Time in the Capital

Since I had a full day free, I decided to head into the Capital. The hotel provides a free shuttle to the Metro line and from there it was a 20 minute ride into the city. 

Signs of spring were evident in the newly tended gardens, and of course in the blossoms on the trees. 

Passing historic and important buildings, I was soon standing in front of the Capital Building. So often we see politicians on the steps of the Capital Building but most don't realize just how many steps there are! 

Around the back and down the stairs I was in a security line. The lines moved quickly, efficiently getting people safely into the building. Down the stairs and into throngs of people lined up for timed tours. The staff in the hall asked where I was from and when I told him "Canada" he sent me over to a reception desk to get a pass to visit the House and Senate. Over I wandered to learn that the house was closed for another 45 minutes. No problem, I went to have a bite to eat and wandered around the statues and plaques. 

Back to the desk to learn it was to be another half hour. I decided I was going to leave when the woman behind the desk decided to take me on a mini tour. Although we saw some of the same things as those on the timed tours, I was also introduced to a great many people who worked in the Capital Building. 

Finally it was time to visit the House and Senate. However, after learning that there was going to be a minimum of 90 minutes waiting in lines, I decided I wasn't interested enough to deal with crowds and was fed up standing. 

Another walk along the National Mall to the Metro Station. While I hadn't planned to spend time in the Capital Building, it was a new experience and for me. 

In many ways, Washington is like any big city. And in so many ways, it isn't. Here are some of the things I learned about Washington:

1. It sounds just like New York. Screaming sirens and honking horns are continuous. And interestingly no one is fazed by them. 
2. In reality, getting from Point A to Point B is always a minimum of three times further/longer than it looks.
3. There are more police on Capital Hill than Brantford has in its entire fleet. 
4. Some of the most impatient drivers on the planet drive here. 
5. Regardless of the number of times you visit, there is always something new to see.

Blown Away

April is finally here and with it comes the Fairfax Genealogical Society Spring Conference. Fairfax is one of my favourties. A great group of people and a chance to get caught up with some of my genealogy peeps. This year is made all the more special because the night before the conference starts, I will be meeting up with five of my past tour participants. A mini reunion of our time in Scotland. These women have lived with me for a brief time as we have toured or researched in Scotland. They have seen me at my best. They have seen me when there have been more glitches than rewards. And they are still excited about meeting up. It's a bond few genealogists share with their consumers.

I decided to fly in a couple of days early so that I could spend a day playing tourist in the Nation's Capital. The trip to the airport was fairly uneventful. Apart from arguing with Google Maps about where exactly Park and Fly was located. 

I managed to get checked in, through security and decided food was next on the agenda. I made a valiant attempt at getting a bagel from the Great Canadian Bagel but after 10 minutes of what might have been a comedy of errors had I not been hangry, I packed in the idea and headed to the beer truck instead. 

The boarding call came, we all boarded the plane. After a few rounds of musical chairs to allow people traveling together to sit together, we were ready for our safety story. The plane was absolutely rocking on the tarmac thanks to the gale force winds. And I mean rocking. The plane backed up. Waited. Then returned to the gate. The flight deck came on to tell us we had returned because Washington had grounded all of their flights and we couldn't land due to the high winds. We were going to deplane. Cell phone notifications came in like a cacophony as all of the passengers who had signed up for alerts received notice that the flight had been rescheduled to 4 pm. 90 minutes. Fortunately I didn't have connecting flights to worry about and could finally get some real grub. 

Back to the gate and back out on the tarmac. The winds had definitely increased in their speed. As I lifted my computer bag, the wind caught it and it very nearly landed in Washington without me. I had visions of standing on a cliff in Caithness in September. Literally digging my toes into the ground so as not to land in the sea. 

Back on board. Away from the gate. Onto the runway....well, almost. We parked on the shoulder and the flight deck came on once again to say we still didn't have permission to land in Washington but she hoped to have that in fifteen minutes or so. Twenty minutes later and we were on our way down the runway. 

Have you ever stood and watched a hawk play in the wind? Up, down, left, down, up, right, down. That's what take off was like. In fairly short order we were above the worst of it and on our way to Washington. 

