REUNION (poem) by Tom poesyco.th@gmail.com on AuthorsDen

REUNION
by Tom poesyco.th@gmail.com → (All Poetry by Tom poesyco.th@gmail.com)
Rated "G" by the Author.

Save

Hi ... yet another Non-poem, but put in verse form ... is it 'Free-Verse' ? I dun'no ... Anyway, I tried to capture the essence of a truly FUN weekend, hopefully for Posterity ... and maybe to Inform others of a really Nice Place!

REUNION © - Tom Hyland - 8/22/12 Several months ago, my Niece Debbie got an idea ... What IF - we All got together for a weekend in ‘The Woods’? Place: Lake Raystown Resort Center in Entriken, PA. Emails flashed back and forth - solid interest ensued. We All agreed on the Weekend of Friday, August 17th. Check-in: Friday at 3:30 pm. - Check-out: Sunday at 11:00 am. Finances were discussed - a Plan was hatched. Deb & Charlie posted a Down Payment. We All paid them our appropriate shares. Trip was Booked, Verified, Confirmed! Everyone went Online, checked out the Site. Maps were printed and studied. Emails flurried again - Excitement grew! Bags packed - Food packed ... Enough to feed an ARMY! No One Would Starve on This Trip! Folding Chairs - Coolers - Flashlights - Check - Check - CHECK! We Rented Five Cottages in the OAK Area ... P5 - P6 - P7 - P8 - P9 ... All nestled on a hillside over-looking the Beautiful Lake! On Friday, about 3 pm, Deb, Charlie & I went to lunch. Just as we sat down on the deck of the café, the rain started. We quickly re-located inside. IT RAINED LIKE HELL ! Anyway, it eventually stopped, we all got Registered, Got our keys, found the cottages, and unloaded. The places were really nice, and slept 7-8 people. Living room with 2 sofa-beds, TV & Stereo - Kitchen with Amenities: coffee maker, microwave, All utensils, cups, glasses, et cetera. Full bathroom, with shower, one separate bedroom, a loft area above, and fully Air-Conditioned. A large wooden deck offered a Lakeside view. THE FAMILY: P5 - Debbie & Charlie, Kelly & Dave ... P6 - Bernie, Becky, Ed & Vesna, Yours Truly ... P7 - Pam & Ken, Evan, Kylie, Lexi, Ashley ... P8 - Connie, Kevin, Sarah, Paige ... P9 - Rose & Gary, Beth & Andy, Eric ... TWENTY-FOUR STRONG! Sadly, a Few could Not make it: Padi, Tim & Vaughn - Ann & Dino - Tom & Laurie - Izzie. Although it drizzled off and on, Friday evening, We all gathered at ‘Our Place’ P6 for some R&R ... At Night-Fall a Campfire was Encircled by chairs. Incessant ‘gabbing’ and exchanging ‘stories’ ensued. ‘Gyrene’ Gary, our resident ‘Metal-Melter’ stoked the fire! And ... a Fine Job he Did! ‘SMORES’ were GORGED TOO! ACTIVITIES: The Youngsters enjoyed the Water Park on Saturday, Which was a Perfect, Beautiful, Sunny Day! Many played Miniature Golf ... Three - Rosie, Beth, and Andy went on a vigorous Hike. A Whole Gang of us went on the Cruise Ship ‘Proud Mary’ It was PERFECT also ... An hour and a half Round Trip covering about sixteen miles, Boats were everywhere ... Power boats, Speedboats, Water Skiers, Ski-boats, even Houseboats! The Marina had so many piers, loaded with boats, They were impossible to count! Veritably, a ‘Boater’s Paradise’. The Captain of Proud Mary told me that: The lake was about Thirty Miles Long! About Twenty miles South of this Resort is the Dam. He was unsure, but thought that it was around 1968, When the area was Flooded, to Create this Lake. Someone said a Small Town was Buried Beneath! At the Cruise Ship’s Dockside, Large-Mouth Carps gathered to be Hand-Fed! A Bunch of Ducks gathered nearby also! Packages of Food for them were available for 50 Cents! The Adults were as amazed as the Kids were! FUN WAS HAD BY ALL! We were told that this Resort is operated by the PA State. It is extremely CLEAN, and well Regulated. While NO Alcoholic beverages are SOLD there, You are able to BYOB ... both at Shipboard, and the Café! RAYSTOWN OFFERS: Campsites, where guests erect their own tents ... Many ‘Slips’ for Trailered Boats ... Cabins ... Bungalows ... Cottages ... Rental Boats, including ‘Pontoons’ ... And even Rental Houseboats! SATURDAY EVENING: Sa-Prize! Sa-prize! Sa-Prize! The ‘ELF’ made it! Inez, aka ‘Izzie’ arrived around 2 pm or so ... Joined the P5 Gang ... and went for a ‘DIP’! In the early evening, the ‘Lively’ ones played Volleyball! We ‘Seasoned’ Seniors enjoyed as Spectators! Picnic tables were combined at the P8-P9 Sites ... All Kinds of FOOD imaginable were Present! Ken brought Sticks for roasting Hot-Dogs over the Fire! The Young-Uns LOVED this! I even Forced TWO down! Beers, Wines, Mixed Drinks, and even a few ‘Shots’ ... Were Innumerably Consumed ... All ... in MODERATION ... of Course! A small gathering of Cribbage enthusiasts Managed to play a few Games at P6. Sunday Morning came TOO SOON! Some of us overslept ... 9:30 am ... OOPS! Checkout at 11:00 ... A Flurry of activity ... Packing - Loading ... All gathered again for Hugs n’ Goodbyes ... And a ‘Family Reunion’ PHOTO-OP ... WHAT AN ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL WEEKEND! As it turned out, nine of us gathered once again ... On the Deck of the Café ... for Lunch ... I got the ‘Raystown Hambuger’ ... IT WAS A MONSTER! 8 ounces of Beef ... Smothered in Pulled Pork Barbeque, and Bacon ... With FRENCHFRIES on it too! 4 Hours later, back in The ‘BIG B’ ... Had the ‘other’ Half for my Dinner! Needless to say ... it was Unanimous ... WE ALL LOVED IT! On a Scale of 1 to 10 ... Raystown is a TWELVE! We think it will be an ANNUAL EVENT Now! Oh! Less I be Remiss ... The STAFF up there are SUPER! Especially, our Waitress ... KAREN! For those interested, here’s the Website: http://www.raystownresort.com/ © - TKH.

Reviewed by Mr. Ed

Reviewed on August 25, 2012

Sounds like a marvelous family reunion, Cuz. But I hear one of your relatives in Jersey feels slighted for not being invited!!

Reviewed by Ronald Hull

Reviewed on August 23, 2012

Reminds me of the times thirty or more of us will gather at the lake on holidays like 4 July or Labor Day. Sadly after spending twenty years there, my parents sold the place and wouldn't sell it to us, the kids. It's a lot harder to get together now, since we're thousands of miles apart.

I've heard that the Greenbrier is great at White Sulfur Springs West Virginia. I've only been to Jackson's Mill West Virginia and that sure is a great place with family-style dinners every evening.

Ron

Reviewed by Darrell and Kathy Adams

Sounds like a wonderful time. I don't know if you would call this free style verse or poetry or not, but it made me happy to read it, and try to picture all of you there in the rain and sun and having fun and feeding fish and all. Be well, Kathy p.s. I hope it does become an annual event!