2007 MS reunion 3
Saturday, August 4th, we arose a while after the sun and had a light breakfast in deference to the much larger reunion meal we would be having at noon. The aunt had fixed several dishes but my only contribution was that I had brought some tomatoes from my garden back home and sliced these up in a container to take with us. About 9am I left to go by my aunt’s brother’s place to get some ice for the reunion from his ice machine. He is getting older now but I have known him as far back as I can remember. He was out in the garage, shelling peas and I stopped and chatted a bit.
From there I went to the Bounds Community center, unlocked all the doors, took in the ice and turned on the air conditioners to cool off the place for our event that was upcoming in a short while. My niece that is now heading up the reunion had been there the evening before, set up the tables and placed decorative tablecloths on the ones that would contain the food.
I returned to the aunt and uncle’s place to pack up the van since we were leaving for home right after the reunion. Once we were loaded and the food placed in the aunt’s trunk, we headed back to the community center. A few folks were already there, having just arrived and we greeted them. The aunt and uncle arrived shortly and I passed the trunk-contained goods from there to the serving table.
The cousin brought a TV with a VCR and I had brought some veggie tale videos for the young ones to watch, so we started that going as well. More and more arrived and for some reason I didn’t count to see the final total of folks attending but it was in the neighborhood of 50 plus. Some of these were cousins of mine to one degree or another, a couple were siblings, some were other relations, several were nephews and nieces and many were of grandnephew and niece status. It was a bit sobering for me to notice that I was only a very few folks away from being the oldest generation present.
These kinfolks are related to me through my paternal grandfather or his siblings and I only get to see most of them at this event once a year. As has happened before, I was asked to call things to order, say grace and get the food consumption started. I would like to think I was asked because of my ‘commanding voice’ but this is just another phrase to describe a big mouth.
The food was great but better than that was getting caught up on events in these folk’s lives since last year. I have come to the conclusion that I have some pretty neat kin and this event just reinforced that conclusion once more. The ‘serious’ food was at the beginning of the long row of tables with the desserts at the end. I enjoyed all the ‘serious’ food very much and would have been better off had I not visited the dessert end of the tables at all, but such was not the case and that more than once.
Gradually folks started winding things up and several wanted photos of the different family groups. These groups were lined up against the wall and ‘shot’ and as it turned out, my oldest sister had the largest group there with her kids, grandkids and such. After most had left, the Spice and I also loaded up and departed with mixed emotions for our South Carolina home.
The trip back seemed less tiring than normal because of the distraction of listening to the rest of the book on CD that we had begun on the way down. We got home late but safe thanks to the protection of God on the journey, a fact that makes me very grateful. ec
From there I went to the Bounds Community center, unlocked all the doors, took in the ice and turned on the air conditioners to cool off the place for our event that was upcoming in a short while. My niece that is now heading up the reunion had been there the evening before, set up the tables and placed decorative tablecloths on the ones that would contain the food.
I returned to the aunt and uncle’s place to pack up the van since we were leaving for home right after the reunion. Once we were loaded and the food placed in the aunt’s trunk, we headed back to the community center. A few folks were already there, having just arrived and we greeted them. The aunt and uncle arrived shortly and I passed the trunk-contained goods from there to the serving table.
The cousin brought a TV with a VCR and I had brought some veggie tale videos for the young ones to watch, so we started that going as well. More and more arrived and for some reason I didn’t count to see the final total of folks attending but it was in the neighborhood of 50 plus. Some of these were cousins of mine to one degree or another, a couple were siblings, some were other relations, several were nephews and nieces and many were of grandnephew and niece status. It was a bit sobering for me to notice that I was only a very few folks away from being the oldest generation present.
These kinfolks are related to me through my paternal grandfather or his siblings and I only get to see most of them at this event once a year. As has happened before, I was asked to call things to order, say grace and get the food consumption started. I would like to think I was asked because of my ‘commanding voice’ but this is just another phrase to describe a big mouth.
The food was great but better than that was getting caught up on events in these folk’s lives since last year. I have come to the conclusion that I have some pretty neat kin and this event just reinforced that conclusion once more. The ‘serious’ food was at the beginning of the long row of tables with the desserts at the end. I enjoyed all the ‘serious’ food very much and would have been better off had I not visited the dessert end of the tables at all, but such was not the case and that more than once.
Gradually folks started winding things up and several wanted photos of the different family groups. These groups were lined up against the wall and ‘shot’ and as it turned out, my oldest sister had the largest group there with her kids, grandkids and such. After most had left, the Spice and I also loaded up and departed with mixed emotions for our South Carolina home.
The trip back seemed less tiring than normal because of the distraction of listening to the rest of the book on CD that we had begun on the way down. We got home late but safe thanks to the protection of God on the journey, a fact that makes me very grateful. ec
posted by mreddie | 12:30 PM
5 Comments:
It's good that you can listen to books on those long drives.
I never could. I tend to fall asleep and if I'm not driving I can't read in a car either.
Sounds like you had a great time.
Sounds like a wonder trip and reunion, Mr. E. Thanks for sharing.
granny - It might have been different if the book was a yawner but it kept my attention and kept me awake. :) It was so good to see all the kinfolks again.
SSN - It was a bit tiring but great to catch up on all the happenings in their lives. Many of them looked older, they probably wondered why I looked so young. :) :) Yeah, right! ec
Hi Mr. Eddie ~~ Great finale to the family reunion and it sounded like lots of fun with good food and good company. Great to catch up on the year's doings. Thank you for your comments, and saying how you had lots of "things" frozen from your face. My Dad did too, and also My son John. This was my first and it looks a mess
but hopefully that will be it.
Take care, and enjoy being home again. Regards, Merle.
merle - I have had so many of these things frozen off at times that it looks like I lost a fight with a large wildcat. Plus I have had several cut off - combination of having fair complexion and working an outside job for 30 plus years. ec
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