Family

The charming little invitations flew out from Salem to brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grammas and grampas, greatgramma, grandkids, greatgrands, 2nd and 3rd cousins...it got a little confusing after we all arrived, but it was worth the trip to the Farr homestead on the hilltop.

"Hey! Did you see how many cars they crammed into the driveway? I think it's going to be a crowd. Mind if I hang with you? I don't want to get stepped on..."

Yep. It was a crowd. The very best kind of crowd,though. FAMILY!!

At Easter the best linens, most beautiful flowers, and tastiest foods make the gathering festive and heart-warming.

Easter Eve is the time for cousins to reconnect...

for playing favorite family games...

and for working on jigsaw puzzles until way past bedtime!

Easter morning brought sunshine, lemon curd tarts, and the gathering of the clan for dinner.

Maggie and Elyse are second cousins. They have something in common: being the only girl in their family, and the only grandaughters to their respective grandparents! And they love dessert!

Catching up with family news and events, enjoying the spirit of being together...that's what it was all about. Long stretches of time seem to slip by between our get-togethers, especially as the next generation grow up and have their own families.

Oh yes, there was food, too. Tender ham, fluffy steaming baked potatoes and fixin's, a salad bar, baskets of rolls and homemade bread to be slathered with butter, sparkling cider to make the occasion even more festive.

Beautiful tables, laughter and love.

That tiny kitchen has been producing fabulous meals for a lot of years!

Emden: "I'm only having a little bit of dessert...a little bit of EVERY KIND!!!"

It wouldn't be a really truely family gathering without Anne's critters. Tess and Milton came, and Baa, of course, and Tessa's sister Bessy who lives with Megan. And the latest addition to the tribe - Baloo. He was held and cuddled almost as much as the babies were!

It also wouldn't be a really truely family gathering without MUSIC! Each generation has picked up the guitars, mandolins, and fiddles, lending their voices to the echos of past singers enjoying the harmony of the old songs.

The next group are shaping up nicely, under the tuteledge of passionate players.

We have a large percentage of artists, too. Having someone to look up to - that's one of the fun things about being the youngest generation.

It's always hard to leave, just have to have ONE MORE game, one more story, one more hug...


Some leave a little sooner than others...being the host is a LOT of work. Thanks, Bill and Becky, for a wonderful family Easter.

"Whoa! Lookit this! I bet they left these just for us..."

I think we might be related to Dr. Doolittle. Gotta check that family tree.