The Simons

These are the Simons: my great-grandfather Harry with his wife, Rebecca and their two children, Abe and Bernice (my grandmother).

Harry was born in Minsk and emigrated to the United States in 1904. He owned a variety of businesses in New York City's lower east side, a grocery store, a restaurant on Hudson Street and a junk store over at 84 New Chamber Street.

I've been told Rebecca was intelligent, favored the vote, and died during the Spanish influenza epidemic in 1918. Harry married twice more, but I have to think - looking at this photo - that he must have loved his first wife best.

Abe became an electrician, joined the union, and moved from Manhattan to the Bronx. His sister, Bernice, married young, travelled the world, and is profiled here.

The photographer's mark is that of L. Boressoff, an American photographer who advertised in The New York Call, a socialist newspaper that was in operation from 1908 to 1923. His studio, located at 355 Grand Street, was not that far from some of the places I visited here. I am due another trip to the big city. And thanks go to my friend Kevin who restored the photo and brought small tears to my eyes. I love this photo.

Catching Up

Well, it's been a long while since my last post. All of November, December, and January, and now most of February, gone silent. Why the delay? It all started with Eric's and my navigation class. Then it was the holidays and a freelance job that was a bit challenging, and, finally, an overwhelming sense of not knowing how or where to start blogging again.

But here I am (hello) and it seems appropriate that I start with the nav class. It was a great idea. We are interested in the subject matter, but in the effort to learn, we didn't handle the process well.

I chose the teacher. He's local, participated in our Coast Guard-approved safety class, and has more than ten years experience sailing the Caribbean. Perfect! I found the man's website, contacted him via e-mail, and we signed up.

Then all of our good intentions started to fall apart. The instructor wanted to delay starting the class (okay, fine, we have all winter). A third gentleman wanted to join the class (great, that means a reduction in fees). Next, the instructor announced he wanted to finish everything up during the month of November (which meant doubling up classes due to the holidays). The third wheel didn't want to attend classes on the weekend (which meant commuting out to the suburbs during rush hour). Eric and I, agreeable sorts that we are, compromised ourselves into failure. We made it to class; we took in the information, but we were so brain dead and tired as a result, that neither one of us picked up the textbook, our GPS, or a single chart until maybe one hour before the next class and by then we were worthless. The resentment was there and nothing made sense any more. We "participated" all the way up until the "final exam" and then dropped out rather than suffer through another "we just don't have time (whine) to make "whiskey" calculations due to (excuse #1), (excuse #2), and (excuse #3).

Then, that out of the way, it was Thanksgivings, my mother's birthday, Christmas shopping - always supplemented with personal shopping, several visiting pets for the holidays, and an obsession with ancestry.com, the subject of tomorrow's post.

So, today, I give you a photo of Thanksgiving at my sister's house. It was a great celebration this year with more family members than usual and a lot of good music. A little bit late to blog about Thanksgiving, but loads more fun than telling you about how we flunked out of "Sail the Seas" navigation school. :-) See you again tomorrow.

Rock Creek Park Horse Center

Right here in the middle of the city, there are stables and trees!

This is Asia leading Bertha from her stall.

First, she brushes Bertha and picks her hoofs.

Then she saddles and bridles her horse.

And, finally, Asia is mounted and riding. Today's lesson was about posting correctly. The kids learned how to walk their horses into a trot and then to canter smoothly. They do all of the grooming and prep work themselves. For more information about the Rock Creek Park Horse Center, go here.

The Fort Hunt Federals

The Fort Hunt Federals right before their game win yesterday (13-7) in Alexandria. Cody is the player without socks. It's the only way we were able to keep track of him on the field.

Asia

Today is Asia's birthday! She is 9 years old now and Maya's little sister. This pic was taken on Friday night when we treated her to the restaurant of her choice - Chipoltle - followed by another more sophisticated celebration at Petit Plats on her actual b-day.

Asia is a dancer and also likes to ride horses. She has a mind of her own and has decided that she will not eat red meat because she LOVES cows and pigs. Asia has a great appreciation for all things beautiful and, best of all, finds pleasure in making people laugh.

These pics were taken earlier in the evening. I am completely devoted to her.

Maya

Today is Maya's birthday. She's turning 12 just like Cody did a few weeks ago. This photo was taken in Aswan, Egypt. Maya lives in Cairo and will be back in the US next Friday to visit us for the summer (along with her adorable sister Asia who I will feature in September).

Maya's a smart girl, very artistic and caring toward others and animals. She's a voracious reader and likes to write. I think this photo shows her calm interior nature quite well. I'm completely devoted to her.

Cody

Today is Cody's 12th birthday. He's an awesome kid, very bright with a good sense of humor. This photo was taken last summer but I like it because it shows his willingness to have fun.

Yesterday, Eric and I took an all-day Coast Guard-approved class in boating safety. Our plan is to buy a Westsail 28 and then travel either up the coast to Nova Scotia or down the ICW to Florida. After that, when we feel we have enough experience, we will strike out to discover the world. We are hoping Cody will come with us for the adventure.

