Bigger or Better: Life outside of Texas

I heard a song on the radio with the phrase 'even the sun sets in Paradise', and I decided that's how I'll finish the blog posts on Hawai'i. Typically, the phrase means that things go wrong; and it's true. I broke my sunglasses. I think that brings the tally up to 7 or 8. And I had several migraines.         Not from falling coconuts, though             And of course there's the sunburn. But that seems a small price to pay to get to see  the sun in Paradise setting. Last night out with my friend Heather And this is outside our window and it's really pretty

Little-appreciated fact: if you look up synonyms for alien, the word exotic  pops up. And isn't that an excellent description of Hawai'i, the tropical paradise that is so paradisaical because it is so wholly different from normal [Mainland] life. Really, there were times I thought it should be a foreign country. I thought that 10 years ago when I was embarking on my first visit to Hawai'i, and was disappointed I didn't need a passport. This trip, while I wandered about the 727 square mile isle, I remained convinced of the distinctness of the culture and economy and geology. Middle of the day, and two locals are playing chess on the seawall Most people are pretty chill. Maybe it's part of living close to the beach, but stores don't seem to care if you browse in your swimsuit and your face is covered in sand (at least, no one at Barnes & Noble stopped me). And it must be really weird to have a good portion of your population be permanently temporary, s...

There's a scene in the movie The Truman Show  where Truman declares to his elementary school teacher that he wants to be an explorer, and she pulls out a map and proclaims that all has been discovered. Maybe that's so, but there's still something to discovering for yourself. I claim this for Texas. Just Kidding. Not all of my outings in Hawai'i were to a beach. I discovered banyan trees bamboo forests volcano tubes rainbow trees eucalyptus? waterfalls fierce colors on the 'desert' side of the island  and lost horizons. So by no means cross "explorer" off your career path.

Some images that immediately run through my brain when I think of Hawai'i. Shirts. Surfing. Macadamia nuts. Pineapple. Still true. But I get to add to the list. Things I didn't know. Like Spam and nose flutes. Did you know that Spam, although produced in Minnesota, has a greater fan base in the state of poi and poke? 3 cookbooks for one 'meat' Well, let's just say we find different things appetizing. And isn't it fascinating that quite unlike other nations, Hawaiians have championed the nose as a source of music? I'm assuming no one gets colds in the land of everlasting summer. Behold, the nose flute! And then there are staples that I never would have put together. Like a girl with a hula skirt and coconut outfit, except the coconut is her head. I think she also directs traffic Paradise is never quite what you expected.