January 13, 2021 RoanokeMtCampground ChestnutRidgeLoop

 Oh how I thank God that we live within walking distance of wooded areas and places to hike. 

During the past (which almost seems like forever) 10+ months, we have taken advantage of this little retreat! Our destination to the Roanoke Campground site, is reached by crossing over a spur of the Chestnut Ridge Trail. (within feets of reaching the top of our street!!!!)

The first post written about this haven was April 5, 2020 Read about here. Walking is not cancelled.

The importance of taking care of ourselves has never been more important!(physically and mentally). 

Today's 8200 fitbit steps of inhaling fresh hair was blissful!

The solitude of nature, at its best, renews my faith that "ALL IS WELL".

The area walkers/hikers are continuing to add a bit of spirit!

Here's to remaining vigilant and taking good care of yourself!

There's light at the end of the tunnel!

  

January 11, 2021 CloverHollowBridge, LinkFarmBridge, MountainLake, PandapasPond

The day began as a cloudy Monday morning 'get-out-of-the-house' mini adventure. Our destination  was the Clover Hollow Bridge. Without checking the weather forecast, we drove up Christiansburg Mountain, exiting 460 toward Blacksburg. It didn't take much snow in the higher elevations to create a winter wonderland. As we made our first right turn to Rt 42, the scenic drive through the back country roads in Newport,Va(Giles Co) was filled with farm land, open fields, and rural living at its best! The first left (Rt601)Clover Hollow Road, led us to our destination, also known as SINKING CREEK BRIDGE

  

We continued following the path of Sinking Creek👇👇👇....... turning right on 604 (Zells Mill Road)eventually ending at yet another covered bridge.

LINK FARM COVERED BRIDGE 👇

Next, we followed Rt700(Mountain Lake Rd). Oh goodness, we were delighted to be driving the jeep!

Visibility was beginning to diminish.👀

But we made it to MOUNTAIN LAKE LODGE

After a few oohs and aahs,(and seriously not being able to see anything due to fog) we slipped and slided a few times back down the mountain to route 460. The elevation difference was remarkable! 

 Our last destination, before heading home, was PANDAPAS POND , located in Montgomery County, Va

The path to the pond was covered.......... but not slippery! 

Our mini day adventure was just what we needed! 🥰

January 2, 2021~ GENEALOGY ***The link between Sharpley and Hamilton

 Indeed, the hunt is real!  After reading the following, you tell me👉👉👉 Are we cousins (#theKingandI)?

Welcome to the twisted vine on our genealogy search! The missing link begins with Ron's maternal Grandfather, Raymond Forrest Stanley:

And my maternal Grandmother, Eva Kathryn Thomasson:

Ron's grandfather was born in Bedford, Va, and my grandmother was born in Lynchburg. The couple shown below are Raymond Forrest Stanley's grandparents!👇

James Wheat Jennings and Rachel Jenny Wilkerson

 

Many more photos of Ron's tree limbs are in our stash,  than my branches! I did, however, find this gem!

Hazael Wheat was my maternal grandmother's(Eva K Thomasson)great grandfather. We knew 'the missing link' was hidden somewhere in the stack of photos and musty albums.
 Our genealogy searches began several years ago, as we had 'inherited' boxes of paraphernalia from our parents, uncles, and cousins.  (It was discovered that these people saved everything from rubber bands to plastic bags, bank receipts, matchbook collections, buttons, napkins from bars, and photo negatives .... in case they needed them 😂.)  The boxes continued to be shoved to the back of that dreaded "must do" list, until we started decluttering our home.  In that daunting process of eliminating unwanted items, those 'inherited boxes' moved up to the front line. I began blogging about our roots/heritage/genealogy.  First, the genealogy hunt began as an interest, which evolved into a hobby of sorts, and now it appears to have finally become a full-blown obsession. Yes, I suffer from ADGD. (Attention Deficit Genealogy Disorder. It's when you start researching one ancestor, but get distracted by another ancestor, which causes you to bounce around to different ancestors only to end up doing a lot of work with very little to show for it!) 

But let's get back to THE MISSING LINK 😁😁😁. Bingo. Discovered! Voila! RON AND I HAVE THE SAME 4-5TH-ish GREAT GRANDFATHER! Yep, you read that correctly. If you think that your family is normal............... then you probably aren't a genealogist!  Our family tree is in full bloom, including nuts, apples that don't fall very far, and vines that are added through the years. 

The above chart is a 'first sketch' of more to follow, filling in birth, marriage, and death dates. Do you see the missing link? Look to the right. ZACHARIAH WHEAT! Soooooooooooooo......... Are we  cousins? 😁😁😁(#theKingandI) 

I have read that "Grandpa Zachariah Wheat married (Edith Chastain) and bought/built a log home at Ash Spring in Wheat's Valley, Bedford, Va around the year 1700. He owned approximately 1700 acres of land, for which he paid $1.00 per acre." I have also learned that the Zachariah Wheat Family Cemetery, in Wheat's Valley, is near the intersection of ST640(Wheat's Valley Rd) and SR765(Overstreet Creek Rd), plot #66. Speaking of Ash Spring: 

Well, that settles it! ROAD TRIP, ROAD TRIP, ROAD TRIP. Much information has been found in our old musty albums, thanks to Ron's mother, Dot Sharpley. Her excursions to THe Bedford Museum and Genealogical Library were profitable. Extensive records, charts, photos, certificates, etc were found at the library.  I suspect we will be visiting 201 East Main Street Bedford, Virginia soon!  

