At Home

  Home

Me (Rachel), Patricia, and Isabella.

Isabella is Patricia's daughter (and my goddaughter).

Patricia and I are third cousins. Our great-grandmothers, Mildred and Miriam Clainhance (Kleinhans), respectively, were sisters. They were from Seaford Town, descendants of the original German settlers of 1835.*

This makes Isabella and I third cousins once removed.

Patricia's mother is Margaret and her grandmother is Aunt Vin (who married Uncle Charley). My mother is Pauline (from Baltimore, Maryland) and my grandmother is Aunt Louise (who married Thomas Fong-Tom).

Patricia and I aren't Fong-Toms, but we get counted amongst the Fong-Toms anyways.

 

Isabella Louise Sarju - smiling! (with her mom)
Ram, Patricia, and Isabella.

Ram is the second newest family member. Patricia and Ram were married in the chapel last year (2000). Ram has an electrical parts business (excellent business for the husband of a girl from a hardware family).

Nurse.

Nurse's name is Gaynelle Hoilette. (My mother, Pauline, commands the use of proper, respectful appellations. For instance, she would smack me if I called her "Pauline," so Nurse is "Nurse.")

Nurse is self-taught at the organ/piano and is so good, she plays the organ for services (that's amazing!). Nurse has a cousin, Dolly, who is a baker, and she goes to church with Mr. and Nurse Fung (who must be mentioned) on Sundays.

(Nurse is going to make me go back to school. Which I have no doubt would be good for me. Also, Nurse takes care of Uncle Alvin and everybody, and I would like to know how she makes her sweetened corn drink and coconut biscuits(!).)

 

Chantal, "house dog."

 

Uncle Alvin gardening.

Uncle Alvin is "the man." He runs the "Hotel Fong-Tom" for tourists such as myself. Uncle Alvin is the master gardener and art expert in the family. He is the mastermind behind the pool, the pool house, the chapel, the new ponds, etc. at Craigbank. And he is in charge of all interior decorating efforts there and at the beach house, Hoi Bin (which is just commencing). Although, my father (Uncle Patrick) would probably like me to mention that he designed the bar in the hall (downstairs at Craigbank) and had it built way-back-when.

Two honorary "uncles" come to us via Uncle Alvin: Uncle Albert Huie, the (great) Jamaican painter, and Uncle Stu, who always provides us with much insight into human behavior.

(A small note: It could be that, as a small child, I thought they were all just uncles and they aren't now, nor ever were, uncles. But we can't go without mentioning them as well!)

My favorite painting by Mr. Huie, of course, is the one that Uncle Alvin gave me (and yes, it is an orange flowered tree, the botanical name of which I do not know). My mother, though, is always talking about the portraits Mr. Huie did of a boy, one of which is propped up in my parents' house (all the paintings came down after the Loma Prieta (sp?) earthquake and only two have gone back up on the wall since then).

 

*************************************************************************************
*
But at a second look on the internet, this may not be true!