Road Trip: OHIO 2012

The last time I managed a trip to Ohio was in May 1999. Lockheed sent me to Pittsburgh to coordinate a demonstration we were putting on at US Airways. It would have been a one day trip but I took advantage of the Memorial Day weekend to visit a couple of days in Malvern before flying back to Atlanta. It was a low-key visit since I was traveling alone, but it is fondly remembered. This trip was a much larger production, but it too is fondly remembered. Cathie and I drove Mom up to Malvern for the Furey family reunion and had a wonderful visit.

Trips to Ohio for us were always "trips to the farm".  After so many years away it's no surprise that things have changed, but there are some constants. This is Don letting his four (?) year old granddaughter "drive" the tractor. (Note the ATV near the trees near the far end of the pasture.) For me, it was Uncle Arthur letting me drive his John Deer on the farm.

A carload of kids making circuits of the pasture is another constant. The driver here is Teddy. Lisa is holding Janie in her lap. Amy and her friend Shawn are in the back. I heard someone asking Shawn how he would explain breaking an arm or something on his vacation from Alaska. I can hear it now: "I was in a car crash -  the driver was 7 years old and. . ."                (Note Joe on the ATV in the background.)

These two are the second-oldest and second-youngest attendees at the reunion. Mom lost out to Aunt Mary, and Janie lost out to Milo. They're probably commiserating over their bad luck. Mom is Janie's great-great aunt.

After the kid-games came the prizes. Liz was a fine Game-Master. I failed to ascertain whether this is a perennial function for her or the job rotates among her siblings and/or cousins. I did ask Diane about her job, however; she is regularly in charge of the Furey Trivia game, which ended in its first tie this year.

Then there was the tug o' war. I'm not sure whether Ann actually ran that or was simply a booster. The team on the left won, which shouldn't have surprised anyone. My zoom lens couldn't catch everyone in one shot but, unless I botched the team shots, the gang on the left had 11 and the one on the right had 9. That nobody questioned either the set-up or the result is a tribute to the renowned Furey equilibrium.

Don had the Official Reunion Photograph all planned out and well in hand, so I just took a few shots of the family getting ready for it. I trust Don or Marilyn will disseminate the Official Reunion Photograph in the near future - hint, hint.

But, when all is said and done, I venture to say that Nick (above) and Zeke (below) will probably remember making circuits in the pasture from the time they could reach the pedals. Anyway, these kids are HAPPY.

The reunion brings to mind many of our childhood memories but, beyond that, there's real history on hand. The reunion winding down, Don is putting things in order. I understand Uncle Louis bought the Brockway tractor in 1949 and at some stage during its 63 years it merited this beautiful Furey restoration. The wagon was retrieved from the Wernet farm before it was sold and, likewise, it underwent a similarly fine restoration. The bill of sale for the wagon was found and showed that Austin bought it in Malvern in ____.

The reunion was great fun and visiting cousins and in-laws for the first time in over a decade (and meeting many of them for the first time ever) was just what I needed. I'll post a few more pictures in the next couple of days.