We share the sentiments of this mosaic. It was made by the children of the village of Volcano on the Big Island of Hawai’i. Yes, you guessed right. We are in volcano country, not far from the eruption that spilled rivers of lava last year. On our first night here, we were greeted by an earth tremor that shook the floorboards of our rainforest cottage.

Our stay in this small village is the first of a series of short (7-10) adventures in our two-month USA holiday. We are spending it walking (we chose not to stress ourselves with driving), birdwatching (of course) and learning a little about Volcano.

The local who owns the cottage took a us through old rainforest, explaining the vegetation as well as the bird life, both of which have suffered greatly from invasive species. He is a photographer. Go to https://vimeo.com/270556643 to see his video that marries his interest in volcanoes with that of birds. We have spotted or heard twenty species of birds here.

There is no flowing red lava to be seen here now, much to Geoff’s disappointment. We did hike into Volcano National Park and look down upon the volcano that caused so much excitement. The whole island is volcanic with black rocks, soil and sand.

We have grown to love Volcano. It is small and intriguing. Its people live with volcanoes as with old, cranky and beautiful friends. Speaking of which, we send all of you our love. May you keep safe, healthy and only erupt occasionally. We will try to do the same.

Expect another geoffandchris postcard in a week or two.

Chris and Geoff