Kindness of crowd favorite Uncle David. Happy Birthday! XXOO
18 March, 2011
Final Rerun: Back By Popular Demand
My Uncle David has developed quite the cult following. So, to appease the masses, I'd thought I'd share the two page yearbook letter (click to enlarge) he wrote for my cousin Melissa when she graduated from Roland Park Country School in Baltimore. I think I just heard an audible groan clear from Bedford, NY. Sorry MAC, comes with the blood relation territory I guess...
Kindness of crowd favorite Uncle David. Happy Birthday! XXOO
Kindness of crowd favorite Uncle David. Happy Birthday! XXOO
17 March, 2011
Rerun: More From "The Works Of Uncle David"
Above is a picture of my Uncle David's dog, Ralph, who is listed as "son of " David and Carol and "brother of " Melissa in our family tree. And, below follows a recent correspondence between a long lost, distant relative looking for some help with the family tree and my très funny uncle:Hello there,
I am trying to contact David Cully who is developing the Stephen's Glen project. I think we may be related. Can you either send me his email address or forward the following? Thanks so much.
-Rolando.
Hey there. Got your message [sic] yes, I am the son of Dorothy Gibson Cully, RIP.
But I need to tell you right up front - if you’re after a piece of the family fortune, you’re a day late and many dollars short. My sister Barbara ran off with just about all of the inheritance money, bought a fancy place in Zihuatanejo, and left the rest of here to freeze through the winters while she dances the Mariachi with her Mexican lover, Frostito. I think he sells drugs. Otherwise we’re all fine.
Now tell me again how we’re related. If Jeremiah and Catherine were siblings, how did they come to be married and have great grandchildren? And what’s with the de Aguiar name? Everyone knows that Carews, Cullys and Gibsons only marry Irish, or at least hard drinking Scots. Very suspicious.
Of course I am not the suspicious type, but my sister Carol is – what with all of this talk about money and you showing up suddenly with a weird last name; well, she’s kind of like Jessica Fletcher – picks up on all of these clues, if you know what I mean..
Anyway, please tell me how you tracked me down and more about the family tree as you know it. Hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
DPC
Ha! Now I know who wrote that obit!
I assure you that I'm not searching for anything, though I might need a
hideout in Zihuatanejo, so if you could send me Frostito's (sounds like some
sort of horrible flavored margarita) number, that would be helpful.
About a year ago I started an online family tree. I knew my mom had 35 first
cousins but I'd never met one. A few letters (paper!) later, I had one
contact, my mother's cousin Kathy Smith in Virginia. Well, this lady knew
all of her cousins, and pretty sure I had more names and ancestry than I
knew what to do with. And it turns out that I was pretty good with Google.
So when one third cousin linked me up with a list of Catherine Carew's
grandchildren, I dutifully popped their names into Google, and out came your
mom's obituary.
Six months later, I google "David Cully Raleigh" and, well, it's not that
common a name.
So, to answer your question, my great grandfather was Jeremiah (father of
Robert, father of Diane, mother of me). Jeremiah's sister was Catherine, who
married Robert Heard, had a daughter Kathleen, who had a daughter Dorothy
(your mom). I'll send you an invitation to the online tree. Of course my
grandfather was thrilled when his daughter married a Cuban.
I'll send you an invitation to the online tree so you can check it out.
-Rolando.
Hey there. Got your message [sic] yes, I am the son of Dorothy Gibson Cully, RIP.
But I need to tell you right up front - if you’re after a piece of the family fortune, you’re a day late and many dollars short. My sister Barbara ran off with just about all of the inheritance money, bought a fancy place in Zihuatanejo, and left the rest of here to freeze through the winters while she dances the Mariachi with her Mexican lover, Frostito. I think he sells drugs. Otherwise we’re all fine.
Now tell me again how we’re related. If Jeremiah and Catherine were siblings, how did they come to be married and have great grandchildren? And what’s with the de Aguiar name? Everyone knows that Carews, Cullys and Gibsons only marry Irish, or at least hard drinking Scots. Very suspicious.
Of course I am not the suspicious type, but my sister Carol is – what with all of this talk about money and you showing up suddenly with a weird last name; well, she’s kind of like Jessica Fletcher – picks up on all of these clues, if you know what I mean..
