Donnelly Oceantics

Summer Fridays at Blackpot Beach

Black Pot is a grassy county park behind the beach near the pier

Every Friday night the gang comes with tiki torches, firewood, and tents and tables

Everyone brings food - usually excellent

Hard to beat the show - in the summer the sun drops right into the water

Down to an art with pupus at one end and deserts at the other (still covered here)

This was pareo night

Quite a doo! Friend Laura caught this on her phone and forwarded to me

A carved appliance box wasset over the fire which is built in the drum of an old washer

(see Laura's page at top of site for update on LRR)

Toga night, some comply

Dick Brewer, legendary surf board shaper, contemplating his burning paper plate

A number of July birthdays were captured in one celebration

Debra was among the birthday folk and an originator of the Friday night extravaganzas

OK - all big boxes are now part of the Friday shenanigans

Ever heard "blow it out your ear"

Jake Bernard and a couple of the ladies playing with fire balls

4^th of July - or Thursday night at Black Pot Beach

Dedicated folks staked out the tent by 9AM on July 4th

The parties went all the way around Hanalei Bay

With all those cartons of fireworks from Costco, it's hard to wait for dark

The sunset was dynomite

So was the food

Calm before the storm

Not quite dark and the fountains begin

From the pier looking toward the mountains - feels like a volcano with all the smoke

From the pier looking toward the river

Coated paper lanterns with wax candles are very popular

Quite lovely as the drift out over the water, ever higher

Last fountain of the evening for our gang

Not the end of the entertainment - Jake gave us another show

Fire is incredible in the dark of night

Moli fledging - right on schedule

The albatross chicks or keiki moli hatch around February first and typically fledge about five months later. 4th of July weekend is often the time we get distracted and those little down balls that recently grew up suddenly disappear.

Adult Laysan Albatross sitting on newly hatched chick in February

No bigger than the egg it came from, eating and sleeping will make it

grow sturdy bones, long wings, and perfect feathers.

Moli at two months, a few feet off his nest now

Waiting for either or both parents to come back with squid mush

Moli at about 4 months, feathers have grown it but still have some down clinging to them

By this time the baby bird has developed nearly everything he will need to live at sea,

outweighing his parents, they practice tough love and stop feeding him so he will get hungry enough to go.

This one took flight a few days after this - the down will soon wash away in the salty water

In 3-4 years, he will return here looking for a mate of his own

SUMMER 2013 - BEACHES

July Snorkeling

Oneone

Knowing we are heading for the Rockies for two months (Aug-Sep) makes us treasure our calm summer snorkeling water. Ke'e is too crowded these days and this beach is usually so windy it's not fun. It was perfect today! We call it Oneone (oh-nay oh-nay) but when I requested a new zone code from Reef.org I realized it is Kephui Point. Not a bad crowd for a Sunday!