Sometimes We Get Confused with all the Ships and Stuff
Me: So, how was Civics today?
Bones: GREAT! We're learning about the Mayflower.
Me: Cool! Did you tell your teacher you're a descendant of the Mayflower? George Soule!
Bones: Uhhhh, NO. It's not like I have it on both sides...
Me: Dude, it counts. Somewhere way up the line you had a grandfather that was on that ship.
Bones: So, with all the people you know that were descendants of the Mayflower, do you know any of them related to that one guy?
Me: *blink* Umm... Bradford?
Bones: No, the famous guy. The big guy... the head of the ship...
Me:
Bones: Christopher Columbus!
Me: *blink*
Bones: Well?
Me: Wrong ship, son...
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Blame his Civics teacher for that. And when you tell him he's a Jamestowne descendant also, that won't make any sense either. And heaven forbid the Civics teacher talk about the earlier explorers who actually set foot on the North American continent.
posted by
Angus of Jura on February 7, 2012 10:16 PM
I don't know if that's really her fault, although I do think she's kind of lame. Bones is Bones. All that stuff gets swirled around in his head. And I don't think they've actually covered Christopher Columbus, believe it or not. I think they started at Mayflower. I'll have to ask. The State comes up with the curriculum...
I didn't tell him about Jamestowne yet because that's going to get lost.
BUT! He can tell you where every state is located and what the Capital is.
I'm thinking he's the only kid in his class that's a descendent of Mayflower, Jamestowne, has 13+ Patriots in the Revolutionary War, and has family that fought on both sides of the Civil War. His one teacher in 5th grade was fascinated that he had a GGGG grandfather that joined the Union troops when he heard Lincoln on the back of a train. He did a whole report on it.
posted by
Bou on February 7, 2012 10:21 PM
Wow! Incredible family history! And...I'm assuming someone holds this documentation near and dear???
posted by
PeggyK on February 8, 2012 06:26 AM
Peggy- Absolutely. And computers are a wonderful thing.
posted by
Bou on February 8, 2012 06:55 AM
One of these days I am sending you copies of my heritage so we can see if there is a connection. Not joking. We have a Mayflower descendant, had ancestors on both sides of the American Revolution, not to mention a similar Lincoln story. I tell you, there has to be a connection somewhere. :-)
posted by
Jody on February 8, 2012 08:30 AM
Knowing that Columbus founded Jamestown at Plymouth Rock is one of the most important parts of American History - right up there with the Germans bombing Pearl Harbor.
posted by
Lokki on February 8, 2012 12:40 PM
Knine's comment didn't take, and I'm going to try it here.
He suggests we be careful that Bones does not confuse Jamestowne with Jonestown, which is hysterically funny spot on.
posted by
Bou on February 8, 2012 04:18 PM
Heh- good idea. Jonestown....sheesh. I remember watching that unfold.
As for being a descendant of the Mayflower- that's really cool. I sometimes wish I had more of a connection to this country. Alas, first gen American on my mother's side, and second gen on my dad's.
posted by
Rave on February 8, 2012 08:33 PM
oh dear. Please don't let him get Jamestown and Jonestown mixed up...
posted by
caltechgirl on February 9, 2012 03:35 PM
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Swampy
I went to my first re-enactment yesterday. Odd reason as to why I was there, but it was a re-enactment of the Battle of Okeechobee, where American soldiers made an attempt to force relocation of the Seminoles and take over.
The Americans declared it a victory, but it was not. The Seminoles won.
As I milled around with my girlfriends, making our way to the battlefield, we came across an "Alligator Demonstration."
How in the world could I resist?
Is it not an unwritten rule in blogging, that if you come across an alligator, you have to take a picture and send it to Jimbo, who hates gators more than just about anything in the whole wide world?
And so with my handy dandy cell phone, I snapped a picture and promptly sent it to him for only in Okeechobee would you go to n re-enactment and have an alligator demonstration as well. It was a two-fer...
He asked me if they demonstrated it eating a person. Alas, it was not to be. But let me tell you, there were people walking all over that cage, INSIDE it, as if they belonged. I stayed OUTSIDE.
We did have the unfortunate experience of seeing it defecate. Just in case you were curious, it was the most rancid horrific smelling putrid awfulness one could imagine and I was standing 10 feet away.
My one girlfriend said to me, "Now I guess we know why swamps stink..."
Blech.
Here they are saying, "Jimbo! Come out and Play!"
Classic Tshirt in the food tent, being run by the Seminole Indian Tribe, 'Homeland Security. Fighting Terrorism since 1492".
Loved it.
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That sounds awesome... The re-enactment, not the Gators.
Re-enacting season is gearing up for me too.
Camp of instructment on the 11th and then the battle of aiken SC on the 24th.
We don't do anything as far south as you, but I am going up to MD for the 150th Sharpsburg/South Mountain/Antietam this year.
posted by
K-Nine on February 5, 2012 10:53 PM
Jimbo... the gators are calling you... LOL.
posted by
Teresa on February 6, 2012 12:23 AM
ha...Jim could put all the gator pics and jokes in a book with his commentary and probably supplement his retirement.
posted by
Jean on February 6, 2012 02:02 AM
Alligator shit: "...the most rancid horrific smelling putrid awfulness one could imagine..."
