Wednesday, March 5, 2025

IWSG: Wednesday, March 5, 2025 ~ Who or What Would I Be?

  





It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.






To visit the IWSG website, click here.

To become a member of the IWSG, click here.

Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are 

Stop by their posts and thank them for hosting.
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.

Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.

Remember the question is optional.

This month's optional question is: 
If for one day you could be anyone or *thing* in the world, what would it be? Describe, tell why, and any themes, goals, or values they/it inspire in you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy March, Everyone!  
I hope things are going well for each of you.

The first image that popped into my mind
when I read this month's question was a red-tailed hawk.

Red-Tailed Hawk Soaring
The thought completely took over me.  
I could feel my wings riding the thermals rising up from the desert floor,
as I soared hawk high over Monument Valley scanning the rugged landscape below.

Monument Valley


This was no surprise.  
I have experienced this vividly a number of times in the past, awake and in dreams.

When I first visited Monument Valley, I felt a powerful connection to the landscape.
For a while I thought that I might have genetic ties to the Navajo or the Anasazi.
Nope, tests confirmed not a drop of indigenous blood in my past, recently or deep in time.

My dreams had me soaring above the magnificent rocks,
and then I thought, perhaps, it was the geologist in me searching for an aerial view.

The Three Sisters in Monument Valley
I have stood above them on the mesa and looked down.
by Dsdugan Wikimedia ~ License


And then one day, in a profoundly relaxed state during a massage,
I became one with a red-tailed hawk.
I was that hawk riding the thermals in Monument Valley,
and suddenly I realized that the red-tailed hawk is my spirit animal.

Red-Tailed Hawk
by AstroDoc Wikimedia ~ License

I know, this sounds ridiculous.  I've told myself that many times.
But I can't shake that intuition, that compelling feeling.
Over and over I have soared as a red-tailed hawk.

I've looked into what this means over the years, 
and I have come to interpret these vivid red-tailed hawk experiences
as signs of my unending desire to learn and my ability to see the larger picture,
as reminders to trust my powerful intuition
which has changed the course of my life repeatedly,
and as confirmation of my inner strength, courage, and resilience.
Most of all these experiences make me feel protected and lifted up by God's grace.

Much Higher Than a Hawk Over Monument Valley
January 14, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved


This *thing* in the world that I have experienced has not been for one day only.
I hope I continue to soar hawk high over Monument Valley. 

Wishing each of you a great IWSG Day,
and a big thank you to our awesome co-hosts.

Have a healthy, happy, and creative March!
Take care!



Till next time ~
Fundy Blue

Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com
Copyright ©2025 – All rights reserved.

My next post will be March 14th 🤞  

Friday, February 28, 2025

Out and About in Colorful Waikiki

Today I'm sharing some recent photos I have taken out and about in colorful Waikiki.

Evening Lights at the Royal Hawaiian Center
Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
February 14, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved





One of the Best Burgers in Waikiki
Hideout at the Laylow
Waikiki, Hawaii, USA
February 23, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved






Sailing Lessons with the Waikiki Yacht Club
Ala Wai Boat Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
February 20, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved





Yellow Hibiscus
Waikiki
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
February 19, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved






Sunset at the Sheraton Waikiki
Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
February 14, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved






Makeover at the Lava Tube Restaurant
Out with the Volcano, In with a Tiki Man
Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
February 26, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved






Returning from Ocean Canoeing
Ala Wai Boat Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
February 20, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved






Banyan Tree at the Hale Koa
Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
February 14, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved






Little Laki at Cat Café MOFF 
International Market Place, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
February 18, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved






Just Married
Ala Wai Boat Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
February 20, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved






Fireworks at the Hilton Hawaiian Village
From Our Lanai
Royal Kuhio, Waikiki, Hawaii, USA
February 14, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved






Morning Visitors on Our Lanai
Nine Little Java Sparrows
Royal Kuhio, Waikiki, Hawaii, USA
February 14, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved






Great Entertainment at the Hideout
Waikiki, Hawaii, USA
February 25, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved






Māmala Bay from Magic Island
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
February 20, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved


For Rain:  Clay ~ My favorite photos I've taken of clay are in the Mud Volcano area of Yellowstone National Park.  This is a fascinating place containing some of the most acidic thermal features in the park.  The air carries the pungent smell of rotten eggs, and the hillsides are dotted with trees injured or killed by steam. 
September 14, 2022
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved

Hydrogen sulfide rises from the Yellowstone Magma Chamber below, and microorganisms (thermophiles) convert the gas to sulphuric acid.  The acid breaks down the area's rhyolitic rock into clay minerals which mix with water with to form the mud.  
Mud Volcano
September 14, 2022
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved

How thick the mud is depends on how much water is available. The water comes from rain and snow that seeped underground, was heated by hot gases from the magma, and forced upward by pressure.  The bubbles in the mudpots are caused by other gases rising from the magma chamber.

