Mom and I kicked around Hilo Town Monday. We spent time at the Farmers' Market, bought matching Crocs, then cruised on up to Rainbow Falls, which is right in town. It's a beautiful spot. There, we met a man named Alvin. He described himself as "82 years young" and was more fit than most 4o year olds I know. Alvin told us he was third generation American, with ancestors from Japan. My mom told him she was third generation American too, with ancestors in Norway. We chatted with Alvin awhile. Then, we told him we were headed to boiling pots and asked if he knew where it was. He said, "Follow me," then jumped into his green, '57 Chevy to lead the way. When we arrived at the parking lot, my mom laughed at the name of the place. While it is commonly known as Boiling Pots (so names because when the water's raging it looks like it's boiling), it's real name is Pe'epe'e Falls. My mom pointed, then pronounced, "Pee Pee Falls! I love that!" I burst her bubble when I said, "I'm pretty sure it's pronounced Pay'ay pay'ay.""I like Pee Pee better," she said.
Fair enough. I guess I do too.
When we arrived, Alvin presented us with a white pineapple he had grown in his home garden. "Very sweet," he said. Indeed. That describes both the pineapple and Alvin.
When we walked to view the falls and the pools, Alvin ventured away, only to return with a huge bag of avocados. He had picked them from a tree there in the park.
"It's OK. I asked. The park officials told me as long as I pick for my own consumption, it's legal. Hey, I pay my taxes!"
Again, fair enough. Alvin is a WWII vet. As far as I'm concerned, he can pick all the avocados in public parks he wants. He explained that he's known about that tree for a long time and always likes to pick the avocados as soon as possible, before anyone else discovers them.
We had a lovely chat with Alvin. He showed us pictures of his other two classic cars (another Chevy and a '63 Corvette) and a photo of a friend whose brother had been a pilot on the American Airlines plane that was flown into the World Trade Center. He showed his sorrow over the loss for his friend. He shared his secrets for clean living. It was a true pleasure to talk story with Alvin. He is a generous, kind man with a subtle grin that made me smile. There really still are nice people in the world.
Today, I was back at the wine factory. My first customers were Japanese and spoke little English. We taught each other a few words. I learned that hachi means honey and do itashi-mashi-te means you're welcome. I knew a few words, already, like konichiwa (hello), amai (sweet), durai (dry), oishi (delicious), arrigato (thank you) and sayonara (goodbye). They loved it. They had learned aloha and mahalo. We had a fun time together. This group liked me, so they made a point of making sure I saw them toss their change into the tip jar. They bowed and smiled. It was a great way to start my day. Arrigato!
A hui hou. Aloha!
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