Thanksgiving

Who's that dude out on the point?

It is the day before Thanksgiving and as we chop up fresh cranberries, orange zest, pecans and apples for cranberry salad to share at the potluck gathering tomorrow, are we very THANKFUL!!!  And, the list is very long too.

Mostly, we are still amazed that we are here, as well as being thankful  that we "were there" in all the steps along with way that brought us to this point.  Here are a couple photos of us this week on a hike out to Kaloli Point, a few miles from our house where people gather to watch whales during their annual migration.  It was just a bit early to see whales but the first sightings usually happen around this time of year.

To Hawaiians, the whale is a representation of the Hawaiian god, Kanaloa - the god of animals in the ocean.  Humpback whales (na kohola) are found in all oceans, although they generally prefer near shore and near-island habitats for both feeding and breeding  A large percentage of the North Pacific humpback whales migrate to Hawaii during the winter months.  The round-trip distance they travel during this annual migration is approximately 4,000 miles, one of the longest migration distances of any animal species.  Near the islands, the whales devote most of their time to mating and giving birth to their calves.