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Trip to California - May 21-25, 2011

This was a trip that I made to California with my youngest son Luke. My mother was going to Colorado to visit my Sister Teresa and then on to California to see 5 of her 6 Brothers. Luke had expressed an interest in going, but he wasn't out of School until the California leg and the more I thought about it, the more interest I had to see my Uncles, many of which were approaching 90 years of age (Maurice is 92). I had not seen them in about 23 years. I had wanted to visit them this Summer with the entire family, but the expenses involved with 5 persons was making the decision difficult. Pam encouraged me to go, so off we went. It was a Grand Trip which both Luke and I really enjoyed. I was dissapointed that I wasn't able to see my Aunt Sylvia and Uncle Bob, but we made the best of it. A visit to my cousin Julia yielded some priceless documents. Her father Maurice (92) was in World War II in 1943 and created a diary and photo album. The pictures can be found below and are priceless for our family heritage.

Click on the Photos below to go to the respective Gallery and see the rest of the photos.
The DeVone House

This was my Cousin Adam DeVone's House where Luke and I stayed. Adam is married to Sheryl and has 2 sons, Addison & Austin. I grew up as a young child (between the ages of 6-11) living a few doors down from where Adam, his sister Yvonne and his parents Bob and Sylvia lived. So my twin brother David and I ended up spending a good bit of time with Adam. Bob was the guy that actually introduced me to fishing and everyone knows where I went with that. I still remember being entranced with his fishing stories. We met Addison and Austin for the first time seeing how accomplished and well rounded individuals they are. The entire family were such gracious hosts and made our trip so memoriable.
Family Pictures

This is where I have collected several of my family pictures. These are ones that I took during the trip. I also compiled some of the older relic pictures in a different folder shown below in the next Gallery.
Family Pictures - Old Relics

These are some older family pictures, many of which came from the visit to Julia.
Maurice Voce - World War II Diary - Priceless

These are photos of my Uncle Maurice's World War II Diary dated 1943. Reading it reveals some incredible experiences. Coupled with his Photo Album and you can make quite a Movie!

1982 Manila Visit Diary

Old Newspaper Clippings on Maurice

Click Here to see all the content from our visit to Julia's.
Maurice Voce - 1940's Photo Album Relic - Priceless

These are photos of my Uncle Maurice's Photo Album that encompasses much of his World War II Military Career. The content is priceless and reveals much of his remarkable experiences. Couple this with his War Diary and you can make quite a Movie!

Some Family Tree Documents

Julia & Maurice's 2010 Cruise to Italy

Click Here to see all the content from our visit to Julia's.
Lake Havasu - May 24, 2011

This was our visit to Lake Havasu.
Surfing in California

We took a few hours out to check out the California Waves. Addison showed Luke how it was done. Luke tried to hold his own and he did OK.... for a Mississippi Boy.
Ugo Voce's Italian Reference Book

This was a book recently published by my Uncle Ugo. It is a reference dictionary completely in Italian which gives the dialect for the region of Cutro where they are from. It is a lifelong accomplishment and a very desired book in that region.
Miscellaneous Photos from California - May 2011

These are some miscellaneous photos from throughout our Trip. I hope you enjoy them.
Joseph M Lombardi Paintings - 1914

These are some paintings done by my Great Great Grandfather Joseph M Lombardi who painted a Church in Holyoke, Massachussetts in 1914. He did these paintings as well as the Ceiling and walls of the Church. I remember visiting this church with my father when I was around 8 years old and he took many slides. These pictures were taken by my Cousin Eugene (Uncle Carl's Son) who just arrived from his trip to Massachussetts the last day of our visit.


  © Photos Posted by Mark P Miller