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My Experience Writing a Family History When I began my search for forgotten ancestors, back in the early 1990s, I did not think I would end up authoring a couple of books and even a blog about that quest. It all began with on-site and on-line archival searches based on my own recollections. Later trips to small towns and remote places (in Venezuela, Colombia, Spain, Germany, and England) often became adventures by themselves. The search even meant probing the arcane records of my DNA. The pursuit continued through many after-dinner conversations with elderly relatives. Those usually wine-fueled events helped clear mental cobwebs and loosen tongues. The letter and email exchanges that followed — and still persist — added personal touches plus historical, political, and social background to the emerging tale. Family reunions and a long-lived family newsletter provided opportunities to distribute reports on the ancestral research and to get feedback. The first book project arose from the resulting hoard of essays and initially had the extended family as the sole intended audience. After a few years, I had in my hands a 450-page tightly-typed manuscript in Spanish. Entre Piedras y Papeles is both a narrative and a database with many photographs and extensive documentation. Towards the end of that book, I state: "We become vague remembrances to our grandchildren and unconscious 'forgets' to theirs, except perhaps for those memories we – either on purpose or by chance – plant along the way…" What memory could I plant? I decided I would meet those future generations more than halfway — by writing a book in their mother tongue. Rather than a straight translation into English, it had to be a lighter reading that preserved the spirit of the original book: Rescuing Ancestral Memories. Encounters after the Sunset is a 200-page collection of biographical sketches of a few fading ghosts in my ancestral tree and side-branches, as well as "…an epic story, spanning three continents and as many centuries." The two books on family history earned first place recognition in non-fiction at the 2016 and 2018 International Latino Book Awards (ILBA). Now, I have ahead of me the writing of a Spanish version of those Encuentros tras el Ocaso. Come join us at the Writers' Club meetings on the second Tuesday of the month in the RCN Conference Room at 1:30 pm. ~ Ricardo Suárez-Gärtner, resuarezg@aol.com FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | NOVEMBER 2019 41 The rainbow is a powerful symbol that represents beauty, balance, peace, and hope. As such, we believe it is a perfect representation for our group. We are residents of Four Seasons Beaumont who also happen to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. The rainbow is so perfect because it really fits our group's diversity in terms of race, gender, ages, and beliefs. While we strive to serve the interests of our members, we do welcome all supportive homeowners and encourage everyone to attend any of our functions. We believe you'll enjoy our company. Everyone leads busy lives (even at our age!) and we often find it difficult to stay connected with our neighbors. Therefore, the Rainbow Group has get-togethers, usually on the fourth Thursday of each month, in The Lodge Game Room at 6 pm. Due to conflicts with Thanksgiving and holiday parties in December, we will have a combined holiday party, pot luck style, most likely in early December. For details on date, time and location, please visit the Four Seasons Pride Facebook page. Our get-togethers are mostly informal social gatherings which give members an opportunity to meet new neighbors, catch up on member and community activities or news, and just chat — no stuffy agenda items, roll calls, or minutes for us! The Rainbow group also hosts other periodic gatherings for socializing, such as LGBT-themed movie nights in The Lodge Theater, and other events the group may sponsor. Maybe you'd even like to suggest your own activity for the group — we are always open to new ideas. Please direct any questions to Dale at (951) 797-0364, dalebeckes@gmail.com or on Facebook, search for Four Seasons Beaumont Pride. ~ Dale Beckes Rainbow Group Writers' Club

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