A Genealogist’s Christmas

This genealogist appreciates her understanding and generous family. Their eyes don’t always glaze over when I mention cemeteries (I even got my sister to join me on a cemetery search last July when the temperature 105), and they always include genealogy gifts from Santa.

This year they were especially generous. My gifts included a 3T external hard drive and a plane ticket to SLIG. YAHOO! Of course, right up there on my list was the family trip to see Les Miserables, which I highly recommend.

On the giving side two examples stand out this year. The first  was finally getting computers set up so that my legally blind mother, who now lives in West Virginia,  could “see” and talk to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren in Oregon. Everyone was delighted and I believe she could hear us better using Skype than on the telephone. It requires some scheduling but we plan to make it a regular means of communication with her.

The second was the scrapbooks I made for my brother and sister. Each June I travel to West Virginia for a family reunion, then stay several weeks to visit and research in the surrounding states. It has become a tradition for my mother, sister, and me to take a trip each year. Sometimes my brother, who lives in Hilton Head, South Carolina, will join us, or plan a separate trip. So my gift to them was a scrapbook of our trips. Maybe someday a descendant will be pouring over the scrapbook, wondering why we moved so much! I’m delighted to say my brother said it was one of the best gifts he has ever received.

 

These pictures were taken on Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina. Many of our trips include time in  the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Although we drove by several years in a row, we were never able to stop. We finally made it on a beautiful sunny July day. But as you can see, by the time we made it to the mile-high bridge a storm had moved in. But at least we made it-and I have a sweatshirt to prove it. 

These pictures are from a canoe trip on the Greenbrier River in West Virginia. As you can see, we spent as much time in the water as on it. I always carry a camera-hence the picture of the sky as I fell.

These pictures are from a February trip in West Virginia. Most of our excursions include historical sites. We visited the Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park this trip.
Looking at these pictures makes me smile, remembering the wonderful time spent with my family.