Giggle Hill, the name of the park and the hill, from the ground.
2020
Plumeria flowers in Hana, Maui.
Found in an old journal entry dated Saturday, September 8, 2012,
Landscapes speak to us. We just need to listen.
Kyoto, Japan - October 2016.
The weather forecast has been for rain for a couple of days now, but none has manifest. Instead we have had hot 90F weather. I’m no meteorologist, but it is as though the heat is just evaporating the rain out of existence. The grass has gone from lush green to parched.
Memories of visiting Saiho-ji and it’s beautiful moss gardens in October 2016.
The carpet of moss in the garden.
And a magical grotto formed around a small lake.
You might have read this quote before, but I heard it for the first time last night, and it hit home,
I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.
~ Rabindranath Tagore
Happy memories of sitting around this fire pit last night, chatting until late.
While some COVID restrictions are still in place, Hawai’i is more open to visitors than it has been for six months. I saw three commercial and two private aircraft fly in today. Fingers crossed for how the next few weeks play out for the islands.
For the “A Day In The Life” Micro.blog photo challenge.
🗺 Lunch at All Kine Maui Grindz in Haiku Marketplace, Haiku, HI.
🕰 1:35PM HST
🍽 Eggplant tofu
I have reinstated my Now page.
The “A Day In The Life” photo challenge is making me realize how many opportunities for taking photographs that I miss !
Sonder - n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.
By John Koenig and his Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, “that aims to fill holes in the language—to give a name to emotions we all feel but don’t have a word for.”
Last Saturday a friend & I hiked Haleakala crater. We left the summit at just after sunrise and we’re back at our vehicle 8 hours later. We arrived at the summit just before sunrise, and as the sun crested over the horizon, the park rangers invoked a Hawaiian chant to welcome its arrival
Pre-sunrise it was cold 🥶. No amount of clothing seemed to keep the cold at bay, but as we set off the rising sun did its job of warming up the thin air.
And so we headed down into the crater. We were blessed with beautiful weather all day, the thinner air of altitude increasing the felt exposure to the sun.
On the way down we passed Silver Swords, a plant and species that is endemic to this crater.
Some of the views of the barren valley floor. Haleakala crater is actually a collapsed mountain. This explanation will not be very scientific, but there use to be a mountain “covering” this cater which has slowly eroded over the years.
Some of the iron and sulphur colouring of the rocks.
A local Né Né goose amidst changing vegetation.
An old lava tube with the preserved ripples of lava still visible.
Heading towards the wall that we would climb to leave the crater.
Views as we climbed out of the crater, first as the cloud rolled in from the east side of Maui, and then looking back into the crater. I left exhausted, aching (I’m still feeling it), but exhilarated and grateful for a wonderful day.
Early morning view.
A view from within Haleakala crater from yesterday’s walk.
Happy, unexpected discovery that I have a box half full of my favourite Tibetan incense.
I hiked for 8 hours through Haleakala crater yesterday with a good friend. We were gifted with beautiful weather. My body is feeling it this morning, but I am feeling grateful for doing the hike.
Just after this photograph was taken, and while we were enjoying a picnic dinner overlooking the ocean, the International Space Station flew over.
Today I’m getting things together for a hike across Haleakala crater tomorrow. I have not been up there for a while, and am itching to start - and I’m a little anxious how I’ll fair on the walk.
I meditate not to escape the world, but to better show up in the world.
I’m about to start re-reading: Faith by Sharon Salzberg. I found it an inspiring read a couple of years back, and want to revisit it. It will be vying for my attention alongside Leonard and Hungry Paul 📚
The Night Sky in Two Movements
Wednesday, October 7, 2020
Last night felt like a night of the stars, the celestial type. As my wife and I walked home from my step-daughter’s house, the Milky Way arched across the sky above us. Looking outside now at the sun and blue sky, it’s hard to believe what is around and above us all of the time - the lights just need to be dimmed. Last night the moon rose late. Light pollution where I live is very low and the sprinkles of the Milky Way were clear and obvious, as was the surrounding star scape.
I got back on my bicycle this afternoon. The wind made it hard work, that and my lack of cycling of late (long time!), but I will try to get back into the habit again. 🚴🏻♂️
The weather is sucked in - low cloud, mist, steady drizzle and warm. I love this sense of being cocooned at home by the weather.
Since originally posting this, on the wrong blog, the cloud continues to hug the hills while the rain falls, bathing the world in silence.
My Micro.blog stickers have arrived. 🎇 Thank you @macgenie for sending them.
I was in The Home Depot yesterday picking up some compost for the vegetable garden. Inside they were setting up a display of Christmas decorations. September 30th. Christmas decorations. 🙁 Please let me enjoy autumn and Halloween with my grandson first.
After two hot and muggy days with no wind, the weather finally breaks just before I head to bed. It’s raining pretty steadily outside as I write. I hope that the air is not as thick tomorrow.
Wednesday, September 30, 2020 →
It is so still outside this evening, so still. Not a breath of wind. Just the crickets whistling and the humid heat, dialed down a couple of degrees from this afternoon.
The 2nd Highly Sensitive Men's Seminar
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
Here is a promotional video of the 2nd High Sensitive Men’s seminar taking place over Zoom on December 5th. See my previous post for more details and where to purchase tickets.