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The Life From The Roots blog topics have changed several times since I began this blog in 2009. I initially wrote only about the family history I had been working on for 20 years. Years later, I was into visiting gardens, historical homes, churches, libraries that had genealogical collections, historical societies, war memorials, and travel/tourism places. I also enjoy posting autographs and photos of famous people I've met or have seen.

Along with my New England roots, other areas include New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and the Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada.

Please check out the labels on the right side for topics (please note, they need work). Below the labels and pageviews is a listing of my top nine posts, according to Google. Four of them pertain to Lowell, MA. These posts change often because they are based on what people are reading.

Monday, September 1, 2014

Prince Charles and Princess Diana on Veterans Day. See My Photos!



The original date of this post, Thursday, November 12, 2009.

Every once and a while there is an article about Princess Diana, and I'm often reminded of when I saw her in person. Yesterday was the 17th anniversary of her tragic death. This post was written almost five years ago.
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November 11, 1985, three hours was a pretty exciting day. The three-hour wait to get a glimpse of Prince Charles and Princess Diana was worth the effort. I claimed my spot just about 7 AM on a rather nice sunny day in Springfield, Virginia, outside of Washington, DC. The sharpshooters and press were already in place at the mall parking lot, where the couple would soon be. They were going to open an exhibit of British merchandise (I think clothes) at J. C. Penney's. Once the motorcade arrived, everybody was so excited, esp. me, since I was at the barricade, and had a great view as they drove past me. The photos are the proof. Once inside the store, we all patiently waited to see what would happen when they left. Well, they both walk over to the crowds, and a lucky few got to shake their hands. There was a policeman in front of me much of the time, so I couldn't take all the pictures I wanted, he was just in the way. A pretty exciting day for Veterans Day.

The original Photo is below.
Another time, maybe in 1993, I was two blocks from where I worked and had heard that Prince Charles was going to visit the Octagon House in Washington, DC. So at lunch, I went over with a few co-workers and waited a good hour, but he did show up. A quick wave to us, and he went inside. No press, and very little security. But it got better...I left work at 4:00 and walked by the House, thinking that just maybe I'd see him, and I did, with no wait at all. He must have been right on my schedule because as I walked by, he came out of the House. There were only a handful of people, and he waved and said, "hi." I'll always remember his lovely lavender shirt.