Tag: nature

View from the Top- Mariners Ridge

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Sunday morning, rain is falling…kind of.

Beautiful Hawaii nei was a bit cloudy this past weekend, but a few of us amigas took advantage of witnessing one of nature’s wonderful works of art.

After some motivational push that encouraged me to finally get out there and literally, take a hike, I did it. We did it.  My first hike after almost ten years-the last being at the Honouliuli Preserve, an academic requirement for my Environmental Science course at the time to help grow some of Hawaii’s endangered plants.

Where to, you ask.  The easy, breezy, and beautiful MARINER’S RIDGE in luscious Hawaii Kai.  A fairly simple hike for all ages, that even island girly girls like me can handle.  The hike begins at the end of Kaluanai Road, there is plenty of street parking.  There is a No Tresspassing sign at the beginning of the trail, but it’s alright for you to bypass that.  The trail 1.5 miles each way, but seems longer for those who haven’t hiked in years, especially with the increasing inclines  (ahem, like me).  Most of the trail is shaded, at some spots you just want to stay and feel the cold gust of wind.  You can stop and rest in between, as there are a lot of viewpoints.

The view from the top is absolutely breathtaking.  You see a stretch of the island’s Windward side, from Waimanalo to Kailua.  You can also catch a glimpse of Koko Head Crater, the Olomana Peaks, and Chinaman’s Hat in the distance.

“Never measure the height of a mountain until you have reached the top. Then you will see how low it was.”
— Dag Hammarskjold

Very well worth it.  Some of our photos below:

Love,
Honey

Glittery Love in the Sky- The Perseid Meteor Shower

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The second week of August is my favorite time of the year.  It’s the beautiful seasonal transition of hot summer nights to a cooler romantic autumn. As they say, Fall in Love….

And what is more romantic that witnessing an annual astronomical event that also takes place during this time of the year, the Perseid Meteor Shower…

The Perseid Meteor Shower occurs from late July to early August, with its peak activity between August 9 – August 14. The earth passes through the debris of the Comet Swift-Tuttle– in the night sky the glittery shower appear to emit from the constellation Perseus, taking its name from the word Perseides (in Greek Mythology “sons of Perseus”).

photo courtesy of NASA

From tonight, August 11th, until August 13th, we will see the best meteor shower of the year- with over 60, and as high as a hundred meteor showers in the night sky. The best time to witness this blizzard of shooting stars is the darkest hours predawn.  This year we are in for a treat as the brightest planets will also make a special appearance, lining up right in the middle of the meteor shower.   NASA says, “Jupiter, Venus, and the crescent moon are gathering together just as the Perseid Meteor shower reaches its peak.”  Just bedazzling.

To my fellow stargazers, NASA requests that you count the number of shooting stars you see and report it to them.  These figures can be used by NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office to study and model the Perseid debris stream.  For iPhone and Android users, you can download NASA’s official app, Meteor Counter.  The meteor show begins around 11pm local time wherever you might be Saturday night.

Have a romantic weekend everyone, if you’re planning on watching the meteor showers outdoors on top of a hill somewhere, don’t forget to bring comfortable chairs and blankets, food, drinks (hot coffee) and bug spray!

Aloha!!!!

Love,
Honey

Aloha Beautiful! – The Transit of Venus

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A rare and beautiful astronomical event will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, June 5th, 2012.

The planet Venus will be in transit…. passing directly between the Sun and the Earth and becoming visible to us as a small, dark disk moving across the face of the Sun.

photo from ecorazzi.com

The only planetary transits observable on Earth are of Mercury and Venus. Mercury has an average of 13 transits every 100 years. The Transit of Venus, however is phenomenal, occurring in a pattern that repeats every 243 years, with a pair of transits eight years apart. In this century, the prior transit was on June 8, 2004. After 2012, the next transit of Venus will take place in December 2117!

The entire event will be widely visible from the western Pacific, northwester North America, eastern Asia (including Japan and the Philippines) and eastern Australia.

I can honestly say that I will not be holding on until 2117 to witness the next transit of Venus, which is why I am dedicating a few hours of my afternoon to catch a glimpse and say my aloha to the beautiful planet.  Lucky I am an island girl and live in Hawaii, as it is one of the best locations to witness this spectacular occasion.

According to transitofvenus.org, the local transit times in Honolulu are between 12pm – 6pm.

NASA EDGE at Mauna Kea (through partnership with UH Institute of Astronomy on the Big Island of Hawaii) will also be having a live webcast during this time. Watch it here.

When viewing the sun, take precautions! Construct a pinhole-camera, or a pinhole mirror. If available utilize binoculars or a telescope, but remember, do not look DIRECTLY at the sun! Venus should appear as a tiny dot on the projected image. You can also consider purchasing a shade 13 or 14 arc-welder’s glass.

Hope everyone can get to see The Transit of Venus; you won’t want to miss such an astonishing occurrence of this lifetime.

 

❤
Honey

The Man in the Moon

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A couple of nights ago, while pulling into my garage, I saw one of the most magnificent full moons in the night sky.

I wanted to share it with you all, my darlings. Hawaii’s weather hasn’t been all the great this week, with the storm, flooding, hail and even a tornado, but I wanted to remind you that beyond these disasters exist the marvelous beauty, and wonder of nature…

Just like the scientists who, for centuries, have observed and studied the moon, I too, have always been fascinated by its mystery. From the eyes and heart of a dreamer, I look at the moon like I do the sunshine.

I think we can always turn to the man in the moon (or the goddess of the moon) to give us hope.

“The moon is friend for the lonesome to talk to.” ― Carl Sandburg

“We all shine on…like the moon and the stars and the sun..” – John Lennon

“We must strive to be like the moon.’ An old man in Kabati repeated this sentence often… the adage served to remind people to always be on their best behavior and to be good to others. [S]he said that people complain when there is too much sun and it gets unbearably hot, and also when it rains too much or when it is cold. But, no one grumbles when the moon shines. Everyone becomes happy and appreciates the moon in their own special way. Children watch their shadows and play in its light, people gather at the square to tell stories and dance through the night. A lot of happy things happen when the moon shines. These are some of the reasons why we should want to be like the moon.”
― Ishmael Beah

“The moon is a loyal companion. It never leaves. It’s always there, watching, steadfast, knowing us in our light and dark moments, changing forever just as we do. Every day it’s a different version of itself. Sometimes weak and wan, sometimes strong and full of light. The moon understands what it means to be human. Uncertain. Alone. Cratered by imperfections.” ― Tahereh Mafi

“When hope is fleeting, stop for a moment and visualize, in a sky of silver, the crescent of a lavender moon. Imagine it — delicate, slim, precise, like a paper-thin slice from a cabochon jewel. It may not be very useful, but it is beautiful. And sometimes it is enough.” ― Vera Nazarian

“I never really thought about how when I look at the moon it’s the same moon as Shakespeare and Marie Antoinette and George Washington and Cleopatra looked at.” ― Susan Beth Pfeffer

When you feel like the whole world is crushing down on you, always look at the moon, and remember that there is a bigger, more complex world out there. That you are not alone. And yes, you can always talk to the moon 😉

Love,
Honey