It's my baby's birthday today. Bill is 33 years old. Hard to believe that's possible considering I am only 40. Be that as it may, Happy Birthday Billy!
This is one of my favorite pictures of him. He was always very inquisitive. I think he might have gotten that from me considering the amount of time I spend Googling. And here Bill was examining some sort of bug or salamandar or something. His favorite show back when he was about 3 was Nature on PBS. We had some fun birthday parties back in the day. I found this photo from his 9th birthday in 1986. He is surrounded by pretty girls. That frequently was the case while he was growing up. In this photo, cousins Angie, Jessie and Lizzie and neighbor Courtney Oleson look on while he opens gifts. Doesn't he look relaxed in this setting? Doug, seems to be disinterested, but my guess is he was listening to everything that was said and planning his next move.
But there was only one girl who could steal his heart. Kim's that girl. 
He promised me when he was 3 that he'd never get married but would live with me forever. Then when he was 4, he said that he thought he might get married after all, but that it wouldn't be for a very long time, (which was true,) but they would live next door to me. Promises, promises.
Doug did get his goat sometimes, not that Bill didn't get back at him plenty.
But they were very close in spite of their competition and teasing. And they still are close and there's nothing that makes me smile as easily as hearing the two of them laugh at some private joke they have together.
Today's your day, Billy.
And, yesterday was our day when Ed and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary! That's hard to believe, too. It seems like just yesterday that I was moving to Chattanooga.
Chattanooga is the 4th largest city in TN. It has a population of about 172,000 in Chattanooga proper, similar to Providence, RI. But Providence squeezes its folks into 20 square miles while Chattanooga has 135 square miles to work with. So, you don't really get a feeling of being crowded, even in the more popular gathering spots.
Last week my neighbor and new gal-pal, Kathy, and I drove downtown, which takes me about 20 minutes, and explored a little, our primary objective: to locate the main library for Hamilton County. The library is not as nice as I am used to up in MA even in comparison to little old Sudbury's Goodnow Library.
The huge amount of funding that has been spent, Federal, State and local, in the past decade or so has made Goodnow an exceptional facility and I suppose I am spoiled. In Chattanooga, they have some work to do on the building and certainly on their collection and I think they probably have a lot on their wish list. It's a county system, and this is one of 5 sites around Hamilton County, all much smaller than this one.
Kathy was a little disappointed with parts of it, too, but seemed to think the children's section was pretty good. She's a retired educator from NY state, so that interested her.
The huge amount of funding that has been spent, Federal, State and local, in the past decade or so has made Goodnow an exceptional facility and I suppose I am spoiled. In Chattanooga, they have some work to do on the building and certainly on their collection and I think they probably have a lot on their wish list. It's a county system, and this is one of 5 sites around Hamilton County, all much smaller than this one.
Kathy was a little disappointed with parts of it, too, but seemed to think the children's section was pretty good. She's a retired educator from NY state, so that interested her.
The books seemed kind of dated in some sections and they didn't make it easy to find anything. The people were nice enough, but there were no maps or guides as to how to find particular sections. But, there is a library at the University of TN, Chattanooga that we might explore next. I have a feeling that may be the better choice.
All over downtown are some really beautiful, and some rather strange, sculptures. This one is in front of the library and is really huge. Funny, in front of the Goodnow Library in Sudbury there is Civil War monument, a traditional Union Soldier standing guard, and the only Civil War monument we have, I think. Here in Chattanooga, Civil War monuments and battlegrounds and history are everywhere. I am as ignorant of that era as most Chattanoogans probably are of the Revolutionary era, a time with which I was always so familiar. I better do some reading!
We walked a block or so and happened upon Miller Park, a place where they have live concerts each week in the summer and various events. It's very pretty with a waterfall and more linden trees.
The building behind Miller Park is the Federal Courthouse and the downtown post office.
We went to lunch at the Market Street Tavern just across the street from Miller Park.
(Look through the window and see Sticky Fingers across the parking lot- the best barbecue!)
Sorry it's been so long since my last blog. I am not sure what I will be doing in the future with the blog. I tried a couple of alternative ideas which didn't get very good feedback. So, back to the drawing board.
In the meantime, I have been spending lots of time on genealogy. Interest in doing that research usually comes and goes in spurts for me. I will feverishly work at it for a while and then put it away for a time. But this spurt of interest seems to be lasting and lasting. So, maybe I can combine the blog and the genealogy some time and show you what I have been finding out lately.
My Gram Hall, Aunt Lottie, Aunt Edith and my Dad, making that funny face! Visiting the country in 1935 at Uncle Howard's house on King Philip Road, Sudbury.
Around that time, my Dad's family lived on Lexington Ave. in Manhattan.)
Have a great weekend and enjoy your upcoming Memorial Day weekends and stay safe.
Once again, Happy Birthday Bill! I hope you have a wonderful day and:
"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." Mark Twain (not Shania)
Love,
Suz
