Summer of 1980 ~ First Kiss, Mowing Lawns, & a Tornado

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2022: Week 39 (ROAD TRIP)

The prompt ROAD TRIP left me thinking about Google Maps street view. 

I then started thinking about what time and place from my past I wanted to revisit. 

I decided I would try to find the house I had lived in during the summer of 1980 in Dashwood, Ontario.

Walking the streets I am fairly confident this is the house we lived in

At first I thought the house was rebuilt since it had a dormer with balcony off the upper section when we lived there 42 years ago. 

BUT then I noticed the imprinting where the balcony would have been when I zoomed in closer. 

The pear tree in the front of the house is gone. My mother canned those pears, but first my brother and I had to collect them. I'm pretty sure it was me that climbed the tree & my brother that put them in the pail. 

I also walked the street and found the Fire Hall in the next block. 

I used to stand out on the balcony by my bedroom on the top floor watching the volunteer fire fighters run down the street from all directions when the bells began to ring. 

I remember watching my dad's friend, Jim Rumball,  snapping his suspenders into place as he was running. They lived a few doors down the street. I babysit their 3 kids. 

It's also where I had my first kiss. 

I don't know if my parents or the Rumballs knew I had my boyfriend over while I was babysitting. 

My clearest memory of that first kiss?  How strongly he smelled of Aqua Velva aftershave and his sweaty palms. 

I wonder if he even remembers that kiss.

I also remember how big the lawn was. My brother and I took turns mowing that lawn. While one mowed the other sat on the picnic table with a timer. When I looked at the photo I realized the lawn wasn't as big as I remembered. I've mowed way bigger lawns over the years. This one likely stands out as it was the first time we were responsible for lawn mowing. 

I walked up the street on the other side, and immediately flashed back to the summer Rec program I attended at the park. 

That summer the summer rec staff person taught me how to flare my nostrils like a rabbit. I can't remember if she showed it to us like a party trick. The moment I saw it I knew it was a skill I needed. It took all summer, but to this day I can flare my nostrils on demand.

I remember she was very friendly, fun, beautiful, and had an NFL football player boyfriend. He joined her one time that summer, and did trust exercises with us. All I remember about him was that he had dark curly hair, was fun, and very good looking. 

The other summer rec memory I have was the trip to Boblo Island. We were loaded into various parent's vehicles for the 3 hour drive. 

It was just my brother and I from our family, and we traveled in different vehicles. It was my first time being brave enough to go on the roller coaster. It might have been peer pressure or trying to look brave in front of the younger children - all I know is that was the first time I chose to conquer a fear. That roller coaster ride was fantastic. 

By the time we came off the roller coaster the sky was dark. They began shutting down the bigger rides. People waiting in lines began yelling at the staff while their children were crying. 

Then we heard the tornado siren. 

The summer rec staff began gathering all the children to load them on to the ferry that took us to the island. We had walked on the ferry leaving the vehicles in the parking lot so it was quick to get all the kids off the island. 

When we arrived to the parking lot it was remembered that one of the parents had dropped the kids & left. The plan had been to come back at the scheduled end time. In 1980 there was no cell phones. We were leaving the island earlier than expected. The summer staff explained to the three oldest, me & 2 boys, that we were going to stay behind to wait for the parent who would be there in at the expected departure time. 

In looking back I should have been more afraid then I was. The 3 of us took cover under a large bush, and waited. It was rainy, the wind was howling, and it was dark. We stayed right there until the parent arrived. Complicating things further - we weren't the children she had dropped off. We didn't know her or her car & she didn't know us. I have no idea how long that was exactly, but it felt like hours. 

When my brother arrived home my parents were relieved. They had heard about the Tornado warning, and were worried. When they realized my brother was alone they were confused. Their confusion turned to fear when he explained I was left behind in a parking lot with 2 boys while the tornado siren continued to blare. The response I got when I arrived home made me realize the situation had been scarier than I realized. Looking back on it now as an adult & parent I can't believe the decision was made. Then again - what other choice did they have given the parenting of the time and no way to contact anyone. 

The entire summer rec program is reduced to these 2 people, my nostril flaring skills, and that field trip.

I know there were other staff & activities, but they didn't make any lasting impressions on me. 

I also remember my bike ride home from the park, and was delighted to find this photo that is exactly as I remember

Looking back through your own memories!!!

