Day 7; All Good Things Must End.

Our official reunion ended today with us attending church for the first hour ( I was surprised by how many people I recognized from my childhood) and then a picnic lunch at a beautiful park. We had a smorgusborg of all the leftovers from the reunion plus a bunch of new goodies. All was well until Tui got a fever and threw up. Not fun! So Anthony took the little sickie home for a nap and some drugs ( Tylenol) and I stayed to play photographer for the rest of the family. Every family wanted an individual family photo as well as a group photo. With 86 people in attendance, that is a lot of pictures. And that is not even half of our family. Someday I will have to count again. We have a huge family!

After pictures were done and everyone was hot from being in the sun, we all went to our homes and had a rest. But this family does not rest for long before the games start up again. To top off a beautiful day we went for a walk on the beach. It was dark so we needed a flashlight. It was quiet and calm but kinda scary at the same time. All you can see is the sand in front of you and it stretches on and on forever. Every once in a while I would step on some seaweed or a shell and it would freak me out. I'm just glad I was not the only one who was jumpy. My brother can't stand things touching his feet, so we kept the flashlight with us.

The Tustians ( minus Owen....??? and Janice....passed on)

What a bunch of hams! ( left - right--Karen( mom), Dianne, Bob, Gloria, Molly)

This is about 1/4 of the Tustian family.

I forgot to add that we also took a drive to the cemetery where the two people who started this family now rest together. Grandpa and Grandma Tustian's grave is always well taken care of and a trip to Nova Scotia would be incomplete without visiting them. It was a sad but warming visit. I never knew my Grandpa, but I have always felt a deep love for him and for how he raised his family. Grandma was a tough old bird. Strict and firm, but a good teacher and mother. My children never had the opportunity to meet either one, but they still got emotional.

On a funny note, as we were leaving the cemetery, Sydney leaned over to her sister and cousin, smelt her fingers....offered her fingers to them to smell and then whispered " My fingers smell like dead people". Karma and I cracked up. First of all, how does she know what dead people smell like? And secondly why do her hands smell like that....was she touching dead people? Kids!!!!