Kayaking Adventure resumes… July 17, 2011.

I am departing NC today to resume my kayaking adventure, after taking six months off.  I will kayak TN next (my 30th state).  After that I will kayaking the following (at least that's the plan today):
 
KY, WV, PA, OH, IN, IL, IO, NE, CO, NM, AZ.
 
If anyone is in my path and wants to "do coffee" I'd be thrilled. 
 
I hope to be in AZ by early Oct.
 
In a few days, I will post a tentative route map.

I’m getting sick of genealogy!

Tennessee – before heading up into NC.  This is the Douglas Lake looking toward the Douglas Dam… which dammed up the French Broad River where I believe my ancestors had farms.

Asheville, NC

Did I say that?  I’ve been mesmerized by searching for my roots since I was 24 years old – and that’s been more than four (4) decades ago.  Sometimes too obsessed to eat or rest.  Then Ancestry.com came out and I’ve been wild to track down each of my ancestral lines.  And I’ve really enjoyed doing research for others as well as my own family.  But, having been totally devoted to this obsession for over two full months… I do believe I’m reaching the point of maximum saturation for diggin’ roots. 

For one thing, it’s too sedentary.  I need to be up moving around more and staying more active.  When I’m out in the field like I’ve been the past couple of weeks… I do get more activity, but what happens, I get to a library or archives, walk around get what I want to look at and plop my butt down for hours more… then return to the van, get on the computer, and enter the new stuff I found.

The Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Today I drove up the Blue Ridge Parkway outside of Asheville, NC a ways, went into the Southern Highland Craft Guild exhibit at the Folk Art Center… drooled over some of the beautiful things… and left with some free brochures and booklets.  This is where I’d do my Christmas shopping, if I were a millionaire.

Reems Creek, in Buncombe County, NC.

I’ve enjoyed driving around the areas where I believe my ancestors lived… but the problem with Eastern TN and Western NC is that the roads are narrow and hilly and windy all at the same time.  Most times there is no place at all for me to pull off quickly with an extended van hauling a 12 trailer. .. and people are always on my tail.

Once a Methodist Parsonage, but now a Bed and Breakfast Inn.

Yesterday I believe I visited the home my ancestors (Calfees) lived in during the Civil War era and later.  That was pretty neat but the discouraging thing is that I can’t prove the link between my great grandfather and those individuals due to the fact he may have changed his name.  Ughhh! And most the people related to those people are dead, and those living that I know… well most don’t care, and the few that do care about our roots, don’t believe I’m barking up the right tree.  Uggghhhh!

From the driveway of the Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society, looking back toward Asheville, NC.

This week I planned to visit two places in Asheville NC and do more research.  The Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society and the downtown Pack Library.  I just scooped them out this afternoon and there is no place I can park.  Downtown was a hustle and bustle this afternoon which really surprised me.  The only way I can do it is drop my trailer someplace and just drive the van in.  There is lots of “tagging’ in this town and I don’t feel safe leaving my stuff in my van.. and don’t want to lock it up in the trailer and leave the trailer someplace unless I can leave it on private property someplace. 

This is just too complicated and I want to just start driving west… but where? ND where the river is going to bust it’s banks, or OK where another nuke plant is being threatened, or where?  None of the water here that I’ve seen so far motivates me to get the boat out.  And the population density here… well, let’s just say I’m in shock.

I feel depressed and miss my friends, my sister, my family in Washington State.  I feel like the van is becoming my coffin.  I need to get out of the East and back to the wilds.  I’m not motivated here to take good care of myself.  (Well, not all my blogs can be uplifting, and I needed to vent and after all, it is MY blog!)

Pout (:

(O.K. who wrote that and where did Charlene go???)

The headwaters of the French Broad River in North Carolina… it runs down into Tennessee.  I believe my ancestors travelled up and down this river.

But I have learned some interesting things about this branch of the family and if I am correct, I hope others will be thrilled with my findings.

Family Secrets????

 

Somewhere down there, White Pine, TN is land once owned by my forefathers.  I spent the latter part of the week digging through historical records in Dandridge TN and Newport TN trying to find out just where they lived and in fact, just exactly what their names were.  I’ve researched this for years and for several decades have wanted to get here… be here and snoop in person.

