Mini-Family Reunion
We drove to St. George, Utah last week for a family reunion. Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly of it all.The Good
Family Reunion in Toquerville, Utah! I saw cousins I hadn’t seen since I was twelve and some I had never even met! My father was one of ten children and only three brothers are still living. Two of my uncles were at the reunion.
My uncle on the left looks SO MUCH like my father. And his mannerisms are spot on! The way he leaned in to tell the punch line of a joke, his crooked smile and his calm demeanor, all were just like my father. I found myself tearing up several times as I sat and listened to him tell stories of his childhood with my father. We asked him a lot of questions and got to the truth regarding several family myths and legends.
Myth #1 – My great-grandfather Torris sailed his own ship to America. After the American authorities burned it, he vowed never to learn English. FALSE. He did not sail his own ship. It’s true that he never learned to speak English, but we don’t know the reason why.Lesson Learned - Don’t pass up the chance to speak with elderly relatives. The information they have will disappear when they pass away. The stories may not seem of importance, but they can help us to know those we have never met.
Myth #1 – My great-grandfather Torris sailed his own ship to America. After the American authorities burned it, he vowed never to learn English. FALSE. He did not sail his own ship. It’s true that he never learned to speak English, but we don’t know the reason why.Lesson Learned - Don’t pass up the chance to speak with elderly relatives. The information they have will disappear when they pass away. The stories may not seem of importance, but they can help us to know those we have never met.We also visited the family statue remembering my 6th great-grandmother. This is on my mother’s side of the family and we come from a long line of pioneers. She is gazing over the plains remembering the children and husband she lost along the way. She crossed the plains alone with her children before settling in Utah.
The BadA nameless relative was pulled over for street racing and his car was impounded. That was on a Sunday and he had to stay an extra night to get it out on Monday. Final cost will be over $1,000. My 16 year old son was with him at the time and I am hoping this will be a lesson for him to learn from.
This one is near Vermillion Cliffs, near Cliff Dwellers, Arizona.
The BadA nameless relative was pulled over for street racing and his car was impounded. That was on a Sunday and he had to stay an extra night to get it out on Monday. Final cost will be over $1,000. My 16 year old son was with him at the time and I am hoping this will be a lesson for him to learn from.
The UglyIt’s a long drive to St. George, Utah. 18½ hours without stops. We left Oklahoma City at 8:45 am CENTRAL and arrived in Flagstaff, Arizona about 11:30 pm PACIFIC. We didn’t know what time-zone Arizona was until we arrived. Thank goodness they are on wacky time and we gained an hour to sleep. When we arrived in Utah it was MOUNTAIN time. The GPS doesn’t automatically update when you cross time-zones, so it was constantly on CENTRAL time. It was all very confusing and there was way too much math involved the whole trip.
There’s not a lot to see on the way either. Most of it is ugly scenery. Not all, but most. It’s a shame that one can be just a few miles from the Grand Canyon and not know it’s there. But, we did pass over this gorge with rafters on the Colorado River.
This one is near Vermillion Cliffs, near Cliff Dwellers, Arizona.
Best of all, I finally found some fabrics for the quilt that is going to make it's home on my green chair. We were able to make it to 3 of the 6 quilt shops in St. George. Very exciting for us fabric- hoarders. Still need a few more, but I'm almost there!
