I'm back!

What a wonderful vacation I had this past week. Last Thursday and Friday, I drove 1000+ miles (12 hours one day and 9 hours the next!) to get to Greenville, Alabama to meet up with my cousins, who drove in from Jacksonville, Florida and Pensacola, Florida and Andalusia, Alabama. Last year we had a reunion on our family property in rural Butler County, Alabama. It was so much fun, we decided to do it again this year.

First, a short word of explanation. This is property that has been in my father's family since it was deeded from the US Government way back in the 1800's. In the mid-1960's, my father and his siblings built a lake on the property from two natural springs. In the 60's and early 70's my family (cousins, aunts, uncles, and even Granny and Popa, before they died) used to spend a lot of time there. Then, as the years went by and the cousins spread here and there, the land didn't get much use.

My father died 7 years ago and at his memorial service, I saw many of my cousins for the first time in decades. You see, I moved up north in the early 70s and just kind of lost touch with many of my relatives. Amazingly, we picked up right where we left off as kids.

We have looked forward all year to getting back this year. I brought my biggest camp dutch oven and cooked a large pot roast with potatoes and carrots for 15 people (13 that I was planning on and 2 more that showed up unexpectedly!)

In this photo, you see us all starting out on a walk around the property, and there are acres of it! I went as far as the swampy area on the far side of the dam. That's where the rest started out across a log in the middle of "muck"! I decided I didn't want to chance falling in that stuff. . . and besides, I had things in my pockets that I didn't want sunk in "muck"!!!! So I came back to where we had set up camp for the day, sat in my comfy folding chair complete with a footrest and took a short nap!

Here is a picture of the lake looking north from the dam. Pretty, huh?

There is so much to tell about this day. It was really special. My Aunt Hazel, who is in very bad health, and whose days on this earth are numbered, came. We were amazed. But she wanted to be there. So my cousins, her children, rented a van, folded down one seat, and made a bed for her so that she could come and be there with us.

I'll tell more and show more pictures in later posts.