Family Reunion

About two weeks ago I went to an RE Whiting Family reunion. My Aunt Nellie's family was in charge and we had it at a campground just above Beaver. It was a great location and the reunion went really well. I would like to post some pictures, but I forgot my camera. So you will just have to imagine a large number of Whiting family members camping and playing horseshoes and volleyball. This location had the additional bonus of canoes and a lake, even Aunt Lois went for a ride in one.

Once again, my branch of the family managed to lose in the championship round of both volleyball and horseshoes (except for the women's). Volleyball was understandable, after all, we had Jay, Scott, Me, Jackie, and Sam on our team (all over the age 30), and we were playing the much younger generation of my Uncle Lester's grandchildren. We did manage to go three games, but in the end we lost.  Horseshoes received partial credit because my niece Allison managed to win the women's division with my Uncle Jerry's granddaughter-in-law. Men's horseshoes however, have continued to elude my family. There appears to be some sort of curse on my Dad and his progeny concerning horseshoe championships.  Back in the day, my Dad (who was an awesome horseshoe player, of course) always ended up paired against a cousin-in-law named Jack Cooper at the big family reunions. It didn't matter if it was in the beginning brackets or the championships, it didn't matter who they paired with for their partners, my Dad always lost to Jack Cooper. Now that torch has been passed to my brother-in-law and nephew, Jay and Jason. It doesn't matter how many years they go, the teams they end up going against may come and go, but in the end...they just can't quite pull it off. And will this keep us from competing next time? ....no..

Unless you have actually planned a family reunion, you really can't appreciate the amount of work that goes into one. Especially a Whiting Family reunion. We don't just meet in the park one afternoon for a potluck. No, that isn't how it goes. Whiting's require themes, multi-day events, large productions for the Saturday night program, facilities that accommodate both the very ancient (Harriets, Lois, Uncle Jerrys, etc) and young families with no money. Reunions must be centrally located, in the summer and at locations that are not the same temperature as the surface of the sun. They must have a way of raising capital that allows the newer incomes to pay less and the older incomes to "help" without asking them. There must be room for regulation volleyball nets and at least 4 horseshoe pits. To say this is complex is putting it mildly.

Next time it is my family's turn. We are already having planning meetings, projects are being determined, raffle items being made.

But the truth of the matter is that I don't really like family reunions. I'm not all that fond of a lot of my relatives, nor do I have the overwhelming urge to catch up with them. It's OK, I don't think a lot of them actually like me either. But, I'm a Whiting, and over riding the bah hum bug attitude is the tradition gene. So regardless of whether I actually enjoy it, I will do it, and I will do it big. Because that is who I am! (Begin singing the song "Tradition" from Fiddler on The Roof here in your mind).