Barber Family Reunion Part 3

The second day we chartered a big tour bus, but we had the best of all worlds.  We had a driver who took us exactly where we wanted as outlined ahead of time. We made the decisions when to stop and get out and how long to spend at each stop.  Custom-made to our own family.  And then we had our very own tour guide—Dan, who did a great job. We had more than enough room on the bus (as we had it all to ourselves), so we invited Dan’s parents and Dan’s brother’s two little girls to join us.  And we’re glad we did as we shared in Noe’s birthday cupcakes when we got out at Twin Peaks.  This was supposed to be a great view of the city, ocean, etc., but unfortunately the day we took the tour, we saw nothing but fog.  But down in the valley, it was clear and sunny, as we explored many other city sights, including a stop at the Palace of Fine Arts and walking out on the Golden Gate Bridge. We drove through almost the entire city of San Francisco. We saw Fisherman’s Wharf, Civic Center, Union Square, AT&T Park (home of the SF Giants), North Beach, Crissy Field, Presidio, Coit Tower, Pacific Heights houses, the Financial District, Embarcadero and many other places. After the four-hour bus tour, we split up to see different sights.  My group went to Alcatraz and others rode the cable cars and explored other parts of the city. After dinner at the food trucks (see Lori’s blog of Hale eating there), we gathered back to the Broderick House for a family talent show and Dan’s crossword puzzle contest. Sadly we took no pictures of the wonderfully talented grandchildren. And sadly, Russ and I did not win the crossword contest.  But we celebrated 45 years of marriage on this day. (June 1) Great to have all our family close at hand for such a special mile stone. Evenings would often find us at Chile Pies, but I never took a picture there, either. The pie is out of this world and the ice cream superb.  Just one of many good places we ate. 



Dan and our driver and Dan's father, Dan

Sam and his Grammy (Susan, too)

Our comfy bus

 

Troy, Tanner, Russ, Noe, Trey - Notice the reunion T-shirts? 

 

Fogged in at Twin Peaks

The Palace of Fine Arts

Windy on the Golden Gate Bridge

A ferry took us from San Francisco over to the island to see Alcatraz - looking back on the City

These grandkid inmates are wearing tour guide ear phones (?)

Typical inmate room at Alcatraz

Just one of the two crosswords puzzles Dan made for us

Fourth Barber Reunion -- Part 2

So here we go:  our first full day of the family reunion. We rented a 15-passenger van so we could help cart people around when we couldn't get adequate public transportation. Day one found us at the beautiful Golden Gate Park, eating a picnic lunch, playing frisbee, kick ball, football and celebrating Allie's 17th birthday. The grandchildren explored all the big trees and had many games of their own going on.  After the park, everyone went their own way exploring the City, while Russ and I took Allie's birthday cake back to the house, because we had tons left over.  Then we all met up in China Town. So many fun stores to explore.  Our destination was dinner at Empress of China where we had our own private room and were served 7 courses of delicious Chinese food. Our room was on the 2nd floor, with huge windows overlooking the City highlighting Coit Tower in the background.

Russ was so happy when he found a parking spot big enough to fit the van!

Troy and Dan surprised Allie with this beautiful and delicious cake for her birthday celebration (thanks to Lisa for pix)



Afton, Hale, Sharlene & Allie

This tree is HUGE!!! All those people around the tree are part of our family. 

The grandchildren couldn't resist climbing all the trees

Sharlene walking through China Town

Empress of China Restaurant

We had four huge round tables: two for the adults and two for the grandchildren.  It was a beautiful room and just perfect for our big family of 33.  I think the grandchildren loved having their own tables with no adults there to tell them to stop eating the sugar from the little packets. 

Afton and Lydia in our wonderful reunion T-shirts

Just look what we started?!

Fourth Barber Reunion -- Part 1

We held our 4^th Barber Family Reunion in San Francisco.  Three families traveled there from Tennessee (one of them driving there), two families traveled from Utah, and Troy and Dan live in San Francisco.  They played host and helped all of us to not get lost, find the best places to eat, etc. and they helped us make the very most of this reunion.  Thank you Troy and Dan. 

