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Small Town Garage

This abandoned garage is located in a small town in west Texas.  

 

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Bicycle Boutique

Biking seems to be a favorite pastime in small seaside towns in Florida.  

I've never seen a bike rental shop like this one.  So cute.

My heart is grateful for:

the amazing smell of fresh mown grass

Signs

Today's mini-assignment was 'signs'. This first image is a sign pointing to my favorite town on the North Shore.

This image is 'just because'. Just because I liked the cloud formation.

Remember back in January I posted a sunset image and said that you should take note of where the sun was setting compared to the small mountain in the background? Well, this is either the same image or one that I took at the same time. See where the sun was setting?

Now take a look at the next image and see where the sun is setting in relation to that same land mass. Pretty cool, huh? Quite a large difference in just two months. So stretching today's theme, I guess this is a sign that in spite of what's going on in the world of men, the earth still moves in its pre-designed rotation according to God's plan for it. Hopefully we can all be comforted by the fact that the Creator is still in His heaven, and spring is on the way!

Posted at 9 pm on Thursday, Mar 5, 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

Wandering Around the Neighborhood

I didn't go anywhere special today. I had a lot of work to do on the computer, and had to clean my room and pay attention to some bills. So I just took my camera and went for a walk around the neighborhood. These are some of the things I saw.

Remember I said I'm not too good at gardening? This is another thing I think I might be successful at. Almost a no-brainer if I could remember to water it regularly. I think it looks sweet.

Being winter in Hawaii means that there aren't too many flowers in bloom. But I did manage to find a few of these growing in a hedge at one home. They're awesome.

This one is growing in Kristine's yard. She says it's part of the gardenia family. Even though it's in the dieing stages, I think the image looks pretty interesting, and boy does it smell wonderful. I guess I never paid too much attention to gardenias before.

This little guy was just sitting on the concrete right outside the house and he stayed still enough for me to get several shots.

I love signs with personality.

And this is one of my favorites. Bird of Paradise. Not too many blooming at this time of year, but I managed to see this one in someone's yard.

Posted at 6:15 pm on Monday, Feb. 2, 2009