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There’s no place like it. There are the folk there. It’s where the heart is. The place to hang your hat.

Okay be warned this is one of the longest posts I've made...

The trip was fabulous! The Covey reunion amazing! I was a little nervous about going to the reunion, as there were a lot of people I’d never met or hadn’t seen in ages. I was thrilled to be with such a wonderful bunch of people. Hearing stories, listening to all memories of the past. I also amazed most of them and myself by knowing most all of their names after having only seen them this one time. I kept being asked how I did it. Honestly? I’m not really sure. I mean I repeated their names several times, I also wrote a seating chart on a napkin so I could review the people. It worked great until after dinner when everyone moved…

So here is the breakdown of our activities.
Thursday we left home at 5 AM, and arrived in Big Flat about…11? Not sure of the exact time. After unloading and spending time with my grandparents I took off my ATV and rode around the pasture. Man do they need rain down there. The hay field was brittle and brown. The garden had burned up. The ponds and creeks and rivers had shrunk considerably.

The government are still asses. They have that whole you can’t ride the ATV in any part of the national forest. They can kiss my ass! I have a place that I went for solitude, peace and recharging my batteries. Asses that the pencil dicks in DC are they have declared any ATVing in that entire area illegal. The only things this bullshit law has encouraged are the drug growers. Sorry for the tangent just thinking of this bullshit burns my ass.

So anyway. I was able to ride in the field challenging my skills by barrel racing around the round bales of hay. Man I can still rip it up! The only casualty of the day was my cigarette lighter. I still don’t know where I lost it. I rode back to the house and learned I had actually been gone for several hours. I met the first wave of family. My cousins several times removed: Delores, Devere and Devon Dodson. From only about 15 minutes of time I fell in love with cousin Devere. No I don’t mean the redneck went the family reunion to find a date deal. He is the most fascinating man. He’s been around for decades (sorry Devere but you know its true.) his wife Delores is ABSOLUTELY amazing. She gets these reunions planned and set every two years. Invitations, shirts, the logos for the shirts, the contacting family, she works SO HARD!

All right. Friday: We went to some place in Mountain View. I think the name of the restaurant was Joshua’s. Not sure so don’t quote me. There were at least 48 people in this room. Cousins, aunts uncles, you name them they were there. I had a great time meeting each of them. I also handed out dozens of my business cards and heard repeatedly how cool it was to have a famous person in the family. I don’t know how famous I am. I’m also not the only “famous” one in the family. This name may not mean much to some folks but there are many who do know it: Jimmy Driftwood. There is a theater in his name up in Mountain View. He wrote and performed many, MANY songs in the early 1930’s and even before.

Another famous relative is well known in the motor cross world: Tony Wynn. There is a track in North Little Rock in his honor. Tony was an amazing man.
So to be included in this class was an honor for me.

Devere was such a sweetie he lit me a cigarette and even went out and picked one to give me on Saturday. That was so wonderful! So we all had supper, visited for a while then went back to granny and grandpa’s house to play pitch. Granny and dad beat mom and me all five rounds we played.

Saturday we had to be at JoJos (a great restaurant in Mountain View that has the best catfish in the world. Since I don’t eat fish that hasn’t been frozen into squares I wasn’t all that hungry) at 11am. I was able to name each person well almost each. There were a couple that I didn’t actually get to meet. BUT out of all I met I was able to call them by name. Yes, I know I repeated this a lot, and I will do so before this has ended. I’m proud of myself. This is saying a lot for a person who doesn’t know what day of the week it is or when her birthday is (this is one I know EVERY woman has done at times). I also have trouble remembering my own phone number.

After JoJos we headed to the lodge at the Folk Center. Several members of the family were staying in the cabins so we were able to use the lodge. We spent hours in the great room snacking, visiting and having such a wonderful time. It was this day I got to spend a lot of time with my cousin Sharon Stiglio. She and her mom Karen and grandmother Kay had come up from North Carolina. Sharon was another member of the family I was able to truly connect with. Sharon and I went out for several trips to the smoking pit.

I got to spend a bit of time with one of my favorite cousins Johnny Covey. He’s a truck driver and just an all around great guy. I loved him even more when we were talking about our families. When I told him my oldest was soon to be 20 he looked surprised and told me I didn’t look old enough to have a 20 year old. Johnny, you made my decade!

Saturday night everyone was going to the square in town to listen to the different music groups that set up for music on the square. My dad didn’t feel well and my grandparents were tired so we headed back to the farm. I changed and headed out to the field to sit at the pond and be alone with my music and thoughts. I left at around 6 and told my mom if I wasn’t back by 7 to call out the reserves.

I was singing and watching the birds and such. I sat back in the seat leaned against the trunk case and closed my eyes. My dad comes riding up and says he’s been shouting for me. He could hear my singing but I didn’t hear him. Of course I didn’t. I had headphones on and the music cranked loud.

We head back to the house and load up my ATVs to take home. Have to get them ready for winter storage. So we load and I head inside. My mom gives me a look. It was after 8 before I came back from the pond. Ok so I was only an hour late.

After loading and all we have another round of pitch. My mom and I beat dad and granny in each of the three rounds we played. It was great.

Sunday we had to be in Mountain View by 8 am to have breakfast with the family. This meant being up by 6 and leaving the house by 7:15. Yippee. I hate mornings. We dress, finish loading our stuff for the drive home and head over to the Iron Skillet at the Ozark Folk Center and enjoy the Sunday breakfast buffet while visiting with each other and soon were saying our final goodbyes. It had been such a fabulous time I can’t wait for the Covey reunion in 2010.

I finally got back home about 5 last night.

I know I haven’t mentioned the names of all my fabulous relations. I guess I’m going to have to do a roll call:

Mackenzie, John, Chris, Caleb. Joyce and Weston Rinne. Jake and Clayton Bryant.
Gene and Linda Reece. Sue Neustifter. Maxine and Homer and Duane. Dwayne, Dylan, and Drew Covey. Alvin, Gerene and Jim Pitts. Robert Covey Reece, Melanie and Jackson Reece. Karen and Kelly Conley. Sharon Striglio. Kay Robinson. Dale (George) and Jan Covey. Hayley, DeeDee and Kaylen Pitts. Patsy Hammersley. Walter Henkel. Alan, Tracy, Austin and Max. Larry and Nancy (Covey) Lyon. Lance, Tamra (Covey) Ashlyne and Luke. Johnny and Carol Covey. James Baker. Dennis Baker. David and Bobbie Bolain. Norman and Valynn Covey. Susan Pitchford. Delores, Devere, and Devon Dodson.

To all of you, I had a wonderful time and I can’t wait to see you all at the next reunion. Johnny? I think I’ll be able to pass the test!

Love to you all!
Huggles,
Donica