Manoa Falls

I had googled Manoa Falls before we left home in hopes of getting some good waterfall pics. I had my new polarizing filter, my lenses and my tripod and between David and myself, we hauled it the mile in on this steep, wet and root filled trail.

And after about 35 minutes of steady upward hiking we came to the falls......

That is wet rock you see there with a little "trickle " of water running down it.

Should have called it the Manoa Trickle!!

I took this 6 second shutter speed shot at the bottom of the falls in the steady rain - this was the only place you could actually SEE any water on this falls.

Apparently the Big Island has some spectacular falls - perhaps another time.

All was not lost though. The hike in (and out) was refreshing (and a little slippery at times) and it was good exercise. We met some very interesting people from Canada - B.C. on the way up and hiked down with a young couple from Utah.

Back at the bottom we loaded the gear and headed on to Honolulu and Waikiki for lunch at a favorite spot - Dukes! Lunch was fabulous and wait until you see the pics of the dessert!! mmmm

I wasn't disappointed with the fun pictures on Waikiki beach either - the best place in the world to people watch. They come in all shapes and sizes and they aren't afraid to show it... some people should NOT wear a bikini!!!

Stay tuned for some fun candid photos!

A fabulous day!!!

Wow what a great day we had yesterday. The weather was a perfect 27C with a light breeze.

...if you were shovelling snow you may not want to hear about it and can stop reading right now if this is going to put a damper on your minus 24C day.....sorry!

We started the day with nine holes of golf...because I DON"T golf so the nine holes was a compromise. My sweetheart LOVES golf. I thought I would just tag along in the motorized cart and take pictures, but he wanted me to actually golf. So I did and you know what? I actually did quite well. I birdied a hole! That means I did it in one under par. Only the pros do that!!! You know, Tiger Woods and those guys. But this is me - once a year keep the husband happy golfer.

Yup! That is me in complete shock. A seven iron at 100 yards out, landed on the green and promptly rolled into the hole. See the little red flag in the top rt corner? Yup 100 yards my sweetheart tells me. Am I good or what!!!???

"HOW did you do that!!!"

Nothing to it dear, just a good seven iron well aimed!

There it is - third hole of the Makaha Golf Resort. I think I could get to like this game if I never had to putt.

Dear husband is always wowed by my drives. I tell him it is all those push ups and power lifting classes I have been taking! What dya think?

I think he is just trying to convince me that I should be a golfer.

Yesterday I was almost (that's almost) out driving him and hitting em pretty straight. I was also connecting nicely with the irons - especially that seven iron!! But PUTTING???

It is a tad frustrating to be on the green in two and then six putt - thus - this game is NOT for me. I am WAY too impatient. Now floor hockey has a little more action!

I figure though if I can sink em all from 100 yards out I may take up golf. You know, avoid the putting all together.

Lunch and a tropical drink by the pool - a little reading, a little snoozing.

Hanging out on the beach. A little reading, a little snoozing and other tropical drink...

And then get all dressed up for supper at our very favorite Hawaii restaurant - Roy's

Check my post on Roy's at my Fine Dining Saskatoon site. Okay it is not Saskatoon and surrounding area, but it is definitely Fine Dining!

ALOHA!!

Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins

I did a little googling at 5 am this morning...because my inner clock is clinging to Saskatoon time. I am feeling rather certain that the dolphins we saw Monday morning were Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins.




They do fit the description of these playful dolphins with longer noses that love to jump way out of the water ad spin before splashing down.

This was also a mighty fine time to put in a plug for a telephoto lens and with my birthday less than a month away......


On other items of Hawaiian interest, I had a request from a commenter to let you know how I found this condo. I found it on VBRO which I have found to be the best site for locating good accommodations anywhere.

We are staying at the Hawaiian Princess condos and they are for the most part privately owned by people around the world who rent them out at very reasonable prices. I have come across a few Canadians who own one or two of these condos and wish one of them was ME.

Wouldn't you love a warm ocean front place to escape to whenever!

We rented from the Maxwell's and are staying in their condo called Princess 4 - they own about six condos in here. Very nice people to rent from and if you ever book with them tell them I sent you! :)

There are mostly boring middle age couples here - like us - so other then the constant lull of the waves and the wind whistling through the condo to cool it, it is VERY quiet here. We are 40 min out of Honolulu unless you attempt it in morning rush hour, which we did yesterday. It took an hour and a half. But the views along the ocean made is a rather nice drive.

