The past few days I have been writing biographies for my husband Ian and myself. I finished yesterday – 300 words for each of us. Along the way I encountered numerous problems, not the least of which was losing my computer’s connection to the internet. And the problem which remains is how to deliver the biographies to the person in charge of this project at Ida Culver Broadview. Solutions abound. Last resort would be to walk from our apartment in D building to an apartment in C building. Not a very long walk but still an exploration of new territory. Remember that we have been self isolating since early March.

My grandfather and his sister (Auntie) had an apartment in this hotel in the 1940’s. If circumstances dictated self-isolation, all their requirements could be met in the hotel. Meals could be brought to their apartment etc. They lived there from the early 1940’s until sometime in 1952 when Auntie passed away.

Twisting and turning with internet paths – that’s an image that comes to mind as I read an academic paper by Francoise Pommeret, a “scholar” I knew when we lived in Bhutan, a remote Himalayan Kingdom. I first met Francoise when I joined the group of British Volunteers who were learning Dzonka, the local language. Francoise was conducting the classes. Not only was she teaching the language but also the customs and practices of the Bhutanese people. For me it was also a way of meeting and getting to know new people.

Now to add a photo to this post – yesterday I figured out how to do that – it was complicated. This morning I can’t remember exactly how I did it.

Born in 1933 in Belfast Northern Ireland, Ian grew up in the shadow of the Second World War. His father, badly injured in World War One, died when Ian was 8 months old. Ian’s primary school was moved to Portrush on the north coast to escape the bombing in Belfast. His home in the shadow of Stormont would have been a special target during the air raids. His secondary school was relocated to Portrush also. and the school grounds of Cabin Hill and Campbell were converted to agricultural use. The buildings became a military hospital.

Ian left Campbell in 1951. He took a 7 year apprenticeship with an architectural firm in Belfast. Following which he went to Edinburgh College of Art to add a professional qualification in planning. He could put the initials F.R.I.B.A. and F.R.T.P.I. A year spent working for the Edinburgh Corporation and then 8 months working on the Caribbean Island of Montserrat, developing a master plan for Plymouth, the capital.

His next employment was with the U.K. Ministry of Overseas Development. He was hired to go to Kenya to fill the post of Assistant Town Planning Officer. Shortly after his arrival in August 1966, he met Janet Miller, newly arrived from California. A year and a half later Ian and Janet married in St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Nairobi.

Ian’s next employment was in Dublin Republic of Ireland. He was engaged to head the Planning Division of An Foras Forbatha, the National Institute for Planning and Construction Research. After a year of renting a flat in Rathgar, Ian and Janet purchased a newly constructed bungalow in Dundrum. Their 3 sons were born in Churchtown in the Mt. Carmel Hospital.

In 1972 the expanded family went to the island of St. Lucia in the Caribbean. Ian agreed to work for 2 years as the Head of the st. Lucia Town Planning Department. This appointment was through the U. K. Ministry of Overseas Development.

In 1975 this family of 5 went to Suva Fiji. The employer now was the United Nations Development Program.

In 1978 the family went to Dhaka Bangladesh, to stay for 5 years. Very formative years for each member of the family.

In 1984 Ian went to Bhutan in the Himalayas for 4 months but these 4 months lead to an assignment for 2 years, 1985-1987.

A year in West Africa – Accra Ghana.

5 years back in Nairobi to complete his career.

He retired in 1995 and lived in Dublin until moving to Ballard Seattle in 2010.

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29 lines @ 17 words per line = 493 words. OOPS

She was born on December 7, 1936 in Boston Mass. She grew up in Belmont Mass and graduated from Belmont High School in 1954. Her 3 siblings had graduated in 1942, 1943, and 1944. She majored in French and Geography to earn a BA Cum Laude from Middlebury College in 1958 and went on to Northwestern University to earn an MA in Urban Geography. After working in Seattle, Boston, and San Francisco, she returned to academe at the University of California Berkeley, in the turbulent years 1964-66. She went to Africa to gather data for her PhD thesis and to teach at the Institute for Development Studies, University of East Africa, Nairobi.

She met Ian, her husband-to-be, at the United Kenya Club. in August 1966, shortly after they had each arrived, Janet from California and Ian from Belfast Northern Ireland They married in February 1968 in St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, a stone’s throw from the United Kenya Club.

They finished their assignments in Nairobi in August 1966. Janet became a full-time housewife and mother and thesis writer,, while they both adjusted to living in a new country. the Republic of Ireland.

Three sons were born in quick succession. Janet finished her PhD thesis and was advanced to candidacy at the University of California Berkeley just as she was in the middle of giving birth to their second son Andrew in 1970. Hence she became Dr. McKee as a medical doctor helped his patient.

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Oh Oh, I think I’ve exceeded my 300 words

My mind is all over the place today. I’m trying to write about my brother whose birthday is today July 20th, but I have wandered into Ancestry.com and I’ve ended up adding many more ancestors to my family tree and also 2 new generations. A lot of nieces and nephews and their children. Interesting and time consuming.

I’m starting a new count, or rather a continuation of the count from the end of March to July 18. So here we go. The date and the total number of deaths due to COVID-19 in the U.S.

July 18, 2020. 138,840

July 19, 2020. 140,479

July 20, 2020. 140,811

July 29, 2020. 149,981