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Sunday, September 26, 2010

ON THE ROAD - BOISE

US 20 ...NORTH CASCADE PASS, WASHINGTON STATE
US 20...NORTH CASCADE PASS, WASHINGTON STATE

WINTHROP, WASHINGTON


WINTHROP, WASHINGTON (On The North Cascade Highway - US 20)


COLUMBIA RIVER NEAR CHELAN, WASHINGTON (Thru Buggy Windshield)




CHELAN RIVER EXITING LAKE CHELAN





LAKE CHELAN, WASHINGTON






CHELAN, WASHINGTON and LAKE CHELAN







LOG CABIN EPISCOPAL CHURCH








MISS COULEE...aka...LADY OF THE LAKE









MISS COULEE... aka... LADY OF THE LAKE










OH,...THEN WE ARE COUSINS ONCE REMOVED (Once Removed ???)











THE BROCKMANS












BLAIR & MAXINE STEVENS (74 Years Together)













PENNY, SHARON (Phil), TERRI, & LINDA
Yesterday morning, drove out of Bellingham at 6:30 am. Crossed the Cascade Mountains on US 20 (same road as in Yellowstone Park). Picked up US 97 a bit beyond the "old west" town of WINTHROP, Washington, and drove South on the West shore of the Mighty Columbia River.

When I was a kid it was mighty. Today, it is a series of gentle flowing lakes behind a number of Dams.

Turned onto "Alternate US 97" the final 6 miles to Chelan and its magnificent deep Blue Crystal Clear Lake Chelan. The Family reunion was held in the Log -Cabin - Episcopal Church on the main drag, 1/2 block from Lake Chelan and The Chelan River which flows OUT of the Southeast corner of lake.

Over 50 "Relatives" arrived from all over the USA and Canada, representing over a half dozen families of connected "blood relatives" and five generations. Many brought their own "Family Tree", which were all compiled for later printing & distribution. Others brought photos of absent relatives and ones who long ago passed away. Documents, newspaper clippings, etc were in great number...all spread out on big tables or hanging from the walls.

Everyone wore a name tag giving the Family (clan) or Families to make it easier to track down if he/she were direct blood related or by-marriage related.

Turned out nearly everyone was some degree of Cousin to nearly everyone else.

We ALL started from two families...the TUTTLE and the PASLEY...when two TUTTLE Brothers married two PASLEY Sisters. Subsequent marriages added more family names. So, my lineage is:

MAYNARD from BROCKMAN from TUTTLE.

The Brockmans hailed from NorthWest Germany; the Tuttles hailed from England and the Maynards hailed from Norway...all three families good VIKING Stock.

Upon arriving, I was interested in two things:


THE WAGON TRAINS OVER THE OREGON TRAIL: (most of which I just walked)

The Oregon Trail information is available & is being forwarded to me by Jim PASLEY.


THE LADY OF THE LAKE: A few at the reunion actually sailed / worked on one or more of the MANY ships built and operated by the Tuttle family as Tourist Boats on Lake Chelan...even before The Grand Coulee Dam project of the mid & late 1930s.

From non-family sources, I learned that the Tuttles bid for and were awarded a contract to build and operate a FERRY BOAT and BARGES to support the building of Grand Coulee Dam.

Because of their many years of Tour Boat operations on Lake Chelan, the Tuttles felt the new Lake Roosevelt forming rising behind Grand Coulee Dam would offer a new Tourist Business opportunity. So, they built two or three MORE new boats - built in a Seattle Shipyard below The AURORA BRIDGE (carries US 99 which runs from Canada into South America) at the junction of the Ship Canal and Lake Union,

President FDR Roosevelt (Lake Roosevelt is named for FDR), visited Grand Coulee upon its 1939 completion. FDR sailed on a Tuttle boat during that visit, which the Tuttles followed up with a massive PR Media project to promote tourism (on their new boats, The VAGABOND, The MISS COULEE and the SPOKANE) on the new LAKE ROOSEVELT.

World War II ended those efforts. One of the new Tuttle boats. MISS COULEE, was trucked to Lake Chelan, where she joined the Tuttle's already many-years successful tourism company.

MISS COULEE was re-named: LADY OF THE LAKE. The Pilot House of The Lady is today on display about 100 feet above the Chelan River where it flows out of Lake Chelan.

While standing on a dock on Lake Chelan, 4 attractive young women asked me to take their picture...I did, on my camera...No, No, No...on our camera, please...so, I did that also. ...'Where you from? "...from...and...and..and BALLARD."

Oh, Ballard...my Uncle, Babe (Frank) lives in Ballard...he is up at the family reunion at that Church...I point

Really, what is his name?

Last name is Brockman...

Gee, I went to High School with a Phil Brockman...he is a teacher now, I think...

Well, Phil is my First Cousin.

You're kidding...

Nope...tell you what...how about I put your picture from my camera in my Blog so Phil can see you

You have a Blog ?...

(We can skip over THAT conversation)

Arriving back at the Church, I tell Uncle Babe who I just met..."...hold on"...

Babe's wife, Els.. - oops - Elanore, dials up her cell & hands me the phone...Phil says, "Hi, Bruce...you met Sharon...your kidding.."...

and so the reunion went.

The Church kicked us out at 4:00 pm. Everyone had things to do and places to go...

I decided I would continue on my drive to Denver. I drove Alternate US 97 to WENATCHEE...the Apple Kingdom - and continued South ON US 97 to I-90 / I-82. I was waiting for a phone call from Ed Price in Adrain, Oregon, where I planned to stay Sunday night. As his call did not come (he was on a private trip until late Sunday (tomorrow) I decided to try to mend a torn relationship with my Sister-In-Law, Pat Maynard, who lives in SUNNYSIDE, Washington..

I dialed my cell 411...Verizon Information...only one "P" Maynard listed...let's try it...Ring Ring Ring..."Hello..."

Hi, Pat, this is your Brother...

I don't have a Brother...

Yes, Pat, this is Bruce, your Brother...

SILENCE....Oh My GOD...Bruce...where are you..what is...how did you...

VERIZON line went dead.

I was driving over the barren hills North of YAKIMA, went into a deep stone cut & lost the signal.Five minutes later, got Pat back, loaded her address into my GPS...

I'll be there i 45 minutes .

I introduced Pat to my Brother, Jay, in 1951. They married. Jay died a number of years ago from Leukemia complications. For reasons I will not discuss, I had not seen Pat since Jay's death...until last evening.

We had an emotional reunion...she treated me to Din Din at KFC (my first time ever in any KFC). I stayed the night...Pat and I talked and talked... This morning, Pat treated me to the Sunday Morning VFW Breakfast...Pat's Sister, Bev and Hubby joined us.
Hugs to / from both Sisters...and I drove to Boise, where I am holed up - AGAIN - at the Airport Motel 6...super clean / new rooms @ $39.00. I stay here often as I drive back & forth on my walk.

After the last 36 hours, I am an emotional wreck...trying to recover lost time...lost family...

Good Night...I'm Pooped

1 comment:

Laurie Temple said...

Bruce -- my name is Laurie Temple and your new friend, walking/cycling and SAG partner is my family. I know you & Jodi will have great adventures en route to Key West. I am certain of it. She is, by all accounts, a remarkable lady. We will be following your progress from Lambertville, NJ, -- keep on walking and may God bless your journey.

Laurie Temple
Lambertville, NJ