A Woodland Picnic

Yesterday, amid the sweltering summer heat, we attended the annual Woodland picnic.  No it isn't just a picnic in the forest, it is a get-together of the Woodland family.  It is actually the Woodland/Newman family, although none of the Newman side attend any more.  My missus' mother was a Woodland, so that is our connection to the clan.

Below is one of my favourite genealogy photos.  There are a couple of reasons.  Do remember this photo is from long before the dawn of Photoshop.

First of all note the inset character in the back row.  Obviously the one daughter was away at the time of the photo shoot, but they left a spot for her in the sitting, and then superimposed a provided snap of her.  I'm impressed with the fact that it is to scale, before the era of scaling on a photocopy machine.

Secondly, and some people find this one a little eerie or morbid.  Look carefully at the gentleman, third from the left, front row.  See anything unusual?  Look again - no feet!  This is actually another superimposition.  This is the patriarch of the clan, James Woodland, his wife is beside him (Anna Maria Newman) and the rest are their ten children.

At the time of this shot, James was dead - killed in a dynamite explosion.  Obviously they had a portrait of him done prior to his death.  They left another blank spot in the sitting and then put James in, after the fact.  Actually, you probably cannot tell from this scan, but in the original photo, James is fuzzier and his hands are over exposed, and then there is the issue of the shot only being from the knees up.

But I'm way off topic.  We gathered yesterday, as the descendents of this clan.  My missus' grandfather is the young man, second from the right, back row.

Here is the venue we go to each summer.  This is 40+ years in the same location, on the beautiful St. Lawrence River. Obviously I've only attended the last twenty or so.

Folks chatting prior to eating

Woodland barbecue chicken - the main course and attraction each year.

Salads

Desert table.  Unfortunately I was a bit premature in my photo taking, it did fill up more later.  A sad note though, what used to be a table laden with homemade goodies, has now largely morphed into purchased bakery goods - still good though!

What is a picnic without watermelon?

The youngest baby in attendance - Haydnn Cahill, 9 mos old

The oldest lady, Iva Quaile, 94 years young, one of six grandchildren of James and Anna Woodland in  attendance.

Kids having informal fun!

So it was another successful gathering.  I was able to catch up on my family tree info - I take a printout each year and hound folks for any new or additional family info.  It is also the only time the cousins ever get together, other than for funerals any more it seems.

And that is about all I have to say for today.

Musings and meanderings from the Musical Gardener.