Oh yes August marks the end of the mango season here in Kona. You needn’t know that, though, as walking in the woods envelopes you with l’eau de la mangue séchée from all the rotting mangoes on the ground. Now, consider this. You have three mango trees on your property. Today is the last possible…

5:40 am – wakeup. The sun rises delicately and birds substitute for the frogs’ songs. 6:00 am – breakfast. Rather than “bon appetite,” we recite a zen Buddhist blessing for food (specifically gruel). “S” makes an otherworldly oatmeal which we pair with Hawaiian Christmas-berry honey, homemade yogurt, flax meal, sesame meal, and boiled coffee. Huge…

Picture this (or don’t): I’m stark naked, it’s pitch dark outside, the frogs are blaring a symphony of “ooh-weet,” and I have no idea where I am. I’m covered with the dirt and grime of the hot, sweaty, humid day. I can’t see anything. Sounds rather dire, doesn’t it? It’s not. I turn around, fumble…