Timeshare Rip Off

My husband and I own a timeshare with RHG Vacation Club. We received a letter yesterday from the vacation club regarding a retirement program. They referred to a letter that had been previously sent but was never received by us. They stated in their letter that even though they are not selling any more memberships, they still have enough inventory for existing membership and would only make it available to the membership.

I have a problem with their statement. There has been a number of times when we wanted to book there to spend and this would have been after the long weekend in September for a vacation or a weekend in the spring so that I could attend a family history conference in the area, but we could not get the booking. My husband has a job where he just cannot go at any time. We have to choose the time carefully so that we don’t end up with a booking that we cannot use. Consequently, we have not been able to use their facilities. We have not been asking to use it in the middle of summer or during the Christmas holidays. We have been asking to use it when the kids are back to school and they should have lots of bookings. No, even to get that booking we have to book a year in advance.

Enough about that. Back to the letter.

The second thing that I don’t like about this letter is that they are willing to let people “retire” their membership for a fee of over $3000.00. They are not purchasing the memberships back, but they want people to pay this money to be able to leave the membership. The following is a quote from the letter:

“Our retirement program is available to all our Membership as outlined in our previous letter” (which we never received) “the cost to retire your Membership and have no further obligations is $3,100.00 and has been extended to April 15^th, 2016 at which time it will increase to $3,500.00.”

I called them today to find out more about the letter that we never received and to clarify what they were saying. I was told that because we purchased our timeshare and are paying for it over a lengthy period of time, that we were not eligible for this offer. If we wanted to take advantage of this offer, we would have to pay the remaining balance AND the fee to retire the membership. Furthermore, the person that I was speaking to said that this mostly applied to members that had purchased their membership many years ago and were not using their membership because they were to old to do so. I have friends that are in their 60s, 70s and 80s that are still very active. So, by targeting this group, they are choosing to target people whose income is not what it used to be and expect them to come up with a sum that some of them may not be able to raise so quickly.

Imagine, a company that is supposed to be set up to give quality vacations, does not have enough space to give everyone that quality vacation on even a three-months notice, expecting to receive money from people who are treated in this way. Are they ever out to lunch. They have a bad reputation already. They do not like to look into any complaints because it will cost them money that they do not want to spend.

If RHG Vacation Club was so concerned about the seniors that don’t use their memberships, they should look into why they don’t and perhaps, either buy them out or provide special weeks when the resort is only open to the membership who are in this category.

We have paid the monthly payment and the maintenance fees for every year, but have only been able to use one of the resorts after the “free” weekend. This was not always because of not having enough money for the time that we were there, but it was mostly because of the fact that we could not get the booking that we wanted. The last time that I tried to book to get into the facility, we had to go through RCI even though we had our membership. If we had been able to get our booking, we also would have had to pay for housekeeping which the maintenance fee was supposed to cover.

When you go on a free weekend somewhere, check out the place before you go. If you buy into a timeshare like this one, you will have to pay maintenance fees. The company will not take loss of income for a reason to give up your obligation.

Winters of 1817 and 2014

I originally wrote this in February 2014.

The winter of 2014 was a colder winter in Petawawa than it had been for the previous couple of years.  Yes, in previous winters, there were a few days of minus 30 degree or lower temperatures in January.  In 2014, the colder temperatures started in December over the Christmas holidays.  My husband and I were in the Niagara Region for the holidays and came home to find that the battery in the vehicle left behind was frozen solid.

This year was our first winter in Gander. I had been told to expect warmer winter temperatures than Petawawa, but the winter was longer, there was much more snow, and the summer shorter and cooler than what I had experienced in the upper Ottawa Valley.

2014’s cold weather has made me think about how my ancestors may have coped with similar weather. 

My fourth-great-grandfather, Edward Farrell, arrived in Canada and received his land assignment in August of 1817.  He had to build a cabin before winter.  He was fortunate that he had two sons with him as well as his wife.  They also had to be sure of their fuel supply.  Edward had been in the British Army for at least the previous 10 years and spent time on mainland Europe involved with the Napoleonic wars.  I haven’t looked for his military records yet or the regiment’s records, but I am relatively sure that he would have been involved with scrounging for necessities.