The Mud Volcano and the Old Faithful areas are two resurgent domes which rise up and down with fluctuations in the magma chamber below.  Scientists observe this activity closely because of the danger of future volcanic eruptions.
Part of a Sign in the Mud Volcano Area
It was sprinkling when I took the photo.
September 14, 2022
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved

For Tom:  Aloha ~ The Sheraton Waikiki Beach Resort has a fun new sand sculpture of a green sea turtle family in its lobby.  Kai, his mother Mahina, and his father Keoki are mascots for the resort.  Locals regard green sea turtles, or honu, as symbols of prosperity and good luck.  Once common in Waikiki's waters, they are currently considered a "threatened species."  Fortunately their nesting numbers are increasing 3 to 5 percent statewide in recent years.  The sculptures were created by Sandsational Sand Sculpting.  
Kai and His 'Ohana
Sheraton Waikiki
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
February 14, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved





A Closeup of Kai
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
  
For Nicole:  Feathered Face! ~ Birds are everywhere, especially if there's a chance for a bit of food.  I am particularly fond of sparrows.
Old World Sparrow
International Market Place
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
February 18, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved






Old World Sparrow
International Market Place
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
February 18, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved



See you next time!  ❤️🌺🍀



 Till next time ~
 Fundy Blue
 
Standing Into Danger                                    https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com
 Copyright ©2025 – All rights reserved.

My next post will be 
Wednesday, March 5th. 🤞 

On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved


  

Friday, February 21, 2025

Good for the Body, Good for the Mind

Wednesday marked the halfway point in our stay in Waikiki.
It's gone so fast I can't believe it.
I still haven't gotten up on a paddle board or climbed Diamond Head.

Beautiful Diamond Head
Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
February 14, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved



It's not that I haven't been busy.  I've been doing a lot.
Mostly I've been working on my anti-dementia plan.
Say what?  Every time I forget something, I worry.
Every time I have trouble figuring something out, I worry.
Even though dementia doesn't run in my family, I worry.

So I've been doing things that are good for the body, good for the mind ~
As in learning hula dances, Hawaiian words, and a Hawaiian chant.

Kilohana Hula Show
Prince Kuhio Beach, Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
February 12, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved





Kilohana Hula Show
Prince Kuhio Beach, Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
February 12, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved


That will make my family members laugh!
They know I can't dance, can't carry a tune, and am terrible at learning languages.
But they cheer me on, because I don't give up.

I can't dance, but I still try!
Me (Louise) During Our "Thriller" Rehearsal 
270º East ~ Ovation of the Seas
South Pacific Near New Zealand   October 28, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved


So, I have a round of hula lessons:  One on Tuesday and two on Sunday.
I catch hula shows like the Kilohana show on the mound at Prince Kuhio Beach
and the Wednesday night hula show at the Royal Hawaiian Center.
I even try to catch the performance class following my class on Sunday night.

My Sunday night class is two hours long and is taught by Pono,
the resident manager at the Royal Kuhio where Terry and I are staying.
He teaches using the method that Hawaiians have used for centuries,
which means you watch and then try it, practicing until you get it right.
The most advanced students line up in the front,
and the other lines form according to the students' progress.

Guess where I am?  
I'm the very last line, standing behind four and six year old Hawaiians.  😂 
But I don't mind!  I consider it a privilege. 

Pono at the Lunar New Year Lion Dance
Royal Kuhio, Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
February 1,  2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved

And I practice, practice, practice, especially in the pool.
I walk up and down in the pool chanting and working on flexibility in my feet.
I stand by the side of the pool and drill the various steps:
kāholo, hela, ami, kā'o, lele, uwehe, and combinations of these steps.

The uwehe (oo weh' heh) is the most challenging for me.
When doing the uwehe, you lift one foot, lower it, and shift your weight to the opposite hip.
Then you raise your heels and push your knees forward while swaying your hips.
All of this is done with your knees slightly bent.
And sometimes you do step, owehe, step, owehe a number of times to a fast beat.

Kilohana Hula Show ~ uwehe Step
Prince Kuhio Beach, Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
February 12, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved

I've really struggled with the owehe
A couple of days ago, Pono told me what owehe means in Hawaiian.
I thought it meant this complicated step.

