Just when I thought I had it all figured out and had learned as much about my paternal family as I possibly could, today's autumn winds blew in yet a new direction and led me down an unexpected path not before taken. We were returning from our local dog park with our pet "Cinder," when … Continue reading Family Secrets Are Funny, Aren’t They!
District of Columbia
Family Ties
After 33 years of searching for my estranged paternal great-grandfather who disappeared without a trace to his wife and family, I was given my answer through a delightful and unexpected Christmas gift in 2013 from a stranger, who we later learned was family. Maynard Nelle Chambers was this gift giver who on a whim and … Continue reading Family Ties
The Storming of Our United States Capitol Building
Here it is the first week of January 2021--A New Year! Just one day after my 74th birthday! After coming through 2020 alive and reflecting back on an unprecedented all-around terrible year globally--slow responses to the raging COVID-19 global pandemic; public disinformation from supposed leaders, social media, the news media--who do we trust? where is … Continue reading The Storming of Our United States Capitol Building
Another Visit to Lottie’s Cardboard Box of Momentos
It's been six years since I tried to identify people or places in my paternal great-grandmother Lottie Taylor Chambers' photo box. On my last visit, (July 1, 2014), I wrote about a poem that I knew had been written by Lottie's hand. In many instances these photos and momentos are over 100 years old. Until … Continue reading Another Visit to Lottie’s Cardboard Box of Momentos
An Intimate Exchange With Dad – Part 1
Dad and I spend several days a week together--mostly tending to his daily needs, but often just sitting at the kitchen table (like he and mom used to do), while he eats, drinks, or reads his morning newspaper and then we meander on into the living room so he can raise his legs up in … Continue reading An Intimate Exchange With Dad – Part 1
An Intimate Exchange With Dad – Part 2
I hope you are following this series of interviews that I conducted with dad. If you have not yet read the first interview that begins with Question 1, I suggest you read it before moving forward. Question 2. What did you love to do in junior high school? "When I was 13 and 14, I … Continue reading An Intimate Exchange With Dad – Part 2
“Take Me Out to the Ball Game”
My paternal grandfather, (Jesse Burton Boling: 1902-1978), was more or less a loner and lived much of his adult life with his children in their homes. As a boy he was raised on a farm in Fredericksburg next to the Chancellorsville Battlefield. There, he helped his family with their crops and chores--hence, his second grade … Continue reading “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”
Brown’s Indian Queen Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue – Ghosts of DC
Ghosts of D.C. often posts images and backstories about pastimes of people and places in our Nation's Capital, the District of Columbia. Its story this time is about an 1800's Hotel that hosted many famous events and people and like our American culture fell upon hard times during the Great Depression and in 1935 became … Continue reading Brown’s Indian Queen Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue – Ghosts of DC
A Time for Everything…
Ecclesiastes 3:1-9: A Time for Everything 1There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: 2a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and … Continue reading A Time for Everything…
Cherry Pink, Apple Blossom White, and Red in the Face!
One week after Easter, two of our sons and their wives came from Lynchburg, VA, and Nanjemoy, MD, so we could all venture into Washington, DC and enjoy the Cherry Blossoms together in full bloom--something our eldest son and his wife did on their own this time last year. (Yes, I know last year's picture reeks … Continue reading Cherry Pink, Apple Blossom White, and Red in the Face!
Our Unbounded Heritage: 12th Century & Beyond 