If you have read some of my previous BLOGS, I speak of my 104 year old great-grandmother that was born and raised in scotland.. I was raised hearing stories of her childhood, living in Dunoon Scotland, having a wealthy father that owned a shipping company that transported spices from India to Britian. During time spent in America, she met my great grandfather, a blue collar working man from Michigan, fell inl love and married in her 30's. She left all that she had in Scotland, for a new life. That herritage, still lies here in Scotland, but has become a distant reality to all of her children and children's children.. I have no knowlegde of relatives that hold her Shank or Muir name. I do not know where she went to school, have no idea where to find the house that she grew up in; the only thing I know is a town called Dunoon.
We go here today. I giggle becuae I had another miscommunication with Ruben. I told him that we were going to the place of my family. Little did I know he actaully thought we were visiting family, as he asked what he should wear, thinking we were going to supper. He said he was hoping my family lived in a castle...as this became the joke for the days as we rode past amazing houses, even castles, and Ruben would point and yelled, "There is the house of your family, let's go". As we ride near Dunoon in the Agrile Forest, up and down the most amazing roads,
face steep leg and lung burning hills, and pass Scotish farms;
I reflect on a conversation about family that Ruben and I had. I asked Ruben about his heritage. I felt guilty becuase in the past he sent me a 30 page typed document (in Spanish) about his family's history and I have not been able to get through it all. Spainsh, from my limited interaction with the people, are family orientated. Family, the past, and present are who they are, of value, very important. I can say that americanas have lost a since of heritage. The melting pot has been mixed up for so many generations, that many have no idea of their past and truthfully many do not care to even know. Since hearing ruben's passion about his people and herritage of nothing but 100 percent spanish blood; I have become more interested is finding mine. So today we wonder around the village of dunoon, and stop at the visitors center. I ride, pass the old churches, town hall, village shops, and imagine my grandmother being here taking a walk as a child with her nanny or walking down the street as a young woman with her first love. That day I did not find anything really about my family, nevertheless I did find a since of where I came from...something I never knew I wanted.
Amore, Katelyn
We go here today. I giggle becuae I had another miscommunication with Ruben. I told him that we were going to the place of my family. Little did I know he actaully thought we were visiting family, as he asked what he should wear, thinking we were going to supper. He said he was hoping my family lived in a castle...as this became the joke for the days as we rode past amazing houses, even castles, and Ruben would point and yelled, "There is the house of your family, let's go". As we ride near Dunoon in the Agrile Forest, up and down the most amazing roads, face steep leg and lung burning hills, and pass Scotish farms; I reflect on a conversation about family that Ruben and I had. I asked Ruben about his heritage. I felt guilty becuase in the past he sent me a 30 page typed document (in Spanish) about his family's history and I have not been able to get through it all. Spainsh, from my limited interaction with the people, are family orientated. Family, the past, and present are who they are, of value, very important. I can say that americanas have lost a since of heritage. The melting pot has been mixed up for so many generations, that many have no idea of their past and truthfully many do not care to even know. Since hearing ruben's passion about his people and herritage of nothing but 100 percent spanish blood; I have become more interested is finding mine. So today we wonder around the village of dunoon, and stop at the visitors center. I ride, pass the old churches, town hall, village shops, and imagine my grandmother being here taking a walk as a child with her nanny or walking down the street as a young woman with her first love. That day I did not find anything really about my family, nevertheless I did find a since of where I came from...something I never knew I wanted.Amore, Katelyn
1 comment:
Did you visit the Castle House Museum in Dunoon?
Send details of your mother and or family and I will see what we can come up with for you.
We have an excellent record for our research.
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