Anyway, please tell me how you tracked me down and more about the family tree as you know it. Hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
DPC
Ha! Now I know who wrote that obit!
I assure you that I'm not searching for anything, though I might need a
hideout in Zihuatanejo, so if you could send me Frostito's (sounds like some
sort of horrible flavored margarita) number, that would be helpful.
About a year ago I started an online family tree. I knew my mom had 35 first
cousins but I'd never met one. A few letters (paper!) later, I had one
contact, my mother's cousin Kathy Smith in Virginia. Well, this lady knew
all of her cousins, and pretty sure I had more names and ancestry than I
knew what to do with. And it turns out that I was pretty good with Google.
So when one third cousin linked me up with a list of Catherine Carew's
grandchildren, I dutifully popped their names into Google, and out came your
mom's obituary.
Six months later, I google "David Cully Raleigh" and, well, it's not that
common a name.
So, to answer your question, my great grandfather was Jeremiah (father of
Robert, father of Diane, mother of me). Jeremiah's sister was Catherine, who
married Robert Heard, had a daughter Kathleen, who had a daughter Dorothy
(your mom). I'll send you an invitation to the online tree. Of course my
grandfather was thrilled when his daughter married a Cuban.
I'll send you an invitation to the online tree so you can check it out.
-Rolando.
Key:
"Frostito" - my maiden name, Frost, with some added Mexican panache
"Zihuatanejo" - reference to my parent's home in Mexico
"sister Carol" - of Belgian loafer bogarting fame
Looks as though the tongue-in-cheek trait is quite a dominate gene in mi familia...XXOO
Looks as though the tongue-in-cheek trait is quite a dominate gene in mi familia...XXOO
16 March, 2011
Rerun: Happy Birthday Nana
This is a post I ran on May 14th of last year. Due to popular demand, and a campaign waged by ADG over at camp Maxminimus, I am re-running it in honor of my Nana...
Since the 14th of May is my late Nana's birthday, I thought I'd share her infamous obituary with you. Written by my mother's brother, my Uncle David, it debuted in Raleigh's News and Observer but soon gained international notoriety...
The News & Observer, Raleigh, NC:
ON JUNE 3, 2005 at 10:45 p.m. in Memphis, Tennessee, Dorothy Gibson Cully, 86, died peacefully, while in the loving care of her two favorite children, Barbara and David. All of her breath leaked out.
The mother of four children, grandmother to 11, great-grandmother to nine, devoted wife for 56 years to the late Ralph Chester Cully and a true friend to many, Dot had been active as a volunteer in the Catholic Church and other community charities for much of the past 25 years.
She was born the second child of six in 1919 as Frances Dorothy Gibson, daughter to Kathleen Heard Gibson and Calvin Hooper Gibson, an inventor best known as the first person since the Middle Ages to calculate the arcane lead-to-gold formula. Unable to actually prove this complex theory scientifically, and frustrated by the cruel conspiracy of the so-called "scientific community" working against his efforts, he ultimately stuck his head in a heated gas oven with a golden delicious apple propped in his mouth. Miraculously, the apple was saved for the evening dessert. Calvin was not.
Native Marylanders and long time Baltimore, Kent Island and Ocean City residents, Ralph and Dot later resided in Lakeland, Florida and Virginia Beach, Virginia. Several years after Ralph's death, Dot moved to Raleigh in 2001, where she lived with her son, David.
At the time of her death, Dot was visiting her daughter, Carol in Memphis. Carol and her husband, Ron, away from home attending a "very important conference" at a posh Florida resort, rushed home 10 days later after learning of the death. Dot's other children, dutifully at their mother's side helping with the normal last minute arrangements - hospice notification, funeral parlor notice, revising the last will, etc. - happily picked up the considerable slack of the absent former heiress.
Dot is warmly remembered as a generous, spiritually strong, resourceful, tolerant and smart woman, who was always ready to help and never judged others or their shortcomings. Dot always found time to knit sweaters, sew quilts and send written notes to the family children, all while working a full time job, volunteering as Girl Scout leader and donating considerable time to local charities and the neighborhood Catholic Church.
