It is rare that events in the news are able to distract me from enjoying the fruits of our travels. The death of 37 year old Alex Jeffrey Pretti at the hands of ICE officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota has done so.
Murder? An Execution? Justified? Those are questions that the United States Constitution says can only be answered with the exercise of Due Process of Law.
What is certain is that we have witnessed a homicide, defined as the killing of a human being by another human being. We have witnessed a death caused by an agent of the United States Government and the denial of Due Process of Law to the victim.
We have also witnessed an effort by the government to “get ahead of the story“, and without evidence vilify the victim by creating a narrative that stands in stark contradiction to what is clearly shown in the many videos of the killing.
Universally, American law enforcement officers swear an oath to support and defend the United States Constitution. The words “Law Enforcement” are not meaningless. Officers are commissioned to enforce the law, but not to act as judge, jury, and executioner. The laws that they enforce, and that they are also subject to, include the protections of the Constitution. These include: The Right to Assemble, Freedom of Speech, The Right to Bear Arms, Due Process of Law, and in the case of criminal prosecutions the presumption of innocence until found guilty in a court of law.
If Alex Jeffrey Pretti was breaking the law by unlawfully protesting, unlawfully carrying a gun, or unlawfully resisting arrest, then he had the right to have his guilt or innocence determined in a court of law. There was no justification for a summary execution.
If the ICE officers who shot Alex Jeffrey Pretti acted criminally or without legal justification, then that also is to be determined in a court of law based upon facts found in a full, fair and unbiased investigation. Those officers do not have immunity, they do not stand above the United States Constitution.
To hold otherwise would mean that we are also witnessing another death, the death of the United States Constitution.
Volcanoes National Park, Hilo, Hawaii. January 23, 2026.
Moving day! But not to another island, rather to the other side of “The Big Island”.
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And the island is big. Without stops the drive was over three hours long and covered 125 miles of coastline. Fortunately, there was a stop and what a stop it was!
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Volcanoes National Park was established in 1916, shortly before the creation of The National Park Service. It was designated an International Biosphere Reserve in 1980 and a World Heritage Site in 1987. In May 2018, the park summit (4,000 feet above sea level) was closed to the public due to explosions and toxic gas occurring within the crater. Portions of the park reopened to the public in September 2018.
The Caldera is approximately 3 miles in diameter and until recently could be circled by the 11mile Crater Rim Trail. Portions of the trail remain closed due to the risk of collapse and continued volcanic activity.
The volcano Kilauea and the Halema’uma’u caldera are considered by tradition as the sacred home of the volcano Goddess Pele.
Our group is offering a prayer to the Goddess Pele, asking her permission to enter as guests into her home.
In years past visitors often removed small objects and stones from the park. To combat this “looting“ a rumor was started that Pele, in her displeasure, would bring bad luck upon any visitor who stole from her. Our group leader, Susan, was once employed as a Volcanos Park Range. One of her duties was opening the Park mail. Susan reported that on a typical day 30 to 50 parcels were received, often with small notes of explanation, containing stones that the senders were returning in hopes of ridding themselves of Pele‘s curse.
Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. Today we saw many steam vents, but no magma or lava flows.
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It was still a stunning sight. At times members of the group sensitive to airborne irritants found themselves coughing as clouds of sulfurous gas wafted in our direction.
Ordinary photographs could not compress the scale of what was before us. I found that by shooting a slow panning video I could largely overcome that limitation.
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It was noteworthy that from where we stood we were able to see not only Kilauea but the two largest volcanic mountains, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. As Susan explained, usually one or both of these summits are obscured by clouds. Three for the price of one!
After we left the park there was a late lunch. We stopped at one of the black sand beaches where it was a good fortune to see greens sea turtles, and even breaching, humpback whales!
..I was VERY lucky to get this shot of a breaching humpback whale from the shore!
We finally arrived at 5pm at our hotel, The Royal Kona Resort in Kailua-Kona (sometimes referred to as Kona Town). This is the second largest community on the island, the largest being Hilo.
The resort was originally opened in 1968 as the Kona Hilton. It hides its 55+ year age well and the location cannot be beat. Our room is wonderfully comfortable.
