Sunrise walks are taking a hiatus while I am on backup to the backup to the backup for this manufacturing run. If they end early they’ll hopefully tell us. Otherwise, see you next week sunrise.
1JUL21 Sunrise
Happy 4th of July!
We had a pretty busy, but low key 4th. We started with running the Run the Runway 5k at 6:45, which is put on by the Marine Corps base by us. We ran all the way up one side of the runway and all the way back down the other. The race organizer said to “chase the ocean then chase the mountains”. Chasing the ocean was far harder because of the wind. Chasing the mountains was prettier and included a rainbow (my second sighting).
My time was significantly better than the last one, 38 minutes vs 48. Still a long ways to go from my sub 30 minute time. I did feel like it was more my legs than my breath preventing me from running faster, which is a huge improvement. Lungs are still not back to 100% operational. I ran it with Brian and a friend Caitlyn.
We went and got breakfast from Morning Brew and I grocery shopped to make this black bean and mango salad to bring to a BBQ later. The friends hosting had it at their last BBQ and it contained peppers. My friends is allergic to nightshades, so she was really excited to try it until she realized there were some in it. As a surprise I made it again nightshade free, until I realized when we got there I had put diced jalapeños in it (ugh!). But she continually exposes herself to nightshades in low doses so she won’t become deathly allergic and they weren’t that dense in the salad so she ate it anyway and did fine.
Then Mrs. Eng came over and we went swimming in Lanikai with her pup, Hudson, who is turning 1 year in a couple weeks. He does NOT like the water. He was very hot and she was trying to work on exposing him, so in he went.
It was unfortunately on and off rain pretty much all day and very windy. It was *kinda* cold to be swimming. We didn’t stay too long. We came back and as we were cleaning up I stepped on a bee and was stung. That hurt pretty good and my toes swelled. Thankfully now it’s merely wicked itchy. After I recovered we cooked and ate pizza and after she left we took a pretty long nap.
Then we went to our friends place for the BBQ turned into fireworks watching. They are up on a hill overlooking a valley. Again it was rainy and cloudy, so thankfully we were under the roof cover but viewing the fireworks show at the Marine Corps Base was less than ideal.
This was my first crack at photographing fireworks. I understand the philosophy of being in the moment and just watching vs. trying to photograph and missing being in the moment. However, this was more about learning the technique and having some fun experimenting. I probably won’t photograph every firework, but this was a cool experiment. I improved as the night went on.
Those close fireworks were lit off from inside the neighborhood. Fireworks in Hawaii are illegal… They are in MA as well, but you need a mere adventure over the border to NH to get around that one. Word on the street is in Hawaii you make friends with guys working in the shipping yards. Brian and I aren’t enthusiastic about checking out that theory.
We slept in really late today (7:45, ha) and I am “working” this morning. I am the backup to the backup to the backup for a manufacturing run. I need to be within 5 minutes of my work computer from 2am-11am and have my phone on in case I get a call. So I am here writing and Brian left to go try to pick up the SUP we bought. By try I mean I threw out the receipt, so hopefully they acknowledge it was him who bought it, and hopefully he can get it on top of the Venza strapped ok.
Happy 4th from us to you!
Baby Shark
I bet you couldn’t read that title without say “doo doo doo doo doo doo” after. You’re welcome.
Brian wanted me to take a picture of his new car ornament, presumably so I could post about it… he even made sure the shot I took was with the ocean in the background.
Today’s highlights included Brian buying a paddle board and having a ukulele play in Church. I bought a paddle board as well, but the woman isn’t leaving for a couple weeks and wanted to use it for a little bit longer, so I put a deposit on it.
Sunrise 30JUN21
I brought my new lens with me for my sunrise walk, which zooms in really far, which is great but not for landscapes. I wanted to switch things up and I haven’t really had an opportunity to try it yet. It didn’t come out terrible, but I certainly can’t get the framing that I love.
However, I was able to zoom in to show you the amount of people you can expect at the top of the pillbox hike taking in this view. Apparently I need to work on my focus.
I will attempt the hike soon. I’ve had more trouble breathing the last few days than normal, I’m not sure why… but that’s kinda how it goes with this.
Sunrise 29JUN21
When I got to the end of the beach today and observed the shoreline I noticed patches of gray that were distinctly not clouds. They looked like they could be other islands in the distance… weirdly I haven’t ever noticed them before. I mustered up the confidence to chat with one of the regulars I see, and they were kind enough to point out what I was looking at.
Apparently on clear days you can see to other islands! Maybe I’ve always assumed they were clouds.
