Yes, epic.
It was the time of year for camping, boating, skiing, and motorcycle riding. For fishing, talking, laughing, and joking. For flea-market shopping, potato gun shooting, and stick frisbee.
It was aunts and uncles, cousins and grandmas, old dogs and new puppies. It was the proving ground for new family members who dared marry a Barker and try to fit in.
It was "who-could-tell-the-biggest-yarn" and "what-kind-of-prank-would-outdo-last-year's" and "who-would-run-out-of-fresh-water-in-their-trailer-first."
I think it's safe to say that for every Barker who made camping at Phillips Lake their 4th of July tradition, it was a few days of heaven. Most certainly some of my fondest memories are from those days spent with my family at Phillips Lake. And as surely as the sun rises and sets, good times come to an end, and camping with the Barkers at Phillips Lake was no exception. But as one tradition fades, it gives rise to the opportunity to form new traditions, new memories, and new family bonds.
This year, my brother Jason and I seized the opportunity to create a new tradition for our Barker family as we gathered at our cousin's house in Prineville and set up camp. Over the holiday we forged ahead to create new memories, and we were richly rewarded.
We enjoyed the company of my Uncle Eldon and Aunt Bernita. I would say they were the Guests of Honor. No one could replace their presence and I enjoyed reconnecting with them and hearing more stories from Uncle Eldon's rich oral library.
Our hosts, cousins Dick and Sue, were gracious and welcoming as they shared their food, their home, and their potty with all my children. We enjoyed spending most of our time together relaxing on the deck and visiting with them.
My dear cousin, Eric, was there and I can hardly believe we're both old enough to be adults and on our own. I have many, many memories of him together with my other close cousin, Candy--all of us staying up late, watching scary movies, giggling in our sleeping bags, or other such cousin nonsense. It was nice to reconnect with him on an adult level and see the kind of fine young man he has become.
For me and my family, in particular, it was exciting to form new relationships with cousins we had never met or whom I had only seen in my early childhood. Nicky, Shaun, and their four kiddoes are a delightful bunch that we really enjoyed getting to know. We very much look forward to spending more time with them in the future and nurturing our new-found relationship.
We created our own memories for ourselves and our children this year. Swimming in the lake and exploring local lava tube caves were the highlights of the holiday. We mapped out four lava tubes in the countryside around Bend and headed out to explore them. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the first cave, we realized we had forgotten our flashlights and lantern back at camp. Smart! After a few minutes of digging in our vehicles, we found an emergency flashlight, a rifle scope light, and a few other random flashlights tucked under the seats to get us through the caves. It was an adventure!
I'm grateful to have spent the time we did with my extended family. It helped me remember how much I love and admire my family heritage. I miss the Phillips Lake days and this time together helped me rekindle those memories in my mind and begin to create new ones. Here's to more memories ahead.....
(Now, close your eyes visualize a slideshow of photographs here with my family in cool caves and having great adventures. I CANNOT get the pics uploaded onto the blog and I've already waited weeks to try to figure it out and now this post is seriously outdated and I'm MAD. So, just play the pics through in your mind, okay? Over and out.)
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