Ye Olde Family Reunion

As I mentioned in a previous post, I was in beautiful Salisbury, MD last weekend for a family reunion and the Peninsula Regional Foundation Gold Tournament at Ocean City Golf Club.

This was our first "official" reunion in over a decade (the previous one having been held in Salisbury in 1996).  This reunion was for the Everson wing of the family.  Everyone pictured here is either a descendent or married to/dating a descendent of Arch Randolph Everson, my great grandfather.

Arch was -- long ago -- the Executive Director of the New Jersey Taxpayer's Association and a good buddy to Ohio Senator Bob Taft, Sr.  He was the plaintiff in the landmark church/state case Everson v Ewing Township, NJ.  He died in 1950, and his last daughter died in 1995, but his legacy lives on. 

Represented in the picture below are three generations of his descendants, including  three granddaughters and two grandsons, two great-grandsons, three great-grand-daughters, and three great-great-grandchildren.  Plus various sundry spouses and significant  others.

My cousin Todd (back row left) gets his middle name Randolph from Arch, and my Uncle Doug (back row right) gets his middle name Arch from the old coot.

(If you are wondering where Pattersons come in, my grandmother was Marie Everson, one of Arch's daughters).

It was a great weekend.  I arrived on Thursday night well past bedtime, but Dad left me half a bottle of Wild Turkey, which was copiously consumed that evening.

On Friday, I picked up my cousin Karen (2nd row, left) from the airport in Salisbury and made the beer and liquor runs.  Dad, Karen, and I spent happy hour at City Bistro, then dined up at Cactus Taverna (hey-- try the alligator, it's great!).  Then we headed back to sit on the deck, where I polished off another half-bottle of the liquid waterfowl.

On Saturday, the whole crew showed up late afternoon and we ate and drank until well into the night.  Yes, I finished off the rest of the liquid waterfowl, and had a couple Tullamore Dews, plus I started in on a pint of the Eastern Shore's finest backwoods spirits.  (My motto:  family is best enjoyed in 1 part family to many parts alcohol).

On Sunday, we all headed down to Seacrets for the Gold Tournament party where we enjoyed great food (and more drink) courtesy of Leighton Moore.

On Monday, a handful remained for the golf tourney (that's another post), and bid farewell after a great dinner at the Ocean City Golf Club.

All in all, it was a great weekend.  It was a fun time to see all those folks we see all too rarely.  And my cousin Valerie -- one of Arch's grand-daughters -- assumed the mantle of matriarch.  It was her father -- Jack Dickson -- that passed several weeks ago.