Underwater Adventure

At the top of Jeff's Hawaii Bucket List was SCUBA diving, since he received certification during undergrad but had never gone diving outside of the cold, dark Michigan lakes.  I've had somewhat of an interest, mainly because I hope to dive at the Great Barrier Reef someday.  I have some sense of adventure, so when Jeff suggested going out on a Saturday, we picked a SCUBA shop and set a reservation.  Then, anxiousness ensued.

Thankfully, one of my good friends recently went diving for the first time and had many of the same concerns that I did: worry about clearing ears properly/ear pain, getting freaked out 35 feet down and not having the option to just swim right back up, being cold.  After a 15 minute conversation, she pretty much calmed all of my fears and explained the whole process she went through, raving about the experience.

I'm sure this is done anywhere diving is prevalent, but a short program is offered to non-certified divers that consists of a very short class and skill practice before being allowed to get in the deep ocean.  Jeff and I both attended the pool class, actually I had taken it once before as an experiment to find out if I'd really freak or not, but Jeff only took it as a refresher.  The pool class was no big deal, unless you count the small children and adults who don't seem to care that you are at the bottom of the pool beneath them.  I got kicked and jumped on and was probably more afraid of the 3 year olds kicking my mask off or my reg out of my mouth than anything else.  Hmmm, maybe that's part of the class as a forced distraction.

Since we had a car and knew of a delicious ice cream place (Bubbies) near the harbor, we drove ourselves over to Koko Head Marina in Hawaii Kai.  Apparently, a new boat captain and high winds caused us to sit tight for a while, a long while.  After almost ninety minutes of waiting, we got on the boat to head out for our first of two dives.  Eek, I had had time to get nervous and was quite fidgety.  Chit chatting with the 6 other people on the tour helped some but not entirely.  On the boat ride out, the head diver began describing some of what we should expect to see under the sea.  I actually began to get excited.

Since Jeff is certified and confident, he got to go in the water first with me following behind.  Basically, they had us hold our mask and take a giant step off the boat. Then, down we went.  After a few feet down the rope, I finally figured out how to really clear my ears well.  It was funny to hear my left ear squeak each time.  Going down the rope was not too big of a deal except that there were strong currents pushing us around.  Upon reaching the bottom, Jeff looked at me expectantly, like "Are you going to panic?"  But, I didn't.  I was uncomfortable since the amateur divers are not allowed to touch any of the gauges or the buoyancy control device.  I had to roll around on the ocean floor waiting for my diver to come over and help me float a little.  I was jealous of Jeff who could control his own BC.  This proved to be a source of aggravation during both dives, as the currents would drag me to the bottom or lift me toward the surface, and I would have to wait patiently until my diver could get to me and level me out. 

One of the coolest parts of being 35' down happened almost immediately.  The diver picked up a sea urchin and placed it on my hand.  She had me turn my hand over to show that it had sucked to my palm!  It was amazing!  I wanted to exclaim but the reg prevented me from doing anything but awkwardly smiling.

We swam around for a while on the bottom, but there really wasn't much to see.  Jeff and I traded the camera back and forth.  Best use of the underwater case yet!  Some colorful fish swam by, I did my best to dodge the spiny sea urchins as I dipped toward the floor, and here and there was coral.  Finally, it was time to go back up.

Dive two was tremendously better than the first with weaker currents, better visibility, and an eagle ray siting before we were even off the rope!  Also during our decent, we saw a couple of sea turtles (honu) swimming around.  They couldn't have cared less that we were there.  So fantastic.  During the tour, I saw far more brightly colored fish, a couple of eels, and several honu.  Time went by so quickly!  A few times, I held my reg in my mouth with my hand to give my jaw a break.  I'm sure I was clenching.  Clearing my ears was needed every few minutes, something, I imagine, would taper off with more time in the water.

Being so near the honu was simply amazing.  I couldn't get enough and wanted to follow them...but I wasn't really supposed to venture away from the group.  Jeff took almost all of the pictures since he had more freedom than me.  He did such a wonderful job.

