Hanging Out With the Cool Kids

I'm IN! I received an email message yesterday from the people at Alltop.com.

What's the big deal? Alltop.com is a website that collects "all the top" stories about all the topics on the web, and groups them together by subject. It makes searching for websites and blogs on a particular topic really easy. The people at Alltop.com say its like a "digital magazine rack".

LOOKING4ANCESTORS is listed at http://genealogy.alltop.com/ You will have to scroll down a bit to find it but I am there. You will notice there are quite a few blogs and websites listed; many of them are part of the Genea-bloggers Group on facebook. The sites and blogs listed really are the best of the best. When it comes to family history and genealogy, these people know what they're writing and blogging about. I'm honoured to be listed with them.

I'm hanging out with the cool genealogy kids now!

Turn It Up!

Tim over at Walking the Berkshires has a meme going. He asks "What were the 10 most influential albums of your formative teen aged years?"

Wow! I think this is a great idea. I am hoping one day my kids will read this. It will give them an idea of what I liked to listen to when I was in high school. I think my list is quite eclectic. I was most definitely influenced by the '80s.

1. Billy Idol - Rebel Yell

2. Bryan Adams - Reckless

3. Supertramp - Breakfast In America

4. The Police - Synchronicity

5. Def Leppard - Pyromania

6. Foreigner - Records

7. Ratt - Invasion of Your Privacy

8. The Cars - The Cars

9. Loverboy - Get Lucky

10. Honeymoon Suite - Honeymoon Suite

As I got older and moved on to my university years, my taste in music changed. I sometimes think I was born in the wrong generation, since I didn't like the music of my generation. Instead I listened to The Beatles, Led Zepplin, Cream, The Mommas & the Poppas, Journey, Van Halen, Boston, Jethro Tull, Kansas, The Rolling Stones, and of course, Jimi Hendrix. There was still one band that was similar to the bands I listened to in high school and that was Triumph - another great Canadian rock band.

YouTube has most of the popular videos from these albums for your viewing pleasure.

It certainly brings back memories.

Kindergarten Baby

The 4th Edition of Smile For The Camera takes its word prompt from the Ace of Hearts. What photograph do you consider "My Favorite Photograph," the one that has won your heart.Choose a photograph of an ancestor, relative, yourself, or an orphan photograph that is your favorite family photo or that photograph you've collected and wouldn't give up for a King's ransom.Is it the only photograph of an ancestor, is it funny, poignant, or very rare? footnoteMaven's favorite photograph is the first one she ever collected. What's yours? Share it with us! Then get back out in the summer sun.Your submission may include as many or as few words as you feel are necessary to describe your treasured photograph. Those words may be in the form of an expressive comment, a quote, a journal entry, a poem (your own or a favorite), a scrapbook page, or a heartfelt article. The choice is yours!

I decided my entry for this edition of Smile For The Camera would be of me.

Lake, Kathy. Photograph. 1972. Digital Image. Privatley held by Kathryn Lake Hogan UE, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Windsor, Ontario. 2008.

This is my kindergarten portrait, and it is my favourite out of all the school photos I have had taken. I was very shy and bashful as a little girl. I think the photographer may have tried to tickle me in order to get me to smile. It worked; but it also made me hunch up my shoulders.
When I look at this photo, I remember many things about kindergarten such as: how I used to walk to school by myself, the day I missed counting the number 16 when I was tested by my teacher, Mrs. Wallen, wearing my pink & white poncho on chilly days, and all the friends I made that first year of school.

A Tisket, A Tasket

by looking4ancestors

The Genea-Blogger Picnic is being hosted by Bill over at West in New England.

A tisket, a tasket, a green and yellow basket... okay, it wasn't a green and yellow basket that we brought with us when we went on picnics. It was our light blue, metal, Coleman ice chest and it weighed a ton.

My mom was a big fan of picnics. I think that they are alright. Summer here in south western Ontario can get really hot and muggy - not good picnicking weather. Anyway, here is how picnics have fit into our family.

Lake, Gene, David & Kathy at Ojibway Park. Photograph. June 1970. Digital Image. Privately held by Kathryn Lake Hogan UE, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Windsor, Ontario. 2008.

