On Our Way Today

Here we are on a short layover in the Calgary Airport enroute to Heathrow Airport. It is somewhat fitting that, on this ancestral trek, we depart from my hometown. It was in this city of rodeos & ranches, stockyards & rail-yards, bald prairie & oil rigs that I began the journey of my life as a descendant of Scottish, Welsh and English immigrants. The experiences of those immigrants shaped their lives and formulated mine.

Over the years snippets of their stories were shared orally in the family. As a child I often gazed at the grainy photographs, lovingly preserved, and wondered about the serious faces staring back at me. Much later, in my adult life, I was fascinated with the discovery of my great grandfather's memoirs written in the 1930s as an octogenarian. John Newell Evans was a wise and learned man who, in writing of his life, inspired me to ensure our family story is preserved and passed on to future generations. His writings opened the door to a new purpose for me.

I never anticipated the scope of this genealogical search when I started the project 9 years ago, as a scrapbook, meant to show case those sepia toned, serious-faced photographs. The scrapbook is finished, the records have been exhaustively researched, the tree has expanded beyond my imagination, the book is outline format and now it is time to travel to where it all began two centuries ago. The lands will be much changed but the ancestors' history remains. It is an honour to trace their footsteps.

But first, a red-eye flight awaits, which makes me tired just thinking of it. Nevertheless, RP and I refueled with enchilada soup, dry ribs, a Stella and a NZ sauvignon Blanc. Lift off in less than3 hours.


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Location:Calgary, AB