I look forward to going on another underwater adventure.  Jeff loved it and had no trouble getting back in the groove after 8 years of distance between dives.  We were both thrilled with the chance to explore a different part of Hawaii.  What a blast!

Farmers' Market at Kapi'olani Community College

Can't pass up a good farmers' market.  Not only did we hear that the Saturday morning Farmers' Market held at the Kapiolani Community College brought amazing island food and produce options together for easy shopping, but we had also heard that there was some amazing, fresh pizza also.  Jeff's coworker, Matt, and his wife, Erin, were in town and planning to go, so we decided to carpool for a fun start to the weekend.

With tote bags in hand, we arrived mid-morning to a crowded market.  So many people, smells, and colors.  The heat and sun didn't deter me or anyone else from slowly parading through the rows of tents.  Within the first five minutes of walking, we'd already purchased a baguette and some fresh sweet corn.  In between the typical US farmer booths (greens, carrots, corn, radishes), exotic flowers, fruits, and Island fusion food options were plentiful.  It was so neat!

Interesting observation...the longest line I noticed was at the Fried Green Tomato booth.  The plates that drifted by me did look delicious, but I'll wait until I get back to Nashville for some fried green tomatoes and instead spend my calories on fresh seafood and Asian dishes that are superior here.  We saw a booth selling live abalone and many other plate lunch choices.  Along with fresh salsa and chips, we grabbed fresh romaine from the Big Island - the crispiest lettuce I've ever had. 

Just before calling it a morning, we returned to the pizza tent to get a piece of margarita pizza, all fresh, local ingredients.  I wasn't very hungry after a filling breakfast and couple of handfuls of kettle popcorn (will have to go back next Saturday to buy a bag), so Jeff just got one piece to try.  Matt and Erin also got a piece.  It smelled divine!  Jeff had a couple of bites before passing it to me.  The look on Jeff's face was not becoming.  He told me that his mouth was feeling odd as well as his throat. 

Now, we are aware of one tree nut allergy to walnuts, and suspect another one to almonds, but he's had pesto before without trouble.  Poor guy was a trooper as we made it back to the car, drinking a whole bottle of water while part of his lip swelled up.  We all kept a conversation going, while I watched to see if Jeff's symptoms worsened (they didn't).  After grabbing another bottle of water, we dropped Erin and Matt off at their hotel.  I began to do my thing - Google.  Since the only thing on the pizza besides tomato, cheese, and crust was the pesto, I searched for info on allergies to pine nuts.  Apparently, people can be allergic to just certain types of pine nutst.  We figured out that Jeff is allergic to whatever one is growing in Hawaii.

Thankfully, after a little snack and more water, Jeff's symptoms diminished.  We were both super relieved.  I have my fingers crossed that a return trip to get more salsa and some of that kettle popcorn will be much less problematic.

Photography Challenge - Day Thirty - Self Portrait

Final day of the photograph challenge project.  I had a great time becoming better acquainted with our camera and learning/developing new skills.  There is still loads to refine and figure out, but this project has been extremely worthwhile.  The timing was perfect, allowing me to capture so many snip its of our time in Hawaii.  I'm planning to continue my new habit of taking the camera along with me pretty much everywhere, just in case.

Photography Challenge - Day Twenty-Nine - Black and White

The ukulele is highly prized everywhere in Hawaii.  I have heard it live and recorded but have yet to try my hand at it.  One adult ukulele and one keiki (child) ukulele are raffled each week at the Honolulu Zoo Wildest Show Concert Series.  Some of the instruments that are given away are worth between $700 and $800. 

My kumu hula uses an ukulele while we practice a hula to a part of a song before she plays the recorded version.  What a lovely sound, especially over crashing waves.

Photography Challenge - Day Twenty-Eight - Flowers

The statue of the Great Duke Kahanamoku is extremely popular in Waikiki, typically surrounded by tourists snapping a picture with the surfing legend.

