A Final Word On The Road To Little Dribbling

I have just finished reading an advance reading copy of Bill Bryson's new book The Road to Little Dribbling and thoroughly enjoyed it.  It is a sequel of sorts to his book Notes from a Small Island, and I heartily recommend it to anyone who enjoys witty armchair travel.  Interestingly enough, one of the towns he travels to is Blackpool, once a very popular English seaside resort but now experiencing hard times.  This was the town where my Aunt Elsie, my mother's sister-in-law (on the right in the photo above), her sister Margaret, and their mother, known as Grandma Blackburn (third from the right) emigrated from just after World War I. That war devastated most of Europe, and resulted in a massive loss of life.  The family moved to Cleveland for a better life, and my Uncle Bill, my mother's brother (on the left) and Elsie eventually met and got married.  Also in the photo are my Grandmother Spillard (second from the right), my cousin Judy (in front on the left) and cousin Linda (in front on the right).  I don't remember Grandma Blackburn, by the way, but my sister does, and remembers that she always used to call her Grandma Blackbird.  Who could object to that? Grandma Blackbird from Blackpool.