I can relate to your Mayflower story, Mike. I was in Venice, Italy and spent too much time in an Irish Pub to take time to visit the Accademia where they were having a Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit. Later that year my grandmother died and when I was cleaning out her apartment I came across a book she had about "Master Painters." I was already scheduled to go back to Venice and was determined to go see Leonardo Da Vinci as soon as I got back there. After seeing everything in the Accademia I hadn't seen anything by Leonardo Da Vinci so I asked someone where it was and she told me it had been on display during April, May and June and had been put in storage for 30 years. I was there in May. I'll be 72 years old before it is on display again.

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You already have 126 pages and if I started telling you about all the places I have lived I'm pretty sure this thread would become quite lengthy. My father has always been nomadic so I lived in a half dozen different cities before I started kindergarten, but after my parents divorced I lived in the same city in Nebraska with my grandparents for about eight years. That was the longest length of time I have ever lived anywhere.

Jumping ahead a few years I joined the U.S. Army and started my own nomadic life. I was in Alabama, Texas, Germany, Texas, South Korea, Georgia, Kansas and then back to back tours in Germany. I was deployed from Germany to Bosnia twice and Kosovo once, but that doesn't even come close to explaining my final four years where I was on an inspection team that traveled all over Europe between 240 & 270 days a year.

I met my wife in Germany and after I retired we tried living in the U.S., but I had seriously underestimated my wife's ability to move so far away from her life long friends and family so we are living in Germany again.

Together we have six kids, but only the youngest three are still living at home. Thankfully, it is only the three because they keep me plenty busy while my wife works as a Breast Care Nurse (I don't think they have them in the U.S.). Basically she is an RN with special training for treating women with breast cancer.

So there are a few of the highlights...

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Hi Evelyn and friends,
As I had mentioned before, Shirley and I used to live in the city of Taunton, in Massachusetts. Taunton was my birthplace, but Shirleu was born in Cambridge. (Ihave to trip the Ivy off her at least twice a year). Taunton has quite a history. Taunton began as a Saxon Village and was called Tone Tun. The Saxon word for Tun means farm or estate. The wird Tone is Celtic and may mean Roaring River. Taunton England is the sister city for Taunton, Massachusetts. In 1639 Taunton had grown from a small village to a town. In 1864 it became a city. Although the city itself is relatively small in size, in geographical terms it is the largest city in Massachusetts. Taunton is one of the first communities where a woman was instrumental in it's founding. She was known as Squaw BettyIn the center of the city is a one acre square parcel know as The Taunton Green. On October 21, 1774 the heroic Patriots raised the Liberty&Union Flag on Taunton Green resenting the first patriotic flag to fly in the American colonies. Taunton also has buildings that were built in the 17th century that still stand today, including the historic Bristol County Superior Court House.Although we can't go back, through the technol

ogical breakthroughs we can visit when we want. Therefore, please enjoy the 2011 Taunton Christmas Parade. I beleave the population now is around 58,000 people.
GOD BLESS YOU
~Mike~

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Hi Mike,

The only thing I know about Massachusetts 'is to wear a flower in your hair', if you are going there..*lol*

You are way north where I have no been yet, the furtherest I have been in Cleveland, Ohio for a weekend back in the 1999.

Amanda

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Hi Evelyn and friends,
As I had mentioned before, Shirley and I used to live in the city of Taunton, in Massachusetts. Taunton was my birthplace, but Shirleu was born in Cambridge. (Ihave to trip the Ivy off her at least twice a year). Taunton has quite a history. Taunton began as a Saxon Village and was called Tone Tun. The Saxon word for Tun means farm or estate. The wird Tone is Celtic and may mean Roaring River. Taunton England is the sister city for Taunton, Massachusetts. In 1639 Taunton had grown from a small village to a town. In 1864 it became a city. Although the city itself is relatively small in size, in geographical terms it is the largest city in Massachusetts. Taunton is one of the first communities where a woman was instrumental in it's founding. She was known as Squaw BettyIn the center of the city is a one acre square parcel know as The Taunton Green. On October 21, 1774 the heroic Patriots raised the Liberty&Union Flag on Taunton Green resenting the first patriotic flag to fly in the American colonies. Taunton also has buildings that were built in the 17th century that still stand today, including the historic Bristol County Superior Court House.Although we can't go back, through the technol

ogical breakthroughs we can visit when we want. Therefore, please enjoy the 2011 Taunton Christmas Parade. I beleave the population now is around 58,000 people.
GOD BLESS YOU
~Mike~

Hi Amanda,
There are a lot of customs connected with Massachusetts. Over the years as people migrated from their native country to Massacusetts they brought their customs with them. Some stuck, others didn't. I haven't been able to watch the whole parade yet because my compyter is very slow, however Taunton has a large population of people from Portugal. They brought with them the custom of honoring The Virgin Mary on the date that she appeared before a group of children in the city of Fatima and was dubbed "The Lady of Fatima." Each year on the date that she appeared before the children there is a parade in the actual village that I grew up in called East Taunton. The parade culminate at the Holy Family Catholic Church where a special Mass is said in her honor is said. When the Mass is over, the parade reassembles, along with a child that has been named Queen of Lady Fatima and has carried that title all year, and marches to the Holy Ghost Hall about a mile away where festivities are in full swing. Festivities have been going on for two days prior and this is the final day of the festivities. Inside the hall, preparations are taking place to name a new Queen who will take over for the full year ahead. I believe that the nominations are that the child has to have lived up to the promises that the Virgin Mary had asked them to keep when she appeared before them. Also, as there are different nationalities that live in East Taunton I believe that the child still has to be of Portuguese descent, but I'm not sure. If there is anyone that can bring in more information on this, please let us know. Above all, it is a beautiful ceremony and all for the right reasons. I miss all that wonderful Portuguese food.
A few years back, A Boston Market Restaurant opened up in Indianapolis. I was between jobs, but because it was BOSTON Market, I felt that I should apply. I walked about eight miles and when I got there I was told that they weren't taken any more applications that day. When I explained that I had just walked eight miles to get my application and I was not about to turn away now, he changed his mind and let me in to fill out my application. The store would be opening in about a week. About a week after being hired, I noticed that there were no Boston Baked Beans on the menu. I asked why and the manager said that they don't have the beans on the menu because they dry out under the heat. I shook my head and said, "Why do you think they call them Boston Baked?" They still wouln't put them on the menu, so I often called my manager a traitor. Use the name Boston but don't ad the beans.
GOD BLESS YOU
~Mike~

Hi Evelyn and friends,