Aunty Peggy and Uncle Neil’s house in Michigan reminds me a lot of my parent’s house in Waupaca. Both are situated up on a hill with the driveway coming into the front of the house. In the back both houses walk out on the lower level basement to a yard that slopes down to a body of water. At my parent’s house there’s a pond that is surrounded by thick woods and is home to a lot of wildlife. At Peggy & Neil’s there’s a lake with a small sandy shore and you can swim and boat.

Kate

Uncle Neil told me he’d just gotten more sand poured recently. The kids loved this. Tommy didn’t want to get wet or dirty. He just told the other kids to get him buckets of water from the lake. Then he had them set the buckets down by him and then Tommy got to dump them in the dump truck. Tommy is destined to manage the family business some day!

Tommy

Naoko and Heather were up at the house making dinner for that night. Most of the other non-golfers were just lounging around. With the kids it was actually still relaxing. It was when all the golfers got home that things got loud and crazy.

Tommy, Aunty Peggy, Caroline, Kenji, Cory

Aunty Laura, Aunty Glenna, Caroline, Tommy, Kate

This is Trixie:

She loves to do this:

And remember Tommy? Who didn’t want to get wet? Trixie did this to him.

We all saw it coming, but Tommy was shocked. Then he started to giggle.

After the Camp Fukuda photos, Uncle Neil went to the shed to get out his riding lawn mower. Not to mow the lawn, but to give the kids - Mitch, Ben, Kate, Hideto, Derek & Tommy - a in the ride in the trailer that was attached.

The kids loved it!

I think Uncle Neil may have liked it more!

- - - - - - -

Caroline & Mitch :: Brighton, MI

Dallas and I spotted these familiar tubes in Aunty Peggy & Uncle Neil’s garage. It was the same ladder golf game that my dad made for us. Aunty Peggy said that someone made it and gave them the game but they never played it before. Dallas and Mitch, who’d played at our house before, set the game up and we showed everyone how to play. Aunty Peggy and I won 5 games in a row before she purposely lost so that she could go refill her wine!

Chris & Dallas :: Brighton, MI

Trying to assemble 25+ people can be maddening. People walk off.

Other people pose together.

Kids run around.

Finally. Only Heather and I are missing. Heather was setting up her camera on a tripod so I took that time to make my own photo. There’s a photo floating around somewhere that has all of us.

Back: Caroline, Aunty Glenna, Uncle BB, Jeff, Cory, Chris, Caroline, Danny, Aunty Gail, Naoko, Kenji, Doug, Tommy, Derek, Krystyn, Hideto, Scotty, Peggy, Neil. Front: Adam, Chris, Dallas, Kathy, Laura, Mitch, Kyle, Kate, Winnie, Ben.

Aunty Laura’s Family -

Cory, Chris, Danny, Caroline, Aunty Laura, Krystyn, Hideto, Scotty

Kathy’s Family -

Kathy, Caroline, Dallas, Rachelle

Shaka!

Caroline, Dallas

Aunty Peggy & Uncle Neil’s Family -

Aunty Peggy, Derek, Uncle Neil, Kyle, Kate, Ben, Winnie

Dallas & his sister, still goofing-

Caroline, Dallas

Aunty Gail’s Family -

Jeff, Heather, Chris, Mitch, Auny Gail, Tommy, Doug, Kenji, Naoko

Aunty Glenna & Uncle BB’s (sort of) family-

Uncle BB & Aunty Glenna’s kids didn’t arrive til later in the night so they got Adam, a family friend, in their photo.

These are the people that won the 2009 Fukuda Cup earlier in the day. Notice that they changed into their winning shirts.

Kyle, Jeff, Adam, Chris, Aunty Gail, Danny

I poured my beer into the award cup and each winning team member had to drink from the cup. Notice that Chris’s shirt is all wet. Doug, a sore loser, sprayed the hose all over the winners while they were posing for photos.

Chris, Aunty Gail

Adam, Jeff

Kyle

These are the people who lost the 2009 Fukuda Cup. Dallas was giving “the finger” in some of the photos. He told his mom to do it and she gave thumbs up… wrong finger.. and everyone started laughing.

Dallas, Doug, Kathy, Uncle BB, Uncle Neil, Scotty

Dallas

Glenna

After photos we spent the afternoon and evening eating delicious gumbo that Danny made, drinking, and visiting in the yard. Or inside. The mosquitoes were kind of brutal in Michigan.

Dallas’s Uncle Neil and Aunty Peggy live in Brighton, MI, which is just north of Ann Arbor and just south of Flint. Most people who were visiting stayed in a dirt-cheap hotel nearby their house. Room rates were only $35-$65/night. The first day we were there Dallas went golfing in a family tournament. Cory, Caroline and I went to Uncle Neil and Aunty Peggy’s house to visit and for breakfast, but then we were off to the Tanger Outlet mall.

Later in the afternoon we met up with the people who were golfing as they came into the 18th hole at Timber Trace Golf Club. This was a made up tournament they were holding called the Fukuda Cup. (Fukuda is a family name.) Danny made a trophy and shirts were ordered. Bragging rights were on the line.

