Judy Jots it Down: Mini Reunion

It was hard getting good pictures on my little camera because there were bright windows everywhere. (I can't seem to get this picture where I want it, so it will just be here at the beginning.

One of the things I love about my family is that many of us can operate on the fly - last minute, not much of a plan, no stress - and things turn out! We had a mini reunion at my cousin's cabin and it was one of my most pleasant days ever. Nine of us were there which was a perfect number to sit around a table and talk. Initially, my sisters and I were just going to join my dad as he visited his sister, Carol (age 90), and our Uncle Frank (93). Then Dad wanted to see the cabin that their daughter (my cousin) Chris and her husband had just finished up at Southfork (Ogden Canyon). Chris offered to serve lunch, and somehow my cousin Steve and his wife Joan heard about it and came too. They are all some of my favorite people!

Some of our lunch, courtesy of Red Butte Restaurant.

We have fond family memories of biking down from the summit, Monte Christo, or floating the river behind their cabin. We had several family parties there. The old cabin is gone, but Chris and her husband Scott have built a craftsman style cabin on the old foundation. That family has a knack with style. Everything is beautiful.

The back of the house faces the river. The backside of the upper level is all the master suite, and the back porch is awaiting retractable screens. There are two fans on the porch. It will work in all seasons.


Front view. The lower level that juts out is Scott's chef kitchen. Upstairs on this side are two bedrooms and a bath.

Above, picture of the original cabin in the entryway. Also, the deer that Chis's grandfather shot.

The reframed Budweiser poster that always hung in Chris's grandfather's store.

The original couch - stripped of white paint, recaned, and all recovered cushions. Frank and his brother lit a jack-o-lantern under the couch and caught it on fire about 85 years ago. It's survived beautifully.

Blurry, but Fredee and Nan looking at the history of Southfork that Carol worked on for 3 years.

The other side of the room with a big table that we all gathered around.

The bird room. The shelf under the eaves is full of bird books and the wall you can't see has a grouping of botanical prints.

One side of bedroom #2. I loved the painting.

The other side. On the shelf under the eaves is a collection of rocks.

Lunch of course was fabulous, since Scott owns four successful restaurants in Salt Lake. Chris had stopped at one brought everything we needed. At the table, we went around the table and everyone gave a short report on their kids and families. We finished with Dad, who updated everyone on Tad's family since they didn't have anyone there, and then Carol and Frank sharing some humorous advice/life philosophy.
A couple things I'll remember:

Carol saying she'd always felt akin to me for some reason, she didn't know why. (Maybe because we were both teachers.) She asked me about teaching and was a little upset that I have taught longer than she did. I think WWII slowed the start of her career.
She loved my hair and wants hers to grow just a bit so that she can have the same cut.
Frank told us that every morning when they get up, he tells Carol that they have to be on their best behavior that day. He said that their kids have plans and they just might end up in a home. "Chris has a notebook and she writes everything down."
Frank also told me that if he had known how great his kids were going to be, he would have had a dozen. (They just had the two girls, and two grandchildren.)

After lunch we retired to the lawn to watch the river, and the birds that Chris feeds. We saw a teenager pull 3 nice sized fish out of the river just downstream from us, and I saw a hummingbird stop and stand on the feeder with its two legs. I've never seen a hummingbird's legs before. It made it look just like any other bird, only miniature.
Chris brought us scoops of vanilla ice cream with a few fresh raspberries and a small brownie. The weather was perfect, the scenery, the food, and the people. It was a delightful afternoon.