Live Aloha

Pleasant day strolling around Hawai'i with Mom today. As she said, "We're in, as well as on, Hawai'i." My first time on the big island.

We arrived, picked up the car, drove to the town of Kailua Kona (the other Kailua!), found the Jamba Juice, Borders and Starbucks before shopping at the Safeway (finding the biggest avocado I have ever seen, then buying it - it was bigger than my mother's breasts (combined!)), dropped all of our stuff off at the condo, then dashed off to the town of Captain Cook for souvenier and knick-knack viewing (where most everything was crap, I have no idea how those places stay in business).

Since we had arrived fairly late in the afternoon, had been up really early in the morning, and spent time dealing with the condo, most of the good tourist places were closed. Heh, like we go to the normal tourist places. Heck, are there any real tourist places on the Big Island?

Mom really wanted to go to a local thrift store, where she's been finding fantastic deals on secondhand clothes, but the store was closed. There was a garden next to it, so we wandered through it. It was absolutely gorgeous. Lots of interesting plants, various palms and beautiful flowers.

We wandered to the fabric store, which Mom just loves. She wasn't able to find a new pattern she loved, but I found a crapload of, well, crap. There were things there that were years, nay, decades old. I kept wondering, why have this stuff around? Do they really expect to sell it someday?

Afterward, I convinced Mom to head over to a nursery. I'm not quite sure why it is, but I always seem to find plants and pots I want when I'm at inconvenient nurseries.

We were tired, given the time zone change, so, we went to dinner early, then to bed early.

At the garden today, there was a "Live Aloha" flyer. I kept a copy, because I liked what it said:

Respect your elders and children.
Leave places better than you find them.
Hold the door.  Hold the elevator.
Plant something.
Dine with courtesty.  Let others in.
Attend an event of another culture.
Return your shopping cart.
Get out and enjoy nature.
Pick up litter.
Share with your neighbors.
Create smiles.
Make a list of your own.