Pink..

One thing I miss from living in the Midwest..you don't see many peonies here in Hawaii..

Happy New Year..2013!!

I have no idea where this is, and I don't think it's Hawaii, but, Happy New Year from Hawaii, anyway!! :D

Credit: Villa Altea (Oh, hey..looking up the credit, apparently the pic is somewhere called Costa Blanca in the Mediterranean..Not really so close to Hawaii, huh? :p )

Lantern Floating Festival..

We went to the Shinnyo-en Lantern Floating Festival memorial ceremony last night..

The lights were beautiful..

Each lantern carries with it prayers, remembrances and wishes to beloved family and friends..

Some people brought their own to release, and some people wrote their prayers on the lanterns provided by the members of Shinnyo-en, who make the lanterns, care for them, and rescue for re-use, year after year..

The canoes released the lanterns of people who were unable to attend..

By the end, Ala Moana Beach was filled with stars..

Hail, hail, all hail the rain..

This here? This is ice. From the sky. In Hawaii. In March, which is practically summer. In marble to golf ball sizes. I currently have frozen feet from walking in it trying to lay yoga mats and blankets over the windshields and the paint on the cars. At 6am. After waking from a dead sleep. You know, I live in Hawaii so I *don't* get frozen feet. Ever.

It was supposed to be a bumper crop of mangoes this year, too. The flowers and fruit were holding out against the winds for weeks. I guess they were actually supposed to DIE, so the hail came down and cleaned off the trees. Wah.