This one was "bugging" me while I was trying to get shots of the hummingbird. The birds and the bees, for some reason that sounds familiar to me. I must be getting old!
This next one came out not bad, the bee must have known I was going to post his picture as he did a number of poses for me, this one being the best.
I was wondering around with my camera yesterday and decided to take a stroll through the small orchard we have. I noticed that the apples and grapes were getting close to being ready so I took a few photos trying to capture the colors. There's nothing like cruising along on the mower and just reaching up and grabbing an apple or plum for a quick snack.
I'm not a big wine drinker but I do love grape juice and when it comes straight from the vine the taste is amazing! 
Two nights ago I was relaxing on the couch watching TV while a rain storm was passing through. According to the weatherman it was just supposed to be a gentle rain and nothing to worry about. In the middle of relaxing my wife came in from outside and told me the clouds were rotating. I quickly grabbed my camera and headed out the door. That either makes me a dedicated photographer or an idoit, I'm not sure which.
When I started taking photos of the hummingbird I ended up taking 112 shots in just a matter of a few minutes. I was adjusting the aperture and switching from auto and manual focus as I went. I've grown to love the "new fangled" auto-focus on the DSLR's but it just wouldn't focus right all of the time when I was shooting.
After looking at my photos I decided in hind sight the auto focus got about as many right as I did using manual focus so I'm not sure I was any better off using manual focus. Like Paul said in his last comment, I only got a few really good photos out of all of the ones I shot. I am definitely glad I am using digital and not film. Digital has allowed me to shoot things I never would have wasted the money of film and developing on. If you are shooting digital (and I can't imagine why you wouldn't) shoot, shoot, shoot! It's always better to delete something than not have something because you wouldn't press that button a few more times.
Because of the location of the hibiscus and the fact the sun was coming up behind the plant my lighting wasn't ideal for the bird. The back lighting was almost perfect for the flower and I didn't want to use the flash because I thought it might scare off the hummingbird. This predicament left me to do a little post processing on these to get the hummingbird lit a little better.
My wife and I were sitting on the front porch early this morning drinking coffee and contemplating a trip to Hawaii when a guest arrived. I guess the hibiscus was just too tempting because I was able to get within about ten feet to take some photos of this hummingbird.
I was driving near a lake the other day and I came across this mailbox at a house about four miles from the lake. I guess the person who lives here likes to go fishing!
Actually, you will see more because it is all right there and you don’t have to hope that you are diving in the right spot at the right time. The Maui Ocean Center has several open tanks for some of it’s sea life such as the sea turtle (honu in Hawaiian) which allow you a very up close and personal view.
If you go to the aquarium they offer a gadget you can carry along with you that tells you where you are and what you are looking at at any given spot within the Ocean Center. This of course costs extra and really isn’t worth the extra money unless you have kids with you.
Be sure to hit the gift shop before you leave for the obligatory t-shirt or hat. I think the gift shop is almost as big as the aquarium and if you go in there with kids you will be in trouble! They will want everything. About half of what the gift shop has is centered around kids so get ready to heat up the credit card. I didn't have any kids with me but I did have my wife. She wanted to buy things for the kids and grandkids. It might have been easier if the kids were there! LOL
The Maui Ocean Center is definitely worth a stop while you are on Maui if you have the time. I don’t know that it is something you would go back to time and time again but it is worth seeing at least once.
CCG "Tanu" at the Seagate Wharf, Port Hardy
On the island of Maui there are two lu’aus that are rated as the best. The highest rated and most traditional of the two is the Old Lahaina Lu’au in Lahaina. This is a traditional, some say authentic Hawaiian lu’au so you won’t get the cheesy M.C. or the mainland style singers. You also don’t get the fire dancers since that is a Samoan tradition, not Hawaiian.
Something that the Hyatt Regency Resort does that we found very nice was the V.I.P. tickets. If you buy an ordinary ticket to the Hyatt’s lu’au you will be standing in line along the beach waiting to get in. The line can be long and the wait can be 30 to 45 minutes depending on when you get in line. The Hyatt suggests you get there 30-45 minutes early, apparently so that you can stand in line. If you purchase the V.I.P. tickets you will pay about $15 more per ticket but you have a special V.I.P. entrance with no waiting. The V.I.P. ticket also allows you into the lu’au first, guarantees you down front seating for the best views and you get to go through the food line first. In my opinion it is well worth the extra money! The lu’au started at 6:00 p.m., we showed up about ten minutes early and walked right in. We were handed a pretty tasty Mai Tai when we walked in and were shown directly to our front row seats. If you decide to go to a lu’au, check to see if they have V.I.P. tickets and what the extra money will get you.
You can expect to pay between $65.00 and $90.00 per person to see a lu’au which might be considered a little pricey but the food is excellent and you are getting a show with dinner. Besides that, most lu’aus are on the beach which adds a little more incentive to go and lets face it, nothing is cheap in Hawaii!
Anyone for some cloud walking? You better be really light on your feet!
Once you are at the top of Haleakala you can take one of the hiking trails, some of which can push the limits of an old man like myself. You have to remember that you are at 10,000 feet above sea level. One of the hiking trails is called the Sliding Sands Trail. This trail is about four miles long and descends into the crater at the summit. The descent is over 2000 feet in elevation. Just remember that you are hiking and you will have to go back UP that 2000 feet to get back to your car!
If hiking isn't your thing then you could take a bike tour down the volcano. There are several companies that will drive you to the summit in one of their vans, put you on a bicycle and send you down hill for a pretty exhilerating ride. Sounds nice doesn't it? Taking a roller coaster ride on a bike from 10,000 feet up. It is until you remember that the road going up and down the side of the mountain is made up of many, many switchbacks, some of which have an uphill leg to them even though you are going down hill. Plan on doing some pretty hefty peddling in some spots.
I guess I should have said that Haleakala (pronounced Ha-lay-a-ka-la) IS Maui and not is on Maui. Haleakala is Hawaiian for "house of the sun". There are two volcanoes that make up the island of Maui and Haleakala is the biggest of the two. As you can see by the elevation sign above, Haleakala goes way up into the sky! So much so that they tell you that if you are going to scuba dive you have to wait 24 hours after you have been to the top of the volcano so that you don't increase your chances of getting the dreaded bends.
Going to the top of the dormant volcano is a treat. Just the drive up there is full of fantastic views but when you get to the top, what a view! You can see for miles and you can just about see the whole island of Maui from the top. Because it is above the clouds and the sky is so clear, there is an observatory at the top of Haleakala as you can see in this photo. 
When my wife and I went to Maui we chose to stay in a resort hotel (the Hyatt Regency) for several different reasons. The first was the location and comfort. We found that several regular hotels would not guarantee the type of room we would get when we made our reservation. My wife and I don't smoke and I'm 6'2" tall. I wanted a non-smoking room with a king size bed and the hotels wouldn't guarantee the availability of such a room even though I made our reservations months in advance and was paying for the room in advance.
That's what made us look into the resort hotels. They were double the cost of what a "regular" hotel would be but I was promised and received the type of room I wanted. Most people don't spend a lot of time in their hotel rooms when on vacation and we were just like everyone else but I wanted what I wanted so I paid for it.
Thanks to Paul, we are back in Hawaii and that's not a bad thing. For anyone that has never been to Hawaii I would recommend it highly. Save up your pennies (it will take a lot of them) and take the time to go. You will not be disappointed!
