Standing Into Danger

Friday, March 14, 2025

Out on the Water

When Graves Eye Disease scrambled my vision in 2021,

one of the things that kept me going was the thought of getting on a paddleboard again.

Standup Paddleboarding

Waikīkī Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

March 24, 2016

I had last gone paddleboarding in March 2016,

never expecting that travel changes, the pandemic,

and Graves disease would keep me from enjoying the sport so long.

Standup Paddleboarding

Waikīkī , Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

March 24, 2016

Last spring when I had successful strabismus eye surgery,

I asked all my doctors if I could go paddleboarding again.

"Yes," said my surgeon, as did my endocrinologist and primary care doctor.

So with great anticipation I signed up in advance for a refresher lesson

with Waikīkī Beach Services at the Sheraton Waikīkī.

Thinking I had lots of time, I had been swimming lengths in the Royal Kuhio's pool.

But when my lesson day and hour arrived,

the trade winds had blown in after days and days of calm.

Usually the trade winds bring cooling breezes, lower humidity, and pleasant weather.

But this time the winds were strong and gusty, whipping up the waves and currents.

Nevertheless, I went for it, with the guidance of a patient instructor named Tyler.

Tyler Giving Me the Refresher Course

Waikīkī Beach Services at the Sheraton Waikīkī

March 5, 2025

Tyler

Waikīkī Beach Services at the Sheraton Waikīkī

March 5, 2025

Tyler Giving Me the Refresher Course

Waikīkī Beach Services at the Sheraton Waikīkī

March 5, 2025

Into the Water

Terry was there to support me and take photos,

and our friend Janeth from Ottawa was there to cheer me on.

Janeth rode Slotzilla with me in Vegas last year,

but she was not going near a paddleboard.

Tyler Giving Me the Refresher Course

Waikīkī Beach Services at the Sheraton Waikīkī

March 5, 2025

Getting Ready to Fly Like Superman

Fremont Street, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

March 27, 2024

Terry did his best to capture photos, but he forgot how to zoom and was shooting portraits.

Nevertheless, he did catch me standing up on the paddleboard.

Actually I stood up at least 12 times, but I kept getting knocked down,

once head over heels off the back of the board into the ocean.

We kept swimming to a sandy spot near the Royal Hawaiian breakwater,

and the current kept sweeping us back to the Sheraton to the west.

But what fun!

On the Water

As you can see, no one else was on the water paddleboarding or surfing.

Tyler was cheering me on, saying "You're 99% there!"

I'd be up and down I'd go. Over and Over. 😂

On the Water

But Terry managed to catch the shot I wanted most,

me standing up, even if it was only for five seconds.

On the Water

After about forty minutes, my muscles were seizing up.

So, I reluctantly said I'd have to try again another day.

We chatted side by side on our boards as the currents swept us

from the Royal Hawaiian breakwater back to the Sheraton Waikīkī's landing spot.

We had a great conversation trading stories about ourselves,

and I was so comfortable I chanted my hula Permission Chant for him.

(Obviously I was riding high from the exhilaration of being on the water. 😂)

Returning to Shore

Coming Ashore

The big hot cup of coffee I had at Starbucks afterward was so welcome!

Terry and Janeth were the best, listening as I talked while my adrenaline surge dissipated.

I felt so alive and happy!

This won't be my last time on a paddleboard!

I'm linking to Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date, Tom's Aloha Friday, and Nicole's Friday Face Off.

For Rain: Surfing ~ Catching a wave in an outrigger canoe is lots of fun!

Catching a Wave!

Waikīkī Beach

March 14, 2015

For Tom: Aloha ~ The beautiful land of Aloha!

Duke Paoa Kahanamoku Statue

Waikīkī Beach

March 13, 2025

For Nicole: Feathered and Furry Faces! ~ Cheeky birds raid a bread basket at the Liliha Bakery.

Doves and Sparrows Hit the Jackpot!

Liliha Bakery at the International Market Place

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

March 6, 2025

Little Laki at Cat Café MOFF

International Market Place, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

March 1, 2025

See you next time! ❤️🌺🍀

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be

Wednesday, March 21st 🤞

On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

IWSG: Wednesday, March 5, 2025 ~ Who or What Would I Be?

It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.

To visit the IWSG website, click here.

To become a member of the IWSG, click here.

Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are

Ronel Janse Van Vuuren, Pat Garcia, and Liza@Middle Passages!

Stop by their posts and thank them for hosting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.

Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.

Remember the question is optional.

This month's optional question is:

If for one day you could be anyone or *thing* in the world, what would it be? Describe, tell why, and any themes, goals, or values they/it inspire in you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy March, Everyone!

I hope things are going well for each of you.

The first image that popped into my mind

when I read this month's question was a red-tailed hawk.

Red-Tailed Hawk Soaring

Wikimedia ~ License

The thought completely took over me.

