Categories
Biography

Funny tidbits

One time a girl at work brought in some cheesecake cupcakes as a peace offering. It was so good I [Dorothy] got the recipe and took a batch out to the family. I told Grandpa [Florent] that it was a custard and we had been eating it. My turkey of a nephew Tom asked me what was in the cupcakes and I tried to be vague about it, but he kept pressing me for an answer, and I, stupidly, told him the cupcakes contained cream cheese. Grandpa never ate them again.


One Christmas your Grandpa [Florent] and I [Dorothy] were driving to your Mom [Lorraine] & Dad’s [Edward’s]. I had the desserts, I had placed a cherry pie on the floor in the back of the driver’s seat.

At Utica and 14 Mile a guy in a car made a left hand turn right in front of me. Don’t know why he couldn’t have waited; our 2 cars were the only ones there.

Well, we didn’t have any cherry pie for dinner because I had to slam on the breaks and the pie slid under the driver’s seat and I had cherry pie all around my feet.


My grandpa’s [Eduard’s] house had a porch with windows on two sides of the house, near the back door was a swing fastened to the porch ceiling by two chains. One day Aunt Martha & someone else were in the swing and one of the chains broke. No one was hurt. We laughed so hard about this; Aunt Martha had to wash her underpants because she wet them.

When this was happening, my dad [Florent] + Uncle Joe [Morock] were picking up a boyhood friend of my dad’s, Father Joe Duquette, a very funny man.

After we got through laughing about the swing, we decided to fasten the swing + wait for the men to return. We wanted to face where the guys would sit in it. Well, they sat in it and we giggled and giggled, waiting for it to fall. The guys asked us why we were giggling so we finally had to tell them because their weight wasn’t enough to break the chain. We were disappointed!


The only place to wash at my Grandpa’s was the kitchen sink. One time, your Grandma [Helen] told your dad [Edward] to wash his hands. He wasn’t moving so Grandma told him again. No movement. My Aunt Len [Magdaleine], who was severely retarded and couldn’t speak clearly, was also in the kitchen. She walked over to your dad, grabbed him by the ear and took him over to the sink. Your dad was sure surprised and we all had a good laugh.

Categories
Biography

Stories touched by the war

Your Grandma [Helen] was an excellent baker. Her pie crusts, made with lard, were great. After WWII she purchased lard several times and it was terrible, so she started to use Spry (we preferred it instead of Crisco). It took her quite a while to get adjusted to the use of Spry in making pie crusts, but she mastered it!


During WWII our upstairs neighbor, Mrs. Young, was preparing a meal with her pressure cooker. Something went wrong and the cover blew through the kitchen ceiling and the pot dropped to the bottom of the stove; of course, making a big hole. She had to get a permit or whatever they called it, from the rationing board to get a new stove. Luckily no one was hurt.


We had ration books for meat, canned food, butter and dairy products. Each family had so many stamps per month.

Clothing (that is, decent clothing) was hard to get. We had to wear lisle stockings (saved our nylon’s for “good”). They were heavy stockings and wrinkled badly. Some dresses and blouses were made of rayon material, which was of very poor quality. Even today I cannot buy the rayon, thinking how awful it was back then!

When the war ended, we all went down to Gratiot and Sheridan and everybody was happy and kissing anyone near them.

Right after WWII, our landlord sold the home we were renting and we had to move. Housing was very difficult to find and with Grandpa not working, it was more difficult. 


During World War II your dad [Edward] wanted to join the Marines; but because of his age he had to have Grandpa’s [Florent’s] signature, which Grandpa would not do. In 1945 your dad was inducted into the US Army and served one year in the Philippines. Remember your dad telling the story of a sergeant throwing a book at your dad, saying “Keep this machine running.”

After getting out of the service Ed got a job at the factory at Chrysler’s. He wanted to get a car; much to the chagrin of Grandma [Helen], Grandpa and me [Dorothy], he bought an 8 passenger Chrysler to $850. A real gas guzzler! Sold it soon after your mom [Lorianne] and dad were married. Can remember the story of your mom having to push this monster of a car when it got stuck in the snow in Connecticut.

Categories
Vansgiving

2020 – Yellowstone National Park – June

June 21 – 27

Lodging

Rental house in Gardiner, MT

Attendees      

Bob
Tom & Kirsten
Dave & Lori
Nicole & Megan
Lorraine
Stephanie
Jean
Joan
Cathy
Barb & Deeon

Highlights

Lamar Valley
Petrified Tree
Mammoth Hot Springs
Hayden Valley
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Old Faithful
Grand Prismatic Spring
Firehole Canyon Drive
Norris Geyser Basin
West Thumb Geyser Basin
36,297 bison sightings

