Bean Camp - Arrival weekend and Nana's memorial

Our summer really felt official when we took off for a week in Vermont. We rented "Bean Camp" at Everest Beach camps, next door to "Bob's Camp" which we had last year. My parents also rented Amy Morway's camp for the same week.

Happy faces on the ferry to Vermont

The first weekend of our camp stay revolved around preparing for Nana's memorial service, which was held on Sunday at 2pm. All that prepping didn't stop us from enjoying the traditional sunset cruise:

Uncle Rob loving the cruise on Mike & Kristen's boat

Here are some shots of the Bean Camp:

Main bedroom (upstairs)

Kids' bedroom (upstairs)

Living room (downstairs) looking out toward the screened in porch

On Saturday we enjoyed some time at the beach and on the boat.

Driving the Whaler

Cole, Hannah, Cora and Kali at the Sandbar

On Sunday, we hosted Nana's memorial. The good photos below are taken by my cousin Devon.

Checking out the 4 photo boards of Nana's life

The tent at 4 Zip's Place

Nana's ashes are in the yellow pineapple

We all wore nametags with our relationship to Nana and other superlatives --
Cole really got into the superlatives

Cora found the smallest puppy

Reading "In Barbara's Words"

 My great uncle Steve told a story about asking Nana for advice on how to impress a girl on a date, and she sent him a recipe for "blue cheese chicken," as he called it. He made it on three successive dates for a girl named Anne, who is now his wife. He always made it "with mashed potatoes, because I like mashed potatoes." The next weekend, Janet and I made this recipe with mashed potatoes. It was a hit. Good one, Nana.

The original blue cheese chicken recipe

After the memorial, a few of us decided to have a cousins' night out in Burlington:

Drew, Mike, Kelsey, Kristen, me, Devon, Trav (Nate took the photo) at the Red Square

Good times with good pals

Not too often we see 3am on the Big Rock these days.
This is Nate, me, Devon and Kelsey.

Monday was a pretty somber day -- the immediate family headed to Randolph, VT, to bury Nana's ashes at her grave site alongside Grampy.

Having the kids around lightens any somber mood, however.

At the grave site - Nana's ashes are in her pineapple cookie jar, as instructed.
Grampy's headstone is behind Janet.