Where are you from?

Songbird (love that name!!)- where in NY were you born?
I was born in the Bronx, moved to Nanuet, then Valley Cottage, then Pomona, then New City, then Campbell Hall (all in NY). That all took me 45 1/2 years! Now I live in Pagosa Springs, CO. It is a beautiful place and I would never go back east.

Reading all of the places everyone has lived blows my mind. (COURSE...blowing my nose could accomplish the same thing.) Ahem.. anyway, have you ever stopped and thought about all of the beautiful places there are to visit that we'll never get to see? Like the town Western Bluebird just mentioned, Valley Cottage...I would love to see what that towns about, wouldn't you? The name is inviting. Or Newfoundland..oh my...and on and on. I think traveling and meeting other people across this beautiful world of ours would be the best experience one could have...

I've really tried to have a new experience every year when I take a vacation and see something I've never seen before. You? Maybe this should be in a separate thread, eh?

Just wanted to comment... Western BB gave me a wonderful visual.

JJ

Eagle Heart, thanks for responding. Did you ever see the movie or read the book, "The Shipping News"? It's about life in Newfoundland, very enchanting! You would appreciate it, I'm sure. The next time I go there, I'll be going on the whale boat tour. I am already an "honorary Newf", a little ceremony they do for anyone who wants to be. Ever heard of Screech?

Yes, I've heard of Screech. I was never screeched, but my hubby has been. Did you actually kiss the cod?

I've heard of "The Shipping News", but for some reason, never got around to watching it. It's one of those movies we always plan to watch, but never do.

JawJaw - Hate to disappoint you, but Valley Cottage is not a quaint, pretty, little town as the name might imply! Now Pagosa Springs, CO, which smells like sulphur, is a beautiful town!
If you ever want to travel here, I would love to show you around!

Hey Debra/Eagle/Chick,

Small world isn't it? I was actually born in Stephenville Crossings, NL (I have a hard time writing that abbreviation--grew up with Nfld) and I lived in/visited for extended periods of time: St. Anthony, Main Brook, Corner Brook, St. John's, Gander, and Burgeo. Long story, but we never really had anything to do with my mom's family back in NL, and after leaving as a preschooler, I only visited once more as a pre-teen. Then, last year I was hell bent on a search for some answers to questions that had plagued me all my life. So I went back and visited on my own.
It was a time with some wonderful relatives that I hadn't even known existed! In fact, I was in a tiny grocery store in Springdale, and I saw a woman point at me and say, "Who's that then?" Her friend answered, "Oh, that's Lizzy's sister's daughter's daughter." And armed with that information, the first woman walked right up to me with tears in her eyes, CALLED ME BY NAME, and announced that we were related! Seems my grandma and her grandma were sisters. And she knew all about me, even if I'd never heard of her. It was like that everywhere I went. It was the first time in my life I gained a real sense of where I came from, who I am, and where I belong. Truly, that trip was one of the best things I ever did for myself. I'm going for another extended visit (a month) in July/Aug next year and I can hardly wait!
Oh yeah, and WB, I've been to Pagosa Springs (used to live in Evergreen and then Pine, CO) and it IS a lovely little town!

Fifty

I'm from the North East of England.

Daytona Beach, Florida has been my location for the last 25 years, in my first 21 it was Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania --then a few years each in West Virginia and South Carolina--USA

Fiftyandfine, During my stay in Brigus (near St John's) in the summer of 1979, I had lots of time to explore the area. I spent a whole day browsing through my Mom's family cemetary and was able to trace my Bartlett/Thompson ancestors all the way back to the early 1600's! It was exciting and very uplifting. Because I hardly knew anything about my Mom's or Dad's family history, it was the first time in my life that I experienced any sense of rootedness.

Debra...fog, rock, screech, cod and all that goes with it...isn't is a great place with some down to earth folk? I am glad you had the pleasure of visiting.

Eagle, Brigus is only a few gun shots from Northern Bay. Fifty, I have cousins in Stephenville. I bet if we stating digging deep enough, we'd all end up related.

You have me homesick for that rocky old Isle. The ocean is calling me.
My ancestors on my Mom's side are Irish(Tipperary). Do you girls know your NF roots?

