Happy New Year-- The Start of 2020 by Pat Kinsella Herdeg

Happy New Year’s Eve!! 

Firstly, one of my favorite poems to start the New Year:

Beannacht

(‘Blessing’ in Gaelic)    By John O’Donohue

On the day when
The weight deadens
On your shoulders
And you stumble,
May the clay dance
To balance you.

And when your eyes
Freeze behind
The grey window
And the ghost of loss
Gets into you,
May a flock of colours,
Indigo, red, green
And azure blue,
Come to awaken in you
A meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays
In the currach of thought
And a stain of ocean
Blackens beneath you,
May there come across the waters
A path of yellow moonlight
To bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
May the clarity of light be yours,
May the fluency of the ocean be yours,
May the protection of the ancestors be yours.

And so may a slow
Wind work these words
Of love around you,
An invisible cloak
To mind your life.

-------------------------

A few pictures from Cousins gatherings long ago:

The first two are from December 1957, so yours truly is not even here yet:

Combining the two pictures from the bottom of the stairway up, the cousins are:

Tim Kinsella with Nancy Taylor, David Lochner, Mary Lou Taylor, Dan Maney, Bob Taylor with Ann Taylor, Chuck Lochner, Dan Kinsella, Julie Lochner, Sue Kinsella, Cindy Hawkes, Kathy Taylor, George Taylor, Jack Taylor and others (Mom could not see well—CAN YOU??) and Uncle Dick Lochner at the top of the stairs holding down the fort!

Then, another picture from New Year’s Eve 1999: The millennium was upon us, a new century, Y2K….

My family gathered to play instruments to welcome in the New Year, and what a time these last twenty years have been!

I wish all of you the best of New Year's, the best of 2020, that we all have our share of laughter, good stories remembered, jokes told, as we also weave a cloak of love all around those we love.

Lucille and the calf ‘Lucille’ By Lucille (CB) Taylor Kinsella

The story behind this picture?

Mom has written a three part story on Center Lisle and Baker history there:

http://taylorbakercousins.blogspot.com/2009/08/baker-history-in-center-lisle-by-aunt.html

And also a story about visiting the 1939 World’s Fair in NYC:

http://taylorbakercousins.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-first-television-viewing-by-aunt-cb.html

 Actual date of Photo? August 27th, 1939

See below for Mom's write up!

Top of the hill and Grandma's! Grandma's farm or Adin's farm was the best place in the world to us. We loved it and both of them!

Adin was wonderful to us. He took us with him as he worked at his farm chores, we 'helped' cut hay, clean out springs in the pasture, buzz wood, clean the 'drops'--in my mind's eye, I can still see him hunkered down, cigarette held between two fingers, as he told us stories about his 'wife with the traveling wart' or some such crazy story.

Mid August, 1939, I was visiting Grandma and Adin in Center Lisle. Early one morning, I crept out to see the animals in Adin’s barn, and heard a strange noise coming from one of the side pens. I saw a strange sight, a cow lying down and bellowing. 

Thinking it funny for her to be inside rather than out with the others in the pasture, I squatted on my haunches to watch and saw a miracle born—a little red and white calf! As the mother stood licking her baby, I realized that Adin was also squatting beside me. 'Wow', I exclaimed. He just looked at me and said, 'Don't tell your grandmother.' That was the birth of the calf named Lucille.

August 26th, 1939 was the date we began our big trip—we were on our way to visit the New York World’s Fair. We drove as far as Grandma Baker’s to spend the night. 

The next day we left early to drive on through the Poconos, but not before Daddy took a picture of me with ‘my’ calf—the one I’d seen born a week or two before, my Lucille!

And Even More Reunion Pictures, from Sue Kinsella

This is the third collection of photos, so keep going to the next two postings, too. It's worth it - it was a wonderful Family Reunion!

Richard and David

Joe Gabrys

Dan and Tom

Joyce Lehmann, Liz's Mom

Tim and Cam Walker
Don't you want your kids to always look at you like that?

Tim and Glenn

Joyce and Ted

Kathleen, Debbie and CB

Tom, Sue, Ted and Alex
Cousins Keeping the Fun Going After the Reunion

More Reunion Photos, from Sue Kinsella

Aunt CB and Cam

Bridget

Alex and Kristin

Ted and Rick

Chris and Tom

Kids Wading

Alex and Bridget Wading -- and their Reflections!

Some of our Kids Hopping on the Pirate Ship

Love Ted's Laugh!

Kathleen Henderson, Pat and Chris

Kathleen and Joyce Tillotson-Henderson
I believe this photo was taken by 3-year-old Brielle Rook!
Great job!

Taylor Reunion! By Pat Kinsella Herdeg

Taylor Flag

The third Sunday in September is always the Taylor Reunion, and often (quite often) it is cold and rainy for our celebration. Not this year!

 Aaron, Bridget and Alex

Sunny and temperatures in the 80’s, our pavilion on Cayuga Lake overlooking the sandy beach was the perfect setting. While some of the kids swam, and many of us waded, we gathered with various groups of cousins and caught up on our lives.

Bridget, Aunt CB, Mary

It was our first reunion without Uncle Jack, or Chuck Lochner. They were sorely missed AND remembered.

 Chuck Lochner

 Ted and Rick Lochner

As always, we had a LOT of food, and tables of desserts to keep us going. And, this year, we reached out to Mom’s Baker side. We were very happy that Joyce Tillotson Henderson (wife of Wendell of Center Lisle) and her daughter Kathleen could join us this year. 

 Joyce Henderson and Aunt CB

This year, my sister Sue and others joined in to create a Taylor Baker History Challenge. What fun we all had answering various questions! With categories like Military Service (we got more information on which of our relatives had served in various branches of the military and when), Family Homes and Gatherings (which fruit was a staple at reunions—watermelons!), Fascinating Achievements, Jobs (who jumped trains and hung out in hobo camps in his younger years—Adin Baker) and ‘Your Had to See it to Believe It’(As Tim, our MC told us, ‘These are ALL Lochner escapades!), it was a rousing back and forth between the cousins! Sue Kinsella will compile the answers and send it out to cousins for all to keep.

 Kathy and Charlie

 Pat and Cyndi

 Kathy and Rose --

Someone's got to Get the Kitchen Work Done!

What a wonderful mix of people, stories, laughter, weather, food and hugs! Next year, many more cousins?! See you next September.

 Dan, Chris, Tim, Tom Kinsella

Pat, Aunt CB, Sue

 HOW to answer THAT question!

 Richard and David

 Anna and David

 Rick and Laurie

P.S. Many Many Many thanks to Charlie Hawkes and Anna Bresovski for all of these pictures.