 | | |
| | |
|
Spaces home  Orbitting the HivePhotosProfileFriendsMore |  Tools   |
Orbitting the HiveDare to Dream
|
May 06 Amazing ConnectionsToday's the day ... I called my grandmother last night so she'd be the first to know. She is and always has been a pillar in my life. A lot of my "good" can be traced to her. She deserves to be first with me. I needed her to know that before I told the rest of the world.
NOW ... the secret that I've been keeping since Friday last ... I got an unexpected email at GBEES.ORG. For those that don't know, this is the website that we set up years ago to house the family trees. There is a lot of information in those trees, but there are a lot of gaps, too. We have managed to gather enough substantiated evidence to get three of the four lines back to the orginal emigrees. The Meyer line doesn't show this, but that's because the information is housed in another family member's tree program.
The one line that has proved problematic is the Downey line. I know my father and his siblings, their children and most of their children's children. I know who my grandfather was, who his first wife was (my esteemed grandmother) and the name of his second wife. I know that his parents names were Harland and Eunice. The few tidbits available made Harland of Irish descent (I somehow had it in my mind that he was English) and Eunice as Iroquois, possibly Onondaga.
The only other information that I was able to gather was from my Grandmother telling me what her first husband had told her years before I was old enough to ask. He had siblings ... how many and what their names were was mostly "iffy". I wrote it down anyway and included the information in my tree.
I was never able to establish any real contact with my grandfather. He was always just a short, round, cowboy who lived in Arizona and had horses. I can count the visits he made to us on one hand. He brought us silver dollars. I thought it was exotic because they matched his silver belt buckle and the tips of his snakeskin boots. I think I was 11. The last time I tried to contact him was to send him a birth announcement for my daughter. I don't even know if he ever got it. That was 19 years ago. He died in 2003.
The message I got on Friday was from a woman named Wendy who had been internet surfing and found the Downey tree. It turns out that she is the daughter of the one sibling of my grandfather's that I had an erroneous name for. Not Erma, but NORMA. After sending a little information back and forth, we established that we are indeed COUSINS! Actually, she's dad's cousin. Her children are second cousins to me ... well, its all convoluted family stuff, but it's finally a real connection.
I was able to speak to her by phone later on. As thrilled as I am to have this piece of the puzzle, it was a bittersweet call. Admittedly, I had on rose-colored glasses and fervently hoped that other branches of the tree had escaped some of the trials and tribulations that I knew existed in ours. I was wrong. Family is what it is. In a way, though, confirming the demons is also a way to confirm the connection, so in the end, it's good.
Throughout the weekend, we exchanged names and dates, places and circumstances, opinions and truths ... I also recieved messages from Wendy's older sister Becki and Louise's daughter Janet. More facts and tidbits came from those directions and in between, we updated the family tree program with all the new information. I know that one great aunt is still alive. Most of the information that these newfound cousins had about us was from her, so maybe we all have Aunt Georgia (Georgianna) to thank for finally connecting this chain.
Wendy had the name of the town Grandma Eunice came from. Looking it up on Google maps (I love Google maps!), I discovered that there can be no doubt that she was Onondaga. I will attempt to make inroads to her path sometime soon. I learned the name of my grandfather's grandfather, so that gives us one more layer to explore.
Wendy clued me in on a few "why"s, too. Like why my grandfather and his siblings lost track of each other, and why we have troubled paths at times. It doesn't make it any easier to have lived, but in my heart, it makes things easier to accept, and maybe that's the end of the journey anyway. Acceptance. I won't post these things, but will share them privately with family members who are interested.
Finally, as explanation for a lot of things, a quote from Aunt Georgia ... "some things should be spoken but not written down". I understand why you said it, but I respectfully have to disagree. This is why we have searched so long to find our lost pieces and to begin to heal.
Wendy, I hope you write that book. May 05 Revelations of a different sortThis weekend I found out that I'm probably Irish ... really. Not English like I thought, so the whole crest thing is wrong and I'll have to re-do it. I guess the pull toward Druidism has teeth after all. I still favor crop circles over celtic knots, though.
