My Trails into the Past

The Book of Me, Written by You is a blogging theme where one can write about their own life using blog themes posted each week. More information can be found at Anglers Rest here . This week’s prompt is – Toys & Games Can you remember your first toy, or game? Do you still have it? Who did you play with? Did you play board games? Have you inherited any of your family games & toys? Share some pictures if you would like to! I don’t remember my very first toy. According to my baby book, my first toy was a stuffed giraffe. Some toys I remember from younger days—mostly from photos: cowgirl set with a hat and guns in a holster, Lincoln logs, blocks, puzzles, and many dolls which I hated.  I never was much for dolls. I liked the cars, trains, and guns that my brothers got for Christmas better. I did have a Barbie, given to me in the 4th grade. I also got this cool Barbie house made of cardboard and my next door neighbor, Maryanne also got the house. My mothe...

This week’s prompt is – Snow! Do you live in area where you routinely have snow? How old were you when you first saw snow? Did you make snowmen? Throw Snowballs Have Sledge Rides What is the image that first came to mind when you read snow? What does snow feel like, smell like & how do you see snow? I grew of in sunny California, so snow was not a part of our winters. The closest we got to snow was in our readers at school! I was always envious of the places in our readers that had definite 4 seasons: Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring. One day, though, my father got us out of school early and drove us up to the top of Mt. Diablo, a mountain near us that peaks at 3,864 feet (1,178 m). It had been raining all day at home but at the top of Mt. Diablo, it was snowing! I have no photo of us but I remember the joy in trying to make a very small snowman. The snow was so slushy, that we got very wet in the ill-equipped clothing we were wearing. The next time I ex...

My father, William J. Hork, was one half German through his father’s line and one half Irish through his mother’s line.  In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I decided to summarize a bit about the Irish side of my family. These families came from both Ireland and Canada. The records in Ireland are a bit sketchy and I hope to someday learn more! Generation 1 1. William Joseph Hork : born 23 Apr 1930 in Ontario, San Bernardino Co, California, USA; died 13 Oct 2007 in Walnut Creek, Contra Costa Co, California, USA. Generation 2 3. Anna Marie "Anne" Sullivan : born 15 Oct 1892 in Anaconda, Deer Lodge Co, Montana, USA; died 14 Feb 1979 in Palo Alto, Santa Clara Co, California, USA. Generation 3 6. John H. Sullivan : born 20 Jun 1854 in Ireland; married Anna Marie Gleeson 1882 in South Dakota, USA; died 28 May 1932 in San Bernardino, San Bernardino Co, California, USA. He claimed on the 1900 census he arrived in the U.S. in 1866. He was not naturalized until 1...

The Book of Me, Written by You is a blogging theme where one can write about their own life using blog themes posted each week. More information can be found at Anglers Rest here . If you had to hold a dinner party and could invite a maximum of 12 special people who would you invite? You can NOT include family in this – the special people could be famous or historical people. What made you select the people that you chose? What questions would you like to ask them? What meals would you serve and why? Perhaps include the recipe or a photo if you decided to actually cook the items! I had a very hard time deciding which special 12 people to invite. Do I select anyone I’d like to speak to or should I think about whether the guests will enjoy speaking to each other? There doesn’t appear to be any rules about whether the special people are alive now or whether they are real (ie: I’m thinking about characters from a book, movie, or T.V. show). Historical women I’d like ...

The Book of Me, Written by You is a blogging theme where one can write about their own life using blog themes posted each week. More information can be found at Anglers Rest here . This week’s prompt is - The year you were born · What happened · Historical · Films · Music · Books · Television · Or use any other historical (well known or otherwise) event I was born in 1954 nearly one year after the marriage of my parents. Of course I don’t have a clue what happened that year but Wikipedia gives a great list.  Here are some highlights: January:   --Marilyn Monroe married Joe DiMaggio. --The first nuclear-powered submarine USS Nautilus was launched. February: --Mass vaccination against polio began in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. --Gamal Abdel Nasser became premier of Egypt. March: --The French began the battle against the Viet Minh in Dien Bien Phu. --I was born on March 26. --The first subway op...

The Book of Me, Written by You is a blogging theme where one can write about their own life using blog themes posted each week. More information can be found at Anglers Rest here . This week is week 10 and the prompt is Military. Did you join the military Were you encouraged or discouraged? Did a family member? Regular or for a particular incident Did you or your family serve overseas in the line of service either during a war or as a posting? Any thoughts, photographs, memories relevant I had two close calls to joining the military. At a job fair in my senior year of college, I spoke to a recruiter from the United States Coast Guard. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with my very general degree of a BS in Biology. He was looking for graduates who would then go to Officer’s Candidate School and then serve time in the service (the time I don’t remember—this was way back in 1977). I think I let him take my contact information and then I didn’t think about it again.  ...