Standing Into Danger

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

IWSG Day: Wednesday, April 2, 2025 ~ Here's to Fighting, Questing, and Drinking!

It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.

To visit the IWSG website, click here.

To become a member of the IWSG, click here.

Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are

Jennifer Lane, L. Diane Wolfe, Jenni Enzor, and Natalie Aguirre!

Stop by their posts and thank them for hosting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.

Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.

Remember the question is optional.

This month's optional question is:

What fantasy character would you like to fight, go on a quest with, or have a beer/glass of wine with?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy April, Everyone!

I hope things are going well for each of you.

Interesting question ~

But one I didn't have to think about very much!

Galadriel, from The Lord of the Rings,

has fascinated me throughout my life.

Galadriel as portrayed by Cate Blanchett

Source

Galadriel was more of a leader and a protector than a warrior,

although she likely could wield a sword.

I wouldn't want to fight her, I would rather fight for her.

I would choose to go on a quest with Galadriel, because of her inner strength and wisdom,

and because she passed the ultimate test of resisting the power of the One Ring.

She fought her own inner darkness and chose honor, integrity,

and principle over the seduction of supreme power.

It's hard to imagine sitting down with Galadriel and drinking wine,

but if she chose to do so, I would love to share a glass with her.

I'm more of a hobbit than an elf, but she was gracious to the hobbits with Frodo,

so perhaps she'd extend that graciousness to me.

And since we both love our husbands deeply,

maybe we could find some common ground to begin our conversation.

😂

Wishing each of you a great IWSG Day,

and a big thank you to our awesome co-hosts.

Have a healthy, happy, and creative April!

Take care!

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be April 11th 🤞

Friday, March 28, 2025

Parting Shots

I woke up in Aurora this morning, definitely a jarring transition from Waikiki.

Both Terry and I were slow to get moving after our long trip home from Hawaii.

Truth be said, we're not really moving yet. 😂

I'm sharing a few parting shots from beautiful O'ahu.

Hale'iwa Beach Park

North Shore , ⁨Oʻahu⁩, Hawaiʻi⁩, ⁨United States⁩

March 14, 2025

Inside Diamond Head Crater

Honolulu, O'ahu, Hawai'i

March 19, 2025

Camera Fun Among Friends

Louise, Terry, and Daniel

The Hideout at the Lawlow

Waikiki, O'ahu, Hawai'i, USA

March 25, 2025

Looking Toward the Koʻolau Mountains from Lā'le Point State Wayside

North Shore , ⁨Oʻahu⁩, Hawaiʻi⁩, ⁨United States⁩

March 14, 2025

Mother and Chicks

Sunset Beach Park, Pūpūkea

North Shore, ⁨Oʻahu⁩, Hawaiʻi⁩, ⁨United States⁩

March 14, 2025

Beautiful Hibiscus

Honolulu Zoo

Honolulu, O'ahu, Hawai'i, USA

March 24, 2025

A Sight That Never Gets Old

From Our Lanai at the Royal Kuhio

Waikiki, O'ahu, Hawai'i, USA

March 12, 2025

A Fashion Statement

Waikiki, O'ahu, Hawai'i, USA

March 19, 2025

Beautiful Waikiki

O'ahu, Hawai'i, USA

March 13, 2025

Goodbye Pretty Kitty ~ Little Laki

International, Market Place, Waikiki, Hawaiʻi⁩, ⁨United States⁩

March 25, 2025

Late Afternoon Fun

Hale'iwa Beach Park

O'hau, ⁨Hawaiʻi⁩, ⁨United States⁩

March 14, 202

I'm linking to Tom's Aloha Friday, Nicole's Friday Face Off, and Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date,

For Tom: Aloha! ~ My friend Maki strung this beautiful and fragrant lei for me. She gave it to me at our last hula class, the day before she returned to Japan and I to Colorado. We had lots of fun together at many hula classes.

For Nicole: A Koi Face! ~ I visited the Keiki, or Children's Zoo while in Honolulu, and I had great fun watching a pool of big koi.

One of Some Really Big Koi

Keiki Zoo Within the Honolulu Zoo

O'hau, Hawaiʻi⁩, ⁨United States⁩

March 24, 2025

For Rain: Cards ~ With all the card players in my life and all the card playing I love to do, I thought it would be easy to find a photo of cards. Wrong! I guess I'm too busy playing. 😂 I chose two historic cards I saw in the Royal British Columbia Museum, BC's oldest known playing cards. Manufactured by Lawrence & Cohen between 1860

1863, the cards are "square cut from one sheet, have no corner markings and use full length artwork." (RBCM exhibit notes) Lawrence & Cohen

Historic Cards

Royal British Columbia Museum

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

September 15, 2015

Hawaii came and went too fast, but I am filled with memories of good times.