A condo like this is Waikiki on the 10th floor on the ocean with a nice pool would likely cost $350-$450 a night USD. The princess condo's one bedroom are all $130 to $140/night USD.

I you come to Hawaii, you have to experience Waikiki and Honolulu ....but you don't have to live there. Just drive in and spend the day. There are wonderful places and experiences all over the island of Oahu that you can visit, so a car rental should always be in the budget. Where you lay your head at night does not have to be exhorbitantly expensive.

Okay - time to put the coffee on...and the bathing suit. Just checked the Saskatoon temps for today - MINUS 20 is the HIGH!! Yikes!! and it's minus 33 right now.

I do wish you could all be here with us. It would be serious fun to have all our friends and family book in the same condo bldg and have huge BBQ's on the beach every night and hang out by the pool during the day.

Global warming! Bring it on!!

More pictures

Late afternoon sun from our lanai...

The opening photos for my Hawaii 2009 scrap book?

Or perhaps this one?

I think this is one of my favorite shots of the morning yesterday.

And my favorite shot from yesterday afternoon. I almost lost my sandals on this one. They were on the ground behind me when the water came in on this wave and picked them up rather swiftly. I grabbed them at the very last second before the ocean claimed them forever.

A pod of dolphins.

...or maybe porpoises? What do I know? What do YOU know?

A local said dolphins but as I see these photos and those pointy noses I am thinking porpoises. Any experts out there that can let me know? Please leave a comment.

Dinner on the lanai. The most wonderful Butter Fish! No flash. I made him sit there perfectly still for about four seconds smelling his supper. Three tries. What a patient guy.

Thoughts on the Hawaiian music?

Which Hawaii beach photo for the opening page? I think I am partial to the vertical.

Dolphins? or porpoises?

Ocean!

I do love the ocean - the smell of the humid salty air refreshes me and I enjoy falling asleep to the rhythm of the waves coming shore. I am not particular though about being tossed to and fro in the salty water. I prefer to swim in a nice clear and slightly heated pool - city girl that I am.

But the relentless power of the ocean mesmerizes me and I can watch it for hours. Perhaps because it reminds me that there is a power in control of this world that is far beyond my comprehension. A power that I can trust and rest in.

so on to some of today's photos....

which BTW were taken by my sweetheart with our daughters camera.


Thank you Allison!



This Canon PowerShot SD850 with 8.0 pixels is a sweet little point and shoot that takes wonderful outdoor pictures.



...of me, taking pictures of the waves crashing on the rocks...

at the end of our beach is a coral/lava jut out and the waves smash up against it; very powerful!

we are in the condo on the right - 10th floor

These big kids were having a great time getting thrown about in the ocean. This is right out front of our condo. I couldn't help but think what a blast it would be to have our adult kids with us. They would spend hours out here no doubt on boogie boards. I would spend hours taking pictures of them. The sand is beautiful and the water actually fairly warm.

This final picture below, is my favorite of the day. This morning David and I headed north up the Ferrington hwy until it ends (only about 5 minutes). We parked and then walked further. We saw whales way out there. Well, actually we saw the water spurting up into the air but never saw the whales. We also saw a few pods of dolphins and they were having fun jumping out of the water. I have a few good shots of that I will upload tomorrow.

But on to this shot David took this morning. I am looking forward to scrapbooking this one.

He has a good eye for a great shot. And this was taken with the Canon point and shoot.

I will know my sweetheart is hooked when he trades in his golf clubs for a DSLR.

On the beach

Out for breakfast, some grocery shopping, lounging by the pool and a walk on the beach. That's my idea of holidays. Tender Poke tuna for lunch. We have found a local grocery store and the locals are very helpful in pointing us to the authentic stuff that they eat. We will cook up some butter fish for supper tonight.

It is cloudy here so not too hot but certainly warm enough to wander down the beach in our bathing suits. The sun came out now and then and oh how warm it felt. I just couldn't soak up enough of it's wonderful warmth after being barricaded in the great white north for the past four months.

I have been reading articles on Digital Photography School about the cool effects one can achieve by overexposing. I have also been reading up on negative space. David and the ocean were my subjects today. I have a link on the blog to the Digital Photography School. Do check it out if you own a DSLR.