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Annually, this is the location of the famous Hawaiian Iron Man Triathlon.
Joe Tormelleri, renowned for his intricate hand drawings of hundreds of fish species, (what Audubon was to birds, Joe is to fish) is a reader of these posts. Joe also is a collector of vintage movies. Joe forwarded to me a link to his 1930’s 16 mm home movie of vacationers on Hilo Hawaii. It shows many of the places that we have visited, but the train, trestles, and many buildings seen in the 3 minute movie were wiped out in the tsunami of 1946. It is available on YouTube and I am providing the link here:
Tomorrow I am passing on a snorkeling outing in favor of a little more rest. In the afternoon we will be exploring the nearby community, which is known for producing some of the world‘s finest coffees.
Peace Everyone! Pete
PS. Here are some additional pictures:
This little fellow was watching us from up in a nearby tree. I understand that he is a horned chameleon, and like so many plants and animals in Hawaii, non-native.This is the Kilauea Military Camp, Established in 1913 it predates the Park. It was formerly for the treatment of military personnel stricken by malaria. It now serves as a visitor center, and there are cabins available for rent. At this distance, these are difficult to make out, but the white spots are seismic reporting stations that monitor activity in the caldera An information board about toolmaking from volcanic stone. The rim of the caldera. At points we were walking on a trail that was mere feet from the cliff. The cliff was approximately 1500 feet from the caldera to the top where we walked. This thread, which appears in contrast with Christine’s shirt, is a piece of “Pele‘s hair”, it is glasslike basalt formed much like fiberglass. It has been blown by the wind. .This is a small orchid. It is also non-native. There are only three native species of orchid on the island, all very tiny. 
After breakfast, we assembled for a lecture on the Hawaiian language. It was fascinating! Among the islanders of the Pacific, languages have not yet diverged sufficiently to deny understanding from those in one island group to another. This, in spite of the fact that the islands span thousands of miles. For example, native speaking Hawaiians can understand islanders from Tonga, Tahiti, Micronesia… and vice versa.
Prior to the discovery of the Hawaiian Islands by Captain James Cook, the Islanders did not have a form of written language. They relied on oral tradition, dance, and art to carry their story forward. Written language was developed after the arrival of the Boston Missionaries in the 1920’s.
The written Hawaiian language consists of five vowels (A-E-I-O-U) and only seven consonants (H-K-L-M-P-W). There are two phonetic modifiers, the okina which is a backward facing apostrophe, and the kahako that is a straight line which may appear above a vowel and indicates that the vowel sound should be held longer.
I don’t think that the Hawaiian language would adapt well in the New York Times Wordle game.
An unlimited number of vowels may be linked together to form a word, but consonants are only used standing alone to separate vowels.
The English language may contain over 1 million words. Witness those huge dictionaries, 5000 pages and more, that are sometimes found at libraries. Susan advised that the Hawaiian language may not exceed 20,000 words. Of course, like English and other languages the island languages are expanding to include our evolving technologies, science, and culture.
The indigenous people of Alaska have scores of words to describe snow. With the Islanders there are over 600 words to describe rain. Simple words are sometimes combined to expand their meaning. Duplicated words are sometimes used as a form of plural.
We had a great deal of fun pronouncing words as the natives do. For example Hawaii is pronounced properly “Havaii”, with a V sound substituted for the W.
Our lesson concluded, we transported by motorcoach to downtown Hilo where we first visited the Papahānaumokuākea interpretive center for the Marine National Monument, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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The monument is dedicated to 582,578 mi.² of ocean waters that include 10 islands and atolls of the north western Hawaiian islands. It was created by President George Bush in 2006. President Barack Obama expanded it to its current size. It is considered one of the world‘s largest protected areas.
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It is home to more than 7000 marine species with some only found within the monument itself. Only 5.8 square miles of land within the Monument are above sea level!
After the presentation, we experienced an unplanned treat. A group of women, “The Hulu Sisters“, regaled us with their dancing and music.
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At points we were invited to join them which the uninhibited did (that would include Christine). I chose to film as it takes a couple of beers for me to loosen up enough to dance.
Christine and some other members of our group dancing with the Hula Sisters. 
