Category: Postcard from Hawai’i

A Lot of Rain

The past two weeks have seen a great deal of precipitation over normally dry Kohala grasslands. Over three inches at the house last week and another three over the last few days from the remains of tropical storm Kilo.  This amounts to over half our normal annual rainfall for Waikoloa.  The result has been hot muggy weather that has everyone complaining.

No sign of it letting up either.  Tropical depression 12E has graduated into tropical storm Ignacio with a probable path that includes the island.  Looking at the sea temperature anomaly maps gives a possible reason, the forming El Nino is stronger than expected, surprisingly warm.  Life will be interesting.

Rain From Tropical Storm Kilo
Our rain gauge showing over three inches from tropical storm Kilo

A Washer Full of Aloha

Is it bad when you can fill an entire washer load with only aloha shirts?

Yes, we really wear Hawaiian shirts here in Hawaiʻi. Or, as they are called locally, aloha shirts. I remember my first week on the job. I was wearing a modestly colorful shirt in the office and I was wondering if it was appropriate. As I looked about the meeting I noted that two thirds of those present were wearing the colorful shirts, including my supervisor and department head. Yeah, need to buy more.

A Washer Full of Aloha
A washing machine with a full load of aloha

Gecko & Plumeria

This little guy was not afraid of me in the least. Indeed he had no problem hopping on and off my fingers as I sought to pose him on the flower. It was a warm afternoon and he was quite active, more interested in the ants on the flowers than in sitting still for a portrait.

Shot with an old Canon 100 f/2.8 FD lens (manual focus) and a 25mm extension tube on the Canon EOS-M camera. I got the focus right by simply rocking back and forth through focus while rapidly taking images in servo. This was not with the focus ring, but simply leaning back and forward slowly.

Gecko and Plumaria
A gold dust day gecko (Phelsuma laticauda) on a plumeria blossom

Pineapple

Sitting in front of the computer eating a little dessert before bed. In this case that is a little ice cream and pineapple. The nice part is that this the first pineapple we have grown. The pineapple has been a strikingly attractive ornamental plant in the corner of the lanai and now a source of a very nice fruit.

I understand there is chance for another fruit from the plant. Deb has also prepped the top for rooting. Perhaps another plant? There is plenty of room for another plant on the lanai.

Pineapple
A ripe pineapple ready for harvest.

Mango!

It is that time again… Mango season.

The fruit are just starting and I was only able to find enough for one dehydrator load. Over the next week there will be more fruit reaching that perfect ripeness. The fruit do not last long, there is only a few days for any given fruit before it spoils. Fortunately not all the fruit ripen at once, each visit to the tree finding a few more ready.

With this sort of bounty the fruit must be used quickly. I will give some away, taking them into work. Much of the harvest will go into the dehydrator, saved for later with a little processing.

Actually we get a couple mango seasons in our back yard. The trees I have are a different variety than the huge tree that overhangs our yard from the neighbor’s. It is just showing small starts right now, it will be later in the summer before those fruit are ready.

Mango!
A load of mango in the dehydrator.