Bevington-Sulahian-Mellem Reunion

Actually, the reunion was a lovely bonus that transpired because Bob's cousin, Marie Sulahian, eloped in April with Mason Torry. They live in Eagle, Colorado, and since Marie has Bevington and Mellem relatives on the West Coast, and Sulahian relatives on the East Coast, having a reception and mini-reunion on their home turf in the center of the country was ideal, yes? 

So, not wanting to miss out on any of the B-S-M action, Bob, Johnny, and I hopped into Bob's truck last Tuesday and headed to Colorado.

 We were in a hurry, of course, as it's a two-day drive, and we wanted to spend as much time in Eagle as possible. Thankfully, though, there was just enough time early on the first day to stop in Bridgeport to give Mom a quick hug and kiss, AND pick up my FIRST chicken-burrito-of-the-season at the Jolly Kone to eat along the way. Yuh-mee! 

 After spending the night in Wendover on the Nevada/Utah border, we pushed on through Utah. In Green River, we stopped at a really good restaurant called Tamarisk, and I left with a little box of this Watermelon Fudge made by the owner there. I know - weird and unexpected! And all three of us agreed it was also surprisingly delicious.

 The absolute best part of the second day, though, was stopping in Fruita to visit for a bit with these two -- Willard and Joanne Eidson. Willard and Dad went on the CHP together in Ventura, and though Dad got transferred from there by the time I was two and they were never stationed in the same place again, our families remained very good friends -- they're really like family to us. Such a treat to see them and introduce them to Bob. Well, and Johnny, too.

 That second evening, we arrived in Eagle, and the B-S-M festivities began. Bob and Johnny had not seen many of these folks for close to 30 years, they think. Pat and Bill Sulahian flew in from Shelter Island, New York. Pat is Bob's mom's sister, and the only remaining Mellem from that generation in their family. She's 81 or 82, and describing her as "a pistol" would be a serious understatement. Bob's mom, Cathy, was her older sister, and it was really special to talk with her about Bob's mom and dad. Pat and Bill have five kids -- Bob's cousins, of course -- Marie (pictured below with her new husband, Mason), Karen (pictured below with her husband, Christian; 10-year-old daughter, Karen and 8-year-old daughter, Madeline), Susie (who arrived later with her two kids, 12-year-old Walter and 10-year-old Jane), Greg, and Billy (who did not make it out for the get-together). Clearly, the B-S-M clan are breeders (and I mean that in the nicest way), and Bob has really fond memories of traveling across country with his family to visit the Sulahians in Shelter Island, as well as hosting them in the Bevington's digs in Yosemite, AND making the trek to Los Angeles to see the Mellem side of the family. I've heard so many great stories about those times, so it really was cool to begin to meet the stars of the stories.

As I write this, though, we're on our way back to Cali, spending the night in Elko, and I really need to get my little arse to sleep. We have to leave really early tomorrow morning to get back to Fresno in time to get settled and ready for a new busy work week.
So, I'll continue this tomorrow evening.