JJ, If you ever showed up in NF, I swear, they wouldn't let you leave(nor would you want to).
Newfoundlanders and Alabamians have many similarities. Southern hospitality and Down East hospitality is pretty well matched from my experience. I have been doubly blessed, I am a Southern-Down East Belle.

Itza, tell us more about where you're from in England.

Shar, I simply love Florida...would retire there in a heartbeat but looks like I'm gonna be a Tennessee...root?

chick

Chick---yes! I always have such a great time there! Let's not forget the newfie humor! Love it! My friend goes to Stephenville to visit all her relatives there. Her dad's family is huge! Ever hear of the LaCosta's? I love the hometown cooking too---Jigg's dinner..mmmmmm....bluberry pudding...fish and brewis..ok, I'm hungry now!!

Fifty - You've been to Pagosa??? Most people haven't even heard of it. My teens say it's in the middle of nowhere, but I think they all think that, no matter where they live.

Oooh, I LOVE fresh Newfie blueberry pudding! I stayed with my uncle in Brigus and he had enormous patches of blueberries right outside his back door. Blueberry pancakes, blueberry jam, blueberry pie, blueberry pudding.

My Mom's Bartlett side has been in Newfoundland for several generations, as far back as the 1600's. Before that, I think the ancestry might have been "Methodist Welsh", according to my Mom, but even she wasn't sure. Nobody ever talked about "BN" ("before Newfoundland"). The Rock was Home.

Mom's mother (Thompson) was born in Twillingate, and as far as I can tell, that side of the family had also lived in Newfoundland since the 1600's. Don't know the BN ancestry, probably English or Welsh...but definitely Methodist!

Mrs. M-- Where in Washington state? And how did you get to Russia and how long are you there for?
I grew up in upstate New York on the Canadian border. I've stayed on the Canadian border almost ever since, but different coast. My then boyfriend (my husband long since) and I hopped on his motorcycle in 1973 and briefly went to L.A. On our trip up the coast we landed in Port Angeles, Wa where the bike promptly broke down. While he was fixing it he was offered a job and I decided to go back to college so we stayed there. Moved 60 miles away 3 years later to a lovely little coastal town and had our first child a few years after that. Then we moved to Duluth, Minnesota for a year while I was in college again (and had our 2nd baby there), then back to our little Washington town where we've lived happily in our log cabin we built in the woods ever since. The end. Or, since kids are now grown and flown off to college, the beginning. Again.

Dream of the Circle of Women
by Dahti Blanchard
published May 2004 by Spilled Candy Books
visit: www.dahtiblanchard.com

I think she meant Russia in a figurative way...

WB--You're right. I just realized that after I sent the post and read some others.

Dream of the Circle of Women
by Dahti Blanchard
published May 2004 by Spilled Candy Books
visit: www.dahtiblanchard.com

Eagle,
My mother's parents owned the "Octagon Castle" which was apparently a pretty well known hotel in New Foundland until it burned a little after the turn of the 20th century. Have you ever heard of it?
My father's family lived in upstate NY where I grew up since the early 1700's and the family home that burned when I was 3 or 4 was an inn in the 1700 through 1800's.

Dream of the Circle of Women
by Dahti Blanchard
published May 2004 by Spilled Candy Books
visit: www.dahtiblanchard.com

Dahti, I never heard of the "Octagon Castle". Do you know which part of Newfoundland it was in? St John's? My Mom probably would have known about it.

Eagle, It was in Paradise near St. John's. The Paradise town website has a little on it but they list the last owner as "Robert Farlow." It was actually my grandfather Aaron Fowlow. And of course, my grandmother, who didn't get mentioned at all, Anna Fowlow. She was one of my favorite people in the whole world and she told me a bit about the place.

Dream of the Circle of Women
by Dahti Blanchard
published May 2004 by Spilled Candy Books
visit: www.dahtiblanchard.com

No I meant Russia as in Moscow. 2 years and I'm here for 2 more for sure. The land of millions of beautiful young girls. Generally I like it, but it's not an easy place to be. And no, I'm not Russian, I barely speak a little garbled Russian. The internet is my connection to sanity.

Dahti, I've been to Paradise. I don't remember too much about it, because I was on my way to somewhere else.

