Family Reunion (of a sort)

Since my last post, I'm confirmed to attend Lithuanian Days at Lakewood Park with my two cousins from Michigan, one from Harrisburg PA and my friend from bowling league who visited Lithuania several years ago looking for her family's Lithuanian village.  My Michigan cousin, Ken, is still trying to contact a few other family tree members to make the trip in August.  

I am hoping I hear the Lithuanian language at the August 2021 festival. It will remind me of my grandmother's conversations with her sisters when they came to visit her in the summer from Schuylkill and Columbia counties. It all sounded like gibberish back then, but there are great memories attached to those summer days when my brother and I would stay for a whole week without mom's supervision. 

My brother and I knew that meant all things good and plentiful, like fresh fruits and veggies from her garden, chicken with homemade mashed potatoes and gravy, staying up late, "camping out" overnight on the enclosed back porch and swimming in the above ground pool  everyday the weather permitted. From the looks of it, no one lost their breathe blowing up the pool, it was just a cage and a liner.  Wasn't I cute?

Kristine, 1957

Nanny, Charlie, Mom and me 1957
(neighbor's house in background)

For a few years, before we moved from Muhlenberg Township to Oakbrook section of Reading (also known as the 18th ward), we lived 3 houses away (called the Cherokee Ranch development) from Nanny and PopPop Goodman during preschool age, pre-1959. So it was great to spend a summer week between school years with them and see friends we grew up with. 

Russell & Edith Goodman (Nanny & PopPop)
in their tile-walled kitchen, circa 1959

I have been focused on my paternal side of my family tree, but I haven't forgotten about my maternal side. In my next post, I'll share some kid stories about the German/Irish grandparents. Hint, they ran a mom & pop grocery store in Pottsville PA.  Until then...