I've been here for a little over a week and today marks the fourth consecutive day heading down the hill to the beach. I'm going to be a little less wordy and more informative. Yeah, right! This weekend, a friend took a few of us to a place called "Pololu." This means, "long spear," in Hawaiian. It is a valley, a series of erosional valleys, forming th eEast coast of the Kohala mountains on the island. Road dead ends and there is a phenemonal look out. We hiked down to the black sand beach and body surfed waves that had some serious force behind them. I can't imagine when the surf is up. Well maybe I can! I don't think I'll find myself toying around in such waves.After this hike, (note: eating guava all the way), we drove a bit south. Here we took a hike and did some of the best snorkeling I've ever done. Visibility was hundreds of feet. Saw tons of fish. Closed up the excellent day with a little homemade Kona coffee ice cream.
Here's another view of "long spear." 
Then Sunday, went back to a different beach and swam with the turtles. Surprisingly the numbers were high. Really rather fascinating to see them swim so effortlessly. Reminded me of a magic carpet.
Other noteworthy bits to mention include a special moment this weekend. The peek of the Perseid meteor shower is expected expected to display the greatest number of meteors Sunday morning (August 12), late Sunday night and Monday morning (August 13) before dawn. Below is a blurb I found which really makes it sound like something not to miss. I'm looking forward to it as the skies here are like none other I've seen. They say the Big Island has the clearest skies in the world. I've seen some stunning night skies before but out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean like this, and just a stones throw from the desolate summit of Mauna Kea (a 13,796 foot volcano), we're sure to see an amazing show this weekend. The air is extraordinarily thin, dry and clear, and there's little to no light pollution. Trivia: All the street lights on the island are dulled down to yellow, so as to protect the observatories.
A Perseid Meteor amidst the Northern Lights.Okay, here's the info. about the event. Hope you'll enjoy the info. but moreover, the weekend staring into the Heavens.
The legendary Perseid meteor shower will peak in the next few days. The moon is new on Sunday, or between the Earth and sun. This new moon will leave the night sky dark all this weekend for the Perseid meteors. These meteors are named for the constellation Perseus the Hero. If you trace the paths of the meteors backwards, they seem to stream from this constellation. You don’t need to identify Perseus to enjoy the meteor shower. The Perseids are an especially rich and dependable meteor shower. They shoot all across the sky – often leaving persistent trains – and occasionally lighting things up with bright fireballs. To watch the show, find a dark, open sky. Get away from city lights, and give your eyes at least 20 minutes to adapt to the dark. The Perseid shower favors northern hemisphere skywatchers. Again, the best time to watch: Sunday morning, late Sunday night and Monday morning before dawn. At its peak, the Perseids typically produce 60 or more meteors per hour. (Yowzers!)
Here’s the razor-thin waning crescent moon, as it will appear in the east before dawn Friday morning. This waning moon is a welcome sight! It means the moon will be out of the way for this weekend’s peak of the 2007 Perseid meteor shower. While the best time will likely be on Sunday and Monday mornings, try Saturday and even Friday before dawn as well. At dawn, the radiant point for the Perseids – in tbe constellation Perseus – is high overhead. Thus the meteors will be raining down from the top of the sky, appearing on all sides of you. The best observing strategy is to find a dark location away from all lights but with a good view of the sky. Then lie on a cot or chaise lounge and look up! Between midnight and dawn typically is the best time to observe meteors because at that time the Earth has turned into the direction it is moving through space. There are many things you can see with binoculars – but if you plan to see meteors, put the binoculars away! They greatly restrict your view of the sky and thus cut down on the number of meteors you will notice streaking across the night sky.
Realistically, don’t expect a literal “shower.” A meteor every few minutes is good.
