Visiting Monticello in Spring 3 '08

Monticello in the Spring

Monticello

It took us about eight hours on Friday to drive to Washington DC from South Carolina (seven if there had not been an accident on I95, but we did manage  to time it so as to miss DC’s rush hour).  The return trip was longer as we detoured inland through Virginia to visit Thomas Jefferson’s home in Monticello.  

CCwas not fazed by the cold the drizzle

  Unfortunately the weather was less than cooperative, so while were able to go through the mansion, a driving rain kept us from touring the grounds.   The rain however could not hide the natural beauty of the landscape.  All of the woods were aglow with flowering pear and apple and dogwood.  The bright yellow of the forsythia could be seen for miles, and all along both sides of the roads and in the medians daffodils had naturalized in huge masses.  Spring on the eastern seaboard is incredibly lovely.

Visitng with Desiree 3 '08

Of course, no trip to Virginia would be complete without a visit with my niece,  Desiree.

Getting to see her is always a highlight of the visit..

Bruce enjoys it too, especially since she lives close enough for him to take a  load off after walking for miles and miles and miles around the city

Cherry Blossom Festival in DC 3'08

We made a purposeful trip to Washington DC this year just to see the Cherry blossoms in bloom

And bloom they did.

No wonder this event attracts millions of people from all around the globe.

It is truly a spectacular  show

   The blossoms were falling like snow flakes all over us as we strolled along the Potomac Basin

CC by basin

Up and down the mall

Around the Smithsonian

And every other building

They were even inside of a few  buildings

like the Rotunda of the National Art Museum

Hawaii: Big Island Sunsets 3 '08

Big Island Sunsets:

No visit to Hawaii would be complete without seeing one of their famous Hawaiian sunsets.  We walked from our condo to the bluffs every evening to say farewell to another day and watch the sun set.  While we waited, we watched the waves pound the shore, and listened to 

the roar of the blow hole near the 13^th hole.  We were never disappointed.  Every day produced a stunning sunset. 

Hawaii: Birding 3 '08

One of the things we love about the Big Island of Hawaii is the variety of birds the Island supports.

Here are just a few of the species we saw on this trip:

American Cardinals  didn't bother taking a picture.  You know what they look like. The surprising thing is I have never seen one on the west coast of the USA  ... so how did they get here ?

Doves : Rock, Spotted, Zebra, and Morning dove are all common.

Golden Plover and her young  Above and Below

The Iiwi a small colorful Native Hawaiian honey sucker  ( not shown) is common near the volcano House in the National Park
In the same area we also saw this unidentified species

I

and Io  ( Native Hawaiian Owls) 

 not shown... it was flying too low and too near dusk for me to get a photo.

Java Finch

While most mainlanders know these from the pet trade, they are a well established non-native species in the Hawaiian Islands.

Merringer

Not too sure How this fella got to the Islands, but he's certainly settled in

Moore Hen.. I saw several but didn't get photos

But I did get a photo of its near relative the
Hawaiian Moorhen Gallinula chloropus sandvicensis
What a treat!

Myna Bird
This immigrant species is everywhere

The "Nene" a native Haweiian Goose
is on the endangered species list
but seems to be thriving on the up-country golf courses,
where they can frequently be seen with their young

Night heron are common along the rocky shores and secluded coves
there were a lot of other shore birds as well.

 We saw but couldn't photograph
the "oa'e ula - the red tail tropical bird

Pheasant are common in the underbrush  along the roads and golf courses as are several species of Francolinus and Chukar

Red Headed Cardinal are everywhere

Saffron Finch are ubiquitous as well

 And of course there are Wild Turkeys
Probalby brought in like pheasant for hunters, and they escaped and are thriving on the golf course.
Well at least the are and American species!

Hawaii: CC 's Painting 3 '08

While Bruce Was out trying to kill little white Balls, I  tried my hand at painting tropical fruit

and flowers on mini canvases

The results were not too bad considering I had never tried to work with Acrylic paints.  It took some time to get used to painting so quickly.  Oil paints can stay wet and their color blend for days.  Acrylics can set up in minutes especially in warm weather. Getting smooth transitions between different parts of the painting is a challenge  .On the other had, the big advantage for using acrylics while traveling is that  one can be certain that the paint is thoroughly dry  when one goes to pack

Hawaii: Scuba Diving 3 '08

 Bruce took a number of scuba diving trip on this visit to Hawaii

All of them with  his favorite Dive Shop: Jacks Dive Locker

One of the dives was a night dives where he photographed large manta rays

Schools of colorful squirrel fish

And reef shark

puffer fish in coral reef

On the day trips he was impressed  by the quality of the coral

Especially since the reef is being threatened by the coral eating

Crown of Thorns.  If this invasive species in not eradicated soon, Hawaii could lose all its reefs.

Crown of Throns

Hawaii: Renewing our Vows 3 '08

No trip to Hawaii would be complete without visiting the place we were married

We even try to find the exact place where we were standing

and then we renew our vows to one another

Hawaii: Golfing 3 '08

BJ on the Kona Coast Ocean Course

Bruce enjoyed a lot of golf during this visit to Hawaii.  and tested his skill at four different courses on the Big Island

Kona Coast Resort Ocean Course

Of the 36 holes offered by the Kona Country Club:  The Ocean course offered a no brainer starting point for the games. Amongst other things the fairways run  right between our condo

and the ocean, making it not only convenient, but beautiful.

BJ on the Ocean Course

The Kona Coast  Resort Alii Mountain Course is more challenging, demands more concentration, and is a little cooler in temperature than its sibling, the Ocean Course.

Kona Coast Resort Alii Mountain Course

Perched above beautiful Keauhou Bay and the Kona coastline, The Mountain Course offers golfers gentle trade winds and sensational vistas. It also delivers what may arguably be the best five consecutive holes in Hawaii golf It typically plays into the wind, with water hazards on both the golfer's tee shot and approach. But water isn't the real problem. The challenge is to thread the drive between two lava-rock formations.

BJ playing with pals on  the Big Island Country Club Course

The Big Island Country Club situated at an elevation of over 2,000 feet, offering both a cooler climate and panoramic views of the nearly 14,000-foot Mauna Kea volcano above and the sweeping coastline below

There are some very long fairways on the Big Island Country Club Course

Hawaiian Nene

and a lot of wildlife including the endangered Hawaiian goose known as the 'Nene"  At least on this golf course the Nene doesn't seem at all endangered by anything but flying white objects.  They were everywhere and judging by the number of chicks we saw were breeding successfully.

 

Malakei Golf Club wanders through a colorful landscape of indigenous flora and fauna, providing a home to a variety of wildlife including peacocks, pheasants, and wild turkey. Situated in the Kona region of Hawaii, which is widely renowned for its coffee farms, the course offers dramatic elevation changes that range from 1,800 to 2,850 feet

One of many peacock parading around the Malakei Golf Club.

  It is definitely the steepest and most challenging course that Bruce played on and one of the most interesting. The golf course plays through lush forests accented with lava tubes, cinder cones, and an ancient stone wall that dates back over a century. The fast bentgrass greens, rolling fairways, and cooler climate are reminiscent of a course in northern California but the stunning panoramic views will definitely remind you that you are in Hawaii. Malakei Golf Club's 15h hole is a signature hole thanks to its memorable scenery. It not only offers an incredible view of Maui's 10,000-foot Mount Haleakala, it is also your best chance for a hole in one.