Author Archives: Sparky
Sparky’s immigrant ancestors, 2018 update
Since I have summarized my research into Jett’s immigrant ancestors, I will also summarize mine, for comparison purposes. I have identified 193 immigrant ancestors – many fewer than Jett’s count due to many of the immigrants being more recent than hers. The VA/MD branch is a little shaky, but solid enough to be included. I … Continue reading
Jett’s immigrant ancestors, 2018 update
I have continued to research Jett’s rich ancestry, with a focus on her immigrant ancestors. I have identified 314 such ancestors. Not all are rock-solid, but I am pretty comfortable with the vast majority of them. I will summarize a couple of relevant demographics here. By country of birth: England 288 Ireland … Continue reading
“The Wrong Side of Goodbye” by Michael Connelly
Copyright 2016 by Hieronymus, Inc. Published by Grand Central Publishing. This is one of the series of mysteries featuring Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch, a retired LAPD detective working as a PI in southern California. He is a cerebral detective who can be tough when required. In this book he shoots a bad guy, so I guess he … Continue reading
Our incendiary neighbors
I think I mentioned earlier that the Lamb City Campground is not the friendliest place we have ever been. We have not met many of our neighbors, in part because most are in residence only on weekends. Our back-door neighbors – the ones in the site behind and slightly above us – are here more … Continue reading
Lamb City Campground
We have been staying at Lamb City Campground in Phillipston MA for over 3 months, so it is time for a review. We like this campground and it has been a good location for us this summer – about an hour from Boston, an hour from Springfield, an hour from my softball field, an hour … Continue reading
Planting the pups
We have been carrying the ashes of our dearly departed first dogs – Cha-Cha and Grace – around with us on our travels for over a year. Jett says we had to keep them with us until we achieved our 48-state goal, but mostly it was because we never got around to finding a place … Continue reading
The Clark
“The Clark” is how locals refer to the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown MA. I had heard good things about it so I decided to take a day trip to Williamstown. It is about 70 miles and an hour and 45 minutes away, straight out MA 2. Route 2 is a 2-lane road almost the … Continue reading
St Anthony’s Feast
St Anthony’s Feast is an annual event in the Italian North End of Boston. We like to attend, primarily for the food but also it is a darn good excuse to get into the city on one of the last summer weekends – it is always scheduled for the last weekend before Labor Day. This … Continue reading
Sciatica
I have had sciatica before – back when we were living in Somerville, circa 2003. I got up one morning and just about collapsed from the sudden pain that shot down my leg. That episode was relatively short-lived, lasting just a couple of weeks, and was helped with exercise and PT. This time… more chronic. … Continue reading
Red Apple Farm
New England is littered with roadside farmstands. Most are quite good, with fresh vegetables, fruits and, in some cases, homemade jellies, jams and pies. A few offer self-picking of apples, blueberries, strawberries and other fruits. Some are so good with so many products and activities that they become destinations. Red Apple Farm, in Phillipston MA, … Continue reading »