Azure

Last Summer’s Family Reunion in Videos – Part I

/ Peter Klopp / 1 Comment

Even though I have fully embraced computer and digital technology, I have two problems with both. It has to do with their miniature size. On the cameras I find it often difficult to use the tiny buttons with which to control the settings. On the small SD cards fit thousands of images. If you happen to misplace the card or worse you accidentally erase the files, the loss of these visual treasures could cause a lot of pain. This almost happened to me, when my precious video files from last summer went missing and I had almost given up of ever finding the SD card again. As it turned out, I had put it in a “safe” place, a special card holder not much larger than a Canadian dollar coin. Recently I rummaged through my camera bag. Guess what, I found the card. The result is the video report of our family reunion 2014.

Introducing the Family on the Plank

Having Fun on the Paddle Boards

 

Mateo and Our Family Reunion

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Mateo Klopp (Chart I – V)

Mateo, our 15-year-old grandson, arrived with his family from Montreal at the end of July in 2014 and spent two weeks mostly camping at Taite Creek Camp Site on our beautiful Arrow Lake.

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Mateo Posing with Azure and Eméline

He has grown into an amicable young man. Of course, grandparents notice changes much more, especially when they don’t see their grandchildren very often. Mateo impressed us with his kind, caring and loving manner, with which he interacted with all family members, in particular with his two little half-sisters Azure and Eméline.

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Mateo, Stefan and Lisa playing ‘Ticket To Ride’

Great-grandmother Erika Klopp would have been delighted to see Mateo’s passion for card and board games. All he needs to learn to play now is the Kegler-Klopp favorite card game ‘Doppelkopf’! In my mind I already see the approving nods from his ancestors of Pomerania, Gutfelde and Watzenborn, if he were to take up this traditional family past time.

On a warm, sunny day his uncles Robert, Tony, Michael and Stefan, his aunts or aunts-to-be Angie and Lisa, a camping buddy from the next site, and two dogs set out with Mateo on an exploratory expedition in boats and canoes to find the elusive hot springs 10 km downriver at Octopus Creek. After hours of rowing and paddling they arrived at the mouth of the creek, where a scene of total devastation presented itself to their astonished eyes. Heavy spring rains and melt waters in previous years had completely destroyed this remote campground. Trees torn down by the flood were piled up in an almost impenetrable jumble of logs and debris.

Despite the obstacles the adventurers decided to climb up in search of the hot springs by following the creek upstream. But after a few hours of strenuous scrambling over and under fallen trees, which  were straddling precariously over the canyon walls, they gave up. Caution had prevailed in the face of danger and potential disaster. Although Mateo felt very tired being the youngest in the group, he was happy and cheerful, when they returned at our camp site.

Family August 2014

The P. and G. Klopp Family – August 2014

Right now he is back in Montreal studying hard to get good grades in Math, Science and Computer Programming. It seems he has found a concrete goal for his future career in life. He will most likely follow in the footsteps of his godfather Stefan. Biene and I are very proud of you, Mateo!

Granddaughter Azure – Chart I – V

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Azure Klopp

Our family reunion in the summer of 2014 was a great success. For the first time in a long time we had the entire Klopp family united. The fine August weather allowed us to spend some time together at Taite Creek campground. Even though it was very hectic at times, we all enjoyed being together and experienced the magic of belonging together as a family.

Azure fitted right in. Her great-grandmother on Opa’s side would have been rejoicing, if she had seen Azure taking part in all the games, especially the card games. She would have learned French just to play the game I played with Azure in the gazebo not far from the beach. The game required quite a bit of memory skills, which Azure had and I didn’t have enough of. The eager tone in her voice is still occasionally stirring in my mind and brings up precious memories of summer, “T’as grandpère?” When I answered, “Oui”, she would take the card with glee and added it to her ever-increasing collection of completed sets. Needless to say, she won all the games against Opa.

The grown-ups often played the highly competitive bocce game. Of course, Azure wanted to be part of it. However, lacking the ability to handle the heavy steel balls, she was only allowed to throw the little wooden jack for the players. She soon realized that she wasn’t really participating, and she got quickly bored. So I came to the rescue and offered to play with her a real bocce game with much lighter plastic balls. Soon her disappointment about being left out was forgotten, and we two had as much fun as the players higher up on the playing field. Merci, Azure, pour avoir parlé français avec moi!

Playing Cards with Opa
Playing Bocce with Azure
Making Important Calls