Relatives

I think I have relatives all over the globe, but memories are really shot from my early years.  I had 4 step siblings and have kept in regular touch with Dennis, the son of Elman my half brother.  Also with Mark and Marqueta from half brother  Merkle's adopted family.

I kept up with half sister Jean when she was in Indiana, but her family fell by the wayside.  I know she went to live with son Paul and his wife, Michelle in California and eventually died there.  Her other kids, Dwayne, Roger and Hope disappeared from my memory.  I'v lost touch with half sister Maxine's family as well. All half siblings are passed away, but their family lives on.

I can place them all in my memory when they visited the farm, but as I recall, those were not happy times and I believe I have suppressed them mostly from my memory.  My mother was not fond of my dad's previous family and family fights were frequent.  In my young mind, I can't recall details due to plain not remembering or deliberately suppressing.

I have very pleasant memories of my relationship with Merkel and Mary as they were around a lot and took me under their wing., but I was too young to remember Elman at all and he never lived nearby.

Now as I approach 85 year old, I would like to reach out to more of my kin.  

photos form 2017

Last of 2017

Yes, 2017 is about over.  We have had a great year.  Spent a wonderful winter holiday in Dallas in February.  We almost got stuck in DC overnight due to a snow storm, but managed to get our flights changed so that didn't happen.  Chuck and Luella showed us a grand time in Dallas with lots of good food, museums, Chinese multi media show and warm weather.

Spent the summer with Tom using Charlies' new Kabota tractor moving rock out of the trails and Mary supervising  the gardener as he worked the flower beds.
Tom developed Macular Degeneration and now needs monthly shots in his left eye.  Not pleasant at all, but his vision returned in that eye.

We got a surprise message on Facebook from childhood friend, Clyde Hatten and met them one day on Mt Desert Island.  They live in nearby Clinton.  They bought lobster rolls and took us to Reversing Falls for a picnic.  Clyde pulled cold drinks and table settings from his car trunk and we had a lovely time visiting with he and his wife Marland.

In May, Tom took me to a chalet for a few days for our 62 wedding celebration on Campobello Island in Nova Scotia.  We had a wonderful time exploring the lighthouses, beaches and carriage trails.
Later in September, we would do the same thing with Chuck and Luella.    It is a short 5 hour trip from Sumner.  I'm sure we will go more if time allows us.

In July, Heather, Lee, Autumn, Aden and Gabriel came for  a visit.  We had a grand time.  The kids love the woods and climbed many trees, hiked many trails and played hours on a tire swing that Tom put up in then birch in the back yard. We also spent a day in New Hampshire at Clarks Trading Post where the kids enjoyed hours of water slides, wall climbing, watching a bear show and taking a long train ride in the park.

We also had some cookouts, especially if Jacob comes, because he like to grill.

Many visitors came to hike to the big pine tree and clubs had picnics in the back yard after the hike.

Charlie bought a groomer and snowmobile to get the trails ready for cross country skiing when the snow fell in December, as fall it did.  He and Ethan did about 4 k over Christmas vacation on the groomed trails.  It looks like fun, but of course, the best I can do is a snowshoe walk, which I intend to do in the near future after the temps get back above freezing. we do have about 10 inches of snow at the moment on the ground.  So far it is a good winter for snow, but cold weather is not so much fun.
Aside from Tom's eye, we are in remarkably good health.

In December we met Sadie, Molly and Sam's new baby.  We are delighted with all the great grand daughters.  The twins just turned one year old and Hazel, Ethan's three year old visits us often.  We are thrilled with each  visit from the kids.  We had all Beth's kids and their kids for Christmas.  Charles Thomas and family came for Thanksgiving and we had an early Christmas with them here. They stayed in Miami for Christmas.









Beth continues to make life easier for us in any way she can.  It is such a gift to have she and Charlie here.  so far, we don't need that much care and I pray that we don't become a burden on them down the road.

WE are now entering the third month of Tom's eye injections for his macular degeneration.  His left eye is wet, thus the injections to stop bleeding  It seems to be working as he sees better now out of that eye.  We go tomorrow for another injection.  HE goes today to see the heart doctor and ten days ago, he had a tooth pulled.  Poor Tom.
On  lighter note, we had 5 people come yesterday to hike to the big white pine on our place, the largest in Oxford County and possibly the state.
I walked all the distance and I was happy to get out into the woods again.

aI need to post new twin photos as they are now 5 month old.

Mary sunning with cabin in background.

Tom in front of Roosevelt summer cottage.

Tom eating a 2 and half pound lobster

Mary on porch of cabin

tom at Roosevelt summer cottage

Mary at oceanside in front of our cabin

Some photos from our trip to Canada.

