[This post is part of the Bound for Mom mini-blog carnival hosted by Geneabloggers]
Mom loved to travel and mostly by car. She seemed obsessed with road trips whether they were spontaneous or planned. Averaging 30,000 miles a year on her car, she would think nothing of driving two hours just to go see a concert or attend an event. While these distances and times may seem excessive, realize that I grew up in a very rural part of upstate New York where it was typical to drive 40 miles just to go shopping.
I think that I can attribute my love of history, especially New York State history, to the many trips my family would make all over the state. Fort Ticonderoga, Lake George, Albany, the Erie Canal, Cooperstown, Niagara Falls – all places that interested me as a child and in later years I would discover ancestors who had lived in those same places.
When I think back about memorable trips, here are the ones that come to mind:
Niagara Falls: this was the first time that any of us had left the United States when we decided to spend time – and stay overnight – on the Canadian side. We learned quite a bit about the geological formation called “The Falls” as well as the history of the area. This was also my first exposure to Loyalist history and interested me since I have Loyalist ancestors in my family tree.
Cooperstown: still one of my favorite areas, we made several trips when I as a child. Unfortunately, most of the trips were to visit my great-grandfather, John Ralph Austin, as he battled cancer at The Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital. But Mom and my great-grandmother, Therese McGinnes Austin, would always make time for a visit to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
Rhode Island: in 1997, Mom and I took an extended genealogy field trip which began in North Kingstown, Rhode Island where my 9th great-grandfather Robert Austin was born about 1638. We located an old Austin cemetery behind a lumber yard and also took time to visit the mansions of Newport.
Lowville: this small town in Lewis County, at the base of the western Adirondack mountains, was the home of my Austin ancestors after they left Rhode Island during The Great Migration. During the same 1997 genealogy trip, we cut across central New York state (parallel to the Erie Canal) and then shot up north to Lowville. So in essence we may have followed a similar route that my ancestors used. Lowville was – and still is – a quaint village that caters to snowmobiling fans during the winter months.
Mom’s one wish in terms of travel, which she was never able to fulfill, was a trip to Ireland where my 2nd great-grandmother Bridget Farren was born. I’ve committed myself to making such a trip in the near future so that I can not only research my Farren and McGinnes lines, but my McEntee lines as well.
Showing posts with label Bound for Mom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bound for Mom. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Driven
[This post is part of the Bound for Mom mini-blog carnival hosted by Geneabloggers]
To me, mothers took every opportunity to teach and could do so without their children know they were being taught. There was always the concept of “home schooling” it just was in addition to formal public/private schooling. Too many times today I will be out in public and hear a Mom say, “OK kids – this is a learning moment!” Every moment should be a learning moment and shouldn’t have to be pointed out.
My mother seemed to have much more to teach than most other mothers – perhaps because she was raising my brother and I by herself. And since she worked full time, she counted on her boys to perform chores around the house including cooking and cleaning which were not your typical skills learned by males in the household.
As many readers know – mostly through my blog And I Helped which is a tribute to my Mom and her recipes – I began cooking around age nine. I could have dinner on the table when Mom walked through the door at 5:30 pm. It wasn’t fancy – I specialized in Hamburger Helper, Mrs. Paul’s fish sticks and Shake ‘n Bake but it was hot, it was filling and it was food.
And while my colleagues all floundered after college by trying to cook for themselves (or find someone willing to cook for them), I felt like I had an advantage with my new found skills. Other things Mom taught me: how to clean a house, how to sew a button and a hem, how to do basic yard work, how to make basic repairs, how to spend and save money, and when to ask vs. when to demand.
Besides teaching me skills, I also picked up some of my mother’s sayings. Mom was a “people watcher” which seemed to be a popular as well as no-cost pastime especially in New York. Looking back while it may now seem a bit judgmental, the comments made about passersby were usually only when someone looked or did something outlandish or shameful.
