Aloha friends,
We ventured west a few days ago to find fields of golden grasses blowing in the winds, mountains of the most unusual shapes, and a beach made of what seemed to be black diamonds. The western coast of our island is much more arid than the lush forests we live in. It has its own sort of awe-inspiring beauty. Lava fields with electric pink flowers breaking through the surface of the black rock, framed with a backdrop of majestic golden mountains. With the open expanse of blue sky overhead and rolling white clouds in the distance, it seemed we were about to experience something amazing, and we were. I have always loved the ocean since I can remember. Family vacation albums are filled with pictures of me as a child with outstretched arms, face in the salty wind, and toes touching the ocean's bubbly edge. We made it to the black sand beach, a combination of volcanic rock, velvety smooth black sand and small pebbles. One of our main reasons in coming to this beach was to hopefully see the endangered Hawaiian green sea turtles. We were happy to find one sea turtle basking in the sun, taking a nap on the warm black sand. He was not he only creature we found at the beach however. There were black jumping crabs, snails, fish, and purple sea urchins. Behind the beach, there was a peaceful lily pond where muscovy ducks were eating coconuts! In the distance, we saw a wooden bridge crossing over the pond, and curious creatures that we are, we crossed it despite the fact that half the beams were missing or rotted. There was no turning back. This part of the pond was slightly erie as we encountered many spiders, more rotting bridges and an abandoned resort shrouded in jungle foliage... We made our way back to the beach as quickly as possible :) after climbing around on the rocks at the beach a little longer, we got in the car and continued on our journey. As we drove, we kept our eyes out for Hawaiian barn owls in the fields. They are not a native species to the land. Like the mongoose, they were brought to the islands to control rats in sugar cane fields (the rats were also brought by humans). Unfortunately, the barn owls have not had much of an effect on the rats, and instead prefer to hunt native birds, as they are an easy target for a nocturnal hunter. However upsetting the impact that these owls are having on native species, they are still a beautiful creature doing the only thing they know, on an island they were brought to by humans. As I thought about the beauty of these owls that live in the golden grasslands, I thought of the plumeria trees that seem to be slightly more prevalent on the west side of the island. I decided to do a painting of these two beauties together to add a little color to our home. Soon, you can add a print of this piece to your home! It should be in my Etsy shop soon! Enjoy the photos from our adventure and come back soon!
3 Comments
Grandma Schlichter
2/14/2016 02:03:02 pm
Love the tail of your adventure that you painted with words! Also you owl is beautiful. So glad you are enjoying the big island. Take care, love you both, Grandma
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sammie
2/14/2016 10:07:39 pm
Thank you so much grandma! I miss you and love you. keep checking for more updates!
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Brian Clark
2/15/2016 12:52:01 pm
Great shots! keep'em coming!
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Samantha ClarkArtist and illustrator of all things wild and beautiful. Archives
April 2016
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