Birthdays

50f /10C this morning, mostly sunny, very breezy. 81f right now. Too warm for me.

Today is the birthday of two very special people--my oldest son and my English granny. My son turns 56 today, and my Granny would have been 131. She died in 1993 at 99 and a half years old. I thought I would post a few favorite photos of each of them. They shared a kind, thoughtful and giving way, quiet personalities and a keen sense of humor. George never met his great grandmother, sadly. Back then the miles were just too much for us to afford travel, and of course Granny's health precluded it for her.

First, my Granny. This photo is labeled "60th birthday". She was visiting us in our little house in Centreville, Virginia, in 1954, back when Centreville was a crossroads with a gas station, hardware store, and a general store, and a bar or two. Today it's a suburb of DC and is a huge, sprawling place.

This was also Easter Sunday that year, which explains Granny's lovely hat. Like this year, Easter was very late in 1954.

I don't remember this event, of course, as I was not quite 3, but surprisingly I do remember Hurricane Hazel that occurred that same year, because it was the first time I had seen hail. I remember the ice pieces were huge in my little hand. I also remember Mom talking about the "eye" of the storm. But Hazel occurred on October 15 of that year, so I was 6 months older by then.

Below is my mother and her siblings with Granny. I am not sure of the year, but I believe it was around 1980 when Mom made one of her trips to England. Standing, Aunt Dodo, Uncle Ted (for longtime readers of John's blog By Stargoose and Hanglands, this was John's father, and the man who coined the term that came to name the blog). Next to Ted is my mother, June. Seated is Aunt May, the oldest sibling, then Granny, and Aunt Grace sitting on the arm of the sofa. Aunt Grace passed away in 2022, at 102 years old. 

Now, my son George: He's the adventurer in the family, taking annual weeklong hikes through the Rockies,usually with his daughter Grace, pictured with him here in Wyoming a few years ago.

One of George's annual New Year's morning photos. He hikes to the top of a mountain near his home in eastern West Virginia every New Year's to greet the dawn and the year.

And last, George with his family, taken last year when he was attending the annual banker's conference at the Greenbrier Resort. He cleans up pretty good!

Thinking of them both today.Granny is probably sipping tea from a bone china cup in heaven. And George? He is on his annual trout fishing kayak trip on a beautiful secluded river that flows through our West Virginia mountains. A perfect way to celebrate his birthday, I think.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Concert! Sea Shanties

61°f/16°C, cloudy in the morning, rain or rain showers all day.

Heave ho!

The Wellermen: Sebastian, Bobby, Luke, and Sam. John was missing at the time of my photo.

We were on the road most of yesterday, traveling across the state to visit our oldest son, his wife and daughter, and to attend a concert by a group I honestly never thought I would see in person: The Wellermen, a sea shanty singing group with members from the US and the UK, with one member half-Finnish and half Brit. 

I stumbled on this group on Facebook Reels last winter. I had been listening to the Fisherman's Friends, another shanty group from Cornwall and a favorite of mine. I enjoyed The Wellermen too, but assumed they were in the UK, and that odds of ever hearing them in person were pretty remote. So imagine my shock when I found that they were performing in tiny Thomas, WV, at the Purple Fiddle, a funky, fun small restaurant and performance space in West Virginia's coolest little mountain town (which is also not so easy to get to, although a road that has been under construction for about 15 years will bring the town uncomfortably easy to access from the DC area).

My burger...wasn't feeling adventurous, but this burger was beyond perfect. I rarely eat beef, or burgers, but I enjoyed this one.

My son ordered these rice cakes appetizer which were wrapped in seaweed and had a spicy sauce. I tasted them and thought them pretty good. 

The remains of those amazing fries. Not at all greasy and unlike any fries I have ever had.

We had a great dinner at a quirky restaurant that serves Asian fusion dishes along with good ol' burgers. Their curly fries are to die for, an odd but astounding combination of potatoes with a creamy cheese, nut, and dried fruit topping. I could have been happy with just those for my meal!

The concert was standing room only, and we arrived just in time to nab the last 4 chairs, thank goodness. I would guess there were about 100 people in attendance. My daughter-in-law stayed home to prepare for her Sunday services--she is a minister at a church near their home (and also a pharmacist, part-time), so it was just my son, granddaughter,  Larry and me.

Y'all, I am here to tell you, that was one great concert. The group's harmonies are shiver-inspiring, especially the amazing bass voices of Bobby Baxter and Luke Taylor. John, the other bass, had to leave the second half of the show with a stomach issue (too much gas station food, they said!), but the group carried on. 