There was a secret.  It went something like this (to protect the innocent and those who think continuing to keep this secret is important… I won’t use names):  Great Grandpa might have accidentally killed someone and fled the law and changed his name.  OK great.  But they let me search for the wrong name for a decade before they explained to me why I couldn’t find that name.  Finally they give me the right name and all I run into are brick walls.  If Grandpa’s goal was to hide and not be found… he succeeded.   But yesterday, I found his father’s will.  He had four living children at the time he wrote his will and he was so displeased with them, he only gave them each a dollar and all the rest of his real estate to his second wife (not their mother). 

Land records show he owned a lot of land.  They also show his second wife was selling a lot of it after his death.  But, curiously, a newer memorial gravestone (not old enough to be their original) says both of them died in 1892.  How could she be selling his land after he died, if she died at the same time?  I’m going back next week and see if I can find the probate records.  Should be interesting.

But who died/was killed and how and what’s the rest of that story.

And as for kayaking, I met a man in the Archives in Dandridge, TN this week, who is going to help me figure out where their land was on the river, they owned 1/2 of a ferry landing… and help me find current owners… and maybe put my kayak in there and actually kayak on ancestral lands/waters.  How cool is that?  I passed what I believe was that Ferry landing yesterday… it was right past the spot in the picture above.  One thing about Tennessee, they don’t have a shortage of long, narrow and winding roads.  They are few places where I can pull over with my van and trailer in tow.  I might be looking for a place to drop the trailer while I explore.

But if feels good to be here and I think after waiting for this for decades, I will go away content, regardless of what I learn.

Last night I spent the night in a rest stop.  Today we had a marvelous thunderstorm, and I napped, did genealogy, popped popcorn, made mocha royal, napped some more with the sound of rain on my rooftop… and when the storm stopped did a little housekeeping. The whole while I kept thinking, how good is this?  Is this perfect or what?  I feel so very fortunate to have my health back, and be on the road again, and have my mobile computer lab and my wonderful SwankieWheels.  It doesn’t get any better than this, until tomorrow. 

I am Blessed!

Rest in peace Great Great Grandpa!
(Beth-Car United Methodist Church, Leadville, TN)

S.O.S. Message to my Followers.

They tell me I’m a pretty good artist so here is a question for my followers:  Would you be willing to buy (say for a minimum of $15) a sketch of yourself, your loved one, or a favorite pet… in exchange for a donation for gas… NOW? I’m feeling frantic, broke and desperate.
Here are some recent sketches:
David Hair, Sr., Dalton GA, June 2011.

And o’ cuzzin’ Dick Tracy, Dalton, GA, June 2011.

And my first trip out as a vandweller was to the Slabs, CA.  I met Mike and Heidi (if you are a Vandweller… you know who I’m talkin’ about). That was the week I installed the roof vent in my own van.  Mike supervised as best he could from the sidelines as he was not feeling well.  The day or two after I got the fan in, Mike was hospitalized.  Camp kinda fell apart after that and I felt helpless and useless… so I gathered what few painting supplies I had on hand, went up the hill where the two old tanks are (if you have been to the Slabs, you know what I’m talkin’ about)… and painted this little sign for them (kinda my way of praying):

And they got married I think the following year??? Or was it the same year????  Anyway… ol’ Roadie got a makeover and got renamed Taj.
Decided we needed a sign so Vandwellers could find us at the next gathering and so painted this one… or here is a part of it anyway… I’ll post the whole sign when I find it.

That would be KatieTwoKnives’ dog, Mutt, and behind him is Bob Wells’ old trusty Homer.  I love those dogs. Oh, here is the whole sign.

So, can I do a sketch for you?  They will be 8 1/2” by 11” and I’ll send you the sketch by email as soon as it is done.  You will need to pay the postage… should be the flat rate envelope… I’ll double check the price.
My son is a skydiver.  He wanted a painting for Christmas one year of skydivers at sunset.  So here’s the one I did for him.

I’m stuck in NC with more Calfee family research to do, only $60 left, almost out of gas, and no income until 7/20.  Had some major expenses in May and June (along with ending up in the hospital) and wanted to find some way to honestly get a little more income, as soon as possible.
My question to my Followers is:  How much is such a sketch (pencil) worth???  What do you think?  I’m thinking a minimum of $15, and postage on top of that.  I would appreciate all comments and truly appreciate any advance payments.  For those who have helped me in the past, you get a free sketch on request. Send me a photo or two, the full face kind, the more wrinkles the better (in the person, not the photo) and I’ll have the finished sketch back to you via email in a couple days and by USPS mail as soon as funds are received.

See a Gallery of my Art Work.

 

This would help me so very much.  If you are able to help me, thank you in advance, very very much.
Charlene Swankie (charlene.swankie@gmail.com)