The next day, Tuesday, July 15, Q and I travelled to McKinney, TX to find my cousin, Norma Trout.  Her mother was Helen Hartshorn who was my dad's sister.  I got a bit lost (but so EVER close!) and found her lovely home.  She was in the driveway and came to me immediately and hugged me... no, held me.  Yep.  Water works with slight contractions. :)  Her dog (can't remember his name, bad me) and Q played and played and played, inside/outside/inside/sofa/dining room/living room/outside, etc!

Norma produced 2 photo albums that had pics of her and Susan as flower girls, age 7, 1947, at my parents' wedding in Hominy, pics of my dad in military uniform, newspaper articles of his survival of battles at Iwo Jima, Christmas cards to his sister, Gladys.  Wonderfully normal, sweet, full moments from the past that I've been passionately looking for, for over 60 years.  Hummmm.... WHY did it take so long?  Why the mystery?  Why the hidden truths? Hummmm....

Norma told me a sweet story about my Dad, Junior, and me.  I was perhaps 1 1/2 years old and was the apple of his eye.  When he came home he would bounce me on his knee and offer me a stick of gum.  She thinks it was some type of mint.  To this day, I always have double mint in my bag.  Anyway, he'd bounce me on his knee while I chomped on the gum. When he stopped I said I wanted another piece of gum and he taught me a song that I would dance to. The 'no more gum' song.  He'd sing it and I'd sing it back while dancing around him.  She said he just loved that.  Personally, I don't think I wanted another piece of gum, but more bouncing on the knee.

I also asked WHAT HAPPENED? Why did they split up?  Why the mystery and cover up? She shared the family's account which is a story I believe is not too far fetched.  Things are adding up.

Donna, Norma's daughter was there, too.  A beautiful woman, wife and mother of 28 year old twin boys.  She spoke about her excitement of going to Lake Powell soon and hanging on that canyon lake for 2 weeks on the house boat.  Sounds like fun!  I shared with her videos of Neal and me skiing on Grand Lake in CO and she just loved seeing those.  :)

Norma wanted two photos from the albums she gave me, so we went to work like surgeons trying to pry them off with knives at the kitchen counter.  They were in albums that have glue/sticky backs and after so many years they were cemented on.  We managed, everyone got their photos, and all were happy! Gee, how easy was that?

I needed to shove off after 2 hours or so to keep on my great Discovery Trip, but Norma wanted to take me to lunch.  So she knew of a place near the interstate and I had fried green tomatoes for the first time and YUM!  We continued our conversations and I just wanted to know more about her.  She had a pretty touch childhood growing up in Madill, OK as part of the oil families who lived out there in bunks.  She said it wasn't special at all, but it was the foundation of life long friends who she still communicates with to this day.  The oil rigs that were part of this lease was blown away by a tornado so they had to pack it up.  She was married to the love of her life.  One husband.  He had a heart transplant in the early days of this type or operation and survived for years afterwards.  He died of an unrelated trauma and she's still grieving.

She insisted on the Chocolate Dr. Pepper Cake with chocolate sauce, ice cream and strawberries for dessert. OH YEAH!

We have agreed that in October more time will be spent to just enjoy each other and move on!

:))