Photography Challenge - Day Twenty-Seven - From a Distance

As I write this, the Bette Midler song that shares the same title plays in my head over and over. 

The best place to body board in Waikiki is at "Walls."  There is abundant coral in the area near the breaker wall, causing the waves to buckle and create body boarding heaven.  Also, surfing is prohibited in this area, making even more ideal for the finned adventurers. 

Jeff and I head down here often, though he ends up in the water more than me, since I dislike getting all goose-bumpy at sunset, the time we most often visit this beach.  Something we haven't attempted yet is jumping from the end of the wall where the gazebo is.  People plummet to the waves below every few seconds, though it's quite shallow.  The smarter ones wait for the waves to kick up before taking the plunge.

While Jeff was in the water, I played with the camera, noticing that a group of early twenty-somethings nearby me had a few empty Corona beer bottles.  I was inspired to bother them for a couple to see if I could recreate a commercial-esque shot with the sand, waves, sunset, and empty bottles.

The young woman I asked was great to give me the two bottles I asked for and then proceeded to tell me I could have as many as I wanted.  She started digging more out of the trash bag.  At this point, I realized they were planning to throw the glass bottles (100% recyclable) into the trash.  Most people may have corrected these nice young folks, explaining that just a couple were wanted for some fun photo ops.  However, I suddenly felt compelled to take all of the precious bottles to recycle them myself.  A nice young fellow got the cardboard box they all came in (also recyclable) to make carrying easier.

I'm not sure how this all happened, really, but I walked away with a box of twenty or so empty beer bottles.  I realized that Jeff would most likely shake his head and crack a joke about Miss Planet Earth or something after seeing the new addition to our pile. 

Unfortunately, since the beach was pretty crowded, I couldn't get any shots that I wanted.  After a while, one of the young guys came over to me and apologized for dumping all the bottles on me.  He offered to take them back since they realized I was only trying to take a picture of one or two of them, and they didn't want me to deal with disposing of them. 

I assured him that I was happy to take the bottles since I could recycle them.  Yes, he looked at me a bit oddly, but I didn't care.  Later, he came up again, once Jeff was back, to double-check that I really didn't mind taking the bottles.  Once again I explained that I didn't want to throw them away.  Jeff told him I do this all the time, kind of in a "Don't mind her; she forgot to take her meds today" kind of way. I know I felt better taking care of the bottles and the earth, even if my husband still needs a few more lessons on environmental awareness.  

Photography Challenge - Day Twenty-Six - Close-Up

Back to Ala Moana for Jeff's evening swim.  The water is far too chilly and the sun is too close to setting for me to jump into the waves.  The sand here is coarse, made up of coral and little true sand. 

As I lie on the beach to take pictures, I end up completely covered by the tiny bits that require scrubbing to get off, not just rinsing.  Interesting shells are scarce and typically broken into very small chunks. I'm still intrigued by what I find and simply being able to search while on a beach on a weeknight in Hawaii.

Photography Challenge - Day Twenty-Five - Something Pink

Too bad I've used my hula skirt in other pictures.  Something pink turned out to be hard to find on an uncharacteristically cloudy day on the island. 

Afternoon delight:

Evening bliss:

The clouds and sunsets never fail to put on a showstopper.

Photography Challenge - Day Twenty-Four - Animal

One of Jeff's bucket list items was to go SCUBA diving while we are still in Hawaii.  It wasn't exactly on my list, but I decided to be supportive and practice for when we go to the Great Barrier Reef.  Though I was pretty freaked out ahead of time, actually being underwater was not scary, going by way too quickly. 

Jeff's SCUBA certification meant that he held the underwater camera for most of our two dives.  Jeff was the better person to have the camera anyway because I couldn't help being mesmerized by the amazing sea life around us, turtles, an eagle ray, loads of fish.  However, I snagged it a couple of times, though not when the giant sea turtles were swimming about, managing a few good pictures of SCUBA Jeff and this fish and coral. 

