Just have to tell the Walkers how beautiful Jones is and we're so happy to be able to watch him grow and not have to drive to North Carolina! thank you again ,Ann. His great grandmother Lala is up there watching the gang and great Papa. what do your grands call you and Al? Now the purpose of tonights blog is to tell you everything I can remember about my father and your grandfather, Curtis Echols Rippetoe Sr. He was a handsome man who stood straight and tall his entire life. I never saw him in any thing but white shirt aand tie . Even when he went hunting (he did take the tie off) Curtie can tell you more about that because he went with him. He was a Baptist and graduate of a business school un Charleston. He was a bookkeeper and auditor all his life. worked for Owens Illinois Glass in Kanawha City during the depression. a coal mine and ended as Auditor for the state of WVa. I worked for him the year I met Bill. He was very quiet and I remember making him smile by dancing and being crazy. Either with Lala or a friend in neighborhood. He loved cars and his father George Rippetoe and sons (Curtis and Willow) had an agency in Richwood, W.Va. Wish I could remember the name of the man who knocked the props out from under them. don't think Daddy ever trusted a person the rest of his life. soooo my next blog will be on his wife , our beloved mother Anna (Nana). Come on Rippetoe blood ---come forth!! wishing all health and happiness for now love you all to pieces Ruthie

Alfred Jones Walker IV

Our newest grandson came home from the hospital last week and what a joyous occasion for all. Ashley and Trip ( Mom and Dad), although tired as all new parents are, are doing great with the new baby.

Jones was born January 3, 2010 by an emergency C-section; he was 8 weeks early and weighed 2 pounds 3 oz. So tiny yet even from the beginning a strong little boy. Trip said he came screaming into the world. Ashley had developed something called H.E.L.L.P Syndrome which is a serious complication of pregnancy that has only been diagnosed in recent years. Everyone should be aware of the symptoms as it is very dangerous and is often masked as another less serious isolated condition.

Immediately after birth, Jones was transferred to the NICU at Mission Hospital (Asheville NC).  Fortunately, Trip and Ashley are living in Asheville as Jones spent the next 8+ weeks in the hospital. What seemed at the beginning like an eternity, and I know was a very long time for Jones' parents, passed moderately with much help from friends and family; their church family was amazing offering prayers, support and providing dinners nearly every night for at least 6 weeks. One thing for certain Trip and Ashley did not go hungry with some of the best gumbos, casseroles, and salads that anyone has ever tasted thoughtfully prepared and appearing nightly on their doorstep.  This was such a tremendous help as it allowed them to spend the days at the hospital with Jones, come home rest and get ready for the following day. It is also a reminder to me how I need to be more thoughtful when friends are undergoing certain traumas in their lives. The cards, the casseroles really do make a difference!

The neo natal units are amazing. The one at Mission Hospital serves all of western North Carolina and a portion of Tennessee. Again, how fortunate that Trip and Ashley were in a community where they had the best medical care available to both mother and baby. The NICU is quite large and can accommodate maybe 60 babies. The nurses are highly skilled, most have decades of experience with premature babies so they offer reassurance to parents and grandparents when the buzzers go off and the alarms start ringing. Almost immediately after Jones' birth, Trip and Ashley were able to hold this wee infant by a technique called kangarooing. The baby is placed bare skin against bare skin on the Mother or Dad's chest, and they would sit for as long as two hours at a time holding him against their warm bodies. I am certain that this has enormous benefits to the development of the baby and surely survival.

