Here Comes the Rain Again. Can the DeLukes Be Far Behnd?

Come for the fish, Stay for the rain.

 
Yesterday Sandra and I were going to attend an outdoor concert at the palace, la de da.  As the afternoon wore on, our omnipresent friend, the Mayan rain god, Chac, raised his soggy head and by 3 PM we were in the midst of a deluge.  While it is pleasant to get out of the house, to sit in the rain or

Cleaner Wrasse Juvenile with Yellow Tang, Kahalu'u March 2018

not to sit in the rain was hardly a question.  The West Hawaii County Band under the direction of maestro  Bernaldo Evangalista went unattended, at least by yours truly.

   This morning we touched bases with Gail DeLuke.  She and her delightful husband, Martin, will be raising their flag over Casa Ono in a few weeks.  After discussing schedules and house sitting duties, Gail mentioned that she had been reading the blog and wondered if the weather, not to mention the ocean, was still cold.  Sandra piped up saying that I had gone swimming recently and that the water was much warmer.

   That was only two days ago at Kahalu'u on the warmest day we have had so far this spring.  Indeed, the water wasn't freezing and there were patches that definitely could be labeled, if not warm, cool.  On that outing there was nothing spectacular, but I did see a juvenile cleaner wrasse doing a job on a

Finescale Triggerfish 2018.  The answer is blown in the sand.

yellow tang, which made for a pretty nice picture.  On the way in I chased a large flounder, doing a magic carpet imitation as he cruised above the sand and rocks.

    Back on the beach, Sandra made friends with a couple of girls from Minnesota.  Even the name of that state, Minnesota, sounds cold.  I said something clever like, "Well, the weather is certainly better here than in Minnesota...unless you want to play hockey."  They indulged me with an understanding smile and proceeded out onto the rocks where they could contemplate swimming in private.

    As we finished our phone call with Ms. DeLuke, she reminded us that she was more than eager to read the next blog.  With that in mind, Sandra said she would be happy to drop me off at the pier on the way to Macy's.  Getting ready, I

Magic Carpet Ride with a Flowery Flounder

noticed that the corn palm outside the lanai still had raindrops from this morning's shower. (No need
to water today!)

   Down at pier, life was overcast with a few swimmers and a Frisbee playing dog.  Employing my mantra, I was able to get into the cold water and start swimming.  As you will recall, the rain filters through the lava, getting cooled along the way, and then percolates into our bays.  Today I could actually see the fountains of cold water as they exited the sandy bottom.   The water near the beach was quite clear with a fair representation of pedestrian fish.  They're playing the Final Four and still no squid. 

   Further out I saw a Finescale Triggerfish.   This guy was engaged in a behavior that I have seen other triggers, in the Caribbean and the Western Pacific perform...standing on his head and blowing

Ever present  the female Bird Wrasse

into the sand, presumably in search of something delicious.  A bit further on I saw a pair.  This was, in my estimation as the Yentl of the fish, a match.  Soon we will have a whole school, a veritable yesihiva, with little finescale triggers wearing yarmulkes.  Oy vey!

    In front of the palace I was lucky to see another large flounder who made a better flying carpet picture than his friend two days before.

     Sad to say, that was as interesting as it got today.  Inshore, the water was still clear so I took a few pictures of the same old fish.  I hope you (and Gail DeLuke) enjoy them.

   The best news of all?  We made it home before it started to rain.  Again.

A lovely ornate wrasse.  Kailua in the Rain 2019