Maui Releasing The Sun

Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA
Address: 1 Keolani Pl
Date: Feb 2017
Website: hawaii.gov/ogg

  Maui is one of our favourite places in the world.  When your vacation is over and you are reluctantly departing from the Kahului Airport you can see a statue of Maui.  It is located in a small garden area just before the security check.  In Hawaiian mythology, Maui is a powerful man who is responsible for you throughly enjoying your vacation.

  There are many myths involving Maui, but here are two of the most popular.  The first myth has to do with the creation of the Hawaiian islands.  It is said that Maui used a special fish hook and caught the bottom of the ocean floor.  He then told his brothers to row their boat with all their might.  They rowed and rowed as hard as they could.  Behind them an island rose out of the ocean.  Maui did this several times to create the Hawaiian island chain.

  Maui is also said to be responsible for the sun moving so slowly across the Hawaiian sky. His mother complained to Maui that she was unable to get anything to dry as the days were too short. Maui climbed up Haleakala which is a dormant volcano that rises 10000 feet at its peak.  As the sun appeared over the clouds Maui lassoed the sun and captured it.  We also went to the top of Haleakala and captured the sun, but only with our cameras.

  The sign as you enter Haleakala National Park shows Maui with the sun in his grasp.  In order to be released again, the sun agreed to shine longer over the Hawaiian islands each day.  The statue at the airport is called Maui Releasing The Sun and depicts Maui letting the sun return to the sky.

 
  So as the sun sets out over the edge of the Pacific Ocean and you settle back in your chair lulled by the sound of the crashing waves you should be thankful for another beautiful day in Hawaii.  Whether it be because of the man or the island, you owe it all to Maui.

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Map of Our World
Maui Releasing The Sun , Haleakala National Park Sign
Haleakalā National Park Visitor Center

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Post # 164

Wild Roosters

Location: Daintree, Australia
Address: Mount Alexandra Lookout
Date: May 2012
Website: www.npsr.qld.gov.au

  Jan 28, 2017 is the start of Chinese New Year.  This year is the year of the rooster.  On our travels we have seen many different types of chickens, but this blog is about feral chickens.  Feral chickens are chickens that have left domesticated life behind and taken to the wild.

 

  In Hawaii, the road to Hana is a winding right of passage for many tourists.  The road has many twists and turns as you make your way along the beautiful Maui coastline.  We encountered some Red Junglefowl at one of the first parking lots we stopped (picture at top of post).  The  roosters had beautiful feather combinations of red, yellow, orange, green and white.

 

  While in Australia we took a tour that brought us into the Daintree rainforest.  The Daintree is Australia's largest tropical rainforest.  At Mount Alexandra Lookout we encountered another group of feral chickens.  An Australorp is a special Australian chicken that is usually black with a red beak and a red comb.  The comb is the part on top of the rooster's head.  Again these chickens were just roaming the parking lot without a farm in sight.

  Instead of calling these wild or feral chickens we think there should be a new classification called Parking Lot Roosters.  While in the Daintree we noticed a small little fruit stand at the corner of the parking lot.  It appeared to be operating on the honour system as no one was around.  We wondered if it was the result of entrepeneurial chickens or if they were secretly the security guards.  Happy New Year roosters!

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Map of Our World
Mount Alexandra Lookout , Hana Highway

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Post # 159

Santa Barbara County Courthouse

Location: Santa Barbara, California, USA
Address: 1100 Anacapa St.
Date:  Feb 2014
Website:  sbcourthouse.org

  If you find yourself in court, you could do far worse than the Santa Barbara County Courthouse.  The courthouse was built in 1926 and is a great example of Spanish Colonial Architecture.  We spent some time enjoying the building as well as the surrounding grounds during our visit.

  As you approach the courthouse, an archway states "Dios nos dio los campos El arte humana edificó ciudades".  This means "God gave us the country, the skill of man hath built the town."

  Two figures sit above the archway.  The figure in the photo above looks like a male version of the familiar Justice statue.  He appears to be holding a sword in one hand and scales in the other.

  Next to the archway is the Spirit of the Ocean fountain.  This is a hand carved replica of the original  courthouse fountain.  The original had deteriorated through the years and it was decided that it must be replaced.  The replica was unveiled in 2011.