Aunty Gail, Kyle, Uncle Neil, Scotty :: Timber Trace Golf Club, Pickney, MI

Danny, Dallas, Jeff :: Timber Trace Golf Club, Pickney, MI

Danny, Dallas, Jeff, & Uncle BB posing by the 18th hole.

Danny, Dallas, Uncle BB, Jeff :: Timber Trace Golf Club, Pickney, MI

Dallas, Aunty Gail, Kyle & Scotty resting after a long day of golfing.

I think Dallas, Aunty Gail & Kyle were wearing the brightest shirts they own.

Dallas’s Mom, Kathy :: Timber Trace Golf Club, Pickney, MI

Doug, Kathy, & Adam finished up.

Uncle Neil ready to go in the golf cart.

2009 Fukuda Cup Golf Shirts :: Timber Trace Golf Club, Pickney, MI

2009 Fukuda Cup Winning Team: Kyle, Adam, Jeff, Aunty Gail, Chris, Danny

Dallas was a sore loser, but drunk & smiling.

After busting open the sake and cutting the cake we all had dinner and drank and ate and drank and drank and danced and danced and drank and danced and danced. It was a super fun time. You can tell from everyone’s huge smiles in the photos below.

(Click on photos below to see them bigger.)

And don’t forget the cake, even though it was a more minor player. Chris’s aunt made it and it was delicious.. lemon and raspberry inside.

First off, Cory’s dad, Steve, gave a short speech.

I believe Steve talked about the sake ceremony, but to be honest, I can’t remember at all.

Luckily I found this tidbit: Kagami-biraki is a ceremony performed at celebratory events in which the lid of the sake barrel is broken open by a wooden mallet and the sake is served to everyone present. Kagami refers to the lid of the sake barrel and biraki means “to open” so kagami-biraki literally means “opening the lid.” Because of the lid’s round shape, the kagami is a symbol of harmony. The kagami-biraki, therefore, represents an opening to harmony and good fortune.

Talk faster Steve, they are about to rush the keg.

These guys are about the grab the mallet themselves.

The masu waiting to be filled. (Note the M monogram. M for Marello, Cory & Chris’s last name.)

Finally it was time for Chris to knock the cover off the sake keg.

Cory and Chris get the first pours.

Cory and Chris wanted to get all of the traditions out of the way, so immediately after the sake ceremony, they cut the cake. A lot of people missed this because they were too busy rushing the keg, but I got this nice photo.

Tomorrow I’ll post more photos from Cory and Chris’s reception.

On a side note, Naoko and Doug had a sake keg at their wedding a few years ago. I’m not going to spill any family secrets from either party, but I think it’s safe to say there may not ever be any more sake kegs allowed at any family events after this past Saturday!

Back: Mitch, Chris, Cory, Kenji, Chris. Front: Ben, Derek, Hideto, Tommy :: Ambassador East, Gold Coast, Chicago

Back: Mitch, Chris, Cory, Kenji, Chris. Front: Ben, Derek, Hideto, Tommy :: Ambassador East, Gold Coast, Chicago

Back: Mitch, Chris, Cory, Kenji, Chris. Front: Ben, Derek, Hideto, Tommy :: Ambassador East, Gold Coast, Chicago

Tommy :: Ambassador East, Gold Coast, Chicago

George, Kathy, Caroline, Dallas :: Ambassador East, Gold Coast, Chicago

Caroline, George, Kathy, Rachelle, Dallas :: Ambassador East, Gold Coast, Chicago

Rachelle, Dallas :: Ambassador East, Gold Coast, Chicago

George, Kathy :: Ambassador East, Gold Coast, Chicago

Danny, Caroline :: Ambassador East, Gold Coast, Chicago

Kate, Derek, Tommy, Ben :: Ambassador East, Gold Coast, Chicago

Kate, Derek, Tommy :: Ambassador East, Gold Coast, Chicago

Back: Mitch, Chris. Front: Kate, Kenji, Tommy Ben, Derek :: Ambassador East, Gold Coast, Chicago

On Friday night Cory and Chris reserved the pool room at Rock Bottom Brewery and we had dinner and drinks. I had a really long week and that first sip of beer was deeeeliicioussss. Fun to spend time with the family members that were starting to trickle in for the big event the following night.

Chris & Cory :: Rock Bottom Brewery, River North, Chicago

Scotty (Cory’s brother) & Cory :: Rock Bottom Brewery, River North, Chicago

Steve (Cory’s dad) & Danny (Cory’s brother) :: Rock Bottom Brewery, River North, Chicago

Dallas (Cory’s cousin), Scotty (Cory’s brother), Cory, Chris :: Rock Bottom Brewery, River North, Chicago

Dallas (Cory’s cousin) :: Rock Bottom Brewery, River North, Chicago

Steve (Cory’s dad) :: Rock Bottom Brewery, River North, Chicago

Scotty (Cory’s brother) :: Rock Bottom Brewery, River North, Chicago

Danny (Cory’s brother) :: Rock Bottom Brewery, River North, Chicago

Chris :: Rock Bottom Brewery, River North, Chicago

Back row: Garmon, Alika, Dallas, Kilo, Alan, xxx, Koa (and son), Lisa, Brandy
Middle row: BJ, Nalani, Donovan, Jacque, Roxanne, Monte, Rachelle, Jay, xxx, xxx, Hoku
Front row: Sheri, Kamu

The band Kapena was playing again. They’d played the night before at the Gordon Biersch party.

