When Leialoha and I stepped off of The Star Princess on March 13, 2020, neither of us, (nor pretty much anyone else in the world) could probably have envisioned exactly what would transpire. We made out way home, went out the next day, bought a bunch of toilet paper and wine, and settled in for what we thought would be, at most, a couple of months at home. Little did we know!
So as I write this, we have been home for over a year. Normally, we are out and on the "road", (the sea actually) for about eight months out of the year, and at the longest stretch, spend a month or so at home. Realizing long ago that we would not be sailing anytime soon, we have both made ourselves busy.
Leialoha stays active with her enormous genius and talent for crafting. (BTW, need a beautiful made island style mask? Island inspired guitar, ukulele strap? Tropical styled dog collar or leash? Sure you do...go see her at Kini Kreations) She in her craft room pretty much all day and into the night and I always look forward to seeing what comes out of her time there.
As for me, I have developed a little online community based around my ukulele teaching and performances. Every Wednesday and Sunday I perform music, tell stories and just generally help people forget what is going on in the world for a couple of hours. Come visit me at The Shaka Shack...always starting at 1:00pm Hawaiian time. Lots of great music from Bob Marley to Jimmy Buffett to James Taylor to Don Ho.
Every Friday and every other Saturday, I run the Ukuleleville Play-Alongs for ukulele players and enthusiasts from all around the world. It keep me busy, and I'm up nice and early every day getting music prepped, tracks recorded and just trying to keep my Tikiheads happy.
We're slowly peeking out from our little nest, as both of us have received our first vaccine shot, and will get our second one next week. Once that is done, we will be heading to Boston to see my Mom, who we usually try to see once or twice a year. We will also be taking a little trip out to Las Vegas to visit with Leialoha's sister who moved there last June.
To sum it up, the last year has certainly brought the world unimaginable heartache and difficulty, and I truly believe the world will never really be the same. (Which might be a good thing in some respects) But during this time, I have witnessed amazing strength, determination and grace from so many, and that gives me reassurance that we will all be okay...not the same...but okay. We cannot wait to get out on the sea again, but we will still be pursuing our projects that we began during this time. That includes making sure Kini Kreations flourishes and as for me, bringing my latest project, Ukuleleville to the masses...but more about that later. Until the next time, please wear a mask, stay distant, get your vaccine, and try to be good to one another...as I always say at the end of my live-streams, it's the only way we'll make it through this.