As most of you know I made a quick trip back to New Hampshire last week. Now I had not planned this trip and never in a million years would I have thought that this would happen, but it did. Here is the story from the top:
On Sunday the 13th the day after Jared and Willie's wedding Paul and I were sleeping away in our motel room in Utah when I got a call at 6 a.m. Of course I didn't wake up fast enough to catch it but they left a message so I climbed out of bed wondering who would be calling at that hour!! Well, listening to the message at first I thought it was a telemarketer and almost Hung Up!! Then I heard her say that she was calling for my dad and I started listening!! My dad with my brother had been visiting his granddaughter in Oklahoma when he heard of his sister Dot's death and he had flown from there back to NH for the service.
Come to find out my dad had just been taken to the ER with a heart attack!!
Yes, I was awake now, thank you very much!!
He tells the story this way.
When he woke up he had a little breakfast and started reading the newspaper but didn't feel well so went and laid down on the couch in the sunroom. After awhile not knowing what was happening he decided he had to call 911.
He was at his sister's home and she was still upstairs taking her shower and knew nothing about this! There was no way for him to let her know about not feeling well as he couldn't seem to get off the couch!! Luckily he has his cell phone in his pocket and he could dial 911. I think the cell phone paid for itself in that one call! Also lucky was the fact that he had gone outside to pick up the paper and unlocked the door.
When the ambulance got there one of the neighbors came over thinking it was Bev that was having problems and found my dad in the ambulance and Bev no where to be seen. He went upstairs and knocked on the bathroom door where Bev was taking her shower! She was surprised to:
1. See her neighbor at her bathroom door.
2. Find out that her brother was in the ambulance in the street!!!
I'm surprised that they didn't need a second ambulance at that point!!
When he got to the hospital the doctor said, "You know you are having a heart attack don't you?" My dad was very surprised at this as he wasn't in that much pain and always thought there would be lots of pain with a heart attack and you would know that you were having it and he didn't know it.
Anyway, to make a long story short, (oh too late for that!!) They took him into surgery and put one stent into a very blocked artery. They kept him in the hospital from Sunday to Wednesday morning and then sent him home to Bev's house. He is doing great now. You would never know that he had just had a heart attack. He isn't driving or lifting anything over 10 pounds right now until we can get to the doctor's appointment here in town but other than those two things he is back to normal!!
After I talked to the doctor and found out how well he was doing I waited until I came back to California on Monday and then I made plans and flew out on Thursday morning so I could fly home with him. He was very lucky and I'm so glad that he went ahead and called 911 when he did. He might have been able to wait for a few hours but I for one am very, very happy that he didn't wait and take a chance!!! I had never thought of him having a heart attack, guess that was short sighted on my part but it never crossed my mind!! One more story that he will be able to tell!!
On Sunday the 13th the day after Jared and Willie's wedding Paul and I were sleeping away in our motel room in Utah when I got a call at 6 a.m. Of course I didn't wake up fast enough to catch it but they left a message so I climbed out of bed wondering who would be calling at that hour!! Well, listening to the message at first I thought it was a telemarketer and almost Hung Up!! Then I heard her say that she was calling for my dad and I started listening!! My dad with my brother had been visiting his granddaughter in Oklahoma when he heard of his sister Dot's death and he had flown from there back to NH for the service.
Come to find out my dad had just been taken to the ER with a heart attack!!
Yes, I was awake now, thank you very much!!
He tells the story this way.
When he woke up he had a little breakfast and started reading the newspaper but didn't feel well so went and laid down on the couch in the sunroom. After awhile not knowing what was happening he decided he had to call 911.
He was at his sister's home and she was still upstairs taking her shower and knew nothing about this! There was no way for him to let her know about not feeling well as he couldn't seem to get off the couch!! Luckily he has his cell phone in his pocket and he could dial 911. I think the cell phone paid for itself in that one call! Also lucky was the fact that he had gone outside to pick up the paper and unlocked the door.
