The other night I remembered a conversation I had with an uncle from Kona. A few years ago, this complete stranger told me the differences between the Kona side and Hilo side. He said, “I know when I stay Volcano because of the sweet, fresh smell of da ginga.” While I was driving to Volcano from Hilo, at night after a rainstorm, at a certain mile marker I knew exactly what Uncle was talking about. With the windows rolled down the crisp, fresh, sweet smell of ginger hit me. It seriously was like a wall of pleasantly smelling goodness. Continuing the trek up the hill to Volcano, I turned a corner and to my delight I saw the impressive glow of Halema’uma’u. And I was still miles away from the eruption site. It must have been from the clear sky and the plume of the volcano. I couldn’t believe my senses! First the smell of wonderful ginger and then to see what looked like a “fire in the sky”; I was thankful for Uncle sharing his knowledge with me. A little thing like the smell of a flower can trigger such an amazing response and enlighten the spirits. The smell of flowers or the site of an active volcano we, Volcanonites sometimes take for granted. However, to visitors and residents on the other side of the island this is something quite unique and special. Mahalo Uncle for enlightening me once again.