Holy Honus and Humuhumunukunukuapua'as!

ABC Wednesday is a word meme with participants from around the world. This fabulous meme was created and hosted by Mrs. Denise Nesbitt who hails from Great Britain. We are now in our sixth round-some of the participants have been with this from the very first round; others have joined in along the way. Each week we are taken across the globe to see the varied and exciting contributions people have taken the time to discover and capture. We start with the letter, "A" and each week we post something in regards to the next letter of the alphabet. This week's letter is, "H".

HONU

In Hawaii, the sea turtles that live in the ocean there are called honu(s). They are considered to be guardian spirits and are revered by one and all. This image is from the website of the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel. Wouldn't you just love to spend a week there? They raise young turtles there at the hotel and release them into the wild when old enough. A turtle that is 14 years old is still considered to be a juvenile. These sea turtles live as long as we do and longer! More info about the sea turtles of Hawaii can also be found at the Coffee Times website. They have a really nice write up about the turtles, the relationship to ancient Hawaiians and their role in being the litmus test of the ocean's health. If you love Kona Coffee, this is a good place to get some. If you've never tried the Peabody Coffee, this one is a winner too (yes, I am digressing).

HAMSTER

My son, John's pet hamster. He's named it "Spider Monkey" but I NEVER call it by that name! I've named this guy "Hammie". It's more of a fun name. When I'm going to bring him out to run around in that little ball, I say it's "Hammer time". He's also been called, "Ham A Lot", "Hammer Boy", the "Hammer", and so forth.

HUMUHUMUNUKUNUKUAPUA'A

Most folks can't even get this Hawaiian word out once, let alone twice! Humuhumunukunukuapua'a is the state fish of Hawaii. That's John a few years back on one of trips home to Molokai doing his first ever, "extreme fishing" trip. The waves pound on the lava rocks which is where you drop your line. If you fall into that water, chances are zero to none that you'll come out alive if you can be retrieved at all. This fish was released back into the water after the photo op. It is not a good fish to eat, but they sure are pretty!

HNIZDOVSKY'S HYACINTH

© S. Hnizdovsky 1985 www.hnizdovsky.com

Printmaking was the area of concentration for my degree in Fine Arts (studio). When I first saw a print done by Jacques Hnizdovsky, my jaw dropped. I love this man's work. He passed away 25 years ago. Ukrainian born, he developed a keen interest in woodcuts and was influenced by Durer and Japanese woodcuts. This influence can be seen in all of his work, which is uniquely his. If I could ever own some prints done by an artist that I admire greatly, his would be one of them. And, Gene Kloss and Picasso. A modest request, don't you think?