flowers

 

just realized they're all pink, yellow and purple ;)

Mount Waiʻaleʻale

Lilies - all different - love them!

Waimea Canyons

happy colored flowers

averaging 450 inches of rain every year!

we went hiking and we didn't get rained on ;) we were the last ones out around 6:45 pm last night and we did end up using our flashlights for the last 1/2 mile - pretty dark and a pretty crazy trail.

we really just took this hiking trail to see the honey creepers - they're a tropical looking bird.

but we were there in the evening when it was cloudy and misty, we're planning on going back to get a better photo of them =)
look at those clouds rolling in:

and the sun setting

Hawaii doesn't have snakes or any other kinds of predators - NICE.  we only saw lizards and birds - no spiders, no mosquitoes - now that's my kind of tropical jungle =)
well, on the way down the mountain I did see a wild boar . . . it was very skittish so I am comforted that if we did see another we most likely wouldn't be chased by one ;)

we forgot our underwater camera

we spent the day at the beach - but snorkeling is more fun with a camera - so don't forget to pack your underwater camera like we did.  the waves were crazy today - I typically get sick from being rocked around too much - but we looked for sea glass and found a few pieces.  Like I needed something to do while I'm in the water otherwise I get bored ;)
I am good if I can take pictures though

 pencil urchin

there was a rainbow today

 Jonathan going snorkeling alone for the 2nd time ;)  I only went once for 1/2 hour today.

 love this color hibiscus - pink and yellow

another coastal view

tomorrow we're going hiking - the weather is supposed to be less cloudy on Wednesday, but we're going to find a few shorter 2 mile trails (one way)

I know it, I live it, I love it

loved this talk from General Conference

October 2012

birds!

a view where migratory birds nest, right now it's the shearwater breed

a closer view of the rocky ledges we spot a monk seal:

 2 nesting shearwater babies - one facing in and one facing out ;)

 another chick waiting for its parents to return with dinner

 shearwater adults

Nene - Hawaii's state bird

 eating berrries

a birdie - I don't know what its breed is

this finch was eating the white feather-like thingys in the pod:

hard to see and not that clear but there was a plover, red-crested cardinal and java sparrows all eating together:

 I don't know what kind of plant this is - but it was huge and very orange ;)

 red cardinal

 Japanese white-eye

 some kind of sparrow maybe?

we saw a pheasant but didn't get its photo =(

the sunset from Hideaways beach:

slug, seabird, seal and a sunset

we did a load of laundry today and then it was 11 am . . .we made eye appointments at Costco - funny how sometimes you don't have time to do stuff until you're on vacation ;)
so we drove to the North Shore today and visited a few parks.  we ended up at the end of the road and went to Ke'e Beach and saw that the sun would set right in front of us, so we stayed put.
we saw sand pipers

jonathan wrote Mahalo on a sea slug

a tropical fish who got caught in a small tide pool - see the splashing?

we saw a monk seal

and waited for the sunset

and one with 3 seabirds flying over the water

on our way home we tried to shop - but the stores close at 6 pm daily. . . why would anyone shop during daylight when there's beautiful beaches and hikes to do?  shopping is for when the sun goes down and it's dark out ;)

this is what greeted us on our way down to our studio tonight:

usually the sound in the bushes on Kaua'i are just chickens ;)