Misty mountain

We've been sick.  It's been rainy.  Yesterday the air felt like a misty blanket enveloping us- so thick with moisture, it felt like tiny raindrops were suspended all around us.  The air was soft and beckoning.  It called us from our sickbeds, inviting us out into the open; so we decided to go for a ramble.  One of the places we went to was Kualoa Ranch.  Kualoa is the Hawaiian word for "long back" describing the Ranch's majestic mountains.

I know I've said, at least a hundred times, that the rain makes everything more beautiful.  When the sun comes out, it magnifies and intensifies colors- but the sun wasn't out yesterday.  This day was different.  The colors were deep, but muted. The day felt shrouded and romantic- the gray clouds softening edges, cloaking the mountaintops, and veiling the entire sky.  There was a quiet grandeur about it all, and I felt grateful to be out in it.  Here are some scenes from the day.

  The ranch's visitor center, restaurant and gift shop see busloads of visitors each day.

  The welcoming sight at Kualoa's entrance.

 One of the sites used by the crews for the latest movie being filmed at the ranch.  They just broke down the tents and hauled off the trailers.

  A few of the many horses roaming Kualoa.

 Kualoa Regional Park, across the street from the ranch.

Mokoli'i, popularly known as Chinaman's Hat, is the little islet just off the shore from the park.

After an illness, on days like this, 

I feel more grateful than ever to be alive, 

to have a body, 

to be able to breathe air and life deeply into my lungs,

 and to turn my face to the sky with gladness.  

Sunshine or rain, 

it really is a good life.