Ruby Skips the Family Reunion

Well, it was the biggest day of the family vacation and the whole reason we planned the trip to begin with. Rhonda's family gathered in Port Orchard, WA for a bi-annual reunion gathering.  It was great fun and we had a group of 28 together for lunch.  Uncle Denny, Uncle Steve and Aunt Kay, and Uncle Roger and Aunt Linda now are the patriarchal figures of the family and all were present.  We had 12 cousins and 7 second cousins in the mix.  Aunt Linda's Brother and family live in northern WA and joined the party.  They were tons of fun!

From Colorado, Idaho, California, and British Columbia, we met at a lakefront park where the teens and kids swam and where Tim, Mike, and Roger vied for mastery of the BBQ...  Tim won the fray and provided masterfully cooked burgers and dogs.  It was a relaxing afternoon that wound down to a calm supper of left-overs at David's home, motorcycle rides for my boys on new-cousin Mike's bike, and the traditional photographs of the entire group and family groupings.  A terrific day with a pretty great family, of which I am honored to be a part.

Ruby however did not feel like attending.  She seems to share my mother-in-law's dread of large groups, not to mention that all 19 relatives were strangers to her.  So, Ruby hung out at the hotel (this one actually had room service available and in my book that qualifies it as a hotel: 2 stars).  Obviously to fill her time, Ruby dug into my vacation reading stack.

One of the great things about vacations is a good excuse to unplug from all of the electronic media that fills so much of our time in this postmodern culture.  With all of the extra time, I get to read more: real books, with paper pages and the smell of dust.  Pretty early in our marriage, Rhonda and I took up the tradition of choosing a vacation novel and reading to each other.  Rhonda does most of the reading while I drive and the continuity of a story helps me stay awake on long treks.  "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo," was the title of choice for this trip.  (GREAT!)  I also read Michael DiMarco's "God Guy."  (Great for young men, and enjoyable for me.  My Quest Study Bible and guide to prayer are also part of my stack for this vacation.

This is what we caught Ruby doing when we got back to the room...  Evidently, reading is a great vacation for dolls too!