Ganz Family Reunion at The Farm

Saturday, 24 June 2017, Grama Weiler and her only surviving sibling, Aunt Dottie, gathered with many (nearly all of the second, quite a few of the third, and even a few from the fourth, generations!) of the posterity of their parents, William and Bella Epstein Ganz, at the Farm in East Berlin, PA.  Aunt Dottie, the youngest of the family, is standing in the doorway talking to Becky (Bob's sister Chris' younger daughter); Bob and Chris are to the right of the barn (near the PortaPotty we subsidized...our modest contribution to the event, along with the hand-washing station inside the barn in the next photo.)

I wish these pictures did justice to the amazing improvements Kate and Gary have made to the property!  These shots of the inside of the barn hardly show the awesome ambience they have created, turning a 19th century barn into a picturesque place where all three of their children were married.  Can you see the sign over the bar?  It welcomes everyone to the "Ganz Reunion," but interestingly, there was no one named Ganz in attendance!  Uncle Bud, Grama Weiler's only brother, married late in life and left no posterity; and of course the Ganz girls - Claire, Nancy, Bobbie, and Dottie - all passed their married names on to their children. For this event, two-thirds of the floor space was set for serving and dining.  (Gary, of course, did the cooking in his state-of-the-art gourmet kitchen, serving from a nice catering setup with hot and cold compartments.  He and Kate both took the week off their full-time jobs to prepare for this; cooking for over 50 people and mowing that property is an ambitious undertaking, and I can't imagine what it takes to get, let alone keep, that cavernous barn free of dust and cobwebs!)  The other third was open floor, and they had plasma cars, corn hole, and other fun diversions.

Grama Weiler, seated in the center, in blue, visiting with her niece Maggie.  Behind her, in the hat, is Aunt Dottie.  In the background, under the horizontal lights, is the hot and cold buffet table; the food alone was worth the trip--and one family came from Sweden just for this reunion!

Grampa and Grama Weiler mingling among the masses.  I wish I could identify all the various family members; I spoke with most of them, but my sieve-like memory cannot retain the names.  I can't even tell you the name of Kate's current dog, shown above--only that, like all her many pets, it is named after some food item...  (You may remember some of the earlier animals:  Kiwi, Oreo, Necco, Sushi, Saki, Latte, Kernel, Vidalia...)

I will be perfectly honest and tell you (though I'm ashamed to admit it):  I was not looking forward to socializing with a bunch of people I'd never met, most of whom I knew would be doing, drinking, and discussing things way outside my comfort zone.  I confess:  I went for the food.  I will be perfectly honest and tell you also that I haven't enjoyed myself any more than I enjoyed that day, in a long time!  I felt an instant connection to many of them, and an almost overwhelming feeling of familial love for each and all of them.  I hadn't really thought about it before, but I'm now convinced that the Spirit of Elijah covers the living as well as the dead.

Cousins clustered cozily and conversing around the firepit.

Bob and various relatives enjoying the reunion.

Our cousin Sarah El-Tahar (Bob's sister Kate's oldest) documenting the event.  The kid in the baseball cap to the far right is either Axel or Bruno, one of the twin sons of Bob's cousin Lars (Aunt Dottie's younger son) and his wife Dodi; they are the ones who win the prize for coming the furthest to attend!

Sweet Lillie Belle Weigand (who is named for both her maternal great-great-grandmothers), daughter of Eryn and grand-daughter of Bob's sister Kate, represented her generation so graciously, offering tours of the property.

I know all my own children will sigh with envy and nostalgia at this picture of Melody in the canoe on the lake, with the dock and the barn in the background.  I don't know how long it has been since y'all have been to the Farm, but it seems there is always something "new and improved."  Have you all seen the old summer kitchen that Grampa and Grama Weiler used for a storage shed, which Kate and Gary turned into a state-of-the-art gourmet kitchen with an artist's loft above?  

Melody greatly enjoyed her last visit to the Farm before leaving on the mission.  At the moment this photo as taken, she did not know where she would be serving, only that her call was en route from Salt Lake City.  Knowing it would be awaiting her at home may well have been the only thing that could've torn her away from this idyllic place...