Categories
Vansgiving

2019 – Oregon – June

June 23 – 29

Lodging

Rental house in Pacific City, OR

Attendees      

Bob & Annie
Tom & Kirsten
Dave & Lori
Nicole & Megan
Lorraine
Joan
Cathy
Barb

Highlights

Tillamook
Cannon Beach
Ecola State Park
Bridal Veil Falls
Multnomah Falls
Mount St. Helens
Depoe Bay
Mom’s cotton candy hairdo
Silver Falls

Categories
Vansgiving

2018 – Tennessee – June

June 23 – 30

Lodging

Rental house in Pigeon Forge, TN

Attendees      

Bob & Annie
Tom & Kirsten
Dave & Lori
Nicole & Megan
Lorraine
Jean
Joan
Cathy
Barb & Deeon

Highlights

Dollywood
Stampede dinner show
Moonshine
Parrot Mountain
Smokey Mountain Alpine Coaster
Fireworks
Smokey Mountains National Park
Tail of the Dragon Road
Ruby Falls
Incline Railway
Rock City The Ark Encounter (half the group)

Categories
Vansgiving

2017 – Alaska – August

August 19 – 26

Lodging

Princess cruise ship

Attendees      

Bob & Annie
Tom & Kirsten & Paula
Dave & Lori
Nicole & Megan
Daniel & Allison
Lorraine
Stephanie & Gene
Joan & Chuck
Barb & Deeon
Morgan via suitcase proxy

Highlights

Vancouver, Canada
Ketchikan
Lumberjack show
Totem Bight
Juneau
Tracy’s Crab Shack
Mendenhall Glacier
Skagway
Glacier Bay Anchorage

Categories
Vansgiving

2016 – Maine – August

August 14 – 20

Lodging

Rental house in West Forks, ME

Attendees      

Bob
Tom & Kirsten & Paula
Dave & Lori **
Nicole & Megan
Lorraine
Stephanie & Gene **
Jean
Joan
Morgan
Nate
Barb & Deeon

Highlights

Nubble Lighthouse
Morgan’s 21st Birthday
Grafton Notch State Park
Acadia National Park
Bar Harbor
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse

** = first Vansgiving

Categories
Vansgiving

2015 – Montanada – July

July 18 – 25

Lodging

Rental house in Columbia Falls, MT
Rental house in Mountain View, AB, Canada

Attendees      

Bob & Annie
Tom & Kirsten
Dave
Nicole & Megan
Lorraine
Stephanie
Joan
Morgan
Barb ** & Deeon **

Highlights

Glacier National Park
Hidden Lake Hike
Alpine Slide
Zipline
Huckleberry Pie
Waterton Lakes National Park
Prince of Wales Hotel

** = first Vansgiving

Categories
Vansgiving

2014 – Michigan – October

October 5 – 12

Lodging

Hotel rooms in St. Ignace
Rental house in Munising, MI

Attendees      

Bob & Annie
Tom & Kirsten
Dave
Nicole & Megan
Daniel & Allison
Lorraine
Stephanie
Jean & Ralph **
Joan & Chuck
Cathy **

Highlights

Waitress Judy at Big Boy restaurant
Mackinac Bridge
Mackinac Island
Tahquamenon Falls
Whitefish Point
Pictured Rocks
Miners Castle
Rabbit Patch Road
Kitch-iti-kipi

** = first Vansgiving

There were sixteen of us
In our oddball clan,
Driving around in a
White passenger van.

We crossed the bridge
Some five miles long
Should we skip a meal?
That would be wrong

To Big Boy for chow
And harassment by Judy
She was tons of fun
But not much of a cutie

On to Mackinac Island
Just east of Mighty Mac
Saw a few sights
And then we came back

Rental house in Munising
Was filled with stools of steel
It’s time to play cards
Have a seat so I can deal

We had long daily drives
To see waterfalls and such
We saw what we could
But there’s really not much

We truly were stuck
On Rabbit Patch road
Where we disembarked
To lessen our load

Using rotting sticks
We dug out the sand
We pushed it free
And then clapped our hands

To Root Beer falls
In the cold and sleet
Looking at faces
I think people are beat

Our Thanksgiving feast
Was from turkey to cake
Nicole made her dessert
The traditional bake

This reunion is over
We’re in the homes we know
But next year in July
It’s Montanada we go.

Categories
Vansgiving

2013 – Vermont / New Hampshire – August

August 4 – 10

Lodging

Rental house in Hancock, VT
Timeshare in Lincoln, NH

Attendees      

Bob & Annie
Tom & Kirsten
Dave
Nicole & Megan
Lorraine
Joan
Morgan
Nate (for Thanksgiving dinner)

Highlights

Skip Marrow’s home and The Art of Humor Gallery  (VT)
Morgan Horse Farm  (VT)
Ben & Jerry’s  (VT)
Sugarbush Farm  (VT)
food poisoning  (VT)
Cornish-Windsor Bridge (VT/NH)
Franconia Notch State Park  (NH)
Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site  (NH)
Flume Gorge (NH)
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse  (ME)