Day 35 to Day 38 Friday July 22, 2011 to Monday July 25, 2011 Tom & Shelly's Lake House in East Wakefield, NH

WE HAVE THE BEST FAMILY!

We are off on Friday morning to visit for a few days with Ed's brother Tom and his family.  They have a Lake house on Pine River Pond in East Wakefield, NH that has one of the best sunset views around!  They have an annual party at the lake (often for no reason) that we have been unable to attend for quite a few years due to our own travel plans.  This year,  it is a celebration for the Graduation from High School for the son, Stephen (Congratulations, Stevie D!).

The place is packed!  Upwards of 50 people for dinner on Saturday night.  Most slept over. We set our camper up in the driveway of their second house (right next door) and party all weekend.  They are the best hosts!  They are relaxed and have fun with you, they assign cooking duties so everyone has a turn to cook and you feel like you are not too much of a burden on them.

The weather is wonderful.  It's in the 90's on Friday when we arrive.  The thermometer said it was 99 degrees at one point of the ride. We woke to slight showers very early on Saturday but then it turned to be another perfect day.  Most people put their beach chairs into the water and sat in a circle and talked and drank all day.  If you got bored with that, you would bring your cup to the circle standing in the water and talk and drink some more.  Meals were wonderful:  Blueberry pancakes and sausages for Sat breakfast, great chicken and salads for lunch, hamburgs and hot dogs for dinner.  Sunday was scrambled eggs and Taylor Ham (yum!) for breakfast, more chicken and salads for lunch and spaghetti and sausages for dinner.  And don't forget Mike's Seafood Chowder! AWESOME! We ate more then we have eaten all summer.  Thanks everyone!

How can you have a family of eight siblings and their spouses and have EVERYONE get along?  I haven't heard of any other family who is as lucky as we are.  This group is very diverse in ages, incomes, political philosophy, ideas on raising children--you name it--we are different in many ways.  But in one way we are all the same--our love of each other allows everyone to be who they are.  We love each other regardless.

I consider us the luckiest family around!  And coming from an only child, that's saying a lot!  Thanks for being my family.  I love you!