'Iolani Palace opens its doors for evening visits only two nights out of the year — in celebration of Queen Kapi'olani's birthday. Tonight's your last chance for 2006. Docents will lead tours of the apartments, the basement galleries will open for solo exploring, and choirs, opera singers and others will be on hand to entertain. From 6 to 9 p.m., $6 adults, $3 kids age 5 to 12, first-come, first served. 522-0822.

— Derek Paiva

PAWS ON THE PATH

A HIKE FOR YOUR DOGGIE AND YOU

Walk off those Christmas cookies with your dog at the Paws on the Path hike on Saturday. The hike will start at 8:30 a.m. at the Peacock Flats Trail at Mokule'ia, a paved road with great views of the coastline. The group will hike up for about an hour, then turn around and come back. Paws on the Path is a hiking club for people and their dogs organized by the Hawaiian Humane Society. For information, call 356-2217 or visit www.hawaiianhumane.org.

— Catherine E. Toth

FINAL WORD

"Acceptance is what this last book is about. Learning to live with yourself, it sounds so Hallmark to say so, but learning to live with yourself is a real trick."

Richard Ford | The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer on his latest novel, "The Lay of the Land," the last of his Frank Bascombe trilogy, in GQ