When the ambulance got there one of the neighbors came over thinking it was Bev that was having problems and found my dad in the ambulance and Bev no where to be seen. He went upstairs and knocked on the bathroom door where Bev was taking her shower! She was surprised to:
1. See her neighbor at her bathroom door.
2. Find out that her brother was in the ambulance in the street!!!
I'm surprised that they didn't need a second ambulance at that point!!
When he got to the hospital the doctor said, "You know you are having a heart attack don't you?" My dad was very surprised at this as he wasn't in that much pain and always thought there would be lots of pain with a heart attack and you would know that you were having it and he didn't know it.
Anyway, to make a long story short, (oh too late for that!!) They took him into surgery and put one stent into a very blocked artery. They kept him in the hospital from Sunday to Wednesday morning and then sent him home to Bev's house. He is doing great now. You would never know that he had just had a heart attack. He isn't driving or lifting anything over 10 pounds right now until we can get to the doctor's appointment here in town but other than those two things he is back to normal!!
After I talked to the doctor and found out how well he was doing I waited until I came back to California on Monday and then I made plans and flew out on Thursday morning so I could fly home with him. He was very lucky and I'm so glad that he went ahead and called 911 when he did. He might have been able to wait for a few hours but I for one am very, very happy that he didn't wait and take a chance!!! I had never thought of him having a heart attack, guess that was short sighted on my part but it never crossed my mind!! One more story that he will be able to tell!!
The next part of this blog is all about all things we did for the 5 days I was in New Hampshire.
As I said you would never know that he had had a heart attack as we kept busy everyday I was there!! I had not been back "home" since 1983 so I had some catching up to do!!
First on the list was to go over to Dot's home and see two of my cousins there. It was hard knowing both Dot and Dick are gone but it was good seeing Debbie and Cindy. Cindy was out from California and Debbie has been living at the house for quite some time now taking care of her mom.
As I said you would never know that he had had a heart attack as we kept busy everyday I was there!! I had not been back "home" since 1983 so I had some catching up to do!!
First on the list was to go over to Dot's home and see two of my cousins there. It was hard knowing both Dot and Dick are gone but it was good seeing Debbie and Cindy. Cindy was out from California and Debbie has been living at the house for quite some time now taking care of her mom.
Here you can see how well my dad looks!!! Dad, Cindy, Debbie and Beverly.
I can see I have these pictures out of order, oh well. This is Bev's wonderful home where we stayed for the 5 days I was there. She is a wonderful hostess even if she worries that she doesn't do enough. She has stopped cooking so feels bad about not cooking dinner for us. I try and tell her it is okay as everyone knows that I stopped cooking several years ago!! I really enjoyed the time I had to talk to her. In the driveway you can see my rental car that we spent lots and lots of time in traveling around all the hot spots in NH and Maine!!
Just to prove I was there in New Hampshire here is one with me in it!!
On the next day we went north to see another of my cousins in Salisbury, N.H. On the way we stopped at the Veteran's Cemetery in Boscawen, N. H. My mom is buried there along with several of my aunts and uncles. Here you can see my mom's headstone.
Over the past 30 years I have heard lots about Ellen and Joe's second home. I had seen it when I was back there in 83 but that was soon after they bought it and they hadn't done much on it. It is a very old farm house and barn. I know she told me how many acres they have but I don't remember. I'm getting mixed up with what everyone told us. I have no idea who said what!!
This picture is looking from the back of the barn to the house in front. I didn't get lots of pictures I should have when I was out there and one was the front of this house! They have done a lot of work on the house since the bought it 30 years ago. As Ellen will tell you they have lots more to do! It has a nice "old house" feel to it. One of my other cousins Bob lives just up the street and he stopped by Ellen's to see us. We didn't get to go up to his house this year as the weather was getting bad and the time was getting late. He and his wife Leslie stopped by Bev's on Tuesday for a nice visit. I didn't get pictures of them or Ellen. Where was my mind? It was raining some of the time we were up there so I will use that as a excuse. Works for me......
Here is one of the cows. Think it isn't theirs, it just stays in their barn. They have several more in the fields and one little calf and one sheep. Ellen also has a large veggie garden and she keeps lots of bees for the honey. Needless to say they stay busy!!
