Two Redheads

[Kiwi cop]

Sunday was mothers day. My mum passed away in January 2019. She was so proud of her Scot's heritage, especially her ties to the family clan, Clan Gunn. In fact there was no need for any discussion between my brothers and I about what she would wear to her cremation. None of us were going to seperate her from the clan tartan she was so proud of.

This mothers day I snuck into one of my country music clubs for a few hours. It is held in the local Scottish Pipe Band hall, and clan crests are all around the top of the walls. The Gunn clan crest is just to the right of where the singers perform.

Mum never got to see me sing in public. In the years I was running around locally with my little rock'n'roll band she was living six hours away, and she passed before I got into country music clubs. But this Sunday, as I settled in behind the microphone I looked over at the family crest and thought of her.

Then today it was Karen's and my 20th wedding anniversary. As many of you know, our marriage has had to experience more than the usual ups and downs of married life. But we got through those times, together.

We usually do not go out for meals (unless on holiday) but today we made an exception. It is late autumn (fall) here and the weather has started to cool off, so we went to a local restaurant for lunch instead of dinner. We spent the time before and during the meal planning our next American road trip.

It doesn't get much better than that.

 

[Old 44 Guy]

Kiwi, I lost my first wife at age 53 back in 1987. I still miss her. Enough said,

 

[yaktamer]

Saw the thread title and thought it was going to continue, "walk into a bar..."

 

[jtcarm]

Sunday was mothers day. My mum passed away in January 2019. She was so proud of her Scot's heritage, especially her ties to the family clan, Clan Gunn. In fact there was no need for any discussion between my brothers and I about what she would wear to her cremation. None of us were going to seperate her from the clan tartan she was so proud of.

This mothers day I snuck into one of my country music clubs for a few hours. It is held in the local Scottish Pipe Band hall, and clan crests are all around the top of the walls. The Gunn clan crest is just to the right of where the singers perform.

Mum never got to see me sing in public. In the years I was running around locally with my little rock'n'roll band she was living six hours away, and she passed before I got into country music clubs. But this Sunday, as I settled in behind the microphone I looked over at the family crest and thought of her.

Then today it was Karen's and my 20th wedding anniversary. As many of you know, our marriage has had to experience more than the usual ups and downs of married life. But we got through those times, together.

We usually do not go out for meals (unless on holiday) but today we made an exception. It is late autumn (fall) here and the weather has started to cool off, so we went to a local restaurant for lunch instead of dinner. We spent the time before and during the meal planning our next American road trip.

It doesn't get much better than that.

Clan Carmichael myself.

Most people of Scottish descent like to thump their chests claiming to be “Highlanders”, but, in fact, not all Scots are Highlanders.

My people are actually from the lowlands.

To make it really confusing, an area known as the “upper” lowlands

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Also of Scots heritage, but my ancestors left Scotland in the 12th Century and settled in England (Bramerton, Norfolk). No known record of clan connections, but by the 16th Century my direct ancestor received a peerage in England and our family coat of arms is recorded.

Two brothers of the family emigrated to North America in 1640 and succeeded in populating much of New York, Pennsylvania, and eventually settled in south-central Ohio (what was then known as the Northwest Territory). The original farmhouse was built in 1792, and I was born there in 1950.

In 1990 my younger son was serving with US Air Force at RAF Lakenheath (Newmarket, Suffolk) when my first granddaughter was born . I flew over and we had a good time driving to nearby Bramerton to see the 11th Century church with many of our ancestors interred in the floor and adjacent cemetery. We joked about the 350 years since the emigration and ending up only 40 miles down the road.

Never made it to Scotland, although I would love to do so. No idea where I would start searching for more of my roots.

My father finished out the end of WW2 hospitalized in New Zealand. I recall him mentioning Christschurch and reminiscing on the beauties of the country and wonderful people there.

Best regards.

 

[Doug M.]

Due to certain weaknesses, I though of several things when I saw the title, not one of which would fly in this forum.

Clan Cameron, myself. I saw a tourism article 45 or so years ago with a picture of the Laird; he could have been added to a photo of my Dad and uncles and fit right in.

 

[two-bit cowboy]

My grandmother said we are Scots-Irish. Don't know a clan connection. Some of the old names are Dymond, Porter, Greaves, and Boone.

I have a McNutt coat of arms hand-painted by some long, lost relative (my friends tell me it's a perfect fit ).

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Clan Robicheaux myself

 

[robvious]

no Scottish ancestors that we are aware of... I am just a former Ginger... along with my older brother... mom cried when he was born... no red hair from either side until we found out great aunt Rose had red hair... had been snow white my father's entire life... well at least it wasn't the milk man...

 

[oink]

Mother was a McNeil. Her mother was a McLeod. Father's side English and Irish.

 

[cp1969]

Tracked my father's side of the family back to ~1000 A.D. in Scotland and mid-1700's in Cologne, Germany on my mother's side where it ends.

 

[lihpster]

MacKinlay checking in.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

My Wife’s Clan is so Minor, most all of them here in the States are related.
The Chattin Clan.

 

[Kiwi cop]

I had forgotten about this post, so, an update.

Yesterday ws the 7th anniversary of mum's passing. One thing she had always wanted to do was visit the clan base in Scotland, somewhere north of Wick. If you google "Gunn clan castle" you will find old paintings of the castle that have now fallen into the North sea.

Last year my brother had to travel to Scotland at short notice. His wife's uncle, who lives in Aberdeen, was diagnosed with and egressive stage 4 cancer. He took some of mum's ashes and spread them where the castle used to stand, and in the clan cemetery.

He bought me back two clan badges. One sits in the front of one of my "cowboy" hats, a cheaper felt one that I wear sometimes. The other sits on a vest I have with a few other badges.

Mum was a big band fan. She payed tenor sax in bands in the 50's/early 60's, and she would turn up the radio whenever some of the old jazz players would come on (Louis Armstrong, Dizzie Gillespie etc). She also loved 60's and 70's country music.

In April i will be back in new Orleans and the first week of May I will be in Nashville. I am taking three small vials of her ashes. One I will scatter in Louis Armstrong Park, another in the Columbia River (or nearby). The third maybe into the Grand Canyon if I make the trip north from Williams.

Scattering ashes is legal in New Orleans. I have not checked Nashville's rules yet but will do so.

This is the last photo we have of Mum, taken a few months before she passed. She was 80 at the time and determined to beat the cancer that was killing her.

 

[BAM-BAM]

McNeilly from Scotland to Ireland..... to W Pa in the early 1800s.

Got a road and a park named after the location of the original homestead 4 miles south of the "Burgh"

 

[Farmer17]

Kiwi Cop I'm glad your coming back to America for another try. It sounded like your last trip here ended in a disaster and I HOPE you two have a wonderful and safe trip this next time!

 

[Kiwi cop]

Kiwi Cop I'm glad your coming back to America for another try. It sounded like your last trip here ended in a disaster and I HOPE you two have a wonderful and safe trip this next time!

Thanks Farmer, but this time I'm coming solo. Karen is just not up to travel anymore. She had a mild heart attack followed by a stroke 12 months ago, and doesn't like the idea of 14 hours in an aircraft followed by 28 days of driving and touring. Gonna be an interesting trip.

 

[Doug M.]

Hope you have someone close who can stay with her, check on her as needed, or whatever seems prudent.