From the sea

The sea offers opportunities within similar categories, but different from those we who spend most of our time in the middle of the country experience. We spend some of our time on the shore of a small Wisconsin lake. Much of the commerce in our area is based in what might be described as the tourist industry. We watch sunsets and water sports. Many folks enjoy fishing. Same in Hawaii. Things just work differently. You don't have to tow people on boards behind a boat to skim along on the water. You swim, but don't use an air tube so you can attempt to see fish.

Capturing creatures from the water to eat is another area of similarity. Deep sea fishing goes after fish that are far larger than anything one would find in even the largest lakes. There are other forms of "fishing" that have no parallel that occur to me.

This fellow shows up from time to time walking on the shore below our condo. At first, I thought he was using this long pole to fish the water that could be reached from shore. He was not casting so I equated what he was doing to cane pole fishing.

I finally had the opportunity to watch him up close. He was not actually fishing. This long, telescoping pole was designed to catch crabs. The pole has a loop on the end that he can control from the base of the pole and he uses it to snare the small crabs that scurry among the rocks. I have no idea if you eat these critters or use them for bait.

The other interesting fisherman that frequents the beach we watch takes a different approach. He uses a throw net he expertly hurls when he sees something worth capturing near shore. I apologize for the glare. I had to take these pictures as the sun was nearing the horizon behind the fisherman. Slinging this net so it spreads out in the air takes some skill. It also takes a lot of time between throws to fold the net so it can be thrown effectively. He spends most of his time organizing his net for the next "cast". The fish he was catching were the size of what I would describe as pan fish. Evidently, the fish can see the fisherman. He stands back until he seas something to capture and then moves forward to throw his net.

Priorities

In Hawaii or not, I am spending most of today indoors watching television. I am guessing those of you who are not required to work are doing the same. Priorities.

I have watched several of these hearings in the last year or so. The displays are political theater at  best or at least quite entertaining stuff. Unfortunately, the issue that underlie the posturing are  important to our country and much of the commentary is not focused on the claims provided.

Break in the televised action. Wait - the boats are gathering. It must be time to find my binoculars and search for whales or porpoises.

Reality

I spend a lot of my time reading and writing about the applications of technology. My primary focus is on education, but it is impossible to separate what tools such as online social media can do in the classroom from the more general impact these tools can have in society. Many of the tools or at least the humans developing these tools have motives that result in some negative consequences for users. I have been reading a lot recently about serveiliance capitalism. This is the collection of personal data that is the by product of the use of social media services and the use of these data for financial gain. The topics we write about. The things we "like", comment on, or share and so forth provide information useful to others. These signals allow others to understand our interests and values and to use this information to manipulate us. To do this effectively, the collection of more data is always better. Social platforms are built to encourage more and more use to make this collection possible. We are easily encouraged by the same signals that offer information to companies. We like to get "likes". We like to have online friends. We adapt our own online behavior accordingly. There is a cycle of interaction here between online profits and our increasing commitment to online activity.



One consequence of efforts to increase attention to our presence is the perception others might get that we are more interesting, exciting, or successful than they are. This encourages others to up their online game perpetuating this cycle, but also establishes impossible standards for personal accomplishments. This type of social comparison is inevitable, but can be damaging. Online presence tends to exaggerate real life. We seldom write about the mundane things that actually comprise most of our daily realities. Maybe we should. You may remember when the invitation for a Tweet was "what are you doing" and people who respond with what they were having for breakfast. We got away for such descriptions, but at least they were realistic.

 I started to think about this while writing my travel blog. I enjoy sharing my life because I am fascinated by what I inexperience and I enjoy writing. I am at a time in life when I can do these things. Being this old is not a reflection of superiority, but a matter of good luck and good genes. I believe we all have interesting life experiences and should appreciate these personal experiences and I also wish others an appreciation for what they experience. If I am different than you, it is likely that I write about some of the things that happen to me as a hobby and you probably don’t. We process of our lives in different ways.  

I had two slices of toast with Hawaiian honey for breakfast. What about you?

Southern most

So, we heard that the southern most point of the United States is located on the Island of Hawaii. We had to go and why not.

We made the trip to the end of the road (actually the end of the hard surface road) and we found South Point Park. This amounted to a cliff overlooking the Pacific. This is way up there with no barriers blocking you from going right to the edge.

