Family Reunion Weekend

We canceled the vacation home we rented when Aunt N. generously offered to let the Farmer Family stay at the spec home her husband built. He is a home builder, and just finished this 5200 square foot home in Paso Robles. The property was large enough to ride motorcycles. A cousin just purchased this motorcycle, and Hubby took it for a little spin.

The home was spacious and unfurnished, so we resorted to indoor camping on air mattresses. Our family arrived from Hawaii, Uncle T. and Aunt M. arrived from Washington, and Grandma T. drove in from Arizona.

The kids were incredibly comfortable, stretching sheets into forts, and playing motor boat with a swim floatie. They started up an indoor dodge ball game, hide and seek, and endlessly played with their trains. The neighbors own horses, and the kids would sit on the deck and hope to catch a glimpse of Honey, the horse. Cousin V. lives less than five minutes from this house, so he and his parents joined us in the evenings. Uncle T., Aunt M., and Grandma T. acted just like big kids, in the fort, playing games, and supervising gymnastics moves. The kids were content to forget about all of the big people, too, and the house was large enough that they could roam freely. It was SO HOT the first few days were there. It was uncharacteristically 112 degrees. The air conditioning breaker broke and was replaced, and we set off eight ant bombs to cure that problem! We arrived late at the traditional Saturday family reunion picnic after a morning of fixing things. We were just in time for the family news announcements, the traditional photo, and family business. It was just too hot to be outside, so the picnic was over rather quickly. Most of the family headed for the beach, but the Farmers, my sister and son, and some of the Chathams came back to the house in Paso Robles. The guys broke out into a poker game, and the girls put the overtired little boys to bed, and jabbered, and jabbered, and jabbered.

Hubby, his grandma, and brother at the family reunion picnic

Sunday we toured Old Town San Luis Obispo. Son1 found these benches in an atrium. "X marks the spot! X marks the spot!" he called. He is really into pirates, and pirate ships.

At the heart of Old Town San Luis Obispo is Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. The mission was founded in 1772 by Father Junipero Serra. Since Aunt M. did not grow up in California, I shared a little bit of mission history with her. The King Carols III of Spain wanted to gain a foothold in the New World in an area called Alta California. The political reasons were to beat the Russians before they moved south. The religious reasons for establishing the missions were to colonize and Christianize the indigenous people of California. When this mission was established in San Luis, the Chumash tribe resided here. New converts were brought to the mission to live, work, and learn about Christianity. This mission is the fifth of 21 established missions along the California coast. All of the missions were designed to be one day's walk from one to the next, along the ocean, on a trail called El Camino Real. These historic churches still operate traditional Catholic masses today, and are church parishes, in addition to historic landmarks. Mission San Luis Obispo is unique in that it is the only California mission that was both a belfry and vestibule. It is an L shaped church.

Father Junipero Serra, outside of the belfryThe beams are exposed and made of wood

Detail of the mission walls

All of the California missions raised agriculture, and all raised vineyards. These grapevines covered an arbor in the mission plaza, or center court.

Uncle T., the boys, and Hubby are sitting under the three mission bells called Sorrow, Gloria, and Joy. Bells were important to all of the California missions because they signaled different daily mission events depending on the way they were rung. The ringing of the bells is a special event even today.

The missions have been restored. These are smaller versions of several bells that still mark the El Camino Real to this day. They decorated the garden at the San Luis mission.

In the mission plaza, Aunt M. helped the boys make wishes in the wishing well.
Today the mission serves as a community backdrop for gardens, fountains, and shops. The California flag flies high in the center court. The California flag displays the California Grizzly Bear that is now extinct.

The kids were most fascinated by the fountain with the Chumash girl and Grizzly Bear. They pet him and hugged him, and splashed in the water. It was still so hot!The heat and sun were beating down on us, and Uncle T. suggested ice cream. Son1 snatched a piggy back ride down the historic streets.

Son1 and Aunt M.

I stressed the whole way to the ice cream shop. It was hot. I was going to melt, and I really wanted an ice cream. I really didn't want to blow my diet, though. I was so worried Hubby and I were going to cave, until my eyes feasted on this:

After a long wait because the young lady running the cash register couldn't re-roll the register tape, we were all served our treats. She never did figure it out, and wrote down our total on the back of an envelope, along with about ten other customers. My sister volunteered me to help her, but I had not rolled register tape in several years, since working at Sea World in San Diego.

The whole gang sat outside in the courtyard, with a view to the San Luis Creek and the mission gardens. The kids had their roam of the courtyard, and their fill of sweet treats.

All too soon it was time to bid my sister and her son goodbye. They were returning to Los Angeles since she worked Monday. It was such a rarity and such a blessing that the boys were able to play together. I know Son1 understands the importance of family, and goodbye was bittersweet.