Point Pelee National Park was one of our favourite spots to picnic. We would always spend the whole day there. We would wake up on a Saturday morning and my mom would say "Let's go for a picnic at the beach today." My brother and I would be excited. A flurry of activity would take place for the next hour as we would all rush around trying to get ready.
Picnic food items would often include hamburgers and hotdogs, or, egg salad sandwiches, peanut butter and jam sandwiches. Plus carrot and celery sticks, cookies, potato chips, and Freshie to drink. (Freshie was a poorer quality Canadian imitation of Kool-Aid - it was a lot cheaper in oh, so many ways!)

Once at Point Pelee we would head to West Beach. Once we found a place to park, we would then unpack the car, walk across the hot boardwalk and then the burning hot sand to find a place to set up. Once we dumped the stuff on the table, my brother and I would run like crazy across the fiery, hot sand and pebbles to the water's edge. After swimming for about an hour or so, Mom would call us back up on shore to have our picnic lunch. Nothing like eating a sandwich while you are dripping wet from Lake Erie. Mix in a little sand and add a few flies.

The day would also include a trip to the Visitor's Centre, a shuttle ride to the Point, and of course, a walk on the boardwalk at the Marsh. After a sun drenched day, we would head home, tired, sometimes sunburned, but very happy.

Some of our other favourite picnic places included Ojibway and Mic Mac parks.

As we got older and busier, we would sometimes picnic at Reaume Park/Coventry Gardens. We would grab a bucket of chicken from Kentucky Fried Chicken and my mom would decide we should eat it outside at the park. By this time I was a teenager. I hated to go on picnics. The heat. The humidity. The flies. And of my goodness, what if someone saw me?!! And so, our picnicking days started coming to an end.

Now that I have kids, we sometimes go on picnics. In fact, this Genea-bloggers picnic has inspired me. I think we will be going on a picnic to Point Pelee before the summer is over.

Visiting the Dentist

by looking4ancestors

This post was supposed to have been posted over a month ago. However, I was in need of photos for this post. To make a long story short: I now have the photos and the scanner, and am ready to go!

Miriam Robbins Midkiff's blog AnceStories2: Stories of Me for My Descendants inspires us to write about things about ourselves for our descendants. Every week she posts a different topic for us to blog about. Week #37 is all about the : THE DENTIST.

*Who was/were your childhood dentist(s)? Was he/she your family dentist?
The first dentist I can remember was Dr. McLean (I think that was his name). He had a little office on Gladstone Avenue and Tecumseh Rd. E. (north-west corner). I don't remember him ever looking at my teeth. I couldn't have been more than 3 or 4 years old at the time. However, I do remember once going with my mom when she had to have a cavity filled. My brother and I waited in the waiting room while Mom went in with the dentist. When she came out, she didn't look too well. I asked her what was wrong. She explained to us that she had her tooth fixed and the dentist didn't use anything to freeze her mouth - no novacaine. No wonder she didn't feel too well!
Our next dentist was Dr. Dennis Page. He is the dentist I remember from my childhood. His office was located in the plaza where Gordon's grocery store was on Forest Glade Drive. He was a pretty good guy.

*Did you like or dread going to the dentist? Why?
Although Dr. Page was a pretty good guy, I always dreaded going to the dentist. My brother and I usually had to go there by ourselves because my mom and dad were working. I hated that awful "dentist office - anaethestic smell" that hit you in the face as soon as you entered the dentist office, and just the general anxiousness of waiting until it was your turn. And of course, the absolute worse thing for me was the needles. I hate needles, shots, injections, blood tests, vaccines - when it comes to needles - you name it, I hate it!! So of course I would try to be brave (without my mom) and suck it up when I had to have any kind of freezing done.


*Did you ever have cavities as a kid, or were you one of those cavity-free kids?
Yep, I had cavities - this was the '70's after all. Everything was sugar coated. Do you remember "Count Chocula", "Frankenberry" and "Cap'n Crunch" breakfast cereals? We drank pop at dinner frequently. We were given money to go to the store to buy gum, candy and more pop! I have a total of eight fillings - both molars on both sides of my mouth, top and bottom.

