DUCK romance continues on Oak Creek

Hi Everyone

Well, another story from Oak Creek. Remember that beautiful Common Goldeneye Duck that came here and he was alone?

Well, guess what?! Today, he brought his MATE back with him. I think he was 'scouting' ahead to find a good nesting place and was checking Oak Creek out the other day. Guess he liked the digs! Here's his mate :-)


And, here they are!!! I'm so happy for him. It's nice to see pairs. And you know, the duck population is declining at an alarming rate so to be able to give these ducks sanctuary here--no hunting--gives them a chance to breed and have babies.


These aren't great photos--taken through the glass of my window....I'll be glad when I can figure out a system using my 300mm Nikkor outside on the deck set up on a tripod with a remote control--haven't had time....and it's still cold here....so, in time....photography starts with a "P" because it really stands for PATIENCE!! haha


And here's a male Wood duck, on the left, chasing not only the Common Goldeneye and hist mate away, but also another Wood Duck couple. This is his territory and he's defending it!

I also took the Nikon one day Digital SLR camera courseon Saturday, the 24th. Boy, did I learn a bunch! I always feel a workshop is worth the money/time/travel if I get ONE new thing out of it. Well, I got so much it was incredible! Wow.

One of the things that came out of it was the Nikon Capture NX software. They illustrated it and it blew me away. They were giving out free 30 day trial CD's on the software. And it's an adjunct to those who use Adobe Photoshop 7.0 or some other type. I got the CD and am trying it and I'll show you the differences....just incredible. This is a breakthrough produce in enhancing our artistic photos and really making them pop instead of laboring for an hour or so with Photoshop 7.0 which is highly complex (I took a 12 week course in it locally many years ago to learn how to work with it). So, stand by!

More pretty pictures some good and many not so good to come--but hey, I'm having fun! And I love what I'm doing :-)

In Spirit....Eileen

ROCKIN' RAPTORS!

Hi Everyone

Isn't that photo from yesterday just the greatest? Now, here's 'the rest of the story....' of why I'm sharing this incredible photo with you!


This is "Bo" the male Harris Hawk. He's flying through Susan Ruble's kitchen....want to know more? Read on.....


And here's a close up of Bo in action. He weighs 684 grams. Big, bold, intelligent and a HAM! He just loved being photographed. An actor by nature!


Can't you just see the caption on this incredible moment? "Doesn't EVERYONE have a hawk on their refrigerator?" haha. This was Bo moments before I took the photograph above that I put in yesterday's blog as he's winging across the kitchen from the refrigerator to Susan Ruble's (the raptor rehabilitator--High Country Raptors) kitchen cabinents! Bo would fly from place to place in the kitchen--from the refrigerator across to the cupboards. He'd also land on his perch which was on the kitchen counter. What's so amazing about this photo is Susan Hamilton is talking to Dave as if nothing is wrong!!! Sure, hawks fly to my refrigerator and wing around the room...no never mind, hahahaha. For Susan, this is a NORMAL day in her kitchen! Talk about reality shifts! A day in the life of a raptor rehabilitator.....there's a story here....I know there is!!




Presently, I'm doing groundwork/research for my HQN with Tracy Farrell that is due in on her desk 12.1.07. It is a Morgan's Mercenaries book (about his daughter, Kelly) and the hero is a raptor rehabilitator. Now, I know NOTHING of raptor rehabs, so I connected with Susan Ruble who is considered one of the best in the state of Arizona. We were just up at her home in Flagstaff yesterday for half the day, getting info and taking photos.

The most fun part was she brough in Bo, the male Harris Hawk, to show us how she 'trained' him with cut up mouse parts (mouse was dead). And she releases him in her house! I was opened mouth, needless to say, because the hawk is BIG. But it was such a magical delight to watch this incredibly intelligent bird and Susan work together.

And the caption I want to put with this is:

Doesn't EVERYONE have a hawk routinely flying around their kitchen?

haha

And just for the record....Bella is a Harris Hawk like Bo. And she and Bo share a mew (cage). Bella would be dead now if not for Susan. As a chick, he fell out of the stop of a saguaro cactus nest in Phoenix, and was picked up and rescued by a well meaning kid. The kid then raised it for a year. It's against the law to keep a wild animal and the neighbors finally called Fish and Game and told them he had this Harris Hawk. Fish and Game came out and took the bird and gave it to Susan, in hopes she could train the bird how to hunt and surive once she released it back to the wild.

When she took Bella to the vet she works with up in Flagstaff, on the x-rays, they found that Bella's legs were not as strong as they should be. Whatever food the kid fed Bella, it did not have the right amount of calcium. Why is this important? Because hawks typically dive at high speed and grab the rodent/mouse/rat/rabbit) on their hind end. The force of such a dive/grab, would, in the vet's opinion, BREAK Bella's legs--because they were not strong due to loss of calcium during the growing up phase. She'd break a leg and then die of starvation.

So, in this case, Susan had to keep him--either that or euthanize her. And she didn't want to do that. So, Bella and Bo go around schools as an educational teacher to teach children NOT to shoot at these hawks/eagles. Bo had different karma. He was owned by a falconer up in Nevada. He was 'imprinted' by a human as a chick, so could never be released out in the wilds. Susan acquired Bo a year ago as a friend for Bella. Bo has his karma being a teacher now, but it's not a bad life. Susan flies him a lot and he's a big ham and love being the center of human attention. He's a certified actor who loves the limelight, haha.

So, that's the REST of the story on Bo. And he's real and his wings
you can visit her website at: http://www.highcountryraptors.com. I urge you to go over there and go through her website--you can see a lot of what she does. Susan believes that education of people is the best way to stop people from shooting these magnificent birds because they've been taught they are 'varmits.' Did you know that 80% of the chicks born to a pair of raptors dies before one year of age? Of starvation. They aren't good hunters or they haven't learned to hunt properly. Only 20% of all chicks survive. And then, the odds aren't great. Most raptors only live three years, according to the Fish and Game statistics. Susan works hard to create educational programs and I since I was a member of the Flagstaff Arboretum, I first met her and was introduced to her program in 2006. I was so taken with her and her wonderful staff and raptors, that I wanted to write about them--and Susan's heroic and quiet efforts to save these incredible birds from death at the hands of humans, electric wires and getting hit by cars. I gave Susan, last year, a book of mine called HEART OF THE EAGLE--a story of a Golden Eagle kept by a heroine. I asked her to read it so that she knew something of me and how I treated the topic of raptors. She did and that book created an opening dialog between us and why Dave and I were up to begin one of several interviews with Susan to find out about her amazing and dramatic world.

We were up at Susan's home in Flagstaff on Wednesday, February 21st. We'd scrubbed this interview, the first of several, because of inclement weather conditions, lots of snow, black ice on the freeway and poor visibility. So, this was the THIRD time and it was the charm! When we drove up yesterday, the sky was a deep blue, it was warm and the freeway was dry and clean. No black ice that day!

Susan was very generous and kind with her time; I know she's a busy lady. We arrived at 10:00 am and got to work on the interview. I'm going to do the following:

I'll be starting research on my latest contracted book for HQN that is due in December, 2007. This will be Kelly Trayhern's story (second daughter of Morgan and Laura Trayhern). It is, as yet, untitled. The hero is a raptor rehabilitator. I connected with Susan Hamilton of High Country Raptors (http://www.highcountryraptors.com) of Flagstaff, Arizona, to get the 'scoop' on what it takes to rehabilitate hawks, owls, falcons and other fascinating birds. I will be blogging on what it takes to research for a novel and hopes to show, through a step-by-step process, how a writer weaves information into a story that hopefully will not only rivet readers to the plot and characters, but also educate them as well. If you want to follow my research and writing tips on novels as well as on raptors, go to my blog, http://www.talesfromechocanyon.blogspot.com, and when it says WRITING in the subject line, you know it has something to do with this book. I'm also going to hold a title contest on the book, hoping readers, after following the blogs, will volunteer 'working title' name for it. I hope the readers find this not only fascinating, to follow an author around getting necessary information on a forthcoming novel, but to see how information is utilized and have fun in the process!

I'm going to have a lot of fun with this. :-)))

And I hope you will too. Now, without further text, I'll let the photos that Dave and I took yesterday up at Susan's home speak for themselves. Let me know if you like them! Just add your COMMENT at the bottom of this blog.



This is Susan Ruble. She is a licensed raptor rehabilitator. On her gauntlet (the leather glove she wears) is an African Auger Buzzard (hawk), named Nara. Of course the funny on this was I didn't even know the bird was inside her home! Nara was in the next room and we didn't see her. And she wasn't noisy. So, later, when Susan invited us to look at some of the equipment a falconer uses, I about jumped out of my skin as I walked into the room. Out of the corner of my eye was this huge, beautiful hawk--on the floor--sitting on a perch! I about died of shock. And then I laughed to myself. Susan's world isn't mine. Who would think about having a hawk, a raptor, inside your home? Well, I wouldn't! But then, I'm not a raptor rehabitator, either! I was once again shown how our worlds are our own--and when they gently bumped up against one another.....gosh....the exciting and wonderful things that can happen! A hawk on the floor of a room in your house!

Here is Nara. She is an African Auger Buzzard. Now, Buzzard (Buteo) is another word for HAWK, although a lot of people in the USA think "buzzard" is associated with the vultures they see flying around. For us in the USA buzzard = vulture. But, in the real world of birding and falconers, they stick to the 'official' family names. In Europe, hawks are routinely referred to as 'buzzards.' And vultures are vultures. Note Nara's perch. You see the jesses (fine, thin kangaroo leater around her legs and the straps hanging down from them) and the swivel (the metal appliance where the jesses are attached) are then attached to a long nylon line. Nara has enough room to fly around if she chooses--but not enough to go anywhere she wants. Susan has thoughtfully provided a huge round pan of water so if Nara wants to clean herself, she can. You'll also see a towel out in front of the perch and you'll see plastic liner up on the wall behind the bird. What's that for? Well, her poop! Trust me, when you see a hawk poop--they can squirt it for a LONG ways! So, all those white and black 'stripes' you see on the towel or on the protected wall behind Nara is her poop! I thought geese could poop but hawks have them beat by a mile! Isn't Nara beautiful? She has lovely gray eyes.


Here's Nara in motion. You can see her pan of water to the right, the big, wide perch wrapped with thick rope so the hawk has something substantial to grip. And you can see the towel out in fron and the blue plastic liner behind: poop screens!


And here's another shot of the sameflight to the green cabinent that Nara likes to fly up to and watch the world go by. To the left of this photo is sliding glass door, with sunshine spilling in, so that Nara has the great outdoors she can watch so she isn't bored. The reason Nara was in was to give her a training session. She's new to Susan and she needs to train the bird to get on her gauntlet (glove that falconer's wear) and then to offload the bird quietly back to their perch.


You can just see the glee on Nara's face as she mounts the trunk. "I made it!" or maybe, "Hey! Look at me! Am I not beautiful?" Or, maybe that is human interpretation after all! But, she's a BIG hawk....nothing small about this gal. And she's a stunner. I don't know if you've seen the latest jeep ads on TV? In it, there's a hawk flyingabove a canyon floor and it sees this thing below (it's a jeep with two surfboard on the top so it looks like some kind of interesting bug from the air--I guess that what the ad agency wants us to believe...or for the Peregrin falcon to believe in the commercial...) and so, the Peregrin dives. But if you notice, there are TWO birds being used in it! Because the one diving seems to be a Peregrin. But once it THWOPS onto the jeep top in a stoop/dive, there's a CRASH! And then, in the next scene, you see this bird's head pop up from the top of the two surf boards on top of this jeep, and then it rises and flies away. Clearly, you can see it is a different bird. And the bird that flies away is: yep, you guessed it--an African Auger Buzzard--just like Nara! So, if you get a chance to see this ad, pay close attention and now that you know what Nara looks like, you'll easily recognize it is her kind flying away from the jeep. I'm sure they had falconers or 'bird handlers' for that ad. And the bird in it was NOT Nara, but one of her kind owned by someone else.


Queen of the Trunk as Nara surveys her territory! Isn't she magnificent looking? What regal grace.


