2025 Family Reunion: Portraits and Ice Cream (7.11.25)

Mike took family pictures of the Flindts on Cannon Beach, early in the morning of July 11, 2025.  

There was a sign on the beach about living to be 100 that seemed apt to Dave and me.

The family gathered at noon at the Tillamook Factory, down the coast.  Some of us took tours of the cheese factory, and others just ate the excellent pizza, mac'n'cheese, and ice cream cones served at the cafe.

After lunch, Camille's and Jonny's families drove down the coast to play golf at the top-rated Bandon Dunes Golf Course.  The rest of us drove back to Manzanita to watch the video Mike put together of our best photos from the family reunion, complete with music.

Dave and I took the long way back to Manzanita, via some picturesque beaches near Tillamook.  Every time you round a bend, while driving the Oregon coast, there is another spectacular view.

Finally, it was time to give final hugs, pack up, and go home.

2025 Family Reunion: Birthday Bash (7.10.25)

A birthday bash.  That's what we had on the evening of July 10, 2025.  We celebrated all family birthdays during June and July, from the one-year-olds to Kyle and Steve, in their fifties.  Camille, though, was the birthday girl representative, since July 10 was her actual birthday.  Camille got to blow out the candles on the cake. We then said "nice things" about each birthday girl or boy.  Kyle and Jono weren't with us in Manzanita, so Kyle's children and Jono's dad made videos of their "nice things" and texted them.

We then got to the "bash" part.  Jonny supplied the pinata, filled with candy and dollar bills. 

Jenny arranged the children, from youngest (Junie, at one) to oldest (Ezra, at 18), and supervised their attempts to slam the pinata wide open.

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For the littlest kids, this was their first pinata bash.

We soon got to the heavy hitters.

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Ezra broke the pinata wide open, and the kids came running with their paper sacks.

Family members spread out on their own adventures, during the day.  Jenny and Sam joined Dave and me in doing baptisms at the Portland, Oregon LDS temple.  By chance, we stopped at a Chik-Fila restaurant on opening day, with all the festivities.  If we had pinned spots to our white t-shirts, like some of the guests, and looked like cows, we could have gotten a free chicken sandwich!

We then joined Mike and his family at the Japanese Garden and the International Rose Test Garden.  The exquisite Japanese Garden was the best Asian garden I had ever seen.  Mike assured me there were 25 just as nice in Kyoto!

We then visited the International Rose Test Garden, with its acres of different varieties of roses.  I lingered in the "Fragance Garden", as Audrey ushered me from one sweet-smelling rose to the next.

Jonny took his boys to Astoria, north of Manzanita, to see the skeleton of a shipwreck on the beach.

2025 Family Reunion: Art and Marshmallows (7.9.25)

Cannon Beach is filled with art galleries, cafes, and ice cream parlors.  On July 9, 2025, Mike led Dave and me along the gallery trail shown on a Cannon Beach brochure, and then Dave and I ate lunch with Camille, Steve, Ezra, and Sophie at a cute cafe.  In the evening, we had a family picnic at Rockaway Beach and then built a fire in the sand and roasted marshmallows.

The Northwest has a tradition of glassblowing, with Chihuly of Seattle being the most famous glass artist.  We started our gallery hop at a glass gallery, where the owner told us that his glassblowers are the rival of any in the state of Washington!

We watched the glassblowers at work, and then Dave bought a paperweight to take home.

Audrey was fascinated by the glass and glassblowers.

We stopped at a nearby quilt store, where Audrey's parents bought her a small piece of pink fabric to take home.

Dave held onto Calder, who wanted the run of the store.

As we walked from gallery to gallery, we passed banks of flowers mixed with art.

We walked and walked, more than a mile, stopping at eight or ten galleries.  Finally, Audrey and Calder made it clear that enough was enough.

We had great weather for most of our reunion, but our luck ran out on the evening of July 9.  It drizzled as we ate the picnic Mike and Heidi had prepared.

We didn't let a little rain spoil a good party.  Grant and helpers dug a firepit in the sand and we spent an hour talking, laughing, and roasting marshmallows.  The rain stopped and this was one of our funnest evenings!