Excuses, Excuses
No time to think, no time to sleep,
Barely time to even eat—
Blogging time is non-existent
As History’s pull is more insistent.
Attention span is rather short
While through millennia I sport;
Kings and martyrs, ancient battles…
Mingle in my brain and rattle
Concentration. I doubt
If I will ever sort it out.
While I untangle my confusings,
Make sure to visit Mountain Musings
And Matthew Chancey—both good sports,
With pictures, up-to-date reports.
Good night!
Gracie with the grandson of the tenth president, John Tyler, today, outside of Williamsburg, at Sherwood Forest. This man had first cousins who fought in the Civil War at Gettysburg!
Mr. Chancey blogging away next to his little boy, and Scott Brown with his son David, during a stirring talk by our favorite preacher, Joe Morecraft, on John Knox, one of his favorite preachers, which he graciously gave at the last minute when Dr. Grant’s plane was delayed yesterday.
The lovely Girotti family, who rescued us by giving us a ride to Sherwood Forest, and who shared dinner with us this evening.
July 13th, 2006 at 7:29 pm
Loved your poem, Carmon! How very creative you are after a long day! And loved being with you and Gracie–so enjoyable!
July 13th, 2006 at 7:40 pm
His *first* cousin?! Please tell me it was a first cousin several times removed, though I’m still pondering how even that could be. My great-great-great-grandfathers on my mother’s side fought on the Union side and one was taken prisoner and died in Andersonville. His daughter (whose name I was given) hated the South ever after that. She died in the 1930’s. Her son died at 105 in 1990. My great-great-grandfather on my father’s side fought on the Confederate side. He came home after the war. I have a picture of him and some of his fellow soldiers at some kind of reunion on the steps of a courthouse. They are all very old and have thick white beards. That was in the early 1900’s.
I’m trying to figure out how someone alive now could have had a first cousin who fought at Gettysburg. Now I probably won’t be able to sleep trying to work this out… .
July 13th, 2006 at 9:52 pm
Carmon, I’m watching your, Deb’s and Matt’s blogs like a hawk (hmmm, was that stated grammatically correctly?) and am appreciating every update of the conference no matter how small.
I would have loved to get to such a fascinating and beneficial conference except that we are saving our nickels and dimes to get to the Film Academy and Festival in October — something I’ve wanted very much to attend since its beginning. We were due to fly to Maui for our tenth anniversary but then 9/11 hit and we had to cancel our trip. Now my dear husband is blessing me with this trip to San Antonio in October in its stead and I am really thrilled.
Continue to have a great time on your trip. I’m praying for your safe return. : )
July 13th, 2006 at 9:54 pm
I should say, “* Lord-willing * my husband will be blessing me with this trip…”
July 13th, 2006 at 10:00 pm
Oh, I’m so sorry — it’s me one last time. I don’t mean to wear out my welcome.
Nathaniel Darnell has a few pics up of the conference as well:
http://www.persevero.blogspot.com/
July 14th, 2006 at 3:48 am
Laura D., I’m puzzling it out with you. My great grandfather was a teenager at the end of the civil
war, and my grandmother was born when he was around 57 years old. She died this past January right
before her 93rd birthday.
On the other side of the family I had a great-great-great grandfather who was a cabin boy on the Monitor.
Now I’m just a young lass of almost 41, but still???
July 14th, 2006 at 4:43 am
Now the blogging world is seems fun and interesting-seeing pictures of my friends,the Girotti family on your blog is so funny!!Glad you got to meet them .
July 14th, 2006 at 5:45 am
Laura D. – Earlier this week I read somewhere (here? or possibly on the conference website) that Mr. Tyler’s father was 70ish when he was born, and Mr Tyler’s grandfather was 70ish when Mr. Tyler’s father was born, making generations of 70 years in that one case. A first cousin is your parent’s sibling’s child, and having a child at 70 probably means the that child has siblings who are much older. Assume his grandfather started having children at 20, then his Mr. Tyler’s father could have siblings say, 50 years older than he is (120 years older than Mr. Tyler himself), who would then have kids who went to fight. Mr. Tyler here in the photograph isn’t too young, so I could see it’s possible. The 70 year generation twice in a row is what makes it so strange.
I was wondering about this too and thought about it a bit this morning, hence my guessing reply. Quite amazing, at any rate!
I attended school for a year with one of Strom Thurmond’s daughters, which similarly boggles the mind of people hearing it as I’m only 35, but this child was born when her father was already fairly up there in years.
Nice photographs. It’s been a long time since I’ve been by Williamsburg.
July 14th, 2006 at 6:43 am
Yes, I had not reckoned on a 70-year generation! If Mr. Tyler was born in say, 1920, and if his father was born in 1850, and if his father’s father was born in 1780, then I can see how he’d have first cousins who fought at Gettysburg. Do you know if he met any of them? Were they long-lived?
July 14th, 2006 at 4:10 pm
I guess this answers my question of “what is Carmon up to these days?”. Hope your enjoying all of your visits!!
July 15th, 2006 at 3:38 am
You’re on the east coast??? And you didn’t tell me???
*weeps*
July 16th, 2006 at 6:19 am
Hi, Valerie! I told everyone, but you didn’t see it in time. I’m sorry! I’m not leaving till tomorrow night…from National. We’ll be sightseeing tomorrow. I’ll email you my number.
Hugs,
Carmon
July 16th, 2006 at 5:06 pm
Neet! I was looking at Matt Chancey’s website and found some pic of some of our church family. I also see on the Girotti family blog you ate dinner with the Servans! We know them too! Wow what a small world!!!
July 17th, 2006 at 8:37 am
Mr. Harrison Tyler was born in 1928, making him 76 or 77. And yes, President Tyler fathered Harrison Tyler’s father when he was in his 70s with his second wife (first wife died). And Harrison Tyler’s father fathered him when he also was in his 70’s with his second wife as well (first wife also died). Harrison said he didn’t remember his father since he died when Harrison was 6.
So, yes…amazingly, Harrison is the actual GRANDSON of President Tyler!