11 August 2013 - Williamsburg

This week was the much-anticipated Fails Family Reunion in Williamsburg, VA.  All five brothers and sisters plus Dianne and Phil came together for a week of fun together.  Our first day in we went to Busch Gardens and by the end of the week, we'd gone three more times and ridden each of the five big coasters several times.

We had a lot of fun cracking a mysterious revolutionary code and learning about the founding history of our country.

Karl, Jennifer and Amy (+ some kids) touring the old courthouse.

The girls in front of the governor's palace.

Who doesn't like sitting on the fence?

While we were there Jessica had her 14th birthday.  Joanne is always looking for craft ideas, and the recent return of Twinkies meant the possibility of minion treats.

In the end we made a couple dozen of these chocolate dipped marshmallow minions, and Jessica wore her shirt to match.

For her trouble, among other things, she got a minion Dave, who in turn got Aunt Jolene's sombrero from her birthday dinner earlier in the week.

When I was 17 I traveled with a school group to Washington D.C. and Colonial Williamsburg.  23 years later, I was back on the campus of The College of William & Mary, this time with my family.

We had a wonderful time with our family.  In addition to Busch Gardens and Colonial Williamsburg, we also went to a water park a couple of days and found time to fit in a round of golf.  It was a great trip that went by way too fast.  When it was over, it was time to head for Idaho and get ready for the coming school year.