When I first saw
Jasia's prompt for this edition of the Carnival of Genealogy I immediately thought about our camp In Sylvan Beach, NY which is located at the east end of Oneida Lake. It wasn't beach front, it was very small and for ten years it was our wonderful summer home.
I used to love to take the kids to the beach as a storm was starting to roll in to watch the dark clouds form and the lightening flash. As the storm moved closer we'd retreat to the front porch to continue to enjoy the show. Storms were frequent, I remember well a hail storm that left dents all over our cars. I never thought of watching a storm from the porch as dangerous until the year of the tornado. It was a little one that did considerable damage just a block away. After that watching the storms from a narrow little room surrounded by glass never seemed like a great idea - at least not with the kids. To this day I love to watch a good storm.
There was virtually no back yard and the front yard faced the main street through town so our days were usually spent on the beach. We had a cart I used to carry all of the kids beach floats, sand toys and our beach blanket. I still have the beach blanket, actually an old quilted bed spread that came with the place. Every time I use it I think of days spent playing on the beach and evenings under the stars watching the fireworks displays or enjoying a fire and roasting marshmallows for smores.
There is a small amusement park in the village that we visited on occasion. We walked everywhere - to the grocery store, park, or down the street to get an ice cream.
The place came furnished, a real mismash of fabrics and styles that seemed just right for a camp. The two sofas with scratchy upholstery each pulled out to full size sleepers that were well used by friends and family. Card games were played here and many books were read. Laughter bounced off of the walls.
It had the smallest kitchen I have ever seen, too small for the refrigerator which sat in the dining area. We made good use of the outdoor grill and meals were made for the five of us and often a dozen more.
After moving to western NY the kids entered their teen years and we decided we were not using and enjoying our little haven enough. Trips to camp became a chore so we decided to sell. We found a buyer and closed in September. In October John was told that he was being transfered back to central NY. That seems to be how it goes for us.
I hope my children's memories of camp are as fond as mine. We haven't talked about the place in ages. Maybe next summer we'll take the grandkids to the beach and on a trip down memory lane.
This is the Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City. We went one very warm summer and enjoyed walking the boardwalk, the cool breezes and our favorite vacation activity - people watching. We only live about 6 hours from Atlantic City but I have only been the one time. I always love to see onion domes; these are the only ones I've seen that weren't on a church. 
One of our most memorable vacations ever started out in the little cottage on the left. We traveled to Jamaica with our best friends and had some of our worst vacation hassles ever but since they were with us some of our best memories are also from here. I have no desire to ever visit Jamaica again but can't wait for our next vacation with friends.
After my parents divorced my Dad remarried and ended up on a small farm in Clayton, NC. Quite something for a city boy! I spent some summers there and my freshman year of high school. I learned where food really came from there. We had a mean guernsey that produced the sweetest milk I've ever had. One of the many things I learned to do there was to churn butter. Some other time I'll write more about my times on the farm. After my time there it's amazing that I'm trying to garden at all.
These were made by my kids at the dining room table in the first house that John and I shared. So many memories. Blending two families. Becoming a stay at home mom. Board games played at the table. Disastrous dinners and John teaching me how to cook. Orange shag carpet that he let me replace with white – I don’t know which was worse. lol. Fireworks in the backyard. My most memorable Christmas – the year Santa filled the living room with balloons so it wouldn’t look so empty under the tree. By the time we were done we were both high as kites, no alcohol needed. The kids were so excited by the balloons it was awhile before they realized that there were presents too! I believe this Christmas memory may be repeated at BJ's this year.
Aruba. John and I had booked this trip months in advance. Just before we were due to go we had some problems to deal with. I really didn’t want to go but in the end I did. Sure, I remember the flooding in Oranjestad and the touristy things we did, but what I remember most is long walks and long talks. I realized then how very much I loved him that I couldn’t picture life without him.
Every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings.
I’ve received many homemade ornaments from students over the years. I remember each child as I hang them on the tree.
I don’t have very many good memories of my Dad. The train set he had in the basement is one of the few. There was no question that it was his train but he’d sometimes let us run it. He had built a very large table with a hole cut out in the center so you had to crawl under to get to the controls. Lots of track and switches and little toy buildings and trees. But most of all his time and attention.
Jamaica. Our first trip to an all inclusive and all the rum I couldn’t handle. The bar with swings instead of stools. The trip where they couldn’t find our reservation. Our first trip to a nude beach. The only trip we’ve taken where I didn’t feel safe leaving the resort. This was also our first trip with our best friends that was just the four of us, no kids, and miraculously, they’re still our best friends. After the trip they gave me a pillow that says "A friend knows all about you and still likes you"!
When the kids were young I started down my volunteerism path as a Camp Fire Leader. All the kids in the neighborhood joined and this is one of the ornaments they made one year. I’m just crazy enough that I took 1st and 2nd graders overnight camping at Camp Talooli twice. Biffies (out-houses), hikes, sing-a-longs, campfires and crafts.
I worked in Bean’s kindergarten classroom as a volunteer. Lots of cutting and pasting and other messy stuff. Her teacher made this ornament for me as a thank-you.
For the mom who has everything you get an owl. I have a large collection of owls, some given to me as gifts and some purchased on vacations. I no longer add to the collection as I have no more room but they are all special including this one that I received as a gift.
What do you give the dad who has everything? Over the years the kids have given John several Shultz and Dooley beer steins. Friends of ours saw this ornament while they were on vacation and bought it for us. It makes me think of them, past gifts given and received and the old Utica Club commercials.
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