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.

Family Reunion

52, overcast but some sun later. Humid.

One reason we worked so hard on yard and gardens last week was because we would be away for 3 days at my family reunion. Isn't it funny how hard we will work to get ready to be away? I wanted to leave the house clean and tidy, the porch clean and pretty, the lawns mowed and the gardens in as good as shape as possible, so that when we came home we wouldn't be behind on any of it. Of course, when we got home, the grass needed to be mowed again, the weeds had thrived, and Larry immediately tracked up the porch with muddy boots. Ah me. Still, it was much better than it might have been if we hadn't done all that work, right?

I came home with more plants too, so in addition to pulling more weeds I have plants to put in. We found the most marvelous greenhouse in Elkins, WV, called Mary's Greenhouse, and I was in heaven walking around there. There was one whole greenhouse just for herbs! I found the parsley and rosemary I've been looking for, that beautiful new peony and lots more besides. About 200 dollars worth, actually. Cringe. I've spent a lot on plants this year, but it has dawned on me that I only have a few more years, probably, when I will be able to do this work, and I have always put off buying plants I want because of the cost. Now I am determined to have the gardens I have dreamed of, if only for a few years. I don't get manicures and pedicures, I don't drink a lot or do drugs, I don't gamble or get my hair done, I don't buy many clothes and most are used anyway, I don't go out much or go to concerts--so this is my vice, and so be it.

But wait, I intended to write about the reunion! It. Was. Wonderful. There were not as many people as there have been in the past, due to many reasons. Some had graduations to attend, some had the state track meet in which their kids were competing. One had a broken hand, and one sister and her husband came down with Covid just days before the reunion. But we were so glad to see those who could make it. Several of my nieces and nephews came with some of their children. Cousins from Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina came, as did my dear Aunt Georgette, who will celebrate her 88th birthday this year. I was thrilled that two sons, three daughters-in-law, one sort-of son-in-law, and 2 granddaughters were able to join us this year--it made the weekend extra special for me that they made the effort to be there. Perhaps next year there will be more people, now that life is somewhat normal and they all know the reunion is on once again.

Sisters Mary, Judy and me.

Even though the kids are older, the creek still draws them like a magnet.

Catie gets her hair braided by her granny Judy.

Cousin Ken discussing his prison ministry with Sandy and Grace.

A great confab going on here!

Granddaughter Haley with my nephew David. 

In our cabin:

Look at this fabulous light fixture!

On the porch of our cabin.

Only 2 of my 12 siblings came, which was kind of disappointing, but we seem to have dwindled down to a core group of 4 sisters who are committed to the reunion, with the others occasionally attending. I felt so bad for my sister who had Covid as I know she really looked forward to the weekend, but I did call her from the park and we had a nice long chat.

The nicest thing about the weekend was the connections being made and re-established. Several plans were made to get together by different ones, which made me happy because as scattered as we are, maintaining contact is not so easy. But with social media we've been able to stay in touch, thank goodness, and now there will be more visiting in the future.

There were two things that were quite different from past reunions: no little children, and lots of dogs. At our first reunions, there were so many children, and several pregnant mamas, but after 15 years of these gatherings, the littles have grown up, some are married, and pets have become a big part of people's lives, perhaps because of Covid? 

We are all looking forward to being together again next year at Lost River State Park. It was something we all needed, I think, and we came away feeling well loved and peaceful. 

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

There and Back Again: Chattanooga!

It was a long, fun weekend with family, travel and most of all, volleyball!

Ally in the center

Granddaughter Allison has been playing ball for UT Chattanooga and this is her last season. This weekend her team was honoring miltary veterans, and since we have so many vets and currently serving military in our family, our daughter-in-law Jennifer decided to have as many as possible to come to Chattanooga for the event and for the start of the conference play-offs.

We had a blast. We got there in time for the first match of the series, and it was a cliffhanger event. Chat was down by 2 games, and if they lost the 3rd game, that was it. In women's volleyball, there are 5 games per match so three wins (or losses) determines the winner. But the Mocs as they are called came back to win the next three games. Whew!

More and more family arrived throughout the weekend until in the end there were 15 of us sharing a large Airbnb house: two of my sons, two daughters-in-law, five grandchildren--two with their partners, my sister Theresa and her husband, Larry and me. We came from all directions: two flew in from Los Angeles, one drove up from his vacation in South Carolina, several came from Northern Virginia, one drove in from National Guard duty in northern West Virginia, and then there were some of us from various other places in West Virginia.

