Fairy Moss, Blazing Sunsets and Humpback Whales
A week in Maui
My husband and I recently returned from an impromptu week in Maui. Maui’s warm waters, azure waves, turtles and whales have brought us back to this tropical paradise year after year for the last thirty years. We just cannot resist her siren song for very long. We missed our trip last year, because of the pandemic, so when a client asked my husband to handle a matter in Lahaina, we jumped on the opportunity and tacked on a few extra days.
It’s hard to take a bad photo here. And the possibilities for some beautiful snaps abound around every corner. Some of these were shot with my iPhone 12 Pro Max, others with my Nikon Z72, and others with my Nikon D500 and a fixed 500mm lens.
We love to wake up in the morning and walk on the beach before a lot of people set up camp for the day with their umbrellas and towels. The shot of the moss, the one (above) of the children playing, and following photo of us are from one of those walks along the beach in Lahaina.
The following shot was also taken on one of our morning strolls. This section of the beach is frequented by turtles and we saw several of them poking their heads up above the waves.
The following photo was from the deck of the condo we rented for the week. The view from the 10th-floor balcony was stunning. I felt like a voyeur peeking down at the goings-on at the beach below.
A little further along the beach, a series of black volcanic rocks erupts from the sand. This particular rock draws a lot of “jumpers.” We watched one brave soul after another take the “leap of faith.”
Each morning, a section of beach would be strewn with hundreds of these black shells.
I loved watching these two older couples venturing out into the waters. It makes me so happy to see people starting to feel comfortable enough to travel again.
It’s baby Humpback Whale season in Maui, although they are just starting to depart for their long journey north to Alaska, where they will summer. I was very excited to use my fairly-new fixed 500 mm lens. However, I ended up spending most of the boat ride throwing up over the side of the boat (I really thought that I had out-grown sea sickness — a little dramamine will be in order next time). I did get to enjoy one Mai Tai first though.
My husband ended up taking my camera and got this great shot of a baby whale “breaching.” They are strengthening their muscles right now, in preparation for the long journey ahead.
And I will leave you with a blazing sunset, one of Maui’s specialties.
Erika Burkhalter is a yogi, neurophilosopher, cat-mom, photographer, and lover of travel and nature, spreading her love and amazement for Mother Earth’s glories, one photo, poem or story at a time. (MS Neuropsychology, MA Yoga Studies). Erika is also an editor for Mindfully Speaking.
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Photos and story ©Erika Burkhalter. All rights reserved.