That would be reason number 4,367,986 for hating the horrible beasts.
posted by
Jim - PRS on February 6, 2012 04:01 AM
At least those gators are safe from the pythons... ;)
The reenactment sounds like fun!
posted by
pam on February 6, 2012 09:01 AM
LOVE the t-shirt. Did you get a photo of it?
If you think gator poo smells nasty, you should smell the commercial food the zoo gives them. But the gators think it's a treat.
In the gators' defense, they're a "keystone species" and help keep other species alive. During droughts, they dig holes with their tails that fill with water and become havens for lots of other swamp critters. This is similar go gopher tortoises, which dig holes later used at homes by lots of other animals.
posted by
George P on February 6, 2012 12:55 PM
George, If you google it you'll see it in the images. It's a GREAT tshirt!
posted by
Bou on February 7, 2012 08:47 PM
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Maybe I was a Flapper in a Previous Life
My son came home from school yesterday and informed me that in his AP English class, they'd written a paper on the history of a famous song and then they had to sing it. They were given, "I've Been Working on the Railroad".
I asked how it went and he said, 'Great. I was the only one who knew the words, so my partners stood behind me and snapped while I sang the rest of it..."
Me: You sing?
Ringo: Yeah.
Me: Bass?
Ringo: Yeah.
Me: You can hold a tune?
Ringo *indignantly*: YES
Me: Hunh. Who knew. How did it go?
Ringo: Peggy said that my voice was soothing and she had this urge to go to sleep.
Me: I... just didn't know you sang.
Ringo: Yeah, I sing with my friends all the time. We sing "Come Sail Away". I start it low and everyone keys off me.
Me: *blink* By Styx?
Ringo: Yeah, Bobby txt'd me today and said that during his History test he kept singing Come Sail Away in his head... to my voice. He said it was weird.
I had no clue this kid sang. NONE. And honestly, he may totally suck, but evidently he has no qualms singing in front of people. My introvert is evidently not very inhibited.
Bones informed us the other night that one of the songs they are singing in his vocal group is "I've Been Working on the Railroad". I found that coincidental and told him today when he got in the car, "You won't believe what song Ringo had to sing in his English class yesterday!"
Bones: Ummm. "Come Sail Away"?
Me: *blink*
Bones: Well?
Me: Uh no. Why did you guess that?
Bones: He was singing it in the car the other day.
Me: Can he sing?
Bones: Yup?
Me: Carry a tune?
Bones: Yup. He's a bass.
Me: Well, he was singing "I've Been Working on the Railroad", you know like you have been singing in Boys Chorus?
Bones: Hunh.
Me: He said his partners didn't know the words, so they snapped it. Who doesn't know the words to that song?
Bones: Well, Mom. Seriously. That song is from YOUR generation. I'd expect YOU would know the words.
Me:
Bones:
Me:
Bones:
Me: Dude. Not only is it NOT my generation, it's not even Big Daddy's. We're talking... 1920s.
Bones: Really? I'm so surprised. I thought for sure they made that song when you were a kid.
Holy crap.
Hear the Voices»
Well, I guess I'll use this post as motivation to get off my ass and send you copies of more music from our generation- you know, the 20s and 30s.
posted by
K-nine on February 3, 2012 12:49 AM
That was wonderful.
posted by
Curtis on February 3, 2012 05:03 AM
Ohhhh. My cheeks hurt. That is sooo funny. I think Bones is fantastic. He makes me feel better.
posted by
vwbug on February 3, 2012 05:37 AM
So Wiki dates it back at least to 1894 with roots back to 1846. Thats way older than TGOO.
posted by
The Thomas on February 3, 2012 12:42 PM
LOL!
Styx? Really? Must be because they watch south park?
posted by
wRitErsbLock on February 3, 2012 05:30 PM
When I started reading this post, I started thinking, "Bones has GOT to show up somewhere in this one"... and then he makes his grand appearance halfway through and doesn't disappoint.
posted by
diamond dave on February 3, 2012 08:55 PM
I cannot stop laughing! Your boys are delightful, always full of surprises!
Brings back memories too! We used to sing "I've been working on the railroad" on car trips down to Florida every year! This was back in the 1960's and 70's, in an old Chevy station wagon, with no air conditioning, and no seat belts. We sang "Old MacDonald", "Fernando's Hideaway", "Bingo", anything my parents could teach us - just to keep us kids occupied and keep themselves sane!
posted by
Mary on February 4, 2012 12:08 AM
They should really figure out a way to combine the two songs into a medley. I think it would work. :)
I really love your stories about your boys.
posted by
tina on February 4, 2012 09:16 PM
OMG your conversation with Bones so reminds me of when my daughter was in college. We were there for her graduation and out at a bar the night before. They started playing Margaritaville. Everyone was singing. She looked at me and said "you know this song?" I said "Well, yeah, it came out when I was in college". She was shocked... she thought it had only come out just as she went to college. LOL.
posted by
Teresa on February 6, 2012 12:29 AM
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