The “Hawaiian Sup‘pa Man,” demi-god Maui, had several adventures on the Wailuku River in the legendary past. He rescued his mother, Hina, who lived in the cave behind Waianuenue (Rainbow Falls), from Kuna, a threatening mo‘o (legendary giant lizard), eventually killing him and leaving his body as a small island in the pool fronting Hina’s cave.

You don’t need to have a green thumb to grow mint, especially if you place it in a garden bed or large pot in a sunny spot.

One of my passions is teaching children how to cook. I used to teach cooking after school at E.B. DeSilva Elementary School, at the summer school program at Hawaii Community College as well as cooking classes at our certified kitchen. I try to involve my grandson Quentin when I cook, whether it is a simple chore like cutting green beans, or cracking eggs for me. He helped to plant the beans, then even helped pick them, until his dad noticed that the plant got pulled out of the soil. Quentin used a butter knife to cut the green beans, careful to tuck his fingers under so he won’t cut them. When we cooked them, he ate them enthusiastically, knowing that he grew those beans.

As part of Volcano Awareness Month earlier this year, Volcano Watch featured five articles focused on different roles at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. These articles described the roles of geodesist, Scientist-in-Charge, gas geochemist, seismologist and geologist. This month, we continue that series, focusing on the role of technician.

The extraordinary leadership of Tina Neal as Scientist-in-Charge of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory comes to an end this week, when she returns to the Alaska Volcano Observatory after fulfilling her five-year commitment to HVO. David Phillips, HVO’s Deputy SIC, will take the helm until Tina’s successor arrives.