Time Machine Travelogue Sixteen

A Sentimental Journey

The gift of fire leads to time travel.

The time machine has not been taken out from its hiding place for sometime now.  There is no real reason.  The time machine has preformed quite well for all the previous trips.  Many of these trips were related to a trip that was an eighth grade field trip.  It is hard to call it a trip of a lifetime because the twins will have lots of lifetime left and there will be plenty of future trips.  However sadly, we will not be so involved in those trips.  The trip started in Washington D.C. and then moved on to New York City.  We had only a short time in New York City but it was action packed.  Time's Square and a night at the theater to see Wicked was covered in Time Travelogue Fifteen.  After a late night, we had an early date with history.  Both our nation's history but our family's history.


As the family story goes, my grandfather wanted his mother to fry left over spaghetti for his breakfast.  She was a bit of a purest and refused to fry that spaghetti for him.  At the time, according to the story, my grandfather lived at home with his family in Naples, Italy.  He was the youngest son in the family.  He was also the seventh son.  He was a bit spoiled by his own admission.  However, his mother could not bring herself ruining spaghetti by frying it.  Some may say why didn't he just do it himself.  In those days of the early 1900's neither man nor boy was allowed in the kitchen.   My grandfather was twelve years old.  So as any red blooded Italian boy living in a seaport city like Naples would do,  he packed a few meager items and arranged passage on a ship bound for America.  For his passage he worked on the ship as a tailor.  This was his trade that he was apprenticing for.  When we went on that eighth grade field trip, we took a ferry to Ellis Island.  Being on that boat, I could only imagine that those sights were what my grandfather saw when he arrived in America.  Sure the New York City skyline has changed but other things would be the same.  Sailing into New York harbor there is one thing that every visitor and immigrant is greeted with, the Statue of Liberty. Being on the ferry boat crossing the water the Statue of Liberty is awe inspiring.  Lady Liberty is symbol that drew people from around the World.  Just looking at the statue evokes a range of emotions.  I felt pride in my country and in my grandfather.  Here on the ocean, he looked at this same beautiful sight.  A tear greeted my eye.  The gray water of that harbor was no longer cold.  It a warm bond of family feelings passing between my grandfather to my children.  I'm sure the Statue of Liberty has that in common for many American families.  We were unable to visit the Statue of Liberty that day there wasn't time.  But sailing by it had even a stronger emotional affect.  

What were our grandparents thoughts see her for the first time.

"She lifts her lamp before the Golden Door."

Even from the ferry she is awesome.

My grandfather's eye shared this sight.

I imagine a young boy far from home looking at this sight.  He always said that he never left anything there so he never wanted to go back to Italy.  He had a trade and there were many shops in need of a tailor.  Customarily, immigrants landing at the port of New York were ferried back out to Ellis Island to start the immigration process.  As we pulled closer to Ellis Island and I saw the silhouette of the buildings, I knew that this is the sight he saw so many years before.

What happened here every immigrant worried if they were going stay.

Towering freedom's hopes.

This was America's Melting Pot.

My grandfather's face could be staring back here.

Those many years ago my grandfather and others trod on these very same floors.  He could have been like any of these men in this picture.  When the United States entered the War to End All Wars, what we now call World War I, he signed up for the duration.  In those days, immigrants who were signed up for the duration were offered citizenship.  As the story goes, he was asked his trade by the Army.  He said that he was a tailor.  The supposedly said, "You are good with scissors.  You'll be a barber."  They trained him to do that.  Which was funny because in later life he was nearly bald.  

Like our country a flag woven immigrants.

At Ellis Island, they have the registrars that people were signed into.  We didn't have time to research, and it was crowded.  They did have this flag project that I thought was interesting.  So many American share this history with our family.  I wish I had found out about others in my family and their arrival to our shores.  If there are first person witnesses to your history,  check it out it may be interesting.  The time machine is ready for return to our time.  Thanks for the time spent together.