Christine had an intense emotional connection with one of the dancers. They embraced and the dancer told Christine, “Thank you for touching my life“.
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We next proceeded to the Pacific Tsunami Museum, where we ate a boxed lunch prior to enjoying an engaging and informative presentation.
The image is an actual picture of the panic that occurred in downtown Hilo at the beginning of the 1946 tsunami. The tsunami wave can be seen in the background, behind these terrified people.The Pacific Tsunami Museum 
“Tidal Wave“ is a misnomer. These devastating phenomenon are not tidal but usually seismic. A tsunami is generated from a seismic event that occurs offshore and either suddenly lifts the ocean floor or collapses it. The energy is then transferred to the surrounding water with a shockwave of energy traveling at speeds approaching 500 miles an hour. In the middle of the ocean they may be virtually imperceptible but as they approach land, the rising ocean floor slows the wave and the energy builds into a high column of water. Usually this is not a breaking wave. The tsunami is not a single wave, but rather a series of waves that may occur over a span of over half an hour.
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There is usually not a “protected side” to an island in the event of a tsunami. The energy literally surrounds the island and at the point where the energy waves converge on the alleged “protected side” the event can be even more devastating.
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was among the deadliest natural disasters in human history. At least 230,000 people were killed or missing in 14 countries bordering the Indian ocean. Hilo has experienced a number of noteworthy tsunamis, the most devastating in terms of the human toll occurring on April 1, 1946 with 159 lives lost, including 25 children and their teacher at an elementary school. The 1960 tsunami was more significant in terms of property damage. The 1946 event occurred prior to the institution of an early warning system. The population benefited during the1960 event from an early warning. Hilo experienced a small tsunami in mid 2025.
There are three major tsunami alert centers, one in Alaska, one in Japan, and one in Hawaii. During the recent government shut down, the staff of 40 here in Hawaii was reduced to two volunteers. Japan provided assistance to us during the shutdown.
Two activities followed with the group. A visit to nearby gardens and a lecture on geology. I regret missing both, but I chose to spend the afternoon in my room trying to nurse myself through this miserable cold.
Our time on this side of the island concludes in the morning. We will be transporting to the other side and new lodgings. I look forward to our visit tomorrow to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. There is an interesting forecast for tomorrow!
I don’t know whether it consider that lucky or unlucky!
Peace Everyone! Pete
PS. You are a three additional images that I thought to post. 
Upon waking this morning we had a clear view of Mt. Mauna Kia, the highest mountain in Hawaii at 13,803 feet. Considering its elevation from its base at the sea floor, this is the tallest mountain in the world.

Gary, a member of our group, stands well over 6 feet tall… probably closer to 7 feet. With the extension of his arm, he was able to get a better picture of yesterday‘s waterfall, including where it strikes the water at the base.With the temperate climate it is no surprise that parts of Hawaii attract the homeless. Near downtown Hilo there is an accumulation of the destitute. 
… but full and rewarding. Hilo, Hawaii, January 21, 2026.
In the interest of brevity so that I can communicate to you an adequate summary of the day and yet get to bed at a respectable hour, this narrative will be “short and sweet”.
Our day kicked off with a visit to the Wednesday Farmers Market in the town of Hilo.
The farmers market
We next proceeded by motorcoach to Akaka Falls. These towering falls are 442 feet above the river that they plunge into. The area around the Falls was lush with vegetation. It was like walking through a house plant menagerie grown large and out of control.

The falls The jungle. 
We briefly stopped along the road above the place of a tragedy that took the lives of over 150 people, including 24 school children and their teachers in 1946.
The tsunami tragedy of 1946. 
Finally, a long overland journey took us to the Pu’ukohola Heiau Historic Site, managed by the US National Park Service.
The historic site where the unification of Hawaii under one king began.
A wonderful dinner with great fellowship shared with our 27 Road Scholar participants capped off a along but wonderful day.
Pictures with captions follow.
