Reunion

Our big summer vacation this year was the twice-per-decade Wielinga Reunion which is usually held in Canada somewhere. This time it was in Pinawa, Manitoba, bordering a huge Provincial Park area about 16 hours drive west and north.

We spent the week in dormitory/cafeteria style housing with 160 members of Jeff's mom's siblings and offspring. This was Jeff's 8th Wielinga reunion over his lifetime, Jess's third and Douwe's first. Many fun experiences doing hikes and swimming and 5K and Mini-Olympics and canoe rides
and tubing and outdoor events.
It was also fun to see the slide show which begins with the 1975 reunion and covers each one after. We had many late nights playing games in the common area, it felt like being on a Young People's convention, with several mid-night pranks and all! Douwe and Jess hosted a pre-school story/music hour with our books and instruments each day before lunch so we got to know a few of the children in the 2-5 ages.
We ate like royalty, especially the night we had grilled salmon brought in straight from the Alaska boat of one of our fisherman cousins. Looking forward to 2015, and hoping to see a few of those relatives before 5 years go by again.