Genealogy - Sentimental Sunday No. 43

1856 - 1948

This is my Great Grandfather, Lewis B. Heslet. The more I research my family tree - the more gems I uncover.

My Uncle told me that Lewis was a blacksmith. He's looking for a photo to send me of Lewis in his blacksmith shop. I can't wait!

While googling some of my ancestors names I discovered that Lewis had applied for a patent and was approved in 1911. The patent was for a machine which sharpened plow shares. Here is an excerpt of the patent:

This invention relates to machines for sharpening plow shares, and it has for its object to produce a machine of this class of simple and efficient construction in which the plow share, after being adjusted in position for operation, may be automatically ground or sharpened without further attention on the part of the operator.

I don't know how successful the machine was, or how long it may have been in operation. More research on my part is needed. But, I was pretty excited to find this piece of information. The more tidbits I discover about my ancestors - the more excited I am to continue researching.

Back to Reality

It is so hard getting back into the swing of things after vacation. Returning to work and school - trying to get the house back in order - just getting back to the daily "living of life".

How much more fun things would be if it were vacation EVERY day. But, I suppose THEN it wouldn't be as special... but I sure wouldn't mind giving it a try for a while. (Hey, a girl can dream - can't she?)

New Orleans Trip - The End

Our last full day in NOLA was spectacular. The weather was perfect and we had a relaxing and fun filled day planned.

We made reservations for lunch at Commander's Palace. This restaurant is a New Orleans institution. We had never been before - so we were looking forward to a treat!

Our good friends, Tom & Kris, suggested that we make our reservations for the Garden Room. It was really beautiful. Great suggestion! Thanks guys.
The "$.25 Martini Lunch" is supposedly the best kept secret in town. It isn't well advertised - unless you go the website. We had a delicious meal - and a couple of equally delicious martini's. I couldn't believe our bar bill was only $1.00 ! Amazing!

After lunch we took some pictures outside the restaurant - and then headed across the street to the Lafayette Cemetery.

After our visit to the Garden District we headed back into the French Quarter for one last walk and look around the city that we love SO much!

The gorgeous St. Louis Cathedral -

A happy and handsome boy sitting on the steps of Jackson Square.

And a final photo from Pirates Alley.

We have been home for two weeks. We already miss the Crescent City. We're planning our return visit - probably sometime in the summer of 2011. Our hearts are always renewed in the city that we love so much!

New Orleans Adventure - Part Three

We began this day by walking to the Civil War Museum. It was established in 1891 - and Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy, had a huge hand in making sure that this memorial was established. This building is the oldest museum in Louisiana.

They don't allow photographs to be taken of the individual exhibits - but they do allow photos from the front door. It's a really beautiful building, filled with wonderful and sentimental memorabilia. I was amazed at how small in stature the men were. Their uniforms looked so small to me. We were able to see Robert E. Lee's mess kit - with his monogrammed silver ware. What a gem.

We made lunch reservations to eat a Muriel's on Jackson Square. It had come highly recommended by three different friends - so we had to try it. Wonderful doesn't come close to describing what a fantastic lunch we had there. We loved the ambiance of the restaurant and the service was impeccable. A real treat - and we highly recommend eating there if you're ever in NOLA.
After lunch we went to the Louisiana State Museum at the Cabildo - on Jackson Square.



What treasure trove this is! Original outfits from the 1800's



A slave collar from the 1840's - this was a very sobering exhibit for me. How sad to think of human beings treated like animals.
The beautiful second floor level where parties were held. The room off this receiving room was where the Louisiana Purchase was transferred.

Quite a bit of memorabilia belonging to Napoleon.

And his death mask. Truly a unique treasure.

And last, but not least, the piano that belonged to Fats Domino. It sat in his home in the Lower Ninth Ward in the flood waters after Hurricane Katrina. I got so sad looking at it. All the feelings of loss washed over me all over again.

One more day to blog. It makes me sad all over again - we love New Orleans so much. There is always such excitement when we are planning and preparing for our trips there. And then the sadness of having to leave sets in. (sad face)

The Crescent City - Part Two

Day four of our trip, to the beautiful city of New Orleans, found us travelling to the Garden District on the historic St. Charles Street Car. It's always an experience to take the street car and enjoy the sights of another section of NOLA.

We walked to a local neighborhood "joint" called Parasol's for their famous roast beef po-boys. Parasol's has been featured on the Food Network as well as several magazines. Their po-boys were fantastic and worth the trip to the Garden District.

We wandered through the "GD" and ooh'd and ahh'd at all of the gorgeous homes. I could SO see myself living in one of these beauty's. I think I would fit right in!

While waiting to catch the streetcar to head back to the condo, we noticed that the trees and a few street lamps still looked like they were celebrating Mardi Gras - we couldn't believe how many beads were draped in the trees! It was really pretty!
Our special dinner at a special restaurant was planned for that night. He doesn't look it in the photo below, but we had one excited 15 year old. We were going to one of Emeril LaGasse's restaurants - Delmonico. We've been to Emeril's two other restaurants in New Orleans - so this trip completed our tour of his establishments. The food was excellent and the restaurant itself was gorgeous, very stately.

It was a great fourth day. Stay tuned for the last two days of our trip in part three!

The Crescent City - Part One

Ah, New Orleans! Our favorite vacation destination. We love going to NOLA. It's a fabulous city and one that we repeatedly visit and anticipate traveling to. We just returned from another GREAT trip to the "city that care forgot".

