Beaches in July

“We do not quit playing because we grow old; we grow old because we quit playing.”

                                                                                 --Oliver Wendell Holmes

In the summer of 2008 all 29 members of the Dunaway family, children and grandchildren of W.A. and Deloris, gathered at Lake Louisa near Clermont, FL, for a long weekend reunion.  We had four houses along the waterfront on either side of Larry and Sue’s lake house. It was an ideal setup, allowing the children complete freedom to scamper from one house to the other, while adults rocked on the screened porches. 

Because of severe drought the water level was very, very low.  Larry had to drag his boat across sand to get it launched.  But because the water along the shore was only 1 foot deep, the children could safely play while adults visited in beach chairs.  

Each day one of the family groups hosted the evening meal and afterward we played “intergenerational” games such as “Catch Phrase”.  Playing games with adults in the family has always been a favorite memory of my daughters and we loved sharing that experience with the next generation.

Because my grandson Zach turned 5 on July 20 we invited everyone to his birthday party on  Saturday afternoon, We had a piñata, balloons, and  pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey.  It was such a big hit that Zach requested another party at the lake the next year.

      One of the most talented members of our family is Larry and Sue’s grandson, Liam, who was 17 at the time of the reunion.  With his ever-present camera, he documented the entire event, even taking family group portraits, organizing everyone and managing it all in 20 minutes.  He was able to set up  time delay to get in the center of the picture just beneath his parents, Beth and Will.

This trip to Florida dovetailed nicely with the Jekyll Island Wretreat that was in progress when I arrived on Sunday.  [The spelling of Wretreat is not accidental, as this group of MUW alums had been labeled “renegades” by the administration of our university.   Turning it to our advantage by adding the W, we became the Wrens, and this group of loyal dissenters has continued to bond in the years since the debacle which began when our alumni association was disaffiliated from the university.  Happily, since new brooms sweep clean, the current administration has seen the value of having a united alumni body and we are once again back in favor at our beloved alma mater.]   But I digress.

The idea began to circulate on our listserve that we could congregate on the coast of Georgia to get to know each other better, and in some cases, to meet for the first time.   That was also the week of my birthday and the highlight for me was the surprise party with a large basket of Creative Memories scrapbooking supplies.  I was able to preserve my memories from the summer in the scrapbooks that I received.

During our week together I had lots of time to sketch and the location is perfect for that pastime.  Here are a few of the scenes that I captured: 

Gargoyles on Faith Chapel and interesting palms behind the Jekyll Island Club

On a day trip to St. Simon’s Island, I recorded this view of  the historic lighthouse.

I sat in the crook of a low-hanging limb while I painted these old oaks 

Close to the King Street bridge is a huge tangled clump of wax myrtles atop the dunes.

The weather at the beach was perfect for painting on the morning of my 73rd birthday.