Autumn is in full swing here in small town Missouri and warm summer days are a thing of the past. Cool air has moved in and the leaves are beginning to change. Fall has officially arrived.

But back in my island home, things are still the same. Lush. Green. In full bloom.

While visiting with family in Hawaii last week, I spent some time with one of my closest friends, Marc. He’s a professional photographer, self-proclaimed Disney junkie and crazy Miami Heat basketball fan. He’s also one of the nicest people I know.

I’ve had a huge crush on Marc’s big, sexy camera gear for a while now so I was beyond excited when he allowed me to borrow one of his Canon EOS 5D Mark II’s for a few of my photoshoots. I wanted to keep it and bring it back to Missouri, but Marc wouldn’t let me. Imagine that.

He did let me bring his camera along during one of our photo walks, though. Our destination? Palatial ruins hidden deep within a forest on Oahu.

Marc traversed the sometimes-overgrown trail like a pro while I stumbled, swatted bugs, wiped sweat from my forehead and screamed at unfamiliar sounds. I was sure that I heard a wild boar. Marc was sure that I was turning senile.

He’s probably right.

The trail was dark and mysterious at times, but beautiful nonetheless.

Bamboo. Eucalyptus. Mossy rocks.

Exotic ferns.

Lush, tropical beauty at every turn.

But there are no words for what greeted us at the end of the trail.

I can’t quite put into words how incredibly eerie it felt to stand in the palatial ruins of kings and queens past. The privilege of being there certainly wasn’t lost on me. I am a proud Native Hawaiian who has the utmost respect for my ancestors and the few historical sites left untouched and hidden from commercial tours. (I will not be disclosing the location of this shoot or posting more photos of the ruins itself for that reason alone.)

The beauty of the moment – standing on such sacred ground – was overwhelming to say the least.

Marc and I split up for a bit and took a few shots on our own.

When we met back up again, he was lying in the grass under the trees. Playing with his iPhone.

After a snarky “you’re in the middle of a beautiful forest in Hawaii and you’re playing on your iPhone?” lashing, I decided to join him. We talked and laughed, laughed and talked.

And we stared up at the trees.

In the middle of a lush, tropical, beautiful forest in Hawaii. There really is no place like home.

…………………….

I’m excited to announce that I’m teaming up with the lovely and talented Rebecca of Bumbles and Light and Alicia of Project Alicia for the brand new Shades of Autumn Photo Challenge – a colorfully inspiring autumn photography challenge aimed at capturing the beautiful shades of autumn.

Just a few details:

All are welcome regardless of experience, time commitment and whether or not you’re experiencing fall at the moment.

Simply share your favorite images inspired by the autumn shade of the week each Friday and grab our button while you’re at it.

At least 50% of your image must contain the color of the week; the autumn shade being the main focus of your photo. Selective coloring discouraged.

The linky will remain open from 12:01am CST Friday – 11:59pm CST Wednesday. Link directly to your Shades of Autumn blog post or Flickr photo. Feel free to share your photos in our Shades of Autumn Flickr Group as well.

We’ll select our favorite photos of the week and share them with you at Bumbles & Light, Project Alicia and Live and Love Out Loud the following Thursday.

Next week’s theme will be yellow. For a complete list of upcoming themes, head on over to the Shades of Autumn Photo Challenge page.

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