DeMartini Late Over

For many years now, every summer we've had a DeMartini Family campout.  We've pitched tents in Christopher and Tysen's backyard, we've had dinner, roasted marshmallows, and played night games, then had french toast in the morning after a bad night's sleep.  This year, we decided that we would just have a late-over, enjoying the best part of the activity--night games--without the bad night's sleep.

Our favorite part of night games is playing fugitive.  We all travel to the stake center where running teams--the fugitives--are given a head start towards home, while searching teams drive around trying to find the runners.  It's great fun!  Runners hide in bushes and behind cars and houses.  Searchers drive slowly up and down the street with lights out, trying to catch out the others.  There is planning and excitement and stealth and lots of heavy breathing.  We look forward to it all summer.

Tonight's game of fugitive began at Grandma Sue's stake center.  Normally we are on the north side of Grandview Hill, but tonight, we opted for the south side.  Running teams were Guy, Blake, and Brandt; Makenna, Blythe, and Luke; Crew, Makai, Gehrig, and Lincoln; Ava and me.  Searchers were Eugene, Sharae, and Collin; Christopher, Tysen, Griffin, Lyla, and Rowen; Mikayla and Brick; and Kent on the scooter.  We only took a picture of the runners, not the seekers. Seekers dropped us off, then returned to Grandma Sue's house to give us time to get going.

unrelated people are Gehrig and Lincoln standing, and Makai squatting next to Crew

Team Crew made it back to Grandma Sue's house about the time the seekers had driven home and turned back to start looking.  They just ran the whole way, fast, like young fit bodies can do.  Makenna, Luke, and Blythe got caught almost immediately, about two minutes in, but Mikayla let them have another go.  They were caught again shortly thereafter.  Blake, dressed in a ghillie suit, able to blend in with practically any bush or shrub, got caught standing in the middle of a driveway.  Because, you know, everyone plants a tall shrub in the middle of their driveway.  Brandt got caught before he made back to the house.  Something about a dog barking and a too well-lit house.  He was worried the owner of the house would come out and yell at him or call the police.  Guy made it back without getting caught.

Team AvaKate did well.   At Ava's suggestion, we crossed over 1460 North and ran through the part of Grandview we usually run through, roads no one was searching. We made it to the corner of 1460 North and 1220 West before we saw anyone looking for us. Heading down towards Mom's house, we were spotted several streets away as we ran across the street by Mikayla who had Crew and his buddies in her car. They drove towards us, but we hid well before they got to us. We darted from yard to yard, hiding behind a house and cars, and lying flat on the ground next to a fence in the dark shadow. We had only to cross the street into the culdesac when we were caught by Eugene and his car. They weren't really moving and were just outside the culdesac, goal tending.

Turns out, I've reached a point where I can't really run anymore. My ankles were incredibly sore by the time we were finished, muscles I didn't remember I have were tight, and I'm physically much slower than I am mentally.

It was a great summer night activity. Everyone had a good time. Well maybe not Grandma Sue. She went to Mikayla's with Kal and the babies so they could go to sleep. But maybe she was happy.