Booking through Thursday

"Do you buy books while on vacation/holiday? Do you have favorite bookstores that you only get to visit while away on a trip? What/where are they?"

I don't vacation much -- A travels for work so his idea of a vacation is NOT traveling. However, we do enjoy short trips from time to time -- mostly to the San Antonio area. I have been to Arkansas and California but I was a child so this question really doesn't apply. With that said, however, I spent some time in Dallas in 1961/62 when my dad was doing some film work here and the one thing I did buy was a copy of "Tom Sawyer" at a drug store. So, I guess I did begin the practice of buying vacation books then.

Yes, I do buy books when I am vacationing. The last trip to San Antonio I bought four books dealing with local history. I had been looking for those sorts of books for some time but I hadn't been able to find any north of Austin so when I discovered them in a bookstore -- Betano's -- on the Riverwalk, I seized the opportunity, bought four and then picked my DH up off the floor when I handed him the receipt for $134. In my opinion, it was well worth it to sort of round out my local history section of my personal library.

While visiting in and around Texas, I don't really have a favorite bookstore -- I mean, B&N and Borders is the Starbucks of the literary world -- they are on every corner so it isn't difficult to find a place to buy a book but I do like to frequent book areas in museums and gift stores of tourist sites. For instance, when I visited the UK, I hit every bookstore/gift shop in every tourist place I went. I have to say the sales people at the gift store at Westminster Abbey were more than thrilled that I visited there!

I find books to be the best sourvenir of a vacation, followed closely by art work and postcards. So, yes, I do buy books while on vacation.

Gone but Not Forgotten -- My Genealogical Search


Aside from my family and my faith, I have four interests in my life -- quilting, cross stitch/embroidery, reading, and genealogy. I wouldn't call them passions, I am passionate about my family and faith but I would say that I am drawn to these activities from somewhere deep inside. They are activities that have rooted themselves in me, planted and encouraged by others and I find no better way to spend my "alone" time .

The two activities that have the deepest meaning to me are genealogy and quilting and they are linked. My interest in quilting began with my great-grandmother, Maggie. One evening in her home, watching her and my grandmother hand piece quilts was the most fascinating thing I had ever seen. They even let me join in and the fire was fueled forevermore.

This same great-grandmother was the basis for the love of genealogy. My father's family had always held family history in geat esteem and had kept the family story alive. I grew up hearing historical accounts of my family's migration from Tennessee to Texas in covered wagons. I learned about our family's place in the founding of this country and this government. It was pretty awesome as a child and the interest never left me. In fact, it just expanded to include my maternal family and my husband's family, as well.

I have decided that this blog is a good venue for collecting and sharing these stories, maybe some photos, for family members that might be interested either now or in the future.

A few of the names that I research are Boyett (and all variations of the spelling), Cocke, Watkins, Conn, Davies/Davis, Webb, Palmer, Brinkley, Rantz. This isn't a complete list but the most immediate list. The areas that I research are Texas, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, England, Wales.

So, if you are interested, come back and join me on my travels through my family search.