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.

At Lost River State Park

...there is a little stream...

 that invites you to sit quietly on its bank and read...

...or look for treasures along its trails...

...or just jump in...

and get in a little trouble with Nana...

...or explore the hidden places...

...and after everyone has left...

...the stream runs on, waiting for the next visitors.

Early Morning Walk

Saturday morning at Lost River State Park dawned cool and crisp after a muggy day of showers and heat on Friday. I had not gotten much sleep Thursday night, so I was looking forward to a good night's rest Friday, but it was not to be, for three reasons. First was my sweet husband--a quiet guy by day, but a bear that night with his snoring! He doesn't always snore, but on this night he was a champ. Add in the young nephews and nieces next door who were happily partying the night away (as I would have at their age) and my stomach being in complete turmoil, you can see it was not to be a night of good rest.

I gave up on sleeping at 6:00 am, got dressed and decided to take a walk. I pulled out my map of the park and picked out a path: Laurel Trail to Razor Ridge to East Ridge to Staghorn Trail looked like a nice circle that would bring me right back to my cabin. And it did--three hours later.

The walk started promisingly enough. Laurel Trail was steep but it was early in my hike so I was okay with it for a while. After 30 minutes of climbing up and up the zigzag trail, I was not so sure this walk was a good idea. Then I saw this:

Ah! Not only the sun peeping through to light up the huckleberry bushes, but also the top of the hill! Or so I thought. The trail did ease a bit when I turned onto Razor Ridge, but I was still going up...and up...and up...

This streak of sunlight through the green canopy was not visible to my eyes, but showed up in the camera lens, like an errant bit of rainbow hovering in the forest:

Finally, I reached the trail shelter and was happy to drop down for a few minutes. Someone had left a bottle of water behind and I didn't care by then what germs I might pick up--I enjoyed a solid good pull at that bottle! I had not thought, you see, to bring my own water because I wasn't expecting to be gone so long. So far I haven't noticed any adverse effects from drinking from that bottle. Fingers crossed.

I admired what I could see of the view--I hope the park folks get up there to trim the trees a bit so hikers can actually see the view. I believe I was looking across to Big Ridge; I could see a house or two in the distance, between the tree branches.

A little further on, I came to East Ridge, and then the walking was much easier. No more tripping and slipping on loose gravel on a steep grade--this was almost flat trail through open woods.

Just a few hundred feet off the trail I could see what looked like an open area. I wandered over to see what it might be, and discovered this ridgetop meadow, dotted with locust trees. I picked a few of the locust flowers to munch on (just call me "The Locust-Eater") and enjoyed the clear air and morning birdsong.

The view from the meadow was pretty stunning too. Far off I heard the call of some animal I didn't recognize--bear? I didn't know but I was glad it was so distant because it was not a friendly, happy sound.

At the edge of the meadow I noticed this row of stones. They look like they might have once been a fence.

The last leg of the trip, I started down--and I do mean down. These are higher than the hills where I live, and Staghorn Trail was a switchbacking, rocky, gravelly descent. I trod carefully and it wasn't long before I began to wish, of all things, that I'd trimmed my toenails nice and short! I wear my shoes loose because of a nerve thing on my right foot, so my feet were sliding forward in my shoes and my toes were cramming up against the top of each shoe--with the not-very-long toenails digging into the flesh of the toe beside them. Ouch! I began to find ways to place my feet sideways on the steepest places.Lesson learned--and I have to wonder, is this something all hikers but me know? Wear shoes that fit well, and cut your nails!

A jutting rock provided a resting place and another opportunity to enjoy the views peeping through the trees.

A bit further down the trail I found one of my favorite flowers, the Mountain Laurel, in bloom. These little umbrella flowers bloom is clusters of pink and white; it seems earlier than usual for them to bloom, but perhaps not. We don't have this flower in my area so I am always happy to be in the places where it is in bloom.

Here the laurel is just about ready to pop open:

Near the end of Staghorn Trail, the path followed along the edge of a cliff as it continued down, down, down to where my cabin and a cup of good coffee waited for me.

The end of the trail that morning was a nap. After coffee, good conversations with a few family members who stopped to chat, and after making my pasta salad for the reunion dinner, I was ready to find the sleep I'd missed the night before.

