Charming Haleiwa Town - North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii

Haleiwa is a quaint and artsy small town on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.  I highly recommend everyone that visits Oahu and Waikiki to be sure to make time for the North Shore.   In the background in my photo above you can see there is a small boat harbor there.  Near the boat harbor is a nice restaurant, Haleiwa Joe's, where I have had lunch several times.

 I just wanted to share more views of the beach in the photos above.   Haleiwa is located on Waialua Bay at the mouth of Anahula River.   Most of the time the water is very calm, which makes it excellent for a family time at the beach with all of your children.

Rainbow Bridge 

Anahula Stream Bridge, also called Rainbow Bridge, is a one-way traffic bridge that spans the Anahula River or stream.  It was built in 1921.  I have painted this bridge on canvas previously; love the blooming African Tulip Tree in the foreground ! Below are my photographs showing some people paddeling under the bridge.

The photo directly above would make a good painting.   This scene is obviously the other side of the bridge they just paddled under.   

People line up and wait for Matsumoto's shave ice, which is said to be the best on the island.   It is similar to a snow cone, but much better.   This popular store in Haleiwa has been open at this location for over half a century.   

Outrigger canoes are always at this particular spot at Haleiwa beach.   Below is one of my oil paintings of the area.

"Haleiwa Paradise"

12" x 16" oil on canvas

Available

An excellent link for more information on Haleiwa may be found at http://haleiwatown.com .  There you will find a video gallery as well as a webcam and photos, and information on restaurants and lodging .  
I have many more photographs I could share, but I will save them for another post.

My Website
reynoldsrenditons@gmail.com

Colorful Ti Plant

I photographed these gorgeous Ti plants at a nearby Lowe's store here in Honolulu.  I am partial to the red shades of this evergreen plant, but they are all very lovely and grow to about 13 feet tall.  The proper name is 

Cordyline Fruticosa and they are a member of the Asparagus family.   I did a little research today on this plant which is native throughout Polynesia; there is interesting information on Wikipedia and other sources. It was probably brought to the Hawaiian islands around 300-500 A.D. by the Polynesians that settled here, as they brought many seeds, tubers, and roots with them.  Check out more of my photographs below.

I am not sure, but I think this Ti plant was labelled "Red Tip" at Lowe's

"Ruby"

"Electra"  (?)

The other day on this blog I posted this photo of my Ti plant in a container on my patio.  I am not sure of its name, but it has grown a lot and is now in a 16" pot.   For those of you not living in a tropical climate, this plant may be grown indoors as it tolerates partial shade as well as full sun.   The more sun, the richer the color in the red and burgundy shades.   From March to November the Ti plant has small blossoms of white, cream and tan.  Mine has not bloomed yet.  By the way, Hawaiians pronounce it "Tea" leaf plant.  In Florida and other places it is called "Tie" plant.   

I may post more photos of this beautiful plant in the future.

Hodge Podge Of Flowers On Oahu, Hawaii

Rainbow Shower Tree

I love these trees!   The Shower trees come in other colors, but this is my favorite combination of hues.  They are not very large trees, as you can tell in the photograph below.

There are so many beautiful blooming trees in Hawaii.   And of course, everyone associates the Hibiscus flower with these islands.    

Below are a couple of my reference photographs of water lilies.   Please keep in mind to not copy these photos in any way unless you ask my permission.

I hope to paint these before too long.    The above photo of the white water lilies is okay except for the extreme light on the upright flower to the left.   But as an artist, I can fix that when I paint by putting more darks in that blossom and using subdued color.   I mainly love the red reflections in the water from plants above and behind that rock.

This is a Ti plant, or some here in Hawaii call it a Tea Leaf plant.   I was told it was native to Hawaii, but have since learned it is native to the Philippines as well. I have this plant on my lanai and it has gotten much larger than when this photo was taken.   I love the burgundy and reddish shades, but they come in green and variegated varieties as well.

More to follow soon.   

My Website

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com