My daughter works for AT&T, and she invites me to attend their annual AT&T Summit rewards ceremony when she wins and she has won 9 times in 11 years!! I have an amazing daughter!
The pics below were taken on the Hyatt Resort property. We did a spa day that not only included the massage (simply amazing!), but lunch and all day access to the spa facility. The pics of the fish were taken at the entrance to the spa. Did I mention the hotel was across the street from the beach!!
Between The Dashes
The picture above includes my first cousins – Rose (on the left) and Diane (on the right) – and my Uncle Charlie (in the middle). Even though we are first cousins, I haven’t seen them since we were kids…with one exception. That one exception was when my father died in 1996 at 64 yrs old. Diane, Rose, and my uncles attended the funeral. At that time, my parents were divorced so my father’s new wife handled all the arrangements. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the lines of communication between my father’s side of the family and his children ended when my parents divorced.
On 29 Oct 2015, the Montclair Community Library in Prince William County held a ribbon cutting ceremony. The community has waited for this library to be completed since the early 1990s! Following is a picture of the new library.
Montclair Public Library Ribbon Cutting Ceremony – 29 Oct 2015
As you know, I live near Washington D.C. which is full of history! I recently discovered a historic site in my local area that I think is worth a post, the Contrabands and Freedman Cemetery Memorial in Alexandria, VA.
During the Civil War, there were many slaves that fled to Alexandria for freedom and a better way of life. There were so many freedmen (called contrabands) moving to this area because of the Union occupation, that it created a refugee crisis. Many arrived destitute, in ill-health, and hungry. Initially, the government placed the contraband in barracks, but disease ran rampant and many died.
In 1864, after hundreds had perished, the Superintendent of Contrabands ordered that a property on the southern edge of town, across from the Catholic cemetery, be confiscated for use as a cemetery.
In the first year, burials included those of black soldiers, but African-American troops recuperating in Alexandria’s hospitals demanded that blacks be given the honor of burial in the Soldiers’ Cemetery, now Alexandria National Cemetery. The soldiers’ graves were disinterred and moved to the military cemetery in January 1865. The last burial in Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery took place in January 1869. (Source: Contrabands and Freedmen Memorial)
When my mother Alice was growing up, wakes were actually held in the homes. When a family member died, the funeral home prepared the body, placed it in the casket, and delivered it to the home. During the wake, friends and family would come to pay their respects. The wake was a celebration of life with food and drink.
My mother remembers her great-grandmother (Laura Washington) and grandfather (Joseph Brown) having a wake held in their home. Based on the time of the funeral, the body would be delivered to the home the day before, and be available until an hour or two prior to the funeral which was held in the church.
Between The Dashes 