100 Years!

My mom's family is as unique as any family but we add a twist to our heritage. We gather every year at the original homestead of my great grandparents. William and Sarah Mann.

Attending the reunion isn't something we are able to do every year yet even if one hasn't attended in a decade the moment you step onto that sacred ground you feel the warmth of generations of family reaching out to you. Remember that feeling of being hugged by your grandmother? That's the feeling you get when you arrive in Bill Holler.
It's also the final resting place of my mom, Ethel Ann Bowyer Cogar. So much of life really is like Gary Allen's song: Life Ain't Always Beautiful but it's a Beautiful Ride. Losing my mom when she was 61 certainly seems unfair and it's a loss that takes a part of your heart with it. But we try and find happiness in the legacy she left behind.
One of the great treasures of the reunion is the magic box. It holds years and years of photo albums. Some photos you forgot about but they immediately warm your heart. Today we live a digital world and the magic box may someday hold some new type of technology (perhaps not yet invented since my dad is no longer here to do that!) but for now we love our Kodak memories.

Four generations. That's baby Jason~his first visit to the holler! 1981. And the little girl above with the fingers in her mouth is unmistakably Elizabeth. Oh how she adored her Granny.

What started out decades ago as a gathering with picnic tables has now turned into a pavilion complete with stoves, refrigerators, freezers and electricity. There's also "solar" showers and toilets. Other small buildings have popped up over the years, giving shelter from the rain and strong sun as needed. On Saturday nights they heat up the deep fryers and create delicacies similar to what you've seen on Food Network. Oh those deep fried onion rings! YUM!
There's an auction every year to raise money for the Mann Plan fund. This year nearly $2000 was raised. Mind you some items are brought back every year to be sold over-and over-and over. Or in the case of this object my sister-in-law Susan is holding, a unique treasure made by a long gone great Aunt.

You might ask what these fine people are supposed to be. Why William and Sarah Mann of course!
And here's a shot of part of the food table. Everyone brings their special dish and we share a meal fit for a king!

Change is always difficult with a long time event. Everyone is skiddish about trying something new. However this year we took the jump and it was well received. We took the group photos BEFORE we ate! In fact they added a cute little twist. After the photos you were asked to sign the family book which allowed you to receive a fork for the feast! And despite our humble beginnings in this sacred holler, we are not savages-we prefer forks to fingers! Great new idea folks! Thanks for thinking of it!
Here's the entire group-well there were probably a few that didn't want to leave their cozy tents but for the most part we managed to get a lot of people on the hill!

After the group photo we break into our immediate family group. We are the proud descendants of Eliza Ann Mann Bowyer. Let me add that my grandmother was the epitome of kindness. I loved spending time with her so much that as soon as I got my drivers license (at 16) I drove to Virginia to visit her. Years later, when I was grown with a family of my own, I was on a trip with friends to the Royal Ontario Gardens in Canada. As we were walking I suddenly smelled something so familiar, something that reminded me of my Nanny. My friend Catherine immediately said-that's boxwood. As soon as we returned from our trip I was off to the landscaping center to buy boxwood. In fact we planted it all around our pool. And now that we're in a different home I also have it in the garden. A constant reminder of the love my Nanny represented. Some days that fragrance puts a tear on my cheek. Not one of sadness but one of pure joy. She really was a treasure. And also a treasure is my Aunt Ruby. Attending the 100th reunion was something we didn't want her to miss. So I picked her up on my way into the holler and my brother Clay made sure she got home safely. Oh how wonderful it was for her to be there and us to spend that magic day with her!

In the back row:Liz, Jason, Glenn Sekse, Clay, me, Tim, Tony Cromer,Ian. In the middle row: Susan, Rhonda, Amy, Cortney. Sitting: Tandy, Aunt Ruby, Cassandra. Why the blank sign in front of us? Cousin Phillip took all the group photos and later added the family member name via Adobe Photoshop. Aren't we clever in our family!
Here's our sweet Aunt Ruby!

We're also known to be a silly bunch. Dressing up in crazy outfits, expressing our political thoughts on a t-shirt, showing off our very expensive jewelry (24 karat necklace for example) wearing the same red dress every year or driving around in decorated lawn mowers. Why not? Life is often too short and we all need to laugh more.

Ah, the Mann family reunion. A time to sit back, reflect, relax, have fun, share the love of all the ones who once walked here. Amazing, truly amazing.

Before I finish today's blog I have another photo to add. Notably missing this year were my Aunt Sharon and Uncle JC. They certainly wanted to be there and without their support over the past 25+ years it's doubtful this year's reunion would have run quite so smoothly. Uncle JC had just returned from a hospital visit and couldn't make the trip. Sure seems unfair that they had to miss the 100th but despite the fact that they weren't there physically they sure were with us in our thoughts. Everyone spoke of how they missed them. I know I sure did.