One of the many joys of camping is spending time with family. My sister-and-brother-in-law, Cindy and Steve, host a family camping experience on steroids. That’s right. They live on the lake in Portage Lakes, Ohio. The front yard is the lake with majestic views of the water, a pontoon boat, fishing dock, kayaks, and yard games. The back yard is converted to a miniature RV park, complete with 30-amp electric hookups and a ten-foot in diameter fire pit gathering place where marshmallows and smores are roasted while we all visiting around the campfire to the wee hours in the morning. Each year in mid-July their estate on the lake turns into a family playground and an RV camping village.
My wife, Chris, has four siblings—Cindy, Randy, Cathy and Joe—and they are all gourmet cooks. Each take a day to cook for the growing family, now 35-plus ranging from 2 years old to 92 (matriarch Loretta, mom of the sibs). First up was Joe with the Friday morning breakfast on his amazing Blackstone, followed by Cathy and her Italian cuisine, Randy with his smoked ribs and brisket. Cindy did a burrito bar and waffles. Chris and our daughter Andrea rounded out Sunday morning with a French toast casserole and crustless smoked gouda and bacon quiche. There is never a lack of food and really high-quality leftovers to feed this crowd of campers, who either have RVs, tents or turn Cindy and Steve’s place into a dormitory! Steve always says the blessing and gives the order of food distribution after the “Amen.” “Ladies first,” he says.
Chris, Service Dog Charlie, and I usually start our morning in the RV camping village with a cup of coffee or tea. We can review what we are doing during the day and kind of coordinate our thoughts a bit. This year was really special for us because our son Christian and future daughter-in-law Claire came up from Washington, DC to join us. They are getting married in England next spring (They have blessed me with the honor of officiating, Lord willing). Some of the family will not be able to attend so the pre-nups received an early wedding gift of high-end crystal glasses. They had a great time visiting with the family and even some alone time to watch the sunset over the lake (well, at least they thought they were alone as my ever-present camera caught the moment).
Each night, we all gathered around the campfire to enjoy the mesmerizing flames and visit with one another. This is not really an official family reunion as yet, but it seems like it is headed in that direction. Food is served family-style. Conversation is family-style. It’s camping family-style. We all enjoy one another’s company, and we can take a break from time to time in our RVs. For those of us that RV, it is a welcome concept that brings family together in a unique way. For others, Cindy and Steve’s is a resort that the entire family can enjoy together. The Psalmist declares: “How good it is when God’s people live in unity!” It is good. Faith. Family. Food. Camping family style.
