In addition to focusing on Grandpa’s life, we had a lot of fun that he would have loved being a part of. Way back at the inception of this series of reunions came the first family auction. I still remember sitting on the living room floor of a rental condominium, watching relatives call out bids that bordered on the ridiculous for pharmaceutical freebies and homemade jam. Amazing what you’ll pay when you’re laughing that hard at the salesmanship of the auctioneer!
This time on the front lawn of Grandma and Grandpa’s house, Doug was in rare form. Not only for the auction, but for the debut of his famous rendition of The Price Is Right. We contestants were summoned from the audience, took our seats in the front-row lawn chairs, and conjured up prices for a variety of household commodities. I managed to avoid taking to the stage, but Chad won a chance at stardom and 
walked away with a six-pack of orange-pineapple juice and a basketball-shaped cooler. Thanks, Doug, for your fantastic creativity and a lot of laughs!
As the adults dickered over dollars and cents, the kids occupied themselves just as my cousins and I did years ago while the family gathered on the 
lawn for sultry summer evening picnics. The younger ones took to Grandpa's heavy-duty handcrafted swingset. The older ones (often accompanied by the dads) played wiffle ball, doing their best to avoid hits into the garden – still grounds for an out today.
New this year was a kids-only auction, presided over by the one and only Lacy with lovely assistant Amy. 
We chuckled as the bidding went higher and higher – even with a single bidder. Another debut for the kids was a candy bar game, where participants rolling lucky numbers with dice picked their favorite candy bar from the pile or stole one hidden in a cousin’s bag.
I can’t leave out the trip to the little white playhouse in the corner of the yard. As a girl I’d beg the key from Grandma, then retreat for a rendezvous with frilly dolls, a harmonic bell set, and other vintage goodies. As I ducked through the low doorway this summer, the familiar smell brought it all back. Among my discoveries from years past was the green cash register.
In addition to the nostalgia of years past, this reunion offered a new experience – shooting skeet. 
In my many years of suburban and city living, I’d never come across the sport, but having tried it I can understand the appeal. The basic premise is simple – clay targets are fired into the air and you shoot at them with a rifle. Chad, having had some experience with a rifle, did a great job. I tried my hand at it and came to the same conclusion I have with downhill skiing – this could be a lot of fun, but only after more practice than I’m going to put in at this point in my life. I really appreciated the chance to try it out.
The Smithfield segment of our trip featured a unique benefit for the kids – a hotel with a pool. Mornings before breakfast and evenings before bedtime found us taking a refreshing swim. Arwen showed off her agility with the float ring, while Gavin made it almost all the way across the pool on his own.
The final activity of the reunion for us was the family photo with all 57 members of the extended family. Wendy did a fantastic job working working with us all while getting the full group shot, as well as individual family photos. (Let me know if you’re ever looking for a photographer in Cache Valley.)
With hugs and goodbyes to last a few years, we headed to the Salt Lake airport for the final leg of our journey.
1 comment:
I'm still laughing over the kids' auction and longing to go inside the little white playhouse! My family has never done anything like this and it all sounds so exotic!
Post a Comment