Peace Everyone. Pete
The vegetables, fruits, and flowers were an explosion of color..Christine “holding court” at the farmers marketThere was an entire section for crafts.Our group leader, giving us detailed information about the local plants and the geology of the falls. An interpretive sign contrasting this waterfall against other great falls in the world. An interpretive sign detailing two unusual lifeforms found only at this waterfall and nowhere else in the world. One is a small fish that spawns by climbing the cliff to the top of the falls! Another view of the jungle.Very small finger size bananas, growing wild. At the Falls..An hour long special presentation by the Park Ranger. He explaining to us the history of this sacred site. One remarkable piece of information was that these stones, each weighing approximately 30 pounds and held in place without mortar, were transported 20 miles by 10,000 warriors passing them along in “bucket brigade“ fashion.  the transit of each stone had to be continuous, and it could not touch the ground or it would have to be returned down the line to the beach from which it originated. An interpretive sign boardAn explanation of the general layout of the site.The Temple grounds are huge and not open to the general public. They are still used for religious and ceremonial purposes. .
No, it’s not cold, but I may have caught one. Bad timing but hours spent in a jet airliner is a role of the dice. Could be allergies, change of climate, or just wishful thinking. I don’t feel bad, just a runny nose, scratchy throat, and an occasional cough. Time will tell.
Our morning featured an orientation lecture by our group leader Susan about the “Big Island” and the activities in the upcoming days.
Susan at the board. She’s explaining the migration of the Islanders over the millennia. 
We then transported by motorcoach to the Lyman Museum, considered by many to be the finest of its kind in Hawaii.
The Lyman Museum
At the museum, we divided into three groups of nine each with separate docents who escorted us through the principal elements of the museum: The natural history of the islands, the anthropological and cultural history, and the Lyman Mission Home, which is the oldest frame structure in Hawaii. Unfortunately, due to copyright we were not allowed to take photographs of the interior of the house.
The Lyman Mission House Our tour guide into the Lyman Mission House 
We enjoyed an excellent lunch in town…
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but on our way, we were invited into the restored Palace movie theater, which dates to 1930…
The theater seats 500 and is currently a venue for movies, live music, and theater.An early movie projector used in theaters. It required hand cranking. Illumination was provided by an electrical carbon arc, much like a welder.
…after which we transported to the Rainbow Falls.
The Rainbow Falls 
These falls formed at the convergence of two lava flows from the islands two largest volcanoes.
The converging solidified lava flows above the falls.The lava tube, a tunnel formed naturally by cooling lava underneath the falls
The water is a mixture of rainwater and snow melt from Mauna Kea, the largest volcano which is nearly 14,000 feet above sea level. If one considers the height of the mountain from its base on the ocean floor, Mauna Kia is the tallest mountain in the world, measuring 33,500 feet.
After Rainbow Falls we traveled to a statue honoring King Kamehameha I.
King Kamehameha I
In 1795 he successfully consolidated all of the principle Hawaiian islands into The Kingdom of Hawaii. The statue is one of four in existence, three located in Hawaii and the fourth located in the rotunda of the United States Capital.
After a brief rest at the hotel we walked to a nearby restaurant popular with the locals. It had an intriguing fusion of breakfast, truck stop diner, and oriental cuisines. Excellent!
A little bit of everything in a savory brown broth.
We thought today was a full itinerary, but we have been cautioned that tomorrow will include a lengthy motorcoach ride to the other end of the island with lectures and sites focused on Hawaiian vulcanology. The program tomorrow promises to be nonstop from breakfast until dinner.
As before, pictures follow below.
Peace Everyone. Pete.
Our docent, explaining the islands, natural history and standing before an accurate mock up of cooling lava.The islands birth from volcanoes The range of climate zones from Arctic to deep sea.Exhibits focused on each of the climate zones, their flora and faunaThe incredible diversity of seashellsThe bones of a large flightless bird that was native to the islands and became extinct in the late 19th century. Mineralogy Mineralogy Our docent led exploration of the human history of the Hawaiian islands.Stone fashioned into tools Advanced agriculture and systematic farming

Native textile technologyWoodworking technologyThe use of naturally occurring fibers to create baskets, weavings, and cordage. The rootlets of the Hala tree produced the strongest ropes known to man until the creation of synthetics.Signage warning of the tsunami zonesA roadside monument noting the levels of tsunamis in recent times.Two very happy travelers!
