February 7, 2001

Dear Family Member,

I'm sure Cody, WY was sad to see all the Vanden Heuvels leave town. We were certainly sad to leave. The family reunion was a huge success. All had great fun.

A gigantic THANKS to Karalee, Alice, Bruce and Trevor for all their work in organizing this reunion. The cookbook fundraiser was very successful. We have money left over to start the next reunion. If anyone needs one or more cookbooks please contact Karalee.

Not everyone drove to Cody. Donna had the pleasure of flying in a very small Sky West airplane from SLC, Utah - an experience she probably will not repeat. All six brothers and sisters and family members met her at the Cody Airport. Needless to say, she was very embarrassed when she arrived in the terminal to this huge crowd of people bearing signs of greeting.

Thursday we visited "Old Trail Town - Museum of the Old West". Many late 1800's buildings from the surrounding area were moved in to create this historic town. Many old relics were on display to add to the charm of this old town.

The Buffalo Bill Historical Center was a ‘Must see' for everyone. This museum is regarded as the fidnest wetern museum in the country. The Center features four internationally acclaimed museums - the Buffalo Bill Museum, the Whitney Gallery of Western Art, the Plains Indian Museum and the Cody Firearms Museum. This was a great place to spend many hours. White water rafting was great fun. Everyone got soaked. If you didn't get wet from the waves it was the unwritten rule for the front paddlers to make sure everyone was soaked. Young ones, as well as some from the ‘geriatric crowd' participated in this event. A trip to Cody, WY would not have been complete without attending a rodeo. Cody is the rodeo capital of the world. Steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, clown acts, barrel racing and many more events were on the schedule. Our family reunion was even mentioned on the public address system.

Friday was the family picnic at Horseshoe Bend Park (in the Big Horn Mountains) about an hour's drive from Cody. About 15 cars caravanned behind Karalee from Cody to powell to pick up Mother Bird (Alice) and all the picnic food and then on to the picnic area. This was one of the hottest day we experienced. Fortunately the water area gave some relief from the heat. Some chose to go swimming or boating; others were pulled behind the boat in an intter tube piece of equipment. Karalee, Alice, Barb and John prepared the great picnic lunch. John was superb as the ‘chief BBQer'.

To beat the heat the horseback trail rides were on Saturday morning. It was intimidating at first to get onto those big horses. But with instructions from the guides we all made the hour-long ride very well. Sore bottoms were commonplace. Even little Dylan rode with his Dad, Randy.

Eddie gave us all a scare when he experienced shortness of breath and chest pains. He was admitted to the Cody Hospital for observation. Lucky for us John and Barb's daughter, Cathy, is a doctor. She provided information to the attending physician at the hospital but he wasn't interested in anyone else's opinion. Ed was ‘sprung' from the hospital the next day against the doctor's better judgement. There was a possibility that the altitude might have affected him. He was able to attend the rest of the reunion activities.

The banquet was held at the VFW in Cody. Following the theme of 50th wedding anniversaries, a friend of Karalee's sang several beautiful love songs and then invited John and Barb to dance (50th anniversary in September) to "Can I Have This Dance For The Rest of My Life". Joining them dancing was Elmer and Joan whose 50th anniversary is in 2001. A surprise to barb and John was a solo (The Lord's Prayer) by their granddaughter, Marie, accompanied on the piano by her Mom, Cathy.

A highlight of the evening was trading gifts. Each family was asked to bring something from their area for another family. Names were drawn and the gifts were presented. Many very clever items were brought.

The ‘baton' for the next reunion planning was passed to Dorothy. With the help of Loretta, Donna, and Bradley Jones the reunion will be held in Fallbrook, CA on July 10 - 12, 2003. Please mark your calendars now and make plans to attend the next family reunion.

The Vanden Heuvel Family Reunion 2000 photo album is finished. I sorted through approximately 648 photos (thank you all for sending them to me) selecting 305 for the album. There are 30 sheets/60 pages, 369 stickers, 143 die cuts (colored paper cutouts), and 2400 photo splits which are used to attach the photos to the album pages. Hours to complete-MANY!! A few of our family members have critiqued the photo album and have declared it a good representation of our family reunion. I think it came out great - if I have to say so myself.

A photo album order form is included with this letter. Please return the order form and check to me with you choice. If you want a new album please indicate the color. If you plan on picking up the album or want me to hold it for you, deduct the postage/insurance.

Periodically, I will send out a newsletter keeping you informed as to our progress with the 2003 family reunion. We've already had one impromptu get-together in Arizona and there will be another in August/September time-frame in California. If you have any suggestions or ideas you'd like to incorporate into the next reunion please let me know.

Signed,

Dorothy