Photography Challenge - Day Twenty-Three - Sunflare

At sixteen, I had eyes for a Slug Bug.  My first car was a much desired, orange, '72 VW Bug.  I had a blissful first year with the Beetle and a very tumultuous second year before selling it for the same amount I purchased it for. 

Jeff and I recently paid off my 2006 Civic, which has been good to me for the 90,000+ miles we've had together thus far.  Though the Civic lacks the character of my Bug, I don't miss having to replace one part of the engine after another or having to crawl underneath to give it a good bang in order for it to start. 

Photography Challenge - Day Twenty-Two - Hands

My early twenties went by in a blur, but not because I was the typical college student, partying, procrastinating, or watching too many movies or football games.  No, I decided to try out being a workaholic and over-achiever at the same time.  Let's say that I learned a tremendous amount, am very resilient, and have learned to appreciate my downtime.

Not only did I have far too many obligations, responsibilities, and time commitments, I also made sure that driving nearly 100 miles a day, sometimes seven days a week, was my life for a couple of years.    Without going into all the details, a side effect of my cram-packed schedule was little time at home in the morning.  I was up by 4:15am more mornings than I care to count, sometimes sleeping in on weekends to 6:30am.  I often woke up with just enough time to shower, dress, and rush out the door, driving 40-50 minutes to my destination, even in the dead of winter.  I hate winter. 

I made time to stop for coffee both because I enjoy the smell and taste and also for an activity to help keep me occupied during my early morning commute.  However, when my destination happened to be the coffee shop I worked at, I waited until arriving to chug down a few sips before the customers rolled in, never having time for much more.

Things I now find glorious:
drinking coffee out of a mug
enjoying the smell of coffee in my house
sipping my coffee
finishing a cup

Two of the most amazing people in my life, very dear friends, have given me coffee mugs as gifts in the past.  Though it sounds silly, beginning a day with a cup of coffee in one of my favorite mugs helps set my mood positively.  I am reminded of my friends, their thoughtfulness, and also where I've come from.  I place a lot of value on being able to make and have my coffee out of a mug in the morning.  Simply pleasures like this don't go unnoticed. 

I carefully packed both of my favorite mugs to bring along with me to Hawaii, a uniquely shaped, yellow one and the other is in the photo.  I love the bright colors on this one, the circular design, the orange handle.  Happiness.

Photography Challenge - Day Twenty-One - Faceless Self Portrait

Not a big fan of taking my own picture for the sake of taking my own picture.

Going to miss this view when we move back to Nashville.  Beyond the buildings near Diamond Head, it's possible to see the coast, waves crashing and all, and the top of the Royal Hawaiian, in all its pink glory.  My favorite view is taken in while sitting on the lanai on the opposite side of the condo: a vast, sparkling body of water. Location. Location. Sigh.

Photography Challenge - Day Twenty - Bokeh

Playing in the sand and finding...diamonds?!  My rings are insured, and I was no more than 5 feet from them. 

We never had any 'ring shots' taken during our wedding and completely skipped engagement photos (still sad about that), so I decided to play a bit at the beach.  With my wedding ring. Hmmm, not as brilliant in print. 

I read up on bokeh and realize that I didn't do a great job in that department, mainly since the angle was very difficult.  Nonetheless, it was a good time had by all (Jeff swam while I got COVERED in sand after lying on my stomach).  We left at sunset with our rings on our entwined fingers, right where they belong.

Not happy with the rings' positions in this one but like the background.  We were in a bit of a hurry to meet friends for dinner, otherwise, I would've continued to perfect!

Photography Challenge - Day Nineteen - Something Orange

Why am I inspired to single-handedly take pictures of melting treats?  It always results in a sticky mess and having to eat too fast to fully enjoy the flavor.