For me, the very houses that we stayed in were what made this reunion fun and unique. We actually rented three houses, but two were originally one house. The houses were located on Broderick Street, about five blocks from Golden Gate Park and were built in the late 1800’s.  They were FANTASTIC!!!  So Part I of the reunion report will be dedicated to the houses we stayed in and the street we lived on for our five day reunion.  Each unit had a full modern kitchen, living room, dining room, at least four bedrooms that would sleep 10 and three bathrooms.  Each unit also had several big screen TVs and its own laundry room.

The two combined houses had four levels with side by side entry doors.  The lower two floors were called the Broderick Royale and the upper two floors were called the Broderick Victorian.   The Broderick Royale was the main gathering place where we met each night for games and visiting.  Sharlene and Russ stayed in the bedroom on the main floor of the Broderick Royal, with Allie in a separate alcove sleeping couch and Joel and Jenica and six boys on the lower floor.  Brad and Susan and their boys and Lori and Scott slept on the main level of the Broderick Victorian, with all the girls (except Allie) sleeping in the two bedrooms on the upper level.  This was a very unique level that included a turret room off one of the bedrooms that had a great view of the city.

The third house was about three blocks down Broderick and was called the Nopa Place.  Lisa and David and Julie and Allen slept in the two bedrooms on its main level and five boys stayed in the two bedrooms downstairs.  It was the more modern of the three houses.  We loved the location and the kids found plenty to do inside the homes. Many nooks and crannies to explore.

Our Broderick Victorian House built in 1885

Brad, Susan, Andrew, Sam

Joel, Russ, and Sharlene
By the front doors to Broderick

                                                                                       

                                                             Claire at the end of hall

Sydney and Emma in the turret room

Dining Room

Living Room

Other half of Living Room

Other end of the hall looking towards front door

Our Kitchen

  Some of our bedrooms

 

 On the street where we lived.................

       

            This home was just down the street, where some stayed

Nopa House - Beige home in the center

Nopa Place Living Room

One of the bedrooms

The boys' suite

Kitchen in Nopa House

Broderick House Patio Garden- View from 3rd Floor

Troy and Dan designed our Reunion T-shirts

It's a caricature of all 33 of us in front of the

Painted Ladies at Alamo Square -- remember the TV

Show "Full House"  

Hydrangeas in June

My hydrangeas bloomed a little late this year, but oh, my, they are beautiful!!!  I couldn’t resist picking a bunch. They will last a long time indoors. I didn’t pick the magenta ones, however, because it’s a newer, smaller bush.

Coming soon: report on our 4^th Barber Family Reunion.

Strawberry jam and miracle triplets

In 2010, Russ and I thought we were so expert at making Strawberry jam that we forged ahead without thinking or reading clearly and ended up with a bunch of Strawberry syrup. (click here to read about that disaster) In 2011 we had been out of town right at peak Strawberry season, so we just skipped making jam altogether.  But this year, the strawberries came on early, due to a very hot March, so we jumped right in and made eight batches before the first of May. It’s in the freezer – looking oh so good. I’ve also started my own little Strawberry patch.  Perhaps it will grow and spread until I can pick from my yard to make jam. 

There is one little jar that I save and use every time we make jam.  It has a special meaning to me and is a constant reminder of the miracle of the birth of our triplet grandchildren.  In the year 2000, our triplet grandchildren were born two months early and it was only through prayers, good thoughts, fasts, and priesthood blessings that they survived. While the babies were in the NICU, their mother, Lisa, had to pump her milk, put it in little bottles and store it in the freezer at the hospital. Lisa had so much milk for her babies, that we also filled her freezer and our deep freezer. When the babies finally got their feeding tubes out and were able to drink from those little bottles we all took our turn to feed them there in the NICU. And when they finally came home two months after they were born, we still had two freezers full of those little bottles of milk.

So I kept one of those bottles, and have used it for one jar of jam every year since.  It will always remind me of the miraculous birth of the triplets, Tanner, Connor, and Sydney. The triplets are almost 12 years old now, but I still have the jar and will keep it forever. Love and hugs to our miracle triplet grandchildren. 

Some of our 2012 jars ready for the freezer

Comparing the triplet bottle to canning jar

The baby bottle jar I'll keep forever

My strawberry patch -- a beginning

The triplets and their Mom, Lisa - 2012