Guemes Island Gathering

Every summer since well-before BowlingJoe’s hair started to turn grey, BowlingWidow’s family has had a summer gathering at her dad’s place on the west shore of Guemes Island, WA. August 1st was the sunny date of this year’s edition and somewhere around 35 people showed up.

It seems like just the other day that we were twenty-somethings going to this event with Muffinheadedboy toddling around. Now many of the grandkids are busy in high school, college and careers of their own. There are still a few tykes running around to keep us “mature adults” amused though.

Activities have changed somewhat, too. Gone are the days of those horseshoe bracket tournaments that were organized. The last few years have seen a guerrilla soccer game break out in the yard by the beach. A sign of the times, I suppose. Kids (under 21) vs. adults. Who won? That depends entirely on who you ask.

One thing is a constant, however. The barbecue grills are always peaking at full capacity during the lunch hour. This year my co-Grillin’ Guy, Earl (known to many as Grey Squirrel) and I put on some salmon filets instead of the usual burger and hot dog combination. It turned out pretty well and, like last year, no cases of food poisoning were reported. Although bear in mind that it’s been less than 24 hours as I write this.

The only casualty that can be reported, in fact, is a sunburn to my neck and face. It seems that the SPF 30 sunscreen powder that my sister-in-law Jill claimed to be effective was little more than foundation makeup. It would have worked successfully if I were filming a scene but was rendered ineffective against those cunning ultraviolet rays.

Here are a few pictures and a video clip from the day. From top to bottom:

Blake (left) and Kick (my father in law, as always an enthusiastic host) pose for the camera…..The Grey Squirrel with everything he needs for a good time…...Group photo of whoever happened to be around at the time…...Soccer video clip.