RedePalooza

...also known as the 33rd annual Rede Family Reunion.

Whew!

The three-day reunion is over and done and Lori and I are feeling pretty tired out. Maybe not the best thing to say right off the bat, after entertaining about 40 relatives (including our family of five, plus two girlfriends) and executing the logistics of five scheduled events, including four meals. But I'm just being honest. (More on that below.)

This weekend's honored elders were my dad, Catarino, pictured above, between his two brothers, Luciano (L) and Paul (R), all of whom are in their 80s. They are three of the five brothers who are still alive of the original nine. Health issues and financial considerations kept the other two away. It was great to see these three brothers, of course, and appreciate their longevity and good-hearted nature.

Likewise, it was nice reconnecting with so many first and second cousins and other extended family. Makes you appreciate your roots a little more, along with the enduring tradition of these annual get-togethers.

We now have a much greater appreciation and respect for what other aunts, uncles and cousins (as well as my dad and stepmother Oralia, below, with Lori) have gone through in hosting much larger gatherings throughout the years. (Uncle Paul has hosted seven(!) in Gilroy, Calif., known as the Garlic Capital of the World.) It's a lot of work.

You begin with a "save the date" email and letter and follow up with maps and more detailed communications as you fill in the specifics of the weekend. You visit local motels/hotels to negotiate the best group discount; reserve a community center and a local park; make arrangements with a parish priest to say a special Saturday Mass; line up food and beverages for the weekend; plan some games and entertainment; send "last call" reminders to those who haven't RSVP'd; and then you wait...wait for enough people to respond to justify holding the event.

In our case, that was a very real concern, given that no family reunion had ever been held north of San Francisco and knowing the economy wasn't in the best shape. Still, people came from California (where most of the family lives), Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Washington and Alaska (my younger sister, Cathy, below). We thought one couple was coming from Virginia, but they were a no-show.

Once the reunion is under way, you're on -- visiting with as many people as you can, setting things up, taking them down, cleaning up, packing up and getting ready for the next meal/event.

Saturday got off to a nice start at St. Andrew Catholic Church with a short but sweet sermon by Father Chuck Lienert about the gift of family. Following that, the picnic at Peninsula Park was the highlight -- a good five-hour block of time to play poker, move from table to table and enjoy the fresh air. It was overcast and a bit chilly at first for many of our guests, but it warmed up nicely and the community center was downright stuffy by the time we sat down to dinner Saturday.

Speaking of dinner, we got burned twice by folks who agreed to furnish food for the reunion. First, it was Quizno's. The local store manager forgot -- simply forgot -- about the order we had confirmed twice before. That meant we cut it closer than we should have had to in getting ready for Friday night's welcome. The bigger screw-up came Saturday, when we learned at 1 pm, with stomachs beginning to growl, that the guy who was coordinating a noon delivery of homemade tamales, rice and beans had -- again -- simply forgotten about us. We had to scramble and quickly order burritos from a local Mexican fast food restaurant to save the day.

Because the caterer who flaked out was supposed to deliver enough food for lunch and dinner, we had to order yet a little more food for dinner. I phoned in an order to pick up at 7 and, wouldn't you know it, they hadn't even started on the order. Argh! So...I had to wait half an hour while they prepared tamales and more rice and beans. Needless to say, the delay made for some hungry folks.

Finally, Sunday morning came around -- actually faster than we would have liked, given how late we finished cleaning up the night before -- and at last a meal was served on time and with the TLC we intended. We served up some awesome pozole (a hominy stew with beef and chicken), corn tortillas and pan dulce (Mexican pastries).

And now, as the day comes to a close, we turn our attention to Jordan. He leaves for Fort Bliss early tomorrow morning, so Lori and I will be up again before daylight to ferry him to the airport and, once again, send him off with our love and prayers. It's been great having him home for the past week. In about eight hours, we'll be saying goodbye...