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Photos:

Google Maps. Streetview & Directions. Retrieved October 2nd 2022 from 
https://www.google.ca/maps?hl=en&tab=rl&authuser=0

Sources:

Haddad, Ken. The story of Boblo Island. Click On Detroit. Originally published May 25th 2020. Retrieved October 2nd 2022 from
https://www.clickondetroit.com/all-about-michigan/2019/06/28/the-story-of-boblo-island/

The Haunted Theatre Of Boblo Island. Your Ghost Stories. Old Dude. Originally published December 15th 2014. Retrieved October 2nd 2022 from https://www.yourghoststories.com/real-ghost-story.php?story=20963

We visited Boblo Island 23 years after its amusement park closed. Originally published August 1st 2016. Retrieved October 2nd 2022 from

https://www.mlive.com/travel/2016/08/this_is_what_life_is_like_on_b.html

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Family Adventures ~ Making Memories

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 42 (ADVENTURE)


My ancestors were an adventuresome bunch. They left their home countries for new lives. Often without the language or finances to make their new home an easy transition. When I began looking for whose adventures to share this week I wasn't able to choose just one.


As a child we took many road trips. My brother is 2 1/2 years younger than I am. He was an early reader, and I was a late reader. I remember us being in the upper part of the camper (before seat-belts were required), and watching the signs go zinging by. My brother and I were watching for small graveyards. He had read "Little Burials Ahead" on a sign. Seems my interest in graveyards and genealogy began at a young age. 

There were no graveyards that we could see. The signs actually said "Litter Barrels Ahead". Not bad reading for a 5 year old to read off the signs as they were speeding by.

I then began thinking about the trips my husband and I took with our boys. The family adventures we hope they remember as fun when they are older. 


When they were small we watched the movie Lilo & Stitch. We loved that movie (watching it over and over and over again). I promised our boys that we would take them to Hawaii on vacation some day. It only took 15 years, but in 2018 we followed through with that promise. We had an amazing family vacation with our adult kids in Maui. Sitting on the beach we heard how this was our first family vacation. 


How could they think that?  We traveled all over Western Canada as a family. We had taken many trips with them. 

Our boys exploring, Hawaii, 2018

I then realized they were right.  We had traveled as a family many times, but this was our first family vacation.

Our boys, Maui Ocean Center, 2018

When the boys were small we had a 17' travel trailer we towed behind our Ford Bronco. We traveled across 4 Canadian provinces to visit family every 2 or 3 years. Along the way we took alternating routes to explore. In between those trips we explored closer to home on weekends or week long journeys.


My husband and I pored over maps choosing the route we would take to show different parts of western Canada to our boys. We carefully chose where we would stay to visit local attractions. One year, as we were finalizing our plans, I went out shopping to buy a portable dvd player for the upcoming trip. Instead I came home with 2 portable cd players. I had realized that if they were watching a movie while we were driving across Canada they wouldn't see what our country looked like. We traveled with a large lidded tote of audiobooks from the library. As they listened to their books they were seeing the landscape pass by. We wanted our boys to know what our country looked like.



In 2002 we took a 3 week trip. We left home, and spent our first night at a campground in Three Valley Gap. What an amazing place to visit. The guided tour grants access to the inside of the restored buildings. There is a Model T collection. You can see the rail car that our current Prime Minister (Justin Trudeau, age 10) was traveling on with his father, Pierre Elliot Trudeau when the famous “Trudeau salute” occurred.
Enlightening our kids to Canada's history - CHECK!  



Next we traveled to the Calgary zoo for the afternoon. Then on to Drumheller, Alberta where we spent the night in a campsite near the river for two nights. We spent the whole day at  the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, and explored Drumheller. 

We visited the Reptile Refuge Center

We viewed the local terrain

Dinosaurs, reptiles, local geography - CHECK!

We then traveled on to Winnipeg to visit with my dad and grandmother for a week. We visited the Manitoba Children's Museum, The Forks National Historic Site of Canada, and Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site of Canada.
Family Time - CHECK! Local history - CHECK!


As we left Winnipeg heading to Eastend, Saskatchewan a flock of Canadian Geese posed for us along the highway.
Wildlife - CHECK!  


