Solar Income

 I check two financial variables most days. The first is the DOW. I don't know which stock variables have the most to do with my retirement and this one is not it, but I started noticing the DOW back in 2008 when the financial crisis hit and my retirement account was also losing money. It was easier to find the daily report for the DOW than to try to find what happened in my TIAA/CREF account. Anyway, the market seems to go up and down and just seems to meander around lately, 

The other variable I check is the data from our solar arrays. They have a fun app that allows you to see how many watts are being generated and how much money this is worth. My report even informs me how many hours I could use a 100 watt light bulb with the energy our panels produced.

We knew our investment in solar was not going to generate a great deal of money. The orientation of our roof is not ideal and we were told that we might be able to cover about half of our monthly bill (say half of $100). They let us know we would not really recoup our investment, but contributing to green energy seemed the right thing to do.

We just got to the end of a month so I took a look. 

January was not a great month for solar in Minnesota. There were several heavy snows without much wind and our panels were completely covered for multiple days. As the snow melted a little and some slid off some of the panels, we had days with little sun. Our total income was $2.40. This is enough energy to run a 100 watt light bulb for 19 nights. Why would the variable be nights and not hours? Is that all night or until say 10 or so? Not well defined.  

Dolphins

 I happen to get some photos of dolphins yesterday. Lynn was walking back from the coffee shop and said there were dolphins close to shore just down from the condo we are staying in. We could see them from the lanai using binoculars. I decided to walk down to the shore with my telephoto lens and see if I could get some photos.

The dolphins were in a group of some size. I guess the label for such groups is pod and there seem to be 25+ within view. I don't know if what we could see contained more than a single pod and whether different types of dolphins swim together. I do know these were in the same area for more than an hour about 150 yards from shore. The acrobatic jumps were impressive and mostly what I photographed. Some were spinning as they jumped and I know there is one type of dolphin that spins, but not whether all can spin, but some just do it much more frequently. 

I was using a 70-200 lens at maximum magnification. The full image (see the group image) allows a recognizable look at individual dolphins, but not a lot of detail. The individual images of leaping dolphins were created by cropping parts from individual images.

Coffee Shops

 I have visited a large proportion of the coffee shops on Kauai. I fancy myself an expert on coffee shops of a certain type. This category of people does not just like good coffee, but values a place they can work in a comfortable atmosphere with just enough people to keep things interesting. A noise level must exist, but not be distracting. So coffee trucks and small walk-up, but don't sit-down shops, don't really work. Shops in Kauai may have outside seating which is great, but there must be a covering of some type over the tables because of the sun's brightness and heat.

This is my present frequent "work" setting - Little Fish Coffee. The lattes here are incredible and I have checked with Cindy and daughter Lynn who agree. I have a favorite work table (not shown) that is under a tree.

There is one issue that makes this shop a risk. The location is about a mile walk from our condo and the seating is limited. It is very possible to make the walk (still within my old guy range, but the experience can be hot depending on time of day) and find that the two good tables under the tree and maybe even the three worthless umbrella tables are occupied. Then what? Seating of any type can be limited. 

So far, I have had good luck. There is just enough uncertainty in this venture to make it interesting.  

Vegetation Care

Kauai is called the Garden Island. The amount of vegetation it produces is immense and things are overgrown quickly. This reality is in addition to what must be the tourist industry’s focus on manicured grass and colorful vegetation. I have always been intrigued by the number of people working constantly to cut and trim and haul away the plants and parts of plants that grow where they are not wanted.

The folks who trim the tall coconut trees have always attracted the attention of my camera. Somewhere in this blog is a post and images of the workers climbing the trees to cut loose the coconuts and remove excess fronds. I don’t think it is a rumor that falling a falling coconut to the head can do some serious damage and there is likely some related liability issues for industries that would in one way or another encourage people to be within range. 

Some coconut trees are tall but too thin to support a climber. Today a worker outside our condo was demonstrating the solution - a very, very long pole saw. 

South Shore Green Sea Turtles

 I had decided I was not going to try to write a post a day because with the amount of time we have spent on Kauai there is less novelty in our daily experiences. I also am writing content for my other blogs. But, we immediately had a unique experience and I collected a couple of good images and a video.

We are a couple blocks away from Brennecke's and Poipu beaches. We have spent time on or near the beaches many times and I have photographed Green Sea turtles there before. However, that was taking photos of one or maybe two turtles at a time. Yesterday we saw eight. This number is far from the larger number that appear at times, but this was the most for us.

Turtles on popular beaches are typically roped off by volunteers because tourists can't resist getting close for photos and perhaps to say they have touched the animals. Volunteers who have been given some kind of training quickly set up boundaries and I suppose call in officials should the tourists not respond to warnings. I did have my camera with a telephoto lens, but the newer iPhones do a great job and in less than ideal light conditions automatically control some variables I would not know how to adjust for with my digital camera. You should be able to double click on the images for a better view.

