Byodo-In Temple

I made a quick stop at Laniakea Beach again today. No turtles, but there was a monk seal on the beach. The photos were bad, so you don't get to see her today. However.......today the weather was wonderfully beautiful, even if a little cool. Blue skies, a breeze, and the water was that awesome azure color that just takes your breath away and almost doesn't seem real.

Then I met a friend at the Japanese Temple. The temple is beautiful as are the grounds it sits on. It was built entirely without nails and is an exact replica of the original temple constructed in Japan over 900 years ago. This first image is deliberately out of focus because I zoomed while pressing the shutter button.

The next two images show the grounds.


This Buddha is over 18 feet tall. It was carved, then covered with cloth and painted with 3 applications of gold lacquer Finally, gold leaf was applied over the lacquer finish.

This next image is just a detail of the railing surrounding the buddha.

Some koi swimming in the ponds--dirty water and a slow shutter speed.

One of the main reasons I wanted to go there today was to practice some more with my infrared. It's always random whether the images come out good. I made 8 images and I only really like 2. Here's one of the better ones, although not spectacular.

Posted at 7:30 on Thurs, Feb 26, 2009

Pineapple Anyone?

I decided to take a ride to the Dole Plantation this afternoon. I spent the morning and the early part of the afternoon catching up on emails, bills, cleaning and just puttering around the house. Nathan went to his Grandma's this morning, so I had the house to myself. Glory!!!

But by mid afternoon, I was getting cabin fever. So I decided to take my camera and get some images at the plantation.

When you first arrive, there are several kiosks outside, specializing in Pick-a-Pearl. For anyone who doesn't know what that is, they spin a drum with pieces of paper and then you pick one out. It usually has a price on it or "free". This is the cost of the pearl you get when you "pick your pearl" by choosing a clam.

Once you get a pearl, you're encouraged to pick some jewelry to have the pearl "set" in. The jewelry is truly beautiful, and it's very, very difficult to say no.

There is a large pond on the grounds, filled with koi. I was standing on a small foot bridge and the people next to me were feeding the fish. You can see what a frenzy they were in.

There are many, many things to look at and purchase inside the building, including that delicious Pineapple Ice Cream I treated myself to last week with my friend, Sue. But I didn't succumb today, I was just there to look and photograph. Tucked into a corner, where I wouldn't be seen taking this photo, is this display of beautiful Hawaiian quilt wall-hangings. I just love the patterns and the colors, and you can buy almost any type of item made out of these quilts--purses, pot-holders, bed quilts, throw pillows, etc.

After finishing there, I headed toward the North Shore and stopped at Haleiwa again. Didn't take too many shots, but this sign caught my eye.

As a last resort, I headed to Laniakia Beach to see if there were any turtles basking and to see if maybe, just maybe there might be some kind of sunset. The weather has been so cloudy and rainy lately, that a pretty sunset seems like a thing of the past. This picture gives you an idea of the "grey" conditions this afternoon. But it was still beautiful.

And last, but not least, a turtle for Jayme. The light was pretty flat, but I did manage to catch this guy when he was moving his head. So there you go!!

Posted at 7:55 pm on Friday, Feb 20, 2009