And now, Susan begins to train us (not the hawk). She tells us you never walk face-forward toward a raptor--that is threatening to them and they'll try to fly away and get all upset. Instead, what she does is quietly walk in to the side of the bird. You can see how she's positioned herself here and the body language is eloquent--her left shoulder and back are facing Nara. And the back of a human being is not threatening to the raptors. In fact, humans are seen as the top predator to a raptor....so frontal approach is considered an attack which is why the bird will flap and fly around--trying to escape. You can see here Nara is watching and listening as Susan trains us! The hawk is probably laughing under her beak about the switch in situations. Susan comes several times a day to work with Nara. So, the raptor's probably getting a big chuckle out of this--two leggeds getting instructed instead of herself! You can see the towel, perch, water very nicely here. A great way to give the bird the freedom and yet, she can fly around a little. The other reason Susan had Nara in was to get her used to 'humans' and 'human sounds.' Nothing like having a bird in your living quarters for it to get used to you!

Nara is a new visitor to Susan. And her jow is to start training this injured hawk some basics. Here, Susan is going to put the jesses (kangaroo leather in fine, thin straps) on the hawk's legs so that she can lift her off the perch and allow Nara to sit on the gauntlet.


And here, very quietly, patiently, Susan worked with Nara. She held the gauntlet level with Nara's perch and urged her to move to the glove. Susan had said that weeks ago, Nara wouldn't and now, she's learning that when the gauntlet is perch level, she's to step onto it. Which Nara did without any flapping or trying to fly away.


As Susan quitely worked with Nara--and she's was very good about mounting the gauntlet and then dismounting it--I caught something I hadn't expected. Look at the hawk. Look at Susan. What do YOU see? What feelings does this evoke in you? How would you translate this moment caught by the camera?

This is my favorite photo of the day. This one transcends everything. As they say, one photo/picture is worth ten thousand words.... What do you think is happening here? How does this photo speak to you? Please go to the bottom of this blog where it says COMMENT and tell me. Susan has one interpretation of this moment. I have another. What is your interpretation?




Now we go from the sublime to the ridiculous. Or, perhaps, back to the realm of reality.....food for the raptors..... Yes, you're seeing right. That's Susan with a dead white mouse in her hand. And see that blue plastic dish in her sink? Well, that's full of little white mice that are thawing out from the freezer. I know, I know....you're probably going: ick! Or worse. But consider this: Raptors who are either not able to return to the wild or recovering from an injury, have to be fed. And you have to feed them things they would eat. Not things you'd eat. I'll get you thought Susan was gonna fry these up for us, right? haha.


And speaking of mice....well, Susan went out to feed her other hawks (this is a Gryfalcon) their mice for the day. She tosses them into the mew (cage) of each of the birds. And this is how they do it out in the wild....they grab their prey with their talons and tear it apart with their beak and consume it. The good news is the little mouse was already dead and didn't feel a thing.


Back to our big HAM, Bo! Here's our actor, Bo, the Harris Hawk, taking off from Susan's kitchen cupboards! Can you just imagine a big hawk flying around in YOUR kitchen!!! It was a hoot! As he'd fly by, your hair would whisper and move, the flaps so strong and powerful. Can you see him smiling?



And here goes Bo again! I think I'll call him the Shakespeare of the raptor world--a class actor who knows how to make audiences sigh and swoon with delight. He's got his big tail stuck up in the air and off he goes!!! What a ham! haha.


And here's Bo comin' in for a landing on his perch (that round black taped thing in the center of the photo). That's Susan's hand on the left. And what's in her hand that's hidden? Well, Bo KNOWS....a piece of mousie! And he's coming because he sees it and she's training him to come to her. This kind of behavioral conditioning is being utilized because Bo can never go back out in the wilds. And so, Susan is training him to be of service as an education hawk for us human beings. One of the things she does is train her hawks, owls, falcons, and kesteral is to fly 'free' from one point to another. Yes, they have the jesses (the soft leather wrapped around their legs and the leather hanging from them) but that's all. And a bird, if they really wanted too when released, could fly off and she'd lose a bird. So, to interest Bo in not doing that....he gets mice or other goodies like quail. And he'd rather eat than leave, is what it basically boils down too.


When I went up to interview Susan I never expected her to ask me if I wanted to put on the gauntlet and let Bo come in for a landing on me. That was so unexpected. Dave and I had watched her earlier work with Nara, the African Auger Buzzard, who was learning to mount and dismount from the gauntlet, but I sure didn't feel qualified to do this! A couple of things happened here beforehand. Susan said to stand with my back to Bo and hold my arm up in the air. Raptors don't like flying TOWARD you because it's threatening to them. And raptors definitely see us as a top predator above them. So, to get them to 'come' to you, you turn your back to them, which is not threatening to a raptor, and put a little piece of mouse meat between your thumb and first finger on top of the glove. Susan told me that if Bo didn't come by simply lifting the gauntlet, I was then to use my right hand and tap it. Bo had been trained that if you tap the gauntlet, he was to fly over to you. Well, I raised the glove and nothing happened. Then, I tapped it and here he comes! You can see the look on my face....I don't think I need to add words here, do I????? Disbelief. Magic. Terror. Afraid of making a mistake and harming Bo. Joy. Magic....


And here he comes! Bo has landed, his claws on the other side of the gauntlet and that red stuff you see in his beak? That's the mousie that he quickly snatched up and out of the resting place on it. You can see the look on my face: He's really landing. He's really HERE! Oh, my gosh! It's really happening!!! I look like a child in awe. And I truly was. What a moment! How many people ever dream of such a thing happening? I sure never did. But last year, when I saw Susan and her students performing at the Flagstaff Botanical Garden, I ACHED to hold one of those birds on a glove. It was palpable. I wanted it so badly and I knew I never could; and there was such a bittersweet pain from that realization. But now, six months later, Life (not to mention, Susan) has granted me a wish I never thought could ever come true except in my imagination, wishes and dreams. It was real. That's what you see on my face. Amazement. Awe. Gratitude. Humbleness. To realize that such a striking, beautiful creature would ever want to land on my hand. Wow.


Well, I don't think this picture needs any explanation, does it? I felt like a 10 year old kid who had just been given the Christmas present of a lifetime. Bless Bo. Bless Susan.


Bo finally turned around and kept waggling his tail around. I slowly brought my arm down to my side, but I didn't want to do it too fast and alarm him or make him fly off. Bo knows he's a real hot guy. He knows I'm in love with him. I felt incredible joy with this wild creature, who was clearly so alert and intelligent, resting on my gauntlet. And he loved every second of it!


This is my favorite picture with Bo Knows. Just the overwhelming happiness of connecting with a wild creature such as this was an incredible gift. One I'll never forget. I don't think Susan realizes what she did for me. Or, maybe she did.....


And then, it was Dave's turn! Here's Bo comin' in for a landing on his gauntlet for the first time. The looks and expressions on our faces are priceless....


There is something incredible about this photo. And it's one of two favorites of mine. If you look at the expression on Dave's face, in his eyes and look at Bo--there is such a power, a confidence and I felt like suddenly, Dave was a knight of old with his hawk on his hand. Just put knightly clothes on Dave and you'll see the expression on his face. And, fascinating, Bo picked up on that change and shift of energy and Bo was emulating it, too! One thing Susan told us (well, she told us a ton of things, really), was that raptors pick up on what's going on inside you--your heart, your emotions. For example, if you're a Type A person, the bird will become nervous and flighty. If you're a Type B person, the bird is quiet and relaxed, instead. Bo and Dave definitely had a bond; because the bird from the moment he landed on the gauntlet, really liked being in his aura and energy.


And then, Dave just blossomed. He doesn't smile alot on photos--in fact, he truly dislikes his photo being taken. But, whatever magic was working between him and Bo, he just became a little flower opening up and he had such a little boy look of mischief and delight in his expression that it was wondeful to see. Thanks to Bo. Who knows.... There is this moment after the bird lands and you simply cannot believe it is REALLY happening. That's the look Dave has. And I had. It's beyond belief.


And here's Susan giving Dave some pointers. And Bo is real happy just to sit and be in Dave's presence. Bo, by the way, after landing on my gauntlet, about twenty seconds later, hopped off and went over to his perch on the counter. And when Susan would hold him--he'd do the same thing. Not with Dave. No, Bo Knows..... And watch the bird watching him.....


And here's "the look." When Susan worked with Nara earlier, there was one moment when Nara gave Susan the SAME look. Susan says this is a look of "trust." But when Nara gazed longingly up into Susan's face and just stared at her, I felt adoration from the bird toward her. I believe Susan when she says it's trust...yes...but there was something more going on....and then, I saw it AGAIN, between Dave and Bo....magical....


And if this is not something....call it what you want....a 'warm fuzzy' moment..... What else do you see? How does it feel to you? Bo is not looking at Dave as a mouse to eat, that's for sure! And he's not afraid of Dave. But he would study Dave....basking in his energy and loving it. Just as much as Dave did. This is my other favorite photo. Catching a moment like this is priceless and I just got lucky....


Dave asked Susan if he could touch Bo. He asked first and didn't just rush in and do it. We really were mindful and respectful that these are wild creatures and we always deferred to Susan first to find out the correct protocol with them. Susan said yes, Dave could pet Bo on the breast because he was used to being touched to feel how full (or not) his crop was. So, Dave hesitantly lifted his finger to stroke Bo....you can see the unsureness in his face.....would the hawk reach out with that razor sharp beak and bite his finger off.....?????


Uh oh......Bo thought Dave's finger was a mousie!!!! Look at Bo! (you can see the expression in his handsome hawk face and he's thinking: "Who? Me?! Don't I look innocent??!!"


Oh, well I guess I was just teasing! This is a real Dave joke. We were all laughing. Even Bo is grinning. The hawk is SUCH a hamloaf!! I think Dave and Bo are both hams. What do you think? Both jokesters of the first order. But, hey, they make us laugh. Nothing wrong with that! You can see Bo likes playing his 'part' in Dave's missing finger joke, haha.


On second thought, maybe the bigger ham, is Dave! I think Bo agrees with that! And so, we wrapped up our first visit with Susan. I had about 15 pages of handwritten notes and about 150 photos. All part of the research for my book. Sometimes, being a writer gives one an open door to places most people don't go or can't go, or maybe it's not part of their imagination to do so. And this is one of writing's 'perks' if you will. Or at least, it is for me. Getting to meet such fine, honorable people as Susan Ruble, being allowed to glimpse the world she lives in, to see the wonderful things she does for birds that would have died or starved to death--she brings them back. She can take the sick and ailing, with love, patience and knowledge, give them a second chance. And if she can't return one to the wild for one of many reasons, she also trains other people to keep the birds, feed them and give them a modicum of freedom. She's truly a beacon of light in our dark world. And she goes quietly, without fanfare, and does it. She's a real heroine in our eyes. And I feel very fortunate to be able to 'shadow' her for the next couple of months to see what a raptor rehabilitator does. Sometimes, my life is like a novel. Or, what's that saying? Real life is more like fiction? You bet it is. And I love the book I'm living!

We hope you enjoyed this foray into the world of the Rockin' Raptors! Stay tune. There will be more exciting and surprising things, I'm sure, that I'll be sharing with you--thanks to Susan and her raptors.

You know, you can help Susan. Did you know that raptor rehabilitators get no MONEY to do what they do? It is strictly volunteer. Who pays for the food for the birds they care for? She does. Susan gets no money from any agency in Arizona to do what she does for the good of the planet. I think that's a crime. People like her should be paid well for what they do. Anyway, what you can do, if you are moved by the above stories and photos, is DONATE money to High Country Raptors.

If you want to help feed her hawks, I urge you to donate whatever you can. All money goes for the hawks and their care. Even if it's a couple of dollars--send it to her bank with "High Country Raptors" on the envelope and the account number.

First Credit Union
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 22030
Tempe , AZ 85285-2030
High Country Raptors
Account # 1408273-4

Susan would never ask for a donation, but I sure will. People like her that are in the trenches fighting to help keep wildlife alive and then returning it back to the wilds if possible, are heroes in my eyes and heart. And I make no apologies for that statement. I just admire Susan and the people she works with so much. They are the quiet heroes no television station or newspaper will ever do a story on. (They'd rather talk about dead starlets or blood and gore). But I'll be talking about it. Now, and in the book I'll be writing. I feel my readers will love what they learn about raptor rehabilitators. And they'll become educated through a story that will, I hope, make them feel good and uplifted at the end. Just as Bo did the same thing for me the first time he landed on my gauntlet.

In Spirit......Eileen

PHOTO OF THE YEAR!

Hi Everyone

Tell me, via COMMENTS, what you see in this kitchen!!