Sebastian is singing here.

The tenor voices of Sam and Sebastian,  both of whose last names I have forgotten, were simply perfect. There were oppo8for audience singalong too, on numbers such as Drunken Sailor, Wellerman,  and 16 Tons. The songs weren't all shanties-- there were American and original songs added to the mix.

Spanish Ladies 

I took several videos, which I had to edit to meet YouTube copyright rules, but they give a good sense of the evening. The audience was wildly appreciative, and gave a couple of standing ovations. It was just that good.

You can hear more of their singing on their website.

I admit, I was a total fangirl, waiting outside in hopes of a photo, which the guys were happy to do. They were surprised that I had come so far to hear them, but then they don't know how limited such opportunities are in West Virginia. 

With Luke and Sam. Luke's voice is quite something in one so young, such a deep bass. Sam is a classic British tenor, beautiful range.

Sebastian, Luke, me, Bobby and Sam. Bad lighting but oh well, it was nearly midnight. I am certainly not as thin as this photo makes me look!

Today we made the long drive home, over the mountains and through the rain. Our dogs were happy to see us, and we were glad to be home, but even happier, I think, that we had made the journey. It was worth every mile. (And yes, I came home with a CD, old-school granny that I am. I just like to own my media.)

The group has a few more US gigs before flying over to Europe, where they have performances in quite a few cities. Go see them if you get the chance--you won't be disappointed!

Back to our regularly scheduled routine tomorrow, darn it.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Coincidences: Birth, War and the Moon Landing

I was looking through my photos for one specific picture, taken on July 16, 1969, during the moon landing.

I was sitting in a rocking chair in my neighbor Ah How Ching's apartment, and I was nursing my firstborn, who was just 2 months old. I remember the dress I was wearing, a pale orange dropped waist cotton knit with small flowers sprinkled over it. I remember the small TV set that my friend and I watched the landing, and I remember her delight at watching me nurse my baby.

I never found that photo. I know it is here but where remains a mystery. Perhaps this winter I will finally get to the long-put-off job of sorting and organizing our boxes of pictures. Maybe.

What I did find was this blurry, worn Polaroid photo of my husband, also taken in 1969, and with it a letter he'd written home to his mother. The photo shows a young man--a boy really--trying to look like a tough soldier. He's filled out from the good grub the military fed its recruits, better chow than he'd ever had growing up in the coal camp. The thing the picture doesn't show is how scared he is, because he knows that very soon he will be shipping out to Vietnam.

The letter speaks longingly of home, wishing he was there and going hunting with his dad. He talked about calling soon and hoping his mother will be home when he calls, and that he wanted to talk to his father too, although he says, "I know he don't like to talk on the phone much." He also mentioned getting to come home soon for a visit. The visit never happened, as just three weeks after writing the leter he was on his way overseas.

Larry was a long way from West Virginia and the Olcott coal camp in 1969, and I was a long way from knowing he even existed. I was a happy new wife with a little baby, living in northern Virginia, with no idea that my first marriage would end or that I would ever live in West Virginia or meet my second husband there.

So while I was nursing my baby, watching the moon landing and comfortable that my husband was safely in the Air Force Reserve, Larry was somewhere in the jungles of Vietnam and wondering if he'd ever get out of there alive, and why he volunteered for the Marines in the first place.

One thing struck me when I read the letter: it was dated April 18, 1969. On that same day I was in the hospital, giving birth to my first child, who was born about 5 weeks early, and whose due date was actually May 25th--Larry's birthday. April 18th was also my English granny's birthday.

Today it is 50 years since the moon landing. My son is a strong 50-year-old man, and Larry and I have been married for 33 years. Such an odd weaving of destinies life can be.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

A Memorable May

I am stunned when I look back over the past month and realize all that we accomplished. We knew it would be a busy month, but it was even more so than we envisioned. Now here we are as the month draws to a close, and we can look back and check so many things off the to-do list. And also reflect on the many blessings that came our way.

Today we are just home from the last family event of the month, our granddaughter Grace's graduation from high school in Grant county, WV, which is on the other side of the state from where we live. We were so happy for her, and especially proud that she graduated summa cum laude.

It was a beautiful trip across this state we love. We took the "old" way, Route 55 to Route 33, instead of the new Corridor H which is a better road, and four lanes instead of 2. But we had time, and we just wanted to see some of the places along the route we've traveled for years to see this oldest son and his family.

