Beach Access / Follow the Signs

This Way

A sign points the way to the beach near the town of Kapaʻa on the island of Kauaʻi in Hawaiʻi, as seen during our 2018 Kauaʻi Trip.

During our trip, we had parked our rental car and walked along a trail along the shore to get to the Pineapple Dump site, and we enjoyed the views of the beach as we walked. I thought this narrow path through the growth was interesting. In some ways, the sign was rather obvious. After all, there was a path through the tall grass, and the beach could be seen off in the distance, so it was somewhat apparent that there was beach access through there.

Still, perhaps it was a good idea to have the sign, just in case anyone was wondering if they could really go to that beach. Sometimes, it never hurts to say things directly, after all. You can not be too careful these days.

But anyway, we kept on walking. Yes, we were getting hot. And yes, the humid air was almost as thick as that tall grass, so that it felt like we had to cut our own path through the humidity. But that was not the beach we were looking for, or the Pineapple Dump that we were there to see, so we kept on going. And yes, we did eventually reach the Pineapple Dump site, and then we got back to our car and drove on to another beach. It was all good.

Signs

Signs are everywhere. But you have probably noticed that. I am not necessarily talking about billboards that line the highways, and this is not an argument about whether they mar the landscape or not. Instead, I am just talking about signs in general.

Signs are always telling you something. There are very few pointless signs put up. A particular sign may not necessarily apply to you, but most all of them do have some sort of meaning to someone.

These days, there are all sorts of new signs being put up. If you go into just about any type of business, you will see a couple of signs on the door. One is advising you on general procedures on how to stay safe and not spread the COVID-19 virus, such as staying at least six feet away from people not from your household. The other is advising you to wear a mask or face covering. Or in many places now, that second sign is telling you that a face covering is required to enter that facility.

We may not like these signs. We may not want to do what they say. But they are there for our protection, and for the protection of others.

Please read the signs and do what they say. It is for the best for all of us.

Bible Verse

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. - Hebrews 13:17

About the Photo

For me, it is fun to just photograph random things as we are walking by. No setup, no planning, nothing elaborate. Just a quick photo of what I see. That is what happened here. Of course, I very much liked what I was seeing, but this was in no way an elaborately planned photo.

And then, I had pretty much forgotten about this until I was going through my Kauaʻi trip photos the other day, looking for something to share. It might not necessarily be a perfect photo, but it was perfect for what I was looking for, and it perfectly captured that memory that I had almost forgotten about until now.

Take photos when you can. They will help you remember things later on!

Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Photoshop. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M10
Lens: Olympus 14-42mm IIR
Date: July 10, 2018
Location: Kapaʻa, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi