Welcome to my new blog. This is how I plan to share
photos and the story of my 2017 Genealogy
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| My 2008 Pleasurerway motorhome at Lake Kirkwood |
I’ve been contemplating this adventure for a very long
time. For the past 40 years nearly all of my traveling has been done over long
weekends, occasional two-week vacations, and very rarely longer trips
to distant places like Europe and Australia. As a business founder/owner I’ve
been reluctant to leave for long periods of time. That changed yesterday as I cleared
out my desk and packed up mementos of my career. I left PGAdesign in the very capable hands of
my three business partners and have no doubt that they will carry on
successfully. I hope they will enjoy the
business as much and as long as I have.
I enjoyed my work so much that I use to claim that, “I plan to drop dead
at my desk.” But, I came to realize that there are other things that I enjoy
just as much.
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| Me, my family and my parent's camper on our way to Alaska to visit my sister, 1964 |
The primary purpose of this cross-country trip is to
spend time where my ancestors lived and to learn more about what they did, where
they lived and what their lives were like. I’ll spend time seeing these places
and doing research at local history libraries, state archives, courthouses and
other places where historic records are kept.
The other reason for the trip is to visit our state and national
parks and all the places between them. The best part is that I get to take my
time. When I find a place or part of the country I like, I plan to stay awhile
and just enjoy it.
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| In 1971 my parents Lottie and Ed bought a Ford pickup and a new camper before they got their motorhome |
My second term serving on the Oakland Planning Commission
ends on May 3rd. The plan is to begin this genealogy journey on May
4th.
Thanks to my mother, I’ll be traveling in style. My
parents spent many years traveling all over the United States and in other
countries. At first, they had a pick-up truck and camper and later they
upgraded to a motorhome. Traveling, taking photographs and writing about their
trips were my mom’s hobby. When my mother died in 2013 she left me and my
sister each a modest amount of money. Our brother got the house which was fair
because he took care of her after our father died. My sister used her share to
attend the 2015 Tour de France and travel through Europe. I bought myself a 2008 Pleasureway motorhome in
December of 2014. Since then Dianne and I have taken several trips together
with our dog Twinkle.
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| Liz Gluck, Tucson Botanical Garden |
Our first trip was planned to celebrate my 65th
birthday. Since I was born in January we wanted to go somewhere warm and
decided on Tucson where our friend Liz Gluck lives. Liz took us to several nice
desert gardens and birding spots.
Between April and November of 2015 we did six trips. We
went to Grass Valley to visit my cousin Pat and his wife Bonnie; to Kirkwood
Lake in the Sierra; Yuba Pass for wildflowers; Santa Rosa and the Charles
Schultz Museum; Boethe Napa State Park and Calistoga; and Pfeiffer State Park -
Big Sur - San Juan Bautista and Salinas where I thoroughly enjoyed the John
Steinbeck Museum.
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| Steinbeck's route for his book Travels with Charlie, Steinbeck Museum, 2015 |
Our big trip in 2016 was in May. We went to Zion, Bryce,
and Escalante in Utah and drove through Yosemite on the way home. I did one trip on my own in September, to
Newhall in Southern California, where I met a second cousin Joyce who shared a
treasure trove of family photos. The following month Dianne and I headed north
to Lassen Volcanic National Park and to meet a second cousin from another
branch of my family tree. Ann and I shared stories and photos as well.
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| Interior of Steinbeck's camper, Steinbeck Museum in Salinas, 2015 |
For the next post in May I should be on the road.
Chris
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| Me and John Steinbeck at his museum in Salinas, CA |
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| Joshua Tree National Park, California, 2015 |
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| Yosemite National Park, May 2016 |
