Flower Power

                                               
                                                
Some Days Flowers Are More Necessary Than Others

                                                   
                                                   
This is Plumeria, photographed in Hawaii in January of this year.
                                      
                                        

Joy in the Morning

                                                    
                                                   
Juvenile Humpback Whale, Mámala Bay, Honolulu Hawaii

                                                         

This was clearly a small whale, as whales go, but it did not seem to have a mother around, therefore it was probably a juvenile that had recently left its mother. It did not breach but when two mature whales passed in the distance--we could see their 20-foot spouts but never got close--the juvenile near the boat did a series of tail slaps, most likely to signal the adults of its presence, according to the naturalist on board.

Usually tail slaps are done with a vertical tail. The tail at an angle makes this a "peduncle slap," and according to an online source, might signal stress or aggression. Makes me wonder if this was a baby that had gotten separated from its mother.