Non-Leap Day Swim

 A couple of us had another excellent adventure swim this morning from my back yard.

Lots of my critter friends came out to greet us and even swim along side for a while.

No whales today, but at least they made an effort and serenaded us the entire time.

Click HERE for a few more photos from today's ocean swim.

Not Gray

I am still thoroughly enamored of our fields of wildflowers here in the desert where normally everything is a uniform gray color.  Also, this row of trees caught my eye this morning.

My Haystacks

I wandered out my door this morning wondering what the heck I was going to photograph today. I walk pretty much the same route time after time after time, and see pretty much the same sights every time.

Then I thought of poor Monet living out in the country with nothing to paint but boring farmland and whatever food happened to be upon his table. At least I had Makena, Wailea and Kihei to work with.

So I did another light study of my haystacks (the ocean shore). I was also blessed with a couple hundred people doing a race through the neighborhood, so I took a couple snaps of them.

What the heck was I worrying about again?

Dancing Turtles

 This morning brought the Maui Pink Cap Swimmers to a different venue, but the usual fun.

We also met two turtles engaged in the ritual of a timeless dance of courtship who were totally oblivious to our presence.

Click HERE for more photos from today's ocean swim.

Sticky Situation

I thoroughly enjoyed keeping my feet firmly planted on solid ground all day today. Well, except for the occasional spider web draped across my face. I hate walking through spider webs and I'm finding way too many after all the recent rains and insect hatchings.

Only Wants to Be Loved

Okay, this officially makes me the worst action photographer - ever.

I was swimming my usual route along the Makena shore this morning when an eight-foot Tiger Shark swam right up to me. Was my first reaction to pull my camera out and get a close-up photo? Nooooo. Instead I tried to kick it in the head. How lame is that?

Not only was I incompetent as a photographer, but I'm thinking I wasn't very understanding either. The shark wasn't behaving aggressively (well, besides the swimming right at me part), and maybe it only wanted to be petted on the nose. It probably only wanted to be loved.

After trying to kick it (think of the rejection and despair it must have felt) and missing, it swerved around me and circled, keeping between me and shore. Fortunately, a Pacific Whale Foundation boat was passing nearby and quickly responded to my girly screams for help. Many Mahalos to captain Brian of the Ocean Explorer and his crew for fishing me from the ocean and saving me from making any other social blunders towards the sea's creatures.

Springing Up

More rains have brought more wildflowers. Well, more daisies I should say. Those seem to be the only kind of wildflowers which exist here in the few vacant stretches of south Maui. 

Also rapidly springing up this morning was a concert stage at one of the resorts. I am always amazed at how an open lawn is converted to a concert venue overnight, equipped with huge video screens and great sound systems, and then back to plain grass the next day.

Fun Holiday Weekend

 It's a holiday weekend. Three days off. So where was everybody this morning?

Fortunately, a really fun crew showed up. We even got Kevin to loosen up enough to show us how to blow bubble rings. Nice one, Kevin.

And a different Manta Ray from last week led us on a merry chase.

Click HERE for more photos from today's ocean swim.

Easy Breezy

 Just a few random snapshots from this morning's ocean swim. The water was gloriously clear and calm enough to make for easy-breezy swimming.

I also got stupid and went out deep by my lonesome - a total non-event this time [whew].

What a Difference a Day Makes

It seems to be that time of year again . . .

They're Back Again

 After seeming to have disappeared off the face of the earth, Maui's Pink Cap Swimmers have returned to the ocean. Hooray.

I don't know where everyone has been, but I'm glad you're all back. And just in time to be serenaded by lots and lots of whale song.

Oh, and to celebrate Rich's birthday.

Click HERE for more photos from today's swim.

Those Wild Blooms

An unusual spate of winter storms has not only turned the desert where I live green, but has also brought out wildflowers in droves.

Big Bump

When I bump into something while out swimming in the ocean, I often jump because it is so unexpected. This morning I was jumping a lot because there was a lot of floating debris from recent storms.

Just as I was getting used to the occasional leaf and small branch, I bumped into a shark - floating at the surface - dead. Yuck. I immediately backed off, took a quick snapshot, then swam back the way I came. After all, if it had been dead long enough to begin floating, then it had to be smelly enough to attract scavengers.

To make the photo below a little bit less gruesome, I flipped it over so the shark isn't seen floating belly-up.

Peggy's Vision

This is Peggy. Peggy has a vision. I am in awe of photographers, and other artists, who strive to capture what they see in their minds.

Peggy knows exactly what she wants to capture and has returned to this exact spot many, many times. She was hoping that today's conditions of filtered sunlight combined with yesterday's rains will finally provide that elusive perfect fulfillment of her vision.

 Me, I am much more visceral. When I see something interesting, I point my camera in that direction and push the shutter button. For instance I loved the way these flowers managed to burst from a crack in the side of this tree, so I took the shot.