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How I spent my summer vacation – a Virginia landscape designer’s week in Hawaii

August 14, 2013 by Dave Marciniak Leave a Comment

2013 was another amazing year, but as a small company that translated into lots and lots of long days. This is the time of year that a lot of folks in the landscape industry start getting cranky because they need a day off, and I was no exception (sorry, MJ!). MJ had a conference in Waikiki Beach so we rolled it into a much-needed vacation. Naturally I spent a fair bit of time ogling the local flora.

Red-Ti

When you talk about foliage color, good luck beating these colors.

I also dragged MJ to the Waimea Arboretum and Botanical gardens, where I ooh’d and ahh’d the whole way. You have to love huge, dinosaur park foliage.

bigleaves

One of my favorite photos is of these trees. The shapes the branches create are just amazing.

funky-trees

All paths in this park point to one thing: the waterfall at the end. Had I been thinking I would have had us show up wearing swimsuits, since you can actually swim under the falls. Alas, I wasn’t, but it was still worth the walk.

WaimeaFalls

I have a gigantic soft spot for Japanese gardens and when I heard that there was a cemetery on the eastern side of the island that featured a Buddhist temple – we had to go. It was, in a word, stunning. Oahu was this gorgeous jewel of an island where you can’t help but think “I want to move here.”

temple

Big Island is different. MJ and I both considered it a tropical version of the Maine coast, a rugged land that seems to say (at least to me), “boy, you do NOT have what it takes to survive here.” What made me fall in love with the island is the way Nature is proving that it always finds a way, and there was life in the harshest places.

redlavaflower

Even farther down the road to the coast, we parked the car and walked down the road that was closed by the lava flow a decade ago. The lava has since stopped flowing, but the park service recognizes when it won’t win a battle with Nature. In the midst of trekking across this hot, craggy, lifeless surface, I saw this:

hole

Is that amazing or what? Seeing life rocking out in such an unexpected place made me really happy.

This trip included plants, water (I even went snorkeling for the first time), and fire. It was a fabulous trip and just what I needed to recharge my batteries in advance of the fall rush. I’m very excited to be back.

Oh, and if you’re unsure what you meant by “fire”? How’s a volcano for a cool nighttime view?

volcano

 

Filed Under: Landscape Design

About Dave Marciniak

Dave Marciniak is a landscape designer and speaker. He lives in Culpeper, Virginia and can be found via his website and on Twitter.

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814 S. Blue Ridge Ave
Culpeper VA
22701
540-827-4299

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  • About our team
    • Press
  • Portfolio
    • Featured Projects
      • Fredericksburg Landscape Design and Pool
      • Pond install in Prince William County
      • Culpeper Landscape Design
      • Culpeper Modern Backyard Landscape Design
      • Sperryville landscape design with ponds and waterfalls
      • Fredericksburg landscaping at Chancellorsville
      • Lake Anna landscaping & planting
      • Culpeper Winery Landscape Design
      • Oakton Modern Landscape Design
    • Plantings
    • Patios & walks
    • Pools & Ponds
    • Pavilions & Porches
    • Pergolas & Decks
    • Outdoor kitchens
    • Fireplaces & Firepits
    • Retaining walls
  • Services
    • Landscape Design
    • Landscape Installation
    • Landscape Maintenance
    • Water Features
    • Outdoor Lighting
    • Outdoor Kitchens
    • Estate Gardening
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • SHOP

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