I knew I was doing it at the time, but didn’t realize HOW MUCH I was doing it.  Taking an abundance of tree pictures everywhere I go is the norm for me, but I found a new obsession.  Clouds.  How could you NOT take pictures of big fluffy iridescent clouds?  Well, when I started to go through my pictures, I realized that I documented just about every day and nights worth of clouds (if they look good during the day, just imagine what the sun going down does to them!).  Not just once, but about 87 times.  They keep changing!  Yes, you can see all the justifications loud and clear…. So…here’s my weeks worth of clouds, trees, and a few other things thrown in too (you know…in front of the trees or clouds)  🙂

Houston took this 1st one below of me…the 2nd and 3rd ones are the one I was taking (trees AND clouds!)

The next day we took off in search of one of the only 2 “green sand beaches“.

The hike was a little like the energizer bunny….it kept going, and going, and going… With no green beach in sight.  I love how my brother optimistically packed a bunch of beach towels…

Here’s what we finally saw.  Now let me just say.  After walking for about 90 minutes, in the wind and orange dust, I was hoping for some neon bright GREEN SAND.  Does it look green to you?  Granted the view was amazing, but….not green.  We decided not to climb down the steep ridge.  In part, because that would mean climbing back UP.  So, we turned right back around and headed back.

It really was the most surreal landscape.  On one side of the road was this bright turquoise ocean, and on the other side was this…

Houston took this one of a run down wind farm on the way home.

The next beach we went to was the “black sand beach“~Punaluu Beach.  There was no question of it being black, which was a bit of a relief.

Then…because they have been feeling left out.  Two cool trees.  It’s so windy there, that a lot of the trees grow sideways.   Then, some just fall over and show these really cool roots.

This next shots is one of my classic “hold the camera over your head and push the shutter” shots.  A lot of times, those are my favorites!  I guess that doesn’t say much for my “eye” looking through the view finder…hmmm…. But, it did allow me to not get the railing in the shot!  It’s at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

We decided to do the 4 mile loop around the Kilauea Iki Trail.  I for some reason decided to take pictures of all the markers.  I am not sure exactly what they were marking…maybe just keeping people from wandering off?

1st one is what Houston took (me taking the marker picture and my mom and dad heavily guarded from the sun).  The 2nd one is mine.  You can see a little dot of Houston in the background  🙂

I will end with a sunset picture that Houston took from the same night I took the sunset picture above.  So funny how we all can be looking at the same thing, yet capture it so differently.