Another fourth-great-grandfather, Joseph Armstrong, had a different situation in 1817.  Joseph was a farmer in Cumberland, England, and had been on the same land for over twenty years and all of his children had been born there.  The Napoleonic Wars were over and the British economy had taken a down turn.  Farmers could not sell their crops and, therefore, some of them could not meet their financial obligations.  Joseph was one of them.  He did not lose his farm until 1819, but things would have been tight except for any help the older children could give.

I think of Edward and his family in a cabin that they built themselves, which may have had a lot of drafts and not enough fuel.  I also think of Joseph and his wife, Mary, and the children not old enough to be on their own, facing the cold winters of the Borderlands, with not enough money to be certain of keeping their relatively comfortable home.  Edward’s situation did nothing but improve, while Joseph’s degraded to loss of his farm.  My ancestors did survive the cold winters.  So can I.

The Drive Home

Earlier today, I drove into Grand Falls-Windsor from Gander. It usually takes approximately an hour to do so. I had a number of things that I needed to attend to, the last of which was to watch a recording of the women’s session of General Conference for church which took place last Saturday. If there is a broadcast slated for anything after 6 pm Central Time, we make arrangements to get together within a few days to watch the video. Since today was the day that we planned to do this, I decided to go into Grand Falls-Windsor to do the other things that I had to do. A couple of them did not take very long, but another visit that I wanted to do would take perhaps an hour, maybe more. I was able to complete the smaller tasks, but, unfortunately, I was not able to do the last task. Someone else was to be involved with it and, because I had a problem contacting this person, I was not able have a meeting with her.

In the meantime, Samantha called me to see if I could give her a ride to the Chapel on my way in. She did not realize that I was already there and we made arrangements for me to meet her at her house.

Because we have a member that lives in Gander but spends part of her workweek in Grand Falls-Windsor, the decision was made to have a potluck supper before watching the video so that Evelyn would not have to go all the way to Gander and back. Evelyn was looking forward to this activity. However, something came up so that she was unable to attend.

Samantha and I had a good visit while we were waiting for others to arrive. We had five women ready to sit down when we received confirmation of Cathy coming. We felt that we would not have enough for all of us, so the decision was made to order in a pizza. Cathy arrived just as we were ready to eat, so we started with what we had and the pizza arrived about 15 minutes later. We finished our meal with banana bread, maple mini cupcakes, and apple pie.

Within 15 to 20 minutes, we had everything cleaned so that we wouldn’t have to do it late and started the video. It was agreed that all of us enjoyed it. It was worth the effort that we made.

We walked out of the door about 8:30 pm and were greeted with about a half inch of snow on the ground. The car had to be cleaned off. I took Cathy and Samantha home, which was easy as they live on the same street. Then Henriette and I started the drive back to Gander. That’s when the “fun” started. It was dark. The snow was blowing. The road was potentially slippery. Most of the trip was done at less than 80 kilometers per hour with a good chunk of time at just under 70 kilometers per hour. There was a couple of spots that I could go as high as 95 to 100 kilometers per hour. What should have taken approximately an hour took at least 90 minutes to do. We finally reached Gander and both gave a sigh of relief. We were blessed.

The next time this happens, I am going to a motel and calling my husband to tell him not expect us back until the next day.

Be Careful What You Say, You May Have to Eat Your Words

Be careful what you say.  This may be something you may hear in time of war.  There are other times you may hear this, such as, the hearing of a family secret that you don’t want generally known.

A few years ago, I have learned that this also applies to family history.  I was talking to a friend when we were travelling back to Petawawa from Ottawa together.  We were talking about family history.  Some of her background is French Canadian.  I told her that I could guarantee that I had no French Canadian blood.

Boy, was I wrong.  The following week, I felt that I should do some work on my mother’s line and started entering in some information on her father’s line.  I had been told that it was my great-grandfather, her grandfather, who came from Ireland and settled in the Perth area.  Well, that was not true.  It was my 2x great-grandfather, Thomas Farrell, who came to Canada.  His son, Francis, married Mary Ann Jackman from Bathurst Township, Lanark County.  Mary Ann’s grandmother was Eliza Fournier, born in Louiseville, Quebec.

Eliza’s family had moved to Lanark County, and Eliza married Ottawa Valley Irish as many French Canadians did.  Eliza’s ancestry in Quebec goes back to the early 1630’s and 1640’s.  I have still to do a thorough investigation of the family ties.

