Homecoming at Amy and Jesse's - Pot Luck and Relaxed Table Gaming in St Cloud.

St Cloud Weaver Seasonal Homecomings

 The St Cloud Weaver's have evolved our own "Easy Does It" late fall and early winter solstice, gathering, I am choosing to call our "Homecoming", as we have rotating gatherings from the original St Cloud Weaver family of creation home at 520 6th Ave S, now the home to Sue and Nate, and with Amy and Jesse's home just northwest of downtown St Cloud on 14th in the St John Cantius Church historic neighborhood. Jesse purchased the home during the time of the Obama rebates and this is another of a continuing series of our family of creation gatherings.
For more info about the working class neighborhood near the train tracks check out 
http://www.sctimes.com/article/99999999/NEWS0101/303250001/

 I was the first to arrive, greeted by Bellas and Jesse, as Amy was out shopping at Coborns around 10 AM.  I drove up through the fog from St Louis Park, having started the roasts, I had begun in the white portable roaster at 6 AM, "Boeuf a la mode; boufe en daube" in the spirit of my inner Julia Child.   Honoring my spirit given Nature as a Two Spirited Man.  - braised beef pot roast..  Beef roasts with some veggies. Great smells in my apartment, in my van and here along with the new Danish Kringle, made in Racine Wisconsin.  I had no idea how pleasant the pastry tastes, both boys and Amy noticed the almond flavor that is more mild that the marzipan we have had at other homecoming - St Nick's, Thanksgiving, Solstice gatherings in the past. 

Package of Kringle I discoverd  at my neighborhood Trader Joe's on the way up. Enjoyed with Jesse and Amy with coffee as we waited for Sue and Nate of arrive

Amy soon returned and began preparing the brussel sprouts drizzled with olive oil, to add to our progressive informal food sharing.  

One of the gifts I received at the Path to Spirit Weekend, from the Gift Blanket, was this Friendship Candleholder made of kisii stone, from the Kenyan tradition of the elders gathering around a fire to share stories.  When I arrived I shared the story with Amy and Jesse and lit a candle in their home, to honor the spirit of growing friendship and connection.  Interest there are 5 figures and there are 5 of us who gathered this year.  Grateful for a life of continued awaress of  synchronicities on my path.

Sue was the next to arrive, and stepped up and created what she calls a "Fruit Turkey" .  We decided to have roast beef for our main roasted protein this year. In past years, we have had goose, salmon and even an organic turkey.  Fun to have the fruit "turkey" to share this year. 

Jesse and Amy, our homecoming hosts again this year, sharing a hug and the cheese and cracker plate (they texted me early requesting the Cotswold Cheese that I picked up at Tj's along with some cheddar and crackers....

Mutti Sue enjoys sharing he Bananagrams game, where each player makes their own crossword puzzle, Scrabble like word diagram.  Amy, Sue and I started, Amy looking at her work, then Sue, Jess and Nate watching. As the only active photographer in this gathering, I stepped back to capture the scene. 

 

One of my  goals after attending the Path to Spirit Training Nov 14 - 16 at Camp Caanan formerly Haimowoods, near Kenosha Wisconsin, is to continue model my ongoing amends (think steps 8 and 9 of a 12 step program),  by showing up differently, with Nate, Sue, Jesse and Amy and dropping into my body, with embodied self awareness, without an agenda, expectation or any reason to know "Why?" 

David L, one of the leaders of the PTS Training weekend, read this short short book, The Lesson, A Fable for Our Times, at a meal on the weekend, and gifted each "pilgrim" as we are called on this path, with one of these books. I had read it for my adopted sister Jane Newell, when she came to support my ongoing clearing and cleaning of my apartment this week, and one of my goals for Mastery of the PTS, is to share with my path partner, John M, who lives in Evanston, my goals and then following up. Thanks John.  So, while all 5 of us were gathered around the playing table with our beverages, I read the entire book of lessons.