In my mother’s era women just didn’t leave the house unless they were “put together.” Mom always complained that she had to hurry and “put my face on” which, of course, meant make up. Looking “put together’ meant you took a moment, looked in a mirror and cared about your appearance before you left the house. Mom was not of the “mop the floor wearing high heels” or “gloves, hat and purse that match” set – that was a bit before her time. However, the big no-nos to her were not brushing your hair and not wearing a bra.
Growing up, if I was at the mall and I heard a lady say “Would it kill her to run a brush through her hair?” or “She spent all her money on clothes and nothing on a mirror?” or “You think she’d die if she wore a bra?” I knew it was my mother. And at that very moment I would be busy trying to figure out: a) if the subject in question heard it, b) if anyone else heard it and c) where I could possibly hide and die a quick death due to embarrassment.
In later years we always had a good laugh with Mom over her sayings but she had no regrets. And that is the most important thing Mom taught me: live a life of no regrets.
Thanks Mom.
To me, mothers took every opportunity to teach and could do so without their children know they were being taught. There was always the concept of “home schooling” it just was in addition to formal public/private schooling. Too many times today I will be out in public and hear a Mom say, “OK kids – this is a learning moment!” Every moment should be a learning moment and shouldn’t have to be pointed out.
My mother seemed to have much more to teach than most other mothers – perhaps because she was raising my brother and I by herself. And since she worked full time, she counted on her boys to perform chores around the house including cooking and cleaning which were not your typical skills learned by males in the household.
As many readers know – mostly through my blog And I Helped which is a tribute to my Mom and her recipes – I began cooking around age nine. I could have dinner on the table when Mom walked through the door at 5:30 pm. It wasn’t fancy – I specialized in Hamburger Helper, Mrs. Paul’s fish sticks and Shake ‘n Bake but it was hot, it was filling and it was food.
And while my colleagues all floundered after college by trying to cook for themselves (or find someone willing to cook for them), I felt like I had an advantage with my new found skills. Other things Mom taught me: how to clean a house, how to sew a button and a hem, how to do basic yard work, how to make basic repairs, how to spend and save money, and when to ask vs. when to demand.
Besides teaching me skills, I also picked up some of my mother’s sayings. Mom was a “people watcher” which seemed to be a popular as well as no-cost pastime especially in New York. Looking back while it may now seem a bit judgmental, the comments made about passersby were usually only when someone looked or did something outlandish or shameful.
In my mother’s era women just didn’t leave the house unless they were “put together.” Mom always complained that she had to hurry and “put my face on” which, of course, meant make up. Looking “put together’ meant you took a moment, looked in a mirror and cared about your appearance before you left the house. Mom was not of the “mop the floor wearing high heels” or “gloves, hat and purse that match” set – that was a bit before her time. However, the big no-nos to her were not brushing your hair and not wearing a bra.
Growing up, if I was at the mall and I heard a lady say “Would it kill her to run a brush through her hair?” or “She spent all her money on clothes and nothing on a mirror?” or “You think she’d die if she wore a bra?” I knew it was my mother. And at that very moment I would be busy trying to figure out: a) if the subject in question heard it, b) if anyone else heard it and c) where I could possibly hide and die a quick death due to embarrassment.
In later years we always had a good laugh with Mom over her sayings but she had no regrets. And that is the most important thing Mom taught me: live a life of no regrets.
Thanks Mom.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Mom Taught Me More Than How To Cook
[This post is part of the Bound for Mom mini-blog carnival hosted by Geneabloggers]
Mom taught me life skills and the ability to cook is one which has served me well. If it weren't for my flat feet and inability to stand for long stretches of time, I'm certain I would have gone into the culinary or catering field - that's how much I've come to enjoy being in the kitchen.
For Mom, teaching her oldest son how to cook was a necessity: Mom went to work around the time I turned 7. With two small boys to support she knew it would be easier to at least have dinner started or prepped when she walked in the door each night at 5:30pm. And so Mom taught me the basics.
