Laura

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Username:: troutbend
Name:: Laura
Location:: Estes Park, CO
Birthday:: 08/01
Status:: Married
Job / Career:: Hotel - Hospitality

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This Oughta Be Good

Life & Events > Time is Fleeting

Time is Fleeting

Art is long, and time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still like muffled drums are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Time gets away from us. Spring is here with lovely warm days and the mockingbirds are starting to serenade us from the lamp posts and rooftops.

Dorset, England:

When I see the English landscape, I think of my great-grandfather who left Yorkshire as a young man to live in the desert of southwestern Colorado. He never returned to England because he wasn't sure his papers were in order and feared he wouldn't get back into the United States. Yes, the desert is pretty in its own way, but I always wonder how much he missed the green fields of his native land.

posted on Mar 11, 2011 11:49 PM ()

Comments:

The willingness to leave everything behind speaks to the hardships of life overseas in the 20s and 30s. Few American-born people have to make such hard decisions. I looked up my parents on the Ellis island registry, found my mom but not my dad. But he was noted as her sponsor and husband-to-be, having gotten here first. Mom always missed the purity of the air and the pristine beaches of Greece. She didn't think Lake Michigan came anywhere close.

comment by tealstar on Mar 14, 2011 7:54 AM ()

I learned this in England in 1994: My friend Grahame and I were standing in a back garden on a cool November evening, getting ready to celebrate Guy Fawke's night with Scotch and fireworks. We were smoking cigars and he looked south to see a mass of dark clouds approaching. He said, "It's dark over at Will's mum's." Then he explained to me the vernacular meaning... that a storm was coming our way. I still wonder about the origin of the saying.

comment by jondude on Mar 13, 2011 1:29 PM ()

It must have been quite a cultural shock to him; but he never wanted to return for fear he couldn't come back. So, on some level, his life was definitely better.

comment by timetraveler on Mar 13, 2011 7:44 AM ()

According to family legend, he was able to meet some of his Brit friends down in Mexico during the winters. I'd love to know who he stayed in contact with from his old country.

reply by troutbend on Mar 13, 2011 1:16 PM ()

England is so beautiful. I am sure he missed the green fields and the rain.

comment by elderjane on Mar 13, 2011 6:36 AM ()

His first American home was in the Iron County part of upper Michigan, and then Missouri, so he saw some green there. In SW Colorado he started an Indian trading post, so I guess he liked that area, maybe it was the lack of humidity.

reply by troutbend on Mar 13, 2011 1:18 PM ()

My mom, maryc, is originally from Hull, Yorkshire.

comment by nittineedles on Mar 12, 2011 1:09 PM ()

My great-grandaddy was born in Beeston, Yorkshire. I'll look up Hull on Google Maps and then I'll get all nostalgic for England.

reply by troutbend on Mar 13, 2011 1:21 PM ()

The optimist would appreciate the green landscape. The pessimist would deplore the dark clouds. I noticed both. Hmmm.

comment by solitaire on Mar 12, 2011 6:46 AM ()

The photographer specializes in cloud photos, so it's not a coincidence.

reply by troutbend on Mar 13, 2011 1:22 PM ()

A beautiful landscape!

comment by jondude on Mar 12, 2011 6:41 AM ()

I just love watching a storm move in like that.

reply by troutbend on Mar 13, 2011 1:23 PM ()

That is a stunning photo. As for Longfellow, he was a cheery sort, yes? Sorry your Dad couldn't get back at least once to see beautiful England.

comment by tealstar on Mar 12, 2011 5:26 AM ()

Great grand Dad on my mother's side. My dad was born in Colorado.

reply by troutbend on Mar 13, 2011 1:26 PM ()

My maternal relatives left their homes in Germany and Ireland to make a new life in America. My paternal relatives emigrated from England and France. I often reflect on their brave journeys.

comment by marta on Mar 12, 2011 5:26 AM ()

So much of the time we hear about the new life in the new world, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of talk about looking back. I suppose in some cases, like the Irish potato famine or devastation of war, there wasn't much to look back to. Of course, part of the reason we don't hear about the looking back is that they were long dead by the time we all came along and started asking questions.

reply by troutbend on Mar 13, 2011 1:25 PM ()

comment by marta on Mar 12, 2011 5:18 AM ()

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Time is Fleeting