Reunion of Cousins

There were 23 of us that started our cousins reunion Friday evening by meeting for dinner at the Lost Roo restaurant in Long Beach.  We had a great visit and the staff treated us great. 

Saturday morning we had a tasty breakfast of hotcakes, link sausages, and fried eggs.  Our chefs were Claude, Mike, & Dusty along with assorted assistants.  We had more people show up for breakfast and others straggled in later during the day.  Some were first timers and a few had not come for a while.  The younger ones (under 15) soon made friends or reconnected with old friends.

 After breakfast several people went off to explore the beaches, shops, and other sites of the area.  The rest of us stayed to visit and keep the campfire going.  Cecil & Larry had a few competitive rounds of cribbage.  Michael was delighted when Claude allowed him to drive one of the quads.

Wayne set up a target for a little archery shooting and Logan tried his hand at pulling the bow.  Did quite well for his first time.  There was also an exciting game of tag and quad rides by others.

We all gathered together again for a dinner of hamburgers & hotdogs cooked over the fire by chef Claude. We also had potluck dishes of beans, salads fruits and desserts.

We ended up with about 38 people as near as I could tell.  And 4 well behaved dogs.  Except of course for her highness, Opal, who tried to get into everyone’s plate.  And sometimes succeeded.

We had a little unwelcome excitement just as we were finishing dinner.  A hive of ground hornets at the base of a tree near the cook tent was stepped on.  Shelly N. received the first barrage and most of the bites.  People ran for cover, but several of us were stung including at least 2 of the dogs.  The hornets eventually left us alone.

I issued a command appearance for all to get into a group picture.  There were a few grumbles from young and old but all graciously smiled and waited patiently for umpteen cameras to get pictures.  The photographers were Kyle (Michaels staff person) who did a great job juggling all those cameras & Claude who only had to deal with one.

Sunday we had breakfast of fried potatoes cooked in my big paella pan, fried eggs and tortillas.  Our chefs were Claude, Mike, Chad, & Mark.

Some of the folks had to leave shortly afterward as they had long drives home.  A few others stayed a while to visit, ride the quads, and play a few games of soccer and badminton.

We adjourned until next year but did not decide on a date, place or host.

 

Sewing & House Sitting

After a great BBQue on July 4th with friend Vicki & her family, she was off on vacation.  I had a great time house sitting for the next couple weeks.  What a peaceful place to spend some time.  Had a doe with her fawn and a single doe in the field below the house.  One day I spent the better part of an hour trying to get a good picture of the single doe.  She stood for 15 minutes at the edge of the field to be sure there was no danger.  She then SLOWLY made her way along the tree line before coming out a few feet and laying down to take a nap!  She soon left but later returned to lie down in the middle of the field to chew her cud!  Guess she felt very comfortable.  At least she was until Opal finally spotted her and started barking!

 I have been able to design & applique 6 more squares for the 2012 Loreto Fest auction quilt.  This makes 12 of 15.  My father-in-law had a great saying  "pick the best (or in this case, the easiest) and you will always have the best left."  (It took me a few years to understand this!)  Well I think I have run out of the 'easiest'.  The next three will be a challenge!  These are the squares I have done so far. 

A couple days before I left, I spotted the fawn in the middle of the field. He (or she) took a few bites, looked around, took a few more bites and seemed very non challant.  Then he took off running for all he was worth.  It reminded me of a mom calling to say "you get over here RIGHT NOW!!  (He is so small, but he is half way between the tree and brush pile)

My time of solitude and watching nature has come to an end.  So it's on the road again and back to Long Beach.  My children and me are hosting the annual "Cousin's Reunion" which is held in a different location each year and this year is our turn.

Visits with Friends

I spent a couple nights in the Yakima area visiting with my friend Elizabeth who divides her time between Yakima and LaPaz, Mexico.  We had a great time together talking and catching up.  She even humored me when we went to the movie and I chose to see “Cars II”!!  I thought it was slow starting but finally managed to get my attention.

We arranged to have lunch with our other friend Missy on Tuesday.  I went out to load my car and check out of the motel so I could leave after lunch.  WELL!!  My car was as dead as could be.  I could not even use the remote control to unlock the doors!  And I forgot my room card but the desk clerk gave me a new one.  They also looked up the number so I could call Les Schwab.  A very nice young man came, with the biggest truck he could find, and got me started.  Because the battery was so dead, the car wouldn’t idle when I went to hook up my little cargo trailer.  So, he jumpstarted me again and waited until I was pulling out the driveway so I wouldn’t be stranded.  Drove to their shop where they checked my battery but couldn’t decide if I needed a new one.

So off I went to meet my friends for lunch.  When Missy heard my tale, she insisted I go to her mechanic so he could check the battery and alternator.  He checked and determined that the battery was charging and the alternator was working.  This greatly relieved my mind.  I do not want to be stranded somewhere!

Next stop was Maupin, Oregon to spend a few days with my friend Karen and her schnauzer, Tinkerbell.  They both graciously put up with my dog

I am fortunate to have family & friends who are so nice to me and put up with Opal whose antics and bad habits are sometimes very trying to my hostesses.  This time she behaved very well.  After a few days of catching up, getting 3 more squares of my quilt appliquéd and enjoying the warm weather it’s off to Sandy Oregon.

Friend Vicki enthusiastically welcomed me and Opal but her schnauzer, Maggie was not quite so happy to see Opal.  Had a great time visiting, shopping, and helping Vicki to make table decorations for the wedding of one of her relative’s.  I also was able to design 3 more quilt squares.