Archive for July, 2009
Purple Flowering Raspberry
Published July 31, 2009 Life with Lynne , Sketch Journal , Wildlife Leave a Comment
We were cutting wood yesterday – a beautiful old birch which the power company cut down this spring. Even though it died a year or so ago, it had stood like a sentinel at the end of the driveway, thick and tall and stark white against the darker foliage and the sky. I loved that tree though I never actually photographed it. It was down before I realized it was being cut and it made me sad.
I love the patterns of birch bark. I’ve taken many photos as studies for some of my fabric work, but I was surprised today by the patterns I saw in one of the logs. To me it looks like clouds, or water marks, or elegant moire fabric.
Monte’s first experience with water was when she was still quite small. We had traveled to Maryland where it was rather warm. She was clearly uncomfortable because of the heat and on one afternoon, launched herself into our daughter’s goldfish pond. She swam around a bit and we hauled her out when it became clear that she was tiring and had no way to get out because of the steep sides of the pond. Then she went all winter without a swim.
When we planned our Hawaii trip, I made arrangements for Monte to stay with the breeder. She lives on a working farm with sheep, cows and chickens… and six dogs, two of which are her siblings, and two others, her mother and a half sister. Monte had gotten a bit prissy from the princess syndrome and she was in for an education.
Long story short, she did just fine, carving out a little place for herself in the dog hierarchy and getting familiar with the activities and particulars of farm life. One of these is the farm pond. After a few tentative paw tests, Monte joined right in on the pond fun and now she is quite comfortable in the water.
We took her to beautiful Knapp Pond in Cavendish, VT, partly so I could do some sketching and partly so Monte could show me how she swims. One of her siblings was along too and they both had a great time in the water. She proved rather proficient at retrieving a stick.
One of the fun things we did in Hawaii was to hike to the top of Koko Crater. There are several ways to do this. One is slightly easier taking several hours, one is realtively short and difficult. We chose the short one which involves hiking straight up the old supply railway to the bunkers at the top. From a distance it looks like stairs. In actuality it is railroad ties. I decided to see how many there were and picked up a small stone for every 50 steps. I picked up 20 stones – that means 1000 plus 15 additional plus or minus a few for missing ties and losing count once.
The view looking toward the top and back down to the bottom:
The views from the top were lovely. Looking one way one can see Koko head and the lovely Hanauma Bay, famous for snorkeling.
Looking out the other way, one can see the inside of the crater and on up the coast.
My little handful of stones:
My journal sketch:
One of my favorite blogs to read is written by Jane LaFazio, an artist in Southern California. She regularly posts pages from her journal and lovely photographs of the places she’s been and her art classes. Her sketches are simple and beautiful, ink and watercolor, little snippets of nature in her neck of the woods. Because of her, I’ve been inspired to try to keep a more regular journal and our trip to Hawaii seemed like the perfect time to start. It’s been harder to keep it up since we’ve gotten home but I’m trying. I know it is good to practice drawing – it trains my eye to really see and I have a more intimate knowledge of what I’ve drawn. Here are a few pages….
While we were in Hawaii, I needed to shop for a dress for the wedding. And you can’t have a new dress without the right shoes. So here we are in Nordstroms at the Ala Moana Shopping Center. 
We’re all done buying shoes and we’re headed out when I spot a large woven piece of art hanging behind the counter. On close inspection, it is made of newspapers woven carefully to make a tapestry of a street scene. The clerk behind the counter tells me it is by an artist named Gugger Petter. Check her out. The only camera we had was a cell phone which didn’t do this amazing piece of work justice. I’m posting a close up but you can go to her site to see the whole thing. The one I saw is listed under works: street scene: 5 of 6.
O’ahu was in bloom while we were there. There are always flowers blooming, but it seemed that there were so many more at this time of year. Here is a small sample of what we saw.
The plumeria trees were lovely and fragrant. They come in a number of colors and are a popular flower for lei making.
