2015.08.13 & 14 Colorado Bound for Peter McGinnis Reunion!

Left Thursday night, August 13th, from Omaha headed to Granby, Colorado.  Cousin Lynne Glaeske, youngest daughter of Pinky, had invited us to her McGinnis reunion and I was so thrilled to be able to go!  Pinky (Florence) McGinnis was my mother's older half-sister.  They shared the same dad, Peter McGinnis.  Her sisters Joan and Lucy some of their children and grand children  are going to be there.  Lynne and I connected in about 2001 through Rootsweb when I was looking for my mom's familiy.  My mom was Winifred "Peggy" McGinnis.  She was one of three children born of Peter McGinnis's 2nd marriage to Josephine Decker.  (Winifred, Peter Claude, Alberta Mae "Peaches").  All these relatives were from Peter McGinnis's first marriage to Cora and their daughter Florence "Pinky" McGinnis Bilich Glaske.  Lucy and Joan are Pinky's surviving children from her marriage to Mr. Bilich.  Ruthie and Gene are now deceased. Lynne is her only child from her marriage to Mr. Glaeske.

August 14th--Sunrise in sage brush country in eastern Colorado.  I got a coach seat all to myself so could stretch out.  Had breakfast in the dining car before we got to Denver and saw the sagebrush of eastern Colorado at sunrise. After Peter & Josephine McGinnis family broke apart in the mid 1920s, Mom and her brother, Bud, were taken in and eventually adopted by the Arthur & Pansy Hale Nicolarsen family from outside of Kit Carson, Colorado in south east Colorado---this would have been the kind of landscape mom grew up with - -takes a lot of acres to feed a cow! The little sister, Alberta Mae Gill Johnson ended up in the Houston Area with her mother Josephine "Julia" Ogg.  They are both buried in the Spring Gum, Texas cemetery. Alberta Mae had 4 children.

Denver Station has been newly rennovated and the light rail comes in nearby.

Between Denver and Granby the trip was beautiful with the train hair-pinning its way to higher elevations - -

I was met in Granby by Lynne and husband Rene and Lynne's sister Joan Bilich.  They drove the rest of the way past Lake Granby which is much grander than Grand Lake. The cabin was nearby at the Sun Valley Resort where everyone was staying which was across the road from the Rocky Mountain National Park.

Our Whispering Pines Cabin--accomodated all of us with a few on air beds.

I scored a bottom bunk - - top was held by Leana - and the bed in our room by Peter and Thea.

I met some of the relatives upon arrival, but others were out hiking in the park.  Here are the first cousins at the reunion: We are all grandchildren of Peter McGinnis: Joan Bilich from Exeter, New Hampshire; Lynne Glaeske from Denver; Lucille "Lucy" Zivkovich, from Wickliffe, OH (near Cleveland); and me.

We had fun eating out together at the Stillwater Grill to help celebrate Lynne & Rene's 17th wedding anniversary.  Chef Jean Claude didn't disappoint!