Yup.  Itʻs been awhile...Nevertheless, here I am. Itʻs always been important to me that events are commemorated in some way.  A sentimentalist I am.   Five years ago this afternoon at 2p, the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea ruptured at Puʻuʻōʻō, unleashing what would become the Hulihia of 2018.  The floor of Kaluapele astonishingly and uncomprehendingly incrementally collapsed, while three days later, on May 3, 2018, the Lower East Rift Zone in Keahialaka began unzipping, allowing the eventual formation of 24 fissures.  By early August 2018, collapses at the summit cea ..read more

 As the year zooms by...this Lei Day is a rainy one in Keaʻau ma uka.  The year started out dry, with little rain from January to late March.  I started to cut back on water usage in early March, waiting for the rains to return.  And, of course they did.  Good thing too, because all blooming things welcome the abundance. "May Day is Lei Day in Hawaiʻi"... imprinted, ingrained, from small kid time.  Though the holiday was "invented", I still honor it, and the tradition of sharing lei. about Lei Day in Hawaiʻi Iʻve written about Lei Day previously, and there are lot ..read more

 Today marks four years since the trigger was released at 2pm April 30, 2018, that began the Hulihia of 2018.  The Three Months (May-July) that followed are, for some of us, indelibly etched in our being.  That day was rainy, just as it is today.  Mistyfoggy so that the remote cameras out at Puʻuʻōʻō couldnʻt show us what was happening.  So we waited to see what was unveiled.  And what was revealed through the fog and steam was an empty pit.  After thirty-five years, emptiness.  After months and weeks of increasing magma supply feeding the plumbing syste ..read more

 Drought in the uplands of Keaʻau...not all that unusual, but surprising to some.  Tankers deliver to those unaccustomed to prudent and careful use of water in this place of (usually) abundant rains.  As of a couple weeks ago, year-to-date rainfall in Volcano was just about 3.5 inches, compared to about 32 inches in December alone.  Weʻve appreciated the time of drying out after our December torrents.  Down Ke Alanui Pae Luapoho (Chain of Craters Road) on the coast, plants are happy, green, and lush, unaccustomed as they are to an abundance of moisture. Mid-January, f ..read more

This morning, via HVO webcam, we were treated to a glorious sunrise on Maunakea, while we watched the sky turn color, and the mauna reddened. Then, thereʻs this: I seem to always wonder:  Do others have the ability to recognize places from afar?  Above, a photograph by Robin Holcomb, then of HVO, taken on January 12, 1974.  Itʻs of Maniniʻōwali, and the turquoise waters of kai kūono o Kua. Manini-ʻōwali Land section, Ke-āhole and Pua-kō qds.; undersea spring and rock between Awa-keʻe and Kū-kiʻo, Hawaiʻi. A girl named Manini-ʻōwali was betrothed as a child to Ulu-weuweu bec ..read more

 Boggled sometimes am I... Friends share pics, and insights, and sometimes I can only marvel.  Look:  There!  Mercury!!!  [Really??? Where?  How you know???]  So many lights in the night sky, and unless theyʻre familiarly-patterned constellations, I get lost.  But when a serious avocational astronomer friend points out something, I pay attention.  Mahalo piha hf! On Oʻahu, at sunset, Monday, January 3, 2022, ka mahina hoaka accompanied by Mercury.  Amazing.  Thanks to bnt for sharing this pūʻiwa-inducing image. And keeping with an orang ..read more

 Loving the clear sunny days!  Chilly in the shade, but toasty in sunshine; those of us with preferences for heat are reveling.  Nishime was a hit, shared with several kuʻu hoa.  Aside from the seemingly interminable peeling, cutting, soaking, tying, itʻs easy, as long as get ingredients.  And we ate, and now we rest, as does Pelehonuamea.  Iʻll be holosoloing a short one, headed to a viewfull picnic table in the sun. Below, this morning at 951, just small kine pele at lower left: Nosediving Tilt started around 1am, according to HVO. And slowdown of tremor a ..read more

 And here we be.  What winds waft are easterly southerly, though the airs are mostly still.  And humidish.  And warm.  After the midnight tumult, and chill rains the past several days, it was an unexpected delight to enjoy clear skies this morning.  So I went for a walk.  As is my habit, Keanakākoʻi was the destination.  And my timing was pretty excellent:  Most sunrisers were departing, or on their way back to the parking lot.  Few were on the road, helicopters joyfully absent, and birds were all atweet.  Lots of ʻapapane, ʻamakihi there ..read more

 And so it goes... She returned yesterday afternoon, slowly making Her entrance, then, as is Her wont, became more and more active.  I went out to nānā last night: Hoʻokahakaha aʻela ka Wahine uʻi [mahalo js for pic and pn for caption] And from the Golf Course, another image reminiscent of Tavernier.  Mahalo to jj. We never tire of Her beauty, and are fortunate indeed to appreciate pūʻiwa-inducing work. My OCD-ness manifests (sometimes) in checking the HVO webcams, repeatedly.  And again... And, sometimes I am rewarded.  The V1 cam is easiest, along with F ..read more

 Itʻs raining.  Not drizzle, not big paka ua, just a regular rain.  Yesterday was nice, but I chose to tend to kuleana rather than holosolo in the Park.  Finished proofreading a soon-to-be-published book.  307 pages, a few doses of eyedrops, and all, for now, seems correct.  But there are always the niggles...was I care full, did I really pay close attention, did I check all that shouldʻve been checked, etc. like that.  But at some point we surrender to probable imperfection.   Plus, I thought I needed to write, because tomorrow is nishime day, and Satur ..read more