Beach Reunion 2018

The grandkids and great-granddaughter

Rob on bended knee.

Leigh’s greatest love was her family, not just her immediate family,  but also her cousins, uncles, aunts, and her grandparents on both the Cooper side and the Dickert side.   Her favorite family activities were reunions, and we had many of them – Christmas reunions in Boone, on Cooper Ridge, in Rock Hill, and in Sumter.  She especially loved the Cooper family beach reunions.  My parents began the tradition of having the entire family spend a week together at the beach in 1983, and we’ve kept that tradition alive every year since.  In 1983 we could all fit into one house; now it takes four large houses plus a condo.  But we’re all within about three blocks of each other at Surfside Beach.

Louise and I and grandson, Findley, just made it back to Clemson after beach reunion #35 (if my math is correct).  This was one that Leigh would be especially proud of, as it was probably the largest in terms of attendees and certainly one of the most active in terms of non-stop action and maximum involvement.  In past reunions Leigh was usually the catalyst, organizing and encouraging the action and participation.  In her absence, others  have taken on that role.

Here are just a few of the activities we did this year that would have given Leigh much joy:

First night (Saturday night) – Many of us are sitting around at my brother, Mike’s, house after dinner (Mike grilled about 40 hamburgers and 20-25 hotdogs).  I’m thinking it’s about time to go around the block to our house and hit the sack when my grandson, Jake, rushes in and tells everyone to come out on the beach because somethings about to “go down.”  My first thought is, “Oh shit, a rumble!”  I start loosening up my arms and shoulders as I follow Jake out the door.  But alas, it’s not a rumble – my granddaughter, Haleigh, (Leigh’s daughter/Jake’s sister) is about to be proposed to by her boyfriend, Rob.  Haleigh is unaware of what’s about to go down, or at least she acts surprised when he kneels in front of her and the large crowd and asks her if she will marry him.  As she screams in delight, he places Leigh’s wedding ring on Haleigh’s finger.  Obviously he had Chris’s permission, as Chris gave him the ring.  Most of the family had never met Rob before that moment, but he was a big hit throughout the week and he fit right in with the Cooper clan.  As a matter of fact, he and Jake teamed up to win the four-day cornhole tournament championship.

On Sunday Louise and I hosted the family dinner, where we fed upwards of 60 people.  Just prior to the time for everyone to arrive to eat, Jake pulled me and Louise aside and asked us to go upstairs so he can interview us for the upcoming TV series about Jake and Jordan’s wedding from last month (the series is due to air sometime in January).  After about a 10-minute interview, we came back down to a lavishly decorated dining room and about 60 family members shouting “Happy Anniversary!”  An impromptu 50th Anniversary party.  Well, maybe not impromptu — someone obviously thought it out.

Each day except Wednesday and Friday, when we let every family do their own thing, one family (either mine  or one of my siblings’) hosts the main meal.  The meals are fantastic, to the point that I gain about 10 pounds during the week in spite of my one-hour beach walk every morning at 7 AM.  When we’re not eating, most of the younger crowd (under 60) are on the beach or back and forth between the beach and the swimming pool that comes with each house.   In the evenings, it’s usually cornhole until after dark, followed by spades until 2 or 3 AM.  I, personally, spend very little time on the beach after my morning walk, and I don’t do spades.  My dear friend, Louise Huey, really came through for me this year by loaning me the mother of all jigsaw puzzles.  It has 1500 pieces and is a hodgepodge of colors and images.  The rest of the family pretty much left it to me to work on, thinking I might be offended if they chipped in (or maybe just wanting to keep me busy and out of their hair).  Finally, on Wednesday I challenged everyone in our house to do at least 10 pieces each day.  Some of the family really got into it and we finished it on Thursday night (see below).

Mother of all puzzles courtesy of diabolical Louise Huey

Four nights of cornhole with 30-40 people involved.

We mixed in several other activities:  a birthday party for our great-granddaughter, Lynleigh, who just turned three; a round of golf (or something like golf); deep sea fishing; and bar hopping (mostly the 21-50 age group).  Also, on Friday, some of us went to the stadium at Myrtle Beach High School to watch our granddaughter, Regan, run in an AAU track meet.  She ran the 2000 meter steeplechase and won by almost 2 minutes over her nearest competitor in the 15-16 year age group.  No coincidence that her middle name is Leigh.

The beach week is always a mixed bag for me.  I love seeing everyone; I love the tradition; I love the food; I particularly love seeing the entire family together again.  But I sure miss Leigh.  I miss that spark that she always added.  I miss watching her run on the beach and watching the people on the beach watching her and wondering where all the other runners are, because she always ran like she was in a race.  I miss her laugh.  And now that the week is over, I miss her coming up to our house the night we get home to rehash everything about the week and relive the special memories.