Everywhere we went there were lots of annuals in pots and planting beds that looked beautiful. Here is one that Ellen had by the barn. It is so different than here as they get so much rain that things don't need the watering that we have to give them.
On Saturday we drove over to Maine, just across the NH border to see Bev's daughter. It was just about an hour away from Manchester right by the ocean. They have a beautiful home there on a river that opens out to the ocean.
I have to admit that I liked this area the best of any I saw while I was back there. I know the reason was that there was more open land instead of all the woods that is normal around there. It looked more like the grasslands that I love even if some of it really was marsh area.
Karen and Bill have pick your own blueberries on their land. Here is a picture of some of the field. He keeps it so well groomed and trimmed! I don't know if I remember seeing Blueberry bushes before. I know we must have gone picking before we left NH in 1960 but I don't remember them at all. It wasn't what I thought it would look like. I think I was thinking about blackberry vines and not the bushes that were there.
Blueberries
We went out to lunch in Portsmouth, N.H. That was a town I wouldn't mind going back to and spending a couple of days walking around. Lots of history and fun looking shops to check out. When we got back to the house we got to take a short boat ride on their boat. It was fun. They were saying that their water is tidal so when the tide goes out it is all mud!! You have to plan your trips around the high tide otherwise you are walking in knee deep mud!! I'm glad we were there before low tide!! I would hate to walk in that and have to push the boat home!!
When we left Dad said that was a visit we wouldn't forget in quite awhile. It was a wonderful day.
Bill, Karen, Beverly and Winton
Sister and Brother
On Sunday we went to the church that my grandparents went to. I remember it when we used to come into to town and visit them. They were talking about vacation bible school and I was thinking about when I went there for VBS many, many, many years ago.
Just to prove I was there in New Hampshire here is one with me in it!!
On the next day we went north to see another of my cousins in Salisbury, N.H. On the way we stopped at the Veteran's Cemetery in Boscawen, N. H. My mom is buried there along with several of my aunts and uncles. Here you can see my mom's headstone.
Over the past 30 years I have heard lots about Ellen and Joe's second home. I had seen it when I was back there in 83 but that was soon after they bought it and they hadn't done much on it. It is a very old farm house and barn. I know she told me how many acres they have but I don't remember. I'm getting mixed up with what everyone told us. I have no idea who said what!!This picture is looking from the back of the barn to the house in front. I didn't get lots of pictures I should have when I was out there and one was the front of this house! They have done a lot of work on the house since the bought it 30 years ago. As Ellen will tell you they have lots more to do! It has a nice "old house" feel to it. One of my other cousins Bob lives just up the street and he stopped by Ellen's to see us. We didn't get to go up to his house this year as the weather was getting bad and the time was getting late. He and his wife Leslie stopped by Bev's on Tuesday for a nice visit. I didn't get pictures of them or Ellen. Where was my mind? It was raining some of the time we were up there so I will use that as a excuse. Works for me......
Here is one of the cows. Think it isn't theirs, it just stays in their barn. They have several more in the fields and one little calf and one sheep. Ellen also has a large veggie garden and she keeps lots of bees for the honey. Needless to say they stay busy!!
Everywhere we went there were lots of annuals in pots and planting beds that looked beautiful. Here is one that Ellen had by the barn. It is so different than here as they get so much rain that things don't need the watering that we have to give them.
On Saturday we drove over to Maine, just across the NH border to see Bev's daughter. It was just about an hour away from Manchester right by the ocean. They have a beautiful home there on a river that opens out to the ocean.
I have to admit that I liked this area the best of any I saw while I was back there. I know the reason was that there was more open land instead of all the woods that is normal around there. It looked more like the grasslands that I love even if some of it really was marsh area.
Karen and Bill have pick your own blueberries on their land. Here is a picture of some of the field. He keeps it so well groomed and trimmed! I don't know if I remember seeing Blueberry bushes before. I know we must have gone picking before we left NH in 1960 but I don't remember them at all. It wasn't what I thought it would look like. I think I was thinking about blackberry vines and not the bushes that were there.
