2007 Northcutt Reunion
Dear friends and family,
Excuse my absence for a month or so, but minor surgery, bronchitis, and then a 'bag of potatoes' fall off my front steps onto concrete, have colored my life lately. Then when I try my wireless laptop, my linksys is misbehaving. But now with using my linking software I have with the company, one of my IT guys logged into my machine and bingo, I am up and going again. Nice part, NO CHARGE!/Jeff
***************Original Post*******************************
June 12, 2007
Dear Friends and Family,
The weekend was Perfecto! If you could ask for perfect weather, we had it.
If you ask for wonderful friendships and fun, we had it.
Should you have ask for good food and drink, we had it!
Was everyone to have fun and play in the sun, we did it!
Was the fellowship and renewal there, it was in spades!
Friday night was a gathering of Northcutt’s at Roy Harrison Northcutt’s home on Ivy trail. The yard was filled with cars and you could see the garage open with soft drinks and several cases along the wall with ice and other refreshments. The family was gathered on the deck, in the den, and in the living room, all finding their comfortable spots for the evening.
It was getting acquainted and seeing who all was there. I cannot begin to remember who all was there but it was a good group. We don’t get to see each other until times like this and it was hugs and kisses and sitting with friends and finding about what all has been going on over the last year or so.
Later, about 7:30, our pizza’s arrived and you have never seen a picnic table in Roy’s car port with as many Pizza Hut pizzas as there were. It was in stacks, with all the different varieties that PH carries. We each had many, really too many slices of pizza of every variety under the sun. That with my can of ‘adult beverage’ was just one bite this side of wonderful.
The great part is the night was cool and it was great sitting outside or wherever without mosquitoes as it had been so dry they were far and few between. It took two adult beverages to wash mine down, really a nice dinner. Karen and I had not had lunch and my stomach thought my throat was cut. Karen helped Jeff Miller sting some jugs for doing some jug fishing for catfish. They fixed about 20 jugs and several went out in Roy’s boat and put them along the shore on Jimmy and Kathy’s side of the lake. I do know they caught 2 or 3 but Kathy went out the next morning and the 30 to 40 pound catfish got away. Kathy was retrieving one of the jugs caught along the bank snagged in some branches and when she pulled on the line, the catfish broke water and his weight and strength snapped the line. Good try Kathy!
The hotel room 309 was great at Hampton and the $60.00 rate for the Northcutt’s saved each of us a bunch. I know this as when we checked out, they left 310’s bill under our door by mistake and one night was $98.00. Humm! Thanks Jim and Kathy for these great rooms. Karen crashed as soon as we got there as we checked in before we went to Roy’s. I watched the end of one movie on HBO and all of another and did not go to sleep until after midnight.
But with this being a vacation, we woke up at 8:30, each now refreshed to get to Jimmy and Kathy’s by 10:30. I jumped into shorts and we each bought our coffee thermos and I filled both downstairs with ‘robust’ coffee and got a plate full of donut, bearclaws, and cinnamon-raisin biscuit. That gave Karen and me two pastries each with over 2 cups of wake up coffee.
Shorts, pullover, baseball caps, and tennis shoes after showers and we are off to the second day of our reunion at J & K’s home. Like always the yard and driveway was beginning to fill with Northcutts, Nutters, Shooks, Guytons, Millers, and others. It was pickups, SUV’s, and trailers with boats and Nelson and Marion’s car with two canoes on top. We missed the Harpers and McCloud and Jack Nutter family and Holifield families. Grandchildren events, Jack’s knee surgery, and Angela involved at the farm, just to let you know these were missed.
Again it was a great gathering. The dining room table was covered with pictures and books Laurie and Steve brought that Bobbie had and she wanted us to have them. There was a 1930 or 1931 Kallista that someone took a crayon and black pen to, and put glasses or mustaches on all the pictures. But it is a collectable and we have it and got several pictures that had 6 or the 7 children Momee and Granddaddy had. We got some old pictures of our Midgie and Leona that are precious. Too many to name, but I think each family got some of these, a great addition not expected.
