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Turtles, Cats & July 27

You may not have noticed, but the July 27 info is not part of the Slotemaker Website. It was moved to another area as it is being linked to from other locations.  If for any reason you do not like anything that you read or see here it is very easy to exit, or you can just click the button below...

Pre-Prologue, 1994, Early Internet: The on-line persona of Durango began with a website called As the WWWeb Turns. Durango is a brutally honest, mouthy, opinionated know-it-all who holds back nothing, saying totally what is on his mind and suffering no aggravation from anyone.....

Prologue, July 24, 2002: Durango goes on a mountain bike ride in 100 plus degree heat at trails on the hills around Lake Grapevine (yes, in mountain-less Texas there are very good mountain bike trails). After the bike ride Durango decides to go swimming. While floating along in the ultra-warm water suddenly Durango is confronted with a giant reptilian head. Panic ensues with a super-fast swim back to shore. What was feared to be a water moccasin turned out to be a giant snapping turtle. This incident was relayed via email back to Whatcom County, to Durango's cousin, Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright, who emailed back, "won't it be nice to be back in Washington where there are no dangerous animals....?"

Morning July 27, 2002: Staying overnight in the aforementioned cousin Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright's house we are awakened early by the pre-reunion preparations. The loading of material into the various vehicles takes place quickly with a few logistic difficulties. Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright and her first husband, Bill, depart, leaving Durango alone in the house to take his sweet time in getting to Lynden. An hour went by. Or more. Durango had some slacks he wanted to wear which needed ironing. This was forgotten the night before. He looked about the house for an iron. When suddenly out of the dark an animal lunged with vicious ferocity, hissing, growling, clawing, with a maniac intensity like something out of a Tarzan movie. Durango was slowly backed into a corner. Any move in defense was met with greater ferocity by the attacking beast. Fearing a bloody slicing by pointy paws Durango stood as still as possible. There was a gap between the couch and the wall. Maybe this was an escape route. But what if the beast used the couch as a launching pad to leap for the face? After a long standoff it was decided to take the risk and slither out behind the couch and make a run for the door. This worked. A clean escape from the guard cat named Bonsai, obviously instructed by my cousin to terrorize me that day...

July 27, 2002, The Rest of the Day: Once the Escape from Bonsai was made, his victim's nerves were totally on edge. A quick trip to Wal-Mart was needed to get some Kava Kava for its relaxing effect. Arrival at the Lynden Fairgrounds happened some time after 10am. Quickly the trainer of Bonsai was sought and she was told that her plot to have Bonsai hold me prisoner had failed. Bonsai's trainer advised that Bonsai posed no danger as he had been declawed...

After a short consult it was decided it was pointless to do the scheduled welcoming thing as there were not enough people yet there.

Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright had planned everything to the finest detail but some details are impossible to control.

Let's right here list as best as we can what Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright did in the past year.

On the Slotemaker Website, virtually everything you have seen typed of any length at all was typed by Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright. Sheryl is very adept at typing. If it weren't for Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright there would possibly be no Slotemaker Website, as it was her re-typing of the Slotemaker Story which helped bring it about. If it weren't for Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright there possibly may have been no reunion on July 27 as it was Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright who first verbalized a desire to have such an event.

Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright found and booked the Lynden Fairground site, mailed out various mailings, contacted the local newspapers, scanned hundreds of photos. Met with various relatives. Booked the Klompen Dancers after it was suggested that there really needed to be some entertainment. Of some sort.

In the month before July 27 Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright put together that Family Book which involved typing that incredibly complex genealogy list, and at the last minute, when she was given the August DeVries Story of Alida, Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright added that as well. And somehow amongst all that Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright managed to make 4 incredibly complex word puzzles using the Excel Spreadsheet to construct the things which so many found to be of such intense interest. Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright hand-painted a 20 foot banner which was hung on a fence somewhere at the Fairgrounds. Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright oversaw the set-up of all the tables and chairs and displays. And the hanging of the banner she had painted. Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright arranged for and bought the majority of the food, even overseeing the cooking of some of it, with interesting results...and let's not forget, in addition to all of the above, Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright also handled the registration of the attendees at the reunion of July 27...

The Reunion of July 27 was the result, without question, to some degree, of the efforts of Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright. Every once in awhile others contributed some little thing...but the on-site execution was totally the work of Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright.

Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright handled the finances for the Reunion of July 27, somehow managing to cover her own expenses thus giving her the absolutely awesomely amazing opportunity to proudly give Lynden Christian Schools $250.00 on behalf of Cornelis and Aagje Slotemaker, who would likely be so proud of their great-great granddaughter, Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright, who managed, somehow, to give the school, by whatever means, the grand sum of $250.00...

Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright's interest in family and family history, or as Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright would call it, heritage, was one of many lessons she learned from her grandma, Sylvia Nieveen Slotemaker, further distilled by Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright's mom, Judy. Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright has always known names and relationships that some have only come to learn in the past year. It was this deep belief in the importance of family which caused Sheryl Slotemaker Cartwright to do her part, such as it was, in bringing about the Slotemaker Website and the Reunion of July 27...

Okay, this spinning exercise is done, for now...1

Footnotes:
1. Proof of the adage that you can please all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time and, well, you get the point... multiple emails were received indicating an appreciation for the un-filtered, un-spun story and a disdain for the kinder, gentler spin which replaced it. It was never intended that the original version would be permanent, it was a temporary thing which delivered on a promise to tell it like it was, whatever 'it' turned out to be. However, that version does still exist, it is just not linked from the Slotemaker Website...

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