Next week, Discovery Channels' perennial favorite "Shark Week" begins. If the above PSA is any indication of the focus this year's program will take, the next person to ask me, "Are there sharks in the ocean," may really be concerned that there aren't. We should all be concerned that there are fewer sharks in our oceans.

If Hawai'i happens to be one of your favorite places--and you wouldn't be reading this blog if it wasn't--the good news is there are plenty of ways to volunteer your time and engery here, from half-day beach clean-ups to week-long adventures. Here's a few. I'll continue to add to this list, as I find more, so you might want to bookmark this page and check back periodically. If you know of other volunteer opportunities good for visitors, please share. And if you've volunteered on vacation here in Hawai'i, please tell us about it--just make a comment. 

This past Saturday, I attended the annual Koloa Plantation Days parade, one of hundreds of people lining the roadside in old town Koloa. As the skies threatened to explode and sweat trickled down the gutter of my spine, I watched 60 groups parade a few blocks from the libary on Po'ipu Road to Anne Knudsen Park on Maluhia Road.     

Yesterday, I made a smoothie with banana, papaya, mango and peanut butter. I plucked the bananas from the trees we received as a gift for a few minutes of my husband’s time, and I peeled the papayas and mangoes donated to me by friends.  It just could have been the best-tasting smoothie of my life.

At their first festival, Chris and Rosario started serving crepes at 9:00 a.m. Immediately, a line 20 to 30 people deep formed at their station. Shortly after lunch, one customer asked, "How long have you been in business?" Chris turned to Rosario, glanced at his watch and, then, looked back at the customer. "Five hours," he said. The line never diminished, and they stopped serving crepes at 9:00 p.m. That was in 2007. 

Today, I drove to Lihu’e. It’s a 30-mile, round-trip journey that takes me past Kealia Beach—boogie boarders popped in and out of view as the waves rolled ashore. Through downtown Kapa’a—diners lined up outside Mermaid’s Café, famous for their ahi nori wraps. My progress slowed a bit as traffic funneled across the Wailua River bridge. That’s when I pulled out my phone and started texting.  Yes, I drive and text. But, possibly, not for much longer.

My penchant is bags. I am a bag lady. A bag-a-holic. A bag nut. I like the right bag for the occasion.  I have so many bags that I have devoted one whole closet to my collection. It used to be the guest closet; now guests will have to live out of their suitcases--bags--I guess.

A lazy Sunday afternoon on the shores of Hanalei, recently named "America's No. 1 Beach" by Dr. Beach.