I’m gonna start in the middle here partly because this part of the story is more interesting and also because I’m not really sure of all the immigration details. We’ll get to those stories after I’ve checked in with ma and pa and get everything straight. Granted almost everyone has a immigration story in America but I’m going to include it eventually because it fits with the travel theme.

Harley Edson Reeves, my mothers grandfather, born 1875 died of mysterious illness 1928 (The link to his obit is at the top of this entry). He married Helen Nowers and she gave birth to my grandfather James Edson. Harley was employed engineering locks and dams on the Mississippi and as a family they wandered up and down the river, Jim, my Grandpa, used to fascinate me with stories about living in tents and shooting mice running behind cans from his bunk in a railroad shed.

James, followed in his fathers footsteps, got a masters in civil engineering and started work on the canals running north of Davenport. He married Louise,”Fritzie” and my mom Ann was born. In 1938, 3 years after my mothers birth they moved to Panama where Jim would be the chief engineer for the enlargement of the canal. One thing leads to another and this led to work in Tennessee, Manhattan project, Northern Greece, rebuilding after the war, Dams on the Columbia River, New Mexico with The Atomic Energy Commission where he would manage remote locations, Bikini and the throwing of huge bombs in the ocean and watching the splash. He was made the chief engineer of the Las Vegas office and the family settled there, Mom was on her own travels by then with my dad. She came back to Vegas and gave birth to me.

Just a note: My hard drive containing all my old timey family photos is at friends house as soon as I get it I will throw that stuff at you

Addendum: Harley died of a brain aneurism.

Correction: Ma was only 3 monthes old when they moved to Panama.