Baseball Bloodlines: Frenchville, Maine's Dewey School Reunion

“Stop touching me,” I said.

“Did you just tell me to stop touching you?” My father said.

“Yes.”

“Geez, someone is grumpy.”

The sun hadn’t come up. I was sleeping on the couch while my girlfriend slept soundly in the room I occupied during my high school years. He went back to carrying on a conversation with Whitey the Cat and I turned over my pillow eager to sneak in another half hour of sleep.

Moments later, a pair of arms wrapped around me. My mother squeezed tightly and then started to tickle me. I couldn’t do anything but take it.

“I’ve got to get this in now,” she said. “I can’t do this in front of your girrrrrrrrlfriend.”

“Sure you can,” I muttered.

Like many of the Oscar nominees this year, I play for #teammommasboy.

“Wake up, I have to show you something.”

One of my eyes opened. It still wasn’t light outside. My mother took care of that problem by turning on a light right next to my sleepy face.

A white book with “Dewey School Reunion” and “Frenchville, Maine” in heavy black typeface landed in my hands. My mother explained that it was a yearbook for the school’s reunion in 1999 and it featured a good number of Blanchettes.

Dewey School Reunion Yearbook Cover

“Cool,” I said.

Family history is never a bad thing to wake up to.

“You need to do your thing and scan them,” she said. “I’ll mark the pages. What time is it? Shit, I need to get ready!”

It was ten minutes to 7 a.m.

After watching my nephew Jack score a goal during his hockey games, I came home to find bookmarks throughout the reunion book. I started scanning them like a good son and, like always, reveled in the old photos of Uncle Jimmy, Uncle Roland, Tante Peewee, Artheline, and others.

Here are some of my favorites from this batch of family photos:

Church in Frenchville, Maine

Artheline Blanchette (on right)

House in Frenchville, Maine

 

 

 

Ivan Blanchette

Left to right: Jimmy Blanchette and Bert Albert

Main Street, Frenchville, Maine

Ligouri Blanchette and Sophie Roy

That sound you hear is my Tante Pee Wee coming to murder me.

Also check out:

• 15 Family Photos I Couldn't Live Without
• 15 More Family Photos I Couldn't Live Without