Aloha Fest in San Francisco this weekend!

You may not know this about me, but I used to live in Hawai'i. I lived in the tourist town (formerly sleepy fishing village) of Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawai'i--where King Kamehameha himself was born (that's why they call the whole state Hawai'i: it's named after the King's home island).

It may seem stupid to say, but Hawai'i is a paradise. I loved my time there. It was a little far away from everyone I knew, but that was good for a while. I worked in my bookstore, snorkeled, sat by the pool, watched the waves, saw dolphins and whales from my lana'i, visited the Place of Refuge, and paid homage to Pele on Kilauea. And, I got a great tan.

I also fell in love with the culture--the language and the music. And hula! I had no idea how beautiful it was. When I saw my first hula, I understood completely: it is the motion of the waves, the palms, the grasses.

This weekend in the Presidio, SF is hosting the Aloha Fest from 10-5pm Saturday and Sunday.

I encourage everyone to go, have some laulau, and hum along with the singers.

Aloha!