Kate and Aunt Mary Francis.
We’ve visited a lot of my family on this trip. My sister and brother-in-law in Texas and then in Florida, my dad in Missouri, my uncle and cousin in Florida, and all my siblings and their partners in New Orleans. Kate’s immediate family consists of only her brother in Eugene, and she’s had very little contact with extended family members over the last few decades. But in Palm Beach, we saw her cousin Scott and his family. And that got us an invitation to Kate’s great-aunt’s 93rd birthday party later in the month.
Kate hadn’t seen her Aunt Mary Francis or most of her other cousins since she was 18. Three family groups were coming together to celebrate her birthday, and they were all eager to have us come. So we drove full circle: down to the Keys, over to the Gulf Coast, back to Orlando and east to Ormond Beach once again. We chose this time to stay at Blue Spring State Park, and drove into Ormond Beach for the party.
Blue Spring
The swimming access to Blue Springs.
We’d visited this park when we were in the area before, and saw a record number of manatees bobbing in the spring. It was almost dusk by the time we got there this time, and only a handful of manatees visible. I went back early in the morning and got a few photos, but nothing like the first time. (For those photos, see Manatee Haven.)
We didn’t have much time to spend here, but I did get in a bike ride before we left for the party. There’s a nice, paved bike trail that runs for three and a half miles through wilderness, and it was early enough that I only saw one other biker.
Birthday Party
We were a little nervous about seeing Kate’s family. Only Scott and her other cousin, Carolyn, had met me or seen Kate since she’d come out. But we needn’t have worried. We were welcomed with hugs and smiles, and once we got over the overwhelming task of trying to remember everybody’s names and how they were all related, we could relax and enjoy ourselves.
The whole gang.
The party was at Suzie and Mark’s house. (Suzie is Mary Francis’s daughter.) She had a great appetizer spread out by the enclosed pool, followed by a delicious ham dinner with some of their traditional family sides.
We all took turns looking at old family photos, some of which I even recognized from Kate’s mom’s albums. Mary Francis opened some presents, and we all ate a birthday cheesecake.
We left at dusk with warm feelings and promises to stay in touch. And I must admit, I think I’m a little infatuated with Mary Francis who, at 93, looks more like 80.