2022 Colorado Pop-up Reunion

Time for a Pop-up Reunion, this time at Cousin David & Cousin-in-Law Tom's house. My family flew in from across the states. The family Matriarch, Aunt Arna, flew in from Phoenix, Arizona. Cousin Yvonne flew in from Michigan, her brother Eric flew up from Florida. The California contingency was Donna from Pasadena, Charlaine and Jonniann from San Diego. And I bopped over from Washington state.

Jonni greeting Arna
 at Denver Airport

The photos above is all of us in the gorgeous reunion tee-shirts David kindly produced for us. The tees beautifully display the Barbados flag with photos below of David's grandfather (our Great Uncle Cuthbert) and our grandmother (David's great-aunt Adele). Cuthbert and Adele were siblings, although they weren't raised together.

Cousin Donna (in white sweater below) brought us all a surprise - a box of family letters, post cards and photos other memorabilia that her mother, my Aunt Grace, had safely kept. Donna gave me the box, but knowing myself all too well, I asked David to take the box, because you don't hand family heirlooms to klutzes. Bonus, as Tom works in the genealogy dept of the a library, so he can properly scan the letters and then everyone can have their own digital copies of the hand written family treasures. 

Arna spend this first afternoon  reading through the letters and sharing her findings with us. 

As always, we were well fed under David & Tom's watch, as they are incredible cooks! I suspect they knew Julia Child in her hey day (um.. decades).  

Late afternoon, Tom ferried Aunt Arna, Cousin Yvonne and myself over to a nearby Pro Bass sporting goods store. Both Arna and I wanted to purchase a 'new to us' cannister of oxygen, called 'Boost'. The oxygen was in case Denver, the 'mile high' city made us feel any shortness of breath, in which case we would have our own little stash of O2. WOW was that store gigantic! 

The entryway featured a herd of bison and antlers galore

And this is just the entryway! The lady left of center in
the white tee shirt is Arna, racing for a shopping cart

Rainbow trout under a waterfall (mid-store!)

My favorite thing in the massive store was the huge tank (larger than my bedroom) where wild rainbow trout glided along.

We all did a little shopping, which included canisters of Boost. Not sure if we'd really need it, but it was relatively cheap at $8 a pop, and I do enjoy breathing. 

When we got back to the house, Arna enjoyed playing various card games with Charlaine, Jonnianne, Donna, Yvonne and Eric. I'm a pill, and don't play cards at all but it was fun hearing the shouts and laughs as my Aunt and cousins played Crazy Eights and Gin Rummy, Sounded like fun - butts were kicked! 

We are all excited as David & Tom rented a van for us all to drive up tomorrow  to their ranch house near Hayden, Colorado. 

Beautiful Denver Sky