Life with Alex

the Lady Beetles of Nebraska

2007-07-30T08:21:00.001-07:00

Lady Beetles of Nebraska

My first illustrated publication. Try it!

OK--Mainland Update.

2007-04-12T11:56:00.000-07:00

If you are reading this--you are a loyal friend. There haven't been any updates since '06, and lets just say that this has a lot to do with the roller coaster ride of life so far this year of 2007.

I will be using this blog again--perhaps it will be less of a journal. Stay in tune! To the right is a link to my Curriculum Vitae.

The Lovely Marti Lea

2006-12-22T15:54:00.000-08:00

Back to the Mainland!

2006-12-22T15:42:00.000-08:00

I am now back on the mainland, in Phoenix, Arizona. Marti (now my fiancee!) and I are gong to embark for Nebraska tomorrow, via car.

Aloha, Big Island! See you in 2007!

My cousin, Dr. Matt Milana, is about to have actual coffee with alex in about 10 minutes, onec he finishes with a patient. At the moment, I'm playing receptionist.

here's One for the Love

2006-12-08T02:43:00.000-08:00

See attachmant:

Another Goodie

2006-12-02T13:51:00.001-08:00

Wll, Saturday was wonderful. I got so carried away working with the camera and getting lost in the wilderness that I did not make it to the Hibiscadelphus trees. But I'll try again.

The show was great, I met the band and a local Rasta named Logan. Then I went and got some groceries the next morning and drove up to meet a local glass blower who crafted his art before my eyes. The day ended with Alex falling asleep with a little Bailey's while watching a documentary on rarely-seen creatures of the deep. What a lovely weekend! If you haven't been here in awhile, check out the last entry.

Today is a Good Day

2006-12-02T13:51:00.000-08:00

Today I am Hiking deep into Kipuka Ki to take pictures of Hibiscadelphus giffardianus, and see if the Amakihi is still nectar-robbing. Doesn't that sound lovely? It does to me. Here's a translation. I am going to sit under a tree whose wild clone is now extinct. 15 years after the extinction, the planted cuttings of this tree began to flower! Then one Alexander P. Cunnigham witnessed an Amakihi--a little bird which is also endangered, stealing nectar from the flower. By stealing I mean that the bird did not push its head into the open flower (thus pollinating it), but pecked a slit into the nectary directly.

That's me at another, Sicyos macrophylla (sp?). There are only a few individuals left on earth, but they're being pollinated well! See the little flowers?

See you next time!

Say Hello to Cornpatrick!

Have you seen this Prague shot yet?

Thanks for stopping by!

This is the show I'm attending tonight in Hilo.

This, nectar robbing I spoke of, friends, is a new discovery. I must go now, for I want to photograph this event, and I have only one day.

It has rained now for over 24 hours and

Today is a good day.

(Patrick: happiness is waiting to fill you. Improve your correspondance. It feels so good!)

Hello to Adeline!!! Here's a flower for YOU.

I'm still here. . .

2006-11-05T18:07:00.000-08:00

Perhaps the reason that I have been so negligent in posting is that I have been corresponding more in other ways. Perhaps it is because I've been offered a job here and things have been very busy in the world of Hawai'ian Entomology. Perhaps it is because I am still working on manuscripts from my Master's work in Nebraska.

Nope.

It is beacuse I must be an opportunistic scavenger in order to find this, the apex of civilized human life--wireless internet.

But, at this moment at the Kope Kope Espresso shop in Hilo on Hawai'is Big Island, I do not have access to my photos!!

So let me give you something to imagine--if you've read this far. Crow's feet are reaching out under freckels and tanned skin at the corners of my blue-green eyes. I've got sand between my toes and sea salt on my skin. Today we were able to drive down, 4,000 feet down, to the seaside for supplies and coastal r&r. It is November, and hot and sunny outside. Sunny is not the norm for Hilo, so everyone loves it. Warmth and humidity are mainstays, however.