EDIT: I looked it up and the crest is right. No changes necessary. May 03 Ladies & Gentlemen, I have an announcementWhen I wrote what I thought would be my final post last August, I entertained the idea of deleting this site. Today, I'm glad that I didn't. Right now, I am announcing the re-opening of the MSN wing of the Hive because something has happened that I thought never would. Some of you will remember that this was the original theme ... back when I spoke frequently of family and troubles and angst, of desperately trying to work through feelings and hurts, of trying to make sense of the sensleless. I feel like it's the right theme to announce that we're coming back to a family-centered space once more .......... with a twist (to be announced shortly).
I have a few more messages to send first, but I wanted to get this blurb online before I got to busy to do it. The time has come, my friends, for expansion and for healing. Stay tuned. August 21 Happy New YearSeptember has always been my new year, no matter what the calendar says. The trend is clear once more that MSN Spaces is just a serious waste of time. Cas, you know how to reach me ... but I'll read as long as you write. Manda, ditto ... and I'm still following everything like the groupie I've become. Lynn, feel better, please ... missing you and loving you and scared to death for you ... I'll keep checking. Gayle, your endless quest for romance is admirable and I sincerely hope you find it, but your life is full enough without chasing me. I'll be around to see you as often as I can. Tani, the gardens are beautiful, but leave me longing to get down in the dirt when I can't. Tough love with B ... he needs it, but remember to get what you need, too. Y'all know how to reach me if you ever decided you really need me, anyhow.
Peace-Mama, Tracy, and Mary ... I know you read even when I don't hear from you. Family is what it is.
I don't have the motivation to do this anymore. There are too many millions of blogs and too many obligations to take care of. My attention has wandered too far and I don't want to pull it back this time. I want to draw again an read and write fiction. I want to get to know my new surroundings. I want to be in the physical world for a bit.
See me at GBees (which I have plans to merge all other sites under within the year). E-mail me ... call me ... IM me ... hell, even snail mail still works. I want to be part of your lives, but this tired space has finally ... irrevocably ... got to go.
Waste not, want not. Love you all. G
{this space will self-destruct in 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...}
August 15 Town DwellersAfter 19 years of living in a lovely rural village where I had to get in a car just to go to the corner store or the post office, we have moved to TOWN. Those closest to me know that I'm in seventh heaven. They may not understand it, but they know it. I have almost always lived in rural settings, but I have always always (yes, I meant to write that twice) been a townie at heart. I know that room to run and play is what children and pets really need, so I did it for as long as I needed to. The child is grown and can live where she likes, the dogs are old and I promise to walk them to the park every day, but I am neither a child nor a dog.
This new town is small, to be sure, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Close communites take care of their inhabitants. I watched a town meeting from last June on TV last night. It was cozy and simple ... they dealt with real issues that touched real people's lives ... people I'm beginning to know. We live literally 2 blocks from restaurants, a grocery store, a couple of car mechanics, the fire department, video store, banks, gyms (yep, more than one), a Best Western, clothing stores, and dry cleaners. I'm LOVING this! I can walk EVERYWHERE. The closer park (the one with ball fields and a pool) is a block away, the hospital is about a half mile away. The movie theater where they still only play one movie at a time is next to a central town park with a pond and benches. And the finishing touch ... it's only 1.25 miles to work. By next Spring, I'll be walking that, too!
This little town is an anomaly in Upstate NY. It has embraced progressive things like Wal-Mart and Pizza Hut without losing it's homey feel. I'm curious as a cat to find out just how they do it. The crime rate is so low that it might as well be non-existent. The population is not incredibly diverse, but that's to be expected in a place that many people don't even stop in as they drive through. The college here is an Ag & Tech school, so the kids who come here are like the people who live here ... rural, hard-working, down-to-earth, and friendly. Guess what? At the Burger King, I saw them serve french toast sticks and coffee to a nice older woman after 1:00 p.m. Last night at the grocery store, the young man (about 12) behind me in line had a cordial conversation with me, commented that "someone is going to be eating well tonight" after looking at the contents of my basket, and he was buying for himself ... are you ready? ... FRUIT. Is that great or what?
