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Fer real, brah!

Yesterday in the checkout line at Puna Fresh Foods, I struck up conversation with a local boy. He was a young man, really. I'd say he looked to be about 20 years old. He was buying a bottle of Vitamin Water and a copy of High Times. I guess it's all about balance in life, isn't it? Ying and yang? I didn't even know they still published High Times. The young man had an elaborate, Hawaiian style tattoo that covered his entire left shoulder and upper arm. It was all black; a pattern of shaded geometric shapes. Embedded in it all was capital "A" in curvy script. I am usually not enamored with tattoos, but this one was really cool. So, I told him so.
"Fer real?" He asked.
"Yeah. It's one of the best I've seen in a long time," I assured.
"Fer real?" He asked again. I hoped this time his question was it was rhetorical. We could go back and forth with compliments and fer reals for a long time. "Thanks for noticing," he said with a smile.
"Is the 'A' your initial?" I asked.
"No," he said, "It's because I'm a big Atlanta Braves fan."
"Why the Braves?" I asked.
"It's a family think. We all like the Braves."
On the way home, I saw a bumper sticker that said, "Hawaii. Just visit. It's not for sale." Over development is a big enough concern here on the Big Island, where there are still vast rural areas and open space. They are apparently ruining the island of Kauai by the day. Kauai is much smaller than Hawaii Island and is being overrun with housing tracts and commercial growth. It's in danger of being lost forever. Here's a link to a video posted on YouTube called Discover Kauai. It illustrates the rampant over-development occurring there. Of course, this raping of the land is happening everywhere, but it seems all the more appalling on this most spectacular of islands. It reminds me of an Eagles song lyric:

They call it paradise
I don't know why
You call someplace paradise
Kiss it goodbye
From The Last Resort

A hui hou. Aloha

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