Husband's family reunion

I'm now back from the annual family reunion with Husband's father's side. It was the usual: 4 days of drinking, eating, drinking, sleeping.

Husband's family's got a cottage on the shores of Lake Ontario, outside Buffalo. It used to be a temperance camp in a heavily wooded area, with about a dozen cottages, some nicer than others. This is the closest I get to camping. The cottage has indoor plumbing, but the walls aren't insulated and while I haven't seen any mice, I wouldn't be surprised if they were there.

So this year it was Uncle, Cousin One, Cousin Two, Husband, and Brother-in-law, all guys. Plus Cousin Two's girlfriend and me. Oh, and Girl Next Door and Cousin One's Friend, AKA Lounge Lizard. So that's 6 men, 3 women, all sharing one bathroom.

Husband, his cousins and his brother are about the same age, ranging from 41 to 37 years old. Girl Next Door is in her early 30s. She's a friend whose family owns the cottage next door and in the 30 or so summers when Husband's family has been going to the cottage, they've become good friends and she's like their little sister. We went to her wedding and I think she came to ours. I can't remember who all came to my wedding.

I shouldn't complain about the state of the cottage. That's the standard of living for many people all year round. I deal with it only 4 days a year.

It was really nice. There's a big porch that faces the lake and that's where people usually hang out. People have to walk past our cottage to get to the lake so we get to see everyone. A couple of other cottages are owned by Husband's extended family and they always stop by and chat.

We got in on Wednesday and had dinner in Buffalo at the Left Bank. Great food. then drove to the cottage.
Thursday we got up late, scrounged leftovers for brunch, then discussed what to do for dinner. Go down to the lake. Shop for dinner. Drink and talk. Play euchre (card game). Grill out dinner. Eat and Drink and talk. Go to neighbors' place for bonfire. Drink and talk. Go to bed late.
Friday: repeat of Thursday, except we went into Lockport for dinner at One Eye Jacks, then to a free summer concert: Queenscryche. Heavy metal. Husband's idea since he's a fan.
Saturday: repeat of Thursday without the bonfire, plus my famous sangria.
Sunday: get up, pack, everyone goes home. Brother-in-law to Wisconsin, Husband and I to Atlanta, everyone else to Buffalo.

Again, a great family reunion and I think I'll be okay not having any whiskey, scotch, or bourbon for a few weeks.

My sangria recipe:
1 can crushed pineapple in its own juice
2 bottles red wine
1 liter diet ginger ale
1 liter or half gallon bottle orange/pineapple/mango/peach juice
1 orange, sliced

Combine all in one pitcher, mix, serve over ice.

Back from the Cottage

Last weekend of July, Husband's father's side of the family has a reunion. It's held at their summer cottage on the shores of Lake Ontario.

Husband calls it a cottage. I call it the closest I get to camping. It is a house, with a kitchen, living room, upstairs has bedrooms. A big porch where everyone hangs out all the time.

And one bathroom with no ventilation. Husband's side of the family is all men. There are 6 of them.

So, it's kind of primative. However the company is laidback and fun and Husband can finally relax. He thinks the place has healing powers, able to fix what's physically wrong with him.

I think it's because it evokes good memories of spending summers there growing up, and while at the cottage, he can unplug from the rest of the world and responsibilities. For the longest time, there wasn't even a phone at the cottage. And even now, cellphone reception is weak.

So it's a place where he can totally relax and that's why it heals.

Need more vacation

I need a vacation to recover from my vacation.

I shouldn't complain. The hardest decision each day was what to eat, or to be specific, what to grill. Otherwise, playing cards (euchre) was my only other mental exercise.

There was also much drinking of scotch (Laphroig), beer (Labatt's Blue), and wine (Don Ramon). Then there was the cigar smoking.

No wonder I don't feel so good.

On the other hand, I got a lot of crocheting done. Pictures to come.

The biggest achievement, however, was the cleaning of the kitchen. Let me set the picture.

At the turn of the last century, Husband's paternal family bought a cottage in a temperance camp (oh the irony. Each morning we wake to beer bottles lining the porch railing) on the shores of Lake Ontario. Ownership of the cottage has passed down to Husband's father, Husband's uncle, and their cousin. It's used mostly in summer, as it is not insultated. It's also rented out to other relatives. Therefore, there are generations of pots, pans, and other stuff in the kitchen.

On the second day there, Husband's Older Cousin opened a cabinet and several, redundant muffin tins fell out. He lost his temper about the amount of junk in the place. So the afternoon was spent cleaning and scrubbing away all evidence of mice (ewwwww). Excess pots and pans were put in a box, and stored in a closet.

I should mention that the cleaning was done by Husband, Older Cousin, Younger Cousin, and Uncle, all men. The only two women in the place (Younger Cousin's Girlfriend, and me) sat on the porch. We did venture in there to make some the dinner afterwards, when it was nice and clean and all the mouse droppings were gone. The grilling, of course, was done by the men.

How's that for a vacation post? The only things worth mentioning is that the kitchen got cleaned? On the other hand, there was a lot of talking, late nights hanging out, playing cards, and doing nothing. And that's what vacations are about.

Still, a few days after returning to sleep it off would have been nice.