Genealogy is about more than names on a chart. It is also the customs, traditions and everything else that makes up a family. A major part of my husband’s family is Briny Breezes, Florida.
My husband and I are visiting his mother in Florida this week. She lives in a community in southern Florida that was established in the 1940s when vacationers brought their Winnebagos to the shore. Eventually people began staying longer and planted mobile homes here instead of using their campers. My in-laws have been vacationing here since 1986 and began spending the whole winter almost twenty years ago.
from Wikimedia Commons
Now it is a thriving resort with shuffleboard courts, a beach-side clubhouse and charming Quonset huts for various clubs to meet in. You can find a bingo game almost every night. You want to play cards instead? Gin club meets on Monday, bridge club meets on Tuesday, canasta meets on Wednesday and I’m sure you can find a poker game around here somewhere. Art club, woodworkers and more. Once upon a time a group of gentlemen met everyday to sun themselves on the beach and called themselves the Florida Raisins.
Well, now there is a club just for me. Last week a group of great folks began a genealogy club! I saw the announcement in the newsletter on Friday and I looked forward to it all weekend long. My mother in law doesn’t particularly like to join clubs so when she walked up there with me today it was nice but then when she stayed for the whole meeting, it was really special.
The topic du jour was discussing a DNA seminar two of the ladies attended last weekend. It sounds like it was a great and informative weekend for them. Everyone was so nice at our meeting and pretty much everyone interacted. I find that to be very important in a group like this. We all have something to teach and something to learn.
They brought back some interesting thoughts and discussion points, a centimorgan schematic by Blaine Bettinger (that I’ll link here) and introduced me to Diahan Southerd’s blog. There is so much information on her site. I’ve just scratched the surface of it so I’ll end this here and go learn some more from her.
I wish this new group well and I will attend as often as possible!
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