Forgetting to Reapply

 
The reason to go to the ocean on vacation is of course the beach. We got to our beach villa, thanks to Jim's parent's timeshare, in time to unpack before dinner. Em and Rae desperately wanted to get their toes on the sand and the water, so we headed to the boardwalk. Megan and Bridget were focused on eating and then just enjoyed taking it all in.

We parked on Ocean Blvd. right next to a huge Ferris wheel, we had dinner at a little pizza place. Jim teased the girls that since it was the end of the summer the beach might be sold out of shells. The warm, salty ocean breeze blew our hair in our face as we walked over the dunes to the beach. It was low tide so the beach displayed a huge ribbon of shells, which put to rest any glimmer of fear that the teasing was true.

 The next morning we gathered our beach gear and lathered the family in sunscreen. At the beach the big girls grabbed the boogie boards and went for the waves. Megs and Bridge also ran right to the shallow water. No one was afraid but they each had respect for the ocean. Bridget loved holding our hands in the shallow water and let the ocean bury her feet. Megan's initial attempt in the water wound up with a bloody knee from getting knocked down on the shells and rocks where the waves break, but she was thrilled when we brought her to the smooth sand on the other side of the break. Jim and I each took turns out in the ocean floating over the waves with them. Jim brought out the yellow and blue raft and he towed each girl in turn over the waves.

We ate our lunch and played in the sand. The girls all enjoyed digging holes and making trenches, before heading back out for more time in the waves. Bridget asked me how many days we had and was content to hear a number bigger than her age. Our little sage said " This is a good day." Some large dark clouds loomed on the horizon, so we packed up, rinsed off and headed back. Under the lights of the villa cheeks got redder and bathing suit straps became defined. Our well sun-screened skin of the morning was not so protected by the afternoon after waves and hours went by. I had brought spray sunscreen with the intention of reapplication, but I forgot. Gladly it is mostly Jim and I who are still red. The girls spots of redness have already faded to pink.

Crash in the Rear View Mirror

As we made our way south on 95 to Myrtle Beach, traffic moved smoothly. I was driving the second shift, Jim was napping next to me, and I could see that Bridget had nodded off. The Chronicles of Narnia audio disc was playing. In my rear view mirror all of sudden I saw a car veer drastically to the right. Then we heard a huge impact. I checked my side mirror to see a cloud of dust and smoke surround a car and a tree. The sound woke Jim up and the 3 big girls were all startled and asked what happened.

I saw a number of cars pull over immediately and so I decided to continue on. Jim lead us in a prayer for those in the car. I felt so torn, I really wanted to stop to see if we could help, but I didn't want the kids to see. We stopped shortly for lunch and there were many women discussing the accident in line for the bathroom. The girls listened keenly as did I. I made sure to find out if emergency vehicles had arrived and I was relieved they had. The crash had me reeling but I didn't want the girls to feel that same thing.

 I want them to know that we should help when the instance arises. I want them to care for the people but I realized that I don't really want them to know their sufferings. I want to protect them from the knowledge of it. They will realize the suffering in our world and I can't prevent it. It is happening little by little. I pray that the crash in my rear view mirror doesn't teach them to drive past, but I do hope driving past keeps them  innocent a little longer.
Please say a prayer for the occupants of the car and their family.

Grandfathers' Grandfathers

I have seen some of my family tree and read with interest the dates of birth and death and marriage. I have been dreaming about recording some of the more personal information about my ancestors. What were their lives like? What type of people were they? These questions were also on the minds of my relatives in Green Bay and they had begun to find some answers.

We drove out to Green Bay to visit my Grampa and we were invited to go on a Heritage Tour by my Uncle Don. My Aunt Sue and Uncle Don had been researching our family tree for the past few years and generously put together binders full of information they had discovered. There were easily hundreds of hours spent documenting this research and then copying it. My brother Will and his family were also visiting GB and my parents were going to be there the week later. We were to be the first beneficiaries. Will, myself and Emma got the first tour. Uncle Don picked us up at our hotel and drove us to the place were the first Jauquet in America made his home. Pierre Jauquet immigrated to the US from Belgium in 1856. According to the Belgium records he left with his wife and 4 children. In their research they found the deed for the purchase of 40 acres in Namur, WI in 1860. We drove out to the site and saw the house that Pierre Jauquet built. Research provided important detail, but walking the land and climbing the worn steps provided a more visceral experience. My Great, Great, Great Grandfather cleared these acres, cut these logs and placed them to provide shelter for his family and 3 generations to follow. He worked this land to feed his family and make a living. He came from poverty, but sacrificed, became a land owner and through hard work set the foundation for his Great Grandson, my Grampa. Jauquets still own and farm the land and the owner opened the house for us. They lived in it up until 50 years ago but the sturdy hand hewn logs are still in good condition.

Our tour then took us through 3 generations on both my Grampa's and Grandma's sides. We visited the homes they built, churches they attended, and their places of burial. My grandmothers family donated the land for their church and graveyard. And my grandfather's grandfather donated an amazing stained glass window for their church. They were obvious people of faith and fortitude. After coming to the US with very little, I could see their pride in the homes they built and lived, with circular windows and decorative brick. They worked hard and I got the sense that they didn't take the good fruit of their labor for granted. I feel blessed to have received these gifts: the binder of info and pictures, the tour and stories, but mostly I feel blessed to know I am fruit of my grandfather's grandfathers.

Road Trip different but the same

We just returned from our road trip to Green Bay and I noticed a number of changes from years past. I love the memories of the road trips that I took as a child packed into a hot station wagon with my family of seven. I am hoping that our girls will cherish their road trip memories as well. There are some major differences between then and now.

• Gas is @$3.75/ gallon instead of $.90
• AC on the whole trip- not an option for most of the station wagons and even then there were no vents in the back.
• Music CD's burned with our favorite songs - radio if we could find a station or acapella 
• DVD player - only daydreams

But still many parts of the road trip haven't changed

• Enjoying the hills and valleys and even spotting a little white church in a valley in PA
• Thrilling over the siting of a rainbow and watching the full arch and even seeing a faint double
• Making sandwiches on the side of the road for lunch and losing a few grapes between the seats
• Calling out state license plates
• the question "Can you hold it?" and bathroom breaks
• Watching the sunset out the back window
• Pulling into a hotel in the dark tired and cranky
• Sleeping bags and negotiations for the beds
• reviewing who we would see and how we were related
• Snacks, crayons, workbooks, and novels
• Marveling at the silhouette of silos and barns against the sky

It is those things that make the road trip timeless. Our road trip went very smoothly and I was impressed at how efficient our stops were. When we watched movies they were chosen in age order and Jim reminded the girls that if anyone complained about someone else's choice we would skip their turn. We listened to the Chronicles of Narnia on audio Disc and that helped pass the time quickly for all of us except for Bridget. She was just too little to follow along and it was hard for her to be quiet for so long. Emma and Rachael set up in the back seat and kept themselves busy making friendship bracelets, reading books, and soaking in the landscape. Meg and Bridget were in the middle row and did well maintaining their things and using lap desks for their coloring and writing. We set up a system of plastic cups that we filled with snacks and were passed to each row.  We were all so excited when we arrived in Green Bay and then so relieved to arrive back home.