I distinctly remember visiting Catalina island and my sister-in-law saying “This is going to be you guys soon, living on an island!” and a quick wave of panic flooded through me as I realized the implications of that statement. However, at the time we were on a tiny island that took twenty minutes to drive to the other side. There were more golf carts than cars. Oahu is certainly a lot bigger and more populous. That being said, sometimes, like when I can see ocean for days and distant small islands, I come to the very clear realization that I am on a tiny plot of land in the middle of a giant ocean and get kinda claustrophobic (that’s the best way I can think to describe it, maybe there’s another word? Like I’m stuck in a small area in the middle of nowhere?). But then I ground myself and bring my thoughts to what my tiny little bubble actually is and that it isn’t entirely different from my old tiny bubble. Gym, work, church, grocery store, husband, friends, even the beach. Some moments it feels really far from things, but most of the time it’s not much different than anywhere else I’ve lived. I don’t think the feeling will ever go away; I more assume it’ll become normal and fleeting.
Brian is working late again tonight, so I’m on my own for dinner. Ice cream?
Sunrise 28JUN21
There was quite the crew fishing this morning.
Family Photoshoot
I had the opportunity to photograph a family before they PCS (Permanent change of station(Permanent is a loose term, but it’s about as permanent as a military move can be)). I have next to zero experience doing this; the closest thing I did was do a newborn shoot in another military family’s apartment during COVID.
It took a little bit for everyone to warm up and kinda figure out what we should do. After probably an hour and a half and 600+ photos I came up with 65 good ones to edit and send, I’d say that’s a success! Here are a couple that are my favorites. They are pregnant with their second, so I was able to capture a couple announcement shots for them.
I think the toughest part was getting her to look at the camera, because she was fascinated by the water and kept saying “swimming?” If I do this again I might invest in a squeaky toy. I’m also generally uncomfortable around kids so room for improvement… but for a last minute photoshoot setup I’m incredibly proud of what I was able to give them! I was happy they were willing to give me a chance.
Just your everyday above average sunrise
With the added bonus of a very good doggo. Brian was on duty last night but he’s on his way home! Yay!
Also the clouds were cool sitting over the mountains today.
Cotton Carrier
After our road trip it was clear that I needed a better solution to carrying my huge camera that didn’t involve keeping it around my neck or in a backpack. This is where targeted Instagram advertising comes in… I saw an ad for this carrying strap called Cotton Carrier and was sold. It is so helpful in carrying my camera. I wish it would sit a little higher on my body but I think I just need to adjust the straps.
This frees my hands to pick up sea glass or, like in this picture, pick up trash. My schedule has been crazy so I haven’t been in a bit, but when I can I go for walks and take my little grabber and pick up trash. Doing what I can to keep my part of the world a little bit cleaner.
Morning Sunrise Walks
I finished unloading three boxes… so, break time! Almost every morning I leave for a sunrise walk sometime around 5:15/5:30. Sunrises at ~5:50 for now, although that doesn’t change much over the course of the year. I have these walks down to a science. It takes me about 6 minutes to get to the beach. I take off my flip flops and place my water bottle with them at the beach entrance. Then walk down the length of the beach and look for sea glass along the wave line. Usually it’s still dark at this point, so no really great pictures yet. Then, on my walk back I watch the sunrise and walk in the water, ending where I started which is where the best picture framing is.
The sea glass colors vary by day it seems. Some days it’s clear, some days it’s a brown day, sometimes it’s mostly green. On the rare occasion I’ll pick up a blue. This was today’s haul… must’ve been a green day. I’m trying to figure out the science behind it… is it my mood? The moon changing the tides? I’m filling up my favorite wine bottle in the shape of a lighthouse from Truro Vineyards with the pieces. I knew there was a reason I packed that… Sometimes they are too big to fit the stem so I’m putting them in a different container. When I first started picking up glass I thought it was going to take no time to fill the bottle, but that’s because I have poor spatial evaluation capabilities…. I’ve barely covered the bottom. Hopefully I’ll fill it in three years.
I have to be careful in the morning of the holes the crabs make, I almost face planted once. Footprint for scale. My friend assures me they are more scared of me than I am of them. She hasn’t been wrong yet.
I am getting to “know” the regulars… there’s the old couple with a new white puppy they’re trying to train. The guy who walks his big Beethoven dog and small pug pair. The power walker. The fishermen. The gay guy with his coffee (I’m making an educated guess here.) I am friendly and say hi, but no huge conversations yet.
Not that the sunrise gets boring… but how many sunrise pictures can one have? So I try to do something different with some shots. I caught this guy throwing a cast, and the other day I snapped a couple who was here on vacation sitting on the blanket looking at the sunrise. I approached them and took down their email so I could send them the pictures later.
Here’s the one from a couple days ago. The sky was on fire.
In Connecticut I was feeling totally unmotivated. It felt like a lead weight was tied to me making everything feel really hard. I promised myself I’d be more active in Hawaii, but I was worried that I was just using environment as a crutch and I would still have a hard time getting out. That is definitely not the case and although I am a bit tired in the morning, I can find the gumption to get my butt out the door.