My blog was disabled for a short time today, which worked out fine, because I had my wonderful in-laws visiting. If I did anything right in this life it was marrying into that family. My mother-in-law, Nora Leary, is the youngest 80-something on earth. So fun, so warm and so easy-going. Nora grew up on a farm in Ireland with no running water, no electricity, tons of siblings, and according to her, the happiest childhood anybody could ever imagine. She and Denis’s father worked very hard, first in London, then here in the US, to put their four kids through school and they are all wonderfully successful and now, so are her grandchildren. Who all adore her. This year Grandma Nora got a Macbook for Christmas. She’s on Facebook and my nieces and I are scheming about setting up a fan page for her. It was a great, great visit.
Before they arrived, I ran out to the store for some provision and drove across what I call my “Bridge of Sighs”. I would provide a link to a former post about the lake, but, well we’re still woeking out a few glitches with formatting, so here’s an excerpt from and old blog, for those of you who have never heard of Lillinonah:
“It’s not as beautiful as the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, but it has a lot of local lore. A body, wrapped in a blanket and chains, was found floating in Lake Lillinonah, near the bridge a few years back. Another body, that of a suicide victim, was recovered a a couple of years ago as well. A very dreadful crime happened in 1997, involving the murder of a 13 year old girl named Maryann Measles. I won’t detail here. Please don’t open the link unless you are prepared to feel very sad.
Lillinonah is a manmade lake, created by the flooding of a valley many years ago. There are supposed to be houses at the bottom. Houses, cars, bodies, who knows what all else lies beneath. The surface is sometimes algae green, sometime a sort of deep, deep blue. It’s often dotted with boats in the summer and it sparkles under the sun and captures its last rays at the end of the day.
One winter day, I drove across the bridge and the lake was frozen. All was bright white under the morning sun – the sky, the snow-covered ground, the frozen lake. Far out on the center of the lake a person was dancing. It was the most unusual thing. The person wasn’t skating, but rather, was spinning and sliding and dancing. There was just the person in the sun and a dancing shadow flitting across the ice, then whirling round and round.
A poem called The Bridge of Sighs was written by Thomas Hood in 1844, about a homeless woman who threw herself off Waterloo Bridge in London. These are the first verses. The rest of the poem can be found here.
The Bridge of Sighs
by Thomas Hood
One more Unfortunate
Weary of breath,
Rashly importunate,
Gone to her death !
Take her up tenderly,
Lift her with care;
Fashion’d so slenderly,
Young, and so fair !
Poor Maryann Measles and her family. I never drive across the bridge without thinking about her.
And then I’m across, and I feel like I’m home. And I sigh.”
Very nice note about in-laws. Have a great night!
I think these photographs are beautiful, Ann. Ethereal. You have a very good eye.
Ann, beautiful photos!
Of Ann, lovely photos…and I remember your first blog mention of that sad, sad story….I am, however, happy to hear that the lovely (I remember reading about her in your bokk!) Nora Leary is now on Facebook!I think the fan page is a great idea!
Beautiful picture, I remember your stories of this lake… very fascinating.
How wonderful to feel that way about your in laws… Go Nora with her macbook /facebook!
First I have to tell you I am looking out the window at lovely snowflakes tumbling from the sky. We have about 3″ on the ground up here in the high desert of So Cal. It is beautiful, and I can spend the whole day inside nice and warm while I look at it.
The bridge is a little scary looking to me. I wouldn’t want to drive over it. It looks pretty long. When I was little and up until my teens (sorry to say) I would hide under the dashboard or behind the front seats when I had to be driven over a bridge. I will still close my eyes, and no I don’t drive over them. Don’t know where that fear came from.
What a sad story Hood’s poem tells. I never heard of him, so I’ll have to check out some more of his poetry.
Welcome 2011! Ha! It’s already started out badly. My cousin’s mother died this morning, and my sister’s computer system in her business was hacked over the weekend.
Beautiful photos, Ann! You are very lucky in the in-law department. I have not been that fortunate (in my former marriage or my current one-two-time loser in that area!), so now when our children bring their siginificant others home, there is always a voice in the back of head telling me not to be like my in-laws!
Gorgeous photos! The first one almost doesn’t look real!
How wonderful that your “in-law” branch of the family tree is so terrific!
Glad to hear you have such nice in-laws, Ann. I was lucky and had very nice in-laws also. In fact, they were nicer than my own parents a lot of the time.
Nora sounds absolutely delightful. She must be like all of those wonderful ladies I’ve met in Ireland. Yes, Ann, you are very lucky to have in-laws that you adore.
I once dumped a guy after I met his mother. She was a living nightmare – a snobby, condescending, busy-body, freakazoid, with a phony British accent.
I’m sure Nora has some great stories about growing up in Ireland. I could listen to those stories for hours.
If she starts a fan page, she’s got one in me. Bless her little heart.
Linda, I know someone who won’t even drive over bridges, so give yourself credit for at least crossing one.
I envy you, having in-laws; my husband is an only child and his parents died suddenly within 9 months of each other just after we were engaged. Both were gone by the time we got married. I had met them both and they were warm and welcoming. But that relationship has always been missing from my marriage. I’m sure people with not so great in-laws would think I’m lucky; but I’m always sorry I never got the chance to find out. And of course, my husband is just soooo blessed–he’s had my parents, 3 brothers and a sister and their spouses. And we are a fabulous bunch !!
Sounds like you can’t help but love Grandma Nora. I loved my mother in law may she rest in peace. She loved Def Leopard – that always cracked me up.
Beautiful photos Ann and creepy stories which I love. I’m going to read the one about the Measles girl…..shortly.
Beautiful photography. Beautiful family. I hope Nora will friend me.
Great photos, Ann… and nice abd big, for the ‘ones’ who want to take it all in (on the screen).
And nice about your in-laws… and I would like to be Nora’s friend. Is she on Facebook with that name?
Thank you and Happy New 2011 to all!
Really! Nora is not so nice to her neighbors!
THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! How did I not see this until now. Hope it’s a joke (smoke coming out of ears).