Holoholo Mauna Kea - and Thanksgiving

Long and winding road -- these are KOA trees with light bark

View of Mauna Kea across the high desert (yes, Hawaii has deserts)

For Thanksgiving, this week we took a lovely drive (holoholo) up the slopes of Mauna Loa. Its mass (from seafloor to top) makes it the largest mountain in the world! The drive is long and winding, but offers an amazing views and a variety of vegetation because of the wide variety of elevations..

The Big Island averages only 85 miles across, but elevation from 0 to 13,800 the results in diverse and dynamic landscape. Hawaii Island has 10 of the 14 world's climate zones offering an outstanding variety of vegetation.

View from about 6500 - Volcano Village in backdrop

Smoke from the 2018 fire on the slopes of Mauna 

Leaving the highway turnoff that's just a few miles form our house, we ventured up to a wonderful outlook at about 6500 feet where we could look down on Kilauea crater and Volcano Village. And, we could estimate the approximate location of our house. (which would be over at the far-far left)

To learn more about this amazing active volcano check out this link: MAUNA LOA

Phil's painting

The year 2018 was full of mother nature's surprises -- East Rift Zone eruption of course, Hurrican Hector, and a huge fire on the slopes of Mauna Loa that destroyed about 2000 acres including large number  of koa and ohia trees and native plants.

"Poop" berries

While we remembered to take the camera and the binoculars, we forgot our plant identification books, but were able to identify several after returning.

One plant in particular was a special find because we found it in our yard after clearing huge pile of plant debris. It is called Kukakenene -- an interesting word. kukake (the gift) KOO-KA-KAY-NAY-NAY

Nene are the official state bird of Hawaii.  Here is a watercolor painting Phil did, with a drop-in photoshop border Lunel added.

Nenes are a beautiful goose that leave "droppings" that look just like the shiny, black berries from this low growing shrub that thrives in this higher elevation.

Nene are closely related to the Canadian goose.. Some scientists believe that the Nene may have evolved from Canada geese that took a wrong turn during migration about half a million years ago. 

Right now, we have purple Iris named "Mauna Loa" in our yard but will also be hoping to find an amazing hybrid called "Mauna Loa Fire" to add to our collection.

WE ARE SO THANKFUL FOR
SO MANY BLESSINGS.

Blooms and Butterflies

For artists on the Big Island of Hawaii inspiration comes from so many places. Of course the island itself is amazing -- the volcanoes, lava, intense blue skies, big cloud formations, and all the patterns and colors of the ocean.

Just walking around the property is also inspiring. The other day Phil took the camera out to get just a FEW of the artful explosions happening and I created a montage of some of them.

He also got a photo of one of Hawaii's Monarch butterflies laying eggs on the purple Crown Flower -- which then inspired him to use a piece of koa wood to create a whimsical butterfly.