Travel Diaries: Europe 1985

Europe 1985

It was 20 years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play.
The Beatles

I’m not used to being able think in terms of things that happened 20 years ago today, primarily because my memory sucks. Sure, I could guess, tell you what age I was, or try to recall events that happened ‘about’ that time. But to be able to say precisely what I was doing 20 years ago today, not a chance. Until now. Because 20 years ago this summer, I kept a diary.

Recently a couple of friends, Nathaniel and Rick, wrote in their blogs about meeting and dating their wives. Their tales got me thinking, and helped me realize that I met my wife 20-years ago, and we had a pretty unique first date. It lasted 62-days and covered 21 countries.

At the time I was in college, and my chosen field of study was International Relations. Never having traveled outside of the U.S. (other than the occasional drinking trip to Tijuana, Mex), and my appeals to expand my horizons further fell on sympathetic ears. Thanks to my folks and grandma, I found myself booked on a summer long trip to Europe, traveling solo, but with a tour group that was compromised of 25 girls and 17 guys, who came from homes reaching from New York to Hawaii. The average age on the bus was around 20 or 21. Nice setup, eh? Our tour group was labeled GT610, AESU’s shorthand for Grand Tour (their longest European trip) departing on June 10, 1985.

And so, dear readers (you are so few that you are indeed dear), I plan to take advantage of this summer and this blog, to share some tidbits from this rare opportunity I have to tell you exactly what I was doing 20 years ago today, by reprinting some of the entries from my travel diary that I wrote that life-changing summer. Where appropriate I will add links, annotations, photos and reflections. And where necessary, I will still leave some of the best stuff out. Even after 20 years, some memories remain my own.

To catch up, we departed New York on June 10, and caught a Madrid to Lisbon connection on June 11th where we met up as a group for the first time. After a brief time in Lisbon and then Guarda, we were in route to Madrid.

June 14 On Bus/MadridCrossing the border into Spain, our bus died leaving us between countries. Stayed an hour in Rodrigo where we had lunch and I won a 500 psta jackpot on the slot machine. Stopped in Avila, a city inside a huge wall dating to the middle ages and then to Salamanca. Arrived in Madrid at about 7:30 and had a whole fish for dinner. Went to the Orense mall and drank a huge beer called a ‘mini’ and danced. Came home at 5:00 am.
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Coincidentally, it was just a day or two ago my wife Jennifer recalled that fish dinner for our children. We’ve learned to appreciate seafood more than we did before, but we still prefer it not to be looking back at us from our plates.

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Bridging to Juniors

Family
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Bridging to Juniors
Originally uploaded by Chris Casey.

Colleen ‘bridged’ today from Brownies to Juniors. Her familiar brown vest was retired in favor of a fancy new green sash. The vest is full of patches commemorating years of memories, activities and achievements so far in scouting. The new green sash is bare, ready for many more yet to come.

My wife Jennifer has been a scout leader for our son and daughters; tigers, cub/wolf/bear, weblos, brownies, juniors and cadets. She’s a natural born scout leader, and the kids and I are lucky to have her.

Congrats Colleen!

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Helping a Friend Help a Stranger

Guide to Life

I didn’t know Jon U. I never heard of him before Friday. He lived in Kansas City and recently died of injuries sustained after he witnessed a purse snatching and chased down the culprit.

A good friend of mine, Kenny Holland, is a morning DJ on the Kansas City radio station 97.3, The Planet. During his Friday morning broadcast, he determined that he would stay on the air until they had successfully raised $50,000 to support the Jon U Good Samaritan fund to support Jon’s widow, and the child he and his wife are expecting in August.

I help Kenny out by setting up a blog for him, and this morning he contacted me looking for help in setting up an online payment option for those who would like to contribute to the fund online. So I spent some time this morning helping him to setup a PayPal donation button, and creating a graphic to show their fundraising progress towards their goal.

I don’t know Jon U any more than he knew the lady he gave his life to help. But I’m glad to know there are people out there like him. And I hope his community’s efforts to remember him and support his widow and child can provide them some small comfort in the face of such a devastating tragedy.

