WWOOF

Dennis took me to the SPACE school for their after-school program where they are teaching the kids circus skills. Dennis is a professional clown. He gave them a paper and pencil test to see if they would be able to become clowns. It was a very funny test. Dennis taught me and another woman how to toss juggling rings to each other. Fun! On the way home, he decided to take a quick detour to see the remains of Kalapana. Pele took Kalapana out about 30 years ago. All that remains is about four houses, a restaurant, and Uncle Robert's. Local legend has it that Uncle Robert had 10 kids and his kids had 10 kids. Friends and neighbors would come over to eat and someone said "Hey! you should sell your food!" And so it began. Uncle's is a funky little corner of the world tha operates under the re-organized government of Hawaii - the Natives are reclaiming the islands. It is a collectin of shacks and tents where food and alcohol and kava (awa) is sold. For $3 you can get a cocnut cup of kava, sit back and enjoy. You can google kava. It is made from the dried and ground roots of the kava plant and is a Polynesian staple. You feel relaxed but mentally alert - interesting effects. People bring their own booze, food, and smoke and just hang out. We went on Wednesday night and it was market night. People sell food, jewelry, produce - a little bit of everything. Food is Hawaiian, Portugese, Japanese, Puerto Rican and of course, hot dogs and hamburgers. The smell of ganja is in the air. People of all colors congregate. And the best thing is the band! They play Hawaiian music and regular tunes with a Hawaiian flavor. And they sing heavenly harmonies. OMG! Did I already write about the 'freeze-dried hippies'? That is what Dennis calls them. Old hippies that are a little burned-out and caught in a time-warp. I have decided to call them ALFs = Alternative Lifestyle Folk. Dennis and I stopped in Friday night and there was an ALF with an easel set up in front of the stage. As teh band played, he danced and painted a picture, Couldn't quite tell what it was, from our vantage point. But, he was added entertainment. The people are all very polite, even the 20 somethings. As we left, several people wished us a good night. Very nice. We will be back.