Waiola Shave Ice was not the first place I experienced the authentic island dessert.  Months ago, Jeff and I stopped by the famous Matsumoto Shave Ice on the North Shore.  It was so fun to go, but the shave ice flavor was simply good, not anything to rave about, especially after waiting in line in the old grocery store to order.

After a couple of other shave ice pit stops, we'd learned that it was meant to be enjoyed with ice cream (in the bottom), condensed milk (on top), and/or with Azuki beans.  Shave ice plus ice cream?!  Glorious!  What a fantastic combination.  Also, Waiola's ice is shaved so finely, it's more like shave fluff.

Jeff and I would like to return to Matsumoto's to give the shave ice there a fair try with added ice cream.  Sadly, the last time we were in the area, the line was around the building!  I don't wait 2 hours for pancakes at Nashville's Pancake Pantry; I'm certainly not willing to wait in the beating sun for shave ice that didn't impress me the first time.

The orange flavor at Waiola is super delicious.  Add the sweet orange to the creamy vanilla, and it's the best creamsicle ever.  I also love the pineapple, coconut, and cherry syrups.  I have yet to venture into the Azuki beans division but plan to test soon.

Waiola Shave Ice is also a small convenience store with a walk-up window, kind of a trend in the business, since selling $2.75 treats mustn't pay all the bills.  Did I mention that Waiola is the featured shave ice company on Hawaii 5-0?  Fame hasn't changed the place or the 6-foot tall, stuffed, smiling shave ice that guards the door.

Perfect bite!

Photography Challenge - Day Eighteen - Shoes

After tiring myself out surfing with Jeff, a date with the pool and lounge chairs was required.  I got put through the wash cycle a couple of times surfing, getting knocked in the head by my board at one point.  I can surf pretty well but can't find a passion for it when it always results in bruised hips and a sick feeling in my stomach for a few hours after getting out of the water.  Lying by the pool with a book and some Pringles definitely helped me recoup.

Photography Challenge - Day Seventeen - Technology

Who would have guessed that spotting giant sea turtles would help with a technology shot?

Many locals have recommended a trip to the North Shore for turtle spotting.  I love giant sea turtles, having been lucky enough to snorkel with them off the coast of O'ahu and Maui.  The honu, as they are called in Hawaiian, commonly beach themselves for a rest on one particular beach up there, Laniakea, where people flock to see them.   I was a flocker, too.

After a fun morning on the windward side of the island, Jeff and I took a drive north in hopes of seeing honu, some good snorkeling, and shave ice at Matsumoto.  We ended up with one out of the three, and thankfully, it was the honu.

Boy, was the whole North Shore crowded!  The summer months host calm waters, very opposite from the fall and winter time, when the big waves roll in.  This time of year, the beaches are perfect for swimming and snorkeling, but the parking is minimal, which made for a frustrating afternoon. 

Nearing Laniakea Beach, I was nervous that parking would be impossible and the whole trip north a waste of time.  Low and behold, there were a few spots open just across the street from where a couple of honu were sunning.  We dashed across the road and down the rocks to get up close to the honu, though staying 6 feet away, as is requested by scientists.  The turtles are protected, so there are volunteers that monitor the beach during the days, roping off a perimeter around each turtle, recording the time of visit, length of time spent on the beach, etc.  Most of the turtles are recognizable and have been named.  We saw one that had an info sheet stuck in the sand near the rope, explaining that it was a male, about 30 years old, named Tripod.  I couldn't tel if it only had 3 feet.

Jeff and I walked a ways down the beach but really couldn't swim or snorkel.  We spotted half a dozen turtles, one impressively huge one that swam near the shore but stayed in the waves.  They were so nonchalant about being near people, even in the water.  I left the beach happy and satisfied that our honu scouting expedition was a success.

Photography Challenge - Day Sixteen - Long Exposure

Before I had good lighting to work with, I decided to try taking a photo of my hula skirt while I spun around.  I had a few less than horrible shots result but had to stop before getting any good ones because I was making myself sick. 

Near dusk, I had fun with the street below, though still challenging, in windy conditions without a tripod.