We are not talking fancy gourmet cooking although that was something I would try my hand at later on to the delight of my family. Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s basics mean stuff like Hamburger Helper and Shake 'N Bake. In fact, the phrase "and I helped" used in the Shake 'N Bake commercials is what I decided to call my food blog. It is a tribute to all the recipes I learned from Mom and since then. I highly recommend setting up a family recipe blog if food, cooking and recipes are a large part of your genealogy research.
Mom taught be food safety (proper temperatures, food handling,etc.) as well as how to operate equipment such as a stove, microwave, etc. I learned how to measure, how to defrost, how to mix and most importantly how to develop a cook's "sixth sense" when something wasn't right or was just right.
As the years went by I would be making dishes such as clams casino and paella for a very appreciative extended family. I can thank Mom for teaching me these basic skills and that food and the gift of food could help open doors and break down barriers.
Mom taught me life skills and the ability to cook is one which has served me well. If it weren't for my flat feet and inability to stand for long stretches of time, I'm certain I would have gone into the culinary or catering field - that's how much I've come to enjoy being in the kitchen.
For Mom, teaching her oldest son how to cook was a necessity: Mom went to work around the time I turned 7. With two small boys to support she knew it would be easier to at least have dinner started or prepped when she walked in the door each night at 5:30pm. And so Mom taught me the basics.
We are not talking fancy gourmet cooking although that was something I would try my hand at later on to the delight of my family. Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s basics mean stuff like Hamburger Helper and Shake 'N Bake. In fact, the phrase "and I helped" used in the Shake 'N Bake commercials is what I decided to call my food blog. It is a tribute to all the recipes I learned from Mom and since then. I highly recommend setting up a family recipe blog if food, cooking and recipes are a large part of your genealogy research.
Mom taught be food safety (proper temperatures, food handling,etc.) as well as how to operate equipment such as a stove, microwave, etc. I learned how to measure, how to defrost, how to mix and most importantly how to develop a cook's "sixth sense" when something wasn't right or was just right.
As the years went by I would be making dishes such as clams casino and paella for a very appreciative extended family. I can thank Mom for teaching me these basic skills and that food and the gift of food could help open doors and break down barriers.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Mom's First Talks About Her Firsts
Here I am, Mom's first born, talking about the firsts in her life. While I can only guess about the many firsts she encountered growing up, I know I should take the time to sit down and talk with her sisters when I travel back to New York in May. It would not only give me an opportunity to find out more about these "firsts" but also to get a better idea of what it must have been like to grow up in that place and with all those siblings.
There are many firsts that I remember from growing up:
- Mom's first job after my father left us. It was at the Sullivan County Community College and it was a secretarial position. Mom, like most girls, had focused on business in high school and knew how to type and take shorthand.
- Mom's first car during this same period. The yellow Datsun station wagon had "disappeared" and I assume it was repossessed. We soon had a used bright blue Toyota compact. I stress the word used - it was so rusted that we called it the "Flintstone car" since your legs might bust through the floorboards if you weren't careful.
- Mom's first home. We moved out of the apartment over on Weirk Avenue in Liberty out to a Lustron home over on Neversink Road. This was during the summer of 1976 and although Mom knew it needed a lot of work, it was all hers.
- Mom's first plane trip. I think it was 1982 to go see my brother who was graduating from Great Lakes Naval Base in Chicago. Mom did this all on her own (she usually would have me arrange such things) and she had a great trip.
- Mom's first trip to Hawaii. Mom and I went to Kauai in 1987 where we both had a blast. She met me in San Francisco and stayed over then we took off for a short trip to Hawaii.
- Mom's first grandchild. Mom was elated at the birth of Corwin Gallaway MacEntee in 1989 soon follwed by Connor, Jacqueline Rose and Patrick Thomas.
And I know there are some I just don't remember, some that are all too sad to think about and that I'd rather forget, and some that have yet to happen. One thing I am certain of is this: despite all these firsts, Mom never put herself first. It was always "her boys" - me and my brother Michael - that came first in almost everything she did. And for that I am ever grateful.
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