After the exhaustion of last month we really needed a relaxing vacation so this family reunion came at the right time. We left Boise on Friday afternoon and drove 4 hours to Burns, OR to spend the night in Bates Motel. I should have realized luxury would not be the word of the day when I paid 67.00 for a two room suite but it’s not like Burns OR is a raging metropolis. My hotel options were limited.
Anyway, we got up the next morning and headed, skirting fire after fire, to Sugarloaf Cabin Resort on Lake Shasta to rendezvous with about 25 other family members ranging in age from 3 to 70. Brian’s dad arranged the trip and rented each family their own cabin on the lake. He also rented two jet skis, a speed boat, and a huge patio/party boat complete with BBQ facilities, deck chairs, and a water slide. He provided all the food and flew in family from London, CA, OR, ID, and WA. It was pretty amazing.
The kids had a blast playing with all of their cousins. Between the pool, the basketball court, the game room with air hockey and pool table, and all of the water toys there was no shortage of things to do. They all got along so well- I don’t think I overheard a single squabble. The ages ranged from 3 (Callan) to 15 (Jack) and everything in between. It was so much fun watching them play together.
We spent the days waterskiing, swimming, and using the jet skis. Jake got up on two skis for real and Tanner tried hard, providing great comic relief as he “belly boarded” (his skis fell of but he kept hanging onto the ski rope and was dragged a hundred feet). Faith was content to ride on the various water craft and watch. Tanner was a wild man on the jet ski, driving by himself (with Brian behind him) and going upwards of 50 mph.
The evenings were spent in the pool, park, and game room. The kids had full independence at the resort and just had to tell us where they were going. Otherwise they wandered at will. There was no TV and no video games, just lots of hanging out. I did a lot of reading and loved the evenings spent on the Party Boat with the sun setting , the BBQ going, and the kids splashing and swimming and going down the water slide. Brian caught up with his cousins and his sister and Dad- and also got the chance to practice his fly fishing skills. On two of the evenings the resort put up a portable movie screen and showed movies right on the lake complete with popcorn and s’mores. In their spare time the cousins worked together to create a music video to give to Grandpa Phil as a thank you for the trip. It was so cute.
The kids made memories to last a lifetime and can’t wait to see all of their cousins again.
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