The new job is good. There really is a lot to learn, and I'm glad of that. Without that aspect, I might get bored too soon. That would be a shame because I really like the thought of exploring this town a bit, too. I know it's premature, but the vibes are telling me that as soon as I feel I've learned this job, I'll be looking to move on. Actually, as soon as I pass the probationary period of a year, I may be looking to move on. It's not what the King wants to hear, but he should know me by now. I'm either moving forward or unhappy. There is so much more to explore and life is so short ... maybe the hiking trails at the Iroquois Indian Museum will distract me for a while.
Anyway, the internet is up and running, so GBees and all affiliated websites are operational and awaiting orders. The new address has been posted on the home pages of all the sites for anyone wishing to use regular mail to reach us. I apologize once more for the sparse content of the past two newsletters. There are real improvements and additions in the works, I promise!
That's it from the Hive or now. I have loads of boxes left to unpack. Have a great day! August 10 News and ReviewsOkay ... I guess the rest of MSN spaces doesn't love New York, but I still do.
As of yesterday afternoon, we have a closing date. Papers will be signed and keys handed over on Monday at 2:00 p.m. This morning we finished up rental agreements in Cobleskill, rented a PO box for GBees (and the rest of the businesses), gave the dogs a spa treatment (they got a doggie wash at the groomer), arranged to have the electric service turned off and turned on at the appropriate addresses, forwarded the phone number until we can get a new one, called for return boxes for the Dish network stuff, started an account with the cable company, took lots and lots of measurements, and moved in whatever would fit in the car (which weren't much!). Still to go ... pack GBees (all the computer equipment, printers, other machines, mailing supplies, paper, etc.), take care of last minute details with the buyer, and make sure that absolutely everything is in a box except for the bed. I'm not sleeping on the floor any sooner than necessary. The movers will be here bright and early tomorrow morning with a large truck and three strong backs. Sunday we'll do a final cleaning, Monday the new owners can walk through an empty house to see what they're really buying, and by Tuesday my two hours a day behinfd the wheel of a car will finally be OVER!
Life is good ... we'll be busy for a couple of days ... the waiting is over. August 04 Much MORE than New York CityWANTED: Summaries of Central NY including Syracuse, Buffalo/Niagara Falls region, the Southern Tier, Plattsburgh and the northern borderlands, Rochester, the Finger Lakes, and anyone who can fill in the Onondaga Indian Reservations educational gap. Oh yeah, Somebody from NYC chime in, too. I'd love to include the perspective of a city dweller. Everyone I've ever met who's originally from NYC loves it and can't wait to move back.
Cas' blog reminded me that an awful lot of people outside of New York State really do believe that everybody in New York lives in "the city". First, there are a few cities in New York state that, though smaller than the "big apple" are, nonetheless, cities. Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Binghamton, Utica, Watertown, Plattsburgh, Malone, Potsdam, etc. I'm just posting a quick visual today to illustrate a point ... that popular perception is NOT fact. I've been to New York City a few times, and while it's a great place to visit, I wouldn't want to live there. It is, in fact, a whole separate mindset from the rest of the state. If I had my druthers, it would be it's own state ... sorta like Rhode Island. I have included Cas' location as well as my own and Peace-Mama's. None of us are even remotely close to each other, but we are all part of the collective "upstate" that is the state of New York. Enjoy the map ... ask questions of any of us (we'll answer) ... but please stop thinking that a teeny little pile of land that would, incidentally, fit inside the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, is all there is to this great state.
 Peace-Mama wrote such a glowing review of her neck of the NY woods in my comment box that I feel compelled to add it here. Maybe I can get Cas and some others to do the same and we'll have a spectacular look at the wonderland that is Upstate New York!
Peace-Mama says:
Wow! the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport must be an absolutely stunning sight to see!
