SShhh, it is a surprise!

Last Saturday, we furtively left at dawn. Before dawn actually. We got up at 4:00 AM, which is quite an achievement when you are not a morning person. (I am not a morning person). We left quickly for Seattle airport. Our flight was at 7:00. 

I thought I would sleep during the flight but I remained 45 minutes in torpor. We landed at Spokane and from there drove. Irvin had mentioned our arrival on his facebook page then quickly deleted the post. We could have been noticed by the wrong person.

We arrived in Kamiah, Idaho, a little town on the Nez Perce reservation where we caught up with our coconspirators. The secret had been well kept.

And a little later, Irvin’s older sister, Chris, came in. She thought she was going to celebrate her 60^th birthday with her family and friends living in the area. She discovered that her brothers from Arizona, from Kentucky, and us – from Washington state – had come to party with her, along with beloved cousins.

Chris can't believe her eyes! 

Chris and Fred, the brother who lives in Kentucky

She had not suspected anything and overwhelmed with joy and emotion, she kept repeating that she did not want any presents, that her family was her gifts.

Still, there were presents. Her siblings all pinched in to offer her a Pendleton blanket, a Native tradition. They picked up the one called “dancing baskets”, a reminder of the Pima heritage of their family. They wrapped Chris in the blanket as it is customary to do.

There were lots of joy and fun to share – which made it really worth it to wake up before the sun rose.

From left to right : Luther (Buzz) and Ron, from Arizona, Grace (who had the initial idea) Irvin, Chris and Fred. Kendrick, the youngest brother, could not make it from Arizona. John and Randy passed away.