My father was born and raised in Wisconsin. I was born (but not raised!) in Wisconsin. I have a ton of cousins (30 perhaps) and many of them live in Wisconsin. So I have much to love about Wisconsin, not the least of which is those cousins.
But I also love: their cheese (but not cheese curds); their scenic drives (and that's in every corner of the state); their respect for smash-mouth football (but not necessarily their winning record against Nebraska!); and, MY family reunions ... whether it involves my dad's side of the family or my mom's side. And that's what this post is mostly about ...
But let's digress to football ... the series is 1-2. When a friend asked Rob if he remembered the final score in the 2012 Husker/Badger Championship game, he replied, "I don't know ... are they done scoring touchdowns yet?"
And back to the reunion: my mom, brother Scott and I attended the Tillema reunion this year. Some years no one from my dad's family attends ... but usually someone does. All of us (meaning all of my brothers and sisters) have not been there together since I was in high school. But permutations of us have attended: Scott is often there; Cathy is there a fair amount, too; Mark has been there some; and, Suzie is asked about each time. :) One year, my sister Diane, my sister Cathy, my brother Scott and my mom (who is not Diane's mom) attended. It was a special time for us to be there ... first time that Diane met her Tillema cousins en masse.
If the Don Tillema family representation was smaller this year, we were mighty. And we had as much fun as any dozen people! The reunion was in Madison ... well, Monona specifically ... in a lovely park with an even lovelier name: Winnequah. My cousins had gone to MUCH work to make sure that everyone who could attend did. And it was so well-organized ... gosh but I love well-organized!!
About 10 years ago, my aunt Ruth thought that the 100th descendant of my grandparents ... George and Lucy Cairns Tillema ... was about to be born. So I figure we must be at 125 by now! Not all 125 of them were there ... some have been gone many years now. But enough were there to make it a great day. And we even met a few of the newest generation ... the great-great grandchildren of my grandparents. I hope to bring my grandchildren some day. It's important to know about family roots.
For example, my great-grandfather John Cairns came to Wisconsin from Scotland in 1849. If you know your Wisconsin history (really ... you don't?), you would also know that another famous Scots came to Wisconsin in that year. His name was John Muir ... also known as the father of our national parks. The two Johns were childhood friends ... and MY childhood was filled with stories about John Muir. I knew more about Hetch Hetchy and Yosemite at age 7 than ... well, probably than you know now. (But I will include some links so you, too, can understand what it must have meant to know John Muir!) I also knew that John Muir had only been bested in a spelldown once ... by Catherine (Katie) Muir ... my great-great-great aunt, who later married John Muir's brother David.
Growing up, my dad and his family were beyond poor ... but wow, did they understand that family history ... even its tangential history ... was precious beyond rubies! My dad passed that love of knowing about one's roots to his kids. And so I love the continuity of family reunions ... where different members of the family sparkle and shine ... where pictures of days gone-by are shared and then stories told ... and where hugs, kisses, and love permeate the afternoon and provide us with memories .... until another July draws near and we are enticed "home" again.
PS ... Pictures will follow. :) Read about Hetch Hetchy with John Muir's own words
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