A Gathering of Family

- A few family members gathered around a tree planted in memory of my grandparents in Roseau on Sunday afternoon.

By Allan Olson

This summer feels like it’s been the busiest on record for several years. Every summer is busy as we try to jam a year’s worth of fun into a few short months, but this one takes the cake.

This past weekend there was a gathering with my family at my grandparents’ homestead near Roseau. For all of my life, the farm has been the traditional gathering place for all relatives to congregate for a fun time during the summer and on holidays in the winter. For myself and my brothers, it was a treat to go spend time at their home in the summer, eating ice cream, cookies, caramel rolls, playing games and more.

The gathering place was the same as it has always been last weekend, with cousins gathering from all around Minnesota and a few other states. The friendly jibes and rivalries between some of the cousins picked up right where they left off, while for others it was just a time for catching up and reminiscing. 

My family left home at about 8 a.m. on Saturday – far earlier than my kids are used to getting up lately. Actually I would have preferred to leave a little earlier to allow time for some geocaching on the way up, but that didn’t happen. We hit one of the stores in town for a few snacks before venturing onto the open road northbound. I had the day planned: I wanted to get to Roseau in time for a late breakfast/early lunch at a cafe I always went to with my grandparents – one that my relatives owned once upon a time. 

We were about three-quarters of the way up when I punched that cafe into the map program on my phone and found out it was closed. I messaged one of my cousins who lives in the area and confirmed that it was indeed closed on weekends – every weekend. How or why that makes sense, I have no idea, but it was, and I couldn’t change it. So instead we chose the cafe in Wannaska, just 10 minutes from the family farm.

The fun started with just visiting and talking with relatives before my aunt broke out the family Jeopardy game and found a volunteer judge. Two teams were decided just like in high school – two captains pick the teams. But in our version, the captains had to leg wrestle to determine who picked first. After the teams were picked, my aunt brought the game out. It wasn’t an easy game – some of the questions were tough – but it was still a lot of fun, and my side eventually won. The best part was that the two team captains agreed to go all-in on the points, and neither side stuck to the bargain, which made everyone laugh.

The fun and laughter continued with a “Superman” (a marble/dice game similar to Aggravation) tournament that was a favorite of my grandma’s. I defeated two of my three opponents (my son and a nephew) before being eliminated by my oldest cousin, who later won the tournament. She gloated pretty well about it, and if had it been me I would have as well.

The day also featured a corn hole tournament in which I was paired with my youngest brother. We managed to knock out our first opponents, my dad and older brother, but we were soundly defeated in the next round. 

The afternoon also featured live music by two of my more musically-inclined cousins before the official festivities were called a wrap for the day somewhere around 6 p.m. That didn’t stop the fun and visiting, and before long it was getting dark. The party moved to the big shed for karaoke, more visiting, fireworks and dancing. Abigail even dragged me out on the dance floor for a song. The party shut down around midnight, and we all headed for our separate sleeping quarters – some at their homes, others at hotels, and the rest in tents/campers.

The next morning many of us attended the baptism of my cousin’s new little baby girl at the church of our grandparents, where all of their children were baptized and most of the grandkids as well. The reunion then continued at the family farm until it was time for a formal tree-planting ceremony at the original homestead, about two miles away. Apple and maple trees were planted in remembrance of those who have passed on from this world. That process was simplified greatly by my cousin and his tractor with an auger on it. In all, 13 trees were planted with markers for them.

It was a great weekend. We had so much fun and laughter that it’s hard to remember everything that happened. I do know that I’m already looking forward to the next gathering. I’m very thankful for those who helped plan this event for the family.

Once we got home, after refueling and getting some basic food supplies for the kids for a couple days, I sat in my chair and started looking at photos and posting them online for the family. In all I had over 500 photos, taken mostly by Abigail or myself, from the weekend. We certainly captured some great memories.

This Saturday, it’s “paddles down” as Nikolai and I will be venturing out with some others for a geocaching canoe trip, on an approximate 18 mile paddle that is estimated to take 6-8 hours. I don’t imagine I will be in any kind of condition to do much of anything but watch television or read on Sunday; I’m sure my muscles will be yelling at me to give them time to recharge.

Rest assured, no matter what activities we partake in this summer, we will be taking photos to document our busy lives. I encourage you to do the same! Thanks for reading, and have a great week! Feel free to drop me a line at cltimes1@arvig.net or stop by the office for a visit.