Hawai'i--Day 8 & 9

Spotted near Pahoa....mer-matron (obviously not the skins of mermaids....) skins left to dry in the late afternoon sun.

A view of our "snorkel pond" just out front of the little hale (house) here. It's an unusual photo because there is no one in the water snorkeling. There is almost always at least one or two snorkels going by---with good reason!

We went to the Sunday market in the little village of Pahoa. The little place we've rented is close to Pahoa. It was a very nice market and was larger than we expected.

There were wonderul offerings of fruit and vegetables, mostly organic.

And, of course, the very inexpensive fantastically beautiful orchids for sale. You've no idea how much these cheap orchids annoy me. I would like to buy them all. I would take them all home with me---and promptly kill them. (Not on purpose.)

Pahoa has the look of an old Western town. I love the buildings and how the boardwalk goes up and down a few steps between each of the store fronts.

This is the Pahoa Cash and Carry. It's one of those wonderful little stores you find in tiny towns. It has EVERYTHING. We spent a happy half our cruising the aisles and enjoying all the varied items for purchase.

This is a breadfruit tree. Isn't it beautiful? I think it is the most wonderful green.

This morning we drove to the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. It was just a short drive from Pahoa, but about 3500 feet higher in elevation.

There is lots of steam to be seen around the crater of Kilauea. There is a road that circles the crater rim but part of it is closed due to elevated levels of sulfur gas. We only went as far as the steam vents in one direction and to the lava tube in the other.

I found the juxtaposition of the moon-like crater with the beautiful native vegetation surprising.

These leis were left in the tree as offerings. To Pele? Note the steam rising out of the crater in the background. You could hear ominous rumblings and rocks falling in the distance. The whole thing made me very nervous.

this is the crater floor of Kilauea Iki (Little Kilauea, I think).

On our way home we stopped at the Akatsuka Orchid Gardens. It was chuck-a-block with the most gorgeous orchids in a rainbow of colors. Everywhere I looked was a bloom more fantastic than the last.
When we got back to our little house we immediately headed for the ponds to go snorkeling. It was a good afternoon for seeing lots and lots of fish.