Vintage Family Photo

My oldest brother recently sent the following photo via e-mail to family members:

It’s a scanned copy of a photo of my mother with my four oldest siblings. They are from left to right: Evelyn, Edwin, Eden, and Efren. I would guess that this photo was taken in the mid-1950’s. As you can see, the photo has seen better days – with torn corners, countless crease marks, faded areas, and overall signs of degradation thru the years. The photo is priceless. It is great that thru modern technology, the image will live on quite a bit longer.

Fashionably Dressed

I stopped in Seattle for just over four days during the first week of May, after a one week work related training in DC. I was able to attend a special 18^th birthday of a cousin’s daughter during my visit. It was a semi-formal party and wouldn’t you know it, I attended wearing shorts with a t-shirt under a short sleeve shirt. Needless to say, I was dressed too casually and felt out of place. After a week training in DC, the only clean clothes I brought with me to Seattle were shorts and t-shirts, my typical weekend wear.

These were some of the people that were dressed properly for that party:

My great-niece Cameron and niece Ina.

With Ina.





My great-niece Jen.





My nephew Jojie, sister Evelyn, and great-nephew Nathan.





With Nathan, who is now taller than I am.





But the most stylishly dressed person in the party: My great-nephew Jayan.

Mek Mek

I have a nephew named Marcus. He goes by the name Mek Mek. The origin of this nickname is from his older brother who could not say his name correctly as a kid. He would try to say “Marcus” but it would come out as “Mak ko.” The name transmutated to Mek Mek. This is probably because of the practice of repeating syllables in the Filipino language, especially in young kid’s names. Mek Mek became his common name. Everyone called him by this name. As he grew older, his name was shortened to Mek. And how did I come to this subject?

I was in Seattle earlier this summer. I was checking out Nordstrom’s half-yearly sale, and I came upon this:

Just so I don’t get Mia, Mek’s younger sister, jealous. I also have a picture for her taken earlier this summer in Salzburg, Austria.

Family Camping at Twenty-five Mile Creek State Park, July 2009

The annual Antonio Family and Friends camping took place 3-5 July 2009. A small contingent was able to start out the festivities a day early and were there 2 July. This year’s event took place at Twenty-five Mile Creek State Park, located in north central Washington, near Lake Chelan. Mother Nature blessed us with nice weather throughout the duration of camp. It may have been a bit hot for some due to lack of shady areas, but the camp location with the lake and a creek nearby provided areas for a quick cool down.

This year’s event turned out to be an amazing weekend. We had the highest turn out ever. Over 110 people participated, with nearly 30 tents set up, 30+ vehicles to coordinate parking, and multitude of dogs to quiet down during camp quiet hours. It is nearly impossible to plan for such as event. Events of this magnitude will always have hiccups. We were able to adjust and adapt to these glitches without any major issues. Despite the smaller campsites, the vehicle parking situation, the lack of shady locations, and the hot weather, we ended up at great campground location with a marvelous view of the lake and the local landscape, camp participants more than willing to park the additional vehicles where they needed to be, delicious meals, variety of fun activities, and everyone working together to make the gathering special. Everything fell into place and everyone had an enjoyable experience.

All partook in the multitude of activities – from boating and jet-skiing around the lake, swimming by the marina, playing “pusoy”, morning yoga, crossfit exercise, and guitar playing and sing-alongs to just lounging around the shade and catching up on everyone’s state of affairs. The kids had a great time by the lakeside, making s’mores by the campfire, making mud pies, and outdoing each other with the biggest soap bubbles. Everyone enjoyed the variety of food during meals and the snacks served in between. It was certainly a weekend to remember.

I commend the group who planned and organized this event. The group went out of their way to get this year’s camping event a success. Many do not realize the time and effort they put forth. They usually do not get the acknowledgment for their accomplishment. Most have come to expect the standard that they set last year; it was surpassed this year. The necessary logistics to get this underway were many – from securing a date, securing a campsite, getting people to pay their share, cooking assignments, planning activities for all especially for the kids, providing directions to the campgrounds, being flexible with last minute changes, and host of other things. I express my gratitude to the organizing committee - - special thanks to Jay and Ron who took the lead in this endeavor. Jay and Ron were persistent in ensuring this year’s event was a success. They have also taken criticism from a few on what some may have perceived as shortcomings. I, for one, know how hard it is to plan for this event. I used to lead the planning and organizing for this event. It is an arduous and thankless task.

I hope each and every one of you who participated in this year’s family camping, personally express your gratitude to the organizing committee.