Aloha, My Friend,
March always has made me think metaphorically about young lovers, like we all were once. March comes to us sometimes with a warm, soothing embrace and, oh, the promises it makes for the days to come and all the flowers it will bring to us.
Sometimes, too, March comes disheveled and wild, tempestuous & wickedly alluring. And who among us has not been seduced by that combination, asking for no promises, expecting no flowers and accepting whatever tomorrow will bring because we were adventurous, impetuous and so full of life we would not let our heart be corralled?
And, these days, March has become that old friend that I do not see often but each time we do gather we talk and joke and cry about our previous encounters and I listen to the tales of what has filled its days.
Of course there is March 17th, Saint Pat’s, the day when everyone is Irish for 24 hours. I am among the fortunate, I am an actual citizen of the Irish Nation and I have a passport to prove it. I consider St. Pat’s to be a sort of amateur night for revelers so for you rookie partiers I suggest that you go to Wakulla County to do your drinking.
And, as a hat off to Tri-Eagle Distributors here in Tallahassee, in Hawaii, on March 14th, is the Kona Brewers Festival. If you have ever wondered what Aloha tastes like you need to get down to Publix and pick up a 6 pack of some delicious Kona Beer.
A couple of quick bullet points – On March 27th, 1513 Juan Ponce de Leon sighted Florida and on the 3rd of March, 1845 Florida joined the US for the first time.
On a personal note, March 21st is my mother’s 90th birthday and the ol’ gal is spry and doing well, thanks for asking. Sadly though, my father had the unfortunate timing to pass away on her birthday and 11 years later we all miss him incredibly.
For Laine and me, March 3rd, 2003 (03-03-03) was the start of our adventure in Paradise. I had been living in Hawaii for about 6 months at that time and she in the Seattle area but on that day we landed together at the Honolulu Airport with our family of two dogs. Not so good for our dogs, it was the beginning of a 30 day rabies quarantine, doggie jail. I will never forgive Hawaii for the damage done to our pups’ health and sanity. It was the dirtiest trick we ever played on them.
Just to mention it because I found it interesting, March 14th is considered Pi Day and at various universities and museums around the world they celebrated with pie feasts. The beginning series of numbers for the mathematical constant, pi, are 3.14. March 14th is the day that MIT sends out its letters of acceptance.
Laine told me that I couldn’t tell this joke at the end so, of course, here it is, “Every month people ask me why I write a newsletter and I always have the same answer, “Because I never metaphor I didn’t like.” Now here’s Laine for what’s happening at the Square.
What can I say? Bill never listens to me anyway! He failed to tell you that March 3rd is also “Girl’s Day “.
It is the Peach Blossom Festival in China and the Doll’s Festival in Japan. It is also widely celebrated in Hawaii and was a good day to arrive. It has a new special meaning for me as on 3/03/09 I started my 1st day with Covenant Hospice as a PRN nurse. I always liked things in 3’s.
Please join us this 1st Friday for what is expected to be some fabulous weather and a very special performance of Railroad Square’s own “Sauce Boss”, Bill Wharton. Bali-HI donated some of our great mirrors to the silent auction so come place your bids and help support all the good things “Planet Gumbo” does for our community.
Bali-HI will feature the unique photographic cell phone art of my son Nate King. You can meet the artist before he heads back to places unknown on the West coast. Be sure to join us for 2nd Sunday, March 8 from 12-5 PM when Railroad Square will feature our bi-annual “Artists at Work”. There will be live music from 2- 4 PM and Bali-HI’s own Jodi Rhea Foster will be on hand demonstrating her hand tied jewelry art.
Bali-HI has 8 local artists represented in the shop and we are proud to welcome E’layne Koenigsberg. Her cool scrabble tile necklaces are a hit and I love her “bone fish” bracelets and get lots of compliments when I wear mine. Don’t forget we are still having our “Heading into Spring Sale” with sarongs and aloha shirts 15% off and 20% off all tropical and beach scene original art. We will also give you a free handout on how to tie a sarong with purchase of same. As always, we still give a free energy efficient light bulb with every lamp purchase too.
And to jump ahead a little bit, be sure to highlight April 19th on your calendar for our Second Annual Circle The Park For Peace Celebration. We will have some 40 community organizations out here introducing themselves to you, 8 bands will be performing throughout the day and throughout the park. We will also have food vendor and entertainment for children of all ages.
Best Wishes & Mahalo Nui Loa.
Elaine & Bill Grace
BALI HI Trading Company