From Charleston, we drove to Lancaster, SC, to the home of Amy Threatt, daughter of Hank’s brother, Roger. Amy moved in last year to a new home on a 2-acre lot in a development with a swimming pool and tennis courts. It is located in the middle of farm country about 40 minutes from Charlotte. Roger drove in from Locust, NC, to meet us at Amy’s. We enjoyed a delicous lunch and some good fellowship. It was the first time Amy had met Angie. Amy is a cardiology ICU nurse with more than 30 years experience. She loves her job and is in no hurry to retire.
We drove about an hour and a half on two-lane roads through farmland and small towns before arriving at Morrow Mountain State Park, near Albemarle, NC. Since we had poor cell phone reception at the park, we setup our Starlink satellite internet antena and did some work on our blog. It rained hard that night. The window leaked again, but much less than previously. Everyone had a fitful night sleep – Angie, because she was monitoring the leak, Hank, because he was anxious about the reunion after months of planning, and Charlie because rain often brings thunder and she is afraid of the “noise monster”. We put a towel over her head to help her feel safer.
Hank arose at 3 am to drive to the Charlotte Airport to pick up his daughter, Madeline, who had taken a red-eye flight from Los Angeles to attend the reunion. Hank left at 3:45 for the one hour drive – plenty of time to meet Madeline at 5 am. However, after a four-mile drive to the entrance to the park, he encountered a locked gate. There was no phone number to call for help. He turned around and drove back to the park office, which was closed. But he found an after-hours number. A ranger answered immediately and provided the combination to the gate lock. Whew!
It was a tense drive through a steady rain on dark roads. Hank saw several groups of deer, but none on the road. With an empty fuel tank and a full bladder, Hank arrived at the airport just a couple of minutes before Madeline exited the terminal.
Madeline couldn’t check into her hotel room until 3 pm and Roger graciously offered a spare bed and bathroom for Madeline to nap and shower. She slept until 2 pm – jetlag! In the meantime, Hank, Roger and his three cats had a good visit. Roger, a widower who lost his wife of 55 years just two years ago, enjoyed the company and some IT technical support from Hank for his phone and iPad.
After a light meal at Roger’s house, Madeline checked into her hotel before riding with Hank back to camp where they joined Angie, who had been doing some chores of her own. Madeline helped Angie and Hank bathe Charlie before enjoying a delicous meal of smoked brisket.
Saturday was reunion picnic day. We picked up Madeline at her hotel and headed to Walmart to pick up cooked chicken and other picnic supplies. We met Roger and his son, Chad, there. Chad is a Major at Warner Robbins Air Force Base in Georgia. He had driven five hours that morning along with two of this children, Cierra and Claire, in order to attend the reunion and celebrate Father’s Day with Roger on Sunday.
We had 27 people at the reunion picnic at lovely Rob Wallace Park. Fourteen attendes drove 9 hours from Harrisburg, PA. One flew in from Texas. Two drove from Richmond, VA. It was the 32nd anniversary of our first reunion, which was designed to unite Hank and his six siblings with their mother, Nettie. Hank and his two brothers, Roger and Joe, are the sole survivors of that first generation. Hank was incredibly grateful for the efforts of the second and third generations to continue to build and strengthen family bonds. Several of the Harriburg crew joined Hank, Angie and Madeline back at Morrow Mountain State Park for an after party at a lakeside beach.
