Reunion Blog

It was perfect! All the planning, anticipation and excitement all came together in five wonderful days in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

It did take a great deal of planning. We first had to find the right venue. Last year, we spent days traveling around the Black Hills looking at sites for this reunion. We found places with cabins and no RV sites. There were places more like campgrounds with cabins with no facilities (no bathrooms, no linens, no kitchens). We visited mega resorts with plenty of nice rooms, but we would not have had much space to ourselves, and it didn’t have the Black Hills atmosphere we wanted. After days of looking and not being happy with any place, we went to the last place on our list – Spokane Creek Resort. It seemed to have it all – an RV site close to really perfect cabins. These cabins had nice linens, full kitchens in some and little kitchenettes in others. Bathrooms that seemed new and modern with decent towels. And one great feature was that the cabins were all a little different giving us the opportunity to choose exactly what fit our family configurations. We talked to the owner, Brian, who that very day was taking ownership of the resort. He took the time to talk to us, had a workamper show us some cabins and we right then and there wanted to put down a deposit for this summer, 2022. Well, Brian didn’t operate that way and told us that he would put our reservation manually in a “book” but that we could not leave a deposit yet. We were a little uncomfortable – but when we called a few months later we were able to secure the reservation.

Doug and I arrived this year on Friday, July 8^th, a few days before the gang arrived. That gave us time to get organized, get a feel for the resort, test out the facilities and get ready. We had an extra day to shop which was vitally important. We took Cabin 3 one day early, Sunday, July 10^th, to allow us to fill the refrigerator and start staging all the items for the rest of the cabins. This was a good idea because doing it all in one day would have been crazy.

Our family started arriving on Monday, July 11^th. Jake and Julie and their 3 children were coming in from a long camping trip from Washington to Yellowstone and then through Montana to South Dakota. This was their first long trip in their converted storage trailer. They had a great camping adventure, loved Yellowstone and really enjoyed their camp set up. They arrived tired but excited to see us.

Becky and her sons, Benjo and Mati arrived from Philadelphia – unfortunately, Becky’s wife Paola could not make it. Becky and the boys are seasoned travelers and even though they had gotten up at 3 am and had a longer layover than planned, they seemed no worse for it. Becky and her boys settled into Cabin 3, excited about the bunk beds. Jake and Julie and the kids took the other bedroom where Paisley and Griffin also loved the bunk beds. Beckham slept in his porta-crib. Cabin 3 was full of fun and noise.

My brother Dan and his wife Lisa arrived in their Roadtrek after weeks of traveling from Lauderdale-by-the Sea, Florida, to New Jersey, to Illinois and then through to South Dakota. As soon as we could we got them settled into Cabin 9 – the cabin that was to be our home base for cooking and serving food. They had a small bedroom which they shared with their little dog Buddy. Then Josh and Sarah arrived and got their stuff into their bedroom – a double bed and bunk beds. Now Cabin 9 was occupied.

My brother Steve, his wife Sharon and their teenage son Nico, got there safely and we tucked them into Cabin 8 – a small but nicely furnished rustic cabin with a double bed and bunkbeds and a kitchenette with table and chairs. Although their flights were not too bad, they had the worst experience just prior to boarding their first plane. They had left their dog Felix at his doggie daycare – a trusted place where Felix is loved, and the staff are well-known. They got a call that Felix had been bitten by another dog and was being brought to surgery. It was horrible news. They continued with their plans only after assuring themselves that Felix was being well cared for. Of course, given airplane silence, rushing to their next flight and notoriously bad phone connections, the next few days were filled with worry about their much-loved dog. The doggie daycare did everything possible to take care of Felix and keep our family aware of what was happening. By the end of their stay, Felix was doing okay and once they finally got him home, he seemed to be recovering well.

Next to get in, much later than planned, was Jon and his girlfriend Aurora. Their flight was delayed enough to get them in so late that they had to drive on the very narrow, twisting road through the Black Hills in almost dark. Once the got there they moved into their room in Cabin 10.

Last to get in – but not until the next morning was Amy. Brodie was unable to come so she traveled alone and after her flight cancellation spent the night in the Dallas Airport. She said she made friends there but got no sleep. Doug picked her up in Rapid the next morning. After a long shower and a longer nap, she was ready to join in the fun.