I love the effect. Tonight I am going to try a very long exposure of the waves, lit only by the light from the condo and the stars if they are out. Also hoping for an interesting sunset photo tonight.

I wish I could capture for you the waves crashing outside the lanai right now. I wish I could send you some of the warmth of the sun. I wish you could all be here. Really! Ifeel so blessed and want to share it with all of you.

So, tell me what you think of my very overexposed pictures of my husband on the beach. He is such a good sport about posing for me! Doubly blessed!

What a Loooong day!!

I know, I have been MIA for almost a week. I hope you haven't given up on me.

Did ya miss me? I didn't think so...but I will bring you up to date anyways.


I am planning some fun and exciting photos over the next 10 days so I hope you will drop by and leave a comment. It really makes downloading these photos and posting them so much more fun when you know someone actually looks at them and maybe even likes them. :)

Life for the past several weeks has been about 5:30 am trips to the gym for my "spin" class to whip this body into shape, long gruelling work days with SHR and evenings of laundry, packing and getting ready for THIS 23 hour day!


My sweetheart and I spent 23 hrs in transit yesterday, much of which included loooong airport waits and sitting on the tarmac in Minneapolis for over an hour.

Jan and Larry it would have been so much more fun to do it with you guys!!

next time!

Flying is BORING!

So I pass the time with my ipod, my camera, a book, a photography mag and nibbles.

But really, just how much can you photograph sitting on the white, cold tarmac for over an hour.

But once in the air things get a little interesting.

Besides we are heading SOUTH!

I get to play with my new polarizing filter.

This polarizing filter is really going to give me that eureka! moment when I use it in lush tropical places with waterfalls, but for now I am passing the time trying to learn how to adjust it for different effects. I am having fun!

And after 23 hrs, four airports, too many snacks and cramping legs, a trashy novel, momentary uncomfortable naps, a smooth touch down in Oahu, luggage waiting and then wait yet again for the shuttle to Thrifty car rentals, waiting for our rental (we didn't get the convertible!!) we FINALLY arrived at about 4am home time and 11 pm Hawaii time. Was it worth it?

ALWAYS!!

Our fully equipped and very comfortable condo at 11 pm last night (also known as 4am my time)

We are on the 10th floor and I can hear the ocean crashing in on shore. It smells wonderful!

The view from the balcony last night with a three second shutter speed without a tripod because I am too tired to set it up. I'll get a better one with the tripod tonight.

Palm trees..

beautiful sand...

warm air off the ocean..

crashing waves...

Ah, David is finally up so I will sign off. We are out the door for breakfast and a little grocery shopping and THEN we will hang out on this beach!

ALOHA!!

I saw this on Wilna's blog and found myself laughing out loud...and then watching it two more times. It is really quite wonderful. And thanks Wilna! You are always so inspiring.

Enjoy!


Now tell me you didn't laugh!!

Blessings,
Julie

Christopher Lake 2002

Haha! I used the new Basic Grey Marrakech line today...well a little bit of it. How much patterned paper can you use when you have 12 pictures to fit on two pages!!

At any rate I have our 2002 church Bible camp up at Christopher Lake now in the family scrap book and I managed to get all the names I needed to remember thanks to some old archived church notices. If I remember correctly (and how could I forget) it was exceedingly hot, even for our Arizona visitors! And the mattresses at this camp were rock hard! Which added up to four sleepless nights. But other than that, we had a fun time of fellowship together over the four days.

Blessings!
Julie

Taking Manual Control Over Your Digital Camera

When a camera is fully automated the computer is asked to control a number of extremely important tasks. It uses a combination of pre-installed data and real-time tests to generate an educated guess as how your photograph ought to be shot.

For people who don’t care about learning how to use their camera, they accept these educated guesses as the best the camera can do, and if they want a better quality picture, they have to buy a better quality camera.

This belief is, for the most part, untrue. While I do believe that a higher quality camera can produce higher quality results, I believe that any camera is capable of shooting a good picture as long as you can take control over how the photo is taken.

So, I’m going to make a statement that sounds simple, but really is something you need to believe if you want to improve your photographic skills:

You are smarter than your camera.

I read this great post by Bryan Larsen over at Digital Potography School today. Check it out if you are ready to leave automatic and rev into fifth gear!

Happy Valentines Day!
Julie