There are many more trails at Lost River that I have not tried. Next year, I've got my eyes on two or three others. For quite a few years I had so much trouble with asthma and allergies and then a bad knee that such walking was out of the question. Now I am back in shape for it and can't wait for another chance to get out in the woods.

A Little Time by the Woods and Water

While at the family reunion last weekend, Larry discovered this enticing spot and showed to my sister Theresa and me.

There is so much to see in a little patch of woods, like a patch of Mayapples (sometimes called Mandrake) in bloom,

and Jack-in-the-Pulpits in both green and purple, some of the largest I have ever seen.

A lovely Mayapple flower hides in the shade of its umbrella leaves. Later a fruit will form that is supposedly edible, although I have never tasted it.

A forest giant stretches its arms to the sky.

A little further down the road we came to another pretty place--a little creek bordered by wildflowers. Here the Bluets (also called Quaker Ladies by some) are barely visible as a blue haze along the creek's bank (see this poem about them),
while Golden Ragwort makes itself at home on a large rock in the stream. Have you ever smelled the leaves of this wildflower? They are highly perfumed, with a fruity-flowery scent. I used to have a plant in my garden just so I could nip a bit of the leaves every now and then.
A strange apparition--the Dancing Outlaw, perhaps?-- appears on the swinging bridge.
A small round tuft of moss, arched with a twig, looks like a soft green basket,

and water sluicing over rocks made music that was perfect for the time and place.

Home Again, Jiggedy Jig

Our cabin this year at Lost River State Park. Small but just right for two people.

The reunion is over.

The cabin was tidied before we left.

Goodbyes were said (sniff).

The long drive is over.

The car is unloaded.

The suitcases are unpacked.

The washer is washing.

The leftover food is put away.

The mail has been opened.

The gardens and poultry have been checked.

The dogs have been fed.

The wood stove has been lit (yes, it's cold tonight! Frost warnings are up.)

Email and Facebook are almost caught up.

I am tired.

But boy did we have fun! And we are already looking forward to next year.

My favorite things this year:

Celebrating Aunt Georgette's 75th birthday.

Having five generations present and holding my little great-granddaughter Cadyn, who was a model baby all weekend. Good parents she has--they don't stress, so neither does she.

Me (generation 2) , Jordan (generation 4) holding Cadyn (generation 5), Jon (generation 3), Aunt Georgette and Uncle Barney (generation 1).

Taking a road trip with three of my sisters to look for wildflowers.

Judy stalks a pretty plant at an unusual bog high atop a mountain.

The Family Storytelling and Singing time. Best: my great-nieces Haley and Riley singing "Country Roads." And Michael's story about a dollar. And Ashlyn singing. And so many others sharing stories, songs, jokes and memories--the things that make us family.

Haley and Riley held tight to each other as they sang. That's their proud granny Maggie lower left with the camera.

Visiting with my sons and grandchildren.

Watching all generations talking, laughing, playing and eating together.

Traveling with my #1 man.

It was fun, and it's over and I have lots of pictures. More later this week.

On the Road: Day 4 and 5 , Fauquier, Lost River and Rest

A young listener at a library in Fauquier County poses in the miner's hardhat. A good turnout of about 40 or 50 people of all ages attended and were very interested in the coal mining items in my display.



On the road to my sister Judy's home in Hardy County, WV. It will always be amazing to me that no matter where in the state I travel, the scenery is breathtaking. I have to stop and take pictures because I don't have words to describe what I see.

High-flying crow in Hardy County. I was on Big Ridge Road when I spotted this glider.

Judy runs the stables at Lost River, and has recently started her own blog.

The sulphur springs at Lost River State Park. Although no longer in use, the spring is a beautiful spot rich in history. West Virginia has many such springs that were popular vacation spots in the 1700's and 1800's for those seeking the supposed curing powers of the waters. Did they work? I don't know, but I can imagine that simply soaking in the water in this peaceful place would certainly be restorative to the spirit.

The Lighthorse Harry Lee log cabin at Lost River. Lighthorse Harry owned the park property after the Revolutionary War and it stayed in the lee family for many years. The cabin is maintained by the park system and tours are offered.

Telling tales in the activities center at Lost River. The buildings at the park were for the most part constructed by the CCC in the 1930's. Many of the cabins are log, with stone fireplaces, porches and old latch doors.



And finally, a day of rest on Sunday! I left Judy's to drive to Virginia for more storytelling and a quick visit with son Jon and his family.