My Employer is the USGS PIERC, (check it!). My projects at Volocanoes National Park, and Hakalau Wildlife Preserve, involve pollinators of rare plants, invasive ants, and the insect ecology of the Koa tree, Acacia koa. Pollination is my favorite of these, and if I stay here on Big Island, I hope to focus on pollination, that sexy interaction between two of my favorite things--insects and flowers. In our project's case, the flowers are extremely rare, endangered plants (of which only a few individuals remain). Hopefully I'll be able to post those images soon.

If I get the opportunity.

Opportunity has become a favorite word of mine. My current favorite word is "beautiful" which has replaced "congratualtions". Cheesy, I know, but if you visit me, you'll understand. Beauty abounds here

as does opportunity.

Clan Cunningham, last Christmas.

2006-10-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

This shot is from the last time we were all together, to celebrate Christmas with our cher Grandmaman. I'll visit them all again this year.

Mainland Reminiscence

2006-10-22T16:49:00.000-07:00

Carolina mantid, male. Lincoln, not Hawai'i. I think they've been introduced here too, though. We definitely have the Chinese mantid. I'm afraid that's not a good thing. . .

Tripp and Michelle doin' dishes.

Our pet, Peeve.

Barton Green III (who needs to call me!--Tripp?) back at the casa. Is that painting an E.J. orij?

Guests at Mike and Jessica's Wedding. (PS, congrats, guys) I haven't met Ariel (at right) yet--she was Rob's date. He's pictured at the end of this entry. Check it out: Conor Oberst looks like a grown up!! Dapper, dude.

Awwww, Boz.

That's Becca prepping for a party. I've actually known her since she was born. She and my girlfriend Marti have become excellent friends.

That's Kyle, a great traveler and friend. He is sitting at the dining room table at 635 South 11th street in Lincoln. Actually, I think most of these pics are from that place. That's my globe and tablecloth, Kyle's table--on loan.

Jose (from Peru) and Andrea (from Spain) get along well. Note the Nebraska State Capitol in the background. My great-grandfather, Col. Harry Cunningham did some finishing architecture and detail for that building after its main architect died (Goodhue?), I believe.

reminiscence. it is good. before the belowmentioned science-blog, I opted to put up some L-town and O-town (Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska) winners. I miss these cats; I hope you enjoyed the pics. That last one is Rob Hawkins, great pal-o-mine and a fantastic songwriter as well. A new album is on the way.

Today's coffee: Cafe Ibis, which was nice.

See ya!

No Photo, Hermano

2006-10-21T22:59:00.001-07:00

There will be no phots on today's update, as I do not have access due to new US DOA security restrictions. For real.

My Beard is Burly, and there are more cool pics coming, including scientific ones, such as the host plant of Vanessa tameamea, the Kamehameha Butterfly. Herbivory was observed, but no larvae. We'll try again, team troopers.

moustaches?

2006-10-10T00:53:00.000-07:00

We have lost a competitor (Mark) and gained a new one, Jacob. Jacob is from Kansas, as you can see.

The moustache competition has become more of a Beard-Off. Beard-Offs are tough. Girls do funny stuff when you have a beard.

Island wonders continue

2006-10-09T23:00:00.000-07:00

A great deal has happened in the last two weeks. Field and lab work have intensified. So have the sunsets. Our 13 hour collection day ended in moments with this beauty.

I have more photos than words today, enjoy!

Oh. One more thing: Lion Coffee (Honolulu) medium dark roast Hawaiian blend is may latest favorite big-company coffee. Google it! Sharkey's Ho' Omano is the absolute tip top best though I met Tom Sharkey at the market and he hooked me up. Champion. I like it better than Kona stuff. I'll try to have some on hand when I return to the mainland.

Hakalau is one of our research sites. It contains old growth Koa and Ohia, and plenty of birds.

