I learned to measure milk in a half an eggshell, found doppelgangers exist, fell in love with rollercoaster-like land . . . and decided family reunions had possibility.
I truly tried to avoid my great-aunt’s “genealogy get-together.” My parents, more persistent than me, required I attend. At 17, what had I in common with my older relatives? My aunt hosting the event was 84!
Graysville, Pennsylvania varies from any place I’ve ever been. It is beautiful and steeped in antiquity. Most buildings are decades, even centuries old. Bridges connect homes to roads. So extreme are the land’s rolling hills that travel is difficult. My grandma who grew up here was responsible for milking duties. Supposedly, to ascend the hills, she had to cling to a cow’s tail. Locals say Graysville farm animals differ from other beasts because of their need for two shorter legs, enabling them to say erect on the tilted ground. Arriving at 7:50 a.m. to the Graysville Fire hall, I genuinely looked at the landscape. Those stories might be less exaggerated than I had suspected.
A bit surly for my forced attendance, the smells from the hall reminded me that these dull old people sure can cook. After sausage gravy and biscuits and pancakes and gooseberry muffins and “Blueberry Boy Bait” with sweet cream, my attitude improved slightly.
The adults proceeded to spread collections of family pictures and war documents on the unused tables. While they left to tour four local graveyards, my sister and I opted to clean the breakfast dishes. Gathering plates from one long table, I literally stumbled on a glob of breakfast leftover, knocking a pile of photos to the floor. Collecting them, a weathered sepia photo of my younger sister driving a horse and buggy caught my attention. Tossing a scarf across her shoulder, she eyed the camera with a challenge that only my sister can convey. I flipped the picture to see elegant fading writing identifying the photo’s subject as IdaMae Iams—my great-grandmother.
I’d never heard much about her. My grandmother died when I was 12; her mother, IdaMae, died when grandma was only 8. As I looked, I discerned small details of the scene. The road on which she and her horse stood was about ¼ mile from where I sat. The pervasive hills lined the distance. She was a double for my sister.
After the adults’ return from the graveyards, I asked about IdaMae. To learn more, I worked beside women making homemade noodles. I wanted to go and buy some egg noodles; they wanted to talk about my great-grandmother. I stayed and kneaded. Measuring milk in half of a broken egg shell, “the only way to get the exact amount of milk that you need in relation to the egg you use”, stories unfolded. My sister’s twin was an accomplished music teacher and horsewoman who handled horses that large men feared. She traveled to her students’ homes in that buggy, in the late 1800’s, on roads that I feared in our safe SUV.
After a lunch of chicken and noodles more delicious than I knew possible, I grabbed my sister’s arm and we walked around the grounds—the same property on which my aunt now lived and my earlier ancestors toiled. We stood on the old bridge connecting the fire hall to Dividing Ridge Road watching the crawfish squirm below. I couldn’t help but wonder if IdaMae had stood in the same spot, observing the same critters, wondering at what life had to offer. My connection to the place was unquestionable, and I was proud of it.
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Great information. I love travelling and the winter holidays are best to go out with family and friends. there are many places in India for the best winter holiday. here is the list 5 Best Winter Holiday Destinations In India
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Hi,
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As per my opinion Mountains are the real beauty of any country but not only a particular country is the the natural beauty of World….. It gives feeling like we are in heaven.
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Can you tell me a estimated amount required to spend 6 days in Washington including hotel price . thanks in advance .
Spending quality time with family is always a good thing to do , I have recently visited to Switzerland with my family and booked online experience that was pretty cheap and fun , really like your article appreciated buddy.
Hi, thanks for the huge list of good ideas! I reconnected with an old childhood memory of travelling on house boats.
Wow, that’s a great list. The Free Tours By Foot sounds amazing and such a great way to explore a city. Have you guys ever tried indoor skydiving? It’s not cheap, but it’s a great activity for the whole family. Some of the centers even offer a Virtual Reality experience. With more and more tunnels popping up it’s become quite easy to find a spot nearby. For those interested check out dropzone.com/indoor/ . They’ve got a nifty tunnel finder.
