According to one definition, a liquid is a sample of matter that conforms to the shape of its container, and which acquires a defined surface in the presence of gravity. Another calls it a substance that exhibits a characteristic readiness to flow, little or no tendency to disperse, and relatively high incompressibility. In other words, you would be hard pressed to compress it. Ever tried compressing water? I haven’t, but I feel sure it would be impossible. Squeeze it one way and it squirts out another.
But I digress. A liquid could be many things, but I choose my favorite liquid—water. How much of the human body is water? A Google search supplies conflicting answers, but I rather like this breakdown: the body is more than 60% water, blood is 92% water, the brain and muscles are 75% water, and bones—yes, even bones—are about 22% water. Now I’m definitely getting off track, so to get back on, I’ll take a pictorial look at water as found on the Garden Isle of Kauai. In addition to keeping our bodies hydrated at an optimum level, water can do all the following and more.
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- add sun and make a rainbow
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- allow adventurers to strap on a parachute and go surfing
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- grow trees and plants, and let us kayak on its surface
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- give us a place to play
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- dazzle us with the golden reflection of a sunset
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- carve out an island (looking at Na Pali from the Kalalau Trail)
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- create a beach (looking down from Na Pali’s Kalalau Trail onto Ke’e Beach)
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- inspire us with its designs
Entry to a great photo challenge by Where’s My Backpack?
There & Back 
So beautiful, Jennifer! Wonderful selections for the Liquid.
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Thank you so much, Amy. I was in good company. Everyone had such inspiring selections. I’m just delighted we all look at things a little bit differently.
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I loved this, elemental and beautiful!
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Elemental—that’s the perfect word. Water affects us in so many different ways, and it’s always beautiful (except when polluted with toxins). It never ceases to fascinate and even surprise me.
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The toxins – oh don’t get me started, right there with you on that one – Water is one of the big boys for us humans you are so right about that. And it is always beautiful. Do you know that it is the one element that scientists still have trouble with – in figuring out all of it’s properties, kinda like women, lol!
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Water and Women. Could be it’s advantageous to be mysterious. Keep ’em guessing! lol
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Yes, always! lol
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You are an inspiration in so many ways. You may just be the push I need to get over being camera shy. I’m guilty of reticence around a camera from both sides of the lens.
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I would love to photograph you, Lara, and guess where—at Lili’uokalani Gardens. It would be my pleasure to help you get over being camera shy, and, of course, if you need any “taking photos” advice, you know where to come 🙂
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I just finished up Lost Kingdom last night. Did you know that place wasn’t just her favorite picnic spot? It was one of the places her supports went after she was deposed. There were secret messages in the flowers. And the native plants had significance that eluded even the Hawaiian-speaking haole. And the special place was of course the falls section. Lili’uokalani could walk up there from Washington Place at night to “garden.”
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You are always such a font of information, Lara. I must find out more about those secret messages in the flowers.
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“Uluhaimalama” translated “as the plants grow up out of the dark earth into the light, so shall light come to the nation.” Royalists were “flowers” in cryptic mele. Can’t wait for more of the Hawaiian language papers to be translated. Not a font of information…but a font of questions. Perpetual nerd.
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I wrote an article for Hana Hou! magazine about the Hawaiian-language-papers’ translation at Bishop. Very cool. http://www.hanahou.com/pages/Magazine.asp?Action=DrawArticle&ArticleID=633&MagazineID=40
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Neat. Heading off to read that. Thx.
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Well, now, that’s a feel-good post to uplift those of us in the UK who are squelched into submission by a surfeit of rain, Jennifer. The light in your pictures! Just beautiful!
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Even over here we’ve heard about your drenching. No flooding in your house or garden, I hope. Wish I could pipe some of our sunshine over to you. I’d like to take credit for the light, but that’s normal Hawaii light. I think, though, that it might be just a bit more vibrant on Kauai. The place is a veritable Garden of Eden.
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The rainbow is definitely my favourite!
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Who can resist a rainbow? I certainly can’t, and was as excited as a child on Christmas morning to see a rainbow in almost every splash. Jerry had to drag me away 🙂
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Hello, Jennifer! First, I have to apologize for this delay in checking out your site. My photography internship turned into a full-time job (Yay!!!), and it’s been fairly busy. Second, I really like this “Liquid” blog – I’m a Pisces/water bug, and love everything water and am extremely partial to fishing marinas (go figure!).
Third, thanks so much for liking a few of my October blogs, “Frosty Summer Morning”, “Crow Feather”, “Lumen Print-this time last year” and “Lumen Print #3”. In answer to your question about editing the lumens, it was all Photoshop – as I recall mostly playing with filters, color balancing, saturation to name a few. So, have you tried this at all yet. Am curious. Let me know if you have more ?’s as I’m getting ready to do some more (maybe for a Xmas card). Pleasure to meet you!
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Hi Laurie. Pleasure to meet you, too, and congratulations on your internship-turned-job. How exciting. I’ll have to check in with you as soon as the Christmas rush is over and see what you are doing now. Sorry to say I haven’t tried the lumen printing yet. Too many other things on the “busy” list at the moment (especially since I split my working time between photography and writing), but I do hope to give it a try. I don’t do any darkroom developing anymore, but I might still have a light-safe box around here somewhere.
I’m a Pisces/water bug, too, which, I guess, is why I love living on an island, surrounded by water. But fishing marinas? There has to be a back story to that 🙂
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Love your liquid photos, especially the sun and rainbow one. 🙂
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There’s something about rainbows, isn’t there: romance, hope, happiness. I’m not sure. I only know they make us feel good. Perhaps it’s their ephemeral nature; they’re here, and then gone. And when we capture one, it’s a triumph. I have yet to capture a rainbow and waterfall together, but perhaps someday 🙂
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I have done that, and it was wonderful.
https://adinparadise.wordpress.com/2012/08/31/travel-theme-curves/
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Wow! You sure have. And what a waterfall it is. Gorgeous shot, and all the other curvy shots, too. I’m particularly partial to that staircase.
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