For the Birds!

Kualoa Beach Park looking south at Koolau Range March 2007

Beautiful isn't it? This photo has also been doctored. The day I took it was another overcast day with the sun peeking in and out of the clouds. In the original the sky is white so I tried to do what I did with the photo of Koko head with different results. The sky is there when I use the contrast feature in Photoshop but it's a different blue and it was harder to get the hue right. I'm not dissatisfied with the results, I just wish I could have gotten more gray in the clouds. I'm not brave enough yet to try using the spray paint tool in Photoshop. For those not familiar with Oahu, across the street from the park is Kualoa Ranch where they shot parts of Jurassic Park and the television show Lost. I've never taken a tour of the ranch most likely because it's geared for the tourists and I like to, as the saying goes, go where the locals go. While Kualoa Beach Park is frequented by tourists, the locals go there too. While I was enjoying the views there were several local families enjoying a day at the park.

Remember I mentioned that I fed a cardinal at the Hanauma Bay park? Well it was at Kualoa Beach Park (I went a few days later) where I discovered a sign that stated not to feed the birds. I was enlightened after I'd shared the coating of my chicken Mcnuggets from the McDonalds that I had bought my lunch from on the way to the park. This time I'd actually planned to have lunch here rather than just driving around until my stomach began growling. I wanted to take photos of Chinaman's hat which is just off shore. 

I saw a cardinal, my first visitor while consuming my repast, on the ground near my table and I couldn't resist the urge to share the breaded portion of my meal with the little fellow. It was rather bold as it eventually flew up to the table and almost took the food from out of my hand. I have to admit I did try to coax it closer but it never would come within finger distance. The bird flew off and must have gone and told his friends about me because before I knew it I had almost every variety of bird on the island surrounding my table and found myself hard pressed to share my meal with the cardinal and it's gang. It was after I finished and was putting my garbage in the trash that I noticed the sign that stated one wasn't supposed to feed the birds. I laugh about it now but I did break the law, unknowingly though it was, and could have been fined for my ignorance. No one seemed to have noticed me doing it and if they did they probably thought stupid tourist! LOL

Red-crested cardinal March 2007

Here is my friend from the park when I first noticed it. While writing this I did do a search on the internet and found out that this is a Red-crested cardinal. According to Wikipedia it is not related to true cardinals. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-crested_Cardinal It's an introduced species and not native to the islands. It's amazing the information you can find on the web!! I will have further photos of the other birds that enjoyed my meal with me on future posts. 

Yesterday, after posting I spent most of the day organizing my files in order to have plenty to put into this blog. My interests vary from the types of books I enjoy to the type of art work I like and of course creating art. :)  My passion!! I want to 'chat' about more than just Hawaii, much as I love the islands there is more to my life than JUST that, although my husband and friends would dispute this  since the majority of the time that's all I talk about and if  I'm honest, think about. :) 

I'm still learning the ins and outs of Photoshop and hope to continue to share my forays into the medium with who ever is interested in my progress or the results of my endeavors. Writing this blog also helps me with sentence structure and story telling. It is my hope that in relating my tales of my trips and life I can make the reader be amused at what has happened to me and perhaps if they are going through a rough time know that life can be hard but it does get better, it just might take awhile. I do have a tendency to look at the down side of life when things aren't going so well. But if I am honest with myself, my life hasn't been so bad. While it is true that the future is uncertain at the moment (I still don't know if we will be living in the home we have now next year) on the up side being jobless does give me time to do what I love which is create art in some form or another and to write in this blog. :) Perhaps it is the one thing that will keep me from feeling to depressed about the situation we are in at the moment. I realized this morning that yesterday was a wonderful day because not only had I written in my blog but organized some of my files so that I could post other photos in it as well. It gave me something to do rather than moping around moaning about my jobless state. 

And on that note, I will bring this daily blog to a close. :)  As promised yesterday;  here is the first page in the last of my Star Wars trio paper doll set. I give you Princess Leia! Out of all three, I feel Luke resembles Mark Hamill more than the other two resemble Carrie Fisher or Harrison Ford.  

Until manana...MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!!