Revisiting Russia and Ukraine

 We have friends who immigrated from Russia who frequently come to stay with us while in Hawaii. Our friendship goes way back to when Cindy first met Natasha who served as her interpreter and our eventual trip to Russia in 2013. They were with us here last year when Russia invaded Ukraine. They are part Ukrainian with friends on both sides of the conflict and their youngest son and wife have now left Russia to avoid the consequences of the war.

We were sitting around drinking tequila last evening and they were describing their more recent experiences as part of a Russian-speaking community in Denver. While "Americanized" they told of hostile social media posts targeting Russians rather than the Putin government. They find this frustrating as their presence in the U.S. obviously should be understood as an indication of their position on the situation in Russia, but the label is still applied. Our association with them and their circle of acquaintances has to be unique among our friends. Their life stories of being uprooted by multiple conflicts now (Chechen war before Russia) have long been a source of amazement at their resilience. 

Panoramas

The Apple phone has a great capability to produce beautiful panoramas. One significant challenge in capturing what you see in nature is the appreciation of scale. A panorama is a great way to provide the experience of scale. These individual images will enlarge if you click on one with your mouse.

Double rainbow

Taro fields

Nepali Coast

High Surf

Old guys in convertibles

We were visiting the Kauai Coffee plantation yesterday and this older gentleman pulled up in a convertible with his wife (I assume). He saw me notice his car and evidently felt the need to explain that it was an upgrade from the model they had reserved because the intended rental was not available. It was his need to offer this explanation to me, a total stranger, I thought was interesting. As an older winter tourist, he may have made a similar conclusion to what I have made about these old guys who rent sports cars (Mustang convertibles, etc) when vacationing in Hawaii.

I understand that the lack of a car top has an advantage in warm and sunny climates. You do drive with more sunlight on your head and the breeze in your hair and folks do find this appealing. Or, some old guys (the guys do seem to be the drivers) driving the kind of car they couldn’t afford or weren’t allowed to own when young, may just make them feel young again when behind the wheel of this kind of vehicle. I tend to judge such behavior as pathetic, but this may just be sour grapes. I no longer have hair to blow in the breeze and I must wear some type of head covering to prevent a sun burn that seems impossible to avoid when my head is exposed to the sun. Cindy also does all of the driving because she can instantly understand the roads, connecting roads, and strange town names that allow us to get around. 

On the other hand, the top highway speed on the Island is 50 and many of the roads require limiting your speed to 35-40. There just seems little reason to own or rent a fast car, so I will continue with my attitude problem. 

Haena Surfer

 We drove around today after the rains. I was able to video a lone surfer on Haena Beach. He had the waves to himself. I got as close as I could on the beach and had to deal with the occasional wave that reached me. The power of only a few inches of water kept scaring me off. I did not want to fall with my phone. That was enough of my feet in the sand for a while. 

Feral Chickens

I usually come up with one post each visit about the chickens of Kauai. They are everywhere even with broods of baby chickens rummaging around parking lots for food. Here is my entry for this year. 

The chickens on Kauai have become an interest of some scientists (NYTimes article) because of their unique genetic history merging birds brought to the island by Polynesians centuries ago and domestic breeds brought more recently and because the release into the wild allows the study of what might be described as the reverse of domestication.

I think the final image is a graffiti chicken, but I am not certain.

I have been exploring ChatGPT and have used it in a few of my posts. I write my own content, but sometimes I ask ChatGPT to write a post on the same topic. You will note some discrepancies from my post which was based on my own observations and discussions while on the island and my research such as the NYTimes article.

[Feral chickens are a common sight in Kauai, which is one of the Hawaiian islands. They are descendants of domesticated chickens that were brought to the island by Polynesian settlers and later by European explorers. Over time, some of these chickens escaped or were released into the wild, and they have since established themselves as a population of feral birds. Why feral chickens are so numerous is a question that generates numerous opinions. Most speculation includes two observations - several hurricanes have struck the island directly and overturned coops releasing domestic birds (direct hit rather than the glancing blow to other islands) and the absence of the mongoose on Kauai which eats eggs on other islands. 

Feral chickens in Kauai are known for their colorful feathers and distinctive crowing. They can be found in many parts of the island, including residential neighborhoods, parks, and even along hiking trails. Some people enjoy seeing and hearing the chickens, while others find them to be a nuisance due to their tendency to roam freely, scratch up gardens, and make noise.

The exact number of feral chickens in Kauai is not known, but it is estimated that there are tens of thousands of them. The chickens are not protected by any laws, and they are considered an invasive species by some people. Efforts have been made to control their population, but these have been met with mixed success.

Despite their status as an invasive species, feral chickens have become an important part of the cultural and natural heritage of Kauai. They are featured in many works of art and literature, and they have become a symbol of the island's unique character.]