Reunion

50 this morning, a day of mixed sun, clouds and haze. I planted late cabbage, and some peppers and cherry tomatoes. Also planted gladiolus bulbs and my David Austin rose that finally arrived.

The gardens look fine after a rainy day Saturday while we were away.

Our cabin, #3

My hard bed, lol. The double bed in the other room was so jammed in that one if us would have had to crawl over tbe other to get in and out, so I decided to sleep in this bottom bunk.

Check out this door hardware! These cabins were built by the CCC during the Great Depression, and each is unique in style and details.

Inside, the fireplace is in the center, and dominates the space.

The table is original to the cabin, also hand-built by the CCC.

The woodshed was well stocked. Here is my sister Judy, getting wood for the fire.

Isn't this a nice porch?

We had such a nice reunion with some of our family this past weekend at Lost River State Park in Hardy county.  There were only 25 orb30 that attended this year, down from 130+ in past years. The pandemic, of course, meant that we did not meet for 2 years, and I guess people have gotten out of the habit. It is sad for me, because I live 5 or more hours away from most of the family and the reunion is the one time a year I get to see them. As my 12 siblings and I are all getting up there in age,  I wonder if the new meeting place will be funerals. A morbid thought, but one can't help but be aware of our advancing age and all that can go wrong as the years pass.

BUT! It was really good to visit with those who did come. Such memories and stories! The nieces and nephews...and great nieces and nephews... are so interesting. There are several teachers and college students among them. One young man is planning a career in the Marines, a niece is in college to be a preschool teacher. Yet another great nephew has a woodcutting business when he's not in school and even owns his own dump truck already, even though he is only 17. There were no babies or little ones this year, a real change from the past!

Our cabin was not as nice as others we have stayed in, but it was okay. The bed was so hard! I am used to my memory foam mattress that is kind to my hip ones, that hurt if I lay on my side on any other mattress. But the fireplace was amazing, and this cabin, like all the others, had an updated kitchen and bath, which was great.

Best of all, of course, was time with my sisters. Only 4 sisters of the 13 siblings attended. We seem to be the core group anymore. We snuck off for tea and had the best "natter", as my sister Judy called it. 

There was of course, lots of good food, and I admit I may have eaten more than I should have! But hey, it only once a year, right?

Whether there will be a reunion next year is up in the air. It is a lot of work and expense for so few people. So this may have been the last one. How sad to think that, but I guess it isn't a priority for people these days. Maybe social media is enough? I am old-fashioned enough to want the occasional face to face. We shall see what next year brings. 

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.