And so to home. It's very hot here, in the upper 80's, so we've turned on an air conditioner for the first time this year.I think this evening will be chill time, in more ways than one--sitting inside in the cool, and chillin' with a movie as we reflect with joy on this month so full of family and love.


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

A Surprising Weekend

You know how sometimes you plan to do things and then it all changes in a second or two?

That was our weekend. Here was the plan:
• Daughter-in-law and granddaughters were to arrive Friday night, late.
• We were going to Derek's to hang out with him and his girlfriend since he'd just got back from a month at training in Missouri.
• Saturday we planned on breakfast at the Downtowner, then some hang-around home time with granddaughters. Maybe go to the new/old log cabin and look around with them, maybe pick up a little trash, etc.
• Saturday night was to be a bonfire night, and Sunday would be a big breakfast and leisurely start to the day as our daughter-in-law and granddaughters prepared to return home to Virginia. After that, probably work in the garden and enjoy the firepit.

What actually happened:
Got to the store for groceries, went over to Derek's. Surprise! Aaron and Jaime were arriving shortly--so we'd see two sons instead of one. Excellent.

Phone call. Daughter-in-law can't come after all. Bummer.

After some conversation, Larry and I decided to go to Virginia and see them instead. Why not? We'd planned to spend the weekend with them anyway and it would be a beautiful trip with the trees coming out and so many in bloom. Two-lane roads are best for spring drives.

That's how the weekend turned into a surprise journey across West Virginia in what I am sure is the most beautiful of Springtime.

Saturday morning we left early for Virginia, taking Derek's two daughters with us because they really wanted to see their cousins. We decided to take Route 33, a two-lane road that actually cuts about 30 minutes off of the normal 6-hour drive, if we don't get behind too many slow drivers or trucks.

We stopped at Glenville for breakfast at one of our favorite restaurants, The Common Place. I hoped our friends Jim and Judy Meads might be there, but maybe we were too early for them. We didn't stop again until we reached Seneca Rocks, and that place just demands a stop for photos. I wonder how many hundreds I've taken of these soaring cliffs?

I am intrigued by the cleft in the rocks. I remember when a single stone stood there, back in the 1980's, like a sentinel over the valley below. Some people called the rock "Princess Snowbird" and a legend was supposedly created for tourists about the rock.

As we passed through Petersburg, WV, we noticed our oldest son's truck was in the parking lot of the bank where he is vice-president. Was he actually there? He was! The bank was closed but he was in his office, talking to another employee whose son just happens to work at Hillbilly Hotdogs in Huntington. Small world! George had just showed his friend the photos I'd taken when his friend looked out the window and said, "Isn't that your Mom out there?" 'Deed it was!

We had a quick visit and arranged to stop by his house the next day because it was his birthday, and because we wanted to see his children too.

It was good to see my daughter-in-law and the girls, and to also see the house they plan to move to in the near future.

We also visited Jon's grave, a difficult but also necessary thing to do. Like the day of the funeral, it was cold and windy and we shivered as we stood quietly among the old stones. I will be glad when the cemetery finally seeds the grave and we have the stone erected. Currently it being designed for us and we hope to place it this summer.

It was not easy to say goodbye again but I took a tiny piece of white quartz from the soil on his grave and put it in my pocket, a small talisman that will keep me connected no matter how far away I am.

We left after our visit to the cemetery, a quiet group for many miles as we remembered Jon and those terrible days in February. But ahead of was a cause for happiness, and it was good to realize that although sorrow is still with us, we still have cause for joy too. We got to George's in time for lunch and birthday cake.

It's just a little steep off the side of George's driveway!

At the top of the driveway the gates opened...

And there he was! We met Bailey too, his new dog. She's right friendly--I liked her right off.

This is the view from George's front door: indescribable, so the photo has to do:

Then cake! Just what we need, right? But it was fun to be there and celebrate with George and his family. The kids have grown so much that the youngest is now taller than me. Which isn't saying much, I guess, since I top out at 5'2".

We finally made it home around 9:30 after dropping off the girls. The house was so cold! it didn't take but a few minutes for Larry to get the fires going though and we dropped into bed soon after.

So that was my weekend--completely unexpected, but I managed to see all but one grandchild--Jordan was at her house and busy putting up a new deck and porch. We'll see most of them again this coming weekend when we celebrate Jordan's daughter Cadyn's first birthday, and several of my sons and my granddaughter Haley compete in a triathlon.

Sometimes the best things are those that we don't plan or expect, aren't they?