Hawaiian Delights

I typically wake early and run near my house to beat the traffic, but since I was out late Wednesday night I decided to sleep in and run near my work instead. Boy, did I make the right decision! I ran in Ho'omaluhia Botanical Gardens at sunrise and got to enjoy the pali in the early-morning light. I had my camera in my car so I snapped some pics post-run:



I enjoyed a run through some lush forests, surrounded by wild chickens and tiny chicks, exotic songbirds, and even some wild pigs (way cuter in the daylight, by the way). When I got to work I was smelling a little ripe (some people call it BO, I call it "athlete") and wasn't feeling a shower. Instead, I jumped in my swimming channel and knocked off a 3/4 mile swim:


I saw my usual mix of fish, coral, and sea cucumbers, but this morning I was treated to a special sighting: a spotted eagle ray:


I didn't have my camera, so I stole this image off the net. The one I saw was just a juvenile, and I expected it to bolt as soon as it saw me. Instead, it hung out in its spot so I saw it with each lap. Man, if this keeps happening, I may actually start to LIKE swimming!