I slept hard that night, so unusual for me when traveling, and woke early to get ready for the next day. Breakfast was a real feast of eggs, bacon, biscuits, gravy, fruit and toast.

Then we were off to do a little exploring in Chattanooga. It's a beautiful, vibrant city, full of good retaurants, arts and crafts and things to do. The Tennessee River runs through the center of town and provides all kinds of recreation opportunities. We visited Coolidge Park by the riverside where the World Canine Disc Championship was going on. Fun to watch!

There were other dogs there too:

And then: an antique carousel! I love these things! I've visited two others, one in Mansfield, Ohio and the other in St. Augustine, Florida. Chattanooga's website offers this description of the carousel:

"This 1894 Dentzel carousel is a central feature in Coolidge Park. The antique carousel was restored by local master wood carver Bud Ellis and a devoted team of craftspeople and volunteers at his studio "Horsing Around" located near Chattanooga. The carousel provides a delightful old-fashioned experience with 52 whimsical hand carved animals, a calliope band organ, and ornate gold leaf benches."

Of course I had to ride, and a few other family members joined me. I mean, for $1.00, why not?

I didn't realize that when I took photos of the mirrors, I was photographing myself!

There was a pretty cool fountain too, but apparently it was already turned off for the season.

Grandson Jared and bro-in-law Jay horsing around with the lion fountain--there was a circle of various concrete animals.

Another feature I only got to see a little bit of (our time was limited) is a fantastic arched walking bridge that crosses the river. The bridge was full of people enjoying the river breezes.

The walking bridge

Along the riverbank on the opposite side I saw a large riverboat--next time, that's on my list to visit.

We were off to a tailgate party with the team parents then, lots of good food and conversation, and then it was game time. The Mocs were playing Furman this day, and easily won three games in a row, so chalked up another victory in the series.

Granddaughter Ally autographing a poster for Poppa Larry

We had discussed going out exploring again after the game, but with temps in the 90's we opted to go back to the bnb--a good decision as we then had plenty of time for visiting and catching up. We were off to bed late, after finally getting everyone in one place for a photo. The only one missing is a girlfriend, who took the photo.

It was a fine weekend, and I am so glad we were able to go. I was also glad to get home to much cooler temperatures and a nice fire in the fireplace.

I am proud of Allison, who worked hard for years to get her scholarship to  UTC, and I am happy that so many of our large family got to see her play.


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

A Week of Family

Such a ride this month has been! Here's what's been happening this past week:

Friday night was our granddaughter Hannah's high school graduation. It rained; the event started at 8:00pm in the evening so we knew we'd be late getting home. Which normally would not matter at all, but this year our Connelly family reunion was overlapping the graduation. We opted to miss the first day of the reunion so we could be there to see our Hannah finish school, and even with the rain and the last-minute rearrangement of the graduation place and plans it was such a happy time. She looked her usual beautiful self.

Grandchildren! Siblings Haley, Hannah, Jared (who came home from California to be here for Hannah), and their cousin, my second oldest granddaughter, Jordan.

Quite a few of us were there, and quite a few were planning to make the drive across the state the next day for the reunion, leaving very early in the morning. Of course, this granny worried because so many people driving all that distance with little sleep in the rain...but all was well. All five vehicles made the trip with no trouble at all.

I had to make an extra-early start to pick up the graduation cake, so we were out of the house by 5:30am. A quick run through the grocery store to get what food we needed--and the cakes!--and we were on our way. I have to admit, I've never been so unprepared for the reunion, but it didn't matter. There was plenty of food, our cabin was waiting for us, and there were so many smiling faces to greet us.

It's always a surprise to see how fast the children of our families have grown! Many of them are towering over me now. I have to struggle to remember their names because as they enter their teen and young adult years, the changes are just so surprising, in a good way. More grandchildren below: Ally, Kate, Jared, Clayton and Grace.

The family storytelling time was better than ever as the kids--and the adults--are coming more prepared with stories and songs, and as these last ten years have passed we've gotten to know each other better. I am so happy to be able to keep up with many of them on Facebook, so that when we get together the conversations just take off.

This year, I read a poem my English cousins sent to us, a poem written by our grandfather who died in 1930. Everyone loved it! It's a dramatic narrative of a shipwreck and a man's desperate choice between saving his life savings in gold, or the life of a child. I am so amazed that he could have written such a remarkable, well-written piece, given that he was working as a farm laborer in England by the time he was 12. It gave me chills to read it, truly. My aunt in England remembers him reciting it by the fireside when she was a child, in their cottage near Caldecote, Cambridgeshire. I am so grateful that our cousins sent it to us.

