Family Reunion on Kent Island

Yesterday was the Conroy-Harding family reunion, hosted by Tom and Kathleen.

Friday night Tom and Kathleen and Pete and Judy hosted a dinner at Rustico’s in Stevensville, with Marie Anais, Larry and Patricia and Donna and me. Dinner was at six, but Donna and I didn’t leave home till five and found that for some reason traffic was hellacious. It took us two and a half hours for what is normally a 50-minute drive. When we finally arrived, we were greeted like long-lost friends. What a great evening—catching up, trading stories, laughing and drinking, oh, a few bottles of very good Cline Cashmere.

Saturday, the traffic gods again were against us. It took us more than two hours to get to Tom and Kathleen’s—and arrived with just enough time to unload our coolers of food and drinks and turn around and head out with Larry and Patricia to Baxter’s to pick up the crabs.

Large, heavy and highly seasoned they were. Because the weather was rainy, we used the newly rebuilt screened porch instead of the outside picnic tables. No matter. What’s better than spending an afternoon with a mound of hot crabs, pitchers of cold beer, great conversation with precious family and a panoramic view of the magnificent Chesapeake Bay? What indeed.

After the feast, we cleaned up, made a run to the dump on Batt’s Neck Road (I include of the name here because I’ve always loved the image it conjurs), and visited some more. Luke, Nick and Brandon were in the pool the entire day, it seemed, and I’m guessing slept very well last night.

Larry got everyone together for family photos but later discovered there had been an equipment malfunction, so out we went again to try a second time. Nobody likes being pulled away for pictures, but everyone enjoys having the photos later on.

A few hours later it was time for feast number two. Patrick, the son of a grade-school classmate of Kathleen’s, has a pig-roasting business and prepared an amazing main course, supplemented by the abundant and delicious sides, appetizers and desserts everyone brought. Not to mention terrific music—from our generation!—provided by Kristen, dancing by the girls, and general carrying on.

Everyone missed Rich and Leslee and Rich’s kids, Barb and her kids, Jack Douglass, Sue and especially Joan and Lou. We raised our glasses to them in toast.

Now it’s time to recover and get back to the business of preparing for next Saturday’s Alcatraz swim. Donna and I leave Thursday morning for a week in San Francisco and wine country.

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