A Fall Family Tradition

Weekends at Milford Lake

What do you think of when you hear the words family history? Do you think of census records, courthouse documents, old photographs, or family trees?

While those are certainly important parts of genealogy, family history is also about the memories we create with our families today.

This weekend, I won't be spending much time researching my ancestors or writing blog posts. Instead, I'll be spending time with my brothers, their children, and their grandchildren at Milford Lake in Kansas.

And that is a family history story worth sharing!

A Tradition That Began in 2013

In 2013, our family began a tradition of gathering for a fall weekend at Milford Lake. What started as a family get-together has become an annual opportunity to reconnect, relax, and enjoy one another's company.

Over the years, we've taken lots of pictures. I have photographs from each of our gatherings between 2014 and 2025. Looking through those pictures provides a wonderful reminder of how much our family has changed.

Children who were quite young at our first gatherings are now teenagers or adults. Younger generations have joined the fun. And, of course, those of us in the older generations have changed a bit, too!

Yet, despite those changes, much of what makes the weekend special has remained the same.

Cabins, Campfires, and Conversations

This year, we'll be staying in cabins at Acorn Resort on Milford Lake.

We plan to eat Friday evening at the resort's restaurant, but the rest of our meals will be prepared in the cabins.

While the food is certainly part of the weekend, it isn't the main attraction.

That would be the conversations.

Much of our time is spent sitting around a campfire, visiting. There doesn't have to be an organized activity or a particular topic of conversation. We simply enjoy being together.

Sometimes we reminisce. Sometimes we share what has been happening in our lives. And sometimes we just sit and enjoy the fire and the company.

In our busy lives, opportunities for this kind of unhurried conversation can be difficult to find.

Walks and Starry Skies

One activity we usually incorporate into the weekend is a walk around the area.

Milford Lake provides a beautiful setting for an autumn walk. The cooler temperatures and changing seasons make it a wonderful time to be outdoors.

And then there are the stars!

One of my favorite things about spending time at the lake is the opportunity to look at the night sky. With relatively little light pollution, the stars can be amazing on a clear fall evening.

There is something special about standing outside, looking up at the stars, and sharing that experience with family.

Puzzles, Games, and Lula's Animals

Although much of the weekend is spent visiting, we sometimes work on a jigsaw puzzle or play games.

One of our most memorable games was introduced several years ago by my great-niece Lula.

She was about four years old when she introduced us to her version of 20 Questions, featuring animals.

The concept sounds simple enough. One person thinks of an animal, and everyone else asks questions to identify it.

However, playing against Lula was anything but simple!

Thanks in part to her interest in YouTube videos about animals and visits to zoos, she had developed an impressive knowledge of the animal kingdom.

And she could stump the adults!

What makes this memory even more special is that the game didn't disappear after that first weekend. Lula has continued to challenge us over the years.

Who would have thought that a game introduced by a four-year-old would become one of the memorable traditions of our family gatherings?

Remembering the Pink Boots

In 2018, I wrote a post titled A Pink Boots Weekend about one of our gatherings.

That post is now part of the written record of our family's fall tradition.

When I think about the photographs and stories from these weekends, I realize how important it is to preserve those seemingly ordinary moments.

A pair of pink boots, a game about animals, a completed puzzle, or a conversation around the campfire might not seem particularly significant at the time.

But years later, those are often the memories that bring a smile to our faces.

Preserving Today's Family History

As genealogists, we spend considerable time trying to reconstruct the lives of people who lived generations ago.

We search for records that might tell us where they lived, whom they visited, and how they spent their time. We study photographs, hoping to identify the people and places pictured.

Yet how often do we remember to document those same details about our own lives?

Our annual Milford Lake weekend is a reminder that family history is happening all around us.

The photographs from 2014 through 2025 document more than a series of family vacations. They capture relationships, traditions, and the passage of time.

And the stories behind those photographs are just as important as the images themselves.

Someday, a younger member of our family might look through those pictures and wonder what our gatherings were like.

I hope they'll know about the campfires, the walks, the stars, the games, and the laughter.

And I certainly hope someone remembers how Lula managed to stump the adults with her knowledge of animals!

More Than a Weekend

As we gather again this fall, I'm looking forward to another weekend of good food, conversation, and time together.

I don't know what new memories we'll create this year. Perhaps there will be another memorable game, an especially beautiful night sky, or a story that gets told around the campfire.

Whatever happens, we'll be adding another chapter to a family tradition that began in 2013.

And perhaps that's the real lesson for this week's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun.

Family history isn't just about remembering the past. It's also about making memories worth preserving.

Your Turn

Does your family have an annual gathering or tradition? Have you documented how it began and how it has changed over the years?

Perhaps this weekend would be a good time to write down one of those stories.

After all, today's family gathering is tomorrow's family history.