• Being asked if I want to go to a cemetery is like being asked if I want money 😊
• I bet the skeletons in my family closet can outdance the skeletons in your family closet!🤣
• All my friends are posting weather updates and photos on facebook and I'm just over here like, "Hooray! I just found my 3rd Great Grandmother's maiden name."😍
• I'd rather browse a cemetery for ancestors than browse a mall for new shoes.😀
• You know you're addicted to genealogy when you have more pictures of ancestors than your living relatives on your walls. 💓

December 27, 2020 Christmas

Christmas 2020......now history. WE MADE IT!........ and by ourselves! without the kids and grands!  Although not what I had anticipated, or planned, and in spite of my moments of whining, "this whole year has been nothing more than an inconvenience for me".(Remember the song by The Oakridge Boys called "THE MOST INCONVENIENT CHRISTMAS?)  Christmas morning first presented itself with a blanket of fresh snow. A WHITE CHRISTMAS. It was beautiful and peaceful. 

Thoughts and memories of Christmas pasts ran through my head.....The kids, the wrappings, the cooking, the commotion, the excitement, the photos, all of it. And then there was........................... the brevity of the 24 hours. Oh to keep that Christmas spirit alive within us every single day.  The season has been a myriad of emotions, and truthfully, at times a challenge to be merry and bright. Without a doubt, the highlight of our day, was the ‘nooner-zoomer’. Our family has not been together since JUNE. The day will be remembered until we meet again.🥰😘😍. I think we all talked the entire time.........AT THE SAME TIME 😂😂😂

 

The month of December was celebrated by BIG birthdays.(our son, daughter-in-law, and son-in-law)

 

We attempted to photograph the "Christmas Star"(THE GREAT CONJUNCTION OF 2020), but clouds had other plans for us. Here is what I captured on Dec 18:

And then again on the night of Winter Solstice:

And then one last attempt on the 22nd! Shown below is Jupiter(and a few extra moons) and Saturn which appear to be drifting apart from the Great Conjunction. Actually the 2 planets are 456 million miles apart!

Ron and I decorated our home for Christmas, as though we would be receiving hundreds of guests😁.  We've set the tables.We baked, and eaten again and again, and again. We've watched seasonal classic movies, listened to carols, concerts, and orchestras play their familiar tunes, and drove by houses to peek at the lights. 

We've had Christmas. (Or did Christmas have us?) Christmas 2020 came and went. We applied the phrase "BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED". The stockings were hung. We dressed up with nowhere to go😘 We had an impromptu party for just the two of us. 👇👇👇

"It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes, or bags! Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!"~ Dr. Seuss

 #spreadJoy #choosehappiness #lifeisshortmakeitsweet #everydayisChristmas. "Peace on earth will come to stay, when we live Christmas every day." May peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through. And may the promise of a new year and "a thrill of hope" be food for your soul. 

It was not the most inconvenient Christmas. You see, the most inconvenient Christmas............ was the first.  Read the lyrics of the song from the Oak Ridge here 👉THE MOST INCONVENIENT CHRISTMAS. 

2020, December 11, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM AND DAD, GENEALOGY

Happy Anniversary to my Mom and Dad. Oh my.......... look at them. Beaming with excitement and happiness!

December 11, 1947 ~~ The wedding ceremony was a small, intimate one. Wade H Bryant, the Minister at First Baptist Church, officiated. They tied the knot on a Thursday afternoon!

The reception took place at my maternal Grandparents' home at 380 Highland Ave SW Roanoke, VA.  Pictured from left to right ☝ are: John Alexander Anderson Jr, Eva Kathryn Thomasson Anderson, Mary Lee Anderson Hamilton, and Carl Cannaday Hamilton. (*****The house still stands today. As a child, I spent much time here. PS. I still have the tablecloth that was adorning the table for their reception. The dining room(where the reception took place), was filled with walnut furniture. That same furniture has been lovingly used in our home, for many years. 👇👇👇

There may have been other guests at their wedding/reception. My 'stash' of photos did not include many others. This much I know. Pictured from left to right ☝ are: Dad's twin brother, Walter Craig Hamilton and Flora Emily Blankenship (who married each other the following month, Jan 16, 1948), Kathleen Wright Atkinson(Mom's best friend from Jefferson High School)

On this day,☝💑💖 December 11, 1947, Mary Lee Anderson and Carl Cannaday Hamilton began their life together as Mr. and Mrs! My Dad was 30, worked at the US Post Office, and had been living with his parents at 316 Day Ave, Roanoke, Va.  My Mom was 20, worked at the the Clerk of  Courts office, and previously lived with her parents at 380 Highland Ave. Stories were often shared with me that "it was love at first sight". What a life they shared.......... almost 54 years of marriage. 

Today, I miss them both......... their presence, their smiles, and their love. They taught me how to be generous and to love unconditionally. They taught me invaluable life lessons about work, marriage, parenting, relationships, forgiveness, and life. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY YOU TWO! Today, I honor both of them!

*************** In 2019, I began OUR pilgrimage of continuing the genealogy of my Mom and Dad, as well as Ron's. Thanks to my Uncle Craig, my Mom, my Mother-in-law, and my cousin Craig, much information is ready for me to 'do my thing'😃.