In Spirit....Eileen

HONOLULU FLOWER Photos Part 2

Hi Everyone

Okay, back to our cruise from hell, but looking at the good moments only. This time, in Oahu. These photos are from the Hoomaluhia botanical garden not far from Kailua, on the other side of the mountain from Honolulu.


Here's a lovely shot of a rain shower marching toward us and the lava mountains at the Hoomaluhia botanical garden.


As Pam and Jim Haley, Dave and I walked through the Hoomaluhia botanical garden, a bunch of dark brown creatures I thought were weasles, were Mongooses! I didn't have my 300mm lens on, so this is a long shot of a Mongoose who ran half way across the grass and then decided to look at us to find out what or who we were.

And then, off went the Mongoose! These creatures move FAST!


I'm not sure what this is. Maybe Guava? I liked the different stages of the fruit and the different colors.

I believe this is gardenia, but I'm hoping Pam Haley can identify it for sure for me.


There is so much green in Hawaiian islands that any other color is a wonderful counter measure to the wallpaper that floods them. I'm a lover of color and texture, anyway. When we came upon this brilliant red bush it reminded me of Moses and the 'burning bush.' It stood out so starkly against the sea of green and it was breathtaking.


These pink and green varigated leaves might not be so dramatic, but they relieved the constant green and were a lovely touch.


I never realized this for a long time, but there are people who are just in love with palms. Any palms. I liked this one because of the creased fans. Texture.


In a ditch along the road here was this bright object in the midst of green. I went down the slippery slope and this is what I found. It's a bloom from a tulip tree. What I liked even more was the tiny white flower to the right of it that had floated in and lay on the brown, drying leaves. A nice shot that has 'other' things going on other than just the red-orange flower.


This tree, a Caryota, definitely caught my eye. Look at the strands that look like green hair. Those are strands of flowers from this tree. It looks like hair to me. Again, the idea of texture, of movement.


This just gives new meaning to 'having a bad hair day!' Really, you can see the strands of 'hair' from the Caryota tree in different stages and color. Wonderful texture and movement.


There is a wonderful textural element here even with the leaves of the Caryota tree. And then to add these green necklaces hanging from the boughs just adds to that effect from an artistic standpoint. At least, I think it does, haha.


And as we continued down the trail, I spotted a bit of red. A tiny Red Ginger that had been knocked over by the horrendous rains of the week before, lying on the ground.


I don't know what this bush or fruit is, but I loved the velvety quality that surrounded it. Reminds me of a cross between a peach and apricot! I also liked the color of it standing out against the green leaves.


Isn't this beautiful? You could, literally, meditate by looking at these wonderful varigated leaves.


And now, they look like they are wearing orange 'earrings'!! They fruit seems almost 'shy' and hides among the bold, brassy look-at-me leaves.


Here's a flower, don't know what kind, but I love it!


The rain shower is spreading across the botanical garden. Light mists that make it look like a veil is opening between the worlds; there is such a sense of being so close to the invisible....as if you can reach out and see it or become a wonderful part of it.


And here is a closer look at the gashes of the lava mountains. I still say giants roamed here and had fun clawing through the cooling lava to create this incredible texture!


Here is the marvelous 'half flower' as I call it. This is how it grows and blooms. There is a Hawaiian legend about it....but I don't recall enough about it to feel positive about relaying it to you. Maybe Pam Haley will tell us!


And here's some more "half flowers."


And here the "half flowers are on a stalk in all sorts of levels of opening and blooming


As I was angling to get a really good shot of the "half flower" here came a honeybee. Can you see how it has pushed up and under to create the pollination process? Cool!



I have forgotten what these are called, but I refer to them as "puff balls" and I loved this yellow one on a cloudy day. So bright and to remind us that sun would shine shortly.


Here you can see inside of the flowers and how each is created. And the long yellow 'hair' is actually the stamens. Wild hairs!

I hope your Tuesday is fruitful and fulfilling.
In Spirit....Eileen


And last, but not least, another Hawaiian wild orchid! Isn't she a beauty.

With this orchid photo I'll leave you with it and wish you a wonderful Tuesday!

In Spirit...Eileen

Rainbow ducks Part 3

Hi Everyone

Well, you know when "the duck gang" comes home to roost here on Oak Creek, breed and have their ducklings, it becomes kind of a madhouse. Today, we have six Wood Duck drakes and hens. And we have two Mallard pairs instead of one. So, we've had four more couples fly in!

I haven't seen our good looking Mandarin Duck all day.

However, Nature being the ever present changer and doesn't like stasis, brought in a brand NEW duck. I had to go back to my Sibley's Guide to Birds (which I highly recommend--it's the best bird book I've ever seen and I use it all the time). I found out our stranger who just flew in is a Common Goldeneye. And he's a looker too! And he has no mate, either.


And here's our next leading man without a mate: A Common Goldeneye duck. Almost looks like he's wearing a tuxedo, doesn't he?



And here's our next pretty boy! You can't say we don't have the prizes of the duck world here right now--all gorgeously colored and real wowers! This is a Common Goldeneye duck.


Now, this guy was really interesting. First of all, he's a diver. He was constantly upending and swimming a good fifty feet under water eating along the bottom. And then, he'd pop back up. He was always using that short tail of his like a rudder.


Whew! Did I get a lucky shot on this one!! The Common Goldeneye dove and I caught it. Amazing!


Now, I ask you: doesn't he look like a leading man? A real hero? Gorgeous! Tuxedo Ted is what we should call him, haha.


Now, another curiosity! You would think that different species of duck wouldn't necessarily get along. However, the Wood Ducks did not chase off Tuxedo Ted and simply accepted him as part or their growing band of brothers and sisters on the creek. Tuxedo Ted did not chase any of the females, either. He was a gentleman befitting his name. The whitish stuff you see in the lower right hand corner of this photograph is actually a piece of a twig that was there, in the way, when I shot this photo. It's not fog. Just a piece of twig.


Then, the two boys decided to go for a swim together and they moseyed on across the water.


Pretty soon, they were having a get-together of a lot of the Wood ducks and their mates. As you can see, Tuxedo Ted is welcomed among them and nothing is made of the fact he's 'different' than they are. Humans could take a page from ducks on this one. The whitish stuff in the lower right corner is the twig--again.


You can see three pair of the Wood Ducks nd their mates in the creek. It's such a joy to get up from my writing to move my 'dead butt' and go out to the living room and just watch them. They are so instructive. They can teach us a lot if we allow them too.


What do you see? This is the opposite bank from our house. Look closely.


If you didn't see BOTH of them, here is a pair of Wood Ducks roosting up on a sycamore tree that got pushed sideways by our 2004 flood when the creek rose twenty-five feet in twenty-four hours. Wood Ducks, as I said before, roost at night in trees and find holes in trees or old stumps and sit on their eggs there. They have special claws on their webbed feet that allow them to climb into trees! Now, did you see both of them when you looked at the first picture? I bet you didn't! You probably--finally--saw the male Wood Duck whose bright and colorful. But look at Mrs. Wood Duck--she's designed to be camoflauged so a predator won't even see her and pass her by. Pretty cool. Quack.


We now switch from the creek to the bird bowl. Mrs. Flicker flew in to get a quickie meal. She has a lot of trouble in the plastic bird bowl because her feet and legs are structured to be parallel on a tree trunk--not trying to find her way around to get the right morsel. You can almost see her thinking: "Decisions.....decisions.....which one do I want first???"


Finally, Mrs. Flicker found JUST the right morsel! And Mr.PurpleFinch flew in and started gobbling sunflower seeds like Miss Piggy!


I know, I know, this is ducks. But, every once in awhile, unsual things happen at the bird bowl in our back yard. Here's Mrs. Flicker in the bowl along with a male Purple Finch. She sees something.....


Now, the Red Finch is paying attention too. What are they looking at????


And here comes Captain Jack Sparrow himself! Zooming in Mach 3 with his hair on fire puts a fire under Mrs. Flicker who takes off like a shot. Meanwhile, our intrepid Mr. Purple Finch couldcare less because he's intent on pigging out on sunflower seeds while the getting is good!

I hope your Monday is terrific!

In Spirit.....Eileen

HONOLULU FLOWER Photos Part 1

Hi Everyone

Now, on to Oahu and Honolulu! We rented a car and what a joy to escape the cigarette ship, the Zaandam! Fresh air! Glorious! And even better, we were finally going to get to meet a long-time internet buddy of mine, Pam Haley, whose email is "aunty frog!"


This first photo is probably a surprise. When Dave and I got our rental car in Honolulu, we had to 'go over the mountain' of Oahu to the other side. We were going to meet Pam and Jim Haley who lived in Kailua. As we went up and over the mountain, the ridge line of sharp lava peaks covered in emerald greenery and soft, misting clouds were everywhere. We stopped at a rest stop about one quarter of the way down the steep hill that flowed into the beautiful aquamarine bay where Kailua sat. As we parked, and I was taking photos, there were several other tourists at the site as well. As I came up to the mossy lava wall, a man said, "Did you ever see such a large snail in your life?" I looked down and holy moley!!! This snail, no joke, was at LEAST three inches long and about an inch tall!! I was HUGE! I looked at it and saw how beautiful its shell looked. And the snail was just movin' along at a leisurely pace. It was incredible. I said, "Good thing they don't grow that big back home. I wouldn't have a garden standing after one night with guys this size." The man laughed and agreed. It was worthy of a photo, believe me! In Oahu, everything is giant size!


From our tourist stop vantage point you can see Kailua in the distance hugging the bay of the gorgeous aquamarine waters of the bay. Truly, doesn't this look like paradise?


And here's "Aunty Frog" as we knew Pam Haley for many, many years on athena, my list. Pam is an amateur photographer who loves Nikon too. And she's a darned good photog in my opinion. She's all decked out and ready to go. We agreed we'd love to see a nearby botanical garden and she had her unipod, her camera and a sassy hat to boot!


And here's our intrepid heroes, Dave and Jim Haley in the sandals and shorts. You can tell who lives in the islands, can't you? chuckle.


The botanical garden that we went too had these massive, finger-like scarred lava cliffs. Doesn't it look like some giant raked his fingernails down the sides of these mountains? It's really a cool texture. We went to Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden and if you're interested, you can go to their website at: http://www.honolulu.gov/parks/hbg/hmbg.htm


And here's another shot from Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden. The scenery just doesn't get more lovely or wistful than this. Doesn't it make you feel like you're viewing LOST, the TV show?


Wonder what this is? Looks like a red cherry on top of greenery, doesn't it? Well, look below and you'll see the mature flower!



Here's a marvelous, giant Red Ginger planet blooming.


And here's the Red Ginger when it 'blooms'--kinda reminds me of a space alien having a bad hair day!


I don't know what kind of bush or berries these are, but I just liked the contrast of gree to red.


An then, I spotted a wild orchid! You have NO idea for an orchid lover what it's like to spot one in its natural setting and state! Pure adrenaline rush excitement. It's like watching the horse you bet on race first across the finish line! And here was this lovely orchid, very delicate and alone out in a clearing. Wow!


Whenyou see an orchid in the wild, you really get to note it's environment--what makes it thrive. And that's important because if you grow one in your greenhouse, you try your best to duplicate those types of conditions. For example, this is an orchid found out in a meadow and it wants direct sunlight to thrive. There's many orchids who do poorly in sunlight; their leaves burn, blister and blacken, as an example. Knowing their habitat is always a special gift.


And this orchid is just a gift to look at it!


I have no idea of what these are, but they looked like or resembled a 'cup and saucer' to me!


This is what is known as a Sensitive Plant. You can lightly run your fingertip over any leaf and it will instantly curl inward. It's pretty neat to watch!


Here's a pretty bush with black berries on it. Dunno the name of it, but it looked rather dramatic in a sea of green.


Here is the lake that lies within the botanical garden. There's a lot of ducks and water birds around it.


There are many wonderful trees in the botanical garden. I always find root systems somewhat hypnotic and or symbolic. I love how tree trunks 'express' their individuality, their 'life', if you will which is written plainly for all to see. The trunk tells of its struggles, its triumphs and everything in between. Much like the lines on a human face, the tree trunk and roots speak to me in a similar way.


I got lucky! This is a Hawaiian Cardinal! I saw it flitting through the trees and snapped off a few shots without thinking. And lucky me....I got a decent one, considering it was 'on the fly.' Bless those Nikon lenses!! Isn't he beautiful! Wow! It was the cherry on the top of the cake for this walk through this glorious botanical garden!


