Transcription of Document FFDoc-1271.pdf

Saturday - August 5 - 78

Dear Frank (and Anna, at the Cape with Marilyn) and Joe ("stout-ing["] & fishing with Frank?)

Have thought of all you guys these past 2 wks of post-Ireland - remembering our trip, picturing Anna/Marilyn lapping up the Cape sun & airs, & the "boys" doing their thing on the deck &, I hope, on the streams. As I said in my check-note, I have lovely & useful flashbacks - but this weekend I seem to have really 'gone back'. Stumbled over some Ireland of the Welcomes last nite & spent hours going over them & all the travel magazines Jeanne & Frank S. lent months ago to whip me into the travelling mood. Today Jeanne shared her first $30 worth of Pix ($40 more still to be developed!) and I borrowed them to share with Charlie - & so went over the whole trip for the umpteenth time - 'cause the least "how was your trip?" from colleagues gets me started on a travelogue they must wish they'd never asked, nor expected!!

And then, re-arranging books-n-things I came across an Ireland, Personally Yours, & that was the ever-loving end of the clean up - for several hours I've been going over that vacation planner - reliving all of it - noting how much we missed in the towns/places we did reach, to say nothing of the areas we couldn't cover. Even got out my souvenir Historical Map, & then I was "off" on heritage and wishing roots had been more important to me years ago when I could have asked questions &, maybe, gotten clearer answers from younger parents. Family history/anecdotes were always interesting but the urge for details & specifics has only grown in the past few years and only seemed vital in the recent past. Your copies of Mary Shields' V.A. application has really whet my appetite for more!

Before I got off on this weekends Ireland-kick I had already succumbed to mail orders for "Ireland of the Welcomes" and Doubleday's "How to Find your Family Roots" - latter touted as the most comprehensive guide to tracing ancestors throughout the world - co-authored by T. Beard who's 1st ass't librarian of History & Genealogy Dept of the N.Y. Public Library - allegedly an expert on genealogy. Also noted ads in some of the irish-travel mags for a Handbook on Irish Genealogy, published in Dublin at £2.50 - offers tips on record repositories. From 2 maps I've put together (one travel, one a locale of family names) our roots in Eire are slightly spread: Murphys from Ulster County, Shiel and Doherty from Donegal, Kirwan from Galway,  and O'Connor from Sligo. I presume these are where the tribes originated and wonder what eventually brought OUR O'Connors to Wexford.

Enuf of our past - remote & recent.

Gen arrived safely & on time that Saturday in No. Windham - the O'Mahoney's & I visited next day - she's the same ole Gen - seemed pretty pleased with our Waterford - & would you believe it's the very same set Ronnie has? (Given her, I think, by Fannie Morris) Ron says I chose it so Gen would have no need to leave it to her when she "goes"!

Sunday, After Mass.

Saw the whole crew again last Wed when they came here for supper when my family was together for first time since last July. Had a surprise call from Pat last Sunday, from Maureen's in Concord! They had taken advantage of Pedey's vacation, a totalled car, & Gil's offer to give them Reem's  - to make a sudden flying trip in last Saturday. It's my guess that those ingredients were sauced up by a yen for "home" & some youthful impulse and they managed to take off a day after the vacationers from the East left California. Whatever, - it was a great surprise, they stayed here most of the week, I managed some hours here & there, plus one full day of vacation - not all of the exposure I would have liked but I got the chance to get re-acquainted this year when I thought it would only be next summer. Half a loaf IS!

And Charlie & Helen moved out of the old homestead this past Friday. They've been there 50 years, but this branch of the P's thinks of it as a real piece of our lives and will miss it - so we can imagine how devastating it must feel to Helen who is failing more each day & hardly prepared to end her days in a new environment. Father admits he will miss it but is also glad to have it off his back - too much needs doing and Helen needs most of his time. Right in character, he has nothing permanent yet, but several possibilities in view and hopefully something will loosen up by the end of the month. Meantime, what furnishings he didn't sell are in storage & they're using Anita's apartment as home base.

Nothing else to note. My fairyland vacation buoyed me up for 2 whole weeks! and I felt rested & relaxed, & could ignore the job pressures. But reality is rearing its ugly head again - I'll go on swimming but it can't be long before I'll just be treading water again. But I've got lots of company, unless the fire us all! The backlog you left for 2 weeks doesn't miraculously disappear & somehow the vicious circle of not-finished-&-never-will-be-and-there's-more-to-come IS a never-ending circle. We've about decided that only masochists go into social work.

This is probably the first time, on the job, that I've taken 2 full weeks at once - and I have NO regrets. I can't think of a moment I didn't enjoy (ignoring the heights & the hair-pin turns etc & that I'm a scared passenger at best, of course) and I have so many warm, good moments just remembering. I just can't express how pleased I am that Anna & Frank decided to make the trip with us. I just didn't bank on it's happening, & I was going anyhow, and I certainly anticipated a pleasurable time with the "kids". But sharing it with you folks was an extra dividend. The next best thing I can think of is the entire Shields siblings-and-spouses doing it together!

I have simply got to stop before sentimentality takes over and I go rambling on. Besides, my house is an absolute pig-sty after last week, yesterday was given to some pleasurable farewells to the farm with the Pelletier's and, Sunday or no, I have a few household realities to face.

Am hoping when you've gotten your pix back and shown them to the world you'll forward them so I can order some. If memory serves me well, I ordered a picture album from Jordan's before I ever took off for Shannnon - have got to reconstruct my trip from yours & J's pictures for my Holiday in Ireland memories.

Incidentally, I was eating like a condemned prisoner for months before our vacation and at the last minute discovered I'd lost 8-10 lbs - scarey! I now discover I've put it all back & then some - reassuring. Must have been a combination of good times, good company, pub-n-grub, and all that Harp & Smithwick's. The chore now will be deciding what I can give up to get back in shape - it won't be my beer!

Have used my Guiness glass consistently, put it away daily in an unused cupboard, and the family knows they use it only at the risk of dire consequences if it's even chipped.

Got-to-go!

Love, Dot.