The scale on this map is a little misleading. This is a map of the southern part of Hawaii with one of the images I took at the South Point Park geopositioned. You can see from that map we were at the end of the road. There was a gravel path to the South, but we decided it was not prudent to continue in our rental car. The distance is actually short.

There were two interesting things happening at this park. The first were the individuals fishing from the cliff.

There were right at the edge of the cliff and this was at a significant height. I have no idea how they would reel in a catch of any weight. Even though the water was deep at the base, the other thing about their fishing technique was the manner in which they would get their bait away from the base of the cliff.

They were using kites to carry their line out over the water. Something like an outrigger on a boat, but much further. I have placed a box around one of the kites because it is difficult to see.

The other interesting thing about visiting the park was the group of individuals who were cliff diving. There was a sign saying "no diving" that was obviously ignored and there was a very tall ladder running up to the top of the cliff that was used by the divers to return to the top. This seemed kind of an inconsistent message.

Some of the divers were actually jumping into a hole in the lava that reached down to ocean water and then allowed them to swim out to the ocean and climb the ladder. I admit I was a little squeamish about approaching this opening, but I think I got close enough to provide a perspective.

A few miles from South Point we noticed a sign for a coffee shop so we had to stop on the way back. What coffee lover could ignore the opportunity to drink coffee at the southern-most coffee shop in the U.S.? The shop was set back a mile or so from the road, but we were truly impressed with this shop. It was surrounded by beautiful vegetation and included an orchid greenhouse. I have no idea how they get enough business to stay open. Must be a lot of folks wanting to say they have made the trek.

Coffee was great.

Pu'uhonua O Honaunau

Pu'uhonua O'Honaunau is a National Historical Park marking the royal grounds of kings and queens. The early monarchs were considered the offspring of the gods and as such their grounds were considered sacred. The buildings on such grounds were often destroyed following the arrival of Christianity. but because certain locations were the burial sites of the monarchy these grounds were saved as historical sites.

Artifacts from the site reveal much about this ancient culture. Flat rocks on the site contained a pattern of marks indicating the rocks were used in a board game - Konane. The playing pieces were either white coral or black lava. Players would just each other's pieces until a player was unable to make a move. This game sounds similar to that game with gold tees made available in restaurants to help diners pass the time while waiting for food. I guess that game is more a puzzle enjoyed by one person at a time. The Hawaiian board game was played for high stakes - leaders used to play to settle disputes. The game was also outlawed for a time because it was frequently played for money. The game is supposedly enjoying a comeback. 

Desktop photos and screen savers

Use use the photos I take in several ways. I upload and organize some into sets in Flickr. These would be the best photos saved from individual trips or events. I pay $50 a year for this service.  I back up most of the photos I take to Google Photos. The free Google account does not save camera photos in full resolution but is unlimited and free. There is a paid service if you want to save full resolution images, but I don’t really need two such accounts. I constantly move photos and videos off my phone to keep space available. Both Flickr and Google Photos offer ways to share photos with friends and family or the public.

I store some images on my computers. My desktop computer has a large screen and this screen is perfect for showing off some of my best pictures. I will often leave my computer on when we have guests so they can view these images as they are randomly displayed. The technique I used was designed as a screen saver, but offers a great way to display your photos. The newest Macintosh operating system some very interesting options for screen savers. The photos they offer are spectacular, but I prefer to use my own. I like to use the option displayed below. This option displays a random set of photos from a set you designate and then brings one of these to full size.

This images is displayed for a length of time you set and then moves to another photo.

Some of the photos I select for my computer background images are probably not the type of photos many people take. I am looking for images that are interesting and what I consider artistic. These are not typically pictures of people. These photos either have a lot of blank space or a pattern that I think is interesting. This is what I want as a background while I work.

Here is a sample of images from this trip I think make good background material.

You can set a Mac to use different collections of photos for screen saves and backgrounds so this opportunity is great for the two purposes I address.

Costco

Yes, I know you do not have to come to Hawaii to visit a Costco and you have a Costco membership you use where you live. We do too. We seldom use this card in Minneapolis because we seldom purchase food in bulk and because it so easy to get to other stores. We usually purchase from Costco in Minneapolis when we are heading for the lake and know we will have a crowd. Bulk sizes are useful for such outings. I have no idea if Costco is superior to other big box stores when it comes to price, but I have always heard that Costco does better by its employees and all things being equal that would be a good reason to make this our big box store. The article I link to here does a nice job of summarizing Costco strategies and benefits.

