The garden is producing well. The pumpkins are growing daily. The tomatoes are still green (sigh), and the weeds are giving us a run for our money!

Diane and I spent the 24th of July weekend in Durango and it was a perfect weekend. I took over 300 pictures and had a hard time deciding which few to share as a reminder of how beautiful it is there. The only thing mising in the pictures is our family.

I posted all of the reunion pictures I took this year on my online Picassa album. You can access them at the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/billgrubbs1/GrubbsReunion2008Spokane

Enjoy!

We have pumpkins starting to grow. You will see from the pictures below that the vines are growing rapidly. The pumpkin has both male and female blooms and it is the bees job to transfer pollen from the male flower to the female flower. As you can see from the pictures, the bees are doing their job because we do have pumpkins.

I seldom post to my blog without a picture, but there are exceptions. I have always been interested in my lineage. Having recently posted a picture of a Grubbs Family Reunion in 1913, I started thinking about my second great grandfather, Wilson Lumpkin Grubbs, who fought in the Civil War. As a child, I remember seeing his uniform on display in the Cyclorama, a museum in Grant Park in Atlanta, Georgia. Today I started searching for the uniform and found that it has been moved to the Atlanta History Center. I called and spoke to Gordon Jones, a historian there who was very familiar with the uniform. H said I could come by and he would show it to me, but since I live so far away, he promised to send a picture. The uniform was donated to the United Daughters of the Confederacy which is dedicated to perserving such things.

To be a member of the UDOC, you have to prove you are a direct decendant of someone who served in the Civil War. Although I don't see any reason to join, all of my girls qualify. I checked out the UDOC and found the following quote which I thought was worth sharing:

Why I Am a Daughter of the Confederacy
Written by Mary Nowlin Moon (Mrs. John)

I am a Daughter of the Confederacy because I was born a Daughter of the Confederacy. A part of my heritage was that I came into this world with the blood of a soldier in my veins...a soldier who may have had nothing more to leave behind to me and to those who come after me except in heritage...a heritage so rich in honor and glory that it far surpasses any material wealth that could be mine. But it is mine, to cherish, to nurture and to make grace, and to pass along to those yet to come. I am, therefore, a Daughter of the Confederacy because it is my birthright.

I am a Daughter of the Confederacy because I have an obligation to perform. Like the man in the Bible, I was given a talent and it is my duty to do something about it. That is why I’ve joined a group of ladies whose birthright is the same as mine...an organization which has for its purpose the continuance and furtherance of the true history of the South and the ideals of southern womanhood as embodied in its Constitution.

I am a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy because I feel it would greatly please my ancestor to know that I am a member. It would please him to know that I appreciate what he did and delight his soldier love to know that I do not consider the cause which he held so dear to be lost of forgotten. Rather, I am extremely proud of the fact that he was a part of it and was numbered among some of the greatest and bravest men which any such cause ever produced.
I am a Daughter of the Confederacy because I can no more help being a Daughter of the Confederacy than I can help being an American, and I feel that I was greatly favored by inheriting a birthright for both.

Having read several books on the Civil war recently, I have gained a greater appreciation for those who fought on both sides of that war. I do not agree with the South's point of view on slavery, but I am a decendant of many who fought for that right.

Some have pioneer heritage, we have Confederate heritage.

The 2008 Grubbs Reunion
What a gret time together!
Thanks to Debby & Jim for a wonderful time at their home.

Now isn't this cool?

My grand father is person number 11. His brother is number 20. My great grandfather Grubbs is number 108 and my great grand mother is number 107. We wouldn't have known which one was Papa Grubbs if Don Grubbs had not been visiting yesterday and identified him in the picture.

Grubbs Family Reunion
Grant Park
Atlanta, Georgia
1913

I have been facinated with pictures Mother and Dad brought to the family reunion this year. The picture below is just an example of whaat was in the box. Unfortunately, we only have names for about 20 of the 110 people in the picture. I trying to determine how to publish this picture where others who might like a copy will see it. Of the 110 people in the picture, there could easily be 100,000 descendents. It would be neat if we found someone else who has a copy and knows the names of the people. Isn't genealogy great? If I only had more time!

Cousins Campout

I got behind and am trying to catch with so many fun things going on this summer it is hard to keep the blog current. We had our annual cousins campout at the cabin while Trevor and Kathryn were visiting. We had fun - some slept in tents others slept in the cabin. We roasted marshmellows over the camp fire, rode quads, took an adventure hike through the woods. We hope everyone had a good time. It was so good to see Trevor and his girls. We hope to do it every Spring.

Grubbs Family Reunion update Tuesday, July 9, 2008

We canoed the Little Spokane River after a traditional sausage gravy and biscuit breakfast. We had 8 canoes and lots of fun for everyone. We have also had several slow stick remote planes flying at the park in the late afternoon.

Grubbs Family Reunion 2008

We started gathering Saturday to Debby & Jim's home in Spokane. As a starter, we attended a Kit Kidderich movie about a girl who lived during the depression or WWII, I can't remember for sure. While we were in the movie, someone buglarized Todd's car and stole a hand gun, IPOD, and money. Not a good start for him. We attended church and came home for a traditional roast dinner for 32 people. Jason organized some treasure hunts and kept the kids entertained with other games such as high jump (jumping over his leg). They all colored and played other games. I don't know the schedule, but I am sure I will find out as the week goes by.

Will keep you posted!

Pumpkin Journal

I have always enjoyed pumpkins as you can see from the picture of Stefanie years ago, but I have never grown any giant pumpkins. Last year a neighbor had a pumpkin vine that came over the fence and grew a huge pumpkin in our yard. You can see the results in the picture with Diane. We collected some of the seeds and have planted them in the garden as you can see in the last picture. Now will be the test to see how big of a pumpkin we can grow. There won't be any competition because no one else planted one this year, but it will be fun to see how big they will get. We have the right seeds, plenty of space, lots of water and lots of sun. What else could a pumpkin want? I will keep you posted with future Pumpkin Journal Updates!