Friday, January 15, 2021. Moku Lana Au (island adrift)

 We remain dry...  Weather forecasters noted last Fall that the Winter would be wet.  Wetter than "normal" (if there is such a thing).  I much prefer bluesky and sunshining...

HVO Staff are marvels.  Those who know me understand that Iʻm not a huge fan of technologies.  Sometimes we forget how to live simply, depend too much on tech, and when it/they fail(s), AUĒ!

But...Technologies reveal things we may not be able to observe.  Witness:

Moku lana au in Halemaʻumaʻu

We are amazed at the images.  We see that the moku was there, having been formed at the beginning of Peleʻs activities.  And we learned earlier that moku of various shapes and sizes are often present in loko ahi (lava lakes).  I think of them as clots or curds (or clumps) in the otherwise fluid pele.

Below, definitions from Pukui and Elbertʻs Hawaiian Dictionary.

moku    2. n. District, island, islet, section, forest, grove, clump

lana    1. nvs. Floating, buoyant; moored, afloat, adrift; to drift

au    2. nvi. Current; to flow, as a current. Au kanaiʻi, strong current; fig., a strong warrior. Au kō malalo, undertow. (PPN ʻau.)  3. nvi. Movement, eddy, tide, motion; to move, drift, float, 

lana.au     vi. To float or drift with the current

Others may see things differently and choose other terminology, but for me, at the moment, moku lana au works.  I wonder though, why not lanaau, as suggested above.  Weʻve been taught that two same vowels require an ʻokina separating them:  lanaʻau.  But ʻau and au have different meanings.  And I know that we find typos in the Dictionary.  And it seems counterintuitive to write "lanaau".  But then...   I shall follow up with ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi people.

And too, we have manaʻo lana au...drifting thoughts.  Here, there, focused or not, we wander.

The dryness has been a blessing up here, allowing the harvest of ʻanoʻano ʻōpelu, seeds of endemic  Lobelia hypoleuca.  Remember?

Just starting:  August 7

About half way, October 31

Almost at the end, November 8

A few weeks ago

This morning

It never ceases to amaze me that such teenytiny seeds, ʻanoʻano ʻuʻuku, just one, can turn into such a thing of beauty.  Again, we marvel.

Yesterday evening, while watching the news, a sharp jolt...PTSD flashback:  Same couch, same place, evening time then too, May 5, 2018, in four hours, nineteen sharp jolts.  Not. Fun. At. All.

Yesterdays one at 615p was part of the Pāhala series down on the Southwest Rift Zone of Kīlauea.

And what was "funny", at 643p, I received a message from Civil Defense:  "Earthquake has occurred there is NO TSUNAMI THREAT to the Island and State of Hawaii".  Hereʻs the thing:  For a tsunami to be generated, seismologists have said that earthquakes usually need to be M7+, with a shallow offshore epicenter.  The ocean floor, the seabed, must move in such a way so water is displaced and seismic sea waves generated.  Kinda hard when the ʻōlaʻi is on land, and not a M7.0+.  But it seems that these Warnings are generated automatically.  And if had a M7.0+, and was underwater, guarantee tsunami would reach fast. Not going wait till the warning is generated.  Lesson:  If on the shores of this island and you feel an earthquake strong enough to make walking difficult, get thee ma uka as fast as you can!  Do Not Wait For A Warning.  Just GO!

Because Earthquake Waves travel through the ground, theyʻre recorded on seismometers and on Tilt Meters:

At Uēkahuna, it was seen... And it didnʻt apparently faze Pele, because she continues.

And a friend sent a few camellia photos.  They too continue, and we mahalo the sharing!

And that does it for today.  Seek beauty out there.  Chances are you wonʻt have to look far!

As always, with aloha,

BobbyC

maniniowali@gmail.com