Mauna Loa Ginger...

This unique and exotic looking ginger variety loves to grow in a area of the Big Island near the town of Volcano called Mauna Loa Estates... Hawaii has so many varities of Ginger! And each is more interesting than the last <3

Lovely Fern in Nanawale Estates Hawaii...

With my job I get out into the country alot! I mean a whole lot (Lucky me!) and I take bunches of photos for selling real estate, sometimes I luck out and a photo taken for my business will be so striking it can do double duty for my hobby :)

This Fern was growing on a vacant land lot in Nanawale Estates (Near Pahoa Village on the Big Island), the sun came through the Ohia trees just right and poof! Magic time! 

Lucky I live Hawaii :)

Puna Canoe Club! Hawaii's AAA 2009 Champions...

Puna Canoe Club has announced its practice/work schedule for the upcoming 2010 season.

It includes:

* Feb. 27-28: Canoe repair and maintenance.

* March 1: Conditioning program for youth groups, with boys practice from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; and girls from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

* March 3: General membership meeting, 4:30 p.m. at Hilo Bayfront halau.

* March 15: Race practice starts for youth groups.

* March 20: Novice B men and Novice B women practice, 5 p.m.

* April 5: Men/women practice, 5 p.m.

For additional information, call head coach Afa Tuaolo at 965-7614 or youth coach Joe Kalima at 895-0430.

I bet that paddle fits your hand! Come meet with some of the paddlers and GET IN THE WATER!


P.S. The picture is of the winning Novice B Womens crew from 2009, the short strawberry blond is me :)

Hawaii's Puna Canoe Club General Membership Meeting tonight!

Would you enjoy being a member of a organization that is challenging and rewarding? Where you will be engaged in intensively physical activity in one of the most beautiful environments on earth while meeting the most incredible people? Develop friendships that will last your entire life? Then you want to be a Paddler! Puna Canoe Clubs General Membership Meeting is tonight, January 22nd at 4:30, if you are in the area come on down and see what all the buzz is about :)

This picture is of Punas open women at the end of the awesome 2009 Queen Liliokalani race on the west side of the Big Island of Hawaii... Strong minds/Strong bodies/Strong hearts <3

Hilo Landmark Comes Down!

It was a fire hazard, a rat trap and termite ridden! But we will still miss it! This is the corner of Keawe Street and Mamo Street, it was the site of Ohana grill for many years as well as numerous little shops and lunch counters over the decades...it really was a mess and needed to come down before some one got hurt, but it looks kinda naked around here without it :) Not sure what the owners are going to do now, really ought to leave it as parking which downtown desperately needs.

Sun Bathing Hawaiian Anole!

This little guy was enjoying the sun on a red ti leaf near a lot I have listed in Hawaiian Acres, he didn't want to move out of his sun beam no matter what! I can appreciate that, we have all been freezing lately! It must be all of 60 degrees! Time to pull out the long underwear! (we are notorious wimps, half the people in Hawaii don't even own jackets and we end up using a beach towel or a sarong to cover up with)! If it drops to below 50 you will just find a bunch of popsicle people standing around...brrrr (do I detect a lack of sympathy?).

This photo is curtesy of Larkin Hathaway...

Hawaiian Ohia Tree...

Often when reading articles about Hawaii you will run across mention of Ohia Trees, but rarely are there photos of these lovely trees. This one is in Fern Acres, they tend to be tall & slim but will branch from all levels. Here is a article with a lovely story about the Ohia Tree Legend.
They can bloom at almost any time throughout the year but do have heavier blooming seasons, and when the Lehua flowers are in bloom the bees just swarm! They love these flowers so much and it makes the best Honey! They also make lovely leis from the leaves & the red flowers, but my favorite is the Liko Lehua, the new keiki leaves on the young ohia are a dusty red and smooth textured, they really show up against the green green forest. And Ohias are very adaptable, In Kau (A dryer, wind swept region) the Ohias look like Bristol Cone pine, all gnarly & bent with rugged bark, in upper Puna (lush and moderate temps) they tend to be broader and taller, straight limbed trees). They are very slow growing and can be quite touchy to adverse outside elements (like lawnmowerimpactitise) but often are the first trees to become established on a lava flow and are one of the first plants period to grow on a lava field (not including lichen & such). Pretty amazing tree...

Sour Hawaiian......Cucumber?

Don't they look like cucumbers? But they aren't, these are Bilimbi, a tropical fruit related to the star fruit.
We were offered some through Freecycle and went to a new friends house to pick them, what fun! And nowhere in all the articles I read did anyone truly explain how incredibly SOUR they are! Wow!!! I am not sure what to do with them? Good flavor but they could probably peel the paint off my car! I dipped them in salt (interesting flavor combo, kinda like salt & vinegar chips at the fair), I cooked them with sugar and they jelled up pretty good, but there was more sugar than Bilimbi at that point. I also tried to make a juice and that we were able to add to a cherry cool aide, it tasted similar to strawberry lemonade.
My friend has lots & lots, so if any one has a really good "recipe" please share...

Thirsty Hawaiian Doggie!

We saw this cute couple with there doggie out to the Lava flow the other day...talk about a well prepared couple! They even had the pups water bottle packed! Now that's considerate owners...it gets real hot out there on that hike to the ocean entry but they had it covered...we need more pet owners like them!

Basking Anole...

I was out taking property photos in a sub division called Fern Acres the other day and I caught this guy checking me out from a Hapuu fern leaf. He was very calm and really not ready to abandon his place in the sun, just kept a very watchful eye on me while I got this photo.

Hawaiian Ladybug!

This little gal (guy?) was cruisin around one of the lots my company has for sale in Hakalau (on the Hamakua Coast of the Big Island), she just kept landing on all these perfect items as back drops...and I just kept taking photos! We don't have many ladybugs here, I think the predator bug competition may be to much for them, or they may fall prey to the skinks & geckos themselves...whatever the reason I really enjoyed this rare visit.

Beautiful Kehena Beach in East Hawaii...

I was out in Kalapana Seaview estates today taking photos of a land lot I just listed when my Broker suggested we stop by Kehena Beach...I had never been to Kehena Beach before (it is our, ahem..."clothing optional", beach in east Hawaii. Actually, almost any beach on the Big Island of Hawaii tends to be fairly "clothing optional"...) and Aunty Betty (my fellow agent) agreed we should go...so we did!

What a gorgeous little hide away! A bit of a climb down to the beach but very much worth the hike...with in 5 seconds my shoes were off (just the shoes, I swear...) and my toes were in the water, ahhh...so nice. We took all of 30 minutes to hike down and back up, but it was a fantastic refresher in the middle of the day. I love my job! No, everyday is not like this, most are 7:00 AM to after 7:00 PM on computer and phones, etc... but days like this make up for it! And I am just thankful to have a job, period!