In Eastend we set off to find the tiny dinosaur research facility called the T-Rex Discovery Center. When we visited we were the only visitors. It didn't take us long to go through the very informative and interesting facility. 
Science knowledge - CHECK!


As we left Eastend, Saskatchewan heading to Canmore, Alberta I was looking at the map. Map reading skills are not my greatest skill. As I was trying to figure out where we were & where we were going I happened to notice Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. I asked my husband if he had ever visited in his many trips back and forth across Canada as a child. He said he might have, but since he was always sleeping from the gravol his mom gave him he didn't remember if they had. 


I said "I always wanted to stop when I was a kid, but my parents were always in too much of a rush to get us to Ontario when we traveled so they always said no when I asked". With that, the car came to a screeching halt at the side of the road. My husband took the map from me, and said we are going. 


Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump was the best interpretive center I have ever visited. The information shared was enlightening, and the motion activated audio and lighting enhanced the experience. We stayed at the campsite nearby, and heard a coyote pack making a kill in the middle of the night. The boys were enthralled with the idea of the buffalo jumping off the cliffs.
Cultural history - CHECK!


Thinking back on why we would have traveled the odd route backtracking to Canmore I remember it had something to do with the dates of arrival either before or after. We always carefully made the plan to maximize how many places and people we could visit. We stayed with my husband's aunt & uncle for a few days while we were in Canmore. My husband was partially raised there so wanted to show the boys where he had hiked and fished when he was young. He enjoyed sharing his childhood memories with us. We hauled a few rocks home from the Bow River so we could paint them (one still lives in our garden). Nostalgia & making memories - CHECK!

After leaving Canmore we headed to the Frank Slide (Alberta, Canada), and then on to Fort Steele (British Columbia, Canada).
Geology - CHECK! Heritage town - CHECK!

After a few hours exploring Fort Steele we headed off to try to make the last ferry from the East side of Kootenay Lake to Balfour where my parents lived. As we traveled the dark windy road we made an alternate plan of where we would park the travel trailer to sleep in if we missed the last ferry of the evening. We made the ferry with two sleeping little boys. The next morning they woke up at Grandma's house. We spent the rest of the week visiting family and friends. 

We then headed home after spending 3 weeks on the road: traveling 4885 kms, spending 52 hours in the vehicle, visiting 12 attractions, & enjoying the company of family members in 3 provinces.  


Not to be forgotten is the souvenirs they each chose at every location. By the time we arrived home our vehicle was heavier, and our pockets lighter.
The new experiences and information we collected - PRICELESS!

We traveled a lot while they were growing up. Sometimes we spent a little bit of money by staying close to home or camping. Sometimes we spent a lot of money by traveling further away and doing lots of activities. 


When my husband and I look back on those trips we have fond memories. We loved introducing our kids to new experiences and new places. Only rarely did we hear "are we there yet?".  We took several trips that looked very similar to the one outlined here. 


Our boys don't remember the trips the same way we do. Would they honestly have preferred a 'real' vacation?  Then again maybe my husband's gravol-sleep trips were remembered differently by his parents. 





Making memories - One trip at a time!



This is why I search - 



Cause ... 





You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!
















***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***









Sources:

A B.C. museum says it’s preserved the railcar from which Pierre Trudeau gave the finger to protesters, National Post, published August 22, 2016, Retrieved October 15th 2019 from
https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/a-b-c-museum-says-its-preserved-the-railcar-from-which-pierre-trudeau-gave-the-finger-to-protesters

Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump, Alberta Wow, Retrieved October 15th 2019 from 
http://www.albertawow.com/hikes/Head_Smashed_In_Buffalo_Jump/Buffalo_Jump.htm

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Retrieved October 15th 2019 from
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/158/

Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, Retrieved October 15th 2019 from
http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/index.htm

Travels with Pierre, August 12th, 1982, Railroaders' Nostalgia, Train Orders, retrieved October 15th 2019 from 
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?18%2C2791016%2C2791016#msg-2791016

Three Valley Gap, Retrieved October 15th 2019 from
https://www.3valley.com/heritage_resort/roundhouse.htm

Trudeau Gets Asked: 'Why Did Your Dad Give Everyone In Western Canada The Middle Finger?' It became known as the "Salmon Arm Salute.",  published 01/27/2017, Huffington Post, Retrieved October 15th 2019 from 
https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/a-b-c-museum-says-its-preserved-the-railcar-from-which-pierre-trudeau-gave-the-finger-to-protesters








Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

_____________________________________________________________________

Robert Graham ~ Scottish Carrier

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 18 (Road Trip)

My X4 great grandfather, Robert Graham was born the 16th of January in 1814  in Thornhill, Closeburn, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. His parents were Peter Graham (born about 1788) and Ann(e) Kirk (born about 1785). I have found records for 3 more children born to Peter & Ann (nee Kirk) Graham. I have not been able to find any other records to date, but am confident these are my people. I have a DNA match to Robert's brother James' descendants. No match to either of their sisters (Mary & Elizabeth) at this time. Peter Graham and Ann Kirk are one of my brick walls. I have no record of their birth, marriage or death. Until I found the DNA match to James' descendants I wasn't confident they were actually my X5 great grandparents. I have taken them out of my tree to start researching again only to put them back into my tree at least 5 times. After the DNA match appeared I put a note in their records reminding me to not take them out. I am reasonably exhausted that the research is correct. 

Robert married Susanah (Susan) Hamilton on the 4th of June 1842 in Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Susanah (Susan) was born on the 3rd of November 1814 in Carnwath, Lanarkshire, Scotland.  Susan was the 5th child of 9 children born to Andrew Hamilton (2 Sep 1775 - 28 Jan 1836/37) and Marion Weir (14 Jul 1781 - 17 Aug 1826).

Robert and Susan had 9 children. Their son Robert is my X3 great grandfather who was married to Margaret/Maggie Burt. Their son Robert is my X2 great grandfather who was married to Jessie Crawford Gray, and they immigrated to Canada in 1911. Their son Robert (known as Bob/Bobby) is my great grandfather who was married to Nellie (Con)Cannon. I am the granddaughter of Robert and Nellie's only son John Robert (known as Jack/Jacky).

Have you gotten lost in the long line of Robert Grahams that I descend from?  I know I have been lost among the Robert Grahams many times while researching. 

Now back to Robert Graham, my x4 great grandfather. 

In the 1851 Census we find Robert and family living in Firdon farming 11 acres.

Are you asking what does this have to do with ROAD TRIP yet?  I am so glad you asked.

By 1961 we find Robert and family have moved. They are now residing on Muir Row, but still in Lanarkshire. Their parish is no longer Lesmahagow. They are now in the Carnwath parish. Robert's occupation is no longer a farmer. He is now a Carrier. Robert ROAD TRIPPED everyday all day, and as the future census ecords show he continued road tripping for many years. 

Finding  Robert's occupation assisted in my researching his family. I was able to confirm that the census records I was finding were still for the right family because of Robert's occupation. In 1871 and 1881 he is listed as a Carrier still, and in 1891 he's a Retired Carrier.  

In 1871 they have moved again, and are residing at Heathland. Their parish is still Carnwath. They now have a granddaughter residing with them. This new piece of information provided more clues in my searching. 

By the next census Robert and Susan are 65 years old, and living alone at the same residence. 

By 1891 Robert is retired. He and Susan are still living at the same residence just the two of them.

Neither Robert or Susan can be found in any future census because Robert died the following year in 1892 and Susan in 1894

Robert Graham

January 16th 1814 ~ March 24th 1892

Thornhill, Dumfrieshire, Scotland ~ Forth, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Susanah (Susan) Hamilton

November 3rd 1814 ~ April 11th 1894

Carnwath, Lanarkshire, Scotland ~ Forth, Lanarkshire, Scotland

At the time of their death their grandson (my X2 great grandfather) was 8 when his grandfather died, and 11 when his grandmother died. Their grandson grew up about 9 miles from his grandparents. Its seems the family stayed fairly close together until their grandson grew up, married, and moved his family to Canada. One of Robert and Jessie's sons left Canada, and headed back to the United Kingdom (residing in England). It appears as though the rest of the family stayed in Canada, but I am still searching. 

Jack (my grandfather) and his father Robert (great grandson to Robert  & Susan [nee Hamilton] Graham) who was known as Bob/Bobby
(born Holytown Scotland in 1906, and immigrated to Canada in 1911) 

Follow the paper trail to ensure a reasonable exhaustive search.

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Sources:

Scotland Census records, Retrieved May 1st 2019 from Ancestry.ca

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!