Building ant survey grids in the shadow of Mauna Loa

It rains in the rainforest.

Gold-dust day gecko

Lastly, make sure to check out the new pieces in www.justinlike.blogspot.com. You will surely smile.

Message for Seth Odgaard, Colin Haakenson, HansThorkleson, Paul Sadeghi, Josh Friberg, Tripp Green, Jacob Koomen, and anyone else: our house population is decreasing and we have a guest room available, anytime. Check www.hawaiianair.com and try Phoenix to Hilo for a bargain!

Friends and family update

2006-09-29T17:45:00.000-07:00

Article 1: Friends. Above from left to right are Hans, Paul, Brandon, Peder, and the Josher. I've had coffee with each of these chaps many times, but it had been a long stretch since I've seen Brandon, who is clearly as handsome as ever. I went to college with these guys.
Bit whoah! Who's that in the next picture?? Thats Robbiefresh. And yes, he's a good friend of mine. This is what he looks like when he's gettin' ready to do something really tough and sweet. Here is a picture of my dear friend Liz, showing us that she is now (like Yours Truly) 31! You look lovely, Liz. Now: rest of pals, pictures! Send 'em!

Article 2: William. William is two years old now. Yes, the big two. He knows he's two and he can say it well. Two two two!! William is my champion nephew.

I also have champion (darling champion) neices. Lucy (not pictured) is now one year old, and deciding to warm up to people. Uncle Tom (also not pictured), will test this out very soon. My other champion darling neices are Marianne, who is cute and sweet like candy buttons, and Ruth. Ruth is a sweetie-pie lemondrop, and I always find myself referring to her as Ruthie. If you are a sibling of mine who has a daughter, please send me updated photos, so I can include them in this post.

The Green Sands Beach

2006-09-25T23:26:00.000-07:00

On saturday we drove to the end of a road and walked to the shore. . . then trekked onward

to a dusty surfside trail

sometimes we had to stop and take it all in. . . then later we arrived.

Apart from white sand beaches formed from reefs and black sand beaches formed from lava, the Big Island of hawai'i also features one small green sand beach. In a location near the island's southern tip lies a spot where the unbroken surf has eroded into a deposit of semi-precious olivine, under a cliff. It sparkles army green and mingles with black sand on the shore. We hiked to this beach and it was very cool. The surf was high, so it wasn't exactly a day for a light swim. Avoiding the moment when the waves broke and crashed into the sloped shore, a couple of us were able to swim about. This was fun but tiring, and we had to take care to not go out far enough to be carried out by a current--which would have been a straight ride to Antarctica!

The tiny figure above (in the blue trunks) is me!! Clicking on any image in this post will give you a better view.

The perspective of this shot fails to show the size of these waves, which are much taller than I am. The green and black sands flow out to sea.

Here's a rare bird we spotted on the walk back to the road. Cheers to mark for his excellent camera and qhick shooting! Now back home to rest!

Farmer's market spoils: groceries and free reading material! Thje big purple fruit is an avocado.

And finally: grilling crab poke in the cool Kilauea air. Woo Hoo! These marinated crabs cost about $3.50. They were deeee-lish! So was the Bitburger. Whose sausage is that?

last week's lava adventure

2006-09-25T23:14:00.000-07:00

OK. I just gained access to more awesome lava footage from las week. We hiked a couple miles over hardened flow, then got to the sight of a surface flow, a skylight where lava rushed just a coiuple feet below the surface, and the steaming exploding collision of fresh lava with the ocean. Unbelievable.

Poke

2006-09-25T22:38:00.000-07:00

Instead of coffee, I sometimes enjoy poke. See below for pronunciation. It is appropriate to wear an aloha shirt while eating poke, so I am wearing an aloha shirt.

There is a picture of candies on the wall in the kitchen. In this photo it appears that I am beginning to imagine eating candies instead of raw fish marinated in soy sauce, sesame seeds, seaweed, and spices. The picture, seems to be reminiscent of the rectangular images one sees near a news anchor's head in a broadcast. it seems as if the theme of candies is just beginning to appear.

