It was about 2006 and we were on Molokai for a Kalama retreat. Our teacher paired Kamakani and I as lomi lomi partners and we learned to do lomi on each other. This was a wonderful way for our friendship to grow and we became very close friends through this. We were staying in the grove house on Molokai at Pu’u Hoku Ranch. It was a real ranch with cows and horses, etc. We were outside in back of the house doing a lomi. I was giving to Kamakani and our dear friend, Hanohano was observing. Kamakani was laying on the ground on the pa and Hanohano was sitting up towards his head calmly watching me give Kamakani his lomi. We were under one of the trees of the grove house. I don’t know what the tree is called, but those trees remind me of lizards with the shape of the branches and the way the roots go into the ground and the beautiful texture and colors of the bark. It was a very nice lomi with the water view and the breeze of a warm Hawaiian late afternoon. It was a bit cloudy that day cooling it down a bit. I’m standing over Kamakani with my legs straddled on either side of him and he was lying face down as we were finishing up the lomi with the last pulls of energy. All of a sudden we hear a loud rumbling and cows mooing and groaning. I look up to see the ranch cowboys on their horses riding by on the other side of the fence and a large heard of cows. Part of the fence was down or low enough for the some of the cows to get loose. They loss control of the herd and several cows broke free and came over to the other side of the fence where the grove house was. We were on the back side of the house away from the fence. There was another lomi happening right in front of the house in between the house and the fence on the water side. The cows are stampeding and I was terrified. I’m still standing over Kamakani the whole time assessing the situation and he is totally out of it from the lomi! Later when I asked him what he was experiencing, he said he thought all of the rumbling and vibration he felt from the ground was from the lomi. We laughed and laughed. Anyways, as I’m watching to make sure we are safe from the stampeding cows, a stray cow made its way to the back of the house where we were. It stopped and was looking at us in confusion. Thankfully we were sheltered by a picnic table and the van. I remember strategizing really quick if the cow decided to come any closer. I looked around to find the quickest escape route. Mind you, Kamakani was totally out of it from the lomi, lying under the sheet with no clothes on. I saw the tree that we were under and the plan was to scoop Kamakani up in the sheet and sling him over my shoulder as we climbed the tree. How or if that was humanly possible I did not know. All I knew is that I was going to save him at any cost. I was still straddled over Kamakani’s body as I stared down the cow. I don’t recall if I was telling it to go away or not, but finally it turned around and left us alone. Our teacher came outside and called us inside. Later that evening we heard the screams of the calves as they were branded. And the story lives on in the HALAU as one of our epic lomi and Molokai adventures. I will always cherish the time Kamakani and I had together in Hawaii. They were very sacred and fun times. And sometimes scary… as I chuckle. Love you KAMAKANI!!!

Kamakani always lamented that he was a bad gift giver.

One year on my birthday, he told me that in order for me to get my birthday present, I would have to get in the car and we would have to "go for a drive". Uh-oh. Am I going to find out that he was in the mafia all along and this is how I was going to find out about it?
He drove me to South Lake Union. (This was before Amazon turned that area into the Rodeo Drive of Seattle). We parked at the old abandoned IRS building and he had me walk toward the lake. Since I didn't see any evidence of cement overshoes or an anvil to weigh me down, I complied. We walked silently toward an old Quonset hut where he opened the door for me and we went inside. It was the lobby of the Kenmore Air Service! What the fuh? He had booked us round trip on a puddle jumper to Victoria, BC for the day! 

We flew for 30 minutes in one of those loud seaplanes that we occasionally hear flying over our Port Townsend house and landed promptly in Victoria Harbour in time for lunch! 

After we ate, we had time to wander the shops (and watch that belligerent mime on the harbor steps) before we boarded the plane again and returned to Seattle, just before dinnertime.

Whenever Kamakani lamented that he was a bad gift giver, I would remind him of our day trip to Victoria. That was the most fun day I ever had. That would satisfy him - until he would forget and lament again. Then I would remind him one more time.

On one trip to Molokai, Kamakani and I were driving one of the vans back to the airport to fly on to the next island.  I was driving and Kamakani was sitting in the passenger seat.  He was laughing about how the dashboard lights and head lights would turn off and on each time I hit a bump in the road.  His laugh was so great that I started to laugh too and I began to hit as many bump as possible.  We did not know that Puni was dealing with my head lights flashing from high beam to off to back to high beam until we got the airport.  Needless to say he did not get the joke at first, until we could not stop laughing.  Then he joined us in our laughter.  I will hold his laughter in my heart with great joy and love.  I miss you.