By John Moore, Columnist
The past 2 years or so have been exceedingly difficult for many because of Covid. During this time, our definition of what is normal has been turned inside out. Human interaction was seriously lacking during this period leaving many of us feeling isolated. With Covid now on the wane, we are now in many instances playing catch up. What better way to do this than to have a family reunion!
This was the brainchild of my nephew who lives in British Columbia. He put forth the idea of a reunion last fall around the time Omicron was hitting us. He was not sure what the reaction would be, but when the responses came in, they were 100% in favor of doing it. The date was set, and the event was scheduled to be held none other than at Cavendish in P.E.I. There was a ton of organizing and communicating by Facebook Messenger, but it all came together. It was decided there would a family Olympics and team colors were chosen namely blue, yellow, and green. It was also decided there would be a family dinner at the famous “New Glasgow Lobster Dinners” for those who wanted to participate. After what seemed an eternity, suddenly, the big day was here. The excitement was breath taking as we all descended on our unsuspecting Cavendish destination.
Upon arriving at our Lodge, the first thing we noticed was the name of the street. It was Moore Road. What a coincidence that was! We immediately felt right at home. Our accommodation was a very hip two bedroom cottage surrounded by big pine trees and similar cottages and a large playing field complete with a large in ground pool. Adults and children, after getting settled, immediately went to the swimming pool where the fun began. Later, after supper we all gathered for a campfire where many stories and fond memories of yester year were shared. There was abundant laughter throughout that evening, and it was non-stop for the duration of the reunion. A marshmallow roast complete with smores quickly unfolded to the delight of the children. For music, Bongos and a Ukulele were the instruments of choice. At one point in the evening someone looked up into the clear starry night sky and saw a long chain of lights. Someone said it is Santa and the reindeer, but it turned out it was Elon Musk’s star linked satellites. Apparently, these satellites bring the internet to remote regions. It was a really cool site to behold.
The family Olympics comprised of an obstacle course, ring toss, water balloon toss, Scategories word game, dodge ball, featuring water balloons, and a cannon ball splash contest. The green team won the Olympics and if you are wondering, sadly, I wasn‘t on the green team. I can proudly say, though, my grandson was winner of the most creative cannon ball splash. Once again in the evening we all gathered around another campfire and in the distance the children , who were way past their bedtime, were having a ball with their glow sticks and playing with the National Geographic rocket launcher, complete with LED lights. It was wonderful to see everyone of all ages having such a wonderful time. I highly recommend if you are looking to reconnect after these two solitary years there is no better way than a family reunion. Take the leap and do it. You will not regret it.
Urban Wilderness Park Update
Through my affiliation with Maskwa Aquatic Club I have learned a high level delegation will be hiking Blue Mountain Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness Park sometime in August. This delegation will likely include the Federal Minister of the Environment. There will be more detail on this in my next column, Happy August!
