I've seen palms with the coconuts clustered up under the stems of the palm at the top of the trunk (and heard how the hotels get them off before dropping and bonking a visitor in the head.) But your palm has something growing from the END of a few branches.
It's 23 degrees in Kansas...
DrumMajor

Dave King said...

The Quentin Crisp quote is just wonderful. The post would have been great with that alone.

Akelamalu said...

I have only ever spent Christmas abroad once - in Sri Lanka and New Year in the Maldives - it was strange to be in sunshine and warmth! I would love to do it again and from your description Hawaii is the place to do it! :)

Carver said...

Wonderful sequence of shots. The sunset was spectacular.

Cloudia said...

Junosmom: Aloha. Enjoyed your post about he "bidet." ;->

Thanks, Charles. and what kind of bike are YOU standing in front of?

Gran: You & me both, kiddo ;->

Med. Kiwi: Back at you, masterBlogger!

Drum Major: Glad to see you here!
Actually, falling cocoanuts have killed many famous worthies in tropical history . . . .

Ake, Dear! Come on over, already!!

David: Thank you. I love Mr. Crisp's words too.

Carver: You have impeccable sight (or is it 'site?' ;-) LOL!
Mahalo for kindly visiting-

Dina said...

I just love your groupings of pics all week. Your life is so exciting--lava flows, whales, ... If I didn't love Jerusalem so much (and if I had the money) Hawaii would be my next choice for home.
Aloha to you all.

Brother Tobias said...

Thanks for the picture of the bike - he's a beaut!

I'll have to visit the vocano cam pics when it's daylight there!

Sepiru Chris said...

Quentin Crisp, now there was a man with a lava tongue...