Weekend in Heber Valley

Arden & Carol

The big Sampson reunion took place this weekend here in Utah. The committee (my mom, her local sisters and my sister, Kay) booked a place up above Heber for a couple of days. It was beautiful. We spent our days zip-lining, hiking, canoeing on the lake, eating and talking and talking. The Sampsons are a spunky bunch...especially the women, as Mike and other sons-in-law have pointed out. All of them a kick in the pants. ha ha ha :) So it was a lot of fun to be together again.

Sunset over the Wasatch back

A young buck by the lake

More young bucks at the lake (Sully & Tom)

Someone pointed out that my grandparents have at last count (a few weeks ago) 201 descendants. Not bad. We had a big smiley group this weekend. I had such a good time talking to as many of my 50-ish cousins as I could get around to, as well as all my aunts and uncles. All of my siblings and their kids (minus Casey & Helen - who were given primo private accommodations because of newborn Zeke) slept in one cabin. It was hyper-ville with all the little cousins together. A poor night's sleep for us - but great memories for them.

For Saturday night's entertainment, my dad's little brother, Bruce and his band played for us so we could tansivat (Russian for dance). Sorry I didn't take any pictures of this...because I'm sure they would have been super cool. I was way too busy getting my groove on.
That's a Sullivan thing: generations of Fender pickers - traditionally honky-tonk, but uncle Bruce, as a child of the 60's, sticks with rock from that era. My dad once temporarily occupied a spot in one of Bruce's high school bands, "Nobody's Children" (he he, HA HA HA - that name always hits the funny button when the subject comes up in the family) .   Not a natural musician, he said he just memorized a couple of base lines and stuck with them.  (Remember, Mom, I'm first in line to inherit the only existing "Nobody's Children" playbill, right?) We boogied to The Beatles & CCR among others - rounding out the evening with "Memphis Tennessee" (One of our Uncle Smokey's old stand-by's whenever he used to play when the Sullivans got together.)  Lena's husband, Tim, sat in on drums for the evening. (Thanks Tim...you were awesome.)
Anyway, I haven't been that sweaty since the last ska show I went to in college. :)

I love family. (Thanks Mom & Kay for all the planning. It was perfect.)