This is a photo from Foster Botanical Garden which is practically in downtown Honolulu. After we left Pam and Jim, we drove back 'over the mountain' to the big city. Pam had told us about this bot garden and we had enough time to drop by for about an hour to see it. Foster has mostly big old marvelous, breathtaking trees. Not a lot of flowers. However, it was a worthy stop. I loved this photo because one tree, which I cannot identify, was in bloom with orange flowers. I loved the color contrast as I shot upward into the sky.


Well, this is a good photo to leave you with. Pam Haley snapped this of me in the Hoomaluhia botanical garden just as we got on the way to 'hunt' for those wonderful flowers and such. Can you see the gleam in the eye? The excitement? Yep, it's all there and she captured it like the good photographer she is! Thanks, Pam. This is a favorite of mine. The flower hunter on the prowl!

There are more Honolulu botanical garden photos to come. This is enough for this blog. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we did by living it and absorbing it. We couldn't have had better hosts than Pam and Jim Haley either. Thank you!!

In Spirit....Eileen

Rainbow ducks Part 2

Hi Everyone

Today, I got smart. When I went down to the creek this morning, I cleaned up along the bank where the ducks usually congregate. I don't have a clean, clear path to photographing them. So, down on my hands and knees I went, with my gloves on, tearing out old, yellowed grass, brush and weeds. When I got done, I actually, from our sundeck, had a wonderful shot of the area.

That done, I set up my tripod on the sundeck. I'm leaving it there for a couple of days for the duckers to get used too. The next event after that is to attach the Nikon with the 300mm VR lens to it and then try the remote control to see if it will work. I'm trying to get 'clean' shots of the ducks without the darned window in between because it just won't give me the sharp crispness I desire.

I have a remote control with my Nikon, but haven't used it much and must experiment with it. I'm not sure it will trigger from behind. I'll be in the house, aiming it at the camera that is aimed and locked on the tripod down at the creek. As a duck goes by, I'm going to try and remote control click the camera and start taking shots. It's worth a try . Something new to learn and figure out. We'll see how it goes :-).

In the meantime, because I cleared the bank area, I got some fantabulous shots tonight--still through the sliding door glass--but beggars can't be choosers and something is better than nothing. This VR is incredible. You can turn it on and off. You can set it at normal for still photos and action for moving objects (like duckers swimming in the water....). Here's my experiments today with it. What do you think???!!


Oops! Not a duck! Nope, one of our faithful Mourning Doves who just love to fly in and feed. We have about forty of them now--incredible! And they are so darling. I just love their haunting, cooing call......


Here's our Mandarin drake from the rear. No matter which way you see him, he's just plain gorgeous!


When you see such a marvel of Nature, you know that some heart centered intelligence created this magnificent reality of ours--and all the wonderful surprises we discover within it.


And here's another photo of our handsome young Mandarin drake...a leading man, for sure!


Here he is fluffing his headdress. (I must give this chap a name! Any ideas what we should all this lone stranger? Add a COMMENT and let me know!).


Here is one of the two pairs of Wood Ducks who have come back to nest. Even the female has a little bit of color near her tail!

I can see a lovely, sad story unfolding here on our beloved creek. Mr. Mandarin drake is without a partner. Did you know that Mandarins mate for life? And he has no mate. So, he flew in with the two pair of Wood Duck couples. And you can watch him on the creek as he looks around; as if looking for Mrs. Mandarin Duck to fly in. Still, he floats around with this Wood Duck couple who accept him. This is strange because this is mating season and normally, the male Wood Duck would be very territorial and chase the Mandarin off--yet, he does not do it. Why?


There's a lot of movement on the Mandarin's part so this photo is very blurry, but I chose it because you can see his colorful top knot!


As I was clicking away, darned if our male Wood Duck didn't hear it!! That's astounding to me! I'm a good fifty feet away, behind thick glass and he can hear the click on my Nikon. In this photo you can see him looking directly at me and assessing the situation. Incredible!


And here is our lonely hero.....without a mate......


As I have watched with endless enjoyment of the escapades and relationships between the two Wood Duck couples, the Mallard couple and our lonely Mandarin hero, it seems as if he has some kind of agreement with this Wood Duck duo. The female often paddles up to the Mandarin and yet, her 'husband,' the Wood Duck drake, pays no attention at all; as if he trusts his 'wife' and the Mandarin male. Hmmmmm.....a triangle? Or not? This is very unusual to see in the duck world; especially at breeding time, which is right now. So, what's going on here? I've read that sometimes Wood ducks and Mandarins mate amongst themselves. But I don't think this female Wood Duck is courting our lonely hero because she always swims back to the side of our elegant drake, the Wood Duck.


One thing I've learned by studying animals is that they mirror us. Or, should I say? Humans mirror animals? Humans are animals after all, according to scientists. And so, I wonder what the relationship between these three really are. What allowed the male Wood duck to accept the Mandarin male not as a threat, but as possible a friend? And the Wood duck hen does not 'flirt' with the Mandarin at all; rather, she seems to treat him more like a brother than a lover. You wonder about these things and if you don't, I sure do! I wonder if these three ducks were at one time, owned by a private farm or zoo. Maybe they all escaped together? And now, they live, fly and stay with one another? We'll never know, but my writer's imagination goes wild on 'what if's' with this trio. I will continue to observe them and see if I get any hints about their relationship and let you know.

In Spirit.....Eileen

Rainbow ducks and my new Nikon 300mm lens and fun!

Hi Everyone

Well, finally, no thanks to Amazon.com, but to Ritzcamera.com, I got my beloved and six months late Nikon 70-300mm VR lens. I put the order in for this lens on 8.11.2006 with Amazon.com. The lens became available in October, 2006. Amazon.com kept sending me monthly emails saying it was 'delayed' and promised to send it in a month. Well, they never did. Finally, in February, 2007, I'd had it. I sent a letter to Nikon complaining that their distributor, Amazon.com was acting in 'bad faith' on their promise to sell me the Nikon lens. And then, I called Amazon.com as well as sent a blistering email to them.

The only thing I got from Amazon.com was an admittance they did act in bad faith and a lousy $20.00 gift certificate I could spend at their website and an apology. What they fail to get is that I ordered that 70-300mm VR lens in Aug/2006 because I knew we were going to go on a cruise to Hawaii and I wanted it for that time. Well, thanks to them, it never happened. And I feel I missed a lot of good photos because I did not have this particular lens. The end of this unhappy six month story is that I went to Ritzcamera.com and ordered it--and got it cheaper (Amazon.com was charging $549.00 for the lens) for $529.00. And I got it in three days. I'm going to turn my complaint over to the Better Busines Bureau because Amazon.com needs to be held accountable for such debacles so they can improve on the next customer and get things ironed out so this doesn't happen to someone in the future.

Now, to the Nikkor lens. What is special about it? Well, the "VR" is why I bought it--plus, camera buffs and professionals love Nikkor lenses because they are truly better than the rest (my opinion). The "VR" stands for "vibration reduction." Just another way to say that those of us who try to shoot good picture shake a little when we do it. And theVR was invented to minimize this. I'll show you some photos with my new 'baby' because I tried her out the moment I got her late this afternoon!

Also, all these ducker photos are shot through a thick sliding glass door.....so they are not going to appear as sharp or crisp if that glass was not in the way. If I went and stood out on the sundeck, these wild ducks would fly away, so I don't have much choice--hide behind the sliding glass door inside our house and try for a few lucky shots or get none at all.





We usually have three to four pairs of Wood Ducks that come back every mid-February to breed and raise their babies here on Oak Creek. And here's a pair of them. Right now, I see three pair, plus that incredible loner, Mandarine Duck. More on him later! But isn't the male Wood Duck gorgeous! And he has RED eyes!


Here is Mr. and Mrs. Mallard. They are the tamest and I could go out and photograph them and they'd hang around.


Here's a Sparrow out near the creek bank. Isn't it incredible how Nature has colored the bird so it blends in seamlessly with the trees, saplings and brush/twigs along the bank?


Here's Mr. and Mrss. Wood Duck coming around one of the large lava boulders in the creek. Notice how plain the hen looks? You know, Wood Ducks create their nests in the hollows of trees. And at night, they don't stay on the creek. They roost in trees. Which is highly unusual for a duck to do. They have webbed feet, but each has claws to give them grasping to climbe trees or to climb into their nest (usually a hollowed out hole in a tree).


Do you see the lovely cobalt blue, emerald green and bright lavendar color on the male Wood Duck's topknot?


Here's the guy taking a bath and shaking his feathers to clean himself up in the creek.


This Wood Duck was having a ball dipping and flapping to get the water going around him.


I guess he thought he was finally clean. By flapping his wings, he gets rid of all the rest, thumps his male chest and knows how beautiful he looks. Sigh....



And here's another male to rival the Wood Duck for colorful plummage: our mystery guest to the creek--an Mandarin Duck! They are NOT indigenous to this hemisphere at all. They live in Japan/China and the Far East. From a Feng shui standpoint they are considered good luck or fortune in a long, loving marriage as well as spousal loyalty to one another. They are beloved in Japan and China. And here in the US, from what I can research, the eggs are sold and private farms or zoos will have some. I think this guy got loose from somewhere. And since he is closely related to Wood Ducks in all ways, including the claws on his webbed feet, then I think he's flying with the group. I haven't seen a female Mandarine Duck around and he's a loner. Although, I do watch him trying to chase the Wood Duck hens to mate with them every once in awhile until the Wood Duck drake chases him off. But isn't he gorgeous?!


Mr. Mandarine Duck loved to preen. Look at the colors of his feathers, particularly the wings where you see that emerald green flash. Wow.



And here he is in all his glory. Double Wow!


There aren't a whole lot of shots I can take from the window on this guy. He seems to know I'm photographing him and he sticks close to the weeds of the banks. I only get one or two photos and then tree trunks or brush are in the way. I thought this photo, despite the weeds, showed his extraordinary plummage.

I particularly liked this one because the water was golden from the long, slanting rays of the sun. The golden accents complimented the burnt sienna color of the Mandarin Duck.

I hope you enjoyed my NEW Nikon VR 70-300mm lens! Rest assured it takes clear, sharp, crisp photos if it isn't being asked to shoot through a 1/4 inch of thick glass!! Still, it captures the stunning beauty of our "rainbow ducks" that we love to see come back to Oak Creek this time every year. And I can hardly wait until the babies are born and you see a gaggle of ten or twelve behind mama duck...they are so cute!

In Spirit.....Eileen

Holland-America Cruise Lines Zaandam

Hi Everyone

I thought we might turn our attention to the inside of the Zaandam. We sought 'refuge' from the constant haze and odor of smoke no matter where we went on the ship. Our 'hideaway' became the Green House Spa and Gym area at the front/bow of the ship. They did not allow smoking in these areas at all. And in this area became our favorite hideaway, The Thermal Suite. We were in there 2-3 times a day when we could manage it, for about 30 minutes at a time. Clean air or as clean as it was going to get on board the cigarette ship understanding that their air filtration system could, in no way, filter the carcinogens from the cigarette smoking in the bars, the casino and cabins from the air circulating throughout the ship continuously.


Here was our only refuge on the ship to get away from cigarette smoke--the Green House Spa. Wonderful place. Too bad it was on a ship that fully embraces unhealthy smoking. Isn't that a dichotomy of all of them????


This is the Lido deck. And on a good day,the roof slides back and fresh air comes in--but if you look to the corner beyond the dolphin statues at the pool (behind them) is the smoking area. The smoke collects in the corner and then moves out into the entire Lido deck. When the sliding roof is closed,well guess what? Smoke is everywhere and nowhere to go so it hangs and you gag as you go through clouds of it. Ashamed, isn't it? Something this pretty could be so unhealthy for you.

This is the lido dec and the lovely flowers and botanical prints throughout the ship sure don't embrace the smoking agenda that Holland-America Lines has set for their ships. Talk about hypocrisy at its height. Anyway, this is me after shortly getting on board and before we knew what we were in for.

And here's Dave smiling--thinking we are going to have a wonderful time....


The first thing I did after finding our cabin on the Navigator Deck, was to find the Internet Cafe. This is one thing the Zaandam did right--we're a wired generation and the PC's (no Macs--bummer) at these desks were very nice, very comfortable and accomodating. Of course, I had my own Mac laptop with wifi so I used it and not the Neanderthal PC's (sorry). But, this was a fun photo to take to show my love of the wifi age.


When you consider we hadn't had a vacation in nearly three years, you begin to understand how badly we needed this one and how much we hoped it would be a wonderful one. Our flowers, appetizers and yes, a bottle of champagne eventually saw its way to our cabin in fits and starts. I would like to have seen them all here, but knowing what I know now--that the crew has ONLY 2 hours between those who have disembarked and those who are coming on board, it is little wonder nothing much showed up on time when we arrived. Still,we were in port at anchor and I wanted to celebrate!


Well, shoot. Before I could even open the champagne, at 4:00 pm on sail day, we had to run through the mandatory ship sinking exercise. Here I am all decked out in my gear just in case....


I finally got to the champagne as we sailed out of San Diego harbor at 5:00 pm on the nose. The Dutch are famous for being obsessively on time. And, this should have warned me of things to come. We were about two hours out of the harbor when the high waves hit and things started really rockin' and rollin'. Do you think this sky and sea are a forewarning? It was.


One of the bright spots in our cruise was Talus, our Indonesian steward. He was warm, smiling, thoughtful and sensitive. And he had nice energy around him. On our first night, this little towel/washcloth animal showed up on our bed when we were eating for the first time in the formal dining room. The 'eyes' are chocolates (very tasty). We came to look forward to what Talus would create every night. Again, it was a bright spot on a smoke-filled tapestry. But something positive, anyway.


On one of the few sunny days on the cruise, I loved to watch the water churning as the ship sliced up and down through the water....the different play of transparent colors from aquamarine,to emerald to cobalt. The white foam reminded me of Chaos but there was beauty even in that and in fact, could be quite mesmerizing and even meditative if one chose to move into this constant display of ship and ocean meeting one another.


Okay, here's your laugh for the blog. Me in a little "dutch girl" cap. One night, the last formal night we ate there (only 3 times in the whole trip because we don't do 'formal'), they had "Dutch night" which was a very nice idea. Dutch foods, for example. Great idea. But when you pass out little navy blue caps for the guys to wear and white dutch caps for the women to wear....that's going beyond our comfort zone. We didn't go on a cruise to do this...although I completely embrace that others just love to do this kind of thing and get a big bang out of it. We don't. I guess we're old fuddy duddies or some such thing..... Maybe we like quiet dinners where we can talk and not put on an act or have to be part of the act.....


Here is a little doggy on our bed that Talus made. Isn't it cute??!!


On to our favorite place on the Zaadam to escape Smoke City. This is the Thermal Suite. These are tile lounges with heating elements within each of them. You lay your towels on top and then rest on it. The warmth on your back, hips and legs is wonderful.

You can see the gorgeous peacock tiles in the Thermal Suite--they are wonderful to look at. To the right is the whirlpool--which I lived in especially when my back (psoas muscle in my abdomen) went out.

Here is the spa. Again, this room was thoughtfully designed and gorgeous and utilitarian. Only so many people could buy passes for the day. So, at any given time I never saw more than six people in there and usually, three to four. There is also two steam rooms located within this suite.

My sanctuary--the whirlpool. It was just above body temperature. Look at the wonderful tiles behind it, too. To the left, there is a row of windows and you can be floating in the spa, looking in that direction and you can watch the bow of the ship going up and down--really cool.


At the water fountain you have two lovely peacock tiles. The soothing quality of the Thermal Suite was incredible. Our only "safe place" on the ship. So glad it was there!


I was so looking forward to the sunsets on the ocean, but I must tell you, there weren't many. We had so many rainy, gray days at sea that there were no sunsets. This was one of the few coming back, about a day out of Ensenada, Mexico.


Hee's same sunset a little later.


See this photo? There was more of this weather than any other going over to Hawaii. And of course, when it's blowing gale force 7 out there you can't open the door to let the building cigarette smoke in our cabin out....

Here's my favorite Talus towel/washcloth creature--the snake! We just loved to come back from eating at the Lido buffet to see what creative thing he'd thought of for that night. Bless him!


On the 4th night as we neared the Big Island of Hawaii, at 11:30 pm, the ship's 2 engines stopped and we were dead in the water. Minutes later, a Coast Guard helicopter flew slowly past our verandah deck, headed up to the 8th deck where it took about an hour to get a basket drop made down to the Zaandam's deck to pick up a passenger who had appendicitis. Further, there was a second CG helo standing by and a C-130 Hercules (also Coast Guard) drop 5 lit and blinking buoys in the water. I suspect there was a Coast Guard cutter nearby who had come out and met the Zaandam. And this CG cutter had helicopters on the deck. When this happened, we had to be at least 300 miles away from the Island and this particular CG helo dos NOT have fuel or range like that--so someone had to come out in a ship. I tried to find out more about the passenger but the officer corps clammed up and looked at me like I was crazy when I asked them about it. I always got the question: "What Coast Guard helicopter?" Or, they pretended to no nothing. Liars all. I got the photo that PROVES that it happened despite their playing dumb. Just hoped the passenger survived. Apparently, from my sources, the person was diagnosed the 2nd day out on the cruise and for two more days was in the infirmary. I'm sure it was a close call because usually, the appendicts can burst within 3 days of acting up and this was a dire situation.


On the very night we were up on the 9th deck watching the Coast Guard helicopter dancing above the group of officers/crew with the sick person, this Tern or whatever it is, was on the deck. I don't know if it was sick. Or if it was tired of flying in the nasty winds and storm. But it was clearly exhausted.


Here is another photo of the little Tern or whatever it was.

I picked the little bird up and took it away from all the blasting sounds of the helicopter that was thumping above us. I'm sure it was scared to death. We took it down to the lower deck and I placed it in a safe place where no one would see it and it could rest and hopefully, revive. It wasn't there the next morning, so hopefully, it flew off to make it to Hawaii.


And the next morning, we got to Hawaii and the weather cleared up.

In Spirit....Eileen

Mandarine Duck on Oak Creek!

Hi Everyone

Gosh, we got an incredible duck on Oak Creek that showed up last night! I didn't know WHAT it was and went to my Sibley's Bird Guide and found out it was a Mandarin Duck!! I'd never seen one before and it is flying in with our Wood Duck couples that come here in late February to nest and raise their young on our creek. Then, here's what else I found out:


This first photo was shot from my living room, through the glass to the creek below--and without a tripod, a lens can shake and that's why this is blurred (I can hardly WAIT to get my 70-300mm Nikon VR lens! It compensates for shaky human hands!


DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT:

The Mandarin Duck originated in China but can be found almost anywhere there is a suitable habitat. They are believed to be semi-migratory and semi-colonial. They are scattered throughout Southeast Russia, Northeast China, Japan, Southern England and Siberia. Mandarins were introduced to the west for breeding purposes by aviculturalists and can be found in zoos around the world. The fall migration ranges from China, Japan, Manchuria, North Korea, to the central and southern islands east of the Sea of Japan. Mandarins prefer to live in woodlands next to water that has many trees with holes for nesting. They favor mountain areas with streams, marshland and forests.
CONSERVATION STATUS:

The Mandarin Duck is not listed in CITES as an endangered species, but can be considered as near threatened or of special concern. They are listed as Class II key state protection animals of China. Worldwide population status is unknown. The current Asian population may be under 20,000. In various parts of southern England small, well-established feral populations exist, thriving in Virginia Water on the Berkshire/Surrey border. In Russia, feral numbers are unknown, but there are one hundred fifty reserves throughout the country that provide homes for Mandarin Ducks, as well as other endangered or threatened species in the hopes of the population increasing. Feral populations also exist in Scotland and parts of northern Europe.

The decline of the Mandarin Duck can be blamed mostly on humans; mainly loggers, hunters and poachers. The destruction of their habitats by loggers and clearing of the forests has had a severe impact on the wild populations. Many hunters are unable to recognize them in flight and mistake them for other legally hunted ducks and most likely, due to the males extreme beauty, poachers prize them. Because of their bad taste, these ducks are not hunted by humans for food.

The predators that threaten the Mandarin vary in their geological ranges. Known predators include mink, raccoon dog, otters, polecats, eagle owls and grass snakes.


Here's a better photo! Isn't he beautiful? Wow!



So, my question is this: If Mandarin Ducks aren't supposed to be in the USA--what is THIS ONE doing here!!!??? Anyone know? Please use my COMMENT to let us know!

In Spirit....Eileen

MAUI FLOWER PHOTOS #6

Hi Everyone

We're back at Enchanting Floral Gardens in Kula, Maui, Hawaii. My friend, Pam Haley, is flying over to Maui from her home in Kailua, Oahu, the first week of March, to do some photographing too. She's a terrific photographer and has a real 'eye' for taking photos. We just found out that we've purchased a Nikkor 70-300mm VR lens! I'm FINALLY getting mine--no thanks to Amazon.com who held on to the order and kept delaying it for SIX MONTHS!! Do me a favor? Next time you need to order something big from Amazon.com--don't do it. I ordered my Nikkor lens Aug. 11, 2006. The lens became available in Oct/2006. And since then, Amazon.com has been stalling me and sending me monthly updates that it has been 'delayed.' I finally got angry and called them and then sent some blistering emails that I had ordered in good faith, but they certainly had not acted in good faith regarding my order. All they said was they were having 'supplier problems.' Well, thanks. If that is, they should have done something about the order instead of just letting it languish and keep promising me monthly that it would be sent to me--and never was. I ended up cancelling the order with Amazon.com and bought the lens elsewhere--and it is due at my home something late this week. I'm really irritated with Amazon.com's desulatory "I don't care" kind of response. This lens cost a lot of money--so it's no small order. Amazon.com used to be a customer friendly and responsive internet company. Now, it is not. Do your shopping elsewhere. I order all my books I want at BN.com (Barnes and Noble) online. I've written Amazon.com off my list of customer friendly websites and will no longer do business with them as a result of this six month debacle.

That said, Pam will have her new lens to go over to Maui with so that's exciting. By the way, Pam has a lovely website where she's got 420 of her photos. They are worth looking at. When you have time, go on over. You can see here three beautiful dogs we got to meet, too! http://www.flickr.com/photos/auntyfrog/

Without further adieu, here's more Maui flower photos!

I don't know the name of this flower but I love the apricot orange color of it.


Here is anoth view of the same flower. Looks like a vine to me!

Here is a lovely white hibiscus and if my memory isn't completely daft, I believe this is a Hawaiian flower that indigenous to the islands.


This is a Gloriosa Lily. I know because I was able to grow some in my orchidarium for a couple of years. This is a vine, too! I love them because of their reflexive petals. It looks like the flower is zooming forward, it's petals behind it!


This one pink flower is Abuilton from a tree. The other clump of pink flowers--I don't know, but I thought they were beautiful combo together.


Here is honeysuckle--yet, another vine!


Here is a lovely pink plant--identity unknown to me--but it reminded me of a pink ice cream cone!


And this one reminds me of a "wild hair day!"


By now, from other blog photos on Maui, you know this is Sweet Snow. Take a look at how the sepals (white with pink tips0 open up to reveal this luscious, sensual looking color feast! And as I said before, the fragrance is heavy and wonderful.

This is the end of my Maui portion of photos. I have lots to go! I have shipboard photos to share, the dramatic midnight Coast Guard helicopter basket lift of taking a passenger with appendicitis off the ship near the Big Island of Hawaii, photos from the botanical garden that Pam and Jim Haley took us too on Oahu, photos from Hilo and Kona as well. Plus some dramatic photos of the lava pouring into the sea from the slope of Kileuea, Pele's volcano on the Big Island. Stay tuned. I'll get them up as I can. I must start an anthology today, so am back into the writing harness which limits my 'play' time on blogs. Eventually, they will all be put up! Enjoy.

In Spirit....Eileen

MAUI FLOWER PHOTOS #5

Hi Everyone

I love Sundays. Don't you? For me, it's a kick back day to relax and play, if possible. In the winter around here in desert-land, you can do that. In the summer, I can't because of the watering responsibilities on our little part of the world. I truly enjoy winter because for us, it is a time of rest and not having to run from dawn to dusk taking care of things as we must in the Spring and Summer time.