After birth, Jones dropped some weight which is typical; he was weighed in grams and weighed less than 2 pounds for a short time. Even from birth he had perfect little hands, long skinny legs and huge feet, taking after Trip and Al with their adult size 13 feet. He had lots of dark hair, his skin was so translucent that you could see his veins and because there is no fat under the skin, it was stretched tightly over his little bones. He was so tiny, you could hold him in one hand; his first diapers were so small that they would not even fit a baby doll. In the beginning the medical team doesn't want too much stimulation so you can touch the babies but you are not supposed to stroke them. They want the babies to rest quietly so that they will continue to develop without any trauma or stimulation. Although there were a few scary times, for the most part Jones progressed and we are so grateful that he did not have many of the problems babies born at 31 weeks can encounter. He had a blood transfusion, which is not uncommon as premature babies don't make their own blood, and Trip said it amounted to only something like a few teaspoons. Still scary. ( If I don't have all the facts correct, I know that Trip and Ashley will help me correct things.)

Then, when he finally reached about 5 pounds and approaching his gestation birth date of March 8, he was put in a transition room where he was only connected to a few monitors. Ashley and Trip were now able to stay with him 24/7 and began taking care of him as if they were home yet knowing there was nursing care just outside if a problem arose. Still so tiny, the hospital is carefully monitoring the blood saturation levels and Jones had to refine his ability to breathe and nurse simultaneously. Soon he would be ready to come home. After about a week in the transition room, the doctors were telling Mom and Dad they could begin preparing for Jones' homecoming.

On Thursday March 11, Jones came home. He weighed 5 pounds 6 ounces and was 17 inches. He is gaining weight every day and doing great. His most recent doctor's appointment showed everything to be progressing normally, as if he had been born at full term.We are continually amazed at the miracle of excellent medical care, the neo natal specialists and the wonder of prayers. And, the nurturing care of loving parents.

I love having great memories of hearing tales about "those Rippetoe girls"!!! So proud to be part of that family that everyone obviously adored and thought so very much of. I am Ruth and Bill's other child, Lynn Custis Green Lewis - married the boy next door, Larry Lewis. I have memories of great times living in Charleston, WV and playing with cousins and visiting during holidays and being one of the younger ones, totally in awe of my older cousins! We certainly have spread out across the country - er, world! LOL! Dad changed jobs and the Greens moved to Louisville KY the summer before I started 6th grade and Bill was a junior in high school. I remember Bill Currence visiting while he was at Ft. Knox, Lala and Bob would come visit often, and soon families were moving everywhere. Sessy moved to Myrtle Beach, Curtie and his family moved to Florida, Lala and Bob moved from Observatory Road - wow - there's an address with memories! John saluting to his flag every morning and evening, Lala's little Cutlass convertible, just a short walk over the hill to the Currence's. What fun.
Well, moving on, to continue the Rippetoe clan, I have a son Adam - just married last June and found out that they are expecting in November! and a daugher, Katherine Dorsey Lewis, named for her dad's grandmother, Katherine, and my grandmother, Dorsey. She has a 3 year old - of course adorable - son, Taylor. When my grandson was born, and we were talking about what to call me, I said I had such a wonderful Nana that I would only hope to one day be someone's Nana. So, here I am. Nana.
Hello Rippetoes!!!!!

Green memory

This is so much fun and so happy Ann thought of a way to entertain an old (er) couple!! Too bad we don't have Lala here to help us remember the old timers. My grandfather was George Alexander Rippetoe wass born in Nicholas Co. WVa on Feb 16, 1861. He married Virginia Ramsey in1886. they had 3 children. Curtis, George,Alma.George we all called uncle Willow (his middle name) I have a picture of the grandfather and when I find out how to do that I'll send.Whew so much to do...Curtis Echols Rippetoe Sr. was born in 1887 in Belva, W.Va. was a bookkeeper for Jones Coal Mine and glass plant in Kanawha City and retired as Auditor for state of W.Va. in Charleston, W.Va. He did graduate from a business school in Charleston.He married Anna Dorsey form Lizemore, W.Va. they had four children Mary Virginia (Ginny), Helen (Lala) and the twins Curtis Jr. and Ruth. that's enough to absorb for now but sure will be back with more. Might tell you lots of secrets you don't know about! Hokie, don't you have some of this with you? hope we aren't boring Clara too much. love you all to pieces Ruthie

