In late June we returned to the Shasta Lake Dam area for the Zemba family reunion. Damon's mother's mother was Tanya Zemba, the big sister to NINE younger brothers. The children, grandchildren (and now great-grandchildren) of Tanya and her brothers meet every 3 years or so for a big reunion.
We last went in 2007, when I was pregnant with Gunnar. Returning this June, we had added 2 children to our family. Holly, at just 4 1/2 weeks old, was the youngest family member there.
We spent 3 nights at Coram Ranch where 60+ family members shared several houses, a horseshoe pit, ping pong table, swimming pool, water balloon toss, and a big potluck dinner every night. There were several times I thought we were crazy for bringing 4 children, one of them brand-new, on this trip, but we really had a great time reacquainting ourselves with and meeting new Zemba cousins. Many of them live in the Northwest, but 3 of them came from Ohio where the Zembas (Tanya's parents) originally settled when they immigrated from Czechoslovakia in the early 1900s. Although now in their fifties, those 3 siblings had never met any of their west coast Zemba cousins.
Because of all the fun--and the newborn--I didn't pull the camera out until our last night at the ranch when it was time for some accordion music, a tradition among the Zembas.
Here, the 2 youngest--and only living--Zemba brothers, Tom and Danny, jam with their nephew (Damon's Uncle Daniel) and Danny's daughter Connie:
Here's the audience, enjoying the polkas and other tunes. Adah is in the bright green shirt sitting in the wagon in the center of the picture. Her grandma (Damon's mom) is on the far right.
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