A Big Family

I barley recovered from Elton and today we packed up our old land cruiser to come to the beach for a big family reunion. This beach trip plan was started when my cousins and I complained at one of our parents funerals that we only see each other when someone dies. Now that most of the generation ahead of us has passed on we realized it is up to us to make plans to be together.

So it started organically. My cousin Mary, who just sold her house here, rented a house and invited us to stay with her. Mary’s sister and family were already going to be here for two weeks and had a house. So Meredith rented another house and invited her husband’s sister. Then my sister got another house and invited our Mom and our other sister. My cousin Leigh rented a place, but Mary told her to come stay with us because she had room. Then people’s kids said they could come, including one 13 year old French exchange student who is going to have a very warped view of Americans after a week with us. So we have my Mom as the only representative of her generation at 84 down to Haidee’s youngest son who is going to be six. There are 23 of us and three dogs. All the dogs are at our house.

It was a long day, as driving to the beach on Saturday is the worse. Shay had to practice riding harnessed in the back, since that is what we are going to do when she and I drive to Maine. She wanted to be up sitting on Russ’ lap, but I said no. She is still exhausted from staying at her sitter’s Mary, who had at least 8 other dogs with Shay.

Leigh made dinner at home and carried it down here so we had a big dinner tonight at home with more than half of the family. Since almost all of us spent ours summers here together for our whole lives it feels very familiar. Except not to Shay.

Shay found our bed in our room and staked her claim. Russ and I had to make up the bed, but she was having none of that and refused to get up. We made the bed around her and now she is passed out hard. Russ walked her on the beach and he came back and said she did not like the ocean. So he walked her on the street and a big fire engine came by and scared her.

She and Russ are going to have a very exhausting week with all these people and loud noises. I think that if I can not find them I will know they are sleeping on the bed. Shay is just going to have to get used to having a big family.