Family Ties
Virginia Hood
2007
It was 23 June 2007 that our family ties stretched across the ocean as Hood, MacEwan, and McGavin cousins met for the first time.
My husbands father, Andrew Hood, was born and raised in Mauchline, Ayrshire. He sailed to the United States as a young man and never returned to Scotland. Eventually, my husband, also Andrew but known as Allan, had the opportunity to visit there while on a business trip and met his Scottish family. After that we made several trips across and some of them came to our home.
We were planning our visit in 2007 when one of our sons announced that he and his wife would be attending a computer conference in Dundee and planned to bring their children. As the plans spread through the family, others decided to go also. A son who lives in Kiev, Ukraine, said he would fly in with his wife and daughter. Tom and Jean MacEwan took on the task of arranging a meeting. Many trans-Atlantic messages went back and forth until it was settled that the grand reunion would take place at the home of Angus MacEwan in Glenduckie near St. Andrews.
On that special day even the weather could not dampen the excitement. Twenty-five people, ages 3 to 73, happily crowded into the cottage. Imagine our joy as we met our Kiev family for the first time in two years! Older eyes grew misty as grandparents and grandchildren, brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts hugged and kissed. Three year old Victoria from Kiev took an instant liking to six year old Cameron from New York. Eight year old Thomas from Chicago talked sports with eleven year old Rory from Glenduckie. All the youngsters piled on a bed to watch a video while groups of adults talked and talked in constantly changing clusters.
It rained so hard that even the Scots felt they must apologize! Angus and Tommy held umbrellas over the grill to shield the salmon and sausages from the rain. When the skies cleared for a few moments, everyone hurried out to the garden for photographs. Then Rory and Dougal showed their talent on the pipes, a music form new to most of the American children.
Three generations from three countries, and nine towns, had a glorious, magical, memorable Day Like This.
