Once a month, Hawaii receives a visit from alien invaders.  Instead of the air, they come from the sea.  They are box jellyfish, and they particularly like the beaches along Waikiki.  I've always heard they arrive a week or so after the full moon.  I've seen warning signs placed on beaches.  I've read about their "victims" in the newspapers.  This month, when an email crossed my desk announcing the the pending arrival of these critters, I decided I wanted some more information.  So, I went to the experts--the Waikiki Aquarium--and Karen Quinn patiently and thoroughly answered my questions. 

Tomorrow, I head to Maui for the Kapalua Wine & Food Festival. I've been treating myself to a glass of wine the past two evenings to get in shape for the event. Here is what I am looking forward to on my island-hopping, weekend vacation to Maui.... 

From the looks of this picture that I took yesterday on a remote north shore Kauai beach, this Hawaiian monk seal pup will only be snuggling with his mother for another day or two.  That’s because mom is starving. Or, at least, really, really hungry. This Hawaiian monk seal mother (known as H58 to scientists or “Rocky” to the rest of us folks), hasn’t had a decent meal since she hauled her heavy body out of the surf one Thursday evening 5 weeks ago to give birth to her son. 

I climbed aboard in front of the Outrigger Reef on the Beach at 3:00 p.m. While the captain turned the boat around, “Rabbit” gave us our briefing. Yes, his name was Rabbit. At least, that’s what he said. “In case of a water landing,” Rabbit said, “Put on your life jacket like this, grab two beers and jump overboard.” 

A few weeks ago, we conducted an informal poll on Facebook. We asked, “What’s your favorite Hawaii adventure?” 168 of our fans responded. Many of you could not make up your mind and reeled off a laundry list of your favorite adventures. We ran all those responses through our not-so-very-scientific analysis—called hand tabulating—to give you this report. 

Happy Earth Day!  Did you know that today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.  Here are 10 ways to care for our environment even when you’re on vacation. 

Here, set to an instrumental music track by the Hawaiian musician Makana, is a slide show portraying the first week of life of an endangered Hawaiian monk seal. At this age, they are called "pups," because their Hawaiian name--'ilio holo i kauaua--translates to English as "dog running through the rough seas."

Two weeks ago, 028 was reported with a fishing hook stuck in the corner of her mouth. Four feet or more of fishing line trailed her, wrapping around her body. People said she tried to haul out at a south shore beach here on Kauai, but the line trapped under her body as she galumphed up the beach kept tugging the hook in the corner of her mouth. After a few attempts, she retreated back to the ocean.

Many people wonder, my mother included, why I had to move so far away from home to find my home--from Missouri to Hawaii. A little over a year ago, I sat in my living room on Kauai watching history in the making on TV as Barack Obama was sworn in as President of the United States. President Obama spoke about community service. He spoke about volunteerism. 

After a mile-long hike and trek along a stretch of coastline on Kauai’s north shore, I am sitting under a heliotrope tree on the beach writing this. I can’t help but pull out my camera with the super-telephoto lens and snap a few pictures of the adult Laysan albatrosses skimming the ocean’s surf, but I didn’t pack my camera to take pictures of birds, as cute as they are. 

At two weeks of age, the Hawaiian Monk Seal pup known as "KP4" takes pleasure in using his newly-discovered foreflippers. He flaps them. He slaps his face with them. He even swims with them. In his second week of life, he and mom go for short swims in the shallows. 

When you live in Hawai'i, you don't forget December 7, the anniversary of the attack of Pearl Harbor 68 years ago. It's a day of remembrance. Today is another such day. The 25th anniversary of the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational. It only runs when the surf reaches heights of 20 feet at Waimea on O'ahu during the annual one-month holding period. In its 25-year history, the event has only run seven times. Today makes eight. 

Meet "KP4." Here, he squawks at his mother. At six days of age, he's a cutie. But he hasn't quite figured out exactly where on mom's body that yummy-liquid-stuff dispenses. I spent three hours with the pair yesterday, and he poked mom in the belly, neck, back and tail the entire time. A few nudges he got right and milky liquid streamed down his throat--and elsewhere. 

When the first Polynesians roamed the vast Pacific in search of land, they loaded their canoes with all kinds of plants and animals to sustain themselves once they arrived at their destination—which turned out to be a place we call Hawai’i. One of the animals with which they arrived? Pigs. Pigs are culturally significant to Hawai’i, as you may know from attending a lu’au.  But did you know they roam wild in and around civilization? 

Next month, we expect about 100 pairs of Laysan albatrosses will return to Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge to breed, lay a single and care for their one chick until it fledges some time in July. Factor in three birds for each nest site (not all birds breed), and I don’t even need a calculator to sum up the fact that Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge doesn’t contribute much to the overall Laysan albatross population. Not compared to Midway.  But that may change.