Jimmy called all of us out to the center of the back yard and everyone was given a gas filled white balloon. I had gone over all the loved ones we have lost and Jimmy read a short prayer and named off all our loved one’s. We then went down to the lakefront and when told, all the white balloons headed toward heaven with each of our prayers. I know they all are smiling down on us even now.
The FOOD! Did I say FOOD? 1:30 pm Sam’s BBQ delivered our ‘pulled hot smoked BBQ pork’ and some chicken fingers. This with your choice of sauce, homemade potato salad, baked beans, slaw, chips, and you can choose your own drink. The garage was lined with coolers with anything you image. Karen and I had a chest with beer, water, and coke. Others had ice, glasses, cold tea, even coffee if you wished. The desserts were overwhelming with blueberry, cherry pies, chocolate cake, pound cake with white icing, blackberry cobbler, and double-chocolate chip brownies. Mine was a little of two or three just enough to cover my dessert plate. Now where can I lie down and get a nap?
Jeff Miller and I forget his partner, won the money on the houseshoes. We had great participation with $25.00 each going to the winner and the runner ups got $10.00 each. John Guyton and myself survived two rounds but then it was playing for blood. At that level, they throw ringers and leaners and it was a tough final round. But great entertainment with all of us in folding chair surrounding the two pits where the rounds were played. Great fun!
The evening was a great breeze off the lake and we sat around on the deck and talked. There were wave runners the younger group enjoyed. The house boat made two or three trips around the lake with as many on board as they could allow and with proper life preservers. The little kids loved the ramp leading to the boat deck and it was ‘SPLASH’ into the water.
Then it was the NUTTCUTT 3 par golf range. You have done this or it is hitting an anchored canoe about 120 yards out and it was trying to hit it or closest ball. It was one of our most senior brothers first, and Bill Northcutt, with his left handed swing HIT THE CANOE WITH HIS FIRST BALL. There were lots that were close but it sure set the standard of who would take the money. Then it is the younger and older group with the long ball trying to hit in front of the land bar without going over it. The younger guys have a definite advantage here as their swing is ‘swish’, or that is the sound the shaft makes cutting the air before contact with the ball. The sound of the club head hitting the ball is a clean ‘click’! Then the clunk right in front of the reeds on the island. Done deal.
But they all did well and when winners were announced, Bill and Sherry were sitting with us at one of the picnic tables. Sherry offered to go and get his winnings, but Bill was up, insisting on going. Bill said “it may be my last time to get my earned acclaim!”
Bill enjoyed the walk down to the lake front to all our applause and collecting his reward.
Great job Bill!!!
The evening was your own, snacking for you dinner, and another round of maybe a BBQ sandwich and a glass of cold water. Some left telling everyone goodbye as they had long trips to make. Some of us, like most parties, Karen and I helped close the joint!!!Fun, Fun, Fun!!!
Sunday was a survivors breakfast back at Roy’s home across the lake. We had fresh fruit, breakfast pizza made with eggs, sausage, spices, all baked in a pizza crust. Watermelon, cantelope, grapes, and pastries and hot coffee, orange juice and plenty of cold milk. We again were able to sit outside as the lake breeze was nice this early in the am and we talked, visited, and all made plans to stay in touch with each other.
Bill Northcutt wanted to stay with Jim and Kathy a while longer, so Sherry rode back to Birmingham with us and met her brother Buddy at the Goody’s parking lot on 31S across from the Galleria. It was fun riding with Sherry and having some great conversation during our ride back. We called Bubby when we hit I-459 and we hooked up without any problem.
It was a fun time for all this extended and growing number of Northcutt’s. I don’t know about you but I missed you guys before we got back to 59S toward Vestavia. I do hope all appreciate this effort by Jimmy and Kathy and Roy in opening their homes so generously for all of us. You guys are very special. We all have to promise to keep up this tradition, my generation, my children’s generation, and their children’s generation. We are a super family with so much love, it is hard for me to put it in words. Karen said until she married me, she had never ever seen anything like it. Thanks to all that contributed money, material, time, recreational equipment, food, desserts, drinks, everything. You too are special and so generous! We are ONE FAMILY!!!