Dot graduated from Eastern High School at 15, worked in Baltimore full time from 1934 to 1979, beginning as a factory worker at Cross & Blackwell and retiring after 30 years as property manager and controller for a Baltimore conglomerate, Housing Engineering Company, all while raising four children, two of who are fairly normal.
An Irishwoman proud of and curious about her heritage, she was a voracious reader of historical novels, particularly those about the glories and trials of Ireland. Dot also loved to travel, her favorite destination being Eire's auld sod, where she dreamed of the magic, mystery and legend of the Emerald Isle.
Dot Cully is survived by her sisters, Ginny Torrico in Virginia, Marian Lee in Florida and Eileen Adams in Baltimore; her brother, Russell Gibson of Fallston, Maryland; her children, Barbara Frost of Ocean City, Maryland, Carol Meroney of Memphis, Tennessee, David Cully of Raleigh, North Carolina and Stephen Cully of Baltimore, Maryland.
Contributions to the Wake County (NC) Hospice Services are welcomed. Opinions about the details of this obit are not, since Mom would have liked it this way.
As you may see, I do indeed come by this honestly, for the tongue-in-cheek apple doesn't fall far from the tongue-in-cheek tree...XXOO
Since the 14th of May is my late Nana's birthday, I thought I'd share her infamous obituary with you. Written by my mother's brother, my Uncle David, it debuted in Raleigh's News and Observer but soon gained international notoriety...
The News & Observer, Raleigh, NC:ON JUNE 3, 2005 at 10:45 p.m. in Memphis, Tennessee, Dorothy Gibson Cully, 86, died peacefully, while in the loving care of her two favorite children, Barbara and David. All of her breath leaked out.
The mother of four children, grandmother to 11, great-grandmother to nine, devoted wife for 56 years to the late Ralph Chester Cully and a true friend to many, Dot had been active as a volunteer in the Catholic Church and other community charities for much of the past 25 years.
She was born the second child of six in 1919 as Frances Dorothy Gibson, daughter to Kathleen Heard Gibson and Calvin Hooper Gibson, an inventor best known as the first person since the Middle Ages to calculate the arcane lead-to-gold formula. Unable to actually prove this complex theory scientifically, and frustrated by the cruel conspiracy of the so-called "scientific community" working against his efforts, he ultimately stuck his head in a heated gas oven with a golden delicious apple propped in his mouth. Miraculously, the apple was saved for the evening dessert. Calvin was not.
Native Marylanders and long time Baltimore, Kent Island and Ocean City residents, Ralph and Dot later resided in Lakeland, Florida and Virginia Beach, Virginia. Several years after Ralph's death, Dot moved to Raleigh in 2001, where she lived with her son, David.
At the time of her death, Dot was visiting her daughter, Carol in Memphis. Carol and her husband, Ron, away from home attending a "very important conference" at a posh Florida resort, rushed home 10 days later after learning of the death. Dot's other children, dutifully at their mother's side helping with the normal last minute arrangements - hospice notification, funeral parlor notice, revising the last will, etc. - happily picked up the considerable slack of the absent former heiress.
Dot is warmly remembered as a generous, spiritually strong, resourceful, tolerant and smart woman, who was always ready to help and never judged others or their shortcomings. Dot always found time to knit sweaters, sew quilts and send written notes to the family children, all while working a full time job, volunteering as Girl Scout leader and donating considerable time to local charities and the neighborhood Catholic Church.
Dot graduated from Eastern High School at 15, worked in Baltimore full time from 1934 to 1979, beginning as a factory worker at Cross & Blackwell and retiring after 30 years as property manager and controller for a Baltimore conglomerate, Housing Engineering Company, all while raising four children, two of who are fairly normal.
An Irishwoman proud of and curious about her heritage, she was a voracious reader of historical novels, particularly those about the glories and trials of Ireland. Dot also loved to travel, her favorite destination being Eire's auld sod, where she dreamed of the magic, mystery and legend of the Emerald Isle.
Dot Cully is survived by her sisters, Ginny Torrico in Virginia, Marian Lee in Florida and Eileen Adams in Baltimore; her brother, Russell Gibson of Fallston, Maryland; her children, Barbara Frost of Ocean City, Maryland, Carol Meroney of Memphis, Tennessee, David Cully of Raleigh, North Carolina and Stephen Cully of Baltimore, Maryland.
