Too Quiet

A strange, ghostly echo in the house this afternoon… Yes… a “wildly successful” Bennett Family Reunion #5 came to a close today.  The Reid family is back in Buckinghm VA,  The CH Bennett Jr. family is approaching Los Angles on their trip back to Medford OR.  The Walker family is likely back to their routine of cross-fit training, life guarding, etc…  And the elder Bennetts are once again counting their blessings for our fine family.  In addition to the many activities, trips, and events pulled off by our “Master Planner Grammy Carol” , each evening we enjoyed DVDs of family pictures from 1960 – 1985.

 

And now... as the Zen Master said to his student when asked what he had experienced  on his long path of learning:     "after Enlightment... the laundry" 

I will be processing and making all the pictures available in the next few weeks. Here is a first look at this year’s group picture.  Missing are just two, Diane and Carson Bennett… like Dave last year, they were with us in spirit.   

 

 

 

The Spirits

Full House Prep

With the exception of our daughter-in-law and one grandson we will have our three children, their spouses, and the other 8 grand kids here for a week beginning next Friday.        We were missing just a son-in-law in this picture from 2009

This will be how we will celebrate our 50^th wedding anniversary (a month or so early).  It will also be the 5^th “family reunion” we have hosted.  Our first was in 2000 in Door County WI.  Those in 2003, 2007, and 2009 have all been held here at our home.   Of course, dear wife, begins to plan and prepare a month in advance; the refrigerators are stocked, the upstairs freshly cleaned and the yard is looking very nice.  

 

This is always a hectic-but-fun week for us and we look forward to the traditional activities of swimming, museum trolling, geocashing, Chuck E Cheese visit, and the most traditional…. the making of dozens and dozens of Pirogues to support the Polish Pride Parts in the Preponderance of the People.

With the youngest now 8, and the eldest two 16, we have quite a range of ages to consider. 

 

  

I have played with a newly learned option for the blog.. posting a video.  You can see my first attempt which is on our other blog    HERE

A Hot Day

Not a lot going on this past week or so.  We are reading, walking, and thankful we have not been dodging tornadoes.   Our hurricanes are bad enough.

I have been draining and replacing water from the pool so as to have it up to snuff for our family reunion next month.  And we have been continuing our effort of gradually cleaning out closets and things upstairs that we don't need or want.  I make weekly trips to drop stuff off at the "for the needy" kinds of places.

Since our attention has somewhat moved away from Carol's Matzke Park Butterfly Garden, we have enjoyed exploring some new things.  I have therefor shifted the content of our Garden Blog to that of a broader focus on the park overall, and other nature/garden related subjects that are of interest to us.  So at times our activities are written up there, rather than here.

Today's post and some of the previous ones there are an example of that.  The 100-Acre woods described is 6 blocks north of our house.   I must say, we enjoy walking the trails much more than working on them especially when it is 90+ and sock dripping humidity.   Chip you should be proud.. in addition to our compost piles, paper, metal, and plastic recycling, we are becoming tree-huggers of a sort.