Monday Photo Minimalism ~ Morning Meditation

Monday morning meditation

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The Sunday Traveler ~ Kilauea Lighthouse

Kilauea Lighthouse, on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. The photography tour taken during my visit included this as one of our stops. The Sunday Traveler was able to get some shots not possible on visits in the past; coming back several years later provided new perspectives, and a gorgeous sunny day.

The lighthouse is within the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, and is filled with a multitude of seabirds, some seen here perched atop trees looking like Christmas decorations, or clumps of snow that fell on the trees. The birds draft effortlessly on the winds, and are a wonderful thing to watch over the incredibly blue water of the Pacific. And, yes, the water is this incredible blue.

I had never stopped to think about how the materials for constructing the lighthouse got here, but reading this morning, find out that when construction was considered, there were no roads to traverse for getting supplies here, so everything was brought in by boat that anchored off the point and ferried to a landing built into the cliff and hoisted up onto the point. There’s a thought that boggles the mind. Construction began in 1912.

The island of Kauai is a little piece of paradise that should not be missed if you travel to Hawaii.

 

Monday Photo Minimalism ~ My Sanctuary

Peace

Solitude

Meditation with a camera

The Sunday Traveler ~ Travels with Mom

The Sunday Traveler dedicates this Sunday post to my mom on this Mother’s Day.

A grainy and old photo of my mom and I at the train station in San Antonio, Texas, getting ready to board the train for Mexico. The Sunday Traveler began travel even before this, but it is the first recorded travel of me that I have in my files. It’s been in my blood for years.

My mom on the left, and my Aunt Angeline on the right; sisters, and my two moms. The Sunday Traveler was clearly in love with travel and life here in Mexico. I still am, though the two principals are gone now. I continue on the path they blazed before me.

That’s mom on the right, Aunt Angeline on left. We sometimes ended up in crazy places to spend a few days, or weeks. My AirBnB beginnings, maybe? My mom always saw the humor in some of those places that were a little bit of a surprise when we got there.

Bless my mom and my aunt. And blessings to all the moms out there today.

Travel on.

Monday Photo Minimalism ~ In Black and White

Hawaiian flower

The Sunday Traveler ~ Moloa’a Beach

On the island of Kauai there is beauty upon beauty. One place seemingly more than the next. Taking a photography tour has become one way The Sunday Traveler has discovered over the last several trips to be the way to find little off the beaten track places. The tour guides know where those places are. Kauai was no different, and a tour was arranged prior to landing on the island with Kauai Photo Tour. Five of us were in a comfortable van and taken around the North Shore of the island (now decimated by recent severe floods).

Moloa”a Beach is one such spot, tucked back off a long country dirt road.

More photography tour photos coming in future posts.

Travel on.

 

Monday Photo Minimalism ~ Flight

Leaving what you knew behind.

The Sunday Traveler ~ The Botanical Gardens of Poipu, Kauai

A day spent on one end of Poipu, Kauai included a visit to their Botanical Gardens. Ironic thoughts came to mind on why there would be a garden such as this when the whole island seems to be one big botanical garden. Ah well, thoughts best left for another day.

Come into my garden said the spider to the fly. And in I flew without a worry.

How they got the creatures to show up for the tourist’s photo ops was amazing. This little one scuttled front and center and froze to pose. He may have winked at me, I’m not sure.

There are hibiscus all over the island, but I must admit that the ones within these gardens were especially beautiful.

The gardens aren’t too large, but just enough to get lost within their beauty…and make your friends wonder where you are.

Little sun dappled areas along the sides of paths led me off the beaten track.

This was a concise slice of the island.

The visit to the gardens was a perfect stop right across the road from the ocean.

 

 

Monday Photo Minimalism ~ Bird’s Eye View

Sitting closer to the heavens

to listen to the wind

to look for a place of peace

The Sunday Traveler ~ Wailua Falls, Kauai

Wailua Falls, on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. Travel there last month brought us onto this Garden Isle in the midst of heavy rains most days there, a foreshadow of the flooding to come after we left.

The falls are a 173 foot waterfall that feeds into the Wailua River. The morning of this visit was another rainy day, that seemed to make it all even more beautiful. Water pouring over the falls with a force that was impressive, and the sound of the falls pounding down heard the minute of opening the car door was riveting all without even seeing the falls yet.

Not exactly thinking of Earth Day per se that day, but in a way I was. How beautiful is this earth? How unfortunate that it is not honored at every level.

A great pleasure of the Sunday Traveler has become meeting and talking to the local people of the place I am visiting; learning about their world view, and about their home. This gentleman and I talked about Kauai, my memories of a certain place I had stayed at long ago right before Hurricane Iniki hit the island, the local politics on rebuilding, the loss of some of the people at that time. I’m happy to report that basket now sits on a shelf in my home, and I’ll always remember him.

The Wailua River that winds between the Maunakapu and Nounou Mountain ridges.

Happy Earth Day 2018