Adult Summer Fun

I haven't posted for several weeks because I've been busy with "adult summer fun."  Like at the kids' summer fun programs I used to attend when I was in school, I did some arts & crafts work (which I sold at the Koloa Plantation Days), I danced (at bon dances), and socialized and played games (at two reunions).  I'm sure you're doing the summer fun thing too!

First of all, the Koloa Plantation Days parade and fair continues to improve each year.  For just a $2 admission, people enjoyed continuous entertainment from such performers as Amy Hanaiali'i, Frank DeLima, and Augie T.  Happily, the craft tent business was much better than last year, hopefully a good sign that the economy is recovering. 

There is no sign more clear that time is flying by than going to a bon dance.  It seems like just a month ago I was dancing at Waimea's Higashi Hongwanji bon dance and yet there we were again.  Kind of freaky, I must say.  I must apologize for Jordan's overly zealous videotaping the Iwakuni with her iPod.  I was blissfully unaware that she had climbed up the tower steps because I was in the "audience" on the opposite side of the tower.  And you thought bon dance singers didn't have paparazzi!

Hubby's Waimea High's Class of '67 had a weekend full of fun activities: a golf tournament, cookout, dinner, and Napali boat riding.  This class is lucky to have members who seem to enjoy planning frequent reunions--it seems like once every 1-2 years--even their planning meetings are fun!  For instance, this latest reunion wasn't for a particular decade or half-decade or even milestone birthday.  It was their 43rd year reunion. On the other hand, my own Kaimuki High class only has reunions every ten years.  A lot of gray hair and flab can happen in ten years, not to mention wrinkles.  Having more frequent reunions means you're more apt to recognize your classmates! 

The other reunion we went to was our Tachibana family reunion and I was able to enjoy it this time, since I was not in charge (Great job Joanne and team!).  It was held at the Tokai University, catered by Karen's Catering, who did an excellent job--yummm!

My contribution was to update the DVD slideshow I made for the first reunion five years ago.  "Update?  No problem!" Naturally it was more difficult and stressful than I'd anticipated, so I wanted to celebrate when I finished burning it on the third day.  Oops, as I watched it I found a couple of mistakes.  Ok, the second version was burning, now I could celebrate!  Uh oh, I see another mistake.  As you may have guessed, I didn't get to celebrate (or go to bed) until 3 a.m. after several more revisions.  A friend later told me I should make DVD's as a business and I said "Noooo thanks!!"  Then she said she once paid $500 for a graduation DVD for her son.  I think I'll reconsider.

Photo slideshows can be very boring, so I took a lesson from the Waimea '67 reunion and let the slideshow run quietly on the side while people arrived and socialized, and throughout the meal.  That way people who were interested could enjoy it while others talked story. 

We had a couple of fun games, introduced as "Have you seen the show 'Minute to Win It'?  Yeh?  Well this is nothing like that!"  *LOL*  I guess it was more like "Six Minutes to Win It''.  At any rate, we had fun and our team, which was the smallest,  excelled at using chopsticks to pick up M&M's and shooting cans with rubberbands, so we won first place!  Woohooo!

The best part about both reunions was listening to stories.  It amazes me how some people have such sharp memories of incidents of the past.  Unfortunately for us babyboomers with poor memories, there were no video cameras, camera phones, etc.  We did, however, have Kodak brownies then instamatics, and oh yeh, Polaroids!  I envy the young generation who'll have their personal and family histories well documented with video (eg. Jordan with her videotaping iPod).  On the other hand, there'll be hard evidence that you sucked at rubberband shooting.