A weekend with the grandkids And Then Some...

by Richard L. Weaver II

When my wife first called to check on the availability of the cabin, the word from Mohican Adventures was for her to call back the next day to see if the cabin was being rented the night before our arrival. If not, it would be available for us as early as noon rather than 5:00 p.m. Its availability allowed us to leave at 10 a.m., rather than 2:30 p.m., and gave us an appropriate start for a weekend at the cabin And Then Some.

There were 8 of us arriving early, and after unpacking, we played numerous games of Texas Horseshoes (Corn Hole), munched on popcorn, relaxed to music, read the day’s paper, and some began a 500-piece 3-D puzzle.

When the second round of occupants arrived (my daughter, her husband, and four kids) from Columbus, the noise level and excitement increased dramatically. Food was prepared (tacos), and everyone gathered around the cabin table (which seated 14) and consumed chicken tacos with all the trimmings.

For our annual family retreats, planning for the food is conducted weeks in advance, and each family is responsible for one of the meals. Following tacos on Friday night, we all danced to “party time” music: “Celebration Time,” the “Bunny Hop,” the “Macarena,” the “Electric Slide,” the “Hokey Pokey,” the “Chicken Dance,” and other similar dances. This is often one of the highlights of our annual retreat, but this year it was somewhat muted by the absence of my oldest child.

Missing from this year’s retreat — and the person always responsible for the music — was Scott. Because he is a professional deejay, he carries all the party music, current hits, and rock n’ roll oldies with him. This year a CD substituted for him because he was hospitalized the day before the retreat for kidney stones, and to complete the story here, he went in for lithotripsy surgery (using sound waves) to have the final kidney stone found by X-rays, blasted apart before it caused another problem. Because of the surgery, lack of sleep, inadequate food, and no caffeine, he was exhausted; thus he, his wife, and their two children could not make the trip.

To make the weekend truly an “And Then Some” adventure, my sister, Marge, and her husband, Jim, came to visit from Kanab, Utah. Having been here for other family events the weekend before, they stayed for the retreat, filled in for the loss of Scott and Karen and their family, and seemed like quite a natural and comfortable addition.

On Saturday morning, when we take our annual hike, it was raining, so we filled in with a variety of games and crafts. Because Scott and Karen normally take charge of the crafts and were not going to be present, parents filled in by purchasing a number of “filler” craft activities which all seven grandchildren enjoyed. Marge and the other parents all helped the kids with the crafts. In addition, we made popcorn, had snacks, then enjoyed a terrific lunch of sandwiches we all constructed and corn chowder. We even set up the “Snake Game” outside, and some members of the group went to the camp headquarters to reserve the cabin for the first week of October in 2008. Some stayed at the cabin and continued work on the puzzle.

This cabin, River Road 2, overlooks the Mohican River just off Route 3, about 1 ½ miles south of Loudenville, Ohio. Although expensive, the cabin sleeps 14, is fully furnished, has 4 full baths, and has a full-sized porch along the back which overlooks the river. The interior is finished in natural, knotty-pine, has 3 comfortable couches in the living room, a large-screen television, and a small gas fireplace that helps heat the front room. Because we bring all our food for Friday afternoon, all day Saturday, and Sunday morning, we make full use of all the kitchen appliances.

On this Saturday (November 10, 2007), a rare occurrence took place — making it, once again, a weekend And Then Some. The University of Michigan lost to Wisconsin for the primary noon, college football game, followed by the primary 3:30 p.m. game in which Ohio State lost to Illinois. Neither team had lost a Big Ten game this season prior to these two games. This was the first time since 1959 that both teams lost their football games the week prior to their final clash. These two games occupied our afternoon, and with people in the family supporting each team, there was true equity in our feelings about the results. Some, too, chose to work on the puzzle.

During the games, the three eldest grandchildren (Madison, 11, Mckenzie, 10, and Morgan, 9) prepared formal invitations for all the adults to an evening concert by them, and within the invitations were tickets. Prior to the concert, everyone’s ticket was formally collected after which Mckenzie welcomed everyone to a concert of music from “Highschool Musical.” For much of the morning and during the football games, the three girls spent their time in their bedroom rehearsing the songs and choreography. They brought to the retreat their own CD-player, and while the music from the show played lightly in the background to help guide their activity, they sang all the words precisely, danced each number with grace and aplomb, and even involved the younger grandchildren on their “stage” at one point in their 40-minute production.

Following the musical, a huge meal of ham, cheesy potatoes, green beans, and a Caesar salad, followed by a game of spoons, and a game of children’s “Charades,” the kids had baths and went to bed, and the adults watched Will Smith in the movie “The Pursuit of Happiness.”

On Sunday morning the skies were still gray, but we began our walk from the Covered Bridge to Lyons Falls at 9:45 a.m. One way, the walk took 45-minutes and was a walk And Then Some — it rained. It was the first rain we had on one of our walks in over 10 years. We returned to the cabin by 11:30 a.m., dried off, cleaned up, and left at 11:50 a.m. for the Sojourner Restaurant in downtown Loudenville. All 14 people were seated around a table in their main dining area, and we enjoyed delicious food including crab cakes, beef stroganoff, and the most wonderful chicken pot pies served in fresh bread bowls. The desserts, too, were to die for, and we promised our waitress, Carolyn, that we would be returning next year. It was a Sunday lunch, And Then Some.

Because we take the retreat annually, one might wonder how one weekend could surpass all the others in And Then Some experiences? This one truly did. Getting into the cabin early, our son’s surgery, the inclusion of my sister and her husband, the two football games, a wonderful musical production, the hike in the rain, completing the puzzle, and an outstanding lunch at the Sojourner, combined to make this a weekend with the grandkids And Then Some.

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