Rusty and I left Joseph around 8am on Friday morning June 9th, for North Powder, Oregon and the Ashton/Madden reunion...Five of my nieces, my brother Georges' girls, had been planning this event for several months...Paula and husband Shane offered to host it at their small ranch, lots of room for RV's/tents and an outside kitchen in a rock building where the families could gather for food, drink and conversation...Also the lovely, lawns/gardens surrounding their home with a view of the mountains...The other four girls, Sue, Pode, Diane and Amy would plan the details of inviting extended families, food for the weekend and a bajillion other things.
Rusty and I arrived about 1pm in a torrential downpour...Vehicles were parked everywhere, people came from surrounding towns and many from Utah...Soon we were all under an outside shelter away from the pouring rain, a propane fire pit and wood stove for warmth...The often asked question, "How do you fit in this family," was repeated many times...Soon there were no strangers, just relatives joined together for a good time!..Many more people would arrive later in the evening and on Saturday, while most of the Utah relatives would stay for breakfast on Saturday morning, then leave for another reunion in Washington, with their siblings.
Friday evening, everyone enjoyed a taco bar and tamales with delicious cheese cake and carrot cake for dessert. Saturday morning arrived clear, sunny, and dry!..I'm sure the hosts breathed a sigh of relief, much easier to entertain a large group of people in dry, warm weather...A full breakfast was prepared in the outside kitchen, the smell of bacon, sausages and pork belly filled the air and pancakes floated onto plates, soon to be swimming in syrup...Side dishes of scrambled eggs, fruit salad and fresh strawberries rounded out the morning menu...Bobbi and Cienna arrived from Portland.
We visited the morning away, bid goodbyes to the Utah cousins, went for walks, wandered the lawn and gardens planted with all the wonderful summer vegetables...A bad mitten court was set up and a plastic dart board, for the younger folks...One toddler, Juniper 18 months old, entertained us and me, the eldest at 80, visited and watched everyone having a good time.
We, Rusty, Bobbi, Cienna and I left mid afternoon when I felt the need to return to "our" home on Barton Heights...Herb's 86 birthday would have been on June 9th and our 62nd anniversary on June 10th...Our family was able to sit on the deck, with a view of the mountains, reminding us of the many celebrations we have had here...The reunion was great for all of us, surrounded by the love of our extended families...Thanks everyone...Hugs To All OWAV:)
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