I wonder if you can contact the people in Paradise (maybe through the website) and set the record straight. They'd probably really appreciate the contact and historical background from the owner's granddaughter.

Mrs M...for real? You have to tell us about life there. I'm so curious. That's amazing. How did you end up there? Wow.

Wow, you really did mean Russia!! I thought you meant that you felt like you were in Siberia, or something.

I would love to see pictures. My sister lives in France and has the same problem with the language.

Utah born and raised
Seattle Washington 1 year (knew it was time to leave when because of traffic jams it took me 1/2 hour to get out of the grocery store parking lot!)
Portland, Oregon
San Felipe - Mexico
Back to Portland
Back to Mexico
Arizona
California
Back to Arizona (where I don't plan to stay)
Hopefully one day will be back in Portland.

Michigan and Kansas--I really miss Kansas!

Texas bred, born, raised, raised children, started raising grandchildren - 47 yrs, Now Ohio 10 yrs. Don't get me wrong, I like Ohio, but my heart is in the Texas Panhandle, along with most of my family and friends. I am disable and do not drive, so I have never really had the chance to make real friends here. But I am OK! lol I have the phone and took a 33 day trip to Texas this summer to see family and friends. I got all I could handle, I mean I got a lot of time with them. LOL But I would rather be in Tx with them all!

OOPS! So we are alike in cyber friends and the computer keep us sane. I live to go to the hairdresser! LOL Or my breast cancer support group once a month! The Christmas parties, which they have cut down to 2 a yr, the silly budget or something such where my husband works. LOL Church when my health holds out. Winter is very hard on me! I never go anywhere, unless nmy husband can take me. Try shopping blissfully like women do with a man! LOL Sorry, I should not be complaining. Others have it much worse than I do! And, my husband never grumbles when he has to take me somewhere, he just does not shop like a woman! LOL If I say that would look good on so and so, he thinks I want to buy it and comes back with, we are not shoping for them. LOL Or if I say that is cute or a nice color, he immediately thinks I want to buy it. I can't just chat about clothes.
When he wants to buy something, he goes to the department it is in, looks for a few moments, might try on a few, is ready with his purchases, and pays and goes! LOL Understanding each others ways! LOLOL

Born in Michigan
Moved to Arizona (age 9)
Moved to Binghamton New York (age 20)
Moved to Arizona (age 25)

Still live under the Arizona Sun 16 years later.

Any Long Island New York women? Love to hear from you..My name is Karen.I am 51 and married, no kids, 4 cats

HEllo,

I grew up in the military, dad was an officer in the Marine Corps. Born in Berkley, CA
Yakoska, Japan
Washington ,D.C.
Albany, Ga
Atlanta, Ga
Washington , D.C. Again
Vista, CA
Jacksonville, NC
Witchita Falls, Tx
Houston, Tx
Redding, CA
Anderson, CA
Happy Valley, CA
Hilo, Ha
Redding, CA
Shasta Lake, CA
Redding, CA
I'v been in this house for over ten years. Thats a record for me. I actually love moving find it exhausting and challenging and exciting. But I don't really want to do it anymore.bye

Hi all --

Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. lived there til I was 16.
Moved to Casselberry, Florida, stayed there til I was 24......moved to Birmingham, Alabama, for 2 years.
Moved back to Florida. Been here ever since.....except for summers which we spend at our place in upstate New York (Horseheads)......

love it here in the Sunshine State except for the hurricanes!!

[ October 31, 2005, 09:29 AM: Message edited by: CrosstitchQueen ]

gemini, look at the very top of the page on the right side and you will see directory. IF you go there and type in Long Island, you should be able to see who else is from there. Or you could just type New York. See if it helps.

vseymore, thanks for posting. Welcome. HOpe you'll stick around and let us get to know you better. I have never been to California. Urg.

cross, I think I'd like living in Florida too. I like summer much more than winter.

You have never been to California! Unbelievable!

I've never been to California either!
I have only been to the following places:
NJ
PA
LA (Louisiana!)
OH
NE
GA
......I think that's about it for this world traveler!

Hi Everyone..it is so interesting to hear about where you all live now and have lived earier in your lives..I was born and raised in Philadelphia PA and then we moved to Pittsburgh PA when I was 13..back to Philly right after i graduated from HS..fortunately I met my husband in college and we have lived in the suburbs of Philly ever since..I also spend lots of time in my beach house on the New Jersey Shore...it's really my heaven on earth...

