Tetsubin

Given a choice, I prefer tea to coffee. There is nothing better than a nice soothing "cuppa" to aid in unwinding after a hectic day. Pictured is a Japanese cast iron Tetsubin teapot, ideal for brewing the perfect cup of tea at the end of a long day.

NB: I have had a request to include photo data with my blog, so...

For the photo/techno geeks:

Nikon D80
Nikkor 35-70mm f/2.8
1/60 sec, f/11, ISO 250
On a stand to the right - Nikon speedlight fired
into white umbrella to soften the flash output.
white reflector to the left of teapot to bounce flash
and help illuminate the left side.

Throwing Some Light, On Mother's Day

I spent a delightful day with my family on Sunday celebrating Mother's Day. I received a beautiful flowering orchid plant as a gift as well as some photo gear. After a sweet afternoon nap and a leisurely dinner, I worked on using directional light through a diffuser - throwing some light on my Mother's Day gift.

Noddy Bird

The first time that I saw a Hawaiian Noddy (Anous minutus melanogenys) I was on a boat in the middle of Kaneohe Bay. The lone noddy perched on a post in the channel caught my eye - I had never seen one before and I was sorry that I was able to get only one shot as our boat zipped (see "noddy Bird" link in title).

Yesterday I was at the "Day On the Docks" kids fishing tournement at Kaneohe Marine Base - there flying along the pier was another Hawaiian Noddy! It was a joy to capture this graceful local resident in flight and I am very pleased with the resulting image.

Pretty Plumeria

It was not until I took this picture and viewed it on the computer that I realized that the plumeria flower had this cute fuzzy 'heart'. I was attracted by the color and form so the hidden facet, of one of the most common flowers in Hawaii, was a pleasant surprise.

Daisy Drops

I took my camera outside while I was on my work dinner break. The sprinkler on the flower bed had just shut off and the sun shining on this bud caught my eye. I am so ready for longer days and nice clear light - bring on Summer!

Asian Ring-neck Parakeet

Sunday's visit to Foster Botanical Gardens provided some wonderful photos of flowers and plants. The unexpected photo op came when a flock of Asian ringed-neck parakeets (Psittacula krameri) came to feed on shower tree seed pods.

This is not a native species - pets that escaped captivity many years ago have established breeding colonies on the island of O'ahu - flocks are frequently seen (and heard) flying in and around Honolulu.

Gerbera Gold

Gerbera daisy gold heralds spring in the garden

Lily of the Nile

After a very long respite from blogging, I am back with some of my favorite images. This Lily of the Nile plant was a gift from a friend - each spring I can count on it to put on a blooming good show and give me lots of photo ops!