I saw relatives in various forms yesterday

Driving along California highways I suddenly spot a car with the woman's bare feet on the dashboard.
"Den, look at that woman's feet. My Mom use to do that! I have to get a picture!"
 It took him several more miles of traffic before we could get close enough, "Hurry take it quick."

Do you see those feet on the dash board?
Oh so my MOM!
Then Mom use to throw Snicker bars to us kids in the back seat.
She would say those qualified for lunch since they contained peanuts.

We checked into our hotel in Redding then went to get dinner at the Black Bear Diner.


As we were waiting for our meal,
I was looking out the window and saw people half dressed doing some really crazy things.
It was making me nervous so I waved for the waitress to come look.
She said they have recently released many prisoners and this corner is their drop off place.
Are you kidding me?
I then asked if she would pack our food up to go. She did and we did.

But here's the highlight of our day.
As we were about 2 hours into our trip this morning, Den said,
"Would you like to stop by and see your Grandmother's grave at French Camp?"
I couldn't resist.
That's my Dad's Mom. She died when he was only SIX. 


 We waited in the office for the girl to find where exactly my Grandma was. 
The girl was in the backroom going through things and finally appeared with this card. 
She said it was the original at the time of Grandma Rozier's burial in 1937.

We have always been told she died of "cerebral hemorrhage" 
I think it even says, "cerebral hemorrhage" on her death certificate. 
Den thinks for sure no autopsy was done back in those days when there was no criminal activity. 
The story was after she made breakfast that morning for her husband and 6 children, 
she held her head and said, "Romey, Romey" and fell to the ground and died. 
Could the one who came to fill out the death certificate 
just assume from holding her head that it was a cerebral hemorrhage?

So after the girl in the office brought us this card we asked if there were any more Roziers buried there. She said she didn't know. So I asked her if she would mind looking. I could tell she didn't want to, 
but she did!....and we waited and waited. Then she came back out saying, 
"I found Mary and Robert and Frank." Mary and Robert are my Dad's Grandparents! 
Frank is Dad's uncle. Hurray!
I wonder if these were their engagement pictures. 
Odd to see them smiling and doing different poses back about 1885?
Mary Jane and Robert went on to have 10 children,
the 5th child being my Dad's Dad, Romeo
(I think she is holding a grandchild here.)


We couldn't see Frank's grave (Romeo's brother) yet since the sprinklers were going over it.


But how special to see Dad's Mom's grave again. 

               As I stood on her grave I felt like I was on sacred ground. 

I owe much to this woman. 
So do my children and grandchildren.
Even though she died long before we lived.

And so explains why a 5 hour drive from Clovis to Redding yesterday, took 7 hours.


12 comments:

Anonymous said...

How in the world did you have access tol these old pics when you are on the road? I'm pretty impressed!
And, just for the record, I always used to put my bare feet on the dashboard! Drove Steve crazy! But, on long trips I had to find ways to get comfortable, and that was one of them.
darlene

Grandma Honey said...

I got the pictures off Familysearch.org where I had put the pictures on a few months ago. Stopping by the cemetery yesterday was just an impulse on Den's part. So glad we did. I love feeling the past.

grandmapeg said...

What a fun day you had. I must say that Mary Jane looks like she could be related to the actress, Glenn Close. Of course, Craig says I always think people look like other people, but Mary Jane really does resemble her, I think.

Scrapally said...

love impulse stops! That is wonderful that you got to be there and see all that...the original card is very interesting...and the pictures are beautiful too. I'm sure it was totally worth the stop for you! Thanks for sharing!

Richard said...

All that is new to me. Thank you!

Donna Tagliaferri said...

I just got released from rs president, it is my intention to do a lot of family history.
I can do it, right?
It was so hard to be released.....much harder than I anticipated
Thank you for your post today!

Ammy said...

I SOOOOO loved this post! I love looking at any old pictures even if they arent of my family! And the feet in the dashboard? I do that! How funny!!

Karen Mortensen said...

What a cool post.

Susan Anderson said...

This is my favorite kind of post. It sounds like you are having so much fun.

And it must have been wonderful to visit that sacred ground.

=)

Susan Anderson said...

P.S. I put my feet up like that, too.

Anonymous said...

Those pictures and stories are so cool! I never knew how grandma Leonie died, but she sure was young. Congestive heart failure and cerebral hemorrhage are sort of the same thing..

Heidi

Grandma Honey said...

Hi Heidi! No, cerebral hemorrhage is a brain bleed so it's not the same as heart failure. But I was so surprised at age 42 she had such horrible things wrong with her.

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