Family Gatherings Done Right!

Years ago, it was a big deal when I got back to Iowa - it didn't happen very often, so family get-togethers weren't very common.  Then I started RAGBRAI in the '90s and got back at least once a year, then married Melinda and now we get back every couple months.  But about the time we got married, baby sister Sheri had moved to San Antonio with her family, so now she is reason to get excited about family gatherings when "everybody is here"!  Brother Jim has a big house and pool (builds and sells pools for a living), and by happenstance lives about in the middle of where the local family members live, and often offers to host family gatherings.  We don't take advantage of his offers all the time and wear out our welcome, but it is a great place, with a pool for the kids, open space to relax, and a walk-in, finished basement with a couple TVs and kitchen to serve up a buffet line.  The biggest arguments are usually confined to having everyone cook and bring something, or order out a few pizzas once we get a head count.  The picture at left shows an infrared view of the pool and rear of the house where we all met this last weekend...

Sheri and Tim's reason for coming up this time was for his grandmother's birthday - good excuse, we'll take them however we can get them!  They were up last Christmas, but we were up for Thanksgiving, so missed them last winter.  It had been exactly 2 years, since we last crossed paths, so was good to catch up.   Of course, the kids change the most, both Brittany and Colton change a lot between visits when it is years between seeing them...  At left is Brittany with sister Sheri, and at right is our niece again with  Colton...

It was also great to connect with other relatives...  At left is brother Jim, who hosted us at his house, with Uncle John, my mom's brother.  He still runs the ancestral farm that my Grandfather ran back in the 50s with my dad as hired hand.  My earliest memories are from my running around that place as a kid, and returning summers to "earn for college".  Of course, the farm is almost unrecognizable now from what it was like back then, but it is nice that the land is still in the family.  At right is shown some of the "women folk" visiting in Jim and Karen's basement before the food.  From right is my sister Kathy, Sheri, Aunt Judy (married to John), and Melinda makes an appearance in the rear...

And speaking of food!  I got outvoted in ordering pizza to make it easy on everyone, and most everyone cooked and brought something.  Since we drive out 2.5 hours from the Chicago area, it makes it harder for us, but we were excused and just consumed!  It was quite the buffet line, only part of which is shown here.  It doesn't show the 15+ pounds of burgers, brat burgers and hot dogs that Lauren brought and cooked on the grill.  He is the master butcher for the family - currently working at the Fulton Meat Market.  Also not shown in the left image is the desert table, shown at right.  My sister Kathy always makes "Chippy Dippy Bars", shown on the left side, and niece Sandy brought the S-Mores cookies.  Not shown are the ice cream bars that made an appearance later - the family did our Iowan cooking traditions proud!

I didn't take many  pics of us chowing down - was too busy myself to balance camera with a plate of food, but did sneak an early shot of niece Breanna.  Daughter of Jim, she grew up in that house, and is now working as a nurse in Davenport...  And at right after chow, a collection of nieces and nephews digest around the pool.

Finally, the sun neared the horizon and it was nearing the time for the festivities to wind down.  If it is a Ketelsen get-together, it must be time for some photographs!  We MUST document all the brothers and sisters together again!  It was up to me to pick a background, and I liked the outdoor effect better than against a wall in the house, though seeing everyone shooting into the sun, it might not have been the best choice...  These are shots taken w/my Canon XSi by Jim's wife Karen.  Of course, from left it is Jim, Brian and me, with Sheri, Linda and Kathy in front.  After a few versions of that, we were told to "do something funny" - all I could think of was to put Kathy in a mock head lock, to which she acted accordingly, shown at right...

The pictures concluded with the girls doing the See no, Hear no, Speak no evil gestures while the boys look on...  We took off right about sunset, with a fresh dozen ears of sweet corn from Kathy, and were home about 11pm after our usual cross-Illinois drive.  We've got a little time left in the Midwest, and unfortunately haven't had a chance to cross paths with our favorite Aunt Velma (she was out of town this last weekend), but won't likely get back to Iowa till we fly over it in a few days.  We always enjoy our family gatherings - it is about the one constant when we go back.  The landscape changes, new relatives come along, old ones pass (but never in our memories), but our brothers and sisters seem the constant since coming into the world so many decades ago.  May the time fly past till we see each other again!