Costco in Hawaii is a different experience. Island costs for staples are significantly higher than back home and Costco offers a cost effective alternative.  Gas is probably the best example. The article I reference claims the general cost advantage at Costco is 12 cents and this is understood by Costco as a way to attract customers who might also shop in the store. I think this is what business folks call a loss leader. The price differential here is between 50 and 60 cents a gallon. The total differences can be substantial - 50 x 14. The lines for gas are always lengthy, but move quickly. We put on a lot of miles especially when we have guests so this difference is meaningful even if getting to Costco may take a little time. We don't purchase all of our food at Costco here, but a much higher percentage than we would purchase in Minnesota. You can even get an acai bowl in addition to your $1.50 hot dog and soda. No acai bowls in Minneapolis. You can purchase acai in the frozen goods section if you want to make something yourself. 

Vacation?

I got a haircut today. I have no favorite barber here so I picked Big Island Barbers because it was close. I normally get my cut at one of the "clips" chain stores back home. This shop turned out to be an interesting place. When I walked in I recognized the barber chairs, but this giant air compressor in the middle of the room was confusing. I am certain there is a story that goes along with this decor, but I am not certain what it is. I could make something up, but I have been anti fake news lately. While I was waiting my turn I considered getting one of the "fades" pictured on the overhead screen, but in the end I settled for my traditional "#2 all over". Old guys with sparse hair on top look about as good as can be expected when they don't get too fancy. Those old hippie guys with pony tails and no hair on top just seem sad to me. They did shave my neck rather than just use a clippers. None of my barbers since I left North Dakota has done this. Old school I guess.

I was thinking about the oddity of getting a hair cut during a vacation. It may sound like an odd thing to waste time thinking about, but really how many men do this? You get your hair cut before you go or don't bother until you get back. I started thinking about this because someone mentioned being on vacation. Can someone who is retired be on vacation? Vacation from what? I suppose escaping the nearly 30 inches of snow that fell at home could be the what.

I just think that we now live in different places. When you get your hair cut in Hawaii this translates as living in a different place. I do many of the things here I did back in Minnesota. I walk to the coffee shop. I read. I write. I take a few pictures. We have friends drop by. I even made a little money. I see that I have earned 28 cents because there were 3 clicks on ads associated with this travel blog. This won't even pay for my hair cut, but it is more money than I made blogging in Minnesota. I am going to have to refer to Hawaii as the place I work and Minnesota as the place I vacation.

Working away in surf city.

Sea turtles

Sea turtles are considered endangered, but I have the opportunity to view them pretty much anytime the tide is low. They climb onto the rocks below our lanai and if want to get a closer look I can approach them for a photo. I saw 6 while I went down to take this picture. This photo was taken with my iPhone, but I have others taken with a telephoto that provide nice closeups.

On Hawaii you are most likely to see Green and Hawksbill sea turtles. I am guessing these are Green sea turtles as they are more common. The turtles we saw last year on Kauai were much larger probably twice the size of the largest one in this photo. Turtles do come onto the sand to lay their eggs, but I think the ones we see all of the time are just warming up.

This is what our shoreline looks like at low tide. Lava is everywhere on Hawaii and eventually I will stop along the road and take a few photos of the vast fields of lava that make up much of the countryside. No crops or even grazing are possible so there is not much that can be done with large areas of land. While the shoreline is very interesting with tide pools and access to the water and to turtles, I find this stuff very difficult to walk on especially when it is wet.  The surfers  seem to make their way across this stuff in bare feet and I have yet to see one slip.  Too dangerous for an old guy.

Leeward side

It has been raining all day so there have been no excursions. This is not a big deal for us because of the length of our stay, but missing a day for short term visitors is a greater problem. The locals are pleased because this is the dry side of the island and they needed rain. Weather comes from the windward side of the island (north and east) and we are on the leeward side (west). This is the opposite of the way things work in the midwest where weather tends to come from the west and north. I guess the weather has to move over the island to get to us and because of the mountains in the middle this means our side gets much less moisture.

Restaurant dining is not weather dependent and there was a crowd as tourists looked for something to do. Jackie Rey's is considered upscale dining for the locals. I translate that as Jackie Rey's is not located in a fancy hotel. Food was great.