Sisters

This photo is of my sister Andi and me when we lived in the Panana Canal Zone. The year is probably 1966. I always felt very protective of her as you can tell by the solid hand grip. A year or so later, when we were back in the US, there was an eclipse of the sun and I heard somewhere that if you looked directly at the sun, you would go blind. I kept my little sister in our basement playroom all day long with the curtains drawn just to make sure she wouldn't accidently look at the sun. It was a arduous task keeping her indoors but I taught her how to tell time and believed myself to have saved her eyesight that day. If you have a sister story, please tell it here. :-)

Halloween 1943

My mom, Polly (left) and her sister, Janice.

Katherine

Katherine met her future husband, J.B. Akin, on August 20, 1929 and they were married exactly two years later in 1931. Ten years married, she is shown here with her two daughters, Janice and Polly. The photo is marked Thanksgiving 1941; Katherine is 31 years old, a young woman still, but at this point in her life she had already experienced a great deal of personal loss.

My grandmother's older sister, Mattie Grace, died when Katherine was only four years old and then when she was six, her mother gave birth to a baby that did not survive more than a few days. At age 15, Katherine's father Samuel Nathan Thomas Beckett died, most likely leaving the family with limited funds and hardship. I wonder now how these events might have affected her outlook on life.

Katherine's most painful loss, however, might have been the death of her cousin Lucile when they were only 28 years old. Born in the same year, and raised together, the two girls were close friends. I have Lucile's letters to my grandmother but since I don't have the replies, I learn very little about Katherine as a young woman. We often think about our grandparents in an abstract way, as caretakers, supporters, and gift givers, but never do we really know who they are as people.

James Boyd (Akin)

Jay or J.B. to his friends. Moredaddy to us, the Atticus Finch of our family.

Jay was a college educated man who found it necessary to give up his job as a science teacher when his father died of heart trouble in 1934. This photo was taken in 1938. My grandfather's family owned 35 acres of land in Burwood, Tennessee where they farmed tobacco. Jay would get up at 4am to milk the cows and then go into town to help his Uncle Vance with the Akin Brothers General Merchandise Store.*

Times were tough as the depression continued and the store did not do well for them. My grandmother tells me they had to mend their shoes with scrap and had a hard time eating. Circumstances improved though. They sold the farm in 1943 and Jay returned to teaching, eventually becoming headmaster for the well-known Battle Ground Academy.

Photo: Jay with his daughter Janice (my aunt) and a horse-drawn plow.

*The General Merchandise Store was opened by M.F. Akin in 1883 who then took on his brother Vance as a partner in 1888. They outgrew their original store and constructed a larger building in 1911. They owned and operated the store for 53 years. It was subsequently owned and operated by Robert Huff and his son Kenneth. In 1988, it was added to National Register of Historic Places.

August 20, 1931 (newspaper clipping)

Miss Katherine Beckett and J.B. Akin Wed Today

The marriage of Miss Katherine Beckett, daughter of Mrs. Maye N. Beckett, to James B. Akin, of Franklin, Tenn., which took place this morning at 9:30 o'clock at the home on West Sixth Street, will be of unusual interest to a wide circle of friends. Rev. C.E. Crafton, pastor of the Garden Street Presbyterian Church, officiated in the presence of the immediate families.

The ceremony was said before an improvised altar of flowers and ferns in front of the window in the living room. Large baskets filled with bridal veil were used on either side of the altar.

The couple entered to the strains of Mendelssohn's Wedding March played by Miss Christine Beckett, sister of the bride. During the ceremony she played softly "Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life." The impressive ring ceremony was used.

Miss Lucile Nowlin of Nashville, cousin of the bride, served as maid of honor, and Mr. Akin was attended by his brother, Robert N. Akin of Franklin. Miss Nowlin wore a becoming model of green crepe.

The bride and groom entered together. She wore a beautiful poudre blue crepe costume with the harmonizing appointments.

Miss Beckett is a graduate of the Central High School and for the past few months has been connected with the Liberty Range Company. She has many friends who regret that her marriage will take her to another city to live.

Mr. Akin is the son of Mr. and Mrs. M.F. Akin of Franklin and is director of athletics and teacher in the high school at Ashland City, Tenn. He is a graduate of Battle Ground Academy, Franklin, and of the University of Tennessee, where he was a member of the Chi Sigma Delta, the Phi Delta Kappa and the Phi Kappa Phi fraternities.

Immediately after the ceremony Mr. and Mrs. Akin left for a short motor trip, going later to Ashland City, where they will make their home.

Polly and Jim

My mom and dad. Today, married for 5o years. How awesome is that?
Starting left: Fred, Jim, Polly, Jan (my aunt)

Jaime Jorge Jose

They called him George. He was from Barcelona and was a Catholic.

Bernice, a nice Jewish girl, married my grandfather when she was a young woman and her family disowned her for the next ten years. They didn't reconcile until my father was born in 1937.

That's my dad standing next to the tank in the pic on the wall and also my dad in the pics on the desk. Kids have a way of making things right.

Bernice

My Eastern European grandmother whose family came to America at the turn of the last century.

Bernice grew up in New York City and always wore beautiful well-made clothes. If you click on the pic large you can see the framed fashion prints behind her.

When Bernice was a child, her mother took her to watch the suffragettes march for the vote. She was told to remember those women because they would change her life. They definitely made a difference in mine.