A Wild And Crazy Day (Mega Photos)

The Family, Summer, 2018

Father And Son

Son,  Just 50, Father, Just 75

Our Youngest Grandchild,  Halle

Cousin Love

Beth, Our Oldest Daughter

An Always Smiling Marisa

Hayden

It's just after 6:00 and I have been up for a half hour.  Bass boats are flying by, filling the air with their roar as there must be a fishing tournament.  It's a cool 55º and although rain is predicted, we should have some good weather as well.  The only downside, four of the family are leaving today, as the departures for home sadly begin.  And then there were ten...for a day.  I did get in a paddle, caught a heron at the reeds.

6:00

6:15

Kayak Morning

Heron

We seemed to pack all we could into the last day all of us were together.  It started out as usual, with Rami and me up first.  I then went for a paddle and by the time I came home, all the adults were up planning out the day. 

Pancake Helpers

Blueberry Pancake Cooks And Spectators

Nothing Like Blueberry Pancakes

Our first decision was what to have for breakfast, so Beth pulled out the largest bowl she could find, put together the makings for buttermilk pancakes and started to fry up a hunk of bacon.  And literally for the next hour, she made pancakes for the fourteen of us, timing it so they were ready as the girls got up, a great way to start the day.  I then got busy with my usual Saturday chore, taking the trash to the Transfer Station.  This time I had to make two trips because of the amount of trash accumulated over the week. After dropping off the trash, I stopped at Hogan's filled up the car and a couple of gallon cans of gas for the boat and bought another bag of ice for chilling the libations on our porch cooler. 

Hanging A Ceiling Fan

All the time I was doing this, Ramiro was busy putting up a fan on our back porch for Evie.  He's a handy guy and had it up within forty-five minutes.  Yea.  And while Rami and I were working, the gals cleaned up the breakfast mess, then Evie and the grandchildren put together their all-time favorite Granny food, sticky buns.  It's time-consuming so they were not ready till late afternoon, after rising a couple of times and baking.  They are without a doubt the best sticky buns around, better than those at the Bemus Point Inn. 

Sticky Bun Gang

By the time all this was done, it was lunch time, so Tom, the boys, and girls took the boat over to the Village Casino for another bout of wings, getting them one more time before they have to leave.  Evie, Mary, and I took it easy and Beth and Rami went off to do some shopping at Wegman's and they bought Mitch and Marisa new iPhones, a birthday present for Marisa, another one for Mitch who had his stolen in Barcelona.  Everyone was back by 2:30. 

Father vs Daughter

The rest of the afternoon was spent setting up iPhones, playing around on our devices, and getting dinner ready, Turkish koftes with spices and Juicy Lucy's for the grill.  And most importantly,  primping for our family pictures at 5:00, always a nightmare getting everyone ready to cooperate but they finally do!

Da Boys

Photo Bombing

Beth's Family

Tommy's Family

Jill's Girls But Missing Drew

Cheese

Our Grandchildren

The ordeal was over by 6:00, so we got out the appetizers, our favorite cheeses, Castello and Saint Andre and crackers, and sat outside enjoying wine or beer, playing bean bag, enjoying the beautiful afternoon. 

Tommy And His Mom

Two Crazies

 We started thinking about dinner around 6:30 but the guys decided to try a new drink called a Flaming Dr. Pepper, so everyone stood around watching them light a shot of high powered rum, drop both the shot and the glass in a beer, then chugging it. 

Flaming Dr. Pepper Crazies

It's supposed to taste like Doctor Pepper, according to our recent Dartmouth graduate, well versed in what to imbibe.  Once that was over, all jumped into action, Tommy and I grilled the koftes and juicy lucy's, the girls in the kitchen getting the corn, salad and fixings ready, the grandchildren, setting the table outside.  And I forgot to mention that while all this was going on after the photographs, Beth was making something called a blueberry/peach slab pie for dessert. How she managed is a wonder.

A Turkish Dinner

By 7:30, we were all sitting outside, enjoying our Turkish Iskender kebabs, koftes on pita with a tomato sauce and a dollop of yogurt on top, another family favorite.  We sat around eating and talking until it got dark and was time to clean up the kitchen although the girls had done must of the work which was great.  Around 9:00  Evie was upstairs, yelled down there was a great full orange moon off to the south, over Bootey Bay.

Full Moon

We rushed out on the porch, took photographs, then sat around inside, talking and on our devices, what else, until the grandchildren decided to play cards, a game called Bull Shit. This went on until at least 10:00 when I decided to hit the sack and the young ones moved into the TV room for another movie.  I am not sure what time they went to bed but I was up at 2:00 and the TV was still on. 

Today, as I mentioned, Tom, Jill, Mary, Nick, and Hayden have to head home at 10:30.  Fortunately, Halle, Marlena, Marisa, Beth and Mitch are staying for the rest of the week, Rami leaves tomorrow and Tyler on Tuesday.  Happy they are not all leaving at once!