Hello to the Rippetoe clan. I have not seen anyone for so long, I'm not sure I still know who is who. When I got the email from Ann about starting this blog, I thought it would be a good way to catch up with everyone. The biggest advantage is to get to see some of my relatives that I haven't seen for ages, if at all. Mom (Ruthie) tells me all about everyone in Myrtle Beach or elsewhere and I don't have any faces to put together with the stories. I am posting a picture that we had done last Aug when our youngest, Kevin, was married. He and his wife Teresa are the ones in formal attire. They live in Chicago by the way. Seems like a few of the family has moved to the windy city. I am the grey haired one in the center. My grandson Paul is in front of me and my wife, Kris, is at his right in the black dress. Against the wall just behind me you can see Lynn and her son, Adam and his wife Angela are just down from her also on the wall. I need to find a way to use labels and arrows to indicate who is who. I will work on more identifying as this blog goes on. We also are a dispersed family with one son, Craig and wife Julie (very top to the right of Lynn), living in Parker, Colorado south of Denver. Our daughter, Heather (to Kevin's right) and husband Pat (top with arm on railing), living in Phoenix, AZ. Our other son, Kyle (to my right and between Craig and Julie) lives in Collinsville IL with Rachel (just below Pat). I think the only one not in the picture is Lynn's daughter, Katherine. Our grandchildren are spread out in the picture. The oldest is Torie (in purple dress to my right and behind Kris) and go down to Elyse (smallest in the front). We seem to be traveling west more than to the east coast. I think the last time we went to the east coast was taking Mom and Dad to visit with Ginny in Galax and that was a couple of years ago. If we can get everyone to get on here, I may be able to learn about my family a bit.

BEAU

This has been a sad week for our family as we lost our dog of 13 years to cancer. Beau was a gentle dog, the gentlest ever and was loved by everyone who came in contact with him. Children and adults adored him at once. He was so lovable,asking for nothing just wanting a pat on the head and a scratch behind his ears.

It was about this time 13 years ago when I spotted a posting on the local Walmart bulletin board announcing the sale of puppies that were part black lab and part st. bernard. I couldn't help but wonder what type of puppies these might be. Although we had had our share of cats, hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, fish and I can't remember what else, for a lot of reasons imposed by me, our family had never had a dog. But on this day in April 1997, something suggested that I throw all those reasons aside and convince Al to take a drive to Monroe County and see these puppies. Well no one can look at puppies without coming home with one, especially when they looked like Beau and his siblings. So we were  predestined to select Beau but had to go through the motions of visiting his birthplace, coming home discussing the what-ifs and then making a decision to return for our new puppy.

Monroe County, WV is  known for its rolling rural farmland, meandering streams and beautiful landscapes. It was a warm spring Sunday afternoon, and as we arrived at the farm, we couldn't believe what we saw. Here were 10 of the most precious puppies that you have ever seen. Eight of the puppies looked like labs, black with short hair,  and the other 2 were all black but long haired and looked like newfoundlands.  I don't know why there is not a breed that purposely mixes labs with st. bernards; the puppies were beautiful, they were of a sturdier build than labs, had beautiful broad strong heads and none of the drooling characteristics of a st. bernanrd. Their temperament  is perfect .......Al and I sat in the grass and played with these puppies who would somersault into our laps. Up until just a few months ago Beau would still somersault when he approached someone he knew would pet and scratch him. His mother was the st. bernard and her owners were homesteaders, a nice way of saying hippies from the '70's who had discovered the serenity of making a home in WV and living off the family trust fund. Because all the puppies appeared so carefree, Al and I were convinced that during their formative periods, they had been under the influence of cannabis which surely was present in the household. Because Beau looked like a black bear, his owners had given him the name of Bear which we changed to Beau.