*Did you ever need oral surgery or braces?
I had very crooked teeeth as a child. In grade six, the day before school photos were taken, I got braces. The full metal deal. I did not smile for my school photo that year. I was absolutely miserable that day. I was twelve years old. I was so self conscious adn embarrassed that I now had a mouth full of metal. I could barely close my lips over my teeth, my face was swollen and my mouth hurt - and you want me to smile?! Oh, did I mention the head gear I had to wear to bed every night?

Lake, Kathy. Photograph. March 1979. Digital Image. Privately held by Kathryn Lake Hogan UE, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Windsor, Ontario. 2008.

Of course, I eventually got used to wearing braces.

Lake, Kathy. Photograph. January 1980. Digital Image. Privately held by Kathryn Lake Hogan UE, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Windsor, Ontario. 2008.

The good news was that the braces came off the summer between grade school and high school.

The only oral surgery I had was when I was thirteen or fourteen. I had to have my wisdom teeth pulled. Because the teeth were still impacted (underneath the gums) I had to have oral surgery. My dad teased me at the time that I wouldn't be able to talk on the phone after the surgery. Well, I was pretty drugged up after the surgery with pain killers and I proved him wrong. As soon as I got home, I was on the phone. The next day was a bit rougher though- no phone that day.

*What was the worst dental exam or procedure you had done?
I think the worst thing I had done was when the orthodontist, Dr Wachna, was fitting the bands for the braces onto my teeth. As he was leaning over me with his sickening sweet coffee breath, he would tap the bands into place with a little hammer. I remember one of the bands being tapped a little too hard and it cut into my gums. I hated the orthodontist about a bazillion times worse than the dentist. He was a crabby, old man who would talk on the phone with his buddies about going golfing while he was examining your teeth. Did I mention the awful coffee breath?


*What is your favorite memory of the dentist?
I don't really have a favourite memory of the dentist. My favourite memory of the orthodontist was when I was finally free of my braces and I never had to see that man again!

Lake, Kathy. Photograph. 1982. Digital Image. Privately held by Kathryn Lake UE [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Windsor, Ontario. 2008.

*How have your adult experiences at the dentist compared with those of your childhood?
Much better.

*Do you still have the same dentist? Why or why not?
No, I don't have the same dentist. When I was a young adult, I was no longer covered under my parent's benefits. So, going to the dentist became a big expense I couldn't afford. I didn't go to the dentist for many years.
Our current family dentist is a great guy. He can give needles without pain!

*If you have children, what is/was the tooth fairy tradition for them?
We follow tradition. Our kids hide their tooth under their pillow and when they wake up in the morning, there is a loonie there for them from the tooth fairy. It was only a quarter when I was a kid.

*Have you had to have dentures or bridgework?
No.

*Describe your oral health history and relate your opinion as to the causes behind your good or poor oral health.
My dentist says I have great teeth. I seemed to have the same dental genetics as my mom's side of the family. Hard, strong teeth. However, they aren't white and bright. They are more of a yellow colour. This also comes from my mom's side of the family. My dad's side of the family has more white coloured teeth, however, their teeth are more soft and prone to cavities and other problems.

*Are there any dentists, oral surgeons, orthodontists, dental technicians or assistants in your family tree?
No.

*Are there any stories in your family history about going to the dentist and the kinds of treatments experienced in the old days?
No. Looks like I need to talk to Grandma.

All's Not Well In Hoganland

It has been a while since I last posted. We have not been well in Hoganland. The Queen (me) of Hoganland has been battling a fever since Victoria Day, and hence, was not able to delight in some Victoria Sponge after all. The King of Hoganland (hubby) has been sick with a cold this week as well. And you know what babies our kings can be when they are sick.

As for the Heirs of Hoganland, they are well and in fact are benefiting from the illness of their parents. With two sick parents, cooking is not high on the agenda. In fact one young heir was overheard to say "I'm sorry Mom and Dad are sick, but this means we get Tim's!" Yes, we have once again helped the economy of our fair city by visiting numerous times to Tim's* and Mickey D's*.

Tim's = Tim Horton's
Mickey D's = McDonald's

Do not despair, dear friend, as the King and I are slowly on the mend. Well, time for some (cough, cough) tea and tablets!