Here is one that sparked a connection that stopped me dead in my tracks. Those who’ve lived in Madang will make more sense of it, but it might be of mild interest to others. On the East side of Oahu there is a large rock formation with a giant hole in it. It lies like a huge stone ship that’s been savagely torpedoed a few hundred metres off the beach:

This reminds me of a favorite picnic and dive location North of Madang called “The Hole in the Wall” except that this one is above the water level instead of underneath. The scale is not apparent from the photo, but I can tell you that the big rock in the middle is about the size of small house.

Now, as I tear myself away from Honolulu (no more posts on this until I get back there someday), let’s get to the classic. We can’t leave without visiting the “Wahines on the Beach” scene. Okay, here it is:

SO, with that taken care of, I’ll show you a place that is supposed to be a closely held secret. Everybody knows that the tourist industry had been hard hit. The Hawaiians have found an ingenious solution. Down a dusty road we found a seemingly secluded beach with a strange purpose. I asked a local what it was all about. He looked around as if to determine if anyone might be listening and then declared, “Ah . . . That’s the Tourist Plantation.”  Here’s a covertly obtained photo:

This crop was planted only a year ago. I don’t know the details, but it seems that, if carefully tended and kept supplied with nourishing food, plenty of sunscreen, and camera batteries, they will soon be ready to be uprooted and fitted out with appropriate footwear. These specimens will soon be browsing the Waikiki shops with gusto.

This leaves countless questions unanswered. Does the money grow in their pockets? Is it paper or plastic? What happens when they are penniless or their cards are maxed out? Are they composted? Has anybody closely examined the ethical considerations?

Finally, just because I’m feeling feisty, I challenge you to be the first to leave a comment telling the world exactly what this is: (We’ll see if anybody actually reads this drivel.) 

Aloha to Honolulu until I stumble through there again.

Spring is just busing out all over here in Indiana. I can see the buds on the Sugar Maple tree in front of our house growing day by day. We’re also spotting Robin Red-breasts hopping around on lawns looking for nesting material. Here’s one I stalked yesterday:

We’ve always looked for Robins as the first sign of spring.

Another sight that that brings back memories is the huge Canada Goose. If you are a North American, you’ll be familiar with these beauties. Here’s a gander guarding his goose as she sits on her clutch of eggs: (Eunie got this very nice shot while I was in the Bureau of Motor Vehicles getting a new registration for the Harley.)

As you can see they are quite large. Guessing, I’d say an adult might weigh 10 kilos or more. They always fly in pairs or in large v-shaped formations of up to maybe fifty or so. They have a beautiful cry something like, “a-LAA, a-LAA, a-LAA,” in a nice contralto voice.

Here’s another one of the goose on her nest. Coming too close will make her start to honk and the gander will hiss and get very aggressive. Here’s the goose honking softly at me as if to say, “Hey, this is family business here. Please go away.”:

As you can see, they will nest practically anywhere. This nest was in a metre wide strip of grass between a garage and a busy parking lot. When I was a lad, we always saw them flying over in migration by the millions, but never saw one on the ground. I suppose it might have been because they were heavily hunted. Now they are so common that some people consider them vermin. I’m sure that they must now outnumber all the dogs and cats in the area. A large population no longer migrates, but stays year-round.

More about Spring in Indiana as it rolls in.