CAMPOBELLO

The date is May 26, 2017 and Tom and Mary leave Sumner for an ocean chalet in Canada.  We couldn’t find Tom’s passport, but he had his passport card.We were hoping this would get us in and out of Canada, but were a little concerned. 

We left at 8:00 and the weather was 50 degrees.  We made a pit stop at 12:20 at 46 north.  Stopping at the border, we had no problems with Tom’s lack of a passport.  

At 12:20 , we arrived at our chalet.  It was all I had imagined and more.  

After unpacking, I realized my camera bag had not made it into the car.  I was distressed, but alas, we were safely at our ocean front cabin.  we drove into Lubec, ME for gas.  There is no gas on the island.  We then toured the Roosevelt nature park going out to Cranberry point where we said we would come back with a picnic at some point.  The trail roads were old carriage roads and very woodsy with moss and lichen growing on all the rocks and trees. There were so many shades of green.  We just rode and rode.  You could see the ocean at most pull outs.

Back at the cabin, I heated up my rotisserie  chicken and cooked wild rice, made chopped salad and we had dinner, with oranges for dessert. I had all the dishes and pots and pans for cooking that was needed.  It was a well supplied kitchen.   I found a cribbage game in the TV cabinet, so we played and went to bed with an even score.  We had twin beds downstairs and we decided against going to the loft for the double bed, as the bathroom was downstairs by the twin bedroom.  

I awoke on Saturday at 4 a.m. and could see lighthouses on tiny  islands around us blinking in the early dawn light. 

Our beds were very comfy and warm.  Each room had a thermostat, though the loft made the main room more chilly.  Tom fought with the thermostat constantly, but we just put on more layers as necessary.  

Since the weather was a heavy mist, we decided to go to US in search of a Walmart for a cheap camera.  We found  the Walmart about  35 miles away in Machis. We came home and had haddock chowder in Lubec, before going to the cabin..  

The visitor center was now open, so we stopped in and got information.  We started touring the carriage roads in earnest and marking where we had gone.  Friar’s Bay was our first stop to get out, and we read all the posted literature.  I hiked a little way down the trail, but the signs had said you could only see the Friar at low tide, and we were in the high tide time of day.  We stopped at gift store and bought a lighthouse magnet for the refrigerator door and Tom got a lighthouse mug.  We stopped at grocery and bought cards to play hand and foot as I had not brought my cards.    

Sunday we started out to find Head Harbor light.  The walk was scary and signs said that if you went to lighthouse if the tide came in while you were there the water came up 5 feet an hour and you might be stranded.  We did not go up.  

Getting back in car we saw a bog walk that was .7 miles long, so we parked and started out stopping to read all the signs, seeing lots of pitcher plants,  bog rhododendrons, small cherry trees in bloom and other blooming stuff along the way.  

Back in the car, we continued to Fundy road.  we stopped and Tom watched we walk on round rocks to beach.  I found some pretty ones at lower duck pond.  

We finally got to Liberty Point where I think I saw a seal dive or something big and an eagle flew into the trees.  We almost ran over a woodcock in the road and rabbits were everywhere.

We stopped at the Fireside Restaurant and both had Haddock dinners as we sat at a window table overlooking the water.

We stopped at our lighthouse again, but no seals yet.  

We met out next door neighbors, Tara and Greg Stophr and daughter Stephanie and Katherine.

We had a lot in common, all Christians and girls had been on mission trips.  Tara and Greg play hand and foot, but they were leaving the next day, so no game.

We started to our cabin and Katherine said, I want to have prayer with you before you go.  Sure we said, a little surprised.  They invited us to come out after supper and share their campfire.  We joined them  and ate toasted marshmallows, on sticks Katherine gathered.    We watched for flying embers.  Tom got a small burn on his trousers. It was fun visiting with new friends around a nice warm campfire.  Have I mentioned that it was cold on the ocean when the wind was blowing.  

Monday dawned cold and misty.  We decided to tour the cottage, We had informative guides and enjoyed the tour very much. We picnicked at Herring Point. Where  the Roosevelt children often gathered rocks on the shore.  After nearly freezing while eating, I gathered rocks on that same shore.         

  

Tuesday we decided we would have lobster on our last day. We checked with a pharmacist at a drug store to see how bad lobster would affect Tom’s gout.  He said lobster wasn’t as bad as clams, so he thought he was good to go.  

It was a sunny day and we toured the island some more before stopping a the family restaurant and having a lobster each.  I ate a pound and half one and Tom ate a two and a half one.  

We left our little cottage at 8:30 Wednesday, getting gas in Lubec and arriving home some 5 hours later and about 1:30.