Lake Chelan Reunion
by Mike Thompson, 1/6/2013
Susan and Bill organized a family reunion in July, 2012 at Lake Chelan. They rented a big house at Wapato Point and sent out invitations to their kids, to our kids, to sister Beverley in Portland, and to Damon's parents, Roy and Connie. Everybody came, from near and from far. The "far" group included Billy (who lives in New York City), Katie, Damon, Ella, and Sevy (who live in Amsterdam), and Erika (who lives near Copenhagen).
Late spring and early summer had been wet in western Washington, and Europe was getting no summer whatsoever, so everyone was eager for sunshine and blue skies. The weather in eastern Washington cooperated fully with our wishes. It was perfect every day all week long at Lake Chelan, with afternoon temperatures in the 80s or low 90s. We took full advantage: we swam, hiked, paddled, jogged, played tennis, threw frisbees, water skied, slid down water slides, and had a terrific water balloon fight in the field across the street. Afterward we ate, sipped wine, talked, listened to music, read, and watched movies. Many, many miles from our respective to-do lists, we had a blast together and came away with batteries recharged and some great memories.
One morning four of us went hiking on the trails a couple miles above the Echo Valley Ski Area. From left to right that's Damon, his brother Jeff, Jeff's girl friend, and Erika.
A glimpse of the Chelan River Gorge, taken from the Gorge Road just above the powerhouse at the Columbia River.
We had a combo birthday party on the deck for Ella and Sevy.
Eating, the ever-popular sport. We all took turns cooking the meals, so that no one had to spend more than one day tending to kitchen duties. The food was terrific!
One morning we piled into the big Grumman canoe and went for a paddle. From stern to bow that's Maggie, Sevy, Ella, Connie, and Erika, with Jane on the beach. We paddled around Wapato point to Manson, where we stopped for a swim before returning.
One evening we went out for dinner and some live music at a winery in the hills above the lake.
Here's Sevy patiently giving Squiddy a guitar lesson.
The Drekes chillin' on the front porch.
