A Labor Day Family Get-Together and a Day Sailing

This was Labor Day, September 2008. We had a big family gathering, with what felt like a whole new generation of cousins, babies, and toddlers all running around. We spent part of the afternoon in a big, grassy backyard, trying to corral everyone for the classic group photos. It's never easy to get one where everyone is looking at the camera, but we gave it a good shot in the warm, late-summer sun.

There was a nice moment after the big group photos where the women and all the babies sat together on the lawn. It was a bit of calm amid the general family chaos, just a bunch of moms and their kids hanging out on the grass.

Later in the day, some of us went out on the water. It was a perfect day for sailing, with a clear blue sky and that deep blue water stretching out. It felt like a fitting way to mark the end of summer, out on a boat with family.