 

Here is the introductory page with  Robert's first day of school, with the inside cover. Here is a link

http://myfavbooks.wordpress.com/2007/12/24/the-lesson-a-fable-for-our-times-by-carol-lynn-pearson/

Each of us shared some of our emotional awareness as to how we have and are experiencing the school of life now as adults.  ( I suggest this is a good book to prime the pump for sharing of our emotional, spiritual and relationship journeys in a good way) 

While sharing after the reading, I inquired as to the message of Nate's T shirt. He said it is a reference to the Coen Brother's movie The Big Lebowski. That the bowling pin, relates to a theme in the movie. This is one of the Coen Bros movies I have not yet seen. The Coen brothers  were raised in St Louis Park where I now live, and recall the Rabbi in A Serious Man, was a parody of a Rabbi they knew here! 

Here is the link to Nate's reference.  Well, I suppose this needs to be part of my movie literacy goals, to find this film?  :-)  And let Nate know I might "get it, from his perspective "

I did look at a plot summary on wiki, and now I "get" the reference to bowling. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Lebowski

In 1991 Los Angeles, slacker Jeff "the Dude" Lebowski is roughed up by two thugs who demand money that Lebowski's wife owes to a man named Jackie Treehorn. After one of the thugs urinates on his rug, both they and Lebowski realize that they have mistakenly attacked the wrong Jeffrey Lebowski. The Dude meets his bowling friends, the timid Donny and the temperamental Vietnam veteran Walter Sobchak. Encouraged by Walter, the Dude approaches the other Jeffrey Lebowski, a cantankerous elderly millionaire in a wheelchair, to seek compensation for his ruined rug.............



 Nate with his Jeep soon to drive Jesse and Amy to Waite Park and the storage unit, with my utility trailer in tow behind my van. 
To set the stage for this home coming, I had taken an inventory of our various "stuff" in a rental storage unit, I have had over the past 5 years, early in Oct, and Nate, who has stored one of his former money making gaming modules there, along with Jess and Amy, joined in a caravan to clear out the unit Oct 25 last Saturday in October.  I loaded the wagon with cast iron wheels into the back seat of my van and got it ready to take to Ohio  through Chicago, arriving in Chicago Nov 8, and driving to Ohio on Nov 11, Veterans, where I  visiting  with Jerry Allison and family and friends at the West Carrollton Historical Society Museum.....

 Paul Henry Weaver, age 5, with Henry Eicher is maternal grandfather, Christmas 1915 @ 321 E Main St, West Carrollton OH. Photo by Noah Elwood Weaver....

Tom Weaver, yours truly, returning the Overland Wagon, wood with cast iron wheels to the West Carrollton Historical Society on Central t, just one block from 321 E Main Street where my dad, Paul H Weaver received the gift some 99 years ago this season.  Photo by Jerry Allison, President, WCHS...

Pendleton Wool Trading Goods and Cups!

My visit to the Pendleton Store in Michigan City, between Chicago and Ohio.   After visiting my friend Bob Shiel in Chicago Sunday and Monday,  I was committed to returning my fathers wooden wagon, he received for Christmas in 1915. (See above, that I liberated from storage in WaitePark-StCloud this fall) Using 21st Century techology I googled Pendleton Outlet, and found the store in Michigan City and made my way there early Nov 11, leaving Chicago by 6 AM, up and over the Skyway to Indiana to have breakfast in Michigan City by 8:15 or so.


I gifted a Pendleton Wool shirt, Large for Nate, and Large Tall for Jess, as well as another fabric for Amy.  Here are the boys checking out the fit...


Brothers Nate and Jess with their new plaid Pendletons......

And a little hijinx with Amy passing by. 

 

While continuing to graze on food and drink, Sue, Nate, Amy and Jesse are playing a pick up game of cribbage, one of the St Cloud Weaver traditional activities at our gatherings. 

All in all, a relaxing and satisfying Weaver traditional homecoming to complete our holiday obligations, earlier than usual.  From a place of spirit, it is great to witness, from an ocean of acceptance I free myself and others to be our selves... Next time, I will invite others to add a photo of me :-) 

I am still learning lessons!!!