Click on photos to enlarge!
Stand-Up Paddling, or "Old Guy Surfing" the old is today's "new craze."
Stand-Up Paddling, or "Old Guy Surfing" the old is today's "new craze."
“How young can you die of old age?”
Stephen Wright
Sausages growing on a tree!Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding."
Albert Einstein
Surf
“As I gaze upon the sea! All the old romantic legends, all my dreams, come back to me.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
It is generally agreed that the world's coral reefs are stressed to a dangerous degree and may even be in danger of disappearing entirely. This interests me because these isles that I love were designed and built by a committee of coral and fiery lava. The plants, animals, & humans all came late to this party. Geologically speaking, we're just the hair and make-up of Hawaii.
Aside from the gargantuan cost of a modern war ship, the big issue with the recent grounding of the USN Port Royal off of Honolulu Airport is damage to the reef. Local divers whisper that damage to both ship and reef are much more extensive than reported. Like "build a new warship" extensive! But the reef could take hundreds of years to recover - if it can.
The real tragedy of extinction is losing the treasures we have not yet comprehended fully. This unknown bounty of lost knowledge is a blank check we have just about thrown away un-cashed.
For example, it had long been thought that the reefs in our Hawaiian waters were no more than a century or three in age. Actually, scientists using mini-subs, OK "Submersible Vehicles," have recently discovered that some of our local Leiopathes corals are more like FORTY TWO CENTURIES old! They are among the oldest living things on this planet right up there with California's five thousand year old bristlecone pine trees. A younger species of coral, the youthful Gerardia, has been discovered to be a mere two thousand, seven hundred years old. It's not even collecting coral social security yet! (Coral reefs are communities of social creatures.)
What else is hiding right under our noses (and waves)?
A L O H A! Cloudia
20 comments:
What a shame humankind has fallen to such depths when it comes to caring for our home. Where shall we live if not here?
very uplifting photos today
we dont have coral reefs in hania, but if we did, i would like to see someone caring for them
While understanding the environment isn't necessary, respect for it becomes increasingly more necessary. Things like reefs and deep jungles are only "alien" environments because some writer called them so. In fact the more damage we do to the earth, the more trashing of our own homestead we do. Nothing could be further from alien than home.
Want to live...let the earth live.
'Geologically speaking, we're just the hair and make-up of Hawaii' - Great analogy!
I've seen the frailty of aquatic environments illustrated in the Highlands by the rapid effect of fish farms on the shoreline and inter-tidal feeding zone. Healthy shore ecology becomes obliterated by algal and weed growths from the introduced nutrients and waste. Still our policies ignore those impacts...'jobs' is an Amex card as far as the politicians are concerned.
"FORTY TWO CENTURIES"
Read this and outloud said HOLY CRAP!
INteresting.. what's with the sausages on the tree..
Where's the tree with the buns so we can make a submarine sandwich/hoagie/hero
I've watched quite a lot of stuff about coral reefs but I'd like to see one up close.
If we keep on popping rivets like we are, this whole thing is going to come apart!
Hi Cloudia, thank you for an informative post. Sorry I've been gone.
I saw a bumper sticker yesterday that said, "Give war a chance". Such are some people that live here. I wonder if I should migrate to Hawaii?
Makes me sad what we've done and are still doing to our planet.
Once gone the coral reefs cannot come back - it's tragic. :(
Oh, that is such a sad predicament made even more maddening by reality in the diver's whisperings of even greater damage. I hate that awful feeling I get in the pit of my stomach when I hear the word 'extinction.'
On a lighter note: I LOVE Stephen Wright. Thanks!
You, said a mouthful!
Med Kiwi: Aloha & thanks for your visit!
Walking Man: Yes, THAT's the slogan that says it all.
Brother T: Thanks for that "inside" and factual information on the unintended consequences of these practices!
Bubble Wench: I'd like to hear you say anything! "Holy Crap" would be fun. Actually, i don't know anything about that tree except that it looked cool. Being lazy, I made up a silly caption and voila!
Daryl: LOL! I love your wacky mind!!
Charles: Thanks for being my "straight man." Let's run this through, OK?
Charles: "I'd like to see a coral reef close up."
Cloudia: "Better Hurry!"
Thank you folks, we're here all week! Be sure to tip your bartender (Heff?)
Deborah: A scarily accurate and pungent analogy indeed!
JunosMom: Great seeing you. I understand that Spring & school are your focus there on the farm. There are angry people who are not really thinking deeply everywhere. I don;t thake that bumpersticker as representative of all the folks there in Tenn. Personally, I'd love to visit your horse ranch in Waimanalo and meet you for tea in Honolulu anytime!
Something tells me, though, that you are blooming where God has planted you! Aloha my friend.
R L Lesbian: This is really an honor to see your comment! I admire your honest writing, and you seem like someone I'd really enjoy hanging out with! Your blog, hell, your whole friggin persona is a rebuke to this anti-life crap. Kinda like an alternate Mother Earth or something....Anyway, thanks for your blog, and thanks for visiting Comfort spiral today!
Aloha, my dear Akelamalu.
Noni: I love the structure of your comment. Actually the news broke big locally today about the real damage to the reef (sea turtle habitat, sadly - but they are frisky and strong and have alternates!)
Thanks for coming by. Seems like you haven't posted at your blog for a while? Or am I just falling that much further behind? I love your stuff.
Aloha Friends!
What an amazing thing to learn how ancient the coral reefs are! We humans need to be taking care of our world before it disappears under our very noses.
It makes me sad, because we have abused so many of our natural miracles. Wonderful photos.
Surf Quote - Excellent.
Aloha! And I enjoyed he stand surfing photograph :) I wish we have such equipment here in India :)
Red Hair Fellow
In Martinique Island we took a pexiglas bottomed boat so that we can see under the water. Corals, fishes,animals and shells.
It was so beautiful that the time after, we did it again.
Oups !
ALOHA Cloudia !
so true.
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