In what felt like no time, the recording came on to tell us to prepare our seat backs and trays for landing. Again we were through the winds. We hit a pocket of turbulence that sent us into a fairly quick drop. Our stomachs didn't follow quite as quickly. The kids on the flight broke into hysterics. Suddenly the landing had become a rollercoaster ride! 

Why do landing always take hours longer than we expect? Finally we were on the ground, at the gate and off the plane. 

And now to get ready to play tourist. 

Need Help Finding Your IRISH Ancestors?

Pre-order  your copy of the Irish Issue special Tracing Your Ancestor Series Magazine. The magazine was authored by Dr Maurice Gleeson and will be on sale May 1. Pre-orders are being taken NOW:

https://your-genealogy-history-store-cda.myshopify.com/collections/tracing-your-ancestors-series

Join Us For a Celtic Cruise

Visit your ancestral homeland by sea, just like your ancestors did. Join us May 4 - 16, 2019 to sail around your Celtic homeland. 

Ports of Call:

Dublin (research and consultation opportunities)

Belfast (consultation opportunities)

Glasgow (research at the Mitchell)

Inverness (research at the Highland Archives)

Edinburgh (research at the National Records of Scotland)

For more information: https://celticgenealogycruises.com/

Irish ViC Schedule

The schedule for the Irish ViC is available at: https://www.genealogyvic.com/schedule.html

Here's the line up for the day:

9:00 - Fintan Mullan presents Finding 17th Century Families in Ireland 

10:15 - Gillian Hunt presents Using Church Records for Irish Genealogy Research 

11:30 - Fiona Fitzsimons presents Finding Women in the Irish Records 

12:30 - break 

1:00 - Chris Paton presents Using Irish Land Records for Genealogy Research 

2:15 - Maurice Gleeson presents Making Online Resources Work for You

All times are Eastern Time (Toronto/New York)

All presentations will be available for 72 hours after the end of the virtual conference to allow for time zone challenges and to make attending easier for people who are not able to commit to the full day.

To register: https://www.genealogyvic.com/

RootsTech By the Numbers

#RootsTech is a big deal. A really big deal. How big, you ask? Here are the numbers:

• 14,200 paid registrations
• 450 vendors/exhibitors
• 200 speakers
• 80 ambassadors
• 350 classes
• 50 states represented
• 42 countries represented
• 380 computers
• 182 power strips
• 8618 ft of cabling

It's  well orchestrated chaos. I'm already looking forward to next year!

MyHeritage Helps Adoptees Reunite with Their Bio Families! For FREE!

This news just came out from MyHeritage and I think it is incredible!

MyHeritage is excited to announce a new pro bono initiative — DNA Quest — to help adoptees and their birth families reunite through DNA testing. 

As part of DNA Quest, we are giving out 15,000 MyHeritage DNA kits — worth more than one million dollars — for free, with free shipping, to eligible participants. 

 

MyHeritage has set up an advisory board of top experts in the fields of genetic genealogy and adoption to guide and support this initiative on a voluntary basis. The advisory board includes: CeCe Moore, founder of The DNA Detectives; Blaine Bettinger, The Genetic Genealogist; Richard Weiss of DNA Adoption; Richard Hill, DNA Testing Adviser; Katharine Tanya, founder of Adopted.com; Brianne Kirkpatrick, founder of Watershed DNA; Pamela Slaton, investigative genealogist; Leah Larkin, The DNA Geek; and Susan Friel-Williams, Vice President, American Adoption Congress.

Participation is open to adoptees seeking to find their biological family members, or anyone looking for a family member who was placed for adoption. Preference will be given to people who are not able to afford genetic testing, and to those who apply first. The first phase of the initiative is open to U.S. residents, involving adoptions that took place in the U.S. Additional phases may be considered in the future based on the success of the first phase, which begins now. Future phases may include other countries as well as additional circumstances, such as children of sperm donors and non-paternity events.

Adoptees and family members searching for their biological relatives can apply for a free MyHeritage DNA kit at DNAQuest.org through April 30, 2018. Participants will be selected, and their free DNA kits will be shipped to them by the end of May 2018. Results are expected as early as July 2018. The DNA Quest website includes additional information about the initiative, and a detailed section with answers to frequently asked questions.

Those who have already taken a DNA test with another company are invited to upload their DNA data to MyHeritage for free and participate in this initiative as well.