Steve's Blog Spot

to Shreveport. Man, that's a long drive! 760 miles! Anyway, it was good to visit my brother and sister and their families. On the way over, the temperature never got above 32 degrees, then on the way back, it did not get under 70 degrees until I hit Atlanta! I LOVE winter in the south! Brought home a "CARE" package - items I can't buy here locally. Of special note: Slap Ya Mama! Cajun seasoning, sort of like Tony Chachere's, except less salty and more peppery. Mmmm, good stuff! It's made in Ville Platte, LA, so they know Cajun! Took a side trip on Tuesday down to Natchitoches, which is the oldest settlement of the Louisiana Purchase - 1713. Some will remember that the movie Steel Magnolias was filmed there. Not my taste in movies, but it's a quaint, historic area. I had wanted to visit the library at Northwestern La University to verify the existence of my family's bible. I had several relatives tell me of it and that it was now in the college's ...

I wrote earlier about receiving a comment on the family tree website I am working on. Well, it ends up that the comment was left by a somewhat distant relative - her name is Sally and we share the same great-great paternal grandfather! And to top it off, she has done extensive study on our family history. She has since been spoon-feeding me bits and pieces of genealogical data, and I have actually been able to give her a little info back, mostly thanks to my Aunt Shirley. I am slowly being drawn deeper into family tree research; I only wanted to see what the structure looked like, learn a little bit, and be done with it. Instead, I am finding out there's more to it than birth and death dates - I am uncovering stories about different forebears that paint pictures of real people who lived rich lives, only in another time. It is both profound and humbling, for without just one of them, I do not even exist! I have found something that is more than just a hobby, and something that I can...

I received a comment on the family tree website I am working on regarding my Great Aunt Jess. She was the older sister of my paternal grandfather, who was also his surrogate mother (although I don't think they used that word back then). According to my Aunt Shirley, it seems my grandfather was a late birth in my great-grandmother's life, and she was not "up to raising" him, for whatever reason. So, the raising duties fell to Aunt Jess. Anyway, the commenter described himself as the descendant of one of Aunt Jess' cousins, and said he had a copy of Aunt Jess' obituary, and that said obit describes quite an accomplished life. I sent him an e-mail with my address, so I hope to get my hands on that copy. I'll share it with both of my readers...

A thought struck me (I'll wait a minute to let the laughter subside) that perhaps a driving reason for my vacation choice of visiting family members, as opposed to the beach or some such activity, could be the recent deaths of Tim Russert and Tony Snow, only 58 and 53 years, respectively. I have always admired and respected these two men, Tony Snow especially, and their untimely demises have bothered me. All the cliches have more meaning now - life is too short, live while you can, etc. - and has caused me to reflect more on what is important in life. I find that work does not rank high on that list, except as a matter of necessity, although I do enjoy what I do, whom I work with, and the company I work for (hey, I'm not complaining!). But I have always worked since I was a teen, and sometimes to the exclusion of those other, intangible things in life, one of which is exploring your roots and knowing your family better. (Or is that 2 things?) Thus I set off to go visit relative...

Yes, friends, I am about to depart on a road trip and get away for a while. Gas prices? Who cares? Well, sort of. When it's all said and done, few things are more important than family, and from that truth hath sprung my mission, er, vacation purpose. (I think a vacation should have some sort of, at least minimal, reason to be. It gives you something to anticipate, even if you only plan to do nothing.) And the sole reason for this vacation is to visit family. It started as a desire to visit my younger sister and brother in Shreveport, LA, then it took a life of its own. My sister Pam recently underwent a second surgery to put a rod in her right leg in place of her femur which was shattered in a wreck on July 4, 2007. (Those things can be a slap in your face and make you think how quickly you can lose a loved one.) The original surgery was performed with the wrong parts, so she had to endure the second one, this time with a much better doctor and without trauma from the wreck. She h...