We have returned from our two week stay in Gloucester Massachusetts. It was a great visit filled with children, whales, research and birthday surprises. Your brother James did a great job for my birthday this year. To be in Gloucester was enough of a gift, but he also arranged for a surprise birthday dinner that night. Well done, dear!
To be in Gloucester during the playoffs and World Series while the Red Sox were involved was an amazing experience. They are rabid about their sports in Ireland, and the same in the Boston area! We had to be a little bit careful. We were at a bar watching the Patriots lose to the Jets partially due to a controversial call and James let a small "whoop" out in favor of the Jets. Not a good idea. I also nearly made the mistake of wearing my new embroidered (with cardinals) vest and matching red shirt to Boston one day for research. Also a bad idea.
Our apartment was perfect for the two of us. It overlooked one of the many coves in the Gloucester area and was convenient for walking around. My cousin has twins that are now 2 years old and we got to spend a great deal of time with them and with their older sister. James is like one big toy to them, and he enjoyed every minute.
I was able to get quite a bit of research done and felt very accomplished. There was a 3 day workshop in Boston that I attended and was able to confirm Mayflower descendancy from time spent there. I was allowed some expert help because I volunteer for this organization and this guy was amazing! He has some kind of incredible memory whereby he sees family names and and can make instant connections and knows right where the material is for you to use. He hand-wrote a 3 page family history for my "Yankees" (as he called them). He kept saying "Just watch me work. Don't look over there. Watch me." It's not in my nature to sit still while surrounded by all these tempting book sources but it paid off. He's a genius but a little hard to take. Think Sheldon on Big Bang Theory. I went back to research on my own using his starting points and made lots of headway up another Yankee line. It was a great feeling to be back in the stacks, searching through old books and taking appropriate notes.
Similar headway was made right in Gloucester with my dad's aunts and uncles. We had quite a cemetery adventure searching out my Dad's favorite Aunt Bud. As the Archdiocese of Boston told me, "we can't confirm or deny" she's buried there so we still have some work to do. It was the first time I'd used a funeral home to get information (James kind of pushed me to do so and he was right on the mark).
We went on a whale watch which was quite extraordinary--at least according to the guide. The boat was loaded with German high school students who spent their time inside texting and tweeting while actual whales were performing just yards away. It was all I could do to keep my mouth shut.
1 comment:
First of all, I love the final picture. It just looks like fall in New England. Great summary of all your progress and the trip.I hope you have started a tradition
Post a Comment