Thank you for the links Itza.

Here's my moves:
Newfoundland -born raised
Ontario
Newfoundland
Alabama
Tennessee
Alabama
Oklahoma

Im want to be in Tennesse the most.

Born and grew up in Highland, IN (near Gary)

-married--hubbie joined USAF
-lived 8 years in Bossier City, Louisiana
-one year in England
-4 years in UP of Michigan
-11 years in Rapid City, South Dakota
-this summer we came nearly full circle and moved to Indianapolis, IN (back in Hoosier-land at least!)

Born in Jersey City, NJ (hey, TVC15!!)
Moved to Pocono Mts, PA
Back to Bayonne, NJ
To Avenel, NJ
To Southern NM for 18 years now. (LOVE IT!)

Born and raised in Ohio where I live now and probably always will. This is truly my home and I love it here.

Don't think I answered this earlier.

Born in Boston, MA and lived in that area for many years.

Moved to NH 29 years ago and have lived in the same town ever since. Which makes me a born and bred New England gal.

Appalachian Mountains, Southwest VA.

Southern by birth, Virginian by the grace of God.

Born and raised in Oregon.
Grew up on a small farm near Coos Bay.
Lived in the Portland area from age 18 - 26.
Finished college at OSU in Corvallis.
Moved back to Coos Bay for my first job after college.
Lived 6 years in the Cascade range outside of Portland.
In 1991 I moved to Coast Range near Elkton, and have been here since then.

[ December 25, 2005, 01:56 AM: Message edited by: Vi ]

Thought I'd go ahead and post here. Didn't see it before.

I was born in northern Illinois and mainly raised there with a couple of short times in New Mexico and California as a small child.

Then met and married my husband and we (during his military time) lived in Maryland, Virginia and Florida.

We then moved back to Illinois for several years and then back to Florida a short time and then 19 years ago made Central Florida (Kissimmee) our permanent home. Love it here and woldn't think of ever moving back to the cold and gray days.

Sandpiper

Hi Everyone,
I live on the border of Ohio and West Virginia.I work in Ohio. I live 45 min. from any city over 5000 People In any direction but west and that big city is 2 hours away.
I also Live in the city that made the Mothman famous! Anyone see that Picture with Richard Gere? Yep It was supposed to have happened here. Go here for more info
http://www.prairieghosts.com/moth.html
http://www.mothmanlives.com/indexFRAME.html
I was born at Fitzsimmons Army Base Hospital in Auroura Colorado.Moved to Ohio,
West Virgina,
Georgia,
Ohio,
West Virgina
I have found no matter where you may live it is the same just more or less to go see and do.

Humm, Guess I can not Spell the State I live in correctly. West Virginia! Sorry
storylady

I love finding out where everyone lives!

suzieq--

I was born in Greenwich Village, NYC, but moved to Old Greenwich, CT as a baby. Lived there from '54 - '62. Then moved to Westport, CT and stayed until I was 18. For the next two decades I lived all over the country--Clinton, NY; Boston, MA; Denver, CO; Newton Highlands, MA; Atlanta, GA; and Vienna, VA. I moved back to Westport in '95. When did you live in Stamford?

storylady--

My mom grew up in New Martinsville, WV on the Ohio River. Do you know where that it? She has great stories of growing up there.

Prill

I'm a New Englander too NHJackie. Mostly on the North Shore near Boston, except for 2 few years in the early 60s when I lived in Haverhill, MA, the town my dad was from.

Louisa

my, my,

we are a diverse group are we not? I grew up on the Fox River in Batavia, Ill. about 40 west of Chicago. When 40 miles meant cornfields in between. Small town, where we ice-skated the winters away.

30some years later, I moved to North Dakota and spent another 18 years there. Now am in Boise, Idaho....Wonder where I'll be next?

Search

Searcher -- I grew up in the Rock Falls, Sterling, Dixon area further west of Chicago. I think about 80 miles west.

I had cousins that lived in Batavia for years. We used to go visit them a lot. I remember going to the Fox River in Batavia. It's a nice town. But cold in Illinois.

