On The Way Up

With our homemade camper hitched up to the truck and the truck packed to the brim with supplies we head out of our driveway for the five-hour, coastal drive up to Bar Harbor, ME.

            We’ve made this trek once to twice a year since 2012 and the ride never gets boring.  Each and every time I find myself feeling the same child-like excitement when we exit Route 101 East and merge onto Route 1 North in Portsmouth, NH because I know the Atlantic Ocean is going to come into view in a blink of an eye.  Seeing the dark blue water and waves splashing up on the rocks gives us chills.  The drive also offers amazing views of Maine’s costal cities Portsmouth and Portland.  The ocean offers an incredible backdrop to the two cities buildings and businesses. 

            As we drive up Route 1 North we see all the wonderful antique and consignment shops that just litter Maine’s coast.  We see some new shops along the road but we also see our favorite shops that seem to be there year after year like old friends.  The one place we make sure we stop at was our great find from our first trip up to Bar Harbor, ME in 2012.  The place is called “Treasure’s and Trash Barn” and it is located on Route 1 North in Searsport, ME.  The name suits the place because when you are driving along you come upon a large, Colonial style, white house with an even larger, dark brown barn and you see what appears to be trash and scrap strewed about the yard.  However, when you pull into the driveway and walk through the yard and barn you realize that it isn’t rubbish, its treasure.

            We get back into the truck and maneuver ourselves back onto the great roadway of Route 1 North.  We laugh over what we found in the barn and say what we should get the next time we stop by.  Route 1 North takes us to Route 3 south in Ellsworth, ME.  Again the excitement builds and the chills begin because before I know it we’ll be traveling through Trenton, ME, over Thompson Island, and stopping in downtown Bar Harbor for dinner before ending at the Blackwoods Campground in Acadia National Park. 

Finding Your Roots

Have you ever wondered about the roots of your family tree?  No, I'm not referring to the tree you climbed as a child, or the tree where you built a tree house with your friends, or the tree where your childhood swing was hung from.  I'm referring to your ancestors.  Yes, that family tree.

I blame my parents for my love of history.  As my sister I and grew up we were well aware of world and U.S. history.  For example, our parents participated in the bicentennial reenactments in Massachusetts.  The history that our parents were most proud to share with us was our family history.  I blame my father particularly for my vast knowledge of our family's history.  Between my father and his father they spent hours in libraries around the United States gathering information and connecting the dots from one relative to another. 
 
I am filled with great joy and respect when I read their notes as well as other relatives who have done a little research of their own about our family's history.  Modern technology has helped me greatly  to fill in may gaps.  During the break between the Fall 2014 semester and the Spring 2015 semester I was able to follow the Sheldon branch of the family and go back 630-years.  I was able to make a fascinating discovery about my 11th-great-uncle.  It turns out my 11th-great-uncle Gilbert Sheldon was the Archbishop of Canterbury from September 7, 1663 until his death on November 9, 1677.  Uncle Gilbert  also funded the building of the Sheldonian Theatre at the University of Oxford in England.  I can't wait for the day to come where I head over across the pond and view where my uncle's interment is as well as the theater he funded. 

Another interesting discovery I made took place during King Henry VIII's reign.  When I focused on this particular time period I was hoping to find a relative who was close to King Henry VIII and/or a great figure of his court.  However, that wasn't the find.  My 15th-great-grandfather John Sheldon of Monyash along with his brother and wife were brought before King Henry VIII's court due to an offense committed.  Over the course of five-years they were caught brewing beer without a license on six different occasions.  They were each fined two pennies each at each individual offense.  I knew my family's drinking is (and was) commonplace, but I didn't realize how far back the fondness for alcohol truly was.

My next project in my research in my family's history is, and actually has been, the Riley branch.  This limb is a bit of a mystery to quite a number of us on my maternal side of the family.  My great-grandpa Riley never spoke of his childhood or his parents.  It seems as though I hit a brick wall when I attempt to look up his information.  This brick wall and lack of family stories won't stop me!  I look forward to find out more and more about the Riley's.

I truly mean it when I say I can't wait to see what I uncover in my research and I have excited butterflies in my stomach when I just think about what lies ahead.
  

 

Painting of Gilbert Sheldon Archbishop of Canterbury by Anthony van Dyck, 1663, on display at Lambeth Palace.

I’ve never blogged before in my life.  I’ve thought about it.  I thought I should blog about my life and what I’ve endured.  I was thinking I could help someone with what I have experienced.  Then I thought I might write about a hobby of mine.  I could to that.  But maybe I should write how I have gone back to school later in life.  All in all, I haven’t a clue what I’m doing. 

                In my opinion no one truly knows what they are doing.  Especially me.    I started back to school at 25 years old to finish my associates I had started when I was 18 year old.  I tried to get out in the work force in the direction my education pointed me in however, companies want you to have a bachelor’s degree.  It seems as though associates degrees are as common as a high school diploma.  So after much deliberation and my cousin being my biggest cheerleader I decided I should follow the masses to a four year college. 

I have to admit that each and every day I doubt that I should even be here.  I go through this self-doubt more evidently at the beginning of each semester: I’m too old, I can’t keep up, I have learning issues, I’m not good enough, etc.  The list goes on.  But I find satisfaction that I am going forward with my education.  After all an education is the best asset anyone can have.

Puppetkabob Productions and creator, Sarah Frechette, is the most talented puppeteer you shall ever come across!!!!  

Media Writing Class

Here's to my first blog ever!