Bates Burning Man 2018

John's Bates' buddies are so good about getting together with their families every summer.  We have missed a few gatherings over the years, but most years this becomes one of our favorite weekends of the summer.  It has been really fun to see all the kids grow up and make connections with each other. 

We started our weekend with a lunch in Portland with Alex and Izzy.  It was the perfect way to get our land legs back and experience a bit of the Portland vibe.

This years event was hosted by Joc and Kelly at Whitton Pond in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  It's a lovely home that Joc's parents began building in the 70's. Ander (age 13) and Avery (age 15) were also amazing hosts-- especially to our kids.

As with most Bates Burning Man weekends, we try to do some projects.  This year we stacked wood in as the Norwegians do and did some trimming/clipping before hitting the pond.

Meals were prepared, games were played, and ice cream was churned:

Some things remain the same every year, but friendships evolve and grow!

This year, Cally, Ander and Kelly came up with some prompts so that we could have our own "Bates BUrning Man Moth Story Hour".  We gave people a bunch of prompts to choose from......  The stories were wonderful and it was so fun to learn more about these old friends.

This multi-generational event is such a joy!  It seems to all come together so seamlessly with meal prep, clean up, and flow, but I know that it takes a lot of behind the scene work from the hosts (having been one six years ago).  I'm so glad that these folks still make the effort to bring everyone together.  The memories are priceless.