Big Island – Quiet Walk Photography

August 21, 2023August 2, 2026

Hawaii Adventure – Part 6 – August 2023

Saturday August 19

I wake up way too early again, but on the plus side, I see beautiful sunrise color.

This morning is taken up with getting Becka’s friend Meg’s car to the airport. Once that is taken care of, we go to a place called Vibe Cafe with the intention of getting drinks and writing in our journals. I get a hot chocolate latte, but it is way too noisy here (I guess usually it is quiet, but with today being Saturday, it is different.) The noise is very troublesome for Becka’s brain, so we leave and run the errands on her list.

While chicken marinates for dinner we go to Banyan Drive for the calming peaceful beauty of it and to nearby Coconut Island.

After a very tasty dinner and cleanup, we visit a bit, but my Montana body wants to go to bed.

Hurricane Dora is on the news, adding to the devastation in Hawaii, as winds increase the wildfire damage.

Sunday August 20

Becka is working all day today with massage clients, so my son Fin and his wife Mandy pick me up for a trip to the Volcanic National Park, along with my granddaughter Molly and a friend from school. After buying some roast chicken from a roadside food stand, we go to the Visitor’s Center where there are picnic tables for a picnic. I was the one who suggested a picnic, which, to me, means food, drinks, paper plates, table cloth, napkins, and so on. What I didn’t realize is that Mandy, from a different culture (Chinese), didn’t really know what I meant by a picnic, and she and Fin just bring chips and candy. I have enough food for all (thanks to Becka – she knows what a picnic is!), but no extra plates or cutlery. We share the best we can, grateful for fruit and cold cuts that can be eaten without spoons and forks.

Then we hike the scenic trail where steam vents hint at the heat beneath our feet and we can see into the Kilauea Caldera where more steam rises.

Steam Vents Along the Trail at Volcano National Park

Fin and I walk quite a ways, while Mandy and the girls take a slower pace.

Steam Rising from the Center of Kilauea Caldera

In retrospect, which is good for future planning, we could have driven to the volcanic overlook for better views. The drive back to Hilo is very misty from the rain and the elevation changes.

Back at Becka’s place, she and I have tea and visit a bit before I text good-night to Clifford and head to bed.

Monday August 21

I am up about 6:00, but no sunrise, just a solid wall of rain, with rain off and on all day.

Becka is doing massage all day, so I have the day to myself with tai chi, taking care of emails, and sharing photos from yesterday’s outing with Fin and Mandy. In the evening, Becka and I have a delicious steak dinner and play cribbage.

Our outings are great, but quiet days on the lanai are also very good, as I am always surrounded by beauty of nature.

August 18, 2023July 25, 2026

Hawaii Adventure Part 5 – Ira’s Garden – August 2023

July 18, 2023

My Hawaii Adventure continued this morning with a great breakfast at WSW across the Hilo Bay from Becka’s neighborhood, followed by a walk along Banyan Drive where we admired the great banyan trees and colorful flowers.

After walking along Banyan Drive and visiting Baby Beach, we stop for a beverage break at a fancy place called Hula Hula’s, where we sit in the shade to watch the sailboats in the bay as we sip our tasty cold drinks.

Volcano Garden Arts by artist Ira Ono is also known as Ira’s Garden. This unique gift shop, about 30 miles south of Hilo, is our next stop.

The Largest Flamingo Lily I’ve Ever Seen

This place features beautiful grounds and a great gift shop. We spend a while browsing through a unique assortment of crafts, jewelry, and art work. There are so many lovely items to look at, and eventually I settle on a pair of earrings and a wooden spoon for honey. It is a special treat that Ira is there and we are able to thank him in person for creating this beautiful place for the public.

We take our time walking the trails through the grounds. It is fun and relaxing to just walk about looking at so much beauty both inside and outside the shop.

We are hearing of wildfires, mostly on Maui, over 17,000 acres and many deaths, blamed on dry condition and gusty winds. Who knows! Anyway, I thought it odd that we on Big Island can not see the smoke. Maui is only 30 miles away across open ocean, but the trade winds are blowing the smoke away from Big Island. Although I am grateful for our clear skies, I feel great compassion for those on Maui who have lost so much these past 10 days.

