FAMILY MATTERS

         How many Skittles will fit inside a ketchup bottle?  Guessing this was one of many week-long activities at this year's Terry Reunion. 
 Dozens of us are gathered in a bulging North Carolina beach house to share food, conversation, and our common ancestry.

   I came up with a list of activities to keep it interesting. We had classes in portrait drawing, macramé,  and making glow-in-the-dark mini-sculptures.  
   Bill and Francesca showed us how to make cappuccino and bread.
   



    On the beach the younguns and I played hot potato,


and inside, we used the dining table for ping-pong. The paddles, fashioned from steak knives and cardboard, served us surprisingly well.


 
We kept the two-year-olds busy playing hide-and-seek. Here Rylan and I are bonding under the ping-pong table. A fake tree was all that was needed to hide Francesca. 




 

    By far, the most popular activities were baking on the beach and eating. We enjoyed unlimited granola bars, ice cream, and cake.  My little brother got bigger, he just reported that added nine pounds. Reunions can do that.

  My parents had six children and every night
one of us was in charge of feeding forty. We were reminded that Jello, with grated carrot
suspended in it, could be considered a salad.
Cool Whip and Velveta were hot commodities. 
 While it sometimes it seemed like a processed food fest, every night there was at least one healthy option (a spinach pie, for instance, on  Bruce’s Pizza Night)
 
 
       Last Wednesday my wife and I presented a “A Vegetarian's Fantasy” with a wide selection of spuds, stuffings, and three kinds of cole slaw. To keep everyone happy we also offered a tall pile of bacon.

    On Saturday morning everyone hugged and said goodbye. We’ll do it again again in two years, a little older and a little wiser knowing you can fit 328 Skittles into a ketchup bottle.
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