Technically, Potsdam is not a city, though I'm pleased that you included my home terf.... St. Lawrence County, the largest county in New York state when speaking in terms of area, has only one city... Ogdensburg, situated on the lovely St. Lawrence River, with a spectacular view of Ontario, Canada, across the international bridge. Some other points of interest certainly include Canton, the county seat, home of SUNY Canton and St. Lawrence University; Potsdam, home of SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson University; Gouverneur, home of the lifesaver; and Massena, where you'll find another international bridge spanning the St. Lawrence River and the St. Lawrence Centre Mall, which includes an ice arena. Then just a little further up the road you might also enjoy a visit to the St. Regis-Mohawk Indian Reservation and the Akwesasne Casino. St. Lawrence County is an overwhelmingly rural area, a world away from New York City, with its horse-drawn Amish buggies sharing the roadways with more modern modes of transportation. There are thousands of acres of farmland and many state parks and forest preserves. It is an area known for it's hunting and fishing camps and outdoor opportunities such as skiing, hiking, camping, sailing and white water rafting. It's an area with deep roots and its inhabitants cling to history and tradition, often with young adults settling very near their parents and grandparents, raising their own families the only way they know. It's a great place to live and to raise children, but if that's not for you, perhaps you might still consider visiting someday and experiencing the "other" New York....
I agree that there is so much more to this state than just the city everyone in the world has heard of. We have many secrets and so much more to offer than "the big apple." Use your web browser to explore New York State using search terms like "Thousand Islands," "Finger Lakes." "Great Lakes" (particularly, Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, which both border New York), "Niagara Falls," "Catskills," "Adirondacks," "Lake Champlain," "Saratoga" or "harness racing," and auto racing at "Watkin's Glen," "Evans Mills," "Can-Am, LaFargeville" or "Adirondack, New Bremen," "Sterling Renaissance Festival," "Howe Caverns," "Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown," "Erie Canal," and "Buffalo Bills" (the only NY NFL team to actually play their home games in NY state).
Whatever else you do, just try to remember that New York doesn't always mean the "big apple." Those of us from other regions of the state find it terribly offensive to be clumped into that city ... or worse, to be forgotten or omitted completely. New York is a beautiful state, even the parts that don't have much in the way of cities at all.
I'm taking Cas' comment as a declination ... which is perfectly fine. Since Peace-Mama and I grew up in his area, I'll do the two parts of the state that I'm most familiar with. With roughly half of my life spent in each location, I'll do each part separately.
Jefferson county is home to one of the most important military installations in the northeast ... Fort Drum. While people living in the area may have their issues with the symbiotic relationship that this creates, I have always looked at it as a bonus for diversity. There was little racism in my childhood (at least that I remember). The diversity of the soldiers was part of everyday life. My dad was in the National Guard ... and later, my mother and my brother as well. My parents both worked on Fort Drum as did my grandparents. Our large families also instilled in us a belief that there was always room for one more at the table. This is a part of Northern NY culture that remains today ... flourishing as we take care of our own and anybody else who needs it.
The largest city is Watertown, which admittedly isn't that large, but it has everything you need to survive and then some. The Thompson Park/Zoo has become a leading educational center with indigenous animals highlighted in every habitat. The petting zoo where the goose bit me is gone, but the stone "castle" picnic areas and sprinkler playground still exist. Driving over the hill from Rutland to see the stone tower nestled in the trees was the signal that we had arrived in Watertown. Alexandria Bay, Clayton (which is home to the Antique Boat Museum), and Sacketts Harbor are small by comparison, but important in their own ways as ports along the Thousand Island/St. Lawrence Seaway. Summers spent at Wescotts Beach State Park or any one of a dozen other state park beaches along the seaway, playing in the waves were one of the biggest thrills I can remember. I still go back every year to be near Lake Ontario and breathe in the energy of my youth.