Contributions to the Wake County (NC) Hospice Services are welcomed. Opinions about the details of this obit are not, since Mom would have liked it this way.
As you may see, I do indeed come by this honestly, for the tongue-in-cheek apple doesn't fall far from the tongue-in-cheek tree...XXOO
15 March, 2011
Rerun: Trade Secret On Loan
In the beginning of the decade, when my above midsection looked more like Holly Hunter's and less like the Pillsbury Dough Boy's...
One of my signatures was wearing my Hermès and Gucci scarves as halters...
Much the way a Boy Scout practices tying knots, I've spent many an hour perfecting my scarf tying skills...
I started collecting Hermès 'How To Wear Your Scarf' books back in the early 90's and they would be high on my list of "things to grab in the event of a fire"...
The above trick, pulled off with a beautiful Gucci scarf of multi hued blues, plus one killer tan, goes down in my Historical Outfit Registry for 'twas worn with white J. Crew shorts the night Babe professed his love pour moi. Whoever said food is the way to their hearts didn't know how to wield an Hermès scarf...
The secret to walking that fine line between amazing and tacky involves some dexterity and patience in making that little self knot in diagram 1 as teensie as humanly possible...
Alas, those abs have been in hibernation for sometime sooo, this summer I'm test driving another look...
Usually only for the benefit of the other Teeter customers, worn with my post beach Simba or Captain Crunch salt encrusted hairdo (comparisons lovingly coined by Babe).
And, the newest addition to my scarf tying bag of tricks, the carryall. The next time I run into Oceanside Pizza for my pre-beach Diet Coke it will be a Fenwick Island fashion event...Kindness of Babe who still loves me regardless of the fact that it would require a full scale Indiana Jones style dig to uncover those abs these days...XXOO
14 March, 2011
Rerun: Sparklies
Even though I may not play along every time, I always, always appreciate when I am tagged in a post. It goes against my natural Leoline nature but, I frequently bow out of the requisite "about moi" Q&A's knowing ya'll can only take so much. But, my favorite girl, and PTH bud, Queen Bee Swain devised such a clever game that I just couldn't resist playing along this time...
Sooo...here are my magic sparklies Katie. I'm sharing in hopes everyone will take a moment to make their own "gratitude" list cuz, ya know what they say? Being grateful attracts more things into your life to be grateful for. That's my story and I'm sticking with it...
white bikinis
a perfectly ripened cantaloupe
red sky at night
Hydrangea and Peonies
ultra chilled Vueve Cliquot Rosé
the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas
s'mores
crawling into freshly laundered and ironed bed linens
salt on the tips of your lashes after a day in the ocean
beginnings
spying a "Star's Weight Loss Secrets" Us Magazine cover in the checkout line
waking up sandwiched between Babe and Pilgie and Lolly
seeing the UPS man slowing as he approaches my house
seeing the UPS man slowing as he approaches my house AND Babe's not home
runs when the ground is covered in fallen leaves
Real Housewives of New York when they film in the Hamptons
Weeping Willow
a full day in the sun post highlights for that perfect storm of ideal color
all the fabulous baby names I am hoarding
a fountain Diet Coke with crushed ice and as much lemon as I can politely take
Gwyneth Paltrow movies
green
meeting someone with the same birthday
making Babe laugh
Knots Landing
complimenting someone on an item and having them divulge their source
watching Grand Slam tennis
having a few trump cards up my sleeve at all times
being married to a smartypants
Gin Lane
Ben and Jerry's New York Super Fudge
having a long lost friend find me on Facebook
my parent's cooking
celeb sightings
spying a Cardinal
stalking and scheming both of which I'm world class at
and summer, natch
Kindness of Queen Bee Swain. I could have just as easily cut and pasted your entire sparklies list Missy! Birds of a white bikini feather and all that...XXOO
11 March, 2011
Rerun: Attire For Your Books
This recent picture of India Hick's covered books reminded me of my wee library gathering dust in our storage unit. I figured, if I reran the tutorial post on my own handsome book jackets, I could have a virtual visit with my lil collection...
Several months ago, during an open house, Babe and I seized the opportunity for a peek-see inside one of the homes we had been stalking admiring down the street...
And, rolls and rolls of vellum all of which were found at Pearl Paint...
