In Other Words.....: Words - Don't Fail Me Now!

Stewiacke River

Yesterday dawned overcast and a bit misty. It looked like it might be a good day to stay close to camp and read or spend time on the computer. We, however, decided that if it was going to be dampish outside, we'd go somewhere and do something inside. Just about that time a Facebook notice appeared on my screen announcing that the Stewiacke Valley Museum was open from 10 am to 4 pm. Perfect! Upper Stewiacke is only about 35 km from here and I had lots of family in the area to research - so off we headed.

This is where I need my words. The Stewiacke Valley is one of the most spectacular sights I've ever seen. The road winds and bends between ditches full of lupins, daisies and buttercups and the view across the broad hills leaves one breathless. The fields are so brilliant green that even on such a cloudy day, it makes your eyes hurt. Gracious homes with gingerbread eaves and elegant gardens come and go and great acres of corn, peas and hay spread as far as you can see. Lazy herds of milk cows graze contentedly waiting to return to their big red barns for their evening shift. I could have kept on driving for days.

Stewiacke Valley Museum

I've learned that asking about too many ancestors at these small museums tends to muddy the waters. So I went in with just one question in mind. Did they have any photos of the Johnson Family? Ann just howled when the young lady who works there said "I'm related to the Johnsons!" and the nice volunteer lady said "So am I!" So, feeling very much among kin, I asked my question. The result was a big binder full of old family photos of the Johnson family dating back to the 1870s. What more could a genealogist ask?

Agnes Johnson

I've mentioned before how much I love my iPhone and yesterday, it came to my rescue again. I had downloaded an app called CamScanner which allows you to scan documents and photos and then make notes about each one. Going through the binder, I found photos of many family members, scanned them and noted who they were. Talk about a kid in a candy store! There, laid out before me were the images of people I only knew by name. How wonderful to put faces to those names! This photo, I thought was particularly nice. Agnes was my 2nd cousin, 3 times removed.

So it was a very productive day, but it was also a day where we laughed to the point of danger. While I was getting all these photos, Ann was having a good look around the Museum. Presently, I could hear her laughing and chatting with someone upstairs and before long the 3 of them came downstairs to the main room. She had in tow, two charming elderly gentlemen and they were thoroughly engaged in their banter. She marched them over and introduced them, and the one man, it turned out is also related to me from another part of the province. His name was Al Flemming and he comes from north of Truro. His first ancestor to arrive in Nova Scotia was James Flemming who chose the worst piece of farmland on the Fundy Coast that became known as "Flemming's Folly". Later the name was shortened and that is how Folly Village got its name.

In his early years, among other pursuits, Al raised bees. When my cousin, John Bragg was starting out in the wild blueberry business, he and Al would go out into the fields at night and release bees for pollinating the blueberry plants. He worked for Elmer Bragg for a time and gave John a puppy who grew up with him. The dog was called "Boy". (as in "Here, boy!") He was telling me of visits he made to Tweet and Elmer's home in Collingwood. Such a small world.

And the day wasn't over yet! On the way back, we headed to Walmart to pick up a few things. As the result of a minor tombstone injury the other day, I have a bum knee that makes walking on hard surfaces a bit painful, so I decided to try out one of those little electric scooters that the store provides. What fun! We were zipping around the store (my children would have been so embarrassed!) and giggling like school girls. At one point, I had to put the thing into reverse and that is where we lost it! The thing beeps when it backs up and that is what set us off! The fits of laughter must have left other shoppers thinking "Those two should never have been allowed out on their own".

What a great day!

Cowboy Up!

While we're giggling our way around Nova Scotia, life at home goes on and I wanted to share a couple of photos taken at a rodeo last weekend by Megan (my aspiring photographer granddaughter). Nice shots, Meggie!