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Hi There,
Thank you for putting together a list for Fall vacation. It is so informative and exciting. We love the nature! We should be planning a trip to Aspen Mountain, Colorado soon. The infographic on emergency is so well done and very handy for travelers.
visiting california is always enjoyable. thanks for sharing your feelings about california. Have traveled any other countries? I’ve been travelling for last 2 years and I would like to share some of my great experinces with you. do you accept guest post?
Everything in this blog is nice. Fabolous infographic and presentation also. I also want to go there for these types of rides which are shown in this blog.
First of all, you need to find out what type of vacation each member of your family prefers. At lunch, dinner, or watching your favorite TV show in the evening, try discussing your upcoming vacation together. Listen to suggestions from everyone, remember where you have already visited and, taking into account the interests of the child, try to choose the right direction. It should be borne in mind all the details: the possibility of excess spending, the size of the vacation budget, the presence of health problems, interests, hobbies and hobbies. If you are organizing a trip with your child, you will have a wonderful joint vacation!
NYC is a great place to celebrate Halloween, and good opportunities for celebrity sightings too!
Please meet the winners of the 2019 FTF Teen Travel Writing Scholarship at this post: https://myfamilytravels.com/family-travel-forum-announces-winners-of-2019-teen-travel-writing-scholarship/
Hi, just wondering who won, every time I click the link it just takes me back to the homepage
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Thank you for sharing … I love to do a river rafting….thankyou so much for giving details about all things
Thank you for sharing the Information and images… Its very good and I am traveling soon on this place
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Hello Charles,
Thanks for your note. As stated in the post above, it has been sponsored by You Fly, We Drive, who has paid to market their services to readers of our website and forums. We hope you and other readers find their car transport service useful.
The terms and use clearly states… ” that no post on this forum should advertise or engage in promotion”. So how do you explain this article that was at the end of a link in your forum?
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The moon landing marked the culmination of America’s Cold War human spaceflight program and positioned itself as a global leader in science and technology. Apollo 11, the mission Armstrong and Aldrin flew with colleague Michael Collins, represented the U.S. accomplishing a seemingly impossible goal on a seemingly impossible timeline. Fifty years later, the world is remembering the historic mission and its impact on society and science, thanks to all these 50 COSMIC WAYS TO CELEBRATE SPACE.
I am also a collector of space memorabilia and I run a website dedicated to Space Exploration memorabilia https://www.space-collectibles.com . In fact, I leave in Paris, France. (Yes, that does mean I drink too much wine and eat too much cheese) . Since the age of 21, I became a big fan of Space Exploration as I studied in Cap Canaveral Florida, and worked with the engineers that put Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon. So, this is perhaps the reason why I became a pasionate Space Collectioner of photos from the space race in the 60’s from Nasa and Soviet programs. I whish I could be in all these 50 COSMIC WAYS TO CELEBRATE SPACE
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Great post, I love it!
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I love traveling and I will take my parents to another country. Your writing gave me some useful information, I can arrange an effective trip.
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Hey, Grandparents are the blessing of God to there kids and I am a professional travel agent of “Thia’s Travel Services” planned lots of successful tourism if you are planning or looking for more luxury trip and affordable tours with your friends and family feel free to keep in touch
Hey thanks for such a nice article, there is nothing better than getting away with the fam or group of mates into the wilderness and just relaxing while staring into those embers. I go camping regularly and I know you stated unplugged but if you dont play an instrument I highly recommend bringing along a nice loud Bluetooth speaker to jam away with all of you friends into the late night. That and beer ofcourse.
Thanks again and keep up the good work
Hershey is such a fun town to visit with so many family-friendly activities. We loved driving up to spend the weekend when we lived in Maryland.
Excellent post, Firsta! I enjoy reading about your travel experiences! Can’t wait to read your next blog post!
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Doing so saves money on your shipping costs. Most travelers are charged for gas as they are free. Tourists save money on car rentals and pay for their travels.