Ambling Sampling: Reunion in Shasta, Post Party Report

The trip as a whole was great. There's no real need to give a blow-by-blow of the weekend, mostly because it all blends together in a delicious mesh of barbecue, beer, and boating. Rather, I'll comment on a few topics and give a few pictures.

Cabin:

Jeri and Jerry live in style up in Shasta. They have a main 2B/2Ba house with a couple of toolsheds, and for the weekend had two small trailers and a tent. It's located just across the freeway from a handful of boat ramps, walking distance from a reunion-overflow hotel, and stumbling distance from the Basshole Bar and Grill.

Uncle, Aunt, and Cousin prepping for the Houseboat

Attendance from my perspective (Connell blood is capitalized):

--My girlfriend and I flew from SD.

--My Two Sisters drove from SF.

--My Aunt/uncle live there.

--My Cousin/husband drove from their new home in Palo Alto.

--My Uncle/aunt, Cousin/fiance (newly!!) flew from LA.

--My Cousin/girlfriend flew from DC/LA.

--My Cousin/boyfriend, Second Cousin/Pregnant wife carpooled from LA, SD.

--My Cousin/wife, Second Cousin/friend, Second Cousin, SD second cousin's friend drove from KANSAS (25.5 hours, straight).

--My Cousin and his mom/her boyfriend drove from SF.

--My Cousin/wife, Second Cousin arrived by jet ski from SF (we were impressed).

Food:

Aunt Jeri hosted us in style. Breakfasts included quiche, bagels/etc, fruits, sausage, eggs, and coffee. Dinners were barbecue style, with me acting as Sous-Chef on the grill. Jeri was also able to provide some delicious squash and tomatoes out of her garden; Alisha (the aspiring gardener) was duly impressed.

Speedboats:

We had two speedboats on the weekend; one belonged to the cabin and another came from a friend from Redding. I tried everything that was available (tube/kneeboard/wakeboard) with varying degrees of success. ALL of these use a very different set of muscles from surfing; suffice it to say, I am still very sore.

Houseboat:

Saturday, we rented a giant houseboat; two decks, a bathroom, two grills, a waterslide, etc., provided us a base camp to float/speedboat around. Interesting to note, freshwater does not provide the same float as salt water; a couple of times, I was able to achieve negative buoyancy and get below the lake's thermocline. It's ~20degC at the surface and MUCH colder down 3m; <1m visibility. Relaxed barbecuing provided the food, and a Connell Cooler provided the beer.

Dynamic:

My sisters and I make up the youngest of our generation, with one cousin preparing for a grandchild. Our parent's would never hold us back, but with their absence (Olympics, they're awesome), there was no expectations on us in any way. It's been awhile since any Wilson was at the kid table, but now that we're all of age, we were able to relax, drink, and bullshit with the best of the Connells. I love my parents and missed them immensely at the family reunion, but their presence would have changed this dynamic a little.

Somethings Interesting:

--The fire (previous post) only provided some slowing and smoke on the drive there; I didn't notice it the rest of the weekend.

--This was my first experience with the Southwest boarding process. While approaching anarchy, it worked out in the end, especially with our emergency row on the flight back.

--The lake was created during WWII with the construction of the Shasta Dam. It provides agriculture with water in the valley below, and therefore allows for swimming (as opposed to man-made lakes for drinking water). During peak season (i.e. now), it drops at a rate of 30-40 cm/day.