The Ti plant is a common garden plant that was brought to Hawaii by the Polynesians long before Cook’s arrival. It was used for many things including roof thatching, clothing, rope, food wrappers and plates, and whistles. It comes in shades of red and green and is easy to grow.
This interesting Seagrape tree with clusters of edible fruits was growing on the little beach near our rented home.
Bird of Paradise, a relative of the banana plant blooms readily in gardens. This one was in Mariko’s yard.
The Prickly Pear cactus, a plant that was brought from Mexico was in full bloom as we hiked up Makapu’u Point.
This little cactus was also in bloom on Makapu’u point. We found it on Koko Crater too. The plant is relatively small and low to the ground. The balloon like bud opens to a fabulous flower that is easily 8″ across.
We visited the beautiful cactus garden at Kapiolani Community College on the slopes of Diamond Head. I have always loved cactus and there were so many in bloom. Here are probably way too many pictures of this incredible place.
We found some beautiful golden lichen in the scrub trees at the top of Koko Crater.
A drive north across the island takes you by old abandoned sugar cane fields and coffee and pineapple plantations. By the end of the twentieth century, Hawaii’s sugar industry could not compete with cheap sugar production around the world but the culture of sugar largely made Hawaii what it is today.
It takes two years in the field for each pineapple plant to produce one fruit.
Rows of coffee plants:
Naupaka is native to Hawaii and grows in clumps among the dunes near the ocean. At Kaena Point, the Laysan Albatross and the Wedge-tailed Shearwater nest among them.
We saw some interesting wildlife while we were in Hawaii. Here is a sample of what we found without really looking.
These ants made me smile. After climbing up to the top and back down inside Diamond Head crater, we treated ourselves to the water ice at the stand in the parking lot at the bottom. Someone before us had left some drips on the picnic table and these tiny ants were having a feast. They reminded me of animals in Africa coming to the precious watering hole to drink.
Geckos were everywhere, sunning themselves and looking for lunch. Some of them would periodically flash the bright red flap under their neck. We caught a little one but the big ones were pretty fast. They let us get rather close, though before scurrying away.
This praying mantis was hanging out in the fabulous cactus garden at the local community college.
Ever wonder what lives in those little holes on the beach? We had to be patient to see the little sand crabs that would venture out. They were varied in color and size, pitching armfuls of sand aside as they dug out their burrows.
This little blue-eyed hermit crab was living in one of the tidal pools among the volcanic rocks exposed at low tide out by Ka’ena Point, a wildlife preserve on the western most tip of Oahu.
We did actually look for this sea cucumber. His belly was covered with little tube feet and in the water, the little brown dots on his back sprouted soft feelers. Very cool! This was also from the tide pools at Ka’ena point.
This is the burrow of the wedge-tailed shearwater. These sea birds nest in the summer in burrows that they dig into the sand dunes at Ka’ena point. There was a mother sitting on a nest in there, but you’ll have to take my word for it since it was so dark inside. The Laysan Albatrosses also nest here, but in the winter and on top of the dunes.
Monk seals are one of the two native mammals on Hawaii and can be seen hanging out on the Ka’ena coastline. They are endangered and it was a special treat to see three of them while we were there. There was a marine biologist out at the point watching the seals and trying to identify them. The top photo is of Benny and Kirby, identified by the tags on their flippers. The other seal wouldn’t show his tag.
It goes without saying that we saw lots of fish and several sea turtles when we were snorkeling at Shark’s Cove on the north shore. Hawaii is a beautiful and magical place. I am always amazed at the variety and beauty that God has created.
Dashboard decorations: (What I wasn’t able to photograph was the shelf in the back window covered with plush sea turtle toys – all exactly the same. He passed us on the highway and we were never able to catch up with him.)
Fashion statement: (made from real frogs)
Cell phone tower:
Sky: (If you look carefully you can see the double bow above the obvious one.)
