Yes, I have been quiet recently. Bear and I picked up stakes in California and moved to Arizona where we bought 2.04 acres and are going to build a house on it. Moving was an ordeal to say the least. We had a 28' trailer loaded to the brim and had a driver bring it to Arizona and also we brought back two 16 foot trailer loads on our own. Kimberly (my daughter) and her boyfriend, Bruce, plus my son David and his friend Armen helped us do all the heavy moving. Well, anyway, here it is 4 weeks on Saturday since we arrived in Arizona with all our worldly belongings and we are just finally getting settled in to our Mobile Home (our temporary dwelling). Bear worked on drawing up the house plans and as of today, we had the plans approved by the Camp Verde Planning Department and we purchased our building permit. So we're ready to break ground as soon as we get the land graded a bit more to make room on the top of our little hill overlooking our little green Valley to build our home....a 1500 square foot 2 bedroom, 2 bath, with a large 4 carport covering and attached "hobby" room....half for me and half for Bear, so I can have a great place to work on my stained glass windows. The past couple of days we have been busy straightening out the temporary tool shed getting Bear's tools are organized so he can begin building. So, yes, we have been very busy. I finally was able to dig out all my family history stuff and have the boxes in the house now. I haven't received the most recent stuff Florence sent yet. I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of those papers. She did send me a package earlier, some time before we left California, but since March 1st, we've been busy running back and forth between California and Arizona to purchase the land and close on it, and then back to California to sell the Duplex there--and that was quite a job too--had to put a lot of stuff in storage there so we could make the Duplex look bigger to market it for the Real Estate sale. We got about $30K more than the asking price--there was a regular bidding war over the period of the 4 days it took us to actually get an offer. We listed at $675K and got $705K for it....took the money and ran!!!! I've never been so busy as I have been since I "retired". I don't see any letup. I try to read my e-mail every so often so I can keep up with everything. I sent you an e-mail earlier, when you were doing all the Cowan Roll Call--and got an e-mail from you saying you were going on a RV trip. Hope you had a great vacation. I'm hoping to get back into the research mode again, or the writing a book mode soon. I've gathered loads and loads of information on the period history from Scotland to Ireland to the Colonies and am anxious to get it organized and begin writing my book....of course, dropping in names, dates, English, Scotch, Irish and US History, and family lore stories where they fit in my little "history book". I found some really great references--books, maps, Goodspeed historical papers, titles, deeds, census records, have gotten pictures of various Cowan relatives, pictures of homesteads, marriage certs, bible records, headstones, etc., etc., and it should make quite a nice book by the time I get done. Now all I have to do is find the time to get with it. Do keep in touch. I may be busy for a couple more weeks before I have time again to do more research. I did see in the DNA testing recently that Joseph Skiles Cowan and John Cowan, one of the 4 brother immigrants, matched EXACTLY. THAT was great news. I shared that information with Florence and copied her on the site to go to to see it...plus included the DNA testing document in an e-mail to her just the other day. I think she was REALLY excited about thet because she replied with WOW! By the way, the DNA testing proves that John Cowan and Joseph Skiles Cowan matched exactly....but does that mean that John Cowan was Joseph Skiles Clowan's uncle or his father if the match was exact? I'll talk to you again soon. Keep me posted of any new developments in the Cowan research and also, take care of yourself and write when you have time. Love, Karen Cowan Thomas 2320 N. Private Drive Camp Verde, AZ 86322 928-567-5455 (Home) 928-202-1212 (Cell phone) Laura Cowan Cooper <dacooper@usit.net> wrote: Karen, You have been quiet for a long time - did you run away??? I heard back from Florence Norback and she has sent her research to you. I am guessing that at age 87 she is placing it in hands of those that will care for it. It looks like she sent it to several people and thought that she had sent me a copy, but it was a Whoops and she did not do so. I am guessing that by now you are pouring over her years of research so what all does it have in it??? Laura PS - how are you???