For awhile I was getting to bed late (too much TV!!!), and waking up late (8a-ish?). Then today, with an appointment in Hilo, and wanting to share this, I alarmed at 5a. MUCH better. Iʻve missed the ear-ringing stillness of stilldark morning. No traffic sounds (yes, in the forest cars pass by), today no rain, too early for the earliest of birds, simply quiet. Nice. And then I get to niele webcams and watch firstshadows play on the walls.
Up at Mokuʻāweoweo, that magic time when the sky colors, and you can just see. But...the paliface to the left of camera, out of our sight, hasnʻt yet caught firstlight and reddened to remind us of the color of iʻa ʻāweoweo.
Further ma kai, on the Maunaloa Strip Road, the HVOcam captures similar yellows. Clear and crisp. I annotated a view from this cam on January 11...the camera shifted slightly, likely during maintenance, but below we can see (left of tree) Kānenuiohamo and Maunaulu (just above tree), both on the East Rift Zone. Keeneyed folks might be able to make out a squall at sea, just to the right of KNoH. And of course fume rises and is wafted on light trades toward Kalae.
From the HVO tower, view ma uka...just in case there lurks a desire for an early stroll to Keanakākoʻi to see for yourself the mauna revealing herself in morninglight. See the time stamp on the image. Go. You wonʻt be disappointed.
And at Kaluapele, thereʻs a short window when webcams catch lighting nearly perfectly, allowing pele to be clearly seen along with surrounding topography. Of course the thermal cam clarifies...note the glowing west vent to left of bright inlet light, and the slowly growing moku liʻi next to it. Then there are the two moku liʻiliʻi slightly downstream, and the loko ahi evolves.
And apropos of nothing, other than the fact that I really like the color orange... Tobiko (mālolo, or flying fish roe), and sparkly nail polish (hoʻohinuhinu mikiʻao). Why not??? We went eat, they caught my distractable eye, and voila!
Shall we return to finish our stroll in Kīpukapuaulu? The sky was busy with clouds forming moving. HK reminded us that this is the month of Kaulua..."two-natured" or quickly changeable, as noted recently...keeps us on our toes. Change in the kīpuka is gradual, but inexorable. Cannot help. ʻŌhia die (the skeletons below), koa grow (upper left), and the forest is still forest.
On the ground in leaf litter (GottaLook there too), a māmane pod...kinda hard to see, but the podsare constricted: each seed has space, but between them the pod narrows. Seed coats are superhard and are able to stay in the soil for years.
Iʻm peering at a big ʻol māmane Iʻve known for nearly 50 years. Pretty much dead now, and as it slowly topples and its stored nutrients are released back into the earth, perhaps seeds fallen a long long time ago will be energized and sprout.
Beautifully pebbled bark of same tree. Kinda fuzzy the picture, but hopefully you get the idea.
The pua māmane below were showing themselves at the Kīlauea Overlook not long ago. Big fat cluster. Years (Decades!!!) ago, when hk and tōb were keeping bees, we had the opportunity to taste māmane honey. Still yet, I remember: Butterscotch candy! A revelation!
I noted that there arenʻt many hāpuʻu in the mesic (kinda wet kinda dry) forest of Kīpukapuaulu. Hereʻs a better pic of pepeʻe (curled fiddleheads) than the one I posted a few days ago. All that wooly golden pulu nestled in two or so previous seasons of fern stipes, the stems of fronds.
And lest we think that Kīpukapuaulu is a "pristine" forest, some humongous kī. Planted by persons unknown for purposes known only to them. We know the utility of lāʻī (ti leaves), but the why is elusive. The Kīpuka was unfenced and cattle roamed till the 1960ʻs. So what we experience is an area undergoing nature rehab.
See tall kī top center?
And below, jc is 5ʻ3". You can have calculating fun. And we know that kī doesnʻt grow that fast.
And then, it was Valentineʻs Day. A bouquet of roses (from Ecuador (!) was available, and leimaker extraordinare kc made with what had. Dried lāʻī, dampened to prevent cracking, then braided. Insert rolled rose petals... Unleash creativities, use your imaginations, and play!
OK? Good! Iʻm off to town again. Tomorrow weʻll return to Kaluapele for a visit. Till then, I need to gain control of my ʻōpū! Yesterday, here in the forest. The bowl held a 4x recipe of dough... And yes, outside, socially distanced, masked friends came and left... Always a pleasure!
As always, with aloha,
BobbyC
maniniowali@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment