Mele Kalikimaka meka Hauoli Makahiki Hou!

In the holiday spirit, shooting with good friends.

IBIS-Not a Cattle Egret

Jack Jeffrey told me about this bird. Since it was him, it must have been important so I went and shot it. From the net it seems this is a rare bird for Hawaii, that it may have come from a very small population from another island. The beginning of that population may have been from people or by flying from the mainland US. This bird has brown eyes and beautiful colored wings. Hilo, Hawaii Oct 23, 2009.

Mushrooms

I found these mushrooms growing inside some hollow tile blocks laying out in the yard. A couple of weeks after their portraits, they all disappeared.

Hawaiian Noni

This photo was part of a project for advertising Noni. Noni is believed to have medicinal powers, and has been used by some to fight cancer.

The Crown of Hawaii's Native Poppy

The "pua kala" was used by ancient Hawaiians for medicinal purposes. However, unlike its cousin, it does not contain the morphine and codeine alkaloids.

Hawaiian Hawk

The Hawaiian Hawk on the hunt.

RECOVERED SUNKEN TREASURE

This statue of King Kamehameha I was commissioned to honor this ruler who united the Hawaiian Islands and to commemorate the 100 year discovery of Hawaii by Captain Cook. Designed by a Boston sculptor living in Italy, the statue was shipped from Europe in 1883. Unfortunately the ship with the statue wrecked near the Falkland Islands and a second statue was commissioned with insurance money. About two years later, this original statue was discovered as rescued by Falkland islanders. The same ship captain purchased the statue, brought it to Hawaii and resold it to the government. The minor damages were repaired and the statue now stands in Kapa`au, Kohala, the birthplace of King Kamehameha. Every year on June 11th, the five Kamehameha statues are decorated: Kapa`au, Hilo, Honolulu, Maui, Washington,D.C. Can you imagine the fragrance?