Sunday

I got up early as usual to go explore the lighthouse in Scituate Harbor.


I crawled around the huge rocks that made up the embankment and jetty. I probably have some good pictures. A family of 5 was there taking pictures, so I volunteered to take their photo if they would do mine. The woman who lives in the caretakers house was watering plants in her little yard. On the way back, I passed the studio of Marj Bates, Glass Beadmaker--Jewelry + functional art---545-8290---#28 on the road back from Situate Harbor.

I returned to the room to prepare for lobster and my own family photos. After a cleanup, I chose the nice black skirt with flower print, white top, and black jacket to wear to the clambake.
I had a very close call in the car on the way out of Scituate. Three cars were involved and a lot of squealing brakes. No one was hit.
I believed the clambake was to be at the Plymouth Mobile Estates like Saturday's dinner was. However, I was the only one there at 11:15. so I made a mad dash back to Norwell. First I called Laura and Daddy on the phone for our scheduled morning connection to let them know that I was zipping back to Norwell and wouldn't call again until the clambake was over. I did not know that at that time, Ruth was reading my letter to the Kindred with my family details, my number, my whole lineage, etc.

During two days of talking, I was getting to know Jan , from San Francisco, pretty well. She and her sister, Wynne, from Michigan can trace their line back now that they have gone to the Mayflower Library and know how to use Vol. 3 1956 Stetson. We may also be related through Stephen Hopkins. The Mayflower librarian thinks her Hopkins is not Stephen. She told Jan that Shakespeare's "The Tempest" was based on Hopkins voyage, shipwrecked in the Bahamas. The captain started ordering everyone around. Hopkins told him it was not a mutiny and that the captain had no power to tell anyone what to do. He is not captain of the ship because there is no ship. So everyone went off and did what they wanted. I don't know "The Tempest", but this shipwreck story was the basis for it, officially. Shakespeare knew the story of this voyage because it became widely known at this time.

Jan had a similar experience with PT because she could not raise her arms after an accident. Five months of physical therapy saved her. Arm exercises like Mummy did after her breast surgery. She also did PT for repair of a jaw problem after unsuccessful surgery, and it worked.


Joan from New Jersey is also closely related.

I got to talk to LaVerne and his wife from Nebraska again. He is on the board, the only one not from Massachusetts. They had great embroidered Stetson shirts and hats that they designed with little grayish hats on them. Very cute. He was also in charge of the website development.

There is some indication that James (in the black hat), who put together the photos he took of the graveyard tour, will be able to post content on the site. He used an Intel USB camera that holds at least 133 photos. It cost him about $140, and he says it should be down around $100 now. He had an excellent program for displaying photos in a slideshow.




I had a wonderful lobster and some help from a cousin in how to do the job of attacking it. I had forgotten. BBQ chicken was also on my menu. It, too, was superior. I purchased a fresh copy of Vol. 3, a mug, a t-shirt, a decal and embroidered patch. I was still eating when the annual meeting started. Ruth did a good job of running it, no needless slowdowns.

The photo here was taken from inside the pavilion looking across some Stetson land to the North River in the distance.

It was during the meeting that I spotted my letter posted on the bulletin board. Anne told me that Ruth had used it as an example of how motivated people are to join. She pointed out the research and how impressed they were that I already knew my number and how the systen was constructed. They had posted the letter on the board so all the members could read it. I had to admit that my mother had done this research many years ago when she was interested in the Kindred. I had learned the system from her.

Anne, the scholarship woman is terrific. We talked after the meeting. She wanted to understand how my interest developed. I said that after the passing of my grandmother in 1961 and my mother in 1988 no one was there any more to mention Stetson people. No memories or stories or family traits. I kept thinking, "Where are the Stetsons?" KT and Marye had been very interested in the Stetson relatives.

As the day was ending, I tried to make sure that I had talked to as many people as possible. I took photos of the hat display and the hat boxes that someone arranged on the pavillion steps. They also had a display from Stetson Shoe Company and Stetson China. It was between 3:00 and 4:00 as we were drifting off. Jan went with someone to see the foundation or boundry marker for the property. I was going to go, too, but was not quite done with the people still cleaning up. I attempted to find the expedition to the property marker but ended up at Stetson Meadow instead. The map shown above is from that location.

Matt, the 10 year old who cut the grass, donated his baby white pine tree to me at the encouragement of his father. This family lives practically next door and walked to the reunion.

After leaving the reunion, I realized that the best use of my time until Monday would be in resting. I stopped at the convenience store in Norwell for a cold drink and drove back to Scituate with it. Norwell is truly tiny. I was close to the main intersection near River Rd across from the post office and possibly the fire dept. The houses in the area are each set on a couple acres of land complete with very tall trees. They often use natural round stones for fence building. I saw only two kids in town . But others were on the North River in boats or fishing from the river's edge. A very relaxed community.

At the Inn, I asked about eating places in town so that I would not have to drive again that night. I wandered down to Front St. to the Quarterdeck for postcards. I had dinner at Chester's at Mill Wharf around 6:00. Grilled chicken Caesar was something light to eat after a large clambake. Quarterdeck is the first building on the right. Chester's is the much larger building in the distance.

There was live music on the deck that was much better than what was playing earlier when I was walking near the piers watching the ducks flying and beginning to relax. I packed the car so that I could make a fast departure in the morning and went to bed early.




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Monday