Family Reunion

I've been a bit delinquent at the whole blog thing of late. Summer seems to be flying by like a ridiculously aerodynamic rocket. The annual Schmitt Family Reunion took place back on July 18. Everyone was able to attend, and the weather cooperated beautifully. One thing I noticed is that everyone seems to be taking health just a bit more seriously, as evidenced by the menu: grilled chicken, grilled corn-on-the-cob, watermelon, and grilled summer squash/pepper medly. That's a good thing, because every one of us (except perhaps Sheila) could stand to lose a pound or two. Of course, it wouldn't have been a picnic without Mom's potato salad, which Dad and I collaborated on.

The after dinner wiffle ball game was another story. Sheila couldn't make it to first base without pulling her hamstring, and Dan couldn't make it to first base without tripping over his feet and cracking his head open. Sharon simply couldn't hit the ball. The kids were disgusted with us old folks, and eventually everyone lost interest. Oh well, we ministered to our wounds poolside over a few cold beverages later that evening while the kids had fun in the pool.

Here are a few photos. Enjoy.

Emma is quite possibly the cutest little niece on earth. Oh, wait...I think I said that about each of my nieces when they were between birth and about 18 months old. Then they turn into toddlers, and we parents know that they lose a bit of their cuteness around their second birthday. Unfortunately, it never returns. But for now, I'll pinch cheeks every chance I get.

The guys did all the cooking. Actually one guy. You can see him holding the grill tongs. Behind his back, I think. Oh, well, someone did some cooking.

My family, minus the parents. It took 57 photos to get one this good, and then I had to photoshop Darrin's head in anyway. Which reinforces the point I made above in my comments about Emma's cuteness.

The Clouds - before Dan's head injury.

More bars? Is this a cell phone add? Nope. I'm not sure where Abby was for this one, but otherwise this is all of the girl cousins, stacked in order of shoe size.

The Blancos.

Jason, Jo and girls.

My siblings and Dad. I pulled out the last photo of us taken in 2006 as a comparison. The aging process seems to be accelerating, but of course I'm speaking only for myself!

Wyatt and Luke with Papa.

Celebrate Freedom

This one is for you, Dad...

I can count on three fingers the number of times my Dad, Earl Schmitt, has been wrong about anything. But when he told me that deer didn't eat corn leaves because they were too sharp, I was suspicious. So armed with my new super-powerful zoom lens (thanks again, honey!) I set out to see whether he was correct on this point. Looks like he's wrong again. Here's the evidence. Oh well, four times in 75 years ain't bad. I'm wrong more times than that before I get out of bed in the morning!

Don't worry, Dad. You're still my hero!