7 July 2000
I did plan to spend the entire year chasing my Rambo ancestors and distant cousins from Philadelphia to where ever.
That only lasted for the months of April and May. Then I accidentally got a job!
Those first two months went pretty well according to plan. I left Trenton, IL a few days "late" on 10 Apr, left Ft. Wayne about 21 Apr after thoroughly consulting the PERSI, visited a genealogy cousin in Van Wert, OH & college buddy in Cleveland en route to Washington, D.C. I enjoyed a delightful visit with my host in D.C.; it was a real treat to consult his incredible files about the early Swedes. I did follow Swan Rambo's descendants to South Carolina, but didn't find much new. I enjoyed seeing my brother's family in Virginia Beach and even "enjoyed" a 10K run with my brother. By my birthday party on May 12 (ice cream cake!), I was pretty much on schedule, fleeing the heat in the south and rolling northward. Ten days later I was employed.
I sometimes brag about my flexible travel plans. This time I surprised even myself in a big way. I still plan to see my 95-year-old cousin Jessie near Rural Retreat, VA soon.
I regret that I had to cancel plans to visit friends in New England; to ride bikes with Walt & Lee in Ohio; to see newly-found cousin Gloria again; to hike in Utah with Norma; to ride throughout Colorado with Walt at the end of August. I will delay my genealogy expedition to Philadelphia, Ft. Wayne, Iowa and Salt Lake City until late this year .. or next year .. or ...
I still haven't seen cousin Jessie. For some unexplained reason, her grandchildren say I am not welcome to try to see her.
I did ride with Walt, Lee, John & others in Colorado. Lee fell off his bike coming down from Independence Pass and spent the rest of the vacation in the Leadville hospital. On the bright side, I got to ride Lee's Road King back to Cleveland. Walt and I rode from Uray, Colorado to Cleveland in two days.
I did spend about a month visiting cousin Gloria and the Allen County Public Library in 2002. Gloria and Jim graciously allowed me to sleep in their back yard the whole time.
I also spent a wonderful three months in Salt Lake City in the winter of 2002. Another Rambo cousin provided me a place to sleep in his yard. It turns out that cousin Roy and I also share a passion for the oriental board game of GO. Since I was at the Mormon Family History Library as much as possible, Roy and I only spent Sundays together. I certainly enjoyed spending time with him and his family. Thanks again.
On the other hand, the job will pay to fly me to New Mexico for a couple of weeks. (They expect me to work. I expect to do lots of hiking.) The paycheck will pay for a new laptop computer. (I am still very grateful to Janie for lending me her light, little Sony VAIO, although I don't want to own one since the keyboard is just too small for my dainty little hands.) I will have more money with which to enjoy a few "comforts" while traveling .. rented rooms near genealogy repositories, restaurant meals for a change. I know that the money will come in handy when Mom and I go to Hawaii this winter.
I did go to New Mexico, rented a Yamaha motorcycle from Centaur Cycles there, and joined my motorcycling buddies in Georgetown, Colorado for a week touring the Rockies. That is an interesting travelog, but I don't know if I ever wrote it since I was working.
I'm quite happy with the 3.5 pound Dell Lattitude LS that I bought for the job. It has been running reliably ever since I bought it in August of 2000.
Mom and I did go to Hawaii in February of 2001, but she had a heart attack before we returned, spent 4 months in hospitals, and died in July.
I continued to have fun even while employed. Click here if you'd iike to read some of my earlier travelogs.
Click here to return to Ron Beatty's home page,
The following links are of personal interest:
Eve's Garden Organic Bed and Breakfast, a wonderful, eclectic, artistic papercrete alternative living learning mecca in Marathon, Texas
Rambo family genealogy, Bankston & Bankson family genealogy, the Camblin family genealogy, the Dorsey Overturff family, cousin Jean's Schenck and Hageman genealogy, and