Blueberries
We went out to lunch in Portsmouth, N.H. That was a town I wouldn't mind going back to and spending a couple of days walking around. Lots of history and fun looking shops to check out. When we got back to the house we got to take a short boat ride on their boat. It was fun. They were saying that their water is tidal so when the tide goes out it is all mud!! You have to plan your trips around the high tide otherwise you are walking in knee deep mud!! I'm glad we were there before low tide!! I would hate to walk in that and have to push the boat home!!When we left Dad said that was a visit we wouldn't forget in quite awhile. It was a wonderful day.
Bill, Karen, Beverly and Winton
Sister and Brother
On Sunday we went to the church that my grandparents went to. I remember it when we used to come into to town and visit them. They were talking about vacation bible school and I was thinking about when I went there for VBS many, many, many years ago. Here is the front of the church.
Inside with the stainglass windows.
The kitchen that I remember my grandmother and aunts fixing church suppers in.
My dad and a school mate of his!! They went to high school together. They just had their 70th high school reunion this summer. Dad didn't get to go but Ed did so he was telling my dad all about it.
After church we did a lot of driving around to all the old homes where my parents lived while growing up and after they were married. I'll only put a couple up here. This one is the parsonage across the street from the church where Mom and Dad were married in 1939.
The highlight of the day and maybe the trip was when we stopped at the house on Clay Street where my dad was born. Yes, he was born in the house and not in the hospital. When we pulled up to the house the owner was outside watering his pots of veggies. We got out and I asked if I could take a picture of the house as it was where my dad was born. He was very gracious and let us look all over and even took us into the house!!! What fun was that. He has changed several things in the house but it had the same feel as when we used to go there. I knew it was small but wow, it is really small!! Here is a picture of Bev and Dad with the owner Tom on the new porch he put on the house.
Goffstown. This is one of the views I remember from when I lived in Goffstown. I used to stop by here on the way home from school. Always liked to be here, don't know why, just looked nice to me for some reason.
We went out to where I lived when I was growing up. In the early 50's my dad had a pond dug out on our land down the street from the house. We spent many, many hours swimming there in the summer and ice skating in the winter. We had heard that there was a house on the land now and I went down the dirt road to it. They had big no tresspassing signs on the trees going in and even had a traffic cone blocking the way but I went in anyway. As you can tell I really wanted to see the pond!! When we got down there the owners were standing out at their cars talking to someone so we stopped. I asked if we could take a picture of the pond as my dad had build it. Of course they were more than happy to show it to us and we ended up talking to them quite awhile.
As you can tell it isn't really a "swimming" hole anymore. It has layers and layers of leaves and muck in it. They would love to dig it out again but because it is part of the river watershed they aren't able to touch it. It really is nice the way it is. The lady has a little canoe that she takes out and she helps her grandkids catch turtles and frogs and stuff like that. It sounded wonderful!!
Inside with the stainglass windows.
The kitchen that I remember my grandmother and aunts fixing church suppers in. My dad and a school mate of his!! They went to high school together. They just had their 70th high school reunion this summer. Dad didn't get to go but Ed did so he was telling my dad all about it.
After church we did a lot of driving around to all the old homes where my parents lived while growing up and after they were married. I'll only put a couple up here. This one is the parsonage across the street from the church where Mom and Dad were married in 1939.
The highlight of the day and maybe the trip was when we stopped at the house on Clay Street where my dad was born. Yes, he was born in the house and not in the hospital. When we pulled up to the house the owner was outside watering his pots of veggies. We got out and I asked if I could take a picture of the house as it was where my dad was born. He was very gracious and let us look all over and even took us into the house!!! What fun was that. He has changed several things in the house but it had the same feel as when we used to go there. I knew it was small but wow, it is really small!! Here is a picture of Bev and Dad with the owner Tom on the new porch he put on the house.
Goffstown. This is one of the views I remember from when I lived in Goffstown. I used to stop by here on the way home from school. Always liked to be here, don't know why, just looked nice to me for some reason.