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The Downing Street Memo

News, Politics

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As Washington got swept up in the memories of Watergate and the recent revalation that ‘Mark Felt, then the number two man at the FBI, was the informant known as Deep Throat‘ who helped Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein break the story, it’s sad to reflect how little comparison can be made between journalists today.

More than a month ago the Sunday Times of London reported on a classified memo that revealed the Bush administration ‘fixed’ intelligence to suit their needs and build their case for war against Iraq eight months before it began. But with Tony Blair visiting Washington for the first time since the memo’s revelation, it remains essentially a non-story. Perhaps it’s because we Americans are just too jaded to care. We accept the reality that our War in Iraq was one of choice, rather than necessity. George Bush wanted to go to war in Iraq, he used 9/11 as his springboard, trumped up a case, and got what he wanted. And each day we read about the latest fatalities in Bush’s war in Iraq.

Democrats.com is offering a $1000 reward to anyone who can get Bush to answer the question,

In July 2002, did you and your administration “fix” the intelligence and facts about non-existent Iraqi WMD’s and ties to terrorism – which were disputed by U.S. intelligence officials – to sell your decision to invade Iraq to Congress, the American people, and the world – as quoted in the Downing Street Minutes?

Don’t bet on any payouts. This administration is not capable of telling the truth, or admitting failure. Go ahead and tell me again about Clinton’s lies. He didn’t leave 1600+ Americans dead in his wake.

Read On With Hope:
The Downing Street Memo Story Won’t Die
The Washington Post, 6/7/05

Update:
The Washington Post reports today on the memo, and Democrats.com explains why the reporter didn’t earn the whole prize.

Seldom-Discussed Elephant Moves Into Public’s View
The Washington Post, 6/8/05

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Casey Spa in Service

Guide to Life

In February I was reminded that I’m an idiot. Having enjoyed our new second-hand spa since August, we had looked forward to sitting in its warm waters under winter’s gentle snowfalls. But I must have missed class the day they taught us about ‘freezing‘ in school, and that ice is in fact what water turns into when the temperature drops below 32 degrees.

That’s exactly what happened in February. So instead of enjoying our spa’s warm water in the snow, I was instead trying to thaw frozen lines and worrying about how much damage had been done.

Repairs had to wait until Spring arrived, and a few pvc pipes had burst under winter’s weight. But thanks to a helpful neighbor and an family eager to get back in the water, repair work finally began. An overall upgrade seemed in order while we were at it, so a new power system, pump, blower, digital control pad and a couple of repaired jets were all added to the list.

And now it’s done, and we are happy. Lesson’s learned; get a spa, any expense pays itself back tenfold with every relaxing minute. And in the winter, either drain it, or keep it running. Next winter we’ll enjoy that snowy dip 🙂

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The Political Perils of Photoshop

Politics, Technology
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Memo to political consultants: be careful how you use Photoshop. Back in 1996, Senator John Warner’s campaign got caught moving their opponents head onto another body, and last year George Bush’s web site had a photo of him talking to an audience of cloned soldiers.

They both won their races, so a Photoshop scandal may be more a cause for brief embarrassment rather than lasting damage. But do you think that just days before the Republican primary in his campaign to become Governor of New Jersey that Bret Shundler would prefer not having to explain why the audience in this photo from his web site is so strangle reminiscent of this photo from a Howard Dean rally that took place in Virginia last summer?

In the world of fashion models, we accept or ignore the fact that the beauty we see on magazine covers isn’t necessarily reality as captured on film. So why should we expect more from a politician? Because fashion photos are selling fantasy, a visual ideal that doesn’t quite exist in real life. But from politicians, we cling to some hope that we can expect honesty, reality.

Joseph Stalin was an early proponent of re-touching photos to suit his needs. In Shundler’s case a “junior staffer” is wearing the blame for borrowing a Democratic crowd for his Republican client. And maybe that’s how it happened. Digital cameras and Photoshop have made such manipulations much easier, and so more tempting an option when the real photo isn’t quite what you’re looking for.

My own kids have grown up as photo skeptics, certain that they can’t always trust what you see in photos. I can’t imagine why.