Another of the highlights for me was having time to sit down with my sister Judy and see the extensive work she's done on our family tree. What a treasure that is. We are still trying to discover when our ancestor Felix Connelly came to America. We believe he was from Ireland, but cannot find any record yet of his entry into the United States. We believe it might take a trip to Baltimore, the most likely poin of entry, to solve this mystery.

Once home, we hit the ground running again. The rains finally let up enough for Larry to get back in the gardens. Grandson Jared, who is in for a visit from Los Angeles, came over with Hannah for a visit, a real treat. He's been having some success getting small roles in films and will be attending acting school when he returns to California. It's exciting to see him taking this direction. Again, I am always surprised and pleased to see what our family gets into.

Tuesday was booth day. We took some new pieces that we'd finished up last week over to Ravenswood, and that booth is now about as full as I want to make it. At the same time, a call from Marietta let us know that a big piece of furniture we had there was sold and we needed to get something new in. So yesterday and today I've worked on trying to get something painted, and I hope to be able to take one new piece over tomorrow, to be ready for the holiday weekend. To the left is a hall tree/bench we made last year, but just finally finished up.

I worked a good while on this farm table, removing old contact paper, sanding, getting the warps out of the wood, and painting and distressing.

But this old chest needed nothing except a good wipe-down. The top could use refinishing but we opted to just leave it as it was and let the next owner do that. At $99.00, it's a pretty good deal, I think.

Wednesday was Larry's birthday, so even though he worked hard all day tending to the gardens, the grass and his bees, he agreed to stop early so we could go to Charleston to celebrate by having ice cream at Ellen's Homemade Ice Cream shop, and then cross the street to Taylor Book Store for some fine music as area old-time musicians gathered for what was dubbed a "neo-traditional jam." It was awesome--some of our state's finest musicians were on hand to make it just a perfect evening of good music.

Tomorrow evening granddaughter Grace has her high school graduation so I'll be on the road again. And then...I think we can finally get back to something like normal, and even though Sunday will be our 30th anniversary, I have a feeling whatever celebrating we do will be pretty low-key and probably at home! Have a wonderful weekend, my friends, visit your family, take flowers to remember those who have past on, and enjoy the blessings of beautiful May.

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

Home and Family

We're home from our annual Connelly family reunion--well, this particular branch of Connellys anyway. It seems to be a common name with many variant spellings: Connolly, Conley, Connely, Conolly, Connellan, Connelley, and many others. Our family descends, my sister as discovered, from a Felix Connelly born in 1775--what his antecedents were we have no idea, but Judy has done an amazing job of getting the genealogy traced at least that far.

We never had a reunion until after my parents passed away. Suddenly, it became important to us to hold together what we had left. With 13 siblings, even our immediate family was huge and without the glue of our parents we were in danger of drifting apart. So we held a reunion, and the first year we had over 130 in attendance--not just my parents' descendants but also those of my father's brothers Bernie and Bud. It had been years since I had seen some of them and it was a thrill to meet not only them but also their spouses, children and grandchildren.

That was 2007, and since then we've met every year. Sadly, every year the numbers dwindle. We have lost a few, including my own son, to Death, that demon harvester. Graduations, ballgames, proms and other life events have intervened for others as children get older and things get more complicated. Still, this year about 50 of us managed to get away for a day or two of conversations, hugs, laughter, stories and a mammoth kickball game with all ages participating.

Next year will be our 10th reunion. Will our numbers continue to decrease? Of my 12 siblings, only six managed to make the trek this year. Will our tenth be a time for everyone to come together once again?

I wonder if other families who have reunions go through the same kind of boom-bust cycle. Since we've never had reunions before, it's hard to know. Some of us have talked about changing the date, the location, the structure. But maybe this is a normal  part of the life cycle of reunions?

All I know for sure is that I love seeing my family, and appreciate those who do manage to come. Life is complicated these days and we are all pulled in many directions. But family, the structural foundation of who we are, where we came from and where we're going is the one constant, the touchstone. It is a blessing we often take for granted until we find ourselves in need--and then it is family that comes forward and does what needs to be done.

So if your family is planning a reunion, make plans to attend. Bring your photos, your good food and your love and have one of the best times you're likely to enjoy for the entire year.

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.