My new acquaintance Paul was lucky enough to have one of his assistant's in NYC do all the labor. I, on the other hand, could not keep my help from laying down on the job...
So I called on my old high school book covering talents (minus the doodles of polo ponies and Madison Clark's initials) to get the job done...
I won't lie, it took me weeeeks...
And, naturally the effect was much more striking in Paul and Eric's floor to ceiling built-ins...
But, it dressed up our little Parsons shelf perfectly. And, all my toiling has paid off in compliments and drools received from friends and guests alike...
Several months ago, during an open house, Babe and I seized the opportunity for a peek-see inside one of the homes we had been 
I became instantly obsessed with the beautiful vellum they had covering their books and the following morning slipped their cleaning lady a properly written note begging for insider info regarding the materials used. I was thrilled when one of the men of the house called me within minutes of my covert operation and generously gave up his trade secret...
My little project would require an X-Acto knife, a cutting mat and a 36" ruler for cutting precise lines...
And, rolls and rolls of vellum all of which were found at Pearl Paint...
My new acquaintance Paul was lucky enough to have one of his assistant's in NYC do all the labor. I, on the other hand, could not keep my help from laying down on the job...
So I called on my old high school book covering talents (minus the doodles of polo ponies and Madison Clark's initials) to get the job done...
I won't lie, it took me weeeeks...
And, naturally the effect was much more striking in Paul and Eric's floor to ceiling built-ins...
But, it dressed up our little Parsons shelf perfectly. And, all my toiling has paid off in compliments and drools received from friends and guests alike...Kindness of Paul Sinclair and Eric Berthold for so generously sharing their design secret. Fingers crossed my pretty covers are holding up well in their storage unit. Hold on tight my lil books, Mummy will hopefully be retrieving you shortly...XXOO
10 March, 2011
Rerun: How To Wear Your Hermès Twilly Orrr Party Piece Trick
A couple of weekends ago, while at Amy's for a girls dinner and movie, she mentioned the old Irish tradition of "party pieces" where each guest brings a talent for entertaining purposes when invited to a gathering. Party pieces may include a song to sing, an instrument to play, a poem to recite, a joke to tell or a jig to dance...
After folding your Twilly in half, lay your arm across the center and then bring the closed side across the underside of your wrist...
Thread the tail ends through the loop of the closed end...
Pull each tail end in opposite directions thus cinching your Twilly or Bandeau...
Flip your arm over, kindly turning a blind eye to my just completed gazillion and one push ups and pull ups bulging veins...
Cross one tail end over the other...
Tie once...
Then twice...
And, voila!
Now you can swank up everything from a Lacoste polo shirt to a linen dress to a jean jacket. Orrr, what you can't see in the above pics, my post P90Xhaustion and 3 miler Nike shorts, Under Armour top and a boatload of sweat...
Kindness of Amy Fahrenkopf for graciously appreciating my lil ole party piece considering the last time she was treated to dinner in Ireland the founder of The Chieftains played his tin whistle, the lovely actress Sarah Bolger sang Desperado and the president of Ireland recited a poem. Yeah, but can they tie a Twilly? XXOO
Noticing Amy's brand new Louis Vuitton Bandeau scarf still in it's bag I gathered my good guest wits about me and whipped out my "party piece" for the evening; an Hermes Twilly scarf wrist tying trick...
After folding your Twilly in half, lay your arm across the center and then bring the closed side across the underside of your wrist...
Thread the tail ends through the loop of the closed end...
Pull each tail end in opposite directions thus cinching your Twilly or Bandeau...
Flip your arm over, kindly turning a blind eye to my just completed gazillion and one push ups and pull ups bulging veins...
Cross one tail end over the other...
Tie once...
Then twice...
And, voila!
Now you can swank up everything from a Lacoste polo shirt to a linen dress to a jean jacket. Orrr, what you can't see in the above pics, my post P90Xhaustion and 3 miler Nike shorts, Under Armour top and a boatload of sweat...Kindness of Amy Fahrenkopf for graciously appreciating my lil ole party piece considering the last time she was treated to dinner in Ireland the founder of The Chieftains played his tin whistle, the lovely actress Sarah Bolger sang Desperado and the president of Ireland recited a poem. Yeah, but can they tie a Twilly? XXOO
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