Here are some more photos from the Enchanting Floral Gardens of Kula, Maui, Hawaii. Our friends, Pam and Jim Haley, whom we visited when the Cruise from Hell (Holland American Lines) docked in Honolulu, Oahu, invited us over across the island to their home in Kailua
The botanic garden we visited neary them is called is Hoomaluhia http://www.honolulu.gov/parks/hbg/hmbg.htm
the literal translation of the name hoo = to cause maluhia = peaceful. Once we're done with the Maui and Enchanting Floral Gardens, I intend to start other photographic sections from the cruise. Anyway, Pam was so inspired by the photos I took at Enchanting Floral Gardens on Maui that she's going over there from Oahu, to do a day's shoot there! She's a terrific photographer and sister amateu botanist like myself. Needless to say, we had a ton of fun at Hoomaluhia botanical garden where she and Jim took Dave and I on our visit day. More on that in another blog.

What I wanted to share with you was a photo Pam Haley took of me at Hoomaluhia and it truly captures my 'spirit' when I in a botanical garden (heaven to me) and in my 'outfit' which has very practical reasons for wearing (a pocket for notebook to write down the metal labels beneath the flowers/bushes or trees I shoot), a place for two ink pens, black and red, a pocket for a protein bar because once I'm 'on the hunt' in a bot garden, I don't stop for lunch! A large back pocket that goes around the back of my canvas vest that holds a botanical ID book and/or bottle of water. I also have inner pockets that hold my digital SLR cards, extra batteries should I exhaust my D-70 Nikon camera (I always do), another pocket for bot garden brochure and/or map to find my way around, a back pocket for a small umbrella because in the tropics it can rain without warning, and finally, another pocket that will contain a 13 gallon white plastic bag and several quart sized zip lock bags--when it rains the first thing I protect is my camera and lens. I can't tell you how many times carrying these plastic bags I've needed to use them around the world for my camera. I just don't leave home without them! And, to top it off I always wear a long sleeved white cotton shirt to protect myself from the sun and getting burned. And also, a great deterrent against bugs biting you, too. Lastly, a hat that will not only protect my head, a very long bill on it to keep my eyes protected from direct sunlight and a shield against my neck so it doesn't get sunburned, either! All practical items when you're 'on the hunt!'

Anyway, this photo Pam caught of me truly does "capture" the essence of me 'on the hunt,' and I hope you enjoy it! Thanks, Pam. GREAT shot! You know, photographing isn't about just pointing a camera at a subject and clicking. It's about capturing the 'spirit' or energy, as well--which is much tougher to get. Sometimes, it's luck that you get it. And sometimes,it's just observation, patience and then waiting until the right moment when you see it emerge and THEN, clicking the camera. Knowing Pam, she was observing and waiting....she's an excellent photographer and it was joy to putter around with her that day. She has invited us back--she has an apartment that she rents out--and I intend to take her up on it in the future. And who knows? The 2 or 4 of us may galavant and island-hop to bot gardens all over Hawaii. What fun! What adventures!


This is Pam Haley's shot of me at their botanical garden. You can see the happiness not only in my face, but my eyes as well. She captured my 'spirit' in that moment. Well done, Pam!


As we were driving from Lahina, Maui to the "Enchanting Floral Gardens" near Kula, the clouds and mist of the morning were lingering and slowly moving off the flank of the dormant volcano, Haleakala. I stopped, pulled off and took this photo . It was beautiful to watch the invisible winds push the clouds around on the slopes. Artistry in motion.


Right after you enter the botanical garden, you are overwhelmed with this huge and glorious white Datura tree. Each flower is larger than a man's hand extended and spread. They are bell shaped. And like a white bower above your head, it is a celebration and promise of things to come as you enter this Garden of Eden.


Here is the entrance and you can see the 'shower' of White Datura on the left. I felt like Alice in Wonderland and if I walked through that dark tunnel--what would I find on the other side? The Garden of Eden!



Back to EnchantingFloral Gardens at Kula, Maui,Hawaii. Here you see a riot of color with the red Pointsettia bushes, the wild-haired Pinwheel Protea bushes that give the yellow and orange hues and then the thorny but gorgeous fuschia Bouganvillea bushes.

I don't know what this flower is; only that it is beautiful because of the yellow shading to orange. So subtle and no painter could possibly do this as well as Nature in her palette could do.


I don't know what the name of this flower is, but I loved that it stood quietly and was fragile and very feminine in its energy expression.


Here is a lovely bush, unidentified. Its new growth are pinkish-white leaves before they turn dark green with age. How pretty! And different.


Here's more colorful leaves. I love the tropics and the plants that grow there because their color is so dramatic, unusual and different from the more northern latitudes where many of us live.


And here's another brightly colored bush with red leaves and creamy white, small flowers. I don't know the name of this one, either.

More pretty leaves. I believe this is Persian Shield. The purple and green leaves with the lavendar flowers was like icing on this cake.


This group of flowers had a wonderful, delicate sensation to them. I loved the tangerine color of them, too. And I don't know what they are called.


Here is a Tree Dahlia. This bloom was about fifty feet in the air, but it was a lovely pink and very delicate looking.




Here is another King Protea in the midst of opening up. For many years and my several visits to the Hawaiian islands, I'd seen protea in floral arrangements, but never in the wild. I always wondered where they grew, what they looked like at the various stages of forming and opening. From a Doctrine of Signature standpoint, it is important to know all 'ages and stages' of a flower--from the moment it peeks out of the soil to the moment it dies. They are just like people in that they each have a unique personality. And, I was fortunate enough to break the 'code' and be able to translate looking at a flower through all its stages, and be able to interpolate it into human experience/characteristics/personality. It took me ten years of continuing study, observation and examination, plus many flower essence provings, to do this. That is when I created "What Flower Are You?" (www.whatflowerareyou.com) and I sell the reports to people who have a 'favorite' flower. I discovered that when you loved a certain flower, that it could help to heal you or help you come back closer to your own inner balance and harmony. Like cures like. That is a homeopathic law and it works. What you love can help you. Period. So, I had a hungry curiosity of these alien looking Protea the first time I saw them in bouquets in the Hawaiian islands. I really wanted to sink my teeth into getting to know them far more intimately than just in a bouquet. And here, at this botanical garden, I got what I was wishing for!


Here's a beautiful side view of the King Protea. I really love the soft pink coloration with the white on this flower. But, they are HUGE! They can easily be 4-6" across!! Giant flowers! And no fragrance.


Here's another part of the botanical garden which has nice black asphalt and/or concrete sidewalks. People in wheelchairs can also easily access this bot garden. As you can see, color is everywhere--no matter where you look. Heaven!

When you drive in the entrance to the Enchanting Floral Gardens thee is this wonderful round-about with all these flowers---a promise of great things to come!


One of the first flowers on the walk after you pay your fee to enter this bot garden is a Dendrobium orchid on the right. I don't have the name of it, but I loved seeing it. I didn't see that many orchids in this bot garden, but it more than made up for it in Protea!


Here is a baby pineapple peeking out! Ever wonder what your pineapple you see in your store ever came from? How it was born? What it grew in? What it looked like? Well, now you know!



When we went to the Kula Inn (highly recommended--be sure and get reservation for lunch or dinner) they had this incredible bouquet in the front area where you enter. This is a Torch Ginger. It looks plastic and fake, doesn't it? But it is real. And incredible. There is also a heavy orange blossom scent to this Ginger. I just love this particular ginger--and the bloom is as large as an adult person's head!! They are huge! And gorgeous.


Here is the full bouquet in the Kula Inn. They had wonderful green Dendrobium orchids at the base, with Torch Ginger in various bloom stages and of course, the Red Ginger. Wow.


If you go to the Kula Inn for lunch, be sure to try and get their famous 'corner window.' Why? Because it is positioned so you get the best view of Maui. Maui is like two islands connected with a thin isthmus. And from the corner window, you can see it best. Here is one side of Maui from our window table (which sat next to the 'corner window')


Here is Lahina, Maui where our ship anchored. It's a beautiful sight. I particularly liked the mountai with the huge crater impression in the center of it.

After boarding the Zaandam in the late afternoon, a rainbow started on one end of the Maui and I thought it was gorgeous. One thing, being in the islands,there are always showers and where there are showers, if you're lucky enough to be at the right place, you see the rainbows that follow.

By sheer luck, I caught a Marlin that was about 10-15 feet long, swimming languidly toward the ship that was at anchor at Lahina, Maui. And by real luck, I happened to have my Tamfor 300mm lens on my camera. Dave and I were standing on the Main Deck enjoying the view of Lahina when I spotted something in the water. Without thinking, I lifted my camera and bega to shoot. The draft on the Zaandam is roughly 28 feet. So, this Marlin was not only swimming directly amidships of the ship, it was deep enough to go under it, because that's what it did. So, this shot is probably thirty feet down in the water! That's amazing I got the photo at all. I took several, but this was the best one. I then enlarged it and took it to Putu, who works in the buffet on the Lido deck, and showed him the photo. I asked what I had photographed. He raised his brows, surprise written all over his face and said, "That's a Marlin!" And of course, the moment he uttered that, all the rest of the crew in the buffet area came running over to look. I gave him the photo and he just beamed. I could always make another photo because I had my trusty little HP Photomart A612 printer with me. So, I caught a Marlin! They were amazed this fish (which is heavily fished by people who come specifically to do deep sea fishing) was even in this area, this close to shore. I was thrilled with the unexpected meeting.

Talus, who is from Indonesia, and our hard working cabin steward, would come in every evening after we left to eat dinner, make up the bed, vacuum and leave us a creature made out of towels. The 'eyes' were chocolate. We got so that we really looked forward to what Talus would create when we came back from dinner. He's a wonderful person, such a hard, responsible worker. The workers on this ship were all Indonesian. The officer corps was Phillipino, Dutch, American and British. We got to know the Indonesian workers really well and we just loved them. They are a great group and again, when you meet a cross section of people from a foreign country you learn about the human beings--not the newspaper headlines. These guys had one year contracts aboard a ship and then, they usually got 3 months in between to go home to be with their families. And remember, these are mostly married men (not all, but most), and they are leaving their wife and children for ONE YEAR. I think that's awful. And I feel that it's a sin to force someone to leave their family that long. Over in Indonesia, they have many generations of family around the wife/children of the man who left to go to sea to make good money to support them. But still.....when we would ask them about this you could see the sadness in their eyes and feel it. They missed their families terribly, were lonely and homesick. I wish this line would look at changing how long they are away from their family. After all, I found out the officer corps only does four months of service and then they get to go home. Why can't they do that for the Indonesian workers too? Fair is fair.


Here's another of Talus' creations: a dragonfly! He's a cool steward with an eye toward great humor and playfulness. We truly appreciated his presence in our life for that miserable fifteen days aboard the "cigarette ship."


Here is one of the lovely flower arrangements by the ship's floris, Dave, and he did a wonderful job of creating pretty flowers throughout the Zaandam. Too bad the cigarette smoke was hanging everywhere on every deck, especially in the bar areas and you couldn't escape it.

I wish you a relaxed, joyous Sunday!

In Spirit....Eileen

MAUI FLOWER PHOTOS #4

Hi Everyone

Sure nice to have a bit of time off between projects. I get to play! And, it's Saturday! Another playday. Let's keep looking at the "Enchanting Floral Garden's" of Kula, Maui, Hawaii!


Nothing like starting off this segment with a really interesting looking flower! This is Aristolochia gigantea. I have two of these very vines in my orchidarium and am quite familiar with these odd and unusual shaped flowers. They too, are VINE, by the way! The smaller species of this same vine/flower is called "Dutchman's Pipe," and all too familiar reminder the Dutch love to smoke and then it brings up my Cruise from Hell with Holland-America Lines. But, on to these unique flowers, a far more positive and happy thing to share with you.


In homeopathy, this is a well known "woman's remedy" because, if you really look at the DOS (Doctrine of Signature) on this flower, you'll see a woman's womb there. And, the flower before it opens, certainly looks like it is criss-crossed with RED veins that look like capillaries spread across the womb-like flower bud. And when the time is right, this vein-crossed bud will open up into a fascinating flower.


I told you the flower opening would be unusual! By the time we got to this part of the eight acre botanical garden, it was high noon and hot. The poor Aristolochia was weakening and going limp in the direct sunlight, so I gently picked up the top of the bloom to get it to open so that you could see what it would look like shortly after it opened. This plant does not like direct sunlight. The two vines I have in my orchidarium bloom in the morning and stay 'strong' until about 3:00 pm, when the wide flaps of the flower petal begin to droop. It too, is a one day bloom and is most vital in the morning.