Hopefully I'll be fortunate enough to return to this special place next year!

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be

Wednesday, April 2, 2025 🤞

On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

Friday, March 21, 2025

An Unusual Place

Oʻahu⁩ continues to surprise me, and I was really surprised

when our friends Kathy and Bruce took Terry and me to an unusual place

nestled at the bottom of Oahu's lovely Ko'olau Mountains.

Pali of the Ko'olau Mountains

Valley of the Temples Memorial Park

⁨Kāneʻohe, ⁨Oʻahu⁩, Hawaiʻi⁩, ⁨United States⁩

March 14, 2025

I first knew Kathy when we attended high school,

and we reconnected a couple of years ago in Honolulu.

Since then, Kathy and her husband Bruce have been generous

with their friendship, hospitality, and time,

and they have introduced us to special places in O'ahu.

So when Kathy turned into an expansive cemetery

in Kāneʻohe on the windward side of the island,

I knew it was for a good reason.

Bruce and Kathy

Byodo-In Temple Grounds

March 14, 2025

The cemetery, Valley of the Temples Memorial Park, is the final resting place

for thousands of Buddhist, Shinto, Protestant, and Catholic residents of Hawaiʻi.

And its most beautiful area contains the magnificent Byodo-In Temple.

The Byodo-In Temple at the Base of the Ko'olau Mountains

March 24, 2016

The Byodo-In Temple

The temple is a non-practicing Buddhist shrine,

a scaled-down replica of the almost 1,000-year-old Byodo-in temple in Uji, Japan.

Byodo-in Temple means “Temple of Equality – not to discriminate,"

and it welcomes all people, regardless of their religious beliefs.

The main building of the temple is the Phoenix Hall or Hoo-do.

It contains a central hall, twin wing corridors,

and a tail hallway, resembling a phoenix in flight.

Surrounding the temple are koi-filled ponds, colorful flowers,

lush greenery, and stately trees where you can wander freely.

The Tail and Right Wing of the Phoenix

An Inviting Forest Floor

Trimezia (Apostle Plant, Apostle's Iris, Fan Iris, Poor Man's Orchid, Walking Iris)

After crossing the bridge to the temple's grounds, we did what most visitors do first,

stop at the Bell House and ring its sacred bell, or bon-sho.

Doing so is said to bring you a happy, blessed, and long life.

The bell, cast from bronze and tin in Osaka, Japan,

is five feet high, weighs three tons, and rings with a calming resonance.

We each struck the bell with a soft wooden log, or shu-moku.

During our visit we continued to hear the voice of the bell rung by other hopeful people.

The Bell House and bon-sho

A good Strike!

After ringing the bon-sho, we walked to the Meditation Pavilion,

passing by koi ponds, a waterfall, and flowers running among the trees.

Terry really enjoyed relaxing in this peaceful space.

Serenity

Azaleas

Tranquility

For me, the best part of our visit, was stepping inside Phoenix Hall

and standing before the stunning Amida Buddha hovering above lotus leaves.

The nine-foot wooden statue of the Buddha is covered with gold lacquer

and finished by gold leaf, giving it a lustrous sheen.

Directly behind the Buddha are smaller sculptures of bodhisattvas, or enlightened beings.

The Amida Buddha represents the teachings of Buddhism about life and death.

I am not a Buddhist, but I felt a profound calmness looking at the serene Buddha.

The Amida Buddha Surrounded by Bodhisattvas

After leaving this deeply spiritual space, we wandered around the beautiful grounds

spending time with our good friends Kathy and Bruce.

Terry and Bruce Exploring

Kathy and the Byodo-in Temple

It's hard to beat a special day in a special place with special friends.

I'm linking to Tom's Aloha Friday, Nicole's Friday Face Off, and Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date,

For Tom: Aloha ~ Big thrills in the beautiful land of Aloha!

Catching a Wave

Sunset Point Beach Park

Pūpūkea⁩, ⁨Hawaiʻi⁩, ⁨United States⁩

March 14, 2025

For Nicole: Koi Faces! ~ Koi fish were swimming in ponds throughout the Byodo-In Temple grounds. In Japanese culture, koi symbolize perseverance, good fortune, and courage. They are seen as a metaphor for overcoming obstacles, and are prized for their beauty and longevity.

Hungry, Hopeful Koi Looking for a Handout

Byodo-In Temple Grounds

Hawaiʻi⁩, ⁨United States⁩

March 14, 2025

A Favorite Face ~ Little Laki

Ignoring the Treats I Have for Him

International, Market Place, Waikiki, Hawaiʻi⁩, ⁨United States⁩

March 15, 2025

For Rain: Microphone ~ I always enjoy seeing Rich Embry of Alter Ego LV when I'm in Las Vegas. Alter Ego performs downtown on Fremont Street along with other talented bands.