Gee Brief:Special Edition -Where Did You Come From?

Where Did You Come From?

As we left Portland Maine the fact that we had just come from Portland Maine was not particularly impressive to anyone. The reaction that we enjoyed seeing: the dropped jaw, eyes wide open came when we told people where we were going. "You're going to Portland, Oregon.... really?.... on that pedal bike??!!"

I'd be lying if I told you that people's reactions to the trip aren't a big part of the enjoyment of the trip itself. I've never been very good at any sport. But I do know how to bike. I've always done it because I LIKE to do it, but on trips like this, the reactions can be priceless. One young lady who was geographically asked me exactly where Portland Oregon is.  After explaining that it was three thousand miles across the country on the other side, by the other ocean her jaw dropped and  her eyes widened into that "Holy cow are you crazy?!" look. Priceless stuff.

But J and I both noticed that this reaction seemed to start going away somewhere in the Midwest. Store clerks, passers by, pretty much everyone greeted our intended destination with passing indifference. Apparently there are LOTS of cyclists that pass through the midwest on their way to points in the far West. No big deal.

The closer we get to Portland, Oregon, the more pronounced this indifference is. It now has become necessary to not only tell people where we are going, but to also let them know where we STARTED. Once that point is made, then we get the dropped jaw and the wide eyes. Don't get me wrong, the whole purpose of this trip is not for dropped jaws and wide eyes. There's lots of much easier things we could do to get that same response...but it's still kind of nice.

But after all is said and done, and we make our beginning and end points clear, the question inevitability comes up, "Ya, but where did you come from?" What they are basically asking, is where do I live. However, the question goes a bit deeper. It wants to know a little bit about YOU.

So here's where I come from. I am most strongly the product of a core family of four very close sisters pictured below. My mom is the 2nd one from the right.

Most of my fondest childhood memories come from these four ladies. My mom was of course "ma" and her sisters were my "ma-tantes". I am from French-Canadian stock, but if you called any one of them Canadian, they'd punch you in the nose. But the fact is, my mom and her sisters lived in a house in northern Maine that sat on a river that bordered Canada. They talked about "swimming" to Canada sometimes as children, and when I finally saw the location of their childhood house a few years ago, I realized that they had LITERALLY swum to Canada!

I have many other relatives, but the one's that most closely influenced who I am are in this picture.  Their husbands and their children, my uncles and cousins were my life and identity as I grew up.

Some of those cousins are still very much in my life and I am proud to count them as both my blood and my friends. 

I will be forever grateful to these four sisters and the lessons they taught me. Merci my ma and ma-tantes! I love you!