Kapena, Kamehameha Schools, Oahu

The girls danced a lot and the guys stood around with their hands in their pockets trying to look cool. Just like high school.

Back row: Alika, Jay. Front row: Haunani, Sheri, Jacque.

These guys all lived together for years when they boarded at the school.

Dallas, Jay, Kamu, Donovan, BJ, Alika, Kilo

Monte, Dallas, Jay, Kamu, Donovan, Alika, BJ, Kilo

After the luau a bunch of people went up to the dorms where there was a big party going on. We passed by this bench where all of the boarders used to always hang out, so everyone got there photo taken there for old times sake.

Back row: BJ, Dallas, Nalani, Kilo, Jay, Kamu, Monte.
Front row: Alika, Hoku, Roxanne, Donovan, Jacque, Sheri, Brandy

Nobody can remember what spurred this, but everyone was going crazy in this next photo.

Back row: BJ, Dallas, Nalani, Kilo, Jay, Kamu, Monte.
Front row: Alika, Hoku, Roxanne, Donovan, Jacque, Sheri, Brandy

Dallas loves this fruit punch. Probably 0% fruit. He stole a whole bunch of it to bring back to the dorms.

Dallas

Walking through campus for the first time in 15 years was quite a trip for a lot of people. When we got to the dorm there was food and drink as far as the eye could see. Many stories to be told and memories to be shared. There were at least 1 or 2 rounds of everyone singing the Kamehameha Schools fight song. Everyone stayed and hung out well into the morning hours.

It was kind of sad to finally leave. And to think the next day how far it was in between the last time Dallas saw his friends til now and how long it may be til we see them again. But if we all make an effort we will stay in touch, even if it’s just online. A hui hou!

Later in the afternoon we drove up to the Kamehameha Schools campus for the all-class luau. All of the classes from the 1930s or 1940s on were in attendance.. well, every 5 years.. so like 5 year reunion, 10 year reunion, etc. Each year the class celebrating their 29th year reunion puts on the luau to honor the class celebrating their 30th year reunion. And all of the kids that are coming back as seniors have traditionally been servers at the luau. This year, though, they couldn’t serve because alcohol was being served at the luau so the parents of the seniors had to do it. Dallas’s Uncle Bob and Aunty Helen had to serve because Kala is an incoming senior.

First off, each class had to get their official photograph taking. I think some people just blew this off, so the Class of ‘94 photo is looking pretty sparse.

After this we hit up the beer booth and the pupu stand and then made our way to the designated Class of ‘94 area under the big tent where Kilo had saved us seats.

The pupus at the booth changed out every half hour so people from our table just kept going up and getting more. I had previously had many of the dishes served, but there were definitely some I had not. I was sitting by Donovan and he kept passing me all the pupus and making sure I tried everything I’d never had before. Like pickled Maui onion, a’ama crabs, limu salad, and raw Maui onions dipped in Hawaiian sea salt. And other favorites I’d had before like boiled peanuts, poke, smoked meat, edamame.

The whole time we were socializing and eating and drinking there was a big stage at the middle front of the tent and people were speaking and playing music. We couldn’t really see because we were too far off to the side. I heard there were something like 1,600 guests at the luau, so you can imagine how big that tent was! We were alerted when Monte and Kilo went up to do the hula. Kekoa’s band Holunape was playing (same classmate and band that played earlier in the week at Aku Bone). So I ran up to get a few photos.

In years past I heard the luau dinner was served buffet style. This year each person got served a plate. Some people were leery about this but everyone agreed the food was really ono and the portions were generous. Here’s what we had:

Clockwise, starting with rice: Rice, kalua pig, chicken long rice, sweet potato, Heineken, poke, lomi-lomi salmon, poi, squid luau, fruit punch.

And for dessert there were trays in the center of the tables with chocolate cake, haupia and kulolo.

It was great to see many of Dallas’s friends again. I wasn’t sure what to expect really from alumni week. I thought I’d be on my own more. I knew I’d be designated driver and do whatever for Dallas to do everything he wanted to… but I didn’t expect to have so much fun. All of Dallas’ classmates were really nice and welcoming me into the group. It was fun to meet a lot of people that mean so much in Dallas’s life.

And I always knew that he went to Kamehameha Schools, but I never really “got” it. So.. you went to a school.. So what. But Kamehameha Schools is so rich in Hawaiian culture and tradition. Generations of Dallas’s family have attended. Going to these reunion parties finally made me realize what it’s all about. It’s like a family. Everyone was nice to me because through Dallas, I’m ohana.