On Saturday

It felt like I was in Hawaii today. Gosh darn it, I was.

There is something about watching the fish swim in the breaking waves, in water so clear it reveals a whole other world. The crystal blue waves just kept rolling onto the worn lava flats in front of Hale Halawai where the 38th Annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival presented the International Market Festival of Artist. The sun sparkled on each crest. Man, does it get any better than this?

How about another parade on Alii? This one, at 9:30 AM.

I took a break from the crowds to walk down to the shoreline. There that feeling hit me. I'm in Hawaii. Except this time it wasn’t followed by, “I wish I could live here.”

I am filled with a mixture of emotions. Nice to go home to see Dad and be with family for the holidays, but I sure don’t want to leave 80 degrees for minus 13. Okay, it isn’t that cold yet in New York, but Dad tells me the cold weather is forecasted to arrive starting tomorrow. Sure, that's because I'm coming home.

For breakfast I had two monster pancakes compliments of Cub Scout Troop 12. All you can eat pancakes for $5.00. All I could eat were two. As I rode my bike home I thought one would have been plenty. I rode slowly not to get any cramps. There were eggs and rice and other things too, but after two hot of the griddle flat cakes I could eat no more.

I rode home and left Kona to prepare for the day’s festivities. After I showered and grabbed my camera, I returned in time for the parade.

How many parades have I been to this year? Three. Two in Kona just this last week. Unfortunately, I won’t be here for the Christmas parade. That’s when the cement mixing trucks roll. And I say it isn’t a parade unless you got cement mixing trucks. No mixers today, but a few good tractor trailers pulling floats.

I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon wandering in and out of the crowds until I couldn’t stand it any longer. Regardless of where I am I can only take so many people for so long.