ATV at Kualoa Ranch

I have never ridden an ATV before but liked the idea.  After hearing about Kualoa Ranch from my brother, Ryan, I read reviews on the different activities offered at this working cattle ranch on the windward side of O'ahu.  Hands down, the 2-hour ATV tour of movie sets in an incredibly scenic area of the island got the best reviews.  Since Jeff and I love a little adventure and reasons to be outside, we booked the tour for a Saturday morning.

Unsurprising, we got to the ranch about 15 minutes late, so we were rushing to get checked in and packed up to head out.  There were only 3 other people on our tour, a dad and his two sons.  Our tour guide was a college kid from BYU and was pretty energetic and entertaining.

After a short video we all took an atv, heading out on a short practice track with lots of turns.  I was loving it until the 20-ish year old guy in front of me started having obvious trouble steering and controlling his atv.  At one point, he got it stuck in shoulder high grasses but managed to get it out on his own.  Shortly after that, while still on the practice track, he went off the path again, managing to wedge the atv between a few bushes.  I got close to rear-ending him that time but avoided a collision.  Our tour guide offered to get the guy a new model, thinking it was the steering controls...but it wasn't.  Poor guy.

Jeff and I were having a super fun time driving the atvs, though I would've loved a bit more free range.  Along the way, we stopped to see a WWII bunker and the sets used for parts of Jurassic Park, 50 First Dates, Pearl Harbor, and some others.  The cliffs and valleys were so gorgeous...until I got run over by Godzilla heading back to my atv.

Jeff was unconcerned.  The guys were confused by my enthusiasm and total lack of concern for getting dirty.  By the end of the tour we all sported a healthy coat of dust from the dry trail.

The highlight of the ride for me was getting to drive through a stream.  It was probably 2 feet deep, so no drowning worries.  Thankfully the guy who continued to have trouble driving his atv made it through without getting stuck.

We stopped at a set of ruins used for a low budget movie that I don't remember the name of.  The cool part was getting to walk around them.  Besides the concrete floor, everything was made of styrofoam and wire.

Views of the ocean were gorgeous!  I tried on Chinaman's Hat just for fun.

Photography Challenge - Day Fifteen - Silhouette

One of the best parts about living near the ocean is getting to go enjoy it.  Jeff and I like to go after he arrives home from work and most definitely on the weekend.  Ala Moana park is just a 5 minute walk, so we take advantage and head over regularly.  I love to walk next to the wall where there are inlets forming small ponds.  I always see fish and have even seen jellies!

Photography Challenge - Day Forteen - Eyes

Love these critters!  They always look startled and intense.

Trashy Part of Town

I took a walk yesterday by the expensive sailboats in the harbor nearby.  The boats are gorgeous.  Checking out the water, I was excited to see a slew of fish swimming at the surface.  Most of them were dark and kind of boring, but there were light, striped ones, a puffer fish, and one that would've been too big for me to hold in both arms. 

My walk took a very sad turn when I rounded a corner and noticed that the fish were difficult to find due to the huge amounts of trash floating in the water.

 I was sicked by the items I saw, the quantity, the fish swimming in and out of plastic cups, getting caught in plastic bags.  The worst part is the feeling that I didn't do anything about it.  The easy answer is that I couldn't do anything about it, but that's a cop out.  With enough determination I could've done something, couldn't I? 

I realized that if I had the tools needed to clean this junk out of the water, it would take hours to scoop and cart it away.  Most likely, more trash would collect here.  Has anyone or organization cleaned this in the past?  Is it always like this?

 

In the mix: a glue stick, Dodgers baseball, Halloween pumpkin bucket, liquor bottles, plastic caps, shoes, ball caps, plastic shopping bags, lotion containers, soda cups from fast food restaurants.

The majority of the junk is actually recyclable.  Jeff teases me for the lengths I go to to recycle things we go through at home.  Pretty sure this walk has only added to my motivation to be more environmentally conscious.