Aloha Dave and Mary,
Don’t worry, I haven’t turned into Don Ho, everyone in Hawaii says aloha — at the supermarket, on the phone, even the news guys on TV say aloha. Saying aloha is like saying hi. Everyone is so friendly here, you’d love it.
Hawaii is like one big happy club. All the islands have this friendly hand gesture called the shaka, you wiggle your thumb and little finger. It means everything’s OK.
I landed in Hilo a week ago and wow! All green and jungly with a river and waterfall flowing right through town, and a giant Rainbow Falls higher up.
And all the streets have Hawaiian names I can’t pronounce.
This place is absolutely magical! It’s so loose and easy. Hawaii isn’t a state, it’s a big family, they call it ohana.
And there are flowers all around. There are white and red flowers called plumeria. You can stop and pick them and no one comes out and yells at you.
You know how uptight things are in Elmhurst, fences and keep out signs. Here you can walk anywhere almost and it’s cool. Being here loosens your soul and makes your heart smile. My problems are washing away each day.
Free food is everywhere on the ground. Mangoes, guavas and avocados fall on the road and you can stop and pick them up, a secure feeling knowing there’s always food around. And the beaches are all free! No parking meters at the beaches.
There’s a law here that everyone can use the beach. Back home you can’t even park near a pond without some cop telling you to move.
I’m in Kona now and the beaches are fabulous, long white sand, turquoise water, gentle waves and the water’s warm. You can’t believe it. I just went to a beach called Hapuna, green lawns leading down to a perfect beach.
You look up and see this volcano mountain called Mauna Kea, it’s so grand. There’s still a patch of snow on top. Driving around you see wild goats by the road.
Kailua town is so quaint and magical. I walked on the seawall yesterday and waves washed up and drenched me. I saw the first church in Hawaii and across the street is the palace of a king. They had kings and queens here, can you believe it?
Hawaii is really paradise, I hope the people here appreciate how good they have it, I sure do and I’ve only been here a week. So you guessed it, my friends, I’m not coming back to Elmhurst. I’m buying a surfboard and learning to surf. Real island boy here.
You can have all my stuff, even my car. Take the furniture and everything, keep what you want and have a garage sale with the rest and keep the money.
You should do the same, no more freezing winters, it’s March and 85 degrees here. I won’t rub it in but come on over and you’ll never leave. Love you guys.
Aloha, Dennis
Dennis Gregory writes a bi-monthly column for West Hawaii Today and welcomes your comments at makewavess@yahoo.com