August 14, 2023July 21, 2026

Hawaii Adventure Part 3 – August 2023

Monday August 14, 2023

My Hawaii adventure is underway today with outings to two beaches near Hilo.

Becka is up early to walk to the popular Honolli Beach for her morning quiet time before others arrive. I take photos from the lanai, and when Aurora gets up, she makes us breakfast while Becka goes to her massage clinic.

Aurora offers to show me the way to Honolli Beach. Today is a hotter day and I am not used to the humidity, so we stop often in the shade, but I enjoy taking photos of the amazing flowers and the ocean with its ceaseless motion.

We walk to the point where Honolua Stream enters Honolli Bay, and it is all jungle beyond.

On the way back we stop at the Alae Cemetery that is notable for the great monkeypod tree that resides there. It is well over 100 years old and at least 150 feet in the diameter of its canopy. Many Japanese are interred here. Although I could not find out much history about that, I would surmise the Japanese presence was in relationship to WWII.

Hilo weather is daytime temps in the low 80’s with light trade winds and rain every day. The rain showers can he seen moving in, sometimes several times a day, but after a few minutes, they move on.

After Becka gets home from work, she packs up a picnic and we head to Carl Smith Beach near Hilo where she barbecues pork steak and potatoes for a picnic with son Fin, his wife Mandy, and my young granddaughter Molly.

We have a delicious meal (Thanks Becka!) and play in the shallow calm water at the beach.

Due to the time zone change, dinner is late for me, and I am more than ready to go to bed when we get back to Becka’s place.

August 13, 2023July 17, 2026

Hawaii Adventure Part 2 – August 2023

Hawaii Adventure

Saturday August 12, 2023 – I am up early, thanks to HeyHay, the family cat, who slept on the cot with me. Daughter Becka and I finish packing for the flight to Hawaii, go to Montana Club for a good lunch, stop at Walmart for healthy snacks, and then on to the Great Falls airport. It doesn’t take long to check in and go through security. The flight to Seattle is smooth, with a short layover before boarding a bigger plane to Kona, Hawaii. Another smooth flight, taking photos out the window. I don’t fly often and have never been to Hawaii, so this is all very exciting to me.

Flight from Great Falls to Seattle over the Rocky Mountains

When we get off the plane in Kona, I am struck by the warm humidity, like walking into a tropical greenhouse in this open-air airport. The smells and the warm moist air on my face feel very exotic to me, very unlike any airport I have ever experienced. We spend the night with Becka’s friend, Dominique, who lives in Kona. Although it is too dark to see the ocean, I can hear and feel its presence so near. What an exciting start to the Hawaii adventure!

Sunday August 13 – Kona, Hawaii

I tried to say in bed as long as possible, due to going to bed so late after our flight to Kona, but adjusting to the 4-hour time zone switch is tricky. When Dominique comes home after her night-time job, she makes a delicious breakfast for us before we walk down to the beach not far from her home.

There are many exotic flowers and blossoming trees along the pathway to the lava beach, and palm trees rise gracefully above us.

Becka helps me walk barefoot across the lava, safe than sandals or shoes on the wet lava rocks.

I love the vast view of the ocean and the waves coming in and out, like breathing.

My son Fin and his wife Mandy meet us there, bringing beautiful leis as they greet us at the beach. We hang out at the lava rock beach, enjoying time together in this beautiful spot before we head across Big Island on Saddle Mountain Road to Becka’s place in Hilo.

As we cross Big Island we can see Maui in the distance, mostly hidden by low-lying clouds.

Becka’s guest bedroom is perfect for me. Aurora, my granddaughter is here, as she has been taking care of Becka’s place while Becka was on the mainland. She helps get my bed made up and my bags unloaded from the car before Becka and I leave for a pool party where Becka reconnects with friends from work, since she has been gone for several weeks.