I could feel my wings riding the thermals rising up from the desert floor,

as I soared hawk high over Monument Valley scanning the rugged landscape below.

Monument Valley

Ralph Earlandson ~ License

This was no surprise.

I have experienced this vividly a number of times in the past, awake and in dreams.

When I first visited Monument Valley, I felt a powerful connection to the landscape.

For a while I thought that I might have genetic ties to the Navajo or the Anasazi.

Nope, tests confirmed not a drop of indigenous blood in my past, recently or deep in time.

My dreams had me soaring above the magnificent rocks,

and then I thought, perhaps, it was the geologist in me searching for an aerial view.

The Three Sisters in Monument Valley

I have stood above them on the mesa and looked down.

by Dsdugan Wikimedia ~ License

And then one day, in a profoundly relaxed state during a massage,

I became one with a red-tailed hawk.

I was that hawk riding the thermals in Monument Valley,

and suddenly I realized that the red-tailed hawk is my spirit animal.

Red-Tailed Hawk

by AstroDoc Wikimedia ~ License

I know, this sounds ridiculous. I've told myself that many times.

But I can't shake that intuition, that compelling feeling.

Over and over I have soared as a red-tailed hawk.

I've looked into what this means over the years,

and I have come to interpret these vivid red-tailed hawk experiences

as signs of my unending desire to learn and my ability to see the larger picture,

as reminders to trust my powerful intuition

which has changed the course of my life repeatedly,

and as confirmation of my inner strength, courage, and resilience.

Most of all these experiences make me feel protected and lifted up by God's grace.

Much Higher Than a Hawk Over Monument Valley

January 14, 2025

This *thing* in the world that I have experienced has not been for one day only.

I hope I continue to soar hawk high over Monument Valley.

Wishing each of you a great IWSG Day,

and a big thank you to our awesome co-hosts.

Have a healthy, happy, and creative March!

Take care!

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be March 14th 🤞

Friday, February 28, 2025

Out and About in Colorful Waikiki

Today I'm sharing some recent photos I have taken out and about in colorful Waikiki.

Evening Lights at the Royal Hawaiian Center

Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 14, 2025

One of the Best Burgers in Waikiki

Hideout at the Laylow

Waikiki, Hawaii, USA

February 23, 2025

Sailing Lessons with the Waikiki Yacht Club

Ala Wai Boat Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 20, 2025

Yellow Hibiscus

Waikiki

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 19, 2025

Sunset at the Sheraton Waikiki

Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 14, 2025

Makeover at the Lava Tube Restaurant

Out with the Volcano, In with a Tiki Man

Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 26, 2025

Returning from Ocean Canoeing

Ala Wai Boat Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 20, 2025

Banyan Tree at the Hale Koa

Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 14, 2025

Little Laki at Cat Café MOFF

International Market Place, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 18, 2025

Just Married

Ala Wai Boat Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 20, 2025

Fireworks at the Hilton Hawaiian Village

From Our Lanai

Royal Kuhio, Waikiki, Hawaii, USA

February 14, 2025

Morning Visitors on Our Lanai

Nine Little Java Sparrows

Royal Kuhio, Waikiki, Hawaii, USA

February 14, 2025

Great Entertainment at the Hideout

Waikiki, Hawaii, USA

February 25, 2025

Māmala Bay from Magic Island

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 20, 2025

I'm linking to Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date, Tom's Aloha Friday, and Nicole's Friday Face Off.

For Rain: Clay ~ My favorite photos I've taken of clay are in the Mud Volcano area of Yellowstone National Park. This is a fascinating place containing some of the most acidic thermal features in the park. The air carries the pungent smell of rotten eggs, and the hillsides are dotted with trees injured or killed by steam.

September 14, 2022

Hydrogen sulfide rises from the Yellowstone Magma Chamber below, and microorganisms (thermophiles) convert the gas to sulphuric acid. The acid breaks down the area's rhyolitic rock into clay minerals which mix with water with to form the mud.

Mud Volcano

September 14, 2022

How thick the mud is depends on how much water is available. The water comes from rain and snow that seeped underground, was heated by hot gases from the magma, and forced upward by pressure. The bubbles in the mudpots are caused by other gases rising from the magma chamber.

The Mud Volcano and the Old Faithful areas are two resurgent domes which rise up and down with fluctuations in the magma chamber below. Scientists observe this activity closely because of the danger of future volcanic eruptions.

Part of a Sign in the Mud Volcano Area

It was sprinkling when I took the photo.

September 14, 2022

For Tom: Aloha ~ The Sheraton Waikiki Beach Resort has a fun new sand sculpture of a green sea turtle family in its lobby. Kai, his mother Mahina, and his father Keoki are mascots for the resort. Locals regard green sea turtles, or honu, as symbols of prosperity and good luck. Once common in Waikiki's waters, they are currently considered a "threatened species." Fortunately their nesting numbers are increasing 3 to 5 percent statewide in recent years. The sculptures were created by Sandsational Sand Sculpting.