Light/Breezes

Light/Breezes
SUNRISE AT DEATH VALLEY-Photo by Tom Cochrun

Thursday, January 22, 2015

THE ORIGINS and A BIG OOPS

LEGENDARY BEAUTY

   At first sight, the trees take your attention as you enter
Waimea Valley considered a sacred ahupua'a, land that runs from mountain to sea.
   This wahi pana, place of kings and high priests, is a remarkable botanical garden. It is how this land was before development and commercialization.  It is a glimpse into origins.



    Common name for the tree above and below is Canon Ball.  Any questions?

   Deep canopy and lush forest enliven your imagination to
 ponder how Captain Cook's English sailors must have regarded this paradise when they landed here, looking for water.
  One begins to understand how natives of this land were shaped by the stunning beauty and richness of the natural order.

   Life here is rich, exotic and vibrant. One can sense how all of it is part of the same web.






   Hawaiians say the mana or life force and essence of those who lived and ruled in this valley remains. It is indeed an extraordinary place, and to this writer's mind a satisfying world away from Waikiki Beach on the other side of the island.
OOPS
    Oahu's north shore is legendary for big waves and big wave surfing.  Shortly after sunrise on a day when the waves were 30-40 foot, my friend Jim caught this series of shots of surfing photographers getting caught off guard.
 Photo by Jim Cahill
 Photo by Jim Cahill
   What a desperate moment, fishing for your gear!
 Photo by Jim Cahill
Photo by Jim Cahill
    
   Those are expensive cameras, lens and tripods to get soaked and in some cases lost.
    I was able to catch a shot of what may have been the safest camera platform of the morning

     The flight controller had this drone down at wave level, between swells and then rapidly got it out of harms way. It was a neat side show.
     The other good spot was high ground.
    The eyes of the two surfers, the veteran and the boy speak volumes about the big waves.

   See you down the trail.

8 comments:

  1. Wonderful photos, Tom and Jim. You are having a splendid vacation.

    I wonder if tarantulas are native to the Islands. I've been told they like to burrow into those dry palm leaves that cover those huts. And are the cannon balls an edible food?

    Also, your comment about Captain Cook's men is spot on. They must have thought they had reached an Eden. No surprise that so many of them stayed on the islands of the South Pacific.

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    1. Have seen no tarantulas and carry no remorse about that.

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  2. What a wonderful adventure you're having. Do you plan on taking a helicopter ride. If the answer is yes, try and find helicopters that don't have doors, and hang on. Hawaii is indeed paradise.

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    1. Some of our party took a flight yesterday morning. I've flown a bit in the islands, though not over the North Shore and am considering it.

      On Hawaii, Kauai and here on the North Shore of Oahu there is a "goodness" that transcends the beauty and nature. There seems something essential, a sliver of Paradise Perfect that flowers here.

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  3. Great photos, like picking up a National Geographic. The next best thing to being there
    --Frank

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  4. Just wonderful. Thanks for sharing, Tom!

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  5. I've been following Jim's photos. It looks like you all are having the trip of a lifetime. Aloha.

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  6. I've been following Jim's photos. It looks like you all are having the trip of a lifetime. Aloha.

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