So many Bourises

Since we arrived five days ago, we've been staying with my (Kristina's) dad's first cousin, Arthur, and his wife Ann. We have also spent lots of time with Peter, a second cousin, and his wife, Liz. We have been treated royally: taken to the zoo, to beaches, to a football game, and had too many delicious meals to count, under both sun and stars.

When my grandfather left Greece for Canada in the 1920s, his brother (Arthur's father) eventually came to Australia with his five sons. Ann figures there are over 60 Bourises in Australia now.

Ann and Arthur at the breakfast table (note the vegemite, olives and feta cheese):



On Saturday, they held an afternoon party in the garden, with a yard full of Bourises, to welcome us. In the beautiful afternoon breeze, we talked and saw old faces and met many new ones. And we ate and ate and ate: souvlaki, halloumi cheese, salads, fresh rolls, plates loaded with olives and feta, pavlova, strudel, Greek milk cake, fresh figs, breads, washed down with VB and Australian wines. I think there were 10 more plates in there, too.

This is just the dessert table:



The kids all played football and tag in the garden - and every one of them had the last name Bouris. At one point, I looked out at Naeva playing with cousins Isabella, Billy and Cam - all four of them in grade six, all four who share the same great-great-grandfather. What a special experience for all of us, to realize we are all linked by name and history and more than a few physical (and behavioural!) similarities. Last night, Peter gave us a slideshow of some of the 20,000+ photos that he has scanned, all the way back to the 1930s and tracing the expanding Bouris family over the years, with photos of family visits back and forth to Australia and Canada over the years.

Naeva, Ann and Arthur drawing a family tree over morning tea today:



The Bouris Family Tree (part 1):



Thanks, Australian Bourises, for welcoming us into (y)our big, warm family! We are so very lucky.

Ian is picking up the camper from "CamperMan" right now, and we're saying goodbye to the "rellos" for a few weeks, heading north up the coast.

K.


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