Whirlwind Days, Family Reunion, Tiring But Great Day

Bill and I were awake around 5 and I was up at 6. We slept okay with the furnace set at 66F overnight. Bill thought he only heard it come on a couple of times. It was decent downstairs and I went about opening blinds while making my tea. Bill stayed in bed for another 20 minutes, resting. I’m sure he hoped to drop back off but couldn’t so he got up and joined me.

Biding our time this morning,
We took a walk with our little guy
My two handsome sweeties

Today, my head was spinning so at 5 I knew I was done sleeping for sure. I had things to complete before we left at 10 for the reunion. There was no way my hope for cutting the grass was going to be fulfilled so we just decided to forget it. It can wait until Thursday. When we finished reading our friend’s blog posts we had our showers and got dressed. I blended the mayo mixture into the mashed potatoes, onions and egg.

Clemson exploring his options
"How far can I go before they haul me back?"

With everything loaded into the Rav4, cooler, dishes, chairs, camera and tripod, we drove to Rockwood to pick Mom up. She was dressed in light blues, looking very pretty but once she saw my suggestion of her pink pants, white top and navy jacket, she was quite pleased. One of the pairs of shoes fit her quite nicely and she wore them today. The other pair, I will return later this week.

Our chauffeur for a while
Mom kept wanting to pay the driver :)

I sat in the back with Mom so we could chat and Bill could drive without distractions. When we reached Wroxeter Bill admitted to feeling sleepy so he moved to the passenger seat and I drove us to Clinton. Mom was quite thrilled with the blue sky, ‘Christmas trees’ and country homes. We arrived right around 12 noon at the Conservation Area and were greeted by a couple of my Aunts, Uncle Gerry and a few cousins already present.

We had a nice gathering as usual

Family picking through the old memorabilia

Gayle and John were also already there. There was a mix-up and another group had also spoken/reserved for the pavilion. Our group arrived first and with some adjustments, we offered them tables for their own gathering. They carried them down to the shade trees and enjoyed themselves. Our event was a success, lots of food and catching up with family. Mom is usually not at her best in large gatherings like this but since she only has 2 siblings left, we feel the obligation to take her.

Mom and her sister going through old photos

Neither of them could be 100% sure who all
was in the picture

She sat with Bill and I with Gayle close by so she managed to enjoy a plentiful meal. My potato salad was a hit with just enough to bring home for a few leftovers. My cousin, Ellen, had brought many boxes of pictures, books, stamps, rocks from Uncle Harold’s house. He passed last year but had lived in our Grandparent’s home for many many years. 

                                                      (forgive me for sharing some)

I grabbed a few of my aunts and uncles with Mom as children

Mom and Daddy on their wedding day
Jan. 15, 1946

Mom's twin siblings, Gerry and Joan
and
our bachelor Uncle Harold
I never knew him without a big bushy beard

Mom on the far right with her siblings picking cucumbers
their Dad, my Granddad on the far left supervising

My Grandma with Aunt Fern (left) and smiling Mom
on the right 

My Aunt Fern, Mom's remaining older sister,
with my sisters Cathy, Audrey, Gayle
and baby Donna
Mom usually made all their dresses
This would be July or early August 1950

The 3rd Whitbourn Family Reunion grandchildren
If it weren't for us Snelgrove children
it would just be a get together
Back row: Cousin Harvey, Donna, Audrey, Cathy, Gayle, Bruce
Middle row: Cousin Lila, Granddad and Grandma & baby ?, Cousin Carol
Front row: Cousins Olive, Stephen or Brad, Tommy, Ricky, ME, Stephen or Brad?

I love this middle article Uncle Harold kept
A story of Mom and A. Fern

The collection of ‘stuff’ you can just imagine and Ellen wanted us all to have an opportunity to retain something of Grandma and Granddads. It was fun and we indeed all left with a small item.

None of us sisters knew that Uncle Harold did rug hooking
He had at least 10 rugs so we all chose one
Mine will keep my butt more comfy on the king chair

It was soon time to pack up for home and to get Mom back on time for her supper. We shared the driving again, Bill obviously didn’t get enough sleep last night. Mom was the perfect traveler, enjoying the drive immensely “even though I don’t know where I am, and have never been here before”. We just laugh stuff like that off because she lived in that area for quite some time.

Sitting outside in the shade and lovely breeze
the geese got brave
All 3 families obviously didn't see us

When they moved, I got up with my phone and snapped the picture

I walked her in to “welcome back, Marjorie” by many staff and signed her back in before taking her down to her table. Bill and I drove home and it was perfect timing to feed Clemson. We weren’t hungry yet ourselves so sat outside in the cool air for a while together. Inside, around 7:30 I had some potato salad and Bill made a sandwich. The day was a busy one and I still have lots left to do before tomorrow.

Another reunion going on last night

Toe nails ready for the week!

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