Foster Palooza Highlights…
Johnny-on-the-Spot … by John Foster …
The Fosters gathered earlier this summer and someone suggested that we should all get together again for an extended weekend.
That’s how “Foster Palooza 2023” was born.
It was decided we would gather on Pelee Island in the Canadian waters of Lake Erie in late September/early October.
Our plans were nearly dashed when sister Chuckie had knee surgery just weeks before the soire` was planned.
But she “gutted it” out and made the trip.
We even had special parking provisions made for when we boarded “The Pelee Islander II” in Kingsville, Ontario.
They parked us right next to the elevator.
Same thing for the trip home 3 days later but the elevator was out of order for that trip.
Oh well!
I met middle sister Jeanne in Columbus, Ohio and we spent the night with cousin Donna and her guy George.
They fried up several pounds of Lake Erie perch caught earlier in the week.
It tasted even better the next day when we saw “Lake Erie Yellow Perch” for sale in the frozen food section of an Ohio grocery store for $27.99 a pound.
Didn’t realize at the time we might have been munching on about $90 worth of fish.
We also played euchre after dining.
Donna and George are serious “euchre-ists”.
I was teamed up with George and he dragged us to victory.
The next day Jeanne and I headed to Ohio to meet up with sister Chuckie.
On the way we stopped at the Coney Island in Main Street in our home town of Mansfield, OH for their famous conies, fries and a Coke.
They had all sorts of memorabilia from Mansfield Senior High School and we found a copy of the 1940 “Manhigan” year book.
We located our Dad’s photo and remarked how much nephew Brandon looked like him.
We spent the night with Chuckie in Ashland, OH but not before we attacked a Gionino’s Pizza. and ate it all and maybe some of the box it came in.
Jeanne and I also tried to get Chuckie’s 4 parakeets to repeat rude and offensive comments.
The birds listened intently but I don’t think they caught on.
Early the next morning we headed for Kingsville, Ontario, Canada by way of Detroit, Michigan.
I’m proud to say we passed through the Motor City twice…without incident.
Stay on the main routes in that city and you’re fine but it can get a bit “nervous” if you get off the interstates.
Passing through customs on the Ambassador Bridge was uneventful.
When the customs officer questioned our relationship, I was tempted to say, “We’re just Foster children” but he didn’t look like the type with a great sense of humor.
I thought body cavity searches and a complete unloading of our car might delay our arrival on Pelee so I let someone else answer.
When we got to Pelee, Jerry and her hubby Howard greeted us in front of their house on the “laneway” (Canadian for driveway).
They told us to follow and they stopped in front of a ramshackle house and said, “Here’s where you’re staying” before giving us our “Mon-Keys” and cold beers in can coozies.
Well played “Pretty Baby!”
(That’s Jerry’s moniker)
“Mon-Keys” was a salute to our dear old Dad and a childhood incident from years ago that involved “The Golden Key” in Mansfield, OH.
The cold beer was a sign of things to come.
It’s just the “Pelee Way” when Fosters go to Canada’s most southern point of entry.
We were bunked at the guest housing at the winery, just a short drive from the Hoopers.
It was really nice and convenient and we were just a stone’s throw from the island “butterfly sanctuary”.
But don’t throw any stones because the “butterfly lady” might attack.
At the Hoopers we seemed to constantly eat, drink beer and tell stories.
I don’t know if we drank more or laughed more.
Kristen and her guy Joe had just sold his house and there was another reason to pop a cold one.
They brought their two French bulldogs and Joe spent most of the weekend keeping their female French Bulldog from biting sister Jeanne and me.
Seems the pooch was still uptight after have her puppy-making apparatus disconnected.
Nephew Brandon brought his nifty BB gun rifle which shot white plastic biodegradable BB’s.
Of course the men had to try some target shooting off the Hooper’s backyard deck.
Then Howard and I thought it would be fun to toss empty beer cans into the air for more lively target practice.
That was followed by a suggestion that we put water in the empties since we could toss them higher.
Niece Kristen saw empties flying in the air from the kitchen window and wondered aloud “what those boys were up to”.
Several tried some shooting but I just offered to empty more targets.
Did I say there was beer at this event?
We celebrated the birthdays of both Brandon and Kristen with a cake and some pretty bad singing.
But there was beer involved.
Eventually, Chuckie, Jeanne and I arose in the pre-dawn darkness of a Pelee Island Monday morning in early October to start the trip back home.
Lake Erie was like a mirror that morning and the fog was rather thick.
The return home ferry board ride sort of mirrored my mood…calm and somewhat hard to see.
As is the case with many families, it’s hard to gather everyone together, except for the occasional wedding or funeral but I’m glad my sisters pulled this off.
We relived old family stories and friends and ate way too much.
But it was all so good.
Did I mention there was cold beer available?
Canada has a pretty good aluminum can recycling plan and the Hoopers would get 10 cents per empty.
We left them with a bumper crop.
Some had BB holes in them.
Did I say there was beer around?
I’m just glad there were no flowers or condolence cards involved.
But there was beer.