The Roving Robecks

            It is interesting how you have to stand back after a passage of time to see some patterns in your life, and even your family’s. This is a cross-generational pattern that I have noticed. Our family likes to rove around a bit. Sometimes short distances, sometimes long.

            My great-grandfather on the Robeck side had a steam threshing machine. He and some of the brothers, sons and nephews would leave in August to start threshing in southern Minnesota and would follow the crops north as they were ready for harvest, sometimes not returning home until Thanksgiving. They would sleep in barns and sheds at the farms where they were working. This also meant the women of the family would run the entire farm operation by themselves for several months. The threshers roamed all around the state.

             Some of my brothers and sisters did some roving of their own when they were younger. 

When my sister Maria was in kindergarten, she and our neighbor decided not to ride the bus home. They decided it was a nice day to walk home. Thing is, we lived about 5 miles out of town. When Mom noticed the bus go by and no Maria, she called to see if she had went next door, as she did sometimes. She found out that our neighbor hadn’t come home either, so now two Moms are worried. The school checked, “no, they are not here, they left a while ago, on the bus, they thought”. Well, Mom got in the car and headed into town, finding them about half way home by now. After a little scare, all was well and the teachers made sure the young ladies actually got on the bus after that.

My youngest brother also made a little local trip of his own. He decided he wanted to go fishing. He decided that our Aunt’s house on the Mississippi River would be a great spot. That trip was a little longer, more like 12 miles. It turned out OK, but, another case of a roving Robeck.

In my life, I get around a bit myself, in the Navy, I saw a lot of the world and was stationed in 4 different states. After I got out, I have lived in 4 different states, worked on the road as a field engineer for awhile, went on a mission trip to Russia, and a visit with my wife to Ireland and Northern Ireland.

My daughter, Giselle,  has lived in Seattle for a short while, a little longer in Cinncinati, and travels when she can. My youngest son, Morgan,  is in the Navy, and with his new wife, Rachel, live in Charleston, SC, and are sure to see many places in the world. Riley has yet to venture very far, but, don't count him out yet.

Many of my siblings are now scattered around the country, and some also have traveled abroad for work or missions trips. Some of my nieces and nephews are also following in our footsteps, so the roving continues!