I have spent some time researching the Perth military settlement and looking for my ancestors who were affected by this move by the British government at the time. Prior to starting my research, I had wondered why Eliza’s family moved from Louiseville to what is now Lanark County. As part of my research, I learned that her father, Jean Baptiste Fournier, and her brother, Jean Baptiste Fournier, both had served in the British army for a number of years including the duration of the War of 1812. This military service earned 100 acres for each of them and were fortunate enough to each have one half of the same lot.

I mentioned in earlier that Eliza married an Irishman. His name was John Jackman and emigrated to this area in 1820. He purchased land from one of the soldiers who fulfilled all of the requirements for a grant and had his paperwork in order.  Their eldest son married Mary Katherine Farrell who was a granddaughter of Edward Farrell. Edward is an interesting person. He also served in the British army but instead of fighting in the War of 1812, he fought in the Napoleonic Wars.

When I first met Joyce, she was greeting me at church on my first time there as a member of the congregation. I felt that there was a relationship that went beyond friendship there, but I didn’t know why I felt that way. I felt the same thing with her daughter, Denise.

About a year after the trip to Ottawa, Joyce asked me to help her with her family history.  A different friend had helped her by doing a draft.  As I went through the material that she provided, I saw a familiar name.  I checked it out on my tree and examined her line closely.  I found out that we are related.  I have been attending church over the past 4 years thinking that Joyce and Denise were friends but not realizing that they were family!!  My seventh cousin twice removed is related to many on Alumette Island and has relations throughout the area. It’s quite astonishing to find that you are related, albeit distantly, to someone who has a heritage in an area where you thought that you had no relatives.  

Joyce and I are close in age and it made a big difference to me to have a family member where I had never anticipated having one. Joyce and I became closer in our friendship because of the familial relationship that we found. We never hesitated in helping each other out. I am hoping that Joyce can visit us here in Newfoundland.

As I said earlier, you need to be careful about what you say as you will never know when you may have to eat those words. And, hopefully, it will be a good reason why you have to eat them.

What Easter Means to Me

Today is Easter in the Christian calendar. Have you ever thought about what Easter means to you?

Easter may mean family gatherings, the yearly visit of the Easter bunny with his basket of chocolate, going to church before going for the Easter egg hunt if you didn’t hunt for the eggs on Saturday, among other things.

How many people really know the significance of Easter? How many people have chosen to turn away from that significance, saying that it’s not a part of their lives?

Approximately 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ was put to death on the cross at Golgotha just outside of Jerusalem and the day before the Sabbath. It was the day after the Passover feast. Three days later, He rose from the dead, never to die again.

Part of the mission of Jesus Christ was to break the hold that death has on us. Jesus Christ was the first person to be resurrected and He fulfilled God’s plan. The resurrection was never intended to be the Atonement. The resurrection was intended to be just that. It is a free gift from Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to all of mankind. It doesn’t matter whether you were rich or poor, arrogant or humble, a murderer or a righteous person. Every one has to experience death. But, because of Jesus Christ, our bodies will be perfected and we will be able to experience life eternal.

Between death and resurrection, we will continue to exist in spiritual form. In spirit form? you ask. Doesn’t life end with death? Life as we currently know it does end with death. Have you ever felt the presence of your grandparent or parent after they passed on? I have.

You might ask for scientific proof. You could google for scientific proof and there will be a list of websites giving proof. But, how would you feel if you found a website that proves the opposite? A great many people say that there is no meaning to life. Everything started with the big bang theory. I am not going to change your mind about that.

I believe that there is life after death in a place where we will dwell as spirits until it is time for us to reunite with our bodies. I believe that we will then have perfected bodies that will not corrupt and that we will not be separated from our bodies again. I also believe that I will be able to be with my family and my ancestors and that we were meant to be in family units. I believe that when I pass from this world, my ancestors and the family that left this existence before myself will be there to greet me.

This is what Easter means to me. 

Your Cemetery Tool Kit

A couple of days ago, I wrote about the wealth of information that a headstone could hold. I also mentioned that, sometimes, headstones need to be cleaned before you can read it. Today, in preparation for spring, I want to pass on information that I learned about in 2012. I wrote the following in December of 2011 for publication in a newsletter in 2012.

During the snows and cold of the Canadian winter, it is difficult to visit the final resting places of our ancestors to gather information about them.  These visits must be done during the good weather of the spring, summer and fall.

