Thursday, August 28, 2008

Waiting

Seems like there is tons of waiting going on in my life right now. Waiting for someone to respond to my ad on craigslist and buy my car. Waiting to hear from the University of Hawaii. Waiting to get my final scores on the GRE. Waiting for paperwork to come from the VA so I can apply for jobs with veteran's preference. Waiting for October so I can turn in 30 days' notice to my landlord.

And once those are taken care of, there will be more waiting. Waiting for the money from my sold car to get to my bank account. Waiting for classes to start so I can be in school again. And waiting to hear back from the various places I applied to.

No worries here though. I'll just keep pushing forward and dealing with each thing as it comes along.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Koko Crater

Last Sunday I went for a hike in Koko Crater Botanical Gardens. More of a stroll really. It was a 2 mile loop through the crater of what used to be a volcano. The plants in there were very interesting considering the plants I have become accustomed to seeing around Hawaii. Inside the crater was pretty dry, but the plants were neat anyway. The following are some pics I snapped while walking around:
"Bougainvilea Glabra" Not really sure of the common name, but I thought they were pretty. I really liked the color.
Didn't take a picture of the name card for these trees so I don't remember what they are called. But they made me think of a Dr. Seuss book.

Yes, that is a cactus from Mexico. In Hawaii.
Golden Barrel Cactus. You probably don't want to kick one of these.
"Rathbunia Alamosensis" from Western Mexico. A giant tangle of spiky cactus.
"Octopus Agave" Just like the name sounds. Made me think of Red.
"Pachypodium Lamerei" from Madagascar. Yep, this botanical garden has things from all over the world. Which is a bit weird considering they are very strict concerning what you can and cannot bring into the state.
"Crown of Thorns" These had big spiky sticks surrounding the flowers.
View from Pali Lookout. A stop I made on my way home from the beach, which was the stop I made after the hike. Nothing better than a dip in the ocean followed by a great view after a stroll through a crater.
Another shot from the Pali Lookout. There is an old road up there that has been mostly reclaimed by nature but that is still hike-able. That may be my next hike.