Back from the Reunion

I just spent 3 days with my Florida park friends. We have a reunion every year and this year it was in Lewiston, N.Y. so not a long drive from home for a change. I'm not sure how many made the trek from various provinces and states but it had to have been more than 100...we really like each other's company!

On Monday we (Faye, Carole, and I) checked into our motel and then drove out to the campground where all the activities were held. Much time was spent hugging and kissing each other as though we'd been apart for years but it was so nice.

I guess I should mention that my terrible sense of direction and my sister-in-law's tendency to look at the scenery instead of navigating caused a few wrong turns along the way...not too many, though.

Anyway, Monday afternoon we had our semi-annual turd toss contest and by the time we got to the campground the toilet was all set up and waiting. Mark, the keeper of the toilet, called out 2 names at a time and the tossers would pick a turd (pantihose wrapped speghetti) and see if they could toss it about 20' into the open toilet. In due time we had our new Turd King and Queen but it wasn't me, darn it!

A nice dinner was provided at the campground about 5:30 and most of us headed back to the motel not long after. It wasn't to bed but out to the gazebo with booze that we went. The day had been outrageously hot and the evening was warm with a lovely breeze so I could have stayed out there all night mingling with good friends and drinking good wine.

On Tuesday, Faye and I went shopping but Carole went on some Niagara Falls tours with a bunch from the reunion.

We got back to the campground by 4 P.M. and settled in playing cards until dinner which was again served there. Dee, our hostess for the reunion, had hired a caterer who fed us royally each night.

After dinner we all settled in for the auction. At each reunion the attendees donate items to be auctioned off with the proceeds going to help finance next year's reunion. I was bidding vigorously on one particular item and not realizing I was bidding against one of my best friends. When she realized we were after the same item she quit bidding and let me have it. Now that's a good friend!

We got back to the motel about 11 P.M. and took our booze out to the gazebo again and it was another lovely warm evening and good conversation. Carole and I, who were sharing a room, carried on talking for ages even after going to bed so we didn't get much sleep that night.

On Wednesday, we all met out at the campground around 9:30 A.M. and lined our cars up to go to the Lockport canal cruise boats. By the time we got to our destination the skies had opened and it was pouring. During a lull in the downpour we were able to get inside the building but the rain had stopped and the sun was shining as we boarded for our tour of the locks.

After the tour we went back to the motel to put on warmer clothes because a cold front had come through following the rainstorm. It was strange to need to cover up after days of blistering hot weather.

We had another nice dinner at the campground and spent what seemed like hours kissing and hugging everyone goodbye. I'd see Faye and Carole waiting patiently while I continued my goodbyes but by the time I got to them they'd gotten back into the kissyhugging themselves and I'd be waiting for them. This went back and forth for way too long but we really hated to say goodbye to these wonderful people and we won't see most of them again for months.

Back to the motel and the gazebo but I was finished with booze and only wanted water. It was cold out. That's the only way to describe it...cold! One of my friends got a fleece blanket out of her car so I wouldn't freeze to death and we all sat in the gazebo for just a short while on the last night of our trip.

Thursday morning (this morning) was sunny and wonderfully warm again so we packed the car and said a few more goodbyes to the people still at our motel before driving into downtown Lewiston for breakfast. We took a few hours to walk through some of the interesting shops in town and wished we'd had more time. It's a lovely little town, quite old and extremely well maintained.

I'm glad to be home but I'm still carrying the happy little glow from having spent a few days with good people, good friends. I wish them all a safe trip home and can now look forward to seeing them again at our pretty park in Florida this fall.

Life is good!