jennytales

Seventh Grade Revisited

Cousins

All the signs are there. Carolyn is changing, at times seemingly overnight. While still a silly young girl in so many ways, I start to catch glimpses of the sensible young lady she is becoming. We are fortunate to live in a community with good schools. I had the opportunity to re-experience seventh grade and walk through one day of my daughter's weekly schedule recently. From my recollections of seventh grade, the curriculum appears to be more challenging these days. Biology is the focus for science which I could have sworn I studied in tenth grade. English will read poetry and the classics with field trips to Stoneham Theatre and Mark Twain's home. Social Studies will learn about continents around the globe and a French teacher is seriously  pondering a field trip to Paris. My eyes were rolling by evening's end. She is certainly being exposed to a lot.

My seventh grade journey culminated with gym class. Apparently, the latest philosophy for gym is less focus on competition and more focus on personal best. In other words, no one gets picked last and everyone's a winner. I'm not sure that will hold up very well in the real world but I guess it helps boost middle school self esteem. Two thoughts passed my mind - whatever happened to those flash and dash gym showers of my middle school years? I guess in the past thirty years, some wisened teachers decided that gym shower torture could be foregone in favor of a little post-gym sweatyness in the classroom. And no sex education, not a hint of it. Unless of course biology counts for that. But the science teacher made no mention of  "the birds and the bees", only the bugs that kids were finding on the window seal earlier that school day and studying under the microscope. Of course there is Nature's Classroom in november when the whole seventh grade class heads for two nights of camping in the Berkshires. So driving home that evening, I realized its high time for lengthier discussions about birds, bees and boys before nature takes its course. 

Connecting to Culps

photo by Ronald Mosbaugh

I grew up playing on Culp's farm and farmlands a short stone's throw from my parents' backyard. I'm sure years ago, the farm included their backyard. Culp's Farm and its neighboring fields venture a couple miles back to a tree line, woods and the rising of Culp's Hill. While I've always had fond memories of this place, its not til this past week that I realized just how deeply connected I am to this land. I do think life at times has a way of circling back on itself if you look hard enough for the re-connections. I reconnected with a distant cousin (actually my mother's first cousin, Bev) at my grandmother's funeral in August. I knew she had done some serious study of our common geneology and asked her if she would share what she knew. I inquired specifically if she knew anymore about our connection to the Culps and if she had traced our ancestors to a specific region in Germany. She shared a great deal of information about the Culps but said she hadn't traced as far back as Germany. I did some googling off of her information and uncovered the German link.

Mathias Kolb (arrived on the Ship, the Phoenix in Philadelphia, PA on October 20, 1744 having departed from England after sailing down Rhine River to Rotterdam from an area known as Palatinate in Southwest Germany probably near hamlet of Wolfsheim in Kreis Mainz-Bingen)

his son, Christopher Kolb (americanized name to Culp) moved to Gettysburg in 1787 and purchased 239 acres of land - Culps Farm and Culps Hill

his son Mathias Culp

his daughter Sarah A. Culp Ziegler

her daughter Sallie Ziegler Rupp

her daughter (my Nanny) Helen Rupp Shaffer

her daughter (grandma) Sara Shaffer Smith

her daughter (mom) Sally Smith Crist

Me!

Special Thanks to cousin Bev Shaffer Gardiner and David A. Culp of Indiana, PA for their research efforts and shared interest in our common ancestry.

 

Mama Do Dance

photo courtesy of Waka Jawaka

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wakajawaka/

I had a very unusual Tuesday night. In honor of my sister-in-law's birthday, we ventured to a Loggins and Messina concert. I truly wasn't sure what to expect. I like Kenny Loggins and have a few of his songs on my Ipod. But I was unfamiliar with this combo and their songs. I you-tubed them the night before and realized I did know a couple of their songs that received heavy air play such as Mama Don't Dance and Danny's Song. Still, I envisioned for the most part a mellow performance of their classics and possibly a bunch of Loggins songs thrown in to fill the play list.

So with such low expectations, I was amazed by what transpired over the three hour show. Their keyboardist, a young Gabe Dixon, www.gabedixon.com, and his band opened the show. He has talent and I think is headed for great things. I liked his song "Disappear" the most in his set.

Then Loggins and Messina took the stage. Loggins is still looking good in his black leather jacket with his limber body and dark flowing locks. Messina seems a character with his cowboy hat, boots, and shared bravado of having a three year old at home at his presumable ripe age. They both still have their pipes and are exceptional guitarists. The concert would have been enjoyable enough just listening to them play and sing. But what really took it over the top for me was the addition of their six background musicians. Talk about talent layered over talent. This ensemble can really perform and collectively it seemed they played just about every instrument imaginable on stage last night. They each did extended solos throughout the show . And Loggins and Messina seemed to enjoy sharing their center stage with all that talent. Song after song, the whole group jammed and drew us into their collective sound. Two of these unknown master jammers had an extended musical duel with their saxaphones. I think overall my favorite song in the Loggins and Messina set was "Peace of Mind". It was a great show. I know its very short notice, but I wanted to get the word out to all my kin that they are playing in Shippensburg, PA tomorrow night, Sept 17th. Check it out at www.logginsandmessina.com

Trust me it will be well worth the short trek to Ship!