[Regia-NA] OT - Seen 'Stateside

[rmhowe]

Nicholson, Andrew wrote:
> OK, who nicked it? S'mine. [very old Regia joke]
> 
> Contrast with our DVLA, who won't even give me a *replacement* license for
> the one I've had for the last 20 years without my original birth
> certificate, passport or adoption certificate [and no, I don't have any of
> them - my passport is out-of-date and I don't look much like the chap on the
> photo any more, I am adopted - so I don't have my original birth
> certificate, and my dad is coping with prostate cancer spreading to his
> bones, chemotherapy and thrombosis - so I don't want to upset him by
> bringing up adoption certificates at the moment].
> 
> Guthrum

They just recently closed the loop hole here for the hispanics
that were flooding the state and getting drivers licenses
here in great numbers. So I think I understand if say you
have an invasion by the French for instance.

The step-father just died in December of a long course of
prostate, nasal, spinal cancer; and we spent two weeks (and
an additional one while I was crashed from it) going through
150 years of family pictures and papers. Books as far back
as 1661.

Found my original birth certificate with an entirely different
name, my mother's divorce papers from my father, her court
testimony, a possible picture of him whom I have never seen,
some trusts left by her for us three kids, two of my half-sister's
three children, all kinds of weirdnesses, including a will
from the Washington family giving slaves to heirs. My sister
owns George's father's dining room table for example.
There were 124 1/2 pounds of coins lying around. We kept the
siver and most collectable bits, the rest cashed out to nearly
$600 which was given to my sister for her to distribute.
Found confederate money I hadn't seen since I was a kid.
Found albums full of family pictures going back a very,
very long way. WWI photos of my grandparents, letters
between them, my mother, and her brother who was killed
by a bully packing snow in his ears at age 9. The obituaries,
gravesite plots and locations, and house pictures of many
relatives who died long before we were born.
One of the books one wrote is priced very
greedily on the internet by two dealers at $800 each.
I never thought it a terrific book when I examined it.
My sisters each have a copy. I bought the second one
for my mother for $8 I think to give one to each of them.
Now that I'd like to have one {I found the pictures of
him from when he was an ivory trader in Africa, and
a newpaper account of him entertaining Teddy Roosevelt
while on his African Hunting trip.} I can't buy one for
any reasonable amount. One greedy bastard being observed
by another has now priced the silly book far beyond
reason. I doubt if they'll ever sell them but the problem
is many other bookdealers price by what they see on the
internet. So - ridiculous.

Finally located my grandparents' graves.
Mom would never tell us where. She, on the other hand
is ashes scattered in a little triangle garden of rocks in
the house front yard. Pointing out at the time that
this was a bad idea did no good and I imagine it will
have to be moved now - roughly six feet triangular.
Dad apparently sits enshrined in a jar on the
cabin mantelpiece with one of his favorite dog's ashes
nearby. He treated the dogs in the family a lot better
than the humans.

The tough part was looking at all the pictures of my
grandparents family homes and figuring what to keep and
what to take to save from the auction. Was watching
"Find" on the public broadcasting channel this morning
and sure as hell, the copper lustreware jugs grandmother
had had were apparently scarce and date to 1835. I hope
my sisters have enough sense to keep them. A George
Washington tea cup was priced at $50K on 'Find', and it was
priced as only one of a set.

I still have to go
back and rent a truck {and hopefully get someone to
help load it), rent a third storage unit down here
first and go and empty the second up in the mountains.
The floods from the hurricanes hit while we were there.

Assuming I ever feel up to it I have a lot of old furniture
that needs to be taken apart, the old glue scraped out
and the joints replaned and joined with better glues.
Four pieces of which my grandfather made and they are
heavily carved. The one modern piece he made my sister
is taking - a linen chest. Three of the four pieces are
carved with scandinavian themes and the fourth is
art nouveax/mission style crossover. To me it is a
toy chest/to the appraiser it was a stagecoach box.
The appraiser was an idiot.

The swords I knew came down through his family were
joined by one I thought came from the other side yet
sits above their desk in one of the older family
houses. Not from the Confederate captain I thought
it was from at all.

Imagining getting hundreds of photos and papers you'd
never seen during your lifetime (nearly 53 years now)
when there is no one left to answer questions. That
was what I had asked for, and left a voice recorder
for, the -family stories-. My sister is terrified of
what may be on the recordings if they were made.
Mom apparently was very bitter towards the end.

Multiple myelomas run through the stepfather's family.
Weird neural/spinal/muscular stuff runs through my mother's
family. I don't envy my sisters or their kids. Damned
glad my physical stuff is ending with me anyway.

I have several bonds in my first name that aren't worth
a lot and have stopped paying interest years ago. Should
I decide to cash them in I lose the sentimental value.
They simply prove how much my mother loved me after I
was born, she was single again, etc. [I found a boxful
of pictures of little me with her and my grandparents.]
SO I can relate a bit to you. I'm on my third name myself
and prefer to use a fourth one.

Not having it changed in the last 40 years meant we did
inherit significantly though. Never have liked it.
Very glad there is no Willy V. I had heard previously
the old man was the VII but perhaps not, and only the IVth.

Magnus

>>In the land where the DMV will let you have any combination 
>>of seven letters
>>and numbers on your vehicle, how about
>>
>>NOS4ATU

Now that I like. One of our local laurel's sons is named
Vlad. :) Recently married too.

>>
>>Especially if your name is Vlad or you have trouble with mirrors!