This is not the case. I hate that damn picture, which is actually a very difficult puzzle assembled by previous residents in the house where I live in Volcano Village. Sheesh.

The Crew.

2006-09-25T22:25:00.001-07:00

Here we are, members of the Bird and Bug House. Better yet, lets call it the Palila and Entomology House. Palila is the name of the endangered parrot-billed honeycreeper which feeds exclusively on mamame tree fruits flowers, and insects. Entomology is the study of insects. You knew that. There are a couple of Hawai'ian gestures being made in this photo. One is the shaka, which is being given by the gentleman in the front center. This is a gesture meaning "hang loose," or "mad props." Directly to the right is another gesture. This gesture is the avia, which means "I recognize that you are a person of respect," or "welcome to my well-defined personal space."

And here is a view from south of Hilo Bay.

Next issue: facial hair progress, green sands beach, fun with hats.

moustache update: "Before" photos

2006-09-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

Game on!!!!! Here are the contenders thus far, with 1 week or less of a early spring lip-garden. Each shot will be named, and each stage after the "before" shots will be ranked, or at least rated.

This is called "The Stop-Playing-in-the-Sandbox". Washa you mouth!

This is called "The Brass Tacks". Brad: Way 2 Go Bro.

This next one is called "The Cappadonna". Friendly, but DISQULAIFIED due to blood doping and raised testosterone levels. Good bridgework, though.

This is called the Budding Action Hero. Mark, you are in. Congratulations.

OK, so we have 5 contestants so far. This is last entry is called the "Alison Parker". You, madamoiselle, are in. Good Luck.

hawai'ian life update

2006-09-18T22:23:00.000-07:00

I have more to show from the last couple weeks. This past weekend I got a fresh popund of coffee from Kona Shark (Tom Sharkey, who also grows vanilla and chocolate, hiked over coooled lave, watched boiling hot magma rush under my feet, and then watched lava rush out into the surf. I also met my pal Justin's dad, who it in the foreground in the shot above, where we are being attacked from behind by a straw hat.

Mahalo for stopping by. Send me your address and I might mail you something!

-Alex

Only 3?

2006-09-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

We have three, maybe four moustache competitors thus far. Brad Wright, Alex Cunningham (me), and Ali Parker. Ali is short for Alison, but let's not make any judgements before the end of the competition!!

Moustache Competition 2006!

2006-09-15T16:39:00.000-07:00

The second annual moustache competition is on, with anyone eligible who HAS shaved his/her(?) upper lip in the last 7 days. So far it is Alex Cunningham vs. Brad Wright, with unlimited openings for competitors. My next post will include the facial hair thus far. I shaved last Friday night, and am beginning with a beard-sans-neck-fur. My goal is a White Miner Texas Lipbrow.

I'll see if I can find phots from last years lip-hair gala. Please e-mail your before photos to apcenator@gmail.com, with name and moustache intentions by September 25. Accessories such as hair-doos and iroc-Zs are welcome. Images will be posted on coffeewithalex.blogspot.blog

Stay tuned for updates.

Health and fitness

2006-09-12T01:10:00.000-07:00

Well, ain't life tough.

2006-09-12T01:02:00.000-07:00

Snacking on raw seafood (poke, pronounced poke-ay):

It takes much focus to carve a pineapple. . .

hiking to a secluded beach (before the pineapple incident):

I'm broke, and it will be awhile before my stipend comes through, but I've been trying to keep my chin up. . .

Scenery!