Lewis county is my mother's family homestead. The agricultural nature of the county appealed to Swiss and German immigrants in the late 17- and early 1800's. My great-grandfather's father settled here and the house he was born in still stands. Croghan is home to our family's E. M. Marilley's General Store and the famed Croghan Meat Market's Croghan Bologna (which is fantastic if you ever get a chance to try it). The infamous Tug Hill Plateau, home of snowy horror dramas is also a part of the Lewis county legacy. Snowmobilers and skiiers flock to Lewis county every year for miles of uninterrupted fun. Summer visitors come for Enchanted Forest Water Safari, rafting on the Moose and Black Rivers, and scenic Adirondack train tours through gorgeous mountains.
Albany, Schenectady, Saratoga, Warren, Columbia & Greene counties ... Oh let's throw in Schoharie, too. I'll be there soon enough.
New York's Capital Region nestled between the Adirondack and Catskill mountain ranges, is one of three hubs in NY state where everything seems to come together (the other two being Syracuse and Buffalo). I've lived here for almost 22 years and I think there's just too much here to summarize in one small piece. From Lake George to Saratoga horse racing to state government to many, many, many colleges and universities ... it's not a question of where to stop, but of where to start. Albany is the summer place to be; Saratoga Performing Arts Center and Saratoga Raceway; Capital Rep; the Times Union Center; the NY State Museum; the Schenectady Museum & Planetarium; the Troy Children's Museum; the Albany Art Institute Museum; Alive @ Five free music on Thursday followed by Pearl St., The Party Continues; Wednesday free concerts at the Empire State Plaza; nightly free plays in Washington Park; The Fourth of July Fireworks; hiking in the Albany Pine Bush Preserves; boat tours on the Hudson River; weekly Farmer's Markets, holiday parades, shopping, eating, dancing ... there is literally no way you can ever be bored here. I can only list a few of the better-known colleges and Universities, but you'll get the point: SUNY Albany, SUNY Nanotech, Albany College of Pharmacy, Albany Law School and Medical Colleges, College of Saint Rose, Russell Sage, Hudson Valley Community College, Empire State College, Union College, Maria College, Sienna, Skidmore, Adirondack Community College, Bryant & Stratton ... see what I mean? I can't begin to relate the historical significance, either ... from Fort Ticonderoga to the Cohoes Mastodon, we're steeped in it. Archaeological digs continue today unearthing treasures from the colonial history of this hub on the Hudson. Greene county leads you to the glorious Catskill mountains where folks from "the city" still come to get away from the hustle and flow. Summertime camping, rafting, and hiking slide into wintertime skiing and snowmobiling. While not as vast as the Majestic Adirondacks, the Catskills boast some of the largest waterfalls in the state. The Kaaterskill, in particular, is not only large, but also one of the most accessible around. My only disappointment during my own visits is the number of people I have to try to get out of my photographs! Until recently, the Catskill Game Farm was one of the biggest attractions around. They were one of my earliest memories and also one of my daughter's. I'm sorry that they had to go out of business. They'll be missed. Anyway, we have wineries, trains, The NY Giants training camp each summer at SUNY ALbany, live entertainment, apple orchards, Zoom Flume, Lark Street, Delmar (top 20 places to live in the US) ... I could go on for days. Can you tell I love it here? I'll stop, though ... and let you find out more on your own.
I said I'd also include Schoharie county because that's where I'm moving to and because it has some pretty spectacular destinations on it's own. I am going to be less than ten minutes by car from Howe Caverns, Secret Caverns (which contains a 100' underground waterfall), the Iroquois Indian Museum, Caverns Creek Grist Mill Museum, and SUNY Cobleskill Agricultural & Technical College. A little bit further, you'll find Cooperstown and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Palatine House, and the Old Stone Fort Museum. Sure it's rural ... most of Upstate New York is ... but that doesn't mean we can be ignored. Even with just a few of NY's many surprises listed here, isn't it easy to see why we might get a little miffed at being lumped in with NY City? I still have buttons and t-shirts proudly proclaiming "I
 NY" because I really, really do ... all of it.
|
|
|||||||||||||||
|
|
Invite as friend