Pineapple Memories.

I was lucky enough this year to be able to go to Hawaii. It was a beautiful place. When I think about it now, it just seems sort of like a glamourous daydream. I mean, really...hiking up calderas, swimming with Neptune's babies/drowning, and raft riding are not my usual daily activities.

Before I do anything major in life--such as an impromptu trip to Hawaii, I always have to have a soundtrack. It somehow makes things seem more colorful and alive. For this trip, the playlist was titled "Into the West"--see if you can guess the reference. Its 30 tracks long and invites a chilled modern sophistication that melds perfectly with a romantic cruise/resort life or tropical getaway. Here's a screen cap to show you the full list.

I've chosen Aruarian Dance by Nujabes to share as an example. You may recognize this song from being in my car or the show Samurai Champloo.

The shots I've chosen for this post are some that happened by chance, while others just make me wonder how things can exist in such a state. For this trip I brought along my digital SLR. Its a Sony Cybershot DSC-H3.

This is the Haleakala Crater. I love the richness of the colors here. The rust runs so smoothly with the other earth tones. There is even a tiny bit of green near the black hole in the middle of the picture. The curving earth sort of writhes its way up to the zeniths of the mountains. Do you see the skull in the right hand corner on the mountain? Its a creepy little detail.

 

Same crater. This picture reminds me of the Neverending Story. It just seems as if you kept walking, you'd eventually find nothingness-- although, the sea is actually back there.

This was a lucky shot through a tour bus window.

Of all my photographs, I believe this is my favorite of the moment. It was such a lucky day; the sky was the perfect combination of overcast and sun. There was also plenty of "vog" around.

I'm not sure what combination of sulfur, oxygen, and other elements it took to create this small, but vibrant stone. I did a little editing on this one, but no color enhancements have been made. 

I was riding a raft boat along the Na Pali Coastline and happened upon a blue whale during mating season. I only caught a tiny bit. A nose and a fleeting tail.

This image conjures thoughts of Ireland or Scotland in my mind. Sort of like the Shire...only mountainous and sea-fairing. 

All of the coast line was like this--lush, green, with jagged red stone jutting out. It was all complemented nicely with by the very blue waters. I enjoy the semi-triangle of sky in the upper left corner.

On the way back, the waters and wind picked up quite a bit. At some points the boat was airborne. This is the result of one of those times. The shore's juxtaposition makes me a little dizzy.

The sun is about to set on the Na Pali Coastline. I took this from the balcony of my ship. By the time we were passing through the waters, the winds had calmed.

Probably my third favorite. This the last night on the ship. Its a great shot the sums up the the beauty of what I had seen while cruising around the islands. I was reading My Lady Elizabeth, by Alison Weir and enjoying the breeze and ocean sound.

In Ko O'lina, these tide pools were like mirrors while uninterrupted by the huge smashing waves, just feet behind them. This is my second favorite.

On just turning my head to right, there is chaos aplenty.

My boy and his trail back to the ocean.

I love how the sun accentuates the raggedness of the rocks on the shore. The severeness of the blue is something I hadn't noticed until now, however.