Fun time in Yucaipa

 Not sure this rally was going to happen with the wildfires in some mountain areas. But, we arrived to clear blue skies with no sign or smell of smoke in the area. It was a little chaotic trying to check in with the group spaces but once our hosts Bobby and Sherry Blankenship arrived everything got straightened out

What a beautiful park and surrounding area. Monday started with morning coffee and homemade coffee cakes. Lucky for us, Sherry enjoys baking ! The day was spent catching up with each other, playing cards, ladder golf, corn hole or just checking out the park. Highlight of the day was a potluck dinner followed by telling jokes around the (propane) campfire. 

David, the official pie cutter

On Tuesday morning, most of the group caravanned to Oak Glen to checkout the cider mills, bakeries, gift shops, pick your own fruit orchards and restaurants.          

 

Bill manning the grill

Dinner was a barbecue, followed by movie trivia around the campfire. Sherry would recite a line from a movie and whoever knew what movie  it was from would shout it out. A few examples are: 

"I feel the need for speed" (Top Gun); "You had me at Hello" (Jerry McGuire); "I see dead people" (Sixth sense); "Hasta la vista, baby" (Terminator 2) "No one puts baby in the corner" (Dirty Dancing)

The winner was David Heiman. What a great memory he has...and he must spend a lot of time watching movies.😉      

That night, we were treated to a trifecta of lunar spectacles, a Harvest moon, Supermoon and a partial lunar eclipse. A September full moon is referred to as the harvest moon because it coincides with the fall harvest season. This year, the Harvest moon also happens to be a Supermoon, which is when the moon appears brighter and larger than the average full moon because it is closer to earth. Also, around 10pm the upper portion of the moon was covered in darkness with part of the earths shadow. These three lunar events occurring at the same time are quite rare (information from ScrippsNews.com)

Wednesday was another relaxing day of card playing and outdoor games including Bochy ball. Livee enjoyed running after the balls but fortunately didn't return them back.

We know the Shanty Shakers are LEOs...love eating out ! It wasn't easy to find a place in the small town of Yucaipa that could accommodate a group of  24 people. We ended up off the beaten path in an Mediterranean restaurant but the food was authentic and delicious.

Bobbie and Sherry planned the masterpiece performance for that evening, YOU ARE THE FAKE STAR This took a few months of planning, begging, bargaining, convincing, and arm twisting. Not to mention "googling" for the right music to download, sort and organize to create a playlist. It was a night that will go down in Shanty Shaker history. We saw lip syncing performances from Elvis, Sonny and Cher, John Denver, the Cordettes, the Temptations, the Chiffons, the Beach Boys, Brooks and Dunn, the Lovin' Spoonful, Bucky Covington, a rendition from Annie Get Your Gun and more.

You Tube Playlist for more performances (HIT PLAY ALL)

On the last night of the rally, we were treated to a feast of sloppy joes paid for by the Chapter but made  by Sherry and Bobbie along with assorted side dishes. Dessert was birthday cake to celebrate another trip around the sun for Nadine Curry and Dan Garcia.

  

Thanks to everyone who provided pictures for this write-up. A big thanks to Bobbie and Sherry for hosting their first rally. What a great time we had !

Random photos: