Ancestry

 I know there are a lot of people into it, and I have not been one of them. Not deeply at any rate. However, I have recently been much more informed about my father's side of the spectrum over the last year. My father was adopted at 3 months of age due to the death of his mother. His father gave him to Sam and Anna Brock, which was not at all uncommon in those days. As a result, we "Brock" grandchildren knew very little of our Vanhorn, my father's birth name, side of the family. 

My birth grandfather was Walter Vanhorn, and Walter was a twin. Wesley was his twin's name. The twins had a brother, William, as well.

A few years ago Butch and I did the Ancestry.com thing, more to find out what part of Europe we came from more than anything else. I was put in touch with some of Walter's and Wesley's families as a result of being in the large pool of ancestors.

I recently found out I have 1st cousins in Greene County. They have been here most of my life, if not all, and I was unaware. 

Ancestry.com sends out a "hint" every little bit to entice you to become a member. My interest is not that strong, so I pass. I do, however, look at what they will show me for free. This is a photo of what I received yesterday. 

From this bit of info, I found out that my great-grandparents on my dad's side had a large gap between their ages. He was 28 years older than Luvica! She lived to the ripe old age of 107, and he died at 89. If I had known of her existence, I could have visited her had the circumstances been right. My father's biological sister, Ione Beason Shafer, lived to 104, so longevity might have been a factor.

Hey, it is raining outside, and I am all caught up on many things, so you get the leftovers of my mind on days like this one.

Day and Light

 Every photographer worth their salt knows it is all about the light. My "job" each morning is to unlock the doors in the morning; All six of them...that's another story.

When I opened the door on the east side of the breezeway, I stopped in my tracks and got my camera, my best camera! Now, this may not be a big deal to many people, but it is to me.

Here are the results:

This is actually the shot that sent me for my camera. (Chives)

These are the 3rd or maybe 4th generation of cacti my son, Gary, gave me for Mother's Day in 2004. We bring them in for the winter, and our house sitters give them a drink every month or so. It is awesome how they have evolved from the tiny little cactus they were to begin with.