The inside of the courthouse is equally impressive with its long hallways.  Even the "Quiet. Court is in session" sign is unique.

 

  Intricate mosaic tiles adorned benches and stairwells.  The courthouse truly is a work of art inside and out.

  One court room which is a popular wedding spot is the Mural Room.  All of its walls are covered with a giant mural.

  No trip to the courthouse is complete without a trip up the clock tower.

  Just before reaching the viewing area at the top of the tower is the clock room.  This houses a Seth Thomas tower clock which ticks away the time.

  You can also see bells hanging from the ceiling inside to save space. This way everyone can visit the top of the tower and enjoy the view.

 

 

 

  From the top of the tower you can see the red tiled rooftops of Santa Barbara. You can tell that the Spanish Colonial style is popular all across the town.  Behind the town you can see the Santa Ynez mountains.  Out across the ocean you can see oil rigs trying to hide behind the hazy sky.

  As you look straight down from the tower you are looking into the sunken garden on the courthouse grounds.

 

  We descended the tower and headed out into the gardens.  We were glad that we were only visiting as tourists. If we found ourselves on trial at this courthouse at least there would be many beautiful distractions.

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Map of Our World
Santa Barbara County Courthouse

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Post # 143

Dead Zone Gazebo

Location: Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada
Address: Queen's Royal Park
Date: July 2016
Website:  www.notl.org/content/parks-recreation-faqs

   Niagara-on-the-Lake is a popular tourist destination.  The beautiful little town draws crowds year round.  One of the big draws is a gazebo that looks out over the lake from Queen's Royal Park.  The gazebo was actually built for the 1983 movie The Dead Zone and has remained in place ever since.  In the movie, Johnny (Christopher Walken) emerges from a coma to discover that he has the ability to see past and future events when he comes in contact with a person.

  Johnny touches the hand of a woman who has been murdered in the gazebo and suddenly he sees what has happened to her.  He sees the woman walking along the pathway that leads from King Street into the park.

  He sees the killer standing and looking out across the water towards Old Fort Niagara.  Old Fort Niagara is located in the United States just across the mouth of the Niagara River.  The fort has been there since the early 1700s.

  On a clear day, you can look across the lake and see the skyline of Toronto.  The distinctive CN Tower stands out above all of the other buildings.

  Johnny sees the killer call the woman up to the gazebo.  As the woman is attacked, Johnny tries to save her.  He is jolted out of his vision, but not before he sees the killer's face.  The killer is...

  We won't spoil the movie for you. You will just have to watch the David Cronenberg directed film or read the Stephen King novel on which it is based.  When you visit the gazebo you can be glad that it was only a fictional murder.  If that still makes you uneasy, you may also be glad to know that the original gazebo was replaced near the end of  2015.  What stands today is a much sturdier, wheelchair accessible replica.

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Map of Our World
Dead Zone Gazebo
Queen's Royal Park
Old Fort Niagara

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Post # 142

Las Vegas in the Fall

Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Address: 3720 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Date: Nov 2012
Website:  www.simon.com/mall/the-shops-at-crystals

  Everything is larger than life in Las Vegas. That includes the leaves falling from the ceiling inside The Shops At Crystals.  The mall was still decorated for the fall season when we visited.

  Giant leaves hung from the ceiling and looked like they were about to land upon us.

  They looked as if you could reach out and grab them while they floated down to the stores below.

  Below the leaves were some pumpkin-headed figures who looked like relatives of Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas movie.

  Autumn was also the theme inside the Bellagio's Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.  The Conservatory changes its displays seasonally throughout the year.

  The Conservatory was filled with bright displays featuring flowers and pumpkins.  There was also a water wheel turning in the middle of the displays

 

  Instead of pumpkin-headed gardeners, the Conservatory has a talking tree that greets visitors as they walk past.

  One tree was all sparkles and water and it reminded us that winter would soon be on the way.  When that happens the conservatory would be full of sparkle, representing ice.  The people of Las Vegas may even have to brave temperatures as low as 8 degrees Celsius.

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Map of Our World
The Shops at Crystals
Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens

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Post # 141