Beach Debri

 We visited a garden yesterday and saw this boat. It washed up on a Kauai beach during hurricane Iniki. The boat was from Japan. 

Folks enjoy walking the beach after storms to see what they can find. More aggressive wave action brings in shells and other objects people like to collect.

It is been a year of multiple storms this Spring. Last year was dry, but this year has been very different. No Hurricanes but storms with strong winds and heavy winds. Flooding is common and we have been urged to say in our residence several times because of flooding and the danger of driving into water crossing roads. 

Unlike objects washing in from the ocean, flooding also results in objects being swept into rivers and then out to the ocean. Eventually, much of this material washes up on shore and creates a real mess. The cost and effort required to clean up the miles of beach are immense and this Winter it has been difficult to keep up. Here are a couple of photos I took today on Lydgate beach. This is what you see along thousands of feet of shoreline. 

Lawai International Center

 There are few "attractions" on this small island we have not visited, but we have explored a couple of new sites in this past week. 

The Lawai International Center is maintained by a volunteer group that has invested time and effort to save and maintain an acreage over the years. The site was originally developed in the very early 1900s by Japanese immigrants who wanted to recreate a miniature version of a pilgrimage route among temples in Japan. Over the years, the site has been used as a location for worship and healing by different religious groups. It is now maintained as a location respecting all religions with a focus on peace and healing, Those who speak to visitors tout miracles of healing and connections of some type with religious sites around the world. Each of the small shrines is unique and maintained.

We walked the trail. Cindy made it the entire way and I came down early. I was concerned about trying to get safely down the steepest portions. Cindy continued and it turned out there was a second way down so you didn't have to return the same way you went up.

First flowers of Spring

 Kauai does have seasons, but you must pay close attention to spot the signs. It is green here all of the time and some flowers are always in bloom. There are a couple of flowering trees that offer a clue. These trees have a couple of interesting characteristics - the trees lose their leaves each year and flowers appear before the leaves grow again.

This is the plumeria. You may recognize the flower as the blossoms that are used to make leis. 

Shaving brush tree

Why flowers bloom first

Photo Walk

 I take a lot of photos here with my iPhone when I just walk around. iPhone photography has become a thing among serious photographers because of the AI of the phone which takes care of many of the settings you would have to control on a fancy camera. In most cases, I can likely get better photos with my iPhone than I could with one of my expensive cameras.

Here is a series of photos I captured while walking the quarter mile along the cliff that fronts our condo complex to the sea. I have tried to find a map image that would identify the direction of these photos as the first image in the series. What varies in the series is the light (sun out or behind clouds), the orientation of the phone, the point along the cliff, and regular or pano setting. As always, you can click on an image to enlarge.

Aflac is still here

 

Aflac (named for the goose appearing in the insurance commercial) is still here. I first wrote about the Aflac saga in 2020 and saw him/her again last year.

Aflac has quite a story. He/she is a Snow Goose and somehow ended up in Kauai. Aflac hung around the Hawaiian geese - the NeNe - and was finally accepted. We had lots of Snow Geese passing through North Dakota coming down from Canada in the Fall and returning North in the Spring. A local told us there is another Snow Goose on the island's southern end, but they have no intention to bring them together as there are already enough geese (and chickens). 

Aflac was hanging out by the side of the path I take when I walk back from the coffee shop and was able to get this photo,