2006-09-12T00:19:00.000-07:00

Hello, dear friends! I have had enough time now to really get in to the research and some adventure as well! The Big Island, as it's locally called, leaves enough to explore for more time than I will have here this time around. However, having spent my third weekend at one of the islands most beautiful secluded beaches, I am more than satisfied with things so far. . . The last week involved research collecting on Mauna Kea (in a bird sanctuary), gazing at rare flowers, a party at the Vespula house where the interns studying invasive yellowjackets live, a trip to the famous region of Kona, and aaah, the beach. At the beach I swam with 4 sea turtles. Several more were swimming about in the surf.

Kiluea Caldera

2006-09-06T00:48:00.000-07:00

2006-09-06T00:45:00.000-07:00

Island update.

2006-09-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here is a beautiful Jackson's chameleon I found near our front yard.Below is a wonderful tree called Ohia. It is a species which pioneers lava flows. This is a very old tree which, upon falling down, decided to become multiple trees. These woods were spared by the last eruption, leaving a pocket of virgin forest which is much older than the surrounding areas. One little tree in this area is the last wild member of its species.
My first trip to the seaside (after an arduous trek).
Another spider, in this case an orb weaver feeding on her well-wrapped prey.
It is about the same size as the wolf spider in the picture at the beginning of this entry.

I do not yet have any pictures from work, but just imagine a nature show about threatened plants, birds, and insects on a volcanic island in the middle of the Pacific and you'll get the idea.

Time for some good time

2006-09-05T23:29:00.000-07:00

Can you recognize the structure reflected in my shades? (Hint: it's not in Hawai'i).

I finally have a chance to post something with substance. Today is Marti's 25th birthday, as mentioned below. Happy b-day, darling. That's not all. The 14th is the anniversary of our unity as a couple: it will have been four years since we started dating. Now for some historical Marti and Marti and Alex pictures. The two of us have only had one week together since June and won't be together again until December. (Marti is teaching an architecture studio in Lubbock, Texas, while I am working on an island insect ecology project for the USGS in Hawaii.) Here we go. . .

OK. It's not exactly coffee. How about polpo, frutti di mare and vino with Alex? This is a restaurant near the bayfront in Naples called Antonio's. The man behind us is Antonio. I was born near Naples, and Antonio was very happy about that. And that I returned with a lovely woman. "Next time you are here, you'll be married," he predicted.

This image is more tender than the octopus on my pasta is the image above. Marti likes the smoochin' photos. It is her birthday, so her preferences are being honored.

Hooray for Marti.

Happy 25th, Marti Lea!!!

2006-09-05T18:57:00.000-07:00

Today is Marti's 25th birthday!!!

Later tonight I will create a photo series dedicated to the birthday girl.

See you then.

-Alex

2006-09-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

Aloha! How's your coffee? mine's delightful. Thanks for stopping by.

Here's a photo from within the Hilo Library, which is open to the air and has a reading garden in the middle. Below is an old image, which makes it appear that I have offspring. This is not the case; that's my little pal Adriana Koomen. And my darling Marti. Look at all the cheeks. Adriana is my best friends' daughter, but somehow the three of us in this pic look related. hilarious.

Life on Kiluea

2006-09-01T11:29:00.000-07:00

Greetings, compadres. It is the first day of September, and I've been on this island for a week now. My take thus far? It's flipppin' sweet. The park interns and staff form a diverse community of nature-nerds, all of whom are intelligent and well traveled. Nearly all of us life somewhere on Kiluea, and there seems to be an organized activity nearly every day. Today is soccer, at 5PM.

It is amusing to sub out, sit down on the sidelines, and engage in conversation about ancestral island colonizers or invasive ecology.

First time!

2006-08-31T18:49:00.000-07:00

Well, actually this is not my first posting. My first is at alexandentomology@blogspot.com, but I couldn't remember my login, and I like this title better anyway. "Coffee with Alex" is the title of the gift I put together for our extended family Christmas gift exchange. I'll elaborate about that some other time, maybe.

At the moment, I'm in Hawaii. This picture is proof. It is from the city of Hilo. I live in a house in a village called Volcano. I'm working as an entomologist in Volcanoes Ntional Park.