The family reunions are held every September on Labour Day weekend. As far as I can remember there has been one most years since 1988. Bob Reardon is the sole organizer of these wonderful family gatherings held close to his home in Guelph, Ontario. Bob invites family members from both his and his wife Hilary's side of the family. The main family names in attendance are Hill, St. Clair, Partridge and of course Reardon. Bob is relentless in his pursuit of getting us all together to enjoy the "family feeling" which is no easy task since Bob has 40 first cousins scattered throughout Canada and the US! His diligence is admirable and greatly appreciated by us all. In past years we have enjoyed reunions in the Elora Gorge, at a family farm in Rockwood, Ontario and at several conservation Areas. On occasion, family members have  have travelled from as far away as Montreal and Vancouver. There are usually at least 40 in attendance and past reunions have seen almost 80 people attend. A nice thing about holding a reunion annually, or bi-annually, is seeing how much the children have grown and welcoming new members into the family.

This year we met at Conestogo Lake which is located 16 km north west of Elmira, Ontario, right in the heart of fascinating Mennonite country and is part of the Grand River Conservation Authority.  Conestogo Lake is a man-made reservoir created by the building of the Conestogo Dam in 1958 which provides water to the communities downstream. Bob had the fortune to be able to use, for the whole weekend, the full use of the Navy League of Canada, former Marine Facility located on the shore of Lake Conestogo. The area consisted of a large building for cooking and eating needs and several bunkhouses for those who elected to spend the entire weekend at the site.

We arrived at 1:30 PM to find many family members already in attendance. Their chairs were gathered in a circle on the shore of the lake and a volleyball net was being set-up for the afternoon's fun and games. An afternoon of catching up with everyone's life stories, since our last visit, and later an enjoyable BBQ was wonderful. Those so inclined took the canoes out for an evening trip on the lake. Many mentioned how peaceful it was to canoe at sunset. At nightfall, following a beautiful sunset, a spectacular bonfire was lit where marshmallows were roasted and stories were told.

Reunion Pictures

The Navy League building, facing the lake.

The family circle :)) It was a sunny day, maybe a cloud was passing overhead when I took this picture?
This shot was taken from the deck at the back of the building.

Left to right: Irene, Erica and Lise. Irene seems to be enjoying that drink ;o)

Even the family dog Biscuits was getting into the "spirit" of things ;o) What has Lise trained this dog to do? I wonder if my cats could learn that trick ;o)?
From left to right: Barb, Hilary, and Sid (Hilary's father) and Hannah (another family pet).

Can't forget Fergie, another family pet belonging to Arnold and Irene. :)
Left to right: Jackie's son, Lise, Judy and ooops forgot the name of the gentleman on the right!!

Left to right: Bob and Arnold enjoying a beer :)

Awwww... John enjoys 5 minutes peace and quite. It's well deserved for a farmer who gets up at the crack of dawn every day.
Shhh... lets not wake him up ;o)

Left to right: Brad, Jeff and Lise.

This is my Dad Tony. He's saying hi to you and welcoming you to the family reunion :)) Either that or he's trying to get my attention to get him another beer ;-/

Dad and I enjoying a nice relaxing beer. Fergie has passed out behind us... a dog's life is a tiring one I guess!

The newest family members. Ian on the left and Paisley on the right. Budding young artists :))

The volleyball game is in full swing. It looks like an intense game is going on ;o)
We have played baseball in prior years but somehow volleyball by the beach on a sunny Saturday was just right for this year :)

Bryan and Tony walking up an appetite... or were they *bird* watching??

Here is Bob hard at work in the kitchen making sure everyone will be fed!

Yummy!! Food is almost ready. We enjoyed all sorts of BBQ'd food, home-made salads, corn on the cob (fresh from the farm field) and desserts. The kids on the deck above are drooling in anticipation of a feast :o)

Here go the kids off on a canoeing adventure. Seems as thought Biscuits and Hannah want to go as well :))

Here are my two children braving the wilds on their great Canadian canoeing adventure. Hold on kids!!!!!

For the end of a lovely day.... a beautiful sunset was available.

This is the end of a another very enjoyable reunion. As always many thanks to Bob for including me.