He was such a handsome dog that on two occasions he was actually dognapped. Once by a "rough" family who took him back to their trailer and had him tied outside when Al, Mary Ingles and one of her friends confronted the kidnappers and were able to bring Beau home safely. Quite a story, but too long to re-telll here.

Beau loved his daily walks with Al, a mile+ around the neighborhood including a swim in the pond and chasing the geese and deer. Even with frigid temperatures, Beau would make the plunge into the water. He was always the first to greet anyone pulling into our driveway , standing there ready for a scratch behind the ears. We taught him to talk, "speak Beau" was part of his vocabulary and always elicited a cacophony of pleasant growls. He was a dog of few tricks but say the word "bang" and he'd somersault at your feet. Keep in mind he was 105 pounds. When I was traveling so much, he kept Al company. I was convinced that they had martinis together each night and carried on conversations together. I was sure of this because Beau's vocabulary continued to grow over the years. On those occasions when I was home by myself Beau would always follow me upstairs at night and sleep as close to the edge of the bed as he possibly could.

All children loved him too, he was so big that to them he looked like a small pony. He'd let Ryan and Jack ( Mary Ingles children ages 4 and 2) climb all over him, and only if he grew tired of their poking and prodding would he get up and move to another location.

Losing a pet is difficult and one so much apart of our family for 13 years is especially hard.

We love you Beau; you were the best! What great memories we have.

Smith Family

Well, first of all I must say how excited I am to connect with our family! Ann and I have been "facebooking" back and forth some- I look at her pictures and her daughter Mary Ingels pictures and I love knowing what everyone is doing!!
I am the daughter of Mary Alice Currence Swiger, who is the daughter of Virginia Rippetoe Currence Higgins. My husband, Warren, son Reed( 15) and myself live in Myrtle Beach, SC and so does my mother, Mary Alice. My younger brother, Rob recently moved to Elkhart, Indiana with his wife. they have (2) children. Lawson (2 1/2) and Charlie (girl) ( 3 months).
Some of my strongest and fondest childhood memories are times spent with my Aunt Helen ( LaLa) and my grandmother ( Mere). I was the only kid around for a lonnng time so I was very spoiled and loved all the attention everyone gave me! I remember dancing for everyone after we had family dinners, or LaLa and Mere playing endless games of Concentration card games.
I will update more soon about us Smith & Swigers here in Myrtle Beach but I just wanted to "post" a blog! I am so excited!! Please everyone update us!!
LOVE LOVE to all!

Family Blog

For a very long time I have wanted to establish a family website for all the relatives of the Rippetoe sisters and brother - Ginny, Helen ( Lala), Ruthie and Curtis. For the life of me I am not smart enough to figure out a website even with the help of numerous on line instructions and I am overcome by the options of websites. So, my thought was a family blog.

Growing up in Charleston WV as cousins we were close to each other and had opportunities to visit with everyone. For a long time through my mother I was able to keep up with everyone, maybe not in great detail but did have some idea of where my cousins were, who had children, where their children were etc. but after Mother's stroke it became more difficult to do so. Besides, our extended families were growing, children getting married, having children of their own and my gosh.. we were spread out across the globe.

My children ( Mary Ingles, Trip and Katherine) ask questions now more than before about who is related to whom and how. I have come to realize that we have lost touch with each other and out children. One example was this fall Al and I were in Lexington visiting brother John and Marta and learned that they had met Jonathan Currence, Bill's son, on a trip to Chicago. All these years when I was working and traveling so much, I would make 3-4 trips a year to Chicago and never knew that Jonathan was there. It would have been such fun to meet; who knows we may have cousins who are closer than we think. So, I thought that a family blog might be a way for all of us to reconnect, at least those who want to connect. Facebook was a good starting place and for certain has helped me reconnect with many of you but there are things I'd like to share about my family that I don't want to post for the world to see.

In the beginning I will take the responsibility for the admin functions but everyone can submit their own posts and photos. I am open to suggestions and of course help along the way to make this blog a go to place to keep up with everyone.

Ann