No.  
Pono told me it means the splash a raindrop makes when it hits the ground.
Isn't that beautiful?

Now I'm telling myself step, splash, step, splash which makes me faster.
I think I'm finally getting it!

uwehe ~ Pinterest

Oh, there's one harder step, and I don't remember what it is called.  
It's only appeared in one of Pono's drills in one class.
You crouch down, and remaining in the crouch,
take eights steps around clockwise until you're back where you started,
followed by eight steps anti-clockwise to do a complete circle to the left.
This takes knee bends to a new level!
Repeat, repeat, repeat ...

I just laughed.  😂  
I crouched for about 20 seconds, but couldn't move anything.
Then I toppled over.  😂
So I have more exercises to do in my daily stretching session.

Pono is an excellent teacher. 
He keeps us all engaged, from 4 years old to me.
He makes it fun, but everyone knows when he's serious,
and he can silence everyone with one word.
Well, maybe not the tiny toddlers who have escaped from their mothers' carriages.
They are celebrated as the gifts they are and run, giggle, shriek, and laugh freely.

Pono says things like:
"There is no shame in our culture.  Leave your shame at home."
"All we can do is try.  What's the key word? ... "
"After the first komo, take a big breath and run to the end of the sentence."

That last quote refers to the longest sentence in our permission chant:
e komo, e komo aku ho'i au ma loko inā ka pu'u nui waho nei lā lē

We say the chant at the beginning of each class 
to ask permission to enter the space and dance.

When Pono chants it with his melodic voice coming deep from his belly, 
the chant is a thing of beauty, ancient and mysterious.

A male hula dancer or hula kāne dances to the beat of an ipu hula or large gourd drum.
Hyatt Regency, Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
March 3, 2015
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved


You can hear an example of a chant and hula here .
where the 2024 Merrie Monarch Kahiko (first place) winners perform He Inoa No Hina
to honor Hina, the Hawaiian Moon Goddess.
Hina is the mother of the island of Moloka'i.

The Merrie Monarch Festival is a non-profit organization 
honoring the legacy of King David Kalākaua.  
The king inspired the perpetuation of Hawaiian traditions, native language, and arts. 

I have been making recordings wherever  I can, so I can practice hula at home in Aurora.
The hula offerings online are not the best.
I have finally grasped enough that I think can really learn.

Here is a quick, simple, and touristy hula taught by the Kilohana singers and dancers:

Simple hula lesson given during the Kilohana Hula Show


There's a big contrast between the two videos, I know, 
but Waikiki performers make experiencing hula fun for visitors from around the world
and continue the long tradition of extending Hawaiian aloha to visitors.

I'm participating n a hula Class at the Royal Hawaiian Center.
Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
February 1,  2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved

For Rain:  Favorite Animal ~ My favorite animal is the platypus, and my favorite platypus is Tilly whom I saw in the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia in 2023.  Tilly was swimming too fast for me to catch a photo of her.

Tilly, rescued in the wild at four months old, is treated  at Taronga's Wildlife Hospital.


For Tom:  Aloha ~ Aloha is a complex word and its meaning goes beyond "Hello" and "Goodbye."  To Hawaiians it has a deeper cultural and spiritual meaning as a force that holds existence together.  It encompasses love, affection, peace, compassion, and mercy. Source  

The following photos are a sequence of steps for "When I say aloha to you."
They are performed by the daughter of my hula instructor at the Royal Hawaiian Center.  
(The photos aren't as sharp as I'd like, but I was taking screen shots of my video.)


When I Say ...




Aloha ...



To ...




You.


For Nicole:  Friendly Faces! ~ Spending a lovely afternoon with friends.  Kathy and I knew each other in 1963-64.  She was in my brother Roy's 7th grade class and I was in grade 8 at Wolfville High School.  Her father baptized me. We reconnected in Honolulu where she and her husband live, and we have been getting together for several years.

Terry, Kathy, and Bruce
Magic Island
February 20, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved




Bruce, Me, and Kathy
Magic Island
February 20, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved

See you next time!  ❤️🌺🍀

A Wave Breaks on Magic Island ~ Sweeping in from Māmala Bay
Oʻahu⁩, ⁨Honolulu⁩, ⁨Hawaiʻi⁩, ⁨United States⁩
February 20, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved



 Till next time ~
 Fundy Blue
 
Standing Into Danger                                    https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com
 Copyright ©2025 – All rights reserved.

My next post will be 
Friday, February 28th. 🤞 

On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved