Today the kids and I were looking for something to do until Brian's plane came in. We settled on the swap meet at the Aloha Stadium. Overall it's the same type of stuff over and over again, but the girls loved finding cheap t-shirts and trinkets, and I enjoyed the browsing.
I finally gave the younger two their money, and they bought a bag, a lot of bracelets/necklaces, and t-shirts. The older ones bought a lot of the same.
We watched this man cut coconuts in the back of his truck. He was just whacking the heck out of them.
Of course there were brightly colored clothes hanging everywhere.
We picked up Brian, and headed back to the house so he could see his family and spend time with them before the time difference took it's toll. His parents have a favorite Hawaiian singer named Jerry Santos, that they have become friends with over their many visits. He will be singing at Jillianne's wedding later in the trip. He plays at the Hilton (I think) every Friday and Saturday night. Brian couldn't make it, so he stayed home with all of our kids, nieces and nephew while the rest of us went to enjoy the music. Turns out it was Jerry's birthday and musicians from the area, as well as hula dancers came to pay their respects and show their love.
Here is an example of Jerry's music....
This lady danced several songs with the group. Her name is Leilani and she is a featured dancer with Jerry. I'm sorry for the poor quality but it was around 10:00 p.m. Below is another video of Leilani and her husband Nohono dancing (you'll see him in a later post about learning to make leis):
Overall, what I learned from this experience is that many locals have a very deep sense of culture that is well maintained in their community. This idea of Aloha is very real and loving. These folks grew up in the same community where we are staying, and the affection they have for one another is truly beautiful.
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