North Shore, Oahu - Waimea Bay

Today I just needed to get out of the studio for a while, and when I heard the surf on the North Shore of Oahu was going to peak today at 18 to 22 feet I knew where I needed to be.    I visited 3 beaches today, but below are some photos of Waimea Bay you will enjoy.

The top photo is fantastic to give you an idea of how high the waves were today.  The lifeguards at the beach kept telling people there was no swimming allowed as it was too dangerous and there were rip currents.   In the winter the North Shore of Oahu always has high surf periods, and people come from all over the world to view or participate in the surfing competitions held here at that time.  

I have painted Waimea Bay a couple of times.  I have included the lifeguard boat in the paintings, but they keep moving the boat almost every time I am there.   I am rather found of that boat !  (To include in paintings, that is).   Below is a photo of it taken today .

Please visit again soon as I will be posting more beach photographs in the future, plus a variety of other subject matter as well.

Moonscapes

This photo was taken around 7:30 or so yesterday morning and I was just thrilled to capture a rainbow over the moon !   I was out on my lanai (patio) from around 6:30 a.m. (before daylight) on Tuesday and got some good shots of the moon itself while it was still dark.  It rained a little , and as it became daylight this beautiful rainbow appeared.   I quickly took a few photos and how inspiring they are to me for future paintings.
Below are some other "moonscapes" also taken from my lanai.

Three of the above photographs were taken yesterday; the second one from the top with the full moon was taken about a month ago.    I must paint the "rainbow over the moon" very soon!    Below is a miniature painting of mine of the moon at sunset.

Thank you for visiting !

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Frangipani / Plumeria

I believe this is the "Rainbow" plumeria.  It is really quite lovely, but difficult to try to paint.   

The photo above is of the Singapore Frangipani and is obviously mostly white.   It's soft beauty makes an impact.

Plumeria or Frangipani as they are also known as are found throughout the Hawaiian Islands and just about everywhere you look you find them, mostly as landscaping plants since they aren't found in the wild.   Next time I  post some plumeria photographs I will do more research on them and their history.   They are small trees and some lose their leaves when not in bloom and others do not.   

Hawaii is truly a paradise as it so breathtakingly beautiful and it is a constant inspiration to this artist.  There are many other flowering trees here in this beautiful State that I will share with you on this blog in the future.

Nene - Hawaii's State Bird

The Nene is the state bird of Hawaii.  It is found only in the Hawaiian Islands and is on the endangered list. Most of my photos shown below were taken at the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on the island of Kaua'i  .  These birds are use to people and so photographing them is relatively easy.   They are closely related to the Brant and Canadian Goose.

Below is a photo I took of "teenage" Nene at the Kilauea National Wildlife Refuge.  I have not been fortunate enough to capture shots of tiny baby Nene  but hope to do that one day.

So far this is the only painting I have done of the Nene, and I plan to do more in the future.   They are rather inspiring birds to try to paint.

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Leeward Coast of Oahu - Sunset Seascapes

"The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, Yea, than the mighty waves of the sea."          Psalm 93:4

All of these photographs were taken on the Leeward or Eastern coast of the island of Oahu, Hawaii.   I have yet to do any paintings from them, but my intention is to paint from these photos very soon.   The photo of the lighthouse was taken at Barber's Point.   

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Stepping Stones

"One of the secrets to life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks." - Jack Penn

The above photographs were taken at the "Grand Canyon of The Pacific" on the Island of Kauai, Hawaii.  It is not as large or as colorful as the Grand Canyon on the USA mainland, but it is still quite impressive just the same.   The day these photos were taken it was rather hazy out as well.  

Sometimes we make "mountains out of molehills" with our personal problems and they seem insurmountable like a great grand canyon with no way out.   We need to be patient and "wait on the Lord"  (Psalm 27:14) because He causes all things to work for our good (Romans 8:28).

Obstacles can be used to our advantage.   "See every difficulty as a challenge, a stepping stone, and never be defeated by anything or anyone."  - Eileen Caddy

With faith, hope, endurance, and perseverance our valleys and mountains of adversities will be like tiny grains of sand.   

"Adversity is the diamond dust Heaven polishes its jewels with."  - Thomas Carlyle

  

Orchids

"If you get simple beauty and naught else, you get about the best thing God invents." - Robert Browning

Orchids are just breathtakingly beautiful and I enjoy them so much.   I have a good "green thumb" except when it comes to orchids; I rarely buy an orchid plant because its fate is doomed in my hands as most of the time they do not survive under my care.   Other plants, especially African Violets, do very well for me.

I have taken more photographs of orchids which I will share soon.   Hope these beauties above help make a  pleasant day for you.   

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