I am knee-deep in genealogy paperwork this weekend. A package from the National Archives containing the military records of my great-grandfather, Sidney J. Kelly, Sr. spilled over 100 photocopied pages across my table that probably have not been disturbed since the 1920's at a time when his widow was seeking assistance with pensions and death … Continue reading The Perils of Disproving Family Legends
Memories
How you delayed my flight…
You don't know you did it because you were in a rush to get to your connection at Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C. This was not a delay caused by the airline or by the weather, it was caused by the inconsideration of a fellow passenger. Let me explain. On 22 December 2016, I … Continue reading How you delayed my flight…
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Man Cave Formal, 2017
This is an update to my post from yesterday. At about 12:11 am, just after the New Year's kisses and hugs were wrapping up, the phone pinged. The "Man Cave Formal, 2017" arrived. Because he posted it on FaceBook, I have no issues with putting it here as my first post of the year 2017. … Continue reading Man Cave Formal, 2017
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Looking Forward, 2017
It is once again New Year's Eve. I am ending this year in the same place I began it, along the Herb River in Savannah. It is really the place I want to be because She is here. That is more than enough to make me happy. We all have rituals that go along with … Continue reading Looking Forward, 2017
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In Search of Fred Goat
It all started with a homework assignment from my Aunt/God mother at the Kelly Family Reunion in October. She wanted a photo of Fred Goat. I remember Fred Goat from my childhood. We lived in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn during the 1960's, just down the street from my maternal grandmother's house. Nana, as … Continue reading In Search of Fred Goat
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When you say nothing at all…
The song When You Say Nothing At All sticks in my head, and it is a frequent companion on my travels between the Tidewater of Virginia and the Georgia Low Country. In fact, I have more than one version of it. One that gets played on the southern journey and one that plays on the … Continue reading When you say nothing at all…
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An old photo and a 49 year memory shared
I am startled that I do not remember some significant moments in my family history from my childhood. A Facebook post by my father yesterday jarred my thought process and brought me here. One of my early posts in this blogging experiment had to do with a treasure trove of slides sent to me from … Continue reading An old photo and a 49 year memory shared
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The Space to Write
The largest room in my house is the master bedroom. It actually could be divided into an office and a bedroom. There is a bay window area that is home to a desk that is perpetually covered in old family photos waiting for a turn in the scanner, snail mail and Blue Ray discs of … Continue reading The Space to Write
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The Angel Oak
Sometimes you just have to see something with your own eyes from different angles before to you understand how amazing it is. If you live along or visit the southern coast of the United States you will see Southern Live Oaks (Quercus Virginiana). These are venerable icons of the old south, lining roads and driveways often providing complete canopies that … Continue reading The Angel Oak
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Sliding through time
It arrived about a week ago. A box, from my father in Massachusetts, full of rotary slide trays. Weighing in at about 20 lbs with all the packing and trays. More importantly, for me, the trays yielded over 1,200 slides covering family subjects from the mid 1950's through the mid 1990's. As the unofficial family historian … Continue reading Sliding through time
Michael's Monologue 