Remember summer vacation when you were a kid?
Summer vacation seemed like it would last FOREVER. The endless days of sunshine and the smell of freshly cut grass with the swimming hole or beach beckoning endlessly.
As adults, we get so caught up in work and family that we forget what those summer holidays were like. I haven’t even seen my hammock in years. Where is it anyway?
I’m trying to remember those summertimes of yesteryear, and I’m giving myself a kickstarter by taking some time off.
Well, OK, it’s not really “off.” I’m preparing for three trips that are genetic genealogy related, and I’ll be writing about those in the coming months.
Plus, I’m stuck on some of my 52 Ancestors articles, waiting for information to arrive which is arriving very slowly. I think the staff from those various locations must be on vacation too.
I’ve found that I can’t prepare to travel, create presentations, complete customer reports, create a class and then travel along with maintaining my current article production schedule, so I’m taking a bit of a hiatus – in particular from my 52 Ancestors articles.
I have several regular articles already scheduled, but unfortunately, those ancestors are just going to have to wait patiently. Maybe they’ll relinquish some of their closely guarded secrets in the mean time! You think?
Upcoming Event – Dublin, Ireland
I do want to share with you that one of the events on my schedule is an appearance where I’ll be giving two separate presentations, at Genetic Genealogy Ireland, sponsored by Family Tree DNA, which takes place on October 20-22 in Dublin, Ireland.
Needless to say, I’m very excited.
Most of my regular readers know that I’m mostly retired from speaking and traveling, but this is one exception I’m glad to make. Of course, it helps a lot that I have McDowell ancestors whose homelands are close by, along with my McNiel line thought to have descended from the Niall of the Nine Hostages lineage, which of course means I absolutely HAVE to visit Tara.
Let’s just say that it didn’t take a lot of arm-twisting to convince me to speak😊
So, I hope to see you in October in Dublin! Take a look at the list of incredibly exciting speakers here. I can hardly wait and hope to meet lots of you in person!
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I’ll miss the ancestors. I went from the plan to do 52 in a year, to doing 12, to doing one … and it isn’t done! So, I think we can allow a little break in yours :-)! Congrats on the Ireland speaking engagement! How wonderful that will be. I hope one of the other trips you are planning is to Houston. See you there.
Yes, Nancy, I’ll be in Houston and look forward to seeing you. Maybe we can actually get to chat more than in passing!
Looking forward to it!
Was in Ireland and N.Ireland in 2008. Enjoy your trip, my youngest son, a teenager then, was keen on Tara too. 🙂
Love your blog and your Standard Disclosure
Keep up the good work!
Gary Willis http://www.redmarkerfacs.com http://www.digupdeadrelatives.com
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Thank you Roberta, for all your work. We have all (well my and my husband anyway) have learned so much from you. Enjoy the summer, enjoy Ireland…. so jealous. Want to take my own Ireland & Scotland ancestor trip someday hopefully soon.
Travel safe. We will miss you at SFA in September. Pat wiltfong
I’ll miss being there too.
Oh no, Roberta! Please say it isn’t so! We all just took for granted you were Super-Human!! 😉
Have a nice trip in Ireland!
And take care of yourself, the last thing we want is for you to get a burn out. Although we will certainly miss you.
Anyway I share the felling, my garden is keeping me busy, plus I’m planning a trip, my grand-mother is not going well, friends have more free time and are begging for company, I’m refitting my New France Festival costume, and than on top on the core job and chores. I would gladly take an extra day each week.
My mother was a McDonald And I had a male cousin that tested with Ancestry transfer their results to FTDNA. He joined the Clan Donald and he did not match so they said test another marker to see if he belonged to Niel of the Nine Hotages, Which Marker indicates that? My Big Y test shows I am I-A5475 and I have no matches?
I’m sorry. I can’t answer specific questions without additional research into your situation. I would be glad to schedule a quick consult if you are interested.
One of my related email friends also has prominent McDowell. I will let her know of future articles.
I’m taking August off to move eight block.
Hope your trip goes well and you enjoy it!
Maybe by the time you come back I will have figured out how we link to the Campbell folks in group 30 FGC10124. I see surnames Campbell, Gray, Mann, Rhea, Thompson and others in this tree and I still have to check if they are the same ones in my STR and SNP results. BTW, my mother is J also.
Roberta-I know you are ready to take a hiatus but curious about my MTDNA Haplogroup C1c2 that I’ve read in your blogs is confirmed Native American. It comes no surprise since both are my parents are Mexican American-I testedthe only living female descendent of my paternal grandmother & she was an ‘A.’ I have not done full sequence test on her. I think I read maybe in one of your blogs that there’s a cluster ‘tribe?’ Of C1c2 in Northern Mexico? I would appreciate knowing about more research material so I can explore more about my Native heritage. I tested thru Family Tree DNA which indicates I’m Approximately 43% New World/Native. My mom is 51%! Am I right to assume that this mix happened fairly recently say last 250 years? Is there anyway to know? Thanks for your fabulous blog- I hope to one day attend one of your lectures. Thanks for taking time to read my questions & hopefully you can respond-thanks again!
Yes, read the article about working with mtDNA and also the one about proving your tribe. Those both talk about clusters. Check out the page for the mtDNA haplogroups too. There are sources. And join the American Indian and haplogroup C projects if you haven’t already. I don’t have enough access from where I am to provide links for you but search the blog with keywords for those articles.
Is there online registration for Genetic Genealogy Ireland? I can’t find any such, but maybe I’m just not looking in the right places. Or perhaps we just show up on the day? The talks look fascinating!
I’m not sure. Hopefully Maurice will see this and reply.
Have a safe trip. Will miss your articles and stories.
Bobbie, I don’t expect a reply, I know you’re busier than I am, but I just wanted to share with you that you helped me get started on taking DNA tests years ago when I was following the Younger project. Thank you. I’ve tested now with FamilyTree DNA Family Finder and AncestryDNA Autosomnal.DNA I am amazed at the number of people who seem to be rather closely related, but we cannot find a connection by surnames. Of course, some do, and it’s wonderful. I have seen at least one Estes on my list at Ancestry, but I cannot recall the given name right off. Was hoping it was you, but doesn’t indicate that it is. All very best wishes, and Happy Trails.
Judy Younger Hofstetter