Day three.....
A day of blackberry picking and fun with our friends Jim and Sandy Benton almost led to being too late for this one....getting in under the wire. This photo was actually from Peter's desk, but it's close to mine.

It's of my cousin, Mark McDermet and me at Aunt Lilly and Uncle John Brown's 50th anniversary party in Virginia. (Maybe Andrea can help me with the date....I think it was in 2000, no?)  We hadn't see each other in at least 40 years, and it was great to make this connection at such a happy event. I couldn't believe how TALL he had become, since I remembered him as such a little boy.
Being the eldest of 28 grandchildren has given me many cousins to share memories and growing up times. The fact that we all lived within driving distance of each other on Long Island until the 1960s was quite a gift, especially given the distances that separate us currently. Our McDermet family reunion in May of 2010 in San Antonio was an event that I hope we get to repeat in a few years.