We had the pleasure of having my dad in town for a visit this past week. Just after the kids and I picked him up from the airport we headed straight to Grand Rapids, Michigan to visit Grandma, his mother, my grandmother. If you know my dad at all, you know that you don’t just go and visit someone…no, he always seems to have something up his sleeve. Well this time he had a plan to pick up Grandma and head to Morley, Michigan (don’t bother looking for it on a map, I don’t think you’ll find it) to see the home his grandfather grew up in along with several gravesites from the Blossom side of the family.
So on we traveled after picking up Grandma. We arrived in Morley only to find, well, not much of anything. We did find a pizza place (good thing, we were hungry) and stopped in for a bite to eat. I had a call to make so I told my dad to take everyone in and get a seat and I’d be in in a minute. When I walked in I see my kids and Grandma sitting at some tables while my dad is bent over a table going over a map, dated 1900, with the owner of the restaurant. They were trying to find, based on this antiquated map, where his relatives homes’ were presently located. This may seem fine to some but imagine yourself with your 5 children who haven’t eaten any lunch, have just been in the car for 2 1/2 hours, and it’s creeping on 2 o’clock in the afternoon. No, I was not amused. But I must say my children were oh so patient…they must be catching on to my father’s ways. My dad was a good sport and let all the kids try on his glasses…anything to pass the time:)
Eventually we ate and were off on our way to find the house you see at the top of this post. Owned many, many years ago by Chauncey Blossom. Where Seth Blossom (my father’s grandfather) grew up. As you can see, not much has changed in the 100 plus years of this homes’ existence, but it is still standing.
Barn #1.
Barn #2.
My dad and my boys in the front yard of his grandfather’s home.
My dad and my kids in the front yard sitting on what my kids called “petrified wood”, I think it was a large rock, although judging by the age of the home, it was possible.
Off we headed to see the Morley Cemetery. This actually turned out to be very interesting for my kids, and me.
This picture is funny because my dad discovered a child in the Blossom family, that died young, that he was unaware of. So he gets down on his knees to read the old deteriorating tombstone. Harrison wasted no time and hopped right on his back. My dad wasn’t amused.
Just after taking this picture, I backed up and fell (literally to the ground) over a grave labeled “MOTHER”…another family member of course. My kids were concerned for my well-being, my father was still reading the headstone.
Ah, we found the “Blossom” section. There are quite a few members of the family buried in this little cemetery.
Taking pictures to pass the time while my dad looked for some other relatives.
Well, we finally made it back to Grandma’s place in time for some pictures outside before she had to get to dinner.
It’s always good to see Grandma, and always great to see my dad, or as the kids know him, Pops. We had a very nice time walking down memory lane with him. These times don’t happen often, it all took place in a days’ time…I’m thankful that we were able to go along for the ride, and experience a little piece of our history.
