Red River, NM -- DAY 1

I'm reporting to you live in Red River, NM, from the confines of room 27 at the Cooper Creek Lodge along the banks of the Red River.  It's approximately 70 degrees outside, overcast with a cool breeze.  We've spent most of the day enjoying the small town sites and playing games. However, this morning was an exercise in patience and futility.  We rounded up all 63 participants in the Johnson Family Reunion -- that's right...63 people and about 25 of them are under the age of 8.  You can only imagine the chaos that ensued when we tried to get EVERYONE to sit/stand/kneel still for this monumental undertaking. Of course we not only had to take a GIANT family photo, but then we had to take photos of each and every family.  It took no less than 90 minutes.  But in the end it was worth it.

After the photo shoot my brothers Jeff and Ryan and my sisters-in-law Ellie and Jamie and I walked into "down town" and had lunch at Shotgun Willie's Cafe.

 Later, after a few games of Yahtzee and Skip-bo, we walked with all the kids back "down town" for some ice cream.  The evening was caped-off by a few old stories about Hawaiian myths from Grandma Johnson.  It's been a very full day and a great beginning for this family reunion.