 

From time to time. the life guard in the tower would use his bull horn to request that the tourist learn to use the zoom feature on their cameras so they could take photos from a greater difference. 

A good NOAA source for Green Turtle information. 

This posts is a little short so I thought I should add a little more information to increase the educational value for those who read my posts. I try to learn about technology whenever I have the chance to lend some credibility to the other blogs and books that I write. It is good to have experience with what you recommend. You may have heard of ChatGPT the AI tool that has become very popular. Many educators are concerned because of the uncertainty of evaluating the writing assignments they require. To my knowledge, the tools that are used to check for plagiarism do not work because the content created by ChatGPT is original and not simply a concatenation of sources. 

I did not write the following, but I did develop the prompts for the AI system. If this AI capability is new to you, this is the type of material it creates.

Provide several paragraphs of information about the green sea turtle found near Kauai

The green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is a species of sea turtle that is found in the waters near the island of Kauai in Hawaii. This turtle is one of the largest species of sea turtle, with adults reaching lengths of up to 3.9 feet and weighing up to 440 pounds.

The green sea turtle is named for the green color of its skin, which is caused by a thick layer of fat under its shell. The shell, or carapace, is typically a brown or olive color, and is smooth and rounded. The turtle's flippers are large and paddle-like, and its head is small in proportion to its body.

Green sea turtles are found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world, and are known to migrate long distances between feeding and nesting sites. In Hawaii, the green sea turtle is known to feed on seagrasses and algae in the shallow waters around the islands. They are also known to feed on jellyfish and other invertebrates.

The green sea turtle is a protected species in Hawaii and is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This is due to threats such as habitat loss, pollution, and hunting. Conservation efforts, such as beach and nesting site protection, have been implemented in an effort to protect and recover the population of green sea turtles.

Overall, the green sea turtle is an important part of the ecosystem near Kauai and is an important species to protect. It is important for people to be aware of their presence and to take steps to protect them and their habitat.

How many different kinds of sea turtles are there? Please include sources for this question.

There are seven different species of sea turtles. They are:

1. Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta)
2. Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas)
3. Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
4. Olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)
5. Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)
6. Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
7. Flatback sea turtle (Natator depressus)

Source:

• "Sea Turtles" by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/sea-turtles)
• "Sea Turtles of the World" by Sea Turtle Conservancy (https://www.conserveturtles.org/sea-turtle-information/sea-turtles-world/)

It is worth noting that there are different ways that the taxonomy of sea turtles can be presented and some sources might group them differently. However, the above classification is widely recognized and used by marine conservation organizations such as NOAA and Sea Turtle Conservancy.

Are any of the sea turtles just listed considered endangered?

Yes, all of the seven species of sea turtles listed are considered to be threatened or endangered. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, the status of the different sea turtle species is as follows:

1. Loggerhead sea turtle: Vulnerable
2. Green sea turtle: Endangered
3. Hawksbill sea turtle: Critically Endangered
4. Olive ridley sea turtle: Vulnerable
5. Kemp's ridley sea turtle: Critically Endangered
6. Leatherback sea turtle: Vulnerable
7. Flatback sea turtle: Data Deficient

It is worth noting that the classification of species on the IUCN Red List can change over time as new information becomes available. However, as of this knowledge cutoff, all of the sea turtle species listed are considered to be at risk of extinction due to various threats such as habitat loss, pollution, and over-harvesting of eggs and adults.

Koloa/Poipu Arrival

 We have returned to Kauai - 2023. The trip was long as usual and we had middle seats but the planes were new and all in all, it was comfortable. We discovered one glitch this morning. There was a problem with our TSA pre-check and we had to go through the regular process. Cindy missed the bin with her iPad and now it hopefully is in the Minneapolis Airport lost and found. Time for a new ipad anyway, but there are security issues.

Scheduling issues have resulted in a more complex housing arrangement for this year and we will eventually move three times. We will eventually end up at our usual accommodations, but we are trying out some new locations this year out of necessity. Our present condo is very nice and is near a beach we know well in Poipu. For those who have followed out past trips, we are just up the road from the Puka Dog shop. I am guessing several dogs we be consumed because of this proximity Our present location is nearly at the exact opposite side of the island from our usual location near Princeville.

We have a view of the ocean and beach over the top of several other buildings in the same complex. Our unit is on the third floor and must be reached by stairs. I am guessing it would have been impractical to provide an elevator for each unit. Bags for a multi-month trip are nearly 40 pounds each and I am getting pretty old, but I managed to get everything to the rooms with only a few stops for deep breathing on the landings along the way. First impression - much nicer condo, beach visits will take a 5-10 minute walk. As is widely known, I am more concerned about the distance to a great coffee shop than a great beach. Cindy found one for me and will walk with me a few times so I learn the route and do not end up lost. 

We were really tired when we arrived, but we needed food and I have already had my first poke bowl.