Upon our arrival we headed to two of our favorite destinations - The Crescent City Brewhouse and Cafe du Monde. The Brewhouse has a great food and really excellent beers. Our favorite is the Red Stallion. So yummy. We had a wonderful meal and then strolled around the French Quarter. We watched some very talented street performers and had beignets at Cafe du Monde.

The next day we enjoyed shopping and strolling through the Quarter. Our favorite brunch spot is Court of Two Sisters. The Jazz Brunch is AMAZING. So much food - we were all SO full and decided not have dinner that night. Of course, by 9pm a certain 15 year old was begging for beignet's again. So, we found ourselves headed back to Cafe du Monde. We had beignets EVERY DAY during our trip. Between those and all the wonderful meals - I was quite surprised that I didn't gain any weight on our eating extravaganza. It's certainly due to the amount of walking that we do while in NOLA.

Day three we rented a car to drive to Avery Island. This is the home of Tabasco sauce. We visited the plant and toured the wonderful Jungle Garden grounds and bird sanctuary. The signs warning us of the dangers of the alligators really cracked us up. I guess there are some not so intelligent people out there that may believe these are "tame" alligators. Too funny!

One of our favorite parts of this day trip was breakfast at a Waffle House. Call us crazy - but we LOVE Waffle House. Good food, affordable price and just plain fun. Sure wish we had a Waffle House in Salem. Of course, then it wouldn't be so special to eat there.

When we returned to New Orleans we made reservations for a late supper at K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen. This is Chef Paul Prudhomme's restaurant. It was SO good and our waiter suggested the most fabulous chardonnay to go along with our meal. It was Rombauer Carneros 2008 Chardonnay. Really delicious.

So, stay tuned for a posting on the second half of our trip. We had a really wonderful time - but the week flew by all too quickly. I'm still not sure why the work week doesn't seem to go as quickly as a vacation week. Just doesn't seem fair!

Have You Seen...

photo from the Guardian.co.uk

...the new NBC show, "The Marriage Ref"? I had heard from a friend that it was really funny. We watched it for the first time last Thursday night. Madonna, Ricky Gervais & Larry David were on the panel. The show is freakin' hilarious! Married couples submit videos of a particular ongoing argument that they are having. Then the ref, Tom Pappas, along with the guest panel decide who should win the argument. Some of these couples are "crazy"! And, I thought Richard and I had stupid arguments!

Catch it on Thursday nights at 10pm on NBC. It's quite funny - at least the one episode we saw was.

Integrity - Sentimental Sunday No. 42

Well, this isn’t so much a “Sentimental Sunday” as it is a reflection on some recent events in my life. My father raised me with a strong sense of integrity. He taught me the difference between right and wrong and instilled in me the necessity to always try to do the right thing – even when it is really difficult.

I would say that I am a good listener, and that many of my friends come to me for advice and guidance. When asked not to say anything to others about a secret – I don’t. A good friend of mine says about herself, “I’m a good secret keeper”. And she most definitely is. I like to think that I am a good secret keeper too. But, recently someone told me something that required I take action. I had no choice. What they told me wasn’t told in confidence; it was actually shared quite innocently. But, I could not sit idly by and not do something. I’m sorry I can’t be more specific with the circumstances – it wouldn’t be right to share them in this forum. But, I’ve been torn up about my decision to take action – and I’ve damaged a friendship in the process.

There is no doubt in my mind that I made the right choice. No doubt that I did what I had to do. Those that know what happened agree that it was my responsibility to take action and if I hadn’t it could have had serious repercussions for me. But, none of that really makes me feel too much better. I am sad that my friend feels our relationship has changed. She has told me she isn’t mad and doesn’t hold a grudge – but she doesn’t know how to act around me now.

Reflecting on this situation I ask myself – would I do it all over again? Would I still take the same action? The answer is yes, I would. My conscience wouldn’t allow me to do anything different. If the friendship is lost I will be very sad, and that will be a high price to pay. However, not being true to me and my values would have been a higher price to pay. One of my favorite quotes is, “Integrity -- When you do the right thing even though no one is watching..” No one was watching – I probably could have gotten away with not taking action – who would have known? Answer: Me. And THAT would have been more difficult for me to live with.

Adoption Day!

I'm a happy Mommy today! It's "Adoption Day"!

15 years ago today John James arrived in our home. We celebrate this day every year. The day we became a family. We always go to dinner - J.J. gets to choose. The boy loves his steak - so we usually go to Rudy's for a "baseball cut". DE-LICIOUS!

We are a happy family, indeed! The day we became a family is always cause for celebration!

The Phone Call - Sentimental Sunday No. 41

The phone rings. It’s 9am; you answer it. It’s the phone call you’ve been waiting for; the one that you have prayed for. Your adoption social worker is on the other end of the phone and announces “We have a baby boy for you. When would you like to pick him up?” Numerous questions and a phone call to your husband later you decide to get him on March 2nd. That’s just two days away from now. And you DON’T HAVE ANYTHING IN THE HOUSE TO TAKE CARE OF A BABY! No diapers, no clothes, no crib, no formula… Nothing! You didn’t know a birth mother was considering you. You hadn’t a clue. And now the biggest day of your life is here!

It’s spectacular really! This was the scene in our home 15 years ago today. I received the BEST phone call ever. Two days (and lots of shopping) later - the most beautiful person in the world came into our lives.

So many have said to us that J.J. is lucky, but we don’t look at it that way. We’re the lucky ones. We’re lucky and thankful that his birth mother chose us to be his parents. What a difficult and heart wrenching decision that must have been for her. We bless her and thank her for that decision. And we thank God for seeing that the three of us were “meant to be”. We are a perfectly matched family!

We have a saying between the three of us... "Together ~ Forever"! And, we will be!