While recovering from a long illness, I stumbled into genealogy by typing alpha-numeric codes from my deceased father's WWII Navy discharge papers into a search engine. Since then, I've found out experiences he held in silence and charted ancestry he never knew. Along the way, I've met elderly people with memories to share, contacted relatives I didn't know I had, and got back in touch with those long lost. I discovered a breathtaking place I didn't know existed and my connection to the 18th and 19th century movers and shakers who once lived on that enchanted shore and plied their trade in tall ships. The past is opening like a beautiful gift. I only wish Dad was still here to share these treasures. There is much more to learn. I hope in retirement I'll find more time to devote and my husband and I can travel to ancestral lands.

While recovering from a long illness, I stumbled into genealogy by typing alpha-numeric codes from my deceased father's WWII Navy discharge papers into a search engine. Since then, I've found out experiences he held in silence and charted ancestry he never knew. Along the way, I've met elderly people with memories to share, contacted relatives I didn't know I had, and got back in touch with those long lost. I discovered a breathtaking place I didn't know existed and my connection to the 18th and 19th century movers and shakers who once lived on that enchanted shore and plied their trade in tall ships. The past is opening like a beautiful gift. I only wish Dad was still here to share these treasures. There is much more to learn. I hope in retirement I'll find more time to devote and my husband and I can travel to ancestral lands.