In the late 1980s, I moved from Florida to Massachusetts for graduate school. It was my first Thanksgiving away from home, and I was expecting visitors: my fiance, my niece who was a college student in a nearby town, and one of her college friends. I was determined to do the full meal deal forContinueContinue reading “The First—and Last—Thanksgiving Turkey I Ever Cooked”
Category Archives: Family Traditions and Events
The Little Library that Stopped by Every Saturday
On Saturday mornings in kindergarten, I kept a close watch out the window toward the park across the street. A little mobile trailer would roll in, and I’d run to get my mom. The traveling library was here! Evening reading time! Pictured here with my dad, Bill Gillis. Photo by my mom, Joy Gillis EvenContinueContinue reading “The Little Library that Stopped by Every Saturday”
How My Mom and Dad Met
I always enjoyed hearing how my mom, Joy Washburn Gillis, met my dad, William Gillis, Jr. My mom’s first encounter with my dad actually happened when she was two years old. They lived on the same street in Little River, in Miami, Florida. She would stand at the window and watch this 13-year-old boy walkContinueContinue reading “How My Mom and Dad Met”
My First Trip Overseas
Traveling Family Growing up, I traveled a lot. My family was very willing to hit the road, visit, explore. And because my dad worked for Eastern Airlines, we got to fly for free anywhere in the United States. We flew to see my sister when she lived in various locations. We also visited family byContinueContinue reading “My First Trip Overseas”
Frozen Pillows and Porch Ice Cream: Summer Evenings with Mom, Dad, and Taffy Cat
Summer evenings in Miami were hot and muggy throughout my childhood in the 1970s. The hotels along the beach blocked the ocean breeze. The inland neighborhoods wilted in a steamer. But we had a beautiful evening rhythm in our home, buoyed by the sweet scent of the jasmine hedges that wandered through our neighborhood ofContinueContinue reading “Frozen Pillows and Porch Ice Cream: Summer Evenings with Mom, Dad, and Taffy Cat”
Childhood Summer Vacations
You might wonder where people who live on a Florida beach go for vacation. The answer is simple: They go to a different Florida beach! I grew up in Miami. It was very different from the Miami of today. It was quieter, less crowded, calmer. Absolutely beautiful. I grew up in paradise, and I knewContinueContinue reading “Childhood Summer Vacations”
Exploring Generations 