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The Kaleikinis
Keahulolu Point, Kapolei, Hawaii

THE LIGHT SHINES THE BRIGHTEST,
ALL THAT SHINES IS LIGHT,
THE LIGHT SHINES THE BRIGHTEST.
THE WORLD HAS DARKNESS,
BUT THE LIGHT SHINES THE BRIGHTEST,
THE WORLD HAS SHADOWS,
BUT THE LIGHT SHINES THE BRIGHTEST.
THE LIGHT SHINES THE BRIGHTEST,
EVERYTHING IS OF LIGHT
AND LIGHT ALONE,
WHAT YOU CAN SEE IS THE LIGHT,
WHAT YOU CANNOT ALSO IS LIGHT.
THE LIGHT SHINES THE BRIGHTEST,
NOTHING SHINES BRIGHTER THAN LIGHT,
YOU ARE THE LIGHT,
I AM THE LIGHT,
THE LIGHT SHINES THE BRIGHTEST.
THE LIGHT SHINES THE BRIGHTEST,
THE LIGHT SHINES THE BRIGHTEST.

note:-the first image is of the sun,cropped from a photo i took.

the second and third image was fully created using photoshop.

Saturday night OC had a gig at Foster's Botanical Gardens. I had never previously been there. I will soon be going back -- and NOT at dusk. My camera saw a million sights it wanted to collect! There were tiki torches burning every where -- just perfect for Project Black.

The band usually plays jazz and swing music. Tonight they played some Latin passion in there as well. I didn't record anything because it was dark and just a bit rainy. The picture would have been really poor and Iwas certain sprinkle would soon turn into a down pour. I was right, but nt until after we had everything packed up and were safely in our car.

Belle is not the band's regular singer, but she did an excellent job. (The regular singer is vacationing on the mainland.) She wasn't expecting to sing and MC, but one of the mics went down, so she got the job by default -- and she did a great job ad libbing. (OC is the fella in the Hawaiian shirt and straw hat just walking away after helping Belle fix the light on her music stand.)

This is a picture of the "stage" as the band set up. It is a raised dirt platform about three feet high with a nice grassy carpet and a portable awning overhead. As you can see it was nicely landscaped with rocks and plants (but after all it is a botanical garden!). The audience sat on the chairs or blankets they brought from home and a lovely time was had by all.

my other Project Black photos

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For a little "He Said - She Said" entertainment, pop on over to O'Ceallaigh & The Quill.

]]> http://sophiedebrabander.wordpress.com/?p=127 Sun, 20 Jul 2008 10:19:20 +0000 Sophie http://sophiedebrabander.wordpress.com/?p=127

Here's the side view:

The kids brought it up to the Education Staff Office to find out what kind of caterpillar it was. White-marked Tussock Moth (Orgyia leucostigma). As is my custom, just an ID is never enough.  So I dug around a bit and found out that this caterpillar can be found in spring or summer eating a variety of tree leaves.  The young larva skeletonize leaves, the older ones eat entire leaves.  Some of those bristles are the type that may cause a mild skin reaction.

The larva construct cocoons under branches, or in the bark of a host tree and pupate inside it.  In our case, the caterpillar constructed its cocoon on the underside of the lid of the observation jar we had it in.  The picture at right is not our cocoon.  I borrowed it from the Auburn University page about this species. In the picture, the adult female has already emerged from the cocoon and is sitting on top of it.

We expect to have an adult moth in two weeks.  If it turns out to be female, she will be flightless.  Out in the big world, a male would have to find her near the cocoon from which she emerges and mate with her.  Shortly after that, she might lay up to 300 eggs right on her cocoon.

If eggs are laid in early summer, those eggs may hatch and start the cycle again.  If later, the eggs will overwinter.

I don't know how important the cocoon is to the success of the eggs.  If we remove the female to a tree without her cocoon, will she be able to attract a mate, and lay eggs on the bark, or under a branch?  Perhaps we'll be able to remove the cocoon from the observation jar and place the whole thing outside...

In the flurry of activity that is Day Camp, I can't promise that I will follow up this story... But I'll try.

Learn more:

• Auburn University
• ForestPests.org

at least i think it's an owl fly....

pouncing

mummies.

the sky and pretty lights.

cute things.

more pouncing.

cave zombies.

also: running full throttle through the rain for safety, breakfast, napping with the cat and dogs, good chats on the mobile phone.

There is a proverb in Mallorca saying "Sa monja l'encén i es frare l'apaga [the nun alights it and the monk puts it out]" in reference to the period of Summer's heat, or what we call the Dog Days, usually starting today according to Mallorcan folklore.

Obviously, this year's weather so far has not followed customary patterns nor tied in with country folks' proverbs, but today is the monja's day (July 20th, Santa Margalida) and judging by the hot weather that we had yesterday, the Dog Days may just be about.

Temperatures yesterday lunchtime were 32º C in the air and 25º C in the sea. Let's hope Santa Margalida is right, this time. It should mean very hot Summer temperatures from now on, until the Frare has his day on August 20th, Sant Bernat. Sit tight.

And don't forget to put plenty of sun cream on.

The photo was taken near Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: July 11th, 2008. The time was 19:09:54.