Arrival in Upstate New York
After we crossed the border into the state of New York (near
Buffalo) around 5pm, we still had a good long drive ahead of us. It was 9pm when we finally reached the small
town of Canandaigua.
We drove straight to the home of Ed’s Uncle Hal (Caryl’s
little brother, who was born when she was 15), so Hal and his wife Kate were
the first of Ed’s relatives I got to meet.
They kindly allowed us to hook up our fifth-wheel water and electric on
their property, so we enjoyed the amenities of air conditioning and running
water during our week in Canandaigua.
6 July 2012: Setting up the trailer at Hal and Kate’s
house.
Within minutes of our arrival, Kate drove Caryl over to her
mother’s nearby home, and that’s where Caryl spent the entire week. Caryl’s mom, Margaret Busby, is a spunky
little 98-year-old lady whom Caryl hadn’t seen in at least 6 or 7 years, so it
was great for them to have this week together.
By 9:30, Hal and Kate had said good-night, so we also
retired for the night. After a long week
on the road, it was easy to fall asleep quickly!
Saturday, July 7:
Meeting Grandma
What can I say? We
completely fell in love with Ed’s Grandma Busby.
It was nice to have a leisurely morning after rushing from
state to state all week. We organized
the trailer to make it more livable, enjoyed some eggs, bacon, and English
muffins prepared by Ed, and then drove to Grandma Busby’s house.
7 July 2012: Grandma Busby’s place
Physically, Margaret Busby is spry, tiny, and adorable. Mentally, she is quite forgetful, but somehow
that just added to her quirky charm. I
lost count of how many times she asked us if we wanted coffee during our first
hour with her. She wanted so badly to wait
on us that we couldn’t get her to sit and eat her own breakfast, so I finally
sat and ate with her. Once she felt she
wasn’t neglecting her guests, she settled down.
My favorite thing about this tiny little gal was her girlish
giggle. She’s quick to laugh and still
demonstrates a quick wit when it comes to her sense of humor. She was awed by Dylan’s height and fascinated
with my long hair. Each time we left and
returned, we had to explain who we were again, although she remembered Ed
pretty well.
We took Grandma and Caryl for a drive. When we went out, Grandma fretted about
finding her way back home or if we had a key to get back into the house, but
soon she relaxed and had fun participating in our search for “the Coolley house”
she lived in for 20 years. Even when we
assured her we were on Coolley Street, she was sure we needed to make a left
turn somewhere. When we finally located
the old house, though, she was enchanted when she recognized it and the old memories
flooded back.
The Coolley house. Caryl lived here from age 6 until she got married at age 22.
She recalls hauling the bricks when her dad built the red brick steps .
Grandma Busby lived there a few years longer, then they moved into the house
that her son Hal and his wife Kate now live in.
7 July 2012: Caryl (age 77) and her mom Margaret (age
98).
After our drive, Ed took us all out for ice cream cones, and
then we delivered the ladies safely back home.
7 July 2012: Dylan (age 15) relishes his ice cream.
7 July 2012: Our group at the ice cream parlor.
An interesting decoration at the ice cream parlor,
which was called Shark's Custard and Candy.
Our next stop was the Beacon Farm Market, which was originally opened by Grandma Busby's husband Harold, but is now owned and operated by Hal and Kate. Located on a main county road, it's quite prosperous. We saw a steady flow of cars stopping by, and wherever we went, Ed would mention his uncle owned the market and people would respond, "I love that place!"
7 July 2012: Ed’s Uncle Hal and Aunt Kate
Due to the nature of the business, it only operates about half the year. When the harvests are all in and the snow flies, Hal and Kate close the market and pursue their hobbies around the world: skiing and scuba diving. Kate also ran a half-mararthon while we were in town!
7 July 2012: Hal and Kate’s produce store, Beacon Farm Market, outside...
...and inside.
7 July 2012: Dylan whittling outside the trailer that evening. (It didn't get dark until after 9:00).
Visiting with a bunch of old people all day wasn't exactly thrilling for Dylan, but he bore it well!
Sunday, July 8:
The Rest of the Family
On Sunday we attended sacrament meeting at the Canandaigua Ward, which is part of the Palmyra Stake (I think that's very cool, being that Palmyra is quite important in our church's history). For Ed it is also very cool, since there were too few LDS people in Canandaigua when he lived in upstate New York (1960-1977) to warrant even a branch, let alone a ward with its own chapel!
8 July 2012: A family get-together on Sunday afternoon at Ponderosa Buffet.
After church, we gathered at Grandma Busby's house, where I met two of Ed's aunts (his mom's sisters). Since it was lunch time, we all went out to a restaurant and spent a very long time there, eating and visiting.
8 July 2012- The Busby girls: Caryl, Dorothy, Margaret (their mom), and Ginny.
*
Sisters: Firstborn Dorothy, middle sister Caryl, and youngest sister Ginny (Virginia).
Their brother Hal is the baby of the family.
From there, we went on to visit even longer at Aunt Dorothy's house, where we met a few more of Ed's relatives and I took the opportunity to get some family group pictures!
Dorothy with her son John and grandson Adam. Dorothy has 5 sons and a slew of
grandchildren. Her husband Jim died a few years ago.
Both of Ed's aunts have homes in both Florida and the Canandaigua area, so they are only here for the summer.
Ginny with her son Henry, her husband Don, and her mom, Margaret.
8 July 2012- Three generations: grandson Ed (age 51), his mom Caryl (age 77),
and his grandma Margaret (age 98).
?
?
Left to right: Ed's cousins Henry (age 51), John, and Ed himself (age 51).
Our visit lasted into early evening. It was fun getting to know some of Ed's extended family!
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