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for further reading:

NJ-Gov: Schundler’s big F-up
Daily Kos

GOP candidate’s Web site used doctored Dean photo
AP

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Neighbors from WAY Back

Genealogy

annagh_1840_sm.jpgTwo weeks ago I received the sort of email that can make any genealogist’s day. It read:

Hello – In researching my Guinane family, I came across your Casey information. My gr-gr-grandfather’s brother Thomas Guinane married Bridget O’Casey in Annagh, Murroe Parish on Feb. 21, 1846. Patrick Casey & William Casey are sponsors of 2 of their children. Does any of this match your info?
Nancy Peregrine on the Lost Coast of CA

There was so much familiar here, I knew there had to be a connection. Patrick & William are the names of the older brothers of my Great Great Grandfather Michael Casey, and all of them were born in Annagh, Murroe Parish, Limerick Ireland. Also, the name Guinane rang a bell to me. Looking up the information I had obtained two years ago from Limerick Ancestry, I found that William Casey had been sponsored by Thomas Guinane in 1847, and Patrick had been sponsored by Bridget Guinane in 1848.

Nancy and I have been swapping emails and letters, sharing information in our common hunt for ancestors in Annagh. Probably the most interesting new information for me came from a map Nancy had that showed the numbered lots of Annagh, as they corresponded to the lots that Griffith’s Valuation shows our ancestors to have lived on. By matching those numbers to my own map of Annagh, I produced the map displayed here, which shows where Michael Casey and Timothy Guinane lived.

Nancy has shared other helpful ideas with me that have open new routes to search. One clever idea was to search for Casey’s living in Murroe today by searching Eircom’s Online Phone directory (I heard back today from Murroe’s only listed Casey, no obvious family connection, but it’s always good to hear from a fellow Casey), and to try the Tipperary Family History Research Center for research assistance, since they have access to the church records of the Archdiocese of Cashel & Emily, which included the Parish of Murroe.

One of the nicest aspects of genealogy as a hobby is the shared enthusiasm of fellow family hunters, and typical eagerness to share information, both to help another, but also in hopes of learning something useful for your own research. I hope that some of the info I provided to Nancy was helpful to her, and I’ll look forward to sharing our future discoveries with each other. Although we live on opposite sides of the country, we share a common history leading back to a time when our families were neighbors, friends, and family to each other.

And if by chance, you have found this page as Nancy found me, by Googling our shared hometown of Annagh, or the surname she’s hunting, Guinane, I’m sure she’s love to hear from you, so feel free to write her at nancyperegrine@yahoo.com, I’m sure she’ll be as glad to hear from you as I was to hear from her.

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Star Wars

Movies

Star Wars Poster“I am your father”
— Darth Vader

I took the family to see Star Wars: Episode III – The Revenge of the Sith yesterday. It was great! Consider the challenge of making a movie for which anyone who knows anything about Star Wars already knows how this one will end; Anakin will turn to the Dark Side and become Darth Vader, and his newborn twins, Luke and Leia, will be sent into hiding for their protection. No spoilers there. But even with such pre-knowledge, many other questions are answered, particularly ‘How did Darth and the Emperor each get so messed up?’.

I was twelve years old in 1977, and I remember waiting in a long line at the movie theater with my family to see the original Star Wars. I even had a Star Wars poster in my room. So it was a bit of a trip yesterday, to find myself with my own family (including my 12-year old son), going to see the sixth installment of this series. No ticket lines this time, we bought ours in advance on the Internet.

for further reading:

Star Wars
Wikipedia

Star Wars Through the Years
NPR

Revenge of the Sith Insiders Guide
The Washington Post

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Families of County Limerick Ireland

Books, Genealogy

Recently while stumbling around Amazon.com, I happened onto a book I knew I had to buy, Families of County Limerick Ireland, Volume 5 of the Book of Irish Families, great & small. The title page describes the book as containing “Over One Thousand Entries From the Archives of the Irish Genealogical Foundation“.

The entry for O Casey (also Casey, MacCasey, O’Cahassy, Kasey, Casie & Cassy) runs four paragraphs, longer than many of the entries, and includes such spicy tidbits as, “Given as a principal family of the kingdom of Thomand, in Limerick”, and “…given as chiefs of Rathconan, in the barony of Pubblebrien”, and “… given as tituladoes in Clanwilliam barony in Limerick”.

I’m really looking forward to visiting Limerick someday, it sounds like a great place to be a Casey.

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