Search for:

Home Beneath the Mountain

This road leads to my home. No, I do not live in that glass and metal monstrosity uglying (Is that a word? If it’s not, it should be!) up our neighborhood. It is at least 18 stories high and sits in our wonderful wild valley like a city cousin wearing her finery. We live in a lovely condo village just to the left of the road.

Follow the road to the bus near the end. Consider the size of the bus, the size of the tower, and the size of the mountain that backs our valley. This photo ISN’T from the bottom up. The ocean ia a full mile down the road in the direction you cannot see.

This photo was taken just a bit further down the road, and from the other side. I took it seconds before stepping into the brush and photographing the cactus. The “scrub” trees were looking over are actually 10 to 12 feet tall. The grooves in the mountain were cut by water run-off. When it rains they immediately become the Makaha Valley Waterfalls, unfortunately the clouds come down and make picture taking extremely difficult.

This is our more humble abode. We live on the top floor to the right. The branches and leaves you see at the top edge of the picture are attached to a mango tree.

And here is one of our neighbors lounging in the shade of the bougainvillea bush.

The Makaha Valley, From the Ground, Up
is my last entry in Jeremiah’s photo project
AND
the peacock is my 3rd entry in
Anna’s Project Blue.

Quilly is the pseudonym of Charlene L. Amsden, who lives on The Big Island in Hawaii. When she is not hanging out with Amoeba, she is likely teaching or sewing. Or she could be cooking, taking photographs, or even writing. But if she's not doing any of that, she's probably on Facebook or tinkering with her blog.

22 Comments

  1. I love peacocks, what fun to have one right in your neighborhood. I’m in Israel, and the bougainvillea is in full bloom here too right now.

  2. And what a terrific sight seeing tour you used to share BOTH photo projects with US! That was GREAT! Now I know exactly how to get to you when I come!

  4. That’s a true glass and metal monster uglying the scenery… Love the peacock, what a perfect blue!!
    I’ll follow Melli to get to your place, I always get lost 🙂

  5. Wow…how lucky you are to live in such a beautiful place! And to see peacocks instead of crows? So jealous here. I loved the little tour and have enjoyed doing the project together! Thank you for all your nice comments 🙂

    Agree uglying up the scenery!!!

  6. The only peacocks I’ve ever know were loud as everything 🙂 Do you live in Hawaii?? Wow!

    Since you showed us your home I’d like to share a blog about shed living.
    It is at <a href=”http://www.shedworking.co.uk/” Shed Workers
    There are some fantastic sheds there. I just went out and took a picture of our shed to send to him. Ours is not as cool as some he has, but cooler than some others. We don’t live in our shed, though…only our garden tools and such live in there.

  7. Yes, again – but it is so appropriate for you to have a mountain too. After all, Hawaii literally is itself From The Ground Up!
    The building may be “uglying” up the landscape, but I think the composition of your photo with it and the mountain and street – it all comes together extremely well!

    I laughed at Karen’s comment – a peacock – I would expect that for blue – you are so lucky to have them so near to photograph. This is my favorite shot of yours of one of them.

  9. i’m glad i didn’t do mountains formy final from the ground up day (i do have birds, though)
    these peacocks always look fabulous… more please 🙂

  10. They really shouldn’t be allowed to build something that “metal and glass” in such a beautiful surrounding, should they. It doesn’t blend into the picture at all.

    Love peafowl……..I used to have a couple live next door to me in Louisiana, I actually got to where I missed the females’ loud call when I would come here to Georgia. but they are gone now, the neighbor who owned them moved.

  11. wow is all I can say of the glass thing. And no that is not really a good wow. All that glass just screams of not belonging. I like your place much better. It says comfort and hugs, peace and deep breathing.

  14. Which is worse, crows or peacocks? Crows as smart but peacocks are pretty. Unless a person happens to be into the goth scene. Both birds have a tendency to be obnoxious – just like that fugly set of buildings in your first picture.

    But just think: if they’d move those thingies BENEATH the mountain, maybe we could move dickless cheney out of his hidie hole beneath Ski Liberty here in otherwise beautiful downtown pennsyltucky.

  15. Great blue peacock shot. I’d love to get a good shot of a peacock on display. Looks like I’m heading back into the garage tonight to figure out something blue to shoot. I just lost my outdoor light.

    I have a request in for a location in Hawaii for August. I’m not too positive something will open up. I’ll keep you up to date.

  16. Peacocks win for beauty so does your condo. I would feel very bad to have Maggie chase the peacocks. She chases the crows and all flying objects.

  17. Great photos once again, Quilly. And that peacock, my gosh I love the look of those birds. Not pretty to listen to, but oh so pretty to look at.

  18. “Uglying” sounds like a perfectly respectable word to me. I grant you permission to use it liberally. If you and I like the word, then it needs no other endorsements.

    That peacock is so pretty!!!!

  19. How wonderful to live not high up in the air uglying up the landscape but down near the ground so you can admire that beautiful peacock!
    Sandi
    ps
    David sent me…congrats on the mention

  20. Robin — Isreal! Wow! Welcome to Hawaii!

    Melli — I may need to add a few more details to get you to my door, but this will get you pretty darn close.

    Karen — I loves me them peacocks.

    Mar — hard to get lost. One road in. One road out. If you aren’t on the road, you’d better have a boat or really good insurance, because the folks whose yards you’re driving through are gonna be ticked!

    Debbie — don’t go saying good bye just yet, I added you to my feed reader.

    Amber — the first night we were here a peacock screamed and OC woke me to listen to it with him. He was certain somebody was being tortured.

    Carletta — I wish I’d have had time to run across the island to Diamond Head. THAT would have been a grand entry for “From the Ground, Up.”

    Jientje — thank you. Some of my regulars might be getting a bit tired of the peacocks by now.

    Juliana — I think a flock of mountains from around the world would have been a grand, grand finale! However, I liked your birds.

    Nea — yeah, the environmental impact clase needs a beautification clause! However, the locals like that monstrosity, because it beautifies their economy.

    Jules — I agree. Our condos are low profile, built of wood, painted earth tones and pretty much hidden behind the landscaping. They keep the place so well groomed it is like living in a park.

    Dr. John — you’re getting tired of the photos, aren’t you?

    David — the door is always open. Literally. The windows, too. We love the breeze!

    Sauerkraut — I see you’re back to your old chipper self. How’s the health?

    Robert — the peacocks here display early mornings and mid-afternoons all through the month of May. Plan accordingly ….

    Betty — I think Maggie would come out the worse for wear if she caught one of these peacocks.

    Alice — the peacocks are gorgeous. I am going to take a bunch of bread out one of these days and see if I can’t get really close to one of them with the camera.

    JD — perhaps I should have said it is a hitonious building?

    Sandi — well, we are three stories up, but that really isn’t high in comparison to the metal monster.

  21. Just flying through your posts quickly and that peacock stopped me dead in my tracks.

    Fantastic. What clarity. What a beautiful beast.

Comments are closed.