Return from Gobs of Family

We returned from Colorado last night. They actually had the Internet there, but I didn't have two minutes together to sit down and write anything. And there were things to write.

We stayed with my sister Jenn in Castle Rock for a few days in her new place with all her kids and my parents, and even my other sister Jana for a couple of the nights. The total at peak was 15 people in the house. I'm not sure there is a house big enough to make that seem reasonable, but we did our best. Jenn's family accounted for almost half of the crowd so they are used to the general mayhem. The rest of us adjusted as best we could, but I think everyone did fine. The hospitality, as always, was wonderful. As was the view. They have an unobstructed view of the sunrise to the East and Pikes Peak to the South, and due to land use and zoning issues, both of those views are well preserved for the foreseeable future.

We went up to Nicky's Resort in Estes Park, Colorado for the actual reunion. I was going to link to their website, but it appears to have disappeared. That might be due to the bankruptcy. Apparently, the place is not doing well. Not to say that the accommodations were bad. The units we stayed in (townhouses/condos) were actually renovated not too long ago and were fairly decent. We had a large yard out back next to Bear Creek that we could use for gatherings and there was a hot tub right behind us. So that part was good. On the other hand, there was nobody in the front office the days we arrived and left and some of the facilities had fallen by the wayside. The amenities list included washer/dryer in each unit. There were hookups, but no actual washer/dryers. We ended up talking them into letting us use the industrial housekeeping ones. Joy. The tennis court was also not being kept up as it was cracked and had quite a nice weed field growing in it. But the best part was the pool. There was a heated outdoor pool on-site. We were told upon arrival that it was down because the heat exchanger froze, however, someone should be out to repair it "this afternoon, or maybe tomorrow." Once we saw it though, we realized that we probably weren't going to see any water polo games. The heat exchanger may have frozen, but it must have been in January, and maybe not this year. The water was about a foot low and green. You couldn't see the bottom, but that was hard to notice since your eyes were drawn to the two dead squirrels floating around. Good thing they put a padlock on the gate. Someone might have tried to take a dip. Enough complaining though. Despite the detractions, it was a beautiful site. Trees all around. Nestled in a valley between beautiful rocky ridges. And only a couple miles from Rocky Mountain National Park. And the condos, hot tub, creek, and open area were just what we needed. The point of the gathering was to visit with family, not go swimming.

The actual reunion was a lot of fun, if tiring. Although we didn't have the most kids (Jenn and Cousin Steven tie for that one) or the youngest (Jana), we did have the most difficult to corral. The Mizz is at a stage where his mobility far outstrips his sense. (I'm told this will happen again at 16.) He can now run pretty quickly (for three feet tall anyway) and doesn't see any reason not to do so. He is also learning to climb, but again, isn't aware that it isn't always a good idea. He's still insanely interested in lights, but now he knows about switches. If he can reach them (by whatever means), they will go on and off until he notices another one. If he can't reach them he will holler "Light on!" or "Light off!" ad nauseum until someone makes it so. In one instance, Franny found him sitting in the bathroom sink with the water running on his legs flicking the light switch on and off. As she put it, all he needed was a plugged-in toaster to complete the danger trifecta. I'm sure she'll post a picture of it before too long. Basically, either Franny or I had to be tending to him at all times. Once in a while we managed to pawn him off on another relative for a little while, but we usually took him back pretty soon when it became apparent that he was taxing them too much. The problem is that we like our relatives, and although we want everyone to enjoy the wonderful critter that is the Mizz, we feel bad sticking them with him for any length of time. For our sanity's sake, we're going to have to get over that.

We actually had fun showing off the Mizz. Between wild episodes, he was very good about giving hugs and singing the "ABC Song" and even remembering names occasionally. It did melt a few hearts when he would say "Bye bye Book [Brooke]" or whatever. He's actually super cute and friendly, just busy. He's rarely badly behaved, just hard to contain. He was even relatively good on the planes, despite the fact that his feet comfortably reach the seat in front of him. (He could have slept better at night, but we're blaming that on the altitude.)

Aside from herding the Mizz, we had a great time. It's always nice to see relatives. Lots of these people never see each other except for at these reunions. It's good to keep in touch with family at least occasionally. Without these gatherings, I'm sure I would never again see some of these folks, and that would definitely be a loss. The most pathetic example is the 2 dozen or so that live about 15 miles from us. They haven't been super close to us over the years, but it seems like we might get together at least once in a while. It's like the trip across the river into another state is extreme travelling. Sad. I just hope our "We really should get together sometime" isn't as transparently unrealistic as the Jewish "Next year in Jerusalem" is to the other half of my family. We say it all the time, but it doesn't happen. Maybe this time we meant it.

We always bring out lots of family pictures at these things. Some are lighthearted remembrances of the other reunions, but many are old pictures either of people there or those that have passed. This was especially true since two of the three Brooks/Bailey kids passed away in the last year, so there was a lot of remembering going on. There were 10 or so poster boards put up ranging from the newest addition to the family who couldn't make it since she is only a week or two old, to pictures of tintypes from the mid-1800's. Jim Brooks (the new patriarch of the clan) had done a lot of work lately and had traced one line of ancestors back to someone born in 1783. Just talking to people, I learned all kinds of stories about the family's background in lots of directions. I even learned a bit more about Dad's side of the family the more we discussed this stuff. Fascinating.

There's always the singing. This family even gets to doing that at smaller gatherings. Sitting around hearing people play whatever instrument they brought and everyone singing a bunch of folk standards is a given. We didn't have a campfire to sit around this year, but that didn't slow anyone down. (No burning down what's left of Colorado's bone-dry trees). And the drinking. That's pretty much a standard too. Not everyone is involved, but those who are seem to enjoy tying an extra one on just for this event. At least we never got the the Brooks Burner this year. That ugly drink hurt several of us last time. So I guess we're maturing. That must be it.

We have a wagon master. Who doesn't? This is a rotating position that means you're stuck with finding a cool place for a reunion and coordinating everything ahead of time. Plus once it starts, you have to make sure everything happens like it's supposed to. I wouldn't say it's quite a thankless task, but it is a pain in the butt. Mom got the honor this time around, so we all got to help. I made excellent name tags. The job is working its way through my mother's generation right now, so I figure I have at least 5 more reunions before I have to be too worried about responsibility. However, if I'm not the oldest of my generation, I'm second, so I figure I've got 15-20 years to prepare. I'll get right on it.

The oddest thing about these reunions are the events. There were silly contests based on the favorite activities of the two folks who died recently. This was a way to honor their memories while still being able to keep things a little upbeat. We had high-speed quilting and blindfolded clock-making. There were also two skits put on by one part of the family, one of which involved 6 grown men and one 17 year old guy acting out the goodbye song from The Sound Of Music. Doesn't every family do this kind of thing? According to Franny (and several other in-laws), no. But we apparently have no shame about it and everybody had a good time watching, even the aforementioned in-laws.

All in all, we had a great trip. Aside from being tired from staying up too late with the adults and getting up too early with the Mizz, I squeezed as much fun and family bonding as I could out of the week. Which is why I slept in all the way to 8:30 this morning (thank you Franny) and haven't really done much of importance since. I figured I could allow myself to relax a little before I get back into the normal grind tomorrow.