July 25, 2017
1:12 p.m.

I skipped blogging last night in favor of going to a place where I could safely continue to breathe. Carpet cleaning chemicals clearly are not conducive to continued respiratory function in your scribe.

I spent yesterday getting the place ready for the carpet cleaning, and I moved a ton of stuff, which I have spent the morning returning to...let us say...maybe their proper places? I spend so much time here--you'd think I would be more cognizant of the arrangements of knick knacks, photos and etc.

Anyway, Mom's not too picky. Everything is clean and dust free, and I think it looks darned nice, so I'm sure she'll be happy when she gets home. Maybe it was time for a little rearranging.

Okay, "What I Did on my Summer Vacation", part two? Is it part two? Maybe it's part three, if I include Comic Con. But it is definitely part two of family reunions.

Yes, indeed, another reunion, this time with members of my mother's family and taking place in Caldwell, Idaho.

We arrived back home on July 10th and hit the road again on July 12th, less than 48 hours later.

This was a very different drive than the one from Colorado. Colorado's jaunt included mountain passes with twisty roads and switchbacks through the mountains. Beautiful, yes, but a bit tricky and tiring.

The trip into Idaho was less mountainous, with tons fewer curves. Still a lot of beautiful scenery, though.

Once upon a time, I was born in Idaho, and we made a stop in my original hometown, where I got a snap of the first house I remember living in. 

 We moved from this house to Wyoming in 1966. It hasn't changed too much, but it is a different color. I remember it grey. It looks so little to me now, though. I thought it was huge! I'm pretty excited that the picture turned out. I couldn't see a thing on my screen, it was such a sunny day!

My parents and I arrived on Wednesday, and for that evening had my aunt and uncle to ourselves. Starting on Thursday evening, other people began to arrive.

My aunt and uncle are fabulous cooks, and they had been hard at work preparing for the official family reunion day, which would be Saturday. Still, in the meantime, we didn't lack for good eats. I think I gained some weight during those few days.

 

 

 

I didn't really take many pictures until Friday. I was enamored of the house, so that's where I went nuts at first. My aunt and uncle have an open floor plan ranch style that is just fabulous and beautiful and so well designed--much of that design significantly influenced personally by them. I think I have been dreaming of this house for years!!

There is a lovely back patio area with plenty of room for socializing. It was really hot outdoors, but they had shade screens and spritzers that cooled things off. Their garden was lovely, as well:

Please take note and enjoy the building on the left; the one with the little moon.
Admit it--that's funny!

By Saturday, everyone had arrived and the fabulous spread was set out to be enjoyed by all. 

        Oh boy, oh boy! Food!

 Did we love it? Yes! Yes, we did! This family knows good eats when they see them!

It's always great to be in the company of family. Aunts, Uncles and cousins--not everyone could make it, but it was a great turnout.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Yeah, then we all reach the point where you need a little snooze to aide in digestion.

Now, during the dinner portion of the day, we'd been blessed with the presence of all my mother's living siblings. (They lost a sister, the oldest of the family, a few years ago.)

We planned to get family pictures of all attendees after dinner. Sadly, before that could happen, my mother's brother and his wife got word that her brother had died suddenly. They took leave of us soon afterward to go home.

Family reunions are great. This sad interlude was a reminder of why it's so important to have those reunions as often as possible, because--dang it!--you never know.

To my uncle and aunt--my heartfelt sympathies. You are always in my thoughts and prayers.

Naturally, things were not as jolly after their departure, but I did manage to get a good shot of my mom and her other siblings:

There were other photos shot with the whole gang, but my cousin took those shots and I have been too busy to get them downloaded to the computer yet. We'll get to it soon, I'm sure. Look forward to a big group shot soon. 

On Sunday we had a relaxing time with the family members who hadn't headed home yet. Mom and her sisters had a good time coloring.

I was having a good time, too, but you can't see me! Ha ha!

We colored and chatted, sharing old stories and just having a quiet time. I tried to make sure I had managed to spend time with everyone. I'm always left wondering after a big gathering, but this one had been long enough to be sure I hadn't missed anyone.

It was around this time that Mom started feeling quite unwell. A little later in the evening we all said goodnight to her and she went to bed.

The next morning, Dad wanted for us to stay on in case she needed to see a doctor, but being the determined (aka stubborn) lady that she is, she insisted that we were going home.

And that is the beginning of a different story, so I am going to end this one for now.

Have a great rest of the day. My mother is coming home soon, and I have to figure out what to feed her.

Ta ta!