Here's a bloom just shortly before opening. Don't you love the feminine signature of this flower? It is simply amazing how Nature mirrors us....



Here is a bloom in the shade and you can see, it's not drooping as the first one that was in the direct sunlight. In front of it is another Aristolochia shortly beofre it's going to ope up. Doesn't the capillaries that go all around it remind you of veins? So cool.


Here we have "Lobster Claw" Heleconia with "Sweet Snow" which I believe, is from the Ginger family.


And here is another Lobster Claw Heleconia only this one has been vine-wrapped with two different Thurnburgia vines with pale yellow and gold blooms. I thought it looked rather pretty.



And here's a Lobster Claw Heleconia without any glittering wrapping. It looks strong and beautiful.


Here's another spectacular view within the botanical garden. The fuschia colored Bouganvillea vines in back of the Banana tree make for a great photo.



I don't know if you know anything about Bouganvillea, but trust me, it has the largest thorns that are hidden in the world! This plant makes for a great boundary, border and WALL. No one will sneak through Bouganvillea to get to your home because they will be cut with a thousand razors from the hidden thorns in this vibrant bush. That's why you see so much of it, especially in the Caribbean, surrounding homes--to protect them from thieves.


I love ginger; all of the different types, colors and varieties. They are so engaging and interesting! Here, a Red Ginger is blooming. These yellow 'flowers' burst from between the scales or plates. There is no odor to these conical shaped beings. Too bad.


Here is "Sweet Snow" which I'm fairly sure is from the Ginger Family. It is growing up and out and sideways from the stem. When they get too long and heavy, they give in to Gravity. Aren't they "sweet" looking? So feminine, fragile and beautiful....


And yet, when "Sweet Snow" blooms you get these incredible and wildly colorful (and unexpected) dramatic openings. Reminds you of the shy young maid until she grows into a wild woman later on! And, let me tell you, the heavy honey floral scent of these blossoms opening is heaven. The entire area around them is like walking into a perfume factory--it is that strong and intense.


Here is some of the Sweet Snow as it has gotten heavy and turned downward, and then it begins to bloom.


There is something very sensual about Sweet Snow.


Bet you didn't know that Banana's had flowers? I didn't until I saw one many years ago. Each of those yellow 'teeth' you see at the top of the 'bloom' can be a banana if a bee comes along to pollinate it. This 'bloom' is huge--about 2 feet long. And it is pendulous. And so very odd looking! Now you know where your bananas come from!


Here you can get an idea of just how big a banana flower blossom is in comparison to the tree, which is about thirty to forty feet tall.


Here is some "Turk's Cap" red Hibiscus. They never bloom and open--what you see is what you get!

I'm forever enamoured with the foliage in a jungle. The colors of the leaves and when the light hits them just right, make them spectacular--like this group. Wow.

In Spirit...Eileen

MAUI FLOWER PHOTOS #3

Hi Everyone!

Back again. Amazing what kind of time you have when you aren't writing. If you don't think writing isn't a full time job; it is. If you aren't thinking about a plot line/story/characters, one is actually writing about it in rough draft form for starters. Next Monday,February 19th, I start on my "winter anthology" (working title is WHITE OWL) for Harlequin. It is due in on my editor's desk May 1, 2007. This gives you a peek at how writers work with a publishing house. An anthology is 25,000 words or roughly five chapters. I'll be headlining this anthology along with two other writers who will also contribute their specific and unique anthology to this book. Right now, as I write this, the cover for the book is already in process. It takes time to come up with a concept for a cover design, hire an artist to render it, and the artist works with the art department at Harlequin, and then get a final, approved designed. I had talked to Tina C., who had the idea for this antho (anthology), and I'm hoping a white owl (Artic Owl) shows up on the cover, but one never knows!

Often, readers want to know if we writers have anything to do with the cover art. I wish we did! Harlequin does require writers to send in an Art Fact Sheet that describes the scenes we'd like to see on the cover, what the hero/heroine look like. But often, this is discarded for a diferent design cooked up by the Art Department. This isn't bad or good...but often an Art Fact Sheet can help the creative art department come up with a different idea that embodies something about the book that will translate to the reader. And that's their job--to give the readers an accurate look at what is inside the book. More on this with HEART OF THE STORM, my Native American novel for HQN that is coming out December/2007! I'm very excited about this book because it is pure Native America in every way and I want to write books like this in the future for HQN. And we'll see how you readers respond to the first one, which is HEART OF THE STORM.

Anyway, the cover of HEART OF THE STORM was some close working between me, the writer, my editor and the art department. I wanted more of a 'say' in the cover for a number of reasons; chief among them to in some way, red flag the reader to say, "Hey! This is different from other Lindsay McKenna books!" I wanted to let the reader know this was a Native American book written from that perspective, a Native American story, with Native American characters. How Native Americans see and think is different from other people and I wanted to show you the world I grew up in; the way I think,the way I see the world and the people in it. And this book will do all of that. And because this book is a what I term a 'signature' book, i.e., something different from the writer to the reader, we needed something to let the reader's know that. I had suggested a border around the book, or some Native American motife, either subtle or obvious, to key the reader about it. In this case, my editor sent me the 'working' cover idea to let me look at it, and if I had any suggestions or changes, they'd consider them. As it turned out, my editor sent it to me while I was on my Cruise from Hell on Holland-America Lines,and it was a bright spot in that two weeks of misery. I loved the cover and I loved what they did to 'flag' the reader that this was a Native American book. I can't sow you the cover yet because it's not done--but as soon as I get my final cover, I'll put it on my www.lindsaymckenna.com website as well as here in my blog!

So much for covers for today. Back to my beautiful Maui photos from the "Enchanting Floral Gardens" of Kula, Maui, Hawaii. By the way, Pam Haley, who lives on Oahu, is an amateur botanist like me. Dave and I had the joy of being with Jim and Pam for a day when our ship docked in Honolulu, Oahu. So, I rely on her to help me with some of the names of the flowers if I either didn't write them down in my note book as I went through the botanical garden, or I just forgot what they were. I want to thank her for her help because I feel stronlgy that flowers bushes or trees should be correctly identified. And, if you, dear blog reader, find something out of whack, put up a COMMENT and let me know! We'll get it fixed eventually :-)).

Okay, Maui photos #3!!

Here is another photo of the Pinwheel Protea. I jsut loved them. The energy around them is so happy, dancing and light!

I liked this photo because it shows the various stages of how a Pinwheel Protea opens up.


I liked this Pinwheel Protea because it was at a different stage of opening up. The interesting thing about these flowers was as they changed and opened, they took on a very DIFFERENT look that I found fascinating. Others might not, but I was intrigued!


The Pinwheel Protea come in all colors....from a pure yellow to an orange to a red. I was surrounded on a particular path in this bot garden by all the color variations and loved shooting the differences.


Here's what I'm talking about and you can see why I was in 7th heaven....down this particular sidewalk in the bot garden was all these different types of Protea...I felt like I was a kid in a candy store! Which one to photograph/shoot first? The wind was blowing pretty stiffly so trying to get a Protea to be still for a good, clear photo, was tough. But, I shot anyway! Some photo was better than no photo in my mind :-)


Now tell me...whenyou look at this photo, doesn't it just LIFT you and make you feel happy?


Here's the mysterious (as I see them) Thurburgia vine. You know, they come in different colors and sizes. This is the yellow fine that is weaving in an out of a section of the bot garden.


Here's another type of vine. Notice how well VINES grow in the tropics? You bet! It's actually a survival mechanism. When you have so many trees and thick, towering bushes, a vine has no way to reach enough sunlight to survive or much less thrive. And all plants need sunshine. So, the vine has invented a nifty way to reach the sunlight despite the darkness on the tropical floor--it climbs! That's why vine type plants are so plentiful in tropical areas--at least where I have traveled they are and Hawaii proved no different. Now, I don't know WHAT KIND of vine this is! So, maybe our resident expert, Pam Haley, might know? I'm crossing my fingers she does and will add a comment :-) But isn't this a lovely pink color?

And here's another group of them hanging off the wire put across this particular path. I love the deep rose/fuschia color of these flowers. They had a wonderful energy and I was dying to make a flower essence from them--but didn't.

And...speaking of VINES....here's another one! The Morning Glory! Blue is my most favorite color if you haven't realized that yet or not. And interspersed in the bushes along with the Thurnburgia, were the Morning Glory. Do you know why it's called "morning" glory? Well, these flowers open up at dawn. And they are strutting their stuff all morning long. But, around noon, they begin to close up or wilt. And so, MORNING is their time. You know, people who need a Blue Morning Glory flower essence are strong in the morning hours, but they collapse and feel a lot less energy in the afternoon hours. Their peak time to be industrious and when they feel most energetic and vital is the MORNING hours. That's why the Doctrine of Signatures--the way a plant grows, what it does, and color, soil, water and weather conditions--all play a part in helping to define who it can help. A person who loves blue colors would need a blue flower. And the DOS (Doctrine of Signature) of the Morning Glory also folds in the fact it is a vine. Vine people often think they can't do things on their own--so they "lean" or in an unhealthy expression, "cling" to another person who they feel is stronger and who can support them. Sooner or later through life, most VINE Personalities learn they can truly stand on their own two feet and accomplish whatever they want. But, it may be mid-life, around their forties, before this happens. And taking a VINE flower essence (if you re a Vine personality) can help you believe more strongly in yourself and get you stand on your own feet and take off to do the things you've dreamed of doing (and thought you couldn't). It's wonderful to work with flower essences and watch the spirit energy of that particular plant support a human being to be 'all they can be.'


Okay, for some fun! They had these wooden cut-outs here and there in the botanical garden for the kids that come with their parents. Of course, I'm a BIG kid who never grew up! So, I had Dave take a picture of me as "Pineapple Girl," and I was giggling all the way. Hey! If we can't be children in adult bodies, what else is there? Me? When I have to be an adult, be mature and responsible, I am. But give me a moment, and I'll revert back to the big kid who never grew up--and never wants too! So, enjoy a good laugh over this one!

I have on this VINE, Sticardia campanula. I hope that's right! I'm sure Pam will check it out to make sure! But, this was a wower of a flower. When I turned the corner on the walk and here this magnificent, beautiful flowers were at, I gasped. These blooms are about 1/2 the size of your palm. They are huge. And the colors are just mesmerizing (to me).

|And here's another one and look at the colors!! Again, a VINE,but what a beauty!


And, another view of another part of this incredible vine. I felt the joy of being around this particular vine flower. I call it a "cup" flower. They were so strong and vigorous!

Well, I leave you with these beauties for today in hopes they have uplifted you as they do me and make me feel hope for this poor, beaten up world of ours and all those who live in it. Flowers always make me feel things will turn out okay no matter how dark or awful it gets in y life (or indeed, in the lives of others). To me, flowers are a testament to the Great Spirit saying that we should have faith in the mystery of Life; that things, all things over time, will turn out to have a happy ending. And of course, I'm the original happy ending girl! Pineapple Girl, haha.

In Spirit...Eileen

MAUI FLOWER PHOTOS #2

Hi Everyone

Been a while since being able to get time to do this. I just finished THE QUEST, book 3 of the Warriors for the Light series. So, I have a moment to post more photos! Here are some more photos from Maui and Ithe "Enchanting Floral Gardens" of Kula, Maui. This was a very special place and one of the best days of the Cruise from Hell on Holland-America Lines. But, let's not dwell on bad things, let's look at positives and flowers are certainly all of that!


No matter where you go in the "Enchanting Floral Gardens" you see color. Someone has thoughtfully landscaped this and it looks like undulating striations of color.


Here's Dave walking down one of the many paths within the botanical garden. As you can see, there's lots of different species planted. It's just a wonderland.

Here is one of the Protea and you can see how dizzy and spacy looking they are! And so beautiful! The Protea grow to be, I would think, twenty or so feet tall and these lovely flowers are waving around under the sky with such wild colors.


And here's some more of those Pinwheel Protea. Wild haired, aren't they?!


Here is another 'bundle' of Protea. They are such a splash and riot of color! And each flower is larger than the size of my hand and I'm no small girl!


And here's a very nice example of a Pinwheel Protea strutting her stuff.


And here's what I call "The Wild Bunch" of spider-like Protea. Talk about a bad hair day!!


Here's the same Protea, but at two different 'stages' of blooming.


As I walked along I spied this simple, quiet yellow morning glory nestled down between the huge spires of Protea.


