Kauai 2013 day 6: Nenes

Yes, I know. I've gotten pretty terrible at updating. Part of the problem was that I took so many pictures on this particular day, it being my first trip out to the Kilauea lighthouse and all, the thought of winnowing my selections down to a reasonably-sized post felt very daunting. So, I finally decided the best chance I had at actually making some progress was to break it down into chunks. First chunk: Nenes.

The Nene, also known as the Hawaiian Goose, is the official state bird. Although they were once nearly extinct, thanks to hunting and introduced predators like mongoose and feral cats, the birds breed well in captivity and have been successfully reintroduced to several areas in the various islands. It's doing particularly well in Kauai, where there are no mongoose, and in addition to always spotting a few wandering around the lighthouse grounds I've also seen them in various areas along the North Shore. Given that they are geese, which I have a healthy respect for, the lighthouse, where they're more acclimated to humans and you can usually keep a chain-link fence between yourself and them, is always going to be the best bet for getting some good closeups:

This pair of Nenes working the foliage along the edge of the lighthouse point eventually caught my eye:

What I didn't notice right away, though, was that it wasn't just the two of them...

That's right: NENE BABIES!

Seriously, could they be any more adorable? And have I mentioned how happy I was about the chain link fence between me and them so I could get these great photos without worrying about imminent attacks from angry grownup geese?

Of course, I had to be sure and get at least one more shot of the whole family before they went along their way:

Finally, a pic of a Nene that had found a nice little niche to sleep in just a little ways from the gift shop:

Now, let's see if I can manage to get another post up before an additional three months go by...

Another quick post

Just wanted to share this photo I took on Saturday while at my parents' house, as I was particularly pleased with how it turned out:
 

Kauai 2013: day 5

Day five saw my parents and I invited to take part in a blessing ceremony for the young granddaughter of some family friends. I don't believe there was any formal religious basis to the ceremony itself; the best way I can describe what happened, as I understood it, is that it was a kind of christening that welcomed her to her extended Hawaiian-based family. It was a very special thing to be a part of, and I feel very fortunate to have been asked to attend. I didn't speak to anyone about whether or not I could post photos from the morning, and as it was a private gathering of family and friends I figure the right thing is to maintain that privacy. However, I do have a few pics from the day I feel comfortable sharing, starting with the sight that greeted us as we gathered on the beach that morning—I'd call it a good omen if ever there was one:

Some of the items used in the ceremony, including a gorgeous conch shell, a coconut, and some Hawaiian salt:

A shot of the shoreline, as the water was an absolutely gorgeous blue that morning:

And finally, a blossom on a tree that caught my eye later on in the day:

The next day was a banner photography day, as it included my first visit to Kilauea of the year and my first luau ever, so stay tuned for a photo bonanza...

Kauai 2013: day 4

My mom's probably going to have a coronary incident when she sees I've updated my blog...

Day 4 was pretty mellow, as we scheduled a day of massages with an awesome masseuse my folks met during last year's trip. She comes right to your place, so all you have to do after she's finished with you is ooze on over to a comfortable seat until you feel like moving again; in our case, two of us would sit out on the lanai to provide some privacy while the third had their turn. I took these shots after my limbs felt like working again.

 A zebra dove in the shadows:

It took a little while, but I finally managed to capture a Java sparrow as it played a bit of hopscotch:

Checking closely to make sure no stray seeds were missed:

And finally, a few closeups of some Javas on the railing.  Given how many pics I took of the Java sparrows last year, I didn't spend a whole lot of time photographing them this time around. But they're always a lot of fun to watch, and I look forward to spending time observing them again next year.

Quick post

Just wanted to share this photo I took on Thursday as I drove through town. I thought it came out pretty well, if I do say so myself:

Kauai 2013: day 3

Day three of my vacation coincided with Super Bowl Sunday, so I spent most of the day at a small gathering at a friend's house. This ended up being a good thing, as that's when I hit the travel wall and was pretty much a walking zombie not fit for much besides watching t.v. for several hours. I did, however, step out onto the lanai from time to time to try and take some shots of the Mejiros (aka Japanese White-eyes) as they flitted from tree to tree:

I was most interested in getting some shots of the birds as they worked the blossom of a nearby banana tree, and eventually my persistence paid off:

Since I was having a hard time choosing between photos, I'm basically just going to share a whole bunch of them (no pun intended) with minimal commentary—they're all fairly self-explanatory anyway:

A wider shot of a bird on the blossom, just to help provide a sense of perspective:

Peek-a-boo...

Yup, I see you:

I really liked how the position of the bird echoed the curve of the plant in these next two photos:

One final pic for the road:

Sweet Sunday

This afternoon I went over to the Sugar Shack to take a few pictures. Thanks to their Facebook page, I knew they'd be boiling today; in fact, it was likely the last weekend they'll be boiling this year. As always, walking up and seeing the steam pouring out of the building was a happy moment:

Rather than a wood-burning machine, they're now using an oil-burning evaporator, which allows them to be much more productive while going through a lot less fuel:

I wish there was some way to somehow attach the amazingly sweet smell of the steam coming off the evaporator—there's nothing else like it on earth:

Drawing off some syrup:

Getting ready to test the liquid's specific gravity with a hydrometer

They also use a new filtration system that sends the syrup through a series of chambers:

The sweet result. Trust me—if you've never tasted fresh maple syrup, especially when it's still warm from the machine, you're missing out on one of life's purest pleasures: