final week in hawaii

manini beach--yep, the one with the donkey, can't miss it

the view from "the coffee shack" a fantasic little local breakfast joint

only the finest fresh-squeezed orange juice

first sea turtle sighting--two step beach

ho'okena beach--very popular family-type beach

another of ho'okena

another chameleon, horned this time

tom and caleb (another wwoofer) hangin' out with the chameleon

we now have less than a week left in hawaii and, upon reflection, we came up with a list of some of the quirky, unexpected things we've encountered during our time here:

* a shocking number of children and adults with mullets--now, i'm not just talking about the typical short-long, particularly when it comes to the kids--the parents have actually shaved their children's heads, save for a long layer at the bottom that may flow down below their shoulders...or it may be braided into the ever-impressive "rat tail"

* huge trucks with lifts and giGANtic tires--we hitched a ride in one of these bad boys and i could barely make it into the thing, it wasn't pretty

* frequent usage of the "hang loose" gesture--it is alive and well here and can mean anything from "be cool, catcha later" to "no, we're not going to pick you up from the side of the road even if it is raining and getting dark, but take it easy anyway"

* drinking while driving--this one is more than a little disturbing, but doesn't seem to be all that uncommon.

* over-priced coffee--appartently, the u.s. labor costs drive up the price of 100% kona coffe, making the going price around $30 per pound--but it is quite delicious

* the sheer number of coffee farms in the area where our farm is located--they're practically on top of one another, some organic and some not which makes certification difficult as sprays and produce easily cross boundaries

* beaches with donkeys roaming around, eating people's food sometimes, but generally minding their business (see above)

* ridiculously steep driveways that necessitate 4-wheel drive

* wacky water shoes (picture a shoe where your big toe is separated from your other toes, the sole resembles a s.o.s pad, and a green and yellow striped knee sock fits snugly around your calf) and equally wacky wet suits (unfortunately don't have any pictures)

these are just a few--we'll share more later. good times!!

sending love...jill