The 4th of July

My Office/Home on the road

Finally! The Casita and Toyota FJ are cleaned, lubed, filled and generally in good shape for the road. I will pull out of my driveway in the morning and point my nose in the general direction of Atlanta, Ga. where two of my long-lost cousins now reside.

Cousin Jane and I were very close when we were quite young. Our grandmothers were sisters, so we are "second" cousins if I understand how that sort of thing works. In reality, proximity was more important. We lived in the same area and our families visited each other quite often, so Jane was my closest cousin. We had other cousins but did not see them as often.

When I was six, my Mom and I moved from Georgia to a new home in Huntsville, Alabama and I did not see much of Jane. The last time I really remember seeing Jane was when I was in junior high. She came to visit us in Huntsville. That was many, many years ago.  My Mom was much better at keeping in touch than I, and she would update me every now and then, but we really have not seen each other in over fifty years.

Glenn Gerald is a "first" cousin. His mother and my mother were sisters. When Mom and I moved to Huntsville, Glenn's mom and he came to live with us. His father was off fighting the war in Korea at the time, so Aunt Neida and Glenn moved into the house that Grandfather Ivy had had built for Mom and I in Huntsville.  Since we lived together, Glenn was more like a brother than a cousin.  Mom was a nurse at Redstone Arsenal. Aunt Nieda took care of Glenn and I and ran the household. It worked out well for everyone. After the Korean Conflict ended, Uncle Glenn came back and they moved into a home of their own.  By this time Glenn had a younger sister, Mary Margaret who, being the only girl, was the apple of everyone's eye.

Glenn and I were fairly close until I went off to college. After that he took a job in Puerto Rica and I moved to Texas.  My Mom, who had remarried to Clayton (who we always called "Dahl") moved to Ohio when the aerospace industry hit hard times and Dahl lost his job.  Glenn and I lost touch and I had no idea how to get in touch with him.  I know that I have not seen Glenn since I moved to Texas (1969).

At any rate, a few months ago, Jane somehow found me and we began sending an email back and forth every now and again. She also found Glenn who, conveniently enough, also lives in the Atlanta area. So on the morrow I saddle up my rig and head out to see some folks who have been very important in my life, but who I have not seen in many years!