Elizabeth H. Hopkins

ELIZABETH HOPKINS – MY LIFE

I was born in New York City, although my family lived on Long Island, 17 miles from the city in what would currently be called "suburbia", once farmland but now entirely residential. My husband's family and mine had large acreages. When my father and my uncle were young, they started a canning factory, canning local produce, clams, and Manhattan clam chowder. Later, my father had a car agency in the early days of automobiles. My family home, where I grew up, as did my daughter, dates back to 1712. When I was young, we had a flock of sheep. In the spring, passers-by on the highway would stop to admire the lambs. We also grew our own vegetables, much more flavorful than the frozen, canned, or even fresh produce in today's supermarkets.
After my husband and I were married, we lived in Oklahoma, where he was a professor of plant sciences at the University of Oklahoma. The southwest, very hot with no air conditioning, was quite a change from New York. Electric fans did not help much. After about a year, we returned home to New York to be with our family, and my husband became a textbook editor at Henry Holt & Company in New York City. He edited the high school biology text, Modern Biology, a book that saved the company from bankruptcy.
Living on Long Island meant an enjoyment of the local bays for swimming and sailing. My brother and I loved daily swimming in Hempstead Harbor, but we had to plan our outings around the tides. If not high tide, the water could be very muddy. At times we had to deal with horseshoe crabs and jellyfish. The red jellyfish were the real stingers. A trip to the ocean on the south shore of Long Island was quite a treat, because the ocean waves were a challenge. In later years, the famous Jones Beach became a great place for locals and tourists, with the addition of an outdoor summer theatre, and a dancing pavilion, featuring Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians.
While my husband was still employed, our travels were limited to New England and Florida. After he retired, our horizons were significantly broadened. Travel to and from California on the California Zephyr passenger train was most fascinating. My first trip abroad by ocean liner on the Queen Mary was followed by cruises to the Caribbean, the Greek Islands, and finally around the world on the Queen Elizabeth II. Other travel destinations included London, Paris, Rome, Athens, and a family wedding in Sweden. Seeing the Taj Mahal at dawn, I think, topped it all!
How did I get to Michigan? Our daughter went to college in Indianapolis where she met her husband. His company transferred him to Jackson, and here they happily settled, making many new friends. They are in their fourth Jackson home, downsized, since their three children are rarely home anymore. After twenty years on my own, my daughter decided I should come to Michigan. I am now able to see my grandchildren more often than I did in New York, and am pleased that my daughter visits me almost every day. Her husband is "The Donut Man", coming every Saturday morning with confections from Hinkley's Bakery. It is nice to be living at Countryside, only 10 minutes away from my family.