Monday night was a simple dinner of mac ‘n cheese and charcuterie boards. Dessert was a bucket of my homemade cookies. With everyone coming at different times, this seemed the best.

To get the party started we gave everyone a red bandana (to be worn for group photos or whenever). And we gave each family unit a copy of the book of memories that Doug and I wrote in response to the gift Amy and Julie gave us – the gift of us writing an essay every week for 45 weeks of our childhood memories. We are proud of our year-long effort and it was fun to give each family a copy.

I took a leisurely afternoon making Mangia Italiano – Cheese Lasagna, Ratatouille, Chicken Cacciatore (vegetarian and meat), Bracciole and 4 cheesecakes (2 ricotta, caramel walnut and chocolate). At night it was spin-copter time – shooting little copters high into the sky and every child running and running to get them. Dance party and glow sticks kept everyone entertained.

Wednesday was Fiesta Day – breakfast burritos to start the day and a dinner of Green Chile Enchilada Casserole, with bean and cheese quesadillas, Mexican Rice, and Mexican Cole Slaw. For dessert I served the Apple Empanadas I had baked a week before and that had filled my refrigerator during our travel.

That day the troops visited Legion Lake. The beach and water made for lots of fun – Jake’s kayak got a lot of use. They had a sun shelter and water guns and they all came home tired and happy. After dinner we gathered together, listened to Dan playing his new autoharp and singing old familiar songs. Aurora treated us to her most delectable chocolates and we got to happily sample the delicious varieties. We sampled and sampled and pledged our chocaholic love!

Thursday was an Egg Bake Breakfast with English Muffins. The sightseers spent the day at the Fossil Museum and then at the Mammoth Site. Everyone came home with shark’s teeth and rocks. Aurora had bought a huge geode and everyone got a chance to chop at it and keep its pretty sparkles.

We had rented the Pavilion and had our Big Birthday Barbeque Bash that night. We grilled on their gas grill – had the usual burgers and hot dogs (vegetarian and meat) plus Grandma Lytle’s Potato Salad and a Thai Cucumber Salad (with really hot serrano peppers on the side). There were grilled veggies thanks to Jon and Aurora and watermelon. Dessert was Make Your Own Birthday Cake (large muffins with syrups, whip cream, icing and sprinkles to create individual cakes). Everyone wore their red bandanas, posed for group photos, danced to the music Doug had compiled and did various crafts. Amy and Steve face painted the kids.

The banner that said, “Happy Birthday to Us All” and the other one with all our birth dates on it was made months ago. Everyone got a Happy Birthday sticker, an American Flag and a Pride Flag. We also gave each family unit a genealogy compiled by Doug’s brother Nelson.

Friday was declared Easy Peasy Day – breakfast of Granola and Yogurt, muffins, mini bagels and left-over breakfast burritos. No dinner for me to prepare since we ordered pizzas from the resort’s café.

The family all went to see Mount Rushmore and Keystone. Our friends from Kartchner, Art and Brenda, had the day off from the workamper jobs at Custer State Park so they visited us for lunch. So nice to connect to them and we fed them leftover lasagna and cheesecake.

After dinner, we hung out at our picnic tables while Jonny and Aurora treated everyone to s’mores. We played a family trivia game and treasured our time hanging outside with the huge full moon.

Saturday was Sayonara Day – I made a large pan of Apple Cinnamon Roll Bake for breakfast and fed everyone sandwiches and leftovers until they had to leave for their flights.

Jonny and Aurora left very very early for their flight to Philadelphia. Amy went with Becky and the boys to the airport. Sharon, Steve, and Nico took off for their really awful series of flights home to New Jersey. Dan and Lisa packed up and got back on the road to travel south and east to Miami. Josh and Sarah left after lunch to get back to Tucson. As they left, we gathered our stuff from the emptying cabins. We kept some things in Cabin 3 which we had for one extra night so Jake and Julie could help us with everything before they too left to drive home to Colfax, Washington.

On Sunday, July 17^th, we stuffed things back into the RV and pulled in our slides and took off for Rozet, Wyoming for our first night away from this wonderful family. We loved every minute with every person and every bit of this experience was a dream come true.

Our children are talking about doing it again – maybe on the East Coast next time – whatever they decide, we will be there – grateful for this happy, loving family.