Salter Family Reunion 2022
Family reunions are a tradition in the Salter family and not to be missed. For over a decade they have taken place in New Hampshire where Kit’s nieces and nephews purchased a century farm and turned it into a wedding venue. This year, the Salter clan travelled west to the Sierra Foothill town of Nevada City, CA where Kit and I moved in the spring of 2021. What follows is an overview of reunion events planned by our daughter Heidi and Kit’s niece Heather. Boy howdy, there was something for everyone and the six dogs in attendance! But first, here is a little Chamber of Commerce info about Nevada City.
California's best-preserved Gold Rush town, Nevada City, has a lot to offer far beyond this well-deserved distinction. Nestled in a basin on the Western Slope of the Sierra Nevada, it is framed and protected by ridge tops and promontories. At 2,500 feet above sea level, Nevada City is surrounded by forest. Deer Creek flows through and graces the center of town. Whenever you begin your descent into Nevada City, you can sense that you are approaching something good.
Our daughter Heidi and daughter-in-law Sugie’s home on the outskirts of town was action central from July 21-24, 2022. An assortment of Salters from coast to coast camped in tents or slept catch-as-catch can on couches around the house or under porches eaves. Some families rented small cottages at the 1930s era Outside Inn that is walkable to the historic downtown along Broad Street. A few others had reserved rooms at the historic National Exchange Hotel in the heart of the downtown.
Activities took place at Heidi and Sugie’s home as well as in Nevada City over the four-day event. There were meals, games, outdoor movies, cooling off in the swimming pool, lawn games, assorted trail and creek walks, and free time exploring the historic downtown.
Thursday, July 21
All day: Welcome early arrivals
6:00 pm: Dinner downtown (The Pizza Joint on Commercial St)
8:00 pm: Outdoor movie (on the lawn at Heidi & Sugie’s house)
Friday, July 22 (activities at Heidi and Sugie’s house)
7:00 am: 7-minute workout
8:00 am: Creek Walk along the property’s 3.5 acre
All morning: Casual Breakfast
All afternoon: Cornhole, croquet, hiking, swimming
5:00 pm: Welcome Cocktail Hour
6:00 pm: Taco Night
8:00 pm: Salter Music Night
Saturday, July 23 (activities at Heidi & Sugie’s house)
7:00 am: 7-minute workout
8:00 am: Creek Walk (popular with those who brought their doggies!)
10:00 am: Breakfast prepared by Maggie Salter & daughter Heather
12:00 pm: Salter Fun Day! (Carnival Games on the lawn with prizes!)
4:00 pm: Downtown exploration and shopping
5:30 PM: Dinner at Sopa Thai Restaurant’s garden terrace
8:00 PM: After-dinner walk to Tribute Trail suspension bridge
9:00 pm: Outdoor movie or just hang out (back at Heidi & Sugie’s house)
Sunday, July 24 (final day’s activities at Heidi & Sugie’s house)
7:00 am: 7-minute workout
10:00 am: Continental breakfast
12:00 pm: Yuba River swim
5:00-6:30 pm: Picnic and Pops Concert (Pioneer Park in Nevada City)
Kit and I hosted a lively contingent of Madrid Salters at our home—son Hayden, granddaughters Ines and Catalina, and grandson Nico who drove down from Oregon with his girlfriend Mel. Small groups of assorted Salters dropped by for afternoon visits with Kit and me. Among them were Kit’s Rice Lake, Wisconsin nephews and nieces and their salt of the earth mother Maggie.
On Saturday night everyone gathered for a delicious Thai dinner al fresco at Sopa Thai Restaurant. In grand fashion, Kit and I were squired to town in a cherry red BMW convertible Hayden had borrowed from a friend in SF. Of course, the top was down, wind blew in my hair, and the moment was pure magic for us all.
In the months leading up to the reunion, Kit faced a series of medical issues that knocked his world off its 83-year-old axis. Undaunted, we worked together during three hospitalizations and daily home health care visits to complete a book he has been working on for the past several years in time for the reunion. Across the miles, we collaborated with our wonderful editor and publisher Yolanda Ciolli of Compass Flower Press, Columbia MO on final editing, graphics, and design. The effort paid off. Six boxes of hardback and paperback copies of Episodes in a Life by Kit Salter arrived on our porch just as the Salter family reunion got underway.
Stay tuned for more on Kit’s book in a later blog. Sales are underway for family members and will be available for friends to order just as soon as the dust settles from the latest spirited Salter family reunion.