I moved here to Kissimmee, Florida about 19 years ago and still love it. I never went back to Illinois in the winter except for when my parents passed on. Both in January 2 years apart. The temperature was in the teens and 20's both times and snow on the ground. I was glad to leave. It makes me know just why I live in Florida. I hate the cold and snow and gray skies.

How do you like Boise, Idaho. I've never been there. Do you ever get back to Batavia?

Sandpiper

Sandpiper - When did you visit Batavia, during what years? Big chance I might know your cousins....

Boise is nice. It isn't so cold here, but does stay hot in the summer. This is high desert, so is pretty dry - sagebrush and such. Of course in the cities, there's grass and lots of trees. But the mountains are visible and can be reached in 15 min. There's plenty of snow there!

No, my parents are both gone now, and my sister and brother and families are scattered.....But my parents are buried there - so will go back occasionally. I still have friends in th area, tho'.

Searcher

Searcher - My cousins have lived around the Chicago area their entire lives. Matter of fact, their mother grew up in Batavia I think.

I think it was in the 70's maybe that they lived there. Their last name is Stees. Their mother's maiden name was Runyon I think.

They lived in Geneva, St. Charles, Naperville, West Chicago, Batavia and Aurora. I believe some of them still live in that area. One cousin lives in Shaumburg. Another is maybe in Aurora or Geneva. Don't know for sure. It is a family of 10 children. Both their parents are gone and so they are now moving from the area a little at a time.

Glad you like Boise. Never been there. I need lots of sunshine. Can't take the gray days and cloudy weather, so Florida is good for me. My twin and I are the only siblings from our family that have moved from northern Illinois. Other than that I have two nephews that moved away. Guess my family is mostly a stay put type.

Thanks for asking.
Sandpiper

Sandpiper - I'll send you a pm, so as not to hog the thread. Search

Born:
Carlstadt, NJ
High School: Paterson NJ
Lived while married Clifton NJ
Then, out of the cold to Sunny Florida

Well, I was born in Passaic NJ. Then I spent my first 18 years living half time in NJ and half time in PA. At 18 I moved to AZ where I lived to age 30. Then I moved to CA where I lived for 10 years, then to Kansa for 10 years then to Missouri for 6 years and now in Colorado for 1 years. Oh, we had minor stops in between, like Dallas and Denver, but if they were less than six months they don't count. I consider my home here in Co Springs. I waited since 1972 to get here. But my family's place in the Poconos is where I feel that I've gone "home" again. Some people claim I'm from Mars.

Lynnie
You may be from Mars and I am from JUPITER....
I did alot of moving as well....from 1 house or apartment to another...went all the way north to Maine then all the way South to Florida. I have been here since 1998.....I go 'home' as well to NJ to see my son...I miss him very much and I don't get to see to much of him...
I can say we are both pros on moving!!
KaseyC

Wow, some of you have moved around alot.

I was born in Palmerston North NZ, and I still live near PN even to this day. 15 minutes away in the rural area.

I have lived in Auckland NZ and Sydney Australia for a while in my younger days. But it seems I'm stuck living near my home town now.

I've been to your beautiful country for a couple of trips but only to Los Angeles, Manhattan NY, and Las Vegas, would love to see heaps more of it one day!

Louisa: where do you spend your vacation in Florida? I live in "vacation town" !!! Jupiter, Florida!!

Lynnie: No wonder your aunties couldn't find you for 30+ years!!!

Yes, I know Sandi, I moved around so much. I did not even mention the moves in between. For example, in AZ I lived in Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler & Glendale. And in Mesa I lived in 5 apartment complexes. In one apartment complex I lived in 5 different apartments. One was too sunny, then one was too noisy, then I got a roomate, then the roomate failed to pay the rent, then I got a boyfriend, then I married him and we moved to California. On and On, moving on. But I aint budging from Colorado!

I was born in Maryland, educated in Maryland
Went ot sea and traveled quite a bit on the atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribean.
Moved to Key West, Fl
Moved to rural Maryland
Now live in PA.

Looking to head south at some point.

Lynnie: you mean there's no hope for you moving to Florida???????????

Patty, where in MD were you born and what part of rural MD did you live?

I was born in Bawdemore hon and now I live in Towson.