I do believe they are our closest cousins — not relationship-wise, but residence-wise.* But only for part of the year which accounts for a big part of why we don’t see them as much as we’d like.
Virg and Cheryl Kocher (she’s the relative — sister of Ralph who does lots of research for me — which makes her a 2nd cousin three times removed… maybe!) are arriving this afternoon! I think the last time we saw them was just about a year ago. I remember that Cheryl brought chicken painted rocks, a bookmark, and a bright red dish towel for the kitchen — all of which I still use and/or enjoy!
We used to go to Lacey where they live (mostly) from October through April. And once we went to Lake Chelan where they live (read: play) the rest of the year. Now that travelling is no longer an option for Nyel, we don’t see them as often and we are grateful that they are willing to come to us even now and then.
For several years, Virg and Cheryl lived over in Surfside — just a spit and a holler away. We saw a lot of each other then and we still lament that family care situations resulted in their move five or six years ago. (They’ll probably tell me it’s been more like ten…)
One of the hardest (and most unexpected) parts of aging is the limitations it can put on travel. If this were an advice column, I’d say travel while you can, both near and far. In fact, it’s those nearest and dearest you’ll find you miss the most should you become (God forbid!) housebound.
Hooray for Valentine’s Day 2020! Once again, we feel blessed!
*P.S. Come to think of it, my cousin Pat Wollner is closer all the way around! She lives in Gearhart, OR and is my second cousin twice removed. I think. (What say you, Ralph?)
Dear Cuzzin Sydney, I didn’t have the info at my fingertips in my Espy tree, but a quick Google to find her father’s obit, and a tree at Ancestry.com got me the needed stuff in about 10 minutes: you and Pat are 3rd cousins, straight across—no removed’s. The easy way to remember your 3rd Cuzzin twice removed relationship to Cheryl and me is to think of that commodity that has nearly disappeared these days (except for a few states)— “3.2 beer!”