You Can't Go Home Again?

All of these reunions, along with rummaging through my grandmother's recipes, have left me feeling quite nostalgic.

When I was a child I spent most of my summers (well, at least a few weeks) in Muskogee, Oklahoma. That's where Grandma and Vic lived. Vic was my grandfather. I guess he thought he was too hip to be called grandpa, grandfather, or anything old sounding. So, he was Vic.

I loved the time I spent in Oklahoma. I was Grandma and Vic's first grandchild, and their only grandchild for over ten years. This means I was spoiled. I was not a brat about it, but spoiled is about the best word I can come up with to describe my experience of the many wonderful things I got to have, do, and see when I visited my grandparents.

They had a swimming pool built in their yard when I was very young. It was for me. All year long the pool sat empty except for the occasional swim by Vic after golfing, or maybe the kid who cut the grass would get to take a dip. When I stayed in Oklahoma I wanted to swim from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep.

One year my grandfather took me to visit a friend of his, "M.C.". MC had a farm and I spent the night there. His daughters showed me all around and took me horseback riding. I loved seeing the animals and the gardens/crops. I had such a wonderful time in a home so very different from what I was used to. Shortly after, Vic had MC bring over some bunnies for me. I can't remember how many there were. I'd say at least 1/2 dozen. They released them in the backyard, which was fenced in. I saved carrots and radishes from my dinner salads to feed them. I couldn't believe I had my very own bunnies. Of course, they eventually tunnelled out of the yard one by one until they were all gone. I think the final rabbits left after I did.

Vic also took me to meet many other interesting people. He was very involved in Native American culture and had been Superintendent of Indian Schools for the entire U.S. We always visited the 5 Civilized Tribes Museum and Honor Heights Park (famed for the annual Azalea Festival). He took me arrowhead hunting. At the time I didn't know, but he planted some from his collection for me to find. I thought that was so much fun. Once he took me to see the Goodyear Blimp which had landed in a nearby field.

My great-grandmother was living until I was about 12 years old, so we'd visit her too. At first in her home, then in a nursing home. One time my father visited her in the nursing home and played his guitar for her. She really got a kick out of that. One time she asked whether we'd had any trouble with the Indians on our way to see her. She lived in Oklahoma her whole life.

Mostly things were country. My grandparents lived in a fairly new suburb, but just across the street was farmland. I could always smell the honeysuckles in the air. Imagine my surprise when I looked up good old Muskogee on Google today and found this crazy tourist trap!

So, I cannot go "home" again. Not only is Muskogee not how it used to be, but home is the people. I miss Great-grandmother, Grandma and Vic.

Reunions, Reunions, Reunions!

I can hardly believe how long it's been since I last blogged. Gosh, we've been busy the last couple of months! Let's see... in September Matt and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary. Mom stayed with Joe while we went out to dinner at one of our old haunts. Very nice.

I am declaring October 2007 Family Reunion Month!
On Oct. 8th we drove down to Summerfield, Florida in a straight shot and had a 3 night visit with Matt's parents. They were so busy it felt like we barely saw them. They're still performing in shows, singing in the church choir, Lou plays softball about 3 times/week, is a billiards champion, talent scout, builds sets and I can't even think of everything else they do! Ever since Mary had her knee surgery she's back to dancing and it's wonderful to see them both in such great health and great spirits.

On the 11th of October we drove to Tybee Island, Georgia for a 3-day reunion with my side of the family. I had a chance to see people I've known my whole life, but have been away from for a long time, and a chance to meet folks I've never had the opportunity to meet before. There were 28 of us and we stayed in two side-by-side beach houses. I had a wonderful time and cannot believe the amazing family we have. There are one or more writers, editors, homemakers, poets, painters, teachers, nurses, directors, businessmen, sales persons, students and more. Oh, and I'm pretty sure that there were 28 storytellers. I loved it. We were able to ride in a group to Savannah and visit some of the old homesteads and some of the departed at their final resting place. It was funny and sad, hysterical and tragic, maddening and calming. I am so glad I had a chance to experience those days with my family.

We returned to Maryland on the 14th and resumed family celebrations on the 19th with the wedding rehearsal and dinner for Mark and Melanie. Mark's brother made an incredible meal with course after course of Italian food. The next day were the nuptials. Matt played guitar, accompanying the groom's daughter Erica, for the processional. They were spot on and I'm certain Matt is glad that's over with. He's an amazing guitarist, but does not often play in front of large groups of people. The wedding reception was a blast. So many of Matt's cousins came from out of town. We really enjoyed visiting with them and wish we'd had more time to spend. We're so glad we had a chance to reconnect. Melanie made a lovely bride and we couldn't be happier for her and Mark.

I'm trying to post pictures as fast as I can. If this is your first visit to our blog, be sure to click on the Flickr album to the right. It will take you to our entire collection of pictures. A lot of them have not been edited, and I'm not a professional photographer, but hopefully you'll get a nice glimpse of our lives. Thanks for stopping by. Please post comments, start threads, send a little email or snail mail, whatever you're comfortable with.