on Family Reunion Fun!

Having fun on Put-in-Bay!

My family gets together every Thanksgiving. I'm talking about my sisters and brothers and their kids. There are a lot of us . . . big, Irish Catholic family. Six kids and all our surviving spouses and progeny.
Everyone descends on us here in Cambridge, as we are centrally located to the sisters in Chicago and Rochester, N.Y., not too far from the sibs in Dayton and Columbus, and we have two houses in which to stow everyone.
I used to have the bigger house, so the feast was held there. But since I downsized a few years ago, we now feast at my brother Alex's home. But I still cook the turkey.
We get together a few other times during the year whenever possible, but it's usually not everyone.

Brie with a butterfly on her head

It's been a few years since we attempted a big, family reunion in the summer. A couple years we rented two cabins side by side in Hocking Hills . . . with a mudhole lake. We threw useless, vanilla Oreos (why? just why?) off the deck to see who could fling them the farthest. The fireplace had a flip on switch. Good times!
The last time we did the big reunion thing was in 2007, and we camped at the state park on Kelley's Island in Lake Erie, off the coast of Sandusky, Ohio.
That was fun, but we're more into non-tent accommodations these days.

Cousin Fun

There are more of us now than when we last went a-reunioning, and when we started talking about the idea of getting together this summer, we figured on between 18 and 20 people, depending on who could make it.
We talked about Tennessee, but decided it was too far. And we really like the Lake Erie Islands, which have the benefit of being pretty centrally located. So we chatted about our options, and decided on Put-in-Bay on Middle Bass Island this time, because there's a lot to do for families.
I found the house, and it looked okay. We all payed our first payment, and then I got a call from the rental agent that the owners had decided to paint that week. So we were out of luck. BUT he had another place. Did we want it for the same high, high price?
We said yeah, and it was a done deal.

The Hell Hole

Scary Staircase

So we all converged on the place last Tuesday, and it was a dump. El Dumpo. I'm talking holes in floors, missing doors, exposed wiring, a
staircase so steep we hooked up a rappelling line, no smoke detectors. And a basement that may be a Hell hole. You could bury a body down there.
BUT it was an island dump. And we were all together. So.
We brought food with us, and each family took a meal or two. I did spaghetti and meatballs one night (famous) and bacon and eggs for breakfast another day.

Ms. Wolf (deceased)

There were delicious grilled chicken legs, tacos, cinnamon rolls, etc.
There were also really, REALLY big wolf spiders. May they rest in pieces.
We went down in caves, through the butterfly house, did the wine tour and sampled the wares, ate ice cream at DJ's ice cream shop, checked out the tall ships on the waterfront, looked for, and found, endangered Lake Erie Water Snakes,

Jack and Maddie hunt sea glass

hunted sea glass, went up in the erection -- er, Admiral Parry's Monument, rode bikes, swam, kayaked, shopped, stared at odd people, and had a great old time.
Need private time? You can get that.
I escaped from time to time to read and drink coffee on the deck.
Molly found her private time by pitching a tent in the back yard.

Lake Erie Island Water Snake 

My bro-in-law, Phil, found his by hiking about with his much-better-than-mine camera and taking better pictures than mine. Poop.
I recommend it all. The family reunion. Put-in-Bay. Oh! And I almost forgot -- we rode the mechanical bull at a bar downtown. I have a pretty big bruise on my inner thigh where it gored me as I toppled gracefully off. Badge of honor.
Fights: Two. Crying jags among the younger set: Several. Bumps/bruises: a coupla. In all, no big.
So if you can stand being closed up in a four bedroom (loosely defined, as there were no doors, and not always walls) house with 17 other people, go for it! And please let me know how it goes!