A month of hearts: February 3

A well-worn iron plate on a door in Maui. Before and after.

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It's a good day to . . .

. . . remember a time in Hawaii. It was a very botanical trip! ©Carol Leigh

Hawaiian details

You know me . . . can't see the big picture, but I'm good at details. I like the way the palm tree trunk looks almost burnished with gold and then how the thick vine snakes its way up a weathered wall. Lovely Hawaiian details. ©Carol Leigh

Walking and looking . . .

Walking down a little side street on Maui I spotted this door — I love it! And then there was the delightful surprise of the mannequin in a store window — I have never seen one "tattooed" in such a manner! ©Carol Leigh

Iron Heart

Imagine my delight finding this weathered iron heart on a door on Maui! ©Carol Leigh

Hawaiian Eyez

Found in a back alley (and I really mean back alley) on Maui. ©Carol Leigh

Latest work: "Maui Tropic Green"

This is a combination of my photographs of old papers and a plant I shot in Hawaii. I just uploaded it to my Fine Art America website, as well as a more golden brown variation of the same image. Having way too much fun with all this! ©Carol Leigh

Turtledove

Photographed at a botanical garden on Maui. The treatment I gave it makes me think of a Polaroid transfer. ©Carol Leigh

Three more from Maui

Walking around Lahaina early in the morning, before the cruise ship people arrive, before the stores open, before it gets crowded, I find this brightly colored Dumpster enclosure. Love the complementary colors of green and red.

A shop down a side street specializes in shipping pineapples and Maui onions to the mainland. You can also get a cool drink if you wish.

And finally, a wooden statue of King Kamehameha with a sort of wistful look on his face. I can relate. I lived in Hawaii when I was 10, 11, and 12 (a very long time ago). Visiting now, as a tourist, I am really an outsider, melancholy about the Hawaii that's no longer the Hawaii of my youth. And if I feel this way, think of how the native Hawaiians must feel. Auwe!

©Carol Leigh

First three from Maui

We returned home a few hours ago from a delightfully relaxing time on Maui. As I begin processing my photos, I'll share some of them with you. The morning of our first day, I stepped out onto our sixth-floor balcony. Little lights lined the pathway below, trees grew in a receding line along the beach, and Molokai (topped with a layer of clouds) showed hazily in the distance. I purposely  moved the camera during the exposure to achieve this eerie shot. (Basically, it's my answer to "No time to set up the tripod, how can I handhold this and make something interesting?")

A child's flip-flops caught my eye as we walked past a swimming pool.

And a tropical plant against a pale wall glowed in the even light of a little courtyard.

My sincere thanks to two friends who made it possible for me and Chris to have a vacation we will never forget.

©Carol Leigh