Although I love the beaches of Hawaii, sometimes it’s so nice to find respite in a mountain forest. Just 15 minutes from my house, about mid-way up Hualālai, this little slice of heaven transports me to “Narnia.” This is a protected forest where you can find endangered trees and birds. More info here: HONUA‘ULA FOREST…
Wai’aha Beach Park (aka Honl’s Beach)
I really like this sweet little beach in Kona — there’s plenty of shade and white sand for a peaceful place to read a book or to watch surfers. It’s not a snorkel or swimming beach, but rather a quiet, shady spot with perfect views of palm trees, waves, and crystal clear waters. This beach…
Papakōlea Beach
This is a beautiful olive green sand beach, carved out of cinder cone on the South shore of Hawai’i island. Commonly known as Green Sand Beach, a trip to this special natural wonder is definitely worth it. It’s a ~2.25 mile hike (one way) to get to this beach, so we left our North Kona…
A Voggy Morning to You
For the last several months, we’ve had hundreds of earthquakes (mostly small and not noticeable) so it wasn’t really surprising that Kilauea erupted earlier this week. While the eruption lasted only 12 hours (from approximately 12:30 a.m. HST on Monday, June 3, until approximately 9:00 a.m. HST on June 3), three days later we are…
Tufted Puffin
The tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) is endangered in Washington state. Since 1978, the nesting population in Washington has declined from an estimated 23,342 individuals to less than 3,000 individuals; nesting sites are now limited to only a few places in or near the San Juan Islands (WDFW, n.d.). Medium: Arches 140lb cold pressed 100% cotton…
Streaked Horned Lark
The streaked horned lark (Eremophila alpestris strigata) is endangered in Washington, with only approximately 1500 individuals left within the current range in Oregon and Washington(WDFW). Painting: Streaked horned larks, male and female, in Western Washington prairie (Smith, I 2024). Field Sketches Medium: Bee Paper watercolor journal , Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolor Paints #watercolor #birds…
Inga J Smith 