There's No Place Like Home

Answer: Family Reunion

Question: What extracurricular activity does a genealogist look forward to the most?

Just back from the annual Frankum family reunion and it was a rousing success. The core group of the reunion at this point in time are the first cousins who were born to five sisters and one brother: Ivy (my grandmother), Linnie, Ora, Ruby, Sam and Virgie. There were 21 first cousins originally. Five have died, including my father, and two were unable to attend this year. The remaining 14 were present and ready for action.

Hazel, the oldest of the group, is standing in the back row at left and the rest follow chronologically to the youngest of the group, Peggy, sitting at right. These first cousins are a remarkable bunch. Their parents were committed to raising them more like siblings than cousins and the relationship holds to this day. They kid each other, lend sympathetic ears to each other, and love each other without reservation. I have not one doubt that every one of them would come running to the assistance of not only each other, but to the children of the next generation. This is a bunch of people who are the personification of family.

We departed for home this morning, giving and receiving hugs and promising to see each other next year. Cousin Glynda and I rode back home together and took the scenic route, driving past family historic sites, visiting a small country cemetery, and stopping long enough for me to snap a photo of a place I remembered fondly.

The house at the end of this dirt road is not the one that stood when I was a visitor to this place, but the scene is the same. My great aunt and uncle, Ruby and Bill, lived here when I was a little girl and we would come out here for a visit a couple of times a year. The long dirt road was a favorite of mine. I could ride the bicycle they kept down to the main road and back, riding past the pond and the odd cow and revel in the breeze blowing across my face as I enjoyed a sense of independence and freedom. The place still feels like an oasis of peace, far away from the hustle and bustle of Houston, which is only about an hour away.

We arrived home earlier than expected, so I trotted over to check the dogs out of boarding a day early. This time they stayed three nights and I was assured they did just great. They seemed happy and well cared for (even got a bath while they were there). But Mojo said "There's no place like home!" and promptly went to bed for a restorative nap.

LSW