We went out to where I lived when I was growing up. In the early 50's my dad had a pond dug out on our land down the street from the house. We spent many, many hours swimming there in the summer and ice skating in the winter. We had heard that there was a house on the land now and I went down the dirt road to it. They had big no tresspassing signs on the trees going in and even had a traffic cone blocking the way but I went in anyway. As you can tell I really wanted to see the pond!! When we got down there the owners were standing out at their cars talking to someone so we stopped. I asked if we could take a picture of the pond as my dad had build it. Of course they were more than happy to show it to us and we ended up talking to them quite awhile.
As you can tell it isn't really a "swimming" hole anymore. It has layers and layers of leaves and muck in it. They would love to dig it out again but because it is part of the river watershed they aren't able to touch it. It really is nice the way it is. The lady has a little canoe that she takes out and she helps her grandkids catch turtles and frogs and stuff like that. It sounded wonderful!! One of the funniest things to happen on the trip happened while we were talking to them. Dad told them he had just had had a heart attack and the husband stopped and looked at my dad and then looked at Bev and asked her if she lived in Manchester. When she said yes he asked if she lived across the street from Dave. Turns out he had just been talking to her neighbor, remember the one that went up to the bathroom to tell her dad was in the ambulance? Yep, that's who he was talking to and the guy had just told him all about the man who was visiting from California who had a heart attack....... !! It is a very small world!!
Just down the street from the pond is the house I grew up in. My dad built it while I was little. Well, I guess he was still working on it ,redoing this and that when we sold it in 1960!! I wish I could say we had as good luck with this house as we did at Clay Street but we didn't get to go inside of it. We just drove by. It is out in the middle of the woods even now that there are many more house then there were when we were there. It is light years away from where I live now that is for sure!!
I guess on both sides of the house there is protected land. I couldn't find much information on this forest. Looks like it is a private group that owns a lot of forest in N.H. I couldn't find any information on this one other than they bought it in 2001.
Everywhere there were plants, and trees!! I'm so used to the desert look it was hard adjust to having the forests everywhere!! You go a half mile away from town and you are in the middle of forests.!! I can see why so many people love it. For me I'll take the open land any day!! A place for everyone as they say.
Townhall in Goffstown. I spent many, many hours there. Ballet lessons were there, Brownies were there. There was some other kind of kids group that I used to go to that was there also. I have no idea what it was now. It was raining fairly hard when I took this picture.
Just down the street from the pond is the house I grew up in. My dad built it while I was little. Well, I guess he was still working on it ,redoing this and that when we sold it in 1960!! I wish I could say we had as good luck with this house as we did at Clay Street but we didn't get to go inside of it. We just drove by. It is out in the middle of the woods even now that there are many more house then there were when we were there. It is light years away from where I live now that is for sure!!
I guess on both sides of the house there is protected land. I couldn't find much information on this forest. Looks like it is a private group that owns a lot of forest in N.H. I couldn't find any information on this one other than they bought it in 2001.
Everywhere there were plants, and trees!! I'm so used to the desert look it was hard adjust to having the forests everywhere!! You go a half mile away from town and you are in the middle of forests.!! I can see why so many people love it. For me I'll take the open land any day!! A place for everyone as they say.
Townhall in Goffstown. I spent many, many hours there. Ballet lessons were there, Brownies were there. There was some other kind of kids group that I used to go to that was there also. I have no idea what it was now. It was raining fairly hard when I took this picture.We went other places and saw other homes but I think that is enough for now. It gives you a feel for what we did while we were there. When we went to see the doctor on Tuesday he asked my dad if he had been able to get around since he got out of the hospital. I honestly said that he had worn me out with all the running around he was able to do!!!
For a visit that wasn't planned and under less than perfect conditions it was a fun visit. We didn't get to see everyone I would have liked to but we saw a lot and had a great time doing it. It was fun spending time with my Dad and Bev.
To everyone I didn't get to see, I'm sorry to have missed you. For all those that I did see it was great. To all those that opened your homes to me Thank you!!