As many of you know, you will need to prepare to visit a cemetery so that you will get the most of your visit.  This preparation can be done during the cold winter months.  The first piece of information that you will need to find your ancestor is “where is the dear one buried?”   Bits of information that will help you with this are things like:

Where was his residence?

What Church did he belong to?

Was there a family plot?

Is there a published family history?

What cemeteries are in the area?

Now, you think that you may have your ancestor located.  Are you ready to go to find his final resting place?  The groundskeepers do not have the time to look after individual headstones, so you need to be prepared for this. 

Part of your preparation for your trip is your tool kit.  Why do I need a toolkit, you say.  I have gone to a few cemeteries without one and regret it every time.  You don’t need much, but here are some items that will help with the success of your trip.

Notebook and pens or pencils (for copying the inscription)

Carpenter’s apron (handy way of carrying your equipment)

Gardener’s knee pads (to pad your knees when kneeling)

Garden shears (to trim grass and weeds)

Whisk broom (to remove trimmed grass, weeds, and dirt)

Sponge and water (to rinse the headstones)

Sunscreen or Sunblock

Non-ionic detergent and a white soft-bristled brush

Moist towelettes

Bug Repellent

Camera (Film or Digital)

We have learned over the past few years that great care must be taken with cleaning headstones.  They are delicate artifacts that give valuable information about our family.  We must learn non-abrasive ways of maintaining these treasures for future generations of our families.

Good Friday – What Does It Mean to You?

It’s Good Friday, today. It’s the beginning of the Easter weekend. I know what it means to me, but sometimes I wonder what it means to other people.

Growing up, it did not mean very much to me. It was a day off school and the beginning of a long weekend. Easter meant chocolate eggs. There was no thought about the significance of Easter. Even now, Easter isn’t Easter without chocolate.

One of my memories of Good Friday as a teenager was spending it at the home of friends of mine. My sister was also there. It just so happened that the friends were daughters of an Anglican minister who ministered to our parish. Their mother had a tradition of making hot cross buns every Good Friday and feeding them to whomever came to spend time with them on that day. Her buns were fabulous and I have absolutely no idea how many I ate that day.

Another Good Friday memory that I have from when I was much younger, is of my mother cooking fish. Fish was not very common in our house at that time. In fact, it was very rare. I have no idea why. I had asked my mother why she was cooking fish and she told me that it was because that it was Good Friday. I still did not understand why. She tried to explain it to me but I think that I might have been too young to understand.

As I grew older, I learned about what Good Friday was supposed to be about, according to the Anglican Church. At that time, however, it was a day off school, maybe go to church for an hour and then do whatever I want.

Over the years, I have learned the true meaning of Good Friday. It is not a government holiday but it is a religious holy day. It is meant to bring people together to think about and discuss the death of Jesus Christ and the Atonement that He performed for us. A great many people think that the Atonement was performed on the cross.

The Atonement as explained by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints states:

“As used in the scriptures, to atone is to suffer the penalty for sins, thereby removing the effects of sin from the repentant sinner and allowing him or her to be reconciled to God. Jesus Christ was the only one capable of carrying out the Atonement for all mankind. Because of His Atonement, all people will be resurrected, and those who obey His gospel will receive the gift of eternal life with God.”

 (https://www.lds.org/topics/atonement-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng)

As I said earlier, many people believe that the Atonement was performed on the cross. I don’t believe that it was done there, but instead, I believe that the time that Christ spent in the Garden of Gethsemane, He worked out the Atonement. As it reads in the New Testament:

“ 39 ¶And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the  Mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.

 40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.

 41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s 

cast, kneeled down, and prayed,

 42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup 

from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

 43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven,

strengthening him.

 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: 

and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

Luke 22: 39 – 44

(https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/luke/22?lang=eng)

Here, it says, right in the New Testament, that Christ sweat great drops of blood. Why would this happen unless He was taking the sins of all of the people of the world, past, present, and future, and paying the price for them so that if they would only believe in Him and follow His laws, then they would be able to return to our God and live with God and Jesus Christ throughout the eternities.

Let it suffice that we can read these things in the scriptures.

Some of you may not believe the way that I do. That’s alright. It is not my place to tell you that you are wrong in your beliefs. My object in this is to present a slightly different slant than you think and ask that you think about it. I hope that you observed Good Friday in the manner that you feel comfortable with.