This is Banksia, which is originally from Australia. I loved the 'scrub brush' kind of design to them plus the lemon yellow color. These are huge flowers....maybe 6 to 8 inches high.


I liked this Banksia because it was different; like people--no two are the same. A great reminder.


Banksia grow in huge bushes. The leaves remind me of Eucalyptus, even though they are not.


Here is some Yellow Banskia. Don't they look like bottle brushes?!


This is one of the many Hibiscus varieties found in the garden. Bold, brassy and beautiful.


Hibiscus are a one-day bloom. I'm lucky; I have an indoor pink Hibiscus plant and when she blooms--they hold for two days--which is phenomenal. And I feel very fortunate and lucky to see such gorgeous flowers two days in a row. It is the small things in life, those things that are around us; that count the most. Let us not pay attention to these elements in our lives.


I don't know what these are; but they remind me of being from the Four O'Clock family. I love their fuschia color.


And then you run into a King Protea and it literally takes your breath away with its magnficence; it's pink coloration and it's size, which is HUGE!


Here are a couple of King Protea at diferent stages of opening.


And here's a nice shot of a fully opened King Protea and its 'baby' which is only in bud form yet.



Here is a King Protea in bud form. Still huge. The petals remind me of plates of armor. Or, maybe a flower Armadillo!



Here is a Marmalae Bush (I think--unless I spelled it wrong from my hen scratched notes). I love the red flowers moving along in orderly fashion. There was also a bush with white flowers.


Here's a beautiful Iris. They were growing in the shade among other bushes. I love the colors and the oriental kind of way this Iris looks.

Here are some of the wild blue Morning Glory vines that are all over the place. And the orange is Thurnburgia vine. These are cool flowers--you look at them and in the center they look as if they are a dark, gaping hole. I always look to see what's inside!


I liked this photo because here it is, New Year's time frame and here's the tropics! What a great way to spend a Winter, eh?


I just loved walking through the gardens. No matter where you looked, there was thoughtful colors of all kinds.


I'll leave you with our Pinwheel Proteas in a group; all looking like giggly school girls waving in the breeze.

In Spirit....Eileen

Holland-America Cruise Lines is not for NON SMOKERS

Hi Everyone

This is a letter I've sent to Holland-America Lines over our terrible fifteen day "Circle Hawaii" cruise. If you're a nonsmoker, AVOID this cruise line. They allow smoking in ALL cabins; so anyone who is a nonsmoker is going to get smoke in their cabin whether they want it or not and you become a virtual pollution prisoner of this cruise line.

We've found out since our debacle, that there are other cruise lines, such as Celebrity and Disney, that do NOT allow smoking in cabins and that smokers are controlled stringently as to where they can smoke on board. Our advice, based upon our lousy experience and lack of cruising knowledge is get your travel agent to call the cruise line you are thinking of taking and find out what their smoking policy is. BEFORE you put down money. It's just not worth it, otherwise. If the cruise line you're thinking of allows smoking in cabins--do NOT put your money down if you're a nonsmoker. Find another cruise line that doesn't allow smoking in cabins.

So, if you're going on a cruise and love to smoke--then Holland America Lines is for you.

On the other hand, if you're a nonsmoker like us, avoid it at all costs. Below is why:

LETTER:


January 30, 2007


Holland America Lines
Mr. Stein Kruse, President
300 Elliot Avenue West
Seattle, WA 98119

Dear Mr. Kruse:

My husband, David and I, took your Circle Hawaii cruise on board the Zaandam from January 5-20, 2007. We had not had a vacation in nearly three years, so this fifteen day cruise was something we were really looking forward too. Our travel agency, Bullocks Travel or Cottonwood, Arizona and Sandra May, our agent, helped prepare this travel package for us. We were assigned cabin 7084, Verandah Suite/Navigation deck of the ship.

I’m not a smoker. In fact, I’m allergic to smoke. Once I smell it, I start sneezing uncontrollably until I can get clear of it. And, if I’m around it longer, I get a headache. And any longer than a few minutes, my lungs take the hit and over time, I will get bronchitis. One of the big questions I had for Sandra about coming on board your ship was: was there nonsmoking rooms available?

From your brochures that are sent out to travel agencies, it says nothing at all about your smoking policy on board this ship. I had our travel agent call your people precisely about this since it wasn’t in your literature. Sandra was told that if a smoker was in a cabin we were to be assigned too, we could rest assured that it would be thoroughly cleaned after each cruise, and there shouldn’t be a problem. Our experience show this “thorough cleaning” takes place a few hours between one group leaving the next group coming aboard. Even the changing of the flimsy cabin air conditioning filter is at best, illusionary cover for your policy. The HAL representative talking to Sandra never said that smoking was allowed in many areas of the ship, as well as in all the cabins! And of course, Sandra didn’t ask that, but that info should be shared without the agent or myself having to think of what questions that should be asked. We were nervous of this answer because smoke hangs in draperies, in the carpet and in the mattress and pillows of a bed. In fact, we upgraded to a verandah cabin because the original cabin windows could not be opened.

That’s all we had to go on until, after our money was paid in full and we received our travel documents. The next brochure, “Know before you go,” on page 35, clearly (and finally) spells out your SMOKING POLICY. It says, “For the comfort of all our guests, designated smoking and nonsmoking areas area available in most lounges. Smoking is not permitted at any time in dining areas. Our ships do not have “nonsmoking” staterooms: however, all rooms are thoroughly cleaned after each cruise to assure the comfort of our guests. All showrooms are nonsmoking during performances.”

If I had seen this blurb in your earlier literature that the travel agent had, I would NOT have chosen your ship to take a cruise on because I know from long experience that smoke hangs in a room and is in things that you cannot simply remove with a change of linens and a quick vacuuming of the carpet. However, this information was not available to me or my agent earlier so I could make another healthy choice instead of going into a situation where information is withheld until the last minute.

Everywhere you go on the Zaandam, there are Purell dispensers. They want you to put your hands under them and get a squirt of the antibacterial ‘stuff’ and wash your hands--constantly--to avoid the plague/epidemic of the Norovirus that brings vomiting and diarrhea with it--and can run through a ship in a few days. As zealous as the Zaandam was about Purell dispensers everywhere on the ship.....there is NOTHING to stop the cancer causing cigarette smoke that inhabits the passageways, floats out of the Casino on deck 5 and into the surrounding area of the stores, or front desk on the 4th deck, and in general, is allowed to go where ever it wants. Your air-conditioning/heating system does not appear to isolate the smoking areas from the nonsmoking areas at all.

While it’s true that smokers must smoke in given areas, let me show you how lax and ineffective this policy on board this ship really was. Smokers must smoke in one portion on the Lido deck around the pools. Now, that’s fine, except you have constantly, ongoing foot traffic in and out the door leading directly to the Lido buffet, where they are kept in a corner to do their cigarette smoking. So, nonsmokers are assailed with this smoke as they walk by the ‘smoking’ area. There is no sign to warn anyone that this is a “smoking area” so they can change their mind and detour around. There were NEVER any signs to designate SMOKING areas on the Zaandam. None! This omission is wrong, and appears to be purposeful.

Further more, if you try to walk on the Main Deck to take the “one mile four circuit walk” you are once more, assailed by cigarette smokers who are hanging over the rail puffing away and we must inhale their smoke because the wind carries it down to us. There is no way to hold your breath that long, either.

On the Navigation deck where we were upgraded, our cabin on the stern was surrounded by smokers. As we walked down the last quarter of the passageway toward our cabin, you hit a wall of smoke every time, no matter if day or night. And the only way to get rid of it was to open the two passageway doors to the stern and let the wind suck it out, which we did countless times in order to try to clean the passageway.

Worse, our cabin was situated between heavy smokers. And we got the smoke leaking constantly into our room. At night, especially, our room hung with a pall of cigarette smoke. And even going to bed, I’d wake up at night with a headache. There is no cabin built tight enough to stop the insidious and poisonous cigarette smoke from leaking through into our cabin. It is clear that the air conditioning/heating system does not isolate the rooms adequately.

And so, you would think that since we have a verandah suite, we could open up our door to our balcony and bring in the fresh sea air from the outside and clean out our cabin and solve this problem, right? Wrong. When I opened up the door to the balcony, there’s cigarette smoke from verandah suites forward of us and all the smoke is coming down toward the stern because the wind is blowing that way due to the ship moving forward on the ocean. Consequently, we got more cigarette smoke into our cabin instead of fresh air .

I came to this cruise for fresh sea air. And all I got was cigarette smog for the entire duration of the fifteen day voyage.

On Thursday, January 18th, I contracted a viral flu on board the ship. And it promptly went into bronchitis because my lungs had been assailed nonstop for thirteen days straight with heavy cigarette smoke inhalation. I left the ship on January 20th with such relief that I was finally going to get some fresh, clean air with no cigarette smoke involved. My physician, Linda Metzler, confirmed I had bronchitis when I returned to our home and I saw her for a diagnosis.

And because of Holland-America’s policy, smokers have a wonderful cruise line with the Zaandam. But nonsmokers are on their own.

For a nonsmoker (and believe me, there were plenty of people that were just as irate and disgruntled about the smoke on the Zaandam as I was) this is a special hell. All I can say is imagine inhaling some odor you can’t stand for fifteen days straight and add to that the smell that it is unhealthy for you. Worse, I had no place to go, nowhere I could get away from it. I did everything possible to stay out of my cabin, but you can only do that so long.
I’m very upset about this. I felt like a prisoner for fifteen days being forced to inhale poison that clearly has affected my health once more. Even as I write this letter, I continue to have my bronchitis. I know enough to stay away from cigarette smoke, but on cruise line that embraces the idea that smokers can freely smoke in areas of inadequate air conditioning/heating isolation, you are putting nonsmokers at health risk.

My husband and I spent a lot of money to come on this cruise. He too, is a nonsmoker. We noted in our end-of-cruise questionnaire, about the terrible cigarette smoke situation we had to endure in our cabin. It is one thing to be a smoker--they had a great time aboard the Zaandam. It is quite another to be a nonsmoker aboard the Zaandam. There is no safe place to go for fresh air. One would think their cabin to be safe, but that was erroneous.

I have since, after sharing my trials and tribulations about smoking aboard the Zaandam with my literary friends in the Publishing Industry (I am a best selling author with sixteen million books in print in twelve foreign countries) that there are cruise lines who do NOT allow smoking in cabins (wise idea) and smokers are really tightly controlled as to where they can smoke. I wish I’d known about them sooner. But Holland-American Line’s literature did not give me that choice to begin with. Smoking was not addressed AT ALL in the brochures that Bullock’s had available before we paid money, so that it lured people like myself in. And once we deposited our money, you had us and we became prisoners of the cigarette smoking Zaandam policy.

I don’t find this fair at all. I understand that Holland-America Lines would love to have lots of passengers on their ships; but to consciously omit your smoking policy in your literature, is fraudulent at best in my opinion. Under the circumstances, our suffering for fifteen days straight has ruined our vacation in so many ways I can’t even begin to list them. Again, put yourself in our place--think of some noxious odor you’d have to inhale twenty four hours a day for fifteen days and maybe then, you can begin to grasp the enormity of this trial we were put through. Instead of a vacation, it was unrelieved stress. One would think you go on a cruise to relax. That didn’t happen.

I am also sending this letter to the Better Business Bureau because of your omission to put into writing in your pre-purchase brochures of your cruises, about your smoking policies and that you allow in-cabin smoking throughout your ship. That information should clearly be in there to warn off nonsmokers so they have an opportunity to choose another cruise line that does not allow smoking in cabins or does not have adequate air-conditioning/filtration systems in place for isolated smoking areas. I also expect a response from your company as to the resolution of our unpleasant experience and changes you may consider in better communicating with your potential or actual passengers in the future.


END OF LETTER


This is the end of the letter we have sent to the President of Holland-America Lines. We've also sent it to the captain, hotel manager and environmental officer aboard the Zaandam where we were pollution prisoners for fifteen nonstop days. And, I'll be sending this to the Better Business Bureau as well--so that people who were smarter than we were--who check out the BBB, will find this letter and be forewarned.

I hope no one who reads this letter and our experiences (see my blog: http://talesfromechocanyon.blogspot.com) never have to go through what we had to endure. I'm still getting over my Bronchitis and it has been ongoing for 14 days. Thanks to the cigarette smoke that infests the Zaandam/Holland America Lines, ship. Don't make the mistake we made.

Sincerely, Eileen