susurrant sea sighs
maniniowali moon
memory tender
The sky was bright at 430a. And on the living room floor, a patch of moonlight. The crescent hung in the sky. And for some reason I was transported to early morning on the sands of Maniniʻōwali. Before sunrise, in that chill breeze from ma uka, puttering in camp, while deciding when to dive into the warm sea. It always surprised me...how warm the ocean was/is at dawn.
And this has what to do with anything? At times when itʻs easy be be consumed and obsessed with what-la - quaking earth, fiery flows, I REALLY want to walk to Keanakākoʻi and canʻt...during these times we seek comfort in memory.
And after The Sobering Reports of yesterday, we try, and try and try, to...gain equilibrium. Or something. Cope? Manage? But better...Live. Figure it out and deal with it the best we can. And remember what we love. In my case, in no particular order:
Dawn,
deserted beaches with clear turquoise water, the scents of white ginger, tiare,
maile, freesia and steaming laulau.
Classic Hawaiian (not Jawaiian) music, rain on the roof, loose clothes,
skinnydipping, walking barefoot on warm weathered brown pāhoehoe, cooking and
eating all sorts of food - homecooking - not anything with complex
processes. Reading, giving presents, the
country, camping, cheesecake, the desert, visiting cities, hugs, positive attitudes, civility and politeness, thoughtfulness, pulling weeds,
outdoor showers, hanging clothes on a clothesline, sleeping on crisp sundried sheets, scratchy sundried towels, laughter, tears, waterfalls, gentle trades, summer, the smell of kiawe after a rain.
And friend kb thoughtfully sent this, taken on June 26: Full Moon at Funchal. Madeira. My homeland, along with the Azores...someday, paha...
Meanwhile, here near the summit of Kīlauea, the floor of Kaluapele continues to settle, creak, groan, and quake. Weʻve seen enough of ʻōlaʻi graphics, perhaps, or perhaps not. Theyʻre the Main Thing up here now. For the last day, those greater than M3, scattered across the floor.
And then this extremely cool WorldView-3 satellite image from July 3, 2018, similar view to that above. The link to the image:
If youʻre into visuals like I am, you gotta look at and zoom in on the original. Despite the clouds, detail is amazing. Buildings at top center are at Kīlauea Military Camp.
And another view of the same area, a USGS Geologic Map of Kīlauea, by now Scientist-in-Charge, Tina Neal, and legendary Jack Lockwood, mapped over a period of years, and published in 2003:
Geologic Map Kīlauea Summit
Below is a screen shot of part of the map. The full map includes a detailed key and explanatory notes. One sad thing is that kiʻi pōhaku (petroglyphs) on the floor pecked into the 1882-1885 flow (tan, mid-floor), are at risk of disappearing. Few even know of their existence, but nevertheless...
Above, a closeup of what Iʻm calling the NE Bay, at 6a today. Most impressive subsidence, especially when we see the view below from June 22, 2018, at 5p. TWO WEEKS!
I know it might be difficult to compare the images because of the reflections on the tower glass, and lighting, but try...
And down at Keahialaka and Kapoho...auē Kapoho...Looks like all the houses and homes are gone. Auē. Read the map below for current stats. The remaining houses were at the north edge of the flow field, where the red crescent is below.
The vent in Keahialaka is still active, though maybe a little less vigorous? I note the darkness on the surface of the river, maybe signifying it isnʻt moving as quickly. And from the HVO Report at 1007a, July 5, 2018: "The crew on this morning's overflight thought that the fountain and lava level in the upper channel were lower than on past mornings."
In a dynamic system such as this, behavior, volume, speed, etc., are all subject to various and sundry perturbations.
And we still shake our head when we see how Pele took that sharp turn to drink of the waters of Waiapele (Kapoho Crater), below. Go figure. Ma uka is at the top. This is a screen shot from Big Island Video News. Good stuff.
OK then. Time to get dressed and go walking. Another way to try feel good: Get Exercise. Raise Endorphin Levels. Especially after somebody [Yous Knowz Who You Are!] recently looked at me askance and queried "Bobby, how much you weigh???" I was reminded: no walking to Keanakākoʻi, lots of sitting and typing, eating too much comfort foods...Auē!
As always, with aloha,
BobbyC
OH! Please make some weekend time and read this blog too, by a LONG time acquaintance; a most excellent, accurate, no BS one written by Jan TenBruggencate. He used to write for the Advertiser.
Raising Islands Blog
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