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Visitors from The North Star State

Today I put the finishing touches on my concept for a newspaper ad for the winery and sent it off to the ad dude at the paper for tweaking. It's kinda cute if I don't say so myself. It shows two fish, the state fish to be exact, facing each other as though they're going to kiss. One has a bubble over his head and says, "You're my humu-humu honey." (The state fish is called the humuhumunukunukuapua'a.) The other fish says, "Ah, you're making me blush." Then the text reads, "Macadamia Nut Honey and Volcano Blush. Just two of the award winning wines made here on the Big Island by Volcano Winery..... yadda yadda yadda. Cute huh? It's fun to be doing something a little different. You can only give the speel (or is that shpeel?) to visitors so many times without losing just a tad of your enthusiasm. Next week I hope to begin peddling the winery's wares to restaurants around the island. That will require the speel (shpeel) too, but in a different environment to buyers with a different agenda. I'm looking forward to that.
Today was Minnesota day at the winery. I think every other visitor was from The North Star State. I suppose it's a good time of year not to be in Minnesota. I was reminded of my friend Len, who moved to Minnesota a few years ago from New York. He had some trouble initially adjusting to what he describes as Minnesota nice. That's the general demeanor of all Minnesotans. They're sweet and polite and just awfully nice don'tcha know. New Yorkers are nice too, in a more direct, sarcastic, "Are you lookin' at me?" kinda way.

Some state nicknames are humorous. The North Star State isn't exactly a laugh riot, but it is nice. Minnesota nice, by golly. Hawaii is The Aloha State. Not so humorous either, but what else could Hawaii be? The Humuhumunukunukuapua'a State? Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. I don't think that would fit on the state seal. Especially since it would have to go alongside the sate motto: Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka Aina I Kapono O Hawaii (The Life of the Land is Perpetuated in Righteousness). For giggles there's Missouri, The Show Me State (as in, I'll show you mine if you show me yours) and North Carolina, The Tar Heel State (I picture people walking around on their tippy toes). Then there's my old home state of Oregon with a nickname we had great fun with during adolescence: The Beaver state. (Ward, I'm worried about the Beaver.) Arkansas is The Natural State. I guess that's so as not to be confused with an Unnatural State or a State of Confusion. Oklahoma is the Sooner State. Beats being the later state. OK may be sooner, but Delaware is The First State. Now that's original.

Tonight, after I finish this blog entry, I will polish up a story I've been working on. I plan to send it in as a manuscript to the University of Alaska. (state nickname: The Last Frontier. Hmmmm.... Captain Kirk said that was space. Oh wait. That was the final frontier. Sorry. Got my frontiers mixed up there for a minute.) Writing samples are required to apply for their Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program. I'd send them a couple of blog samples but I'm afraid they'd contact the authorities and have me committed.
A hui hou. Aloha!

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