Mark makes an appearance

Word has gotten back to me that some wonder if I ever appear in any of my posts. Yes, sometimes I do.

Akaka Falls

We take our guests to Akaka Falls. Today was our third trip. The falls are 440 or so feet in height and I learned that it is classified as free-falling rather than cascading. It doesn't bump along the rocks as it falls. One interesting biology note about this falls is that it is home to a species of Goby that lays its eggs above the falls. The eggs wash over the falls and out to sea where the fish mature. The fish return to the falls and climb the rock cliff to reach the top so they can lay eggs to continue the cycle. Something like salmon with a much more impressive return to the home habitat. If I remember the sign correctly, the Goby has a suction like apparatus on the belly that helps it stay secured to the rock as it climbs. Believe it or not!

There is more to the hike than the chance to see the falls. The trail moves through some beautiful terrain with plenty of photo opportunities. Here is may favorite shot from the hike.

Manta madness

I have provided a previous post showing Cindy's manta ray float. We had a second opportunity to view mantas this evening. This view was from a hotel overlooking the ocean. Again, the hotel uses bright lights to attract the food source that attract the mantas. After watching for a half hour or so just seeing a couple of mantas swoop through the viewing area, we were finally treated to some very interesting viewing.

This first video shows two mantas playing what seem a version of bumper cars. They purposely swam into each other a couple of times.

In this second video, you can see a manta rolling over a couple of times. The white side is the belly side so the rolls are easy to see.

Underwater photography

Cindy and Natasha have greatly improved the quality of their underwater photography. They are using a GoPro and a Fuji. Both products allow use underwater. These images were captured on a bright day with little water turbulence making the water very clear. Folks who visited earlier and who ventured into the water with Cindy are missing out on her newly developed skills.

Portuguese Stone Oven

Hawaii is a mix of many different ethnic groups. In the 1870, Portuguese dairy farmers came to Hawaii. Our guide claimed the Portuguese were the second nationality to join the Native Hawaiians. Evidently, they had a unique way of baking to produce a sweet bread and their stone and mud ovens can still be found around the island. They found that others would purchase their bread and this allowed them a second income.

Members of he Historical Society recognize the Portuguese heritage by gathering on Thursdays to demonstrate the process of making bread and rolls in this replica stone oven. Evidently, there is some unique skill involved in timing the dough preparation and the heating of the oven. The hot coals are removed from the oven before baking and the dough must have risen properly as the oven will then begin to cool.

Everything is done in large batches with the oven heated to over 500 degrees. The bread is baked first because it requires a higher temperature and then the rolls as the oven cools. We did not wait the hour or more before the baking was done, but those cinnamon rolls looked very good.

Greenwell Coffee Plantation

We enjoy visiting coffee farms that offer tours. You learn about coffee and coffee farming and you often have the opportunity to view other crops in the wild. We visited Greenwell Farms last time we were on the Big Island and knew they did things a lot different than the massive farm with visited on Kauai.

Our tour guide had the perfect personality and background for his job. He recounted his experience growing up picking coffee by hand in the same way it is still harvested on this farm and others in the area. It seems that many coffee farms near Kona are very small and are mostly a second income for those who own the land. Farmers may have a hundred trees or so. Greenwell had thousands of trees. The farm we visited in Kauai had 4 million and did everything with machinery.

I remember seeing some red coffee fruit the last time we were here. It must have been earlier than this visit as the plants were mostly flowering with a few green fruit forming.

Greenwell has the capacity to process coffee through to the finished product. As such, it provides services to the surrounding small farms. Here a worker rakes beans drying in the sun. This is after the red part of the cherry has been removed.

Many coffee freaks may know that there has been a growing pest problem with a small parasite (about the size of a flea). This pest attacks the bean itself. The bean next to the host's finger shows the damage done and these damaged beans are grounds (no pun intended) for downgrading the quality of the coffee that is sold. While more widely known, this parasite is considered a somewhat less serious problem than a fungus that is attacking coffee plants. The parasite only ruins coffee berries and the fungus kills the plant.

Coffee is not the only crop gown on the farm. Here are pictures of red avocado and soursop. 

Yes, we did purchase some Kona coffee. If I remember accurately, the cost was $38 a pound. I guess this would have to be regarded as a premium product.