Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Is Blue and White Genetic?

Santorini, Greece - Town & Country Magazine


This is a rather strange story. Yesterday, I came across this beautiful photo above of Santorini on my Instagram feed and ordered a frame on Framebridge called Santorini because it is cobalt blue. Keep reading....

My father passed away a long time ago, but during his life, he was always extremely secretive about himself. He was an only child with no relatives except for his mother in California who was married several times. My father said he was English and Austrian and had gone to college in Scotland. 

A lot of this and other things didn't add up, so I always had in the back of my mind to research on Ancestry at some point. I did so just recently and discovered that my father had hidden for fifty years that he was Greek and his family was from Santorini. 

Even my mother never knew after five decades of marriage. (She has also passed away). He had no English nor Austrian blood, and never went to college. He had changed his name. And my Greek grandfather whom I never met had lived nearby in Chicago when I was growing up in Lake Forest.


Santorini, Greece

Santorini is world famous for its blue and white buildings with blue domed churches and the doors, shutters, trim, and gates of homes painted cobalt blue. And one of my favorite wines for years has been Santorini - many have beautiful blue bottles.


Santorini wine

I have always loved blue and white. When I was a newlywed, I bought an antique blue and white Chinese ginger jar for our new house before I got a sofa. So, is it possible that my love for blue and white has something to do with the blue and white of Santorini being in my blood? Can color preferences be genetically coded? An interesting idea. Who knows, it's all Greek to me. But a trip to Santorini is definitely on my bucket list.


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Speaking of blue and white, Tropical Storm Elsa is on its way here, so yesterday I transferred everything movable from my garden into the garage - blue and white Chinese garden stools and fishbowls as well as urns, topiaries, and garden furniture. Today should be interesting. It may strengthen into a hurricane again. I did just discover that incredibly enough, the Weather Channel is not on Hulu Live nor is it on the majority of the streaming services like Sling. Annoying. 


24 comments:

  1. This is an intriguing post. Someone has probably done a thesis on this genetic predisposition to color. If not, someone should.
    I just love it when you discover something, a connection, or whatever, about yourself that adds to who you are. Keep us posted.

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    1. I did a bit of research on this genetic color predisposition idea, but did not find anything.

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  2. Great post, so interesting. I've been to Santorini and it's gorgeous there!

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  3. A fascinating post. You need to write a book.

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    1. I could have written a book during the pandemic had I not been escaping from a nut job.

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  4. Family secrets....always so interesting!

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  5. You have to go - and post about it! How interesting to find out all about your dad!

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    1. Very interesting - it never ever occurred to me I was part Greek.

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  6. Happy to hear about your origin, I'm Greek living in Brussels. I hope you will find parents in the beautiful Santorini.

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    1. It would be very interesting to locate relatives in Santorini.

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  7. Were you able to find out your Grandfather's last name? You maybe related to the Gavalas family winery! There is a large branch of that family living in Tallahassee.
    Also, Alexandra Darzentis, who owns Fanari Villa's on Oia in Santorini, might be able to help you locate any relatives you may have there. fanarivillas.gr

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    1. Thanks so much for all this information. I will look into it more. I would love to have a connection to a vineyard.

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  8. What a fascinating and beautiful post, Beth. Such beautiful pictures. My parents traveled a lot during their lifetime and my dad told me the Greek islands are just gorgeous. I've never been, but it's definitely on my bucket list. You have to go, and you have to do your ancestral research. Of course now with the internet and DNA it's much easier. Decades ago, one of my late aunts did a lot of ancestral family research. This was long before either the internet or DNA tracing existed. I still have her research papers stored in the basement of my house. Some of it is quite interesting, and I would even use the word, "colorful"!

    I have never heard of Santorini wine, and for a Californian, I've never been much of a wine drinker, although I've recently acquired a taste for Sancerre, and now you've given me something new to try. Cheers, Beth!

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    1. Did you know that Sancerre was Ernest Hemingway's favorite wine? It is a favorite of mine too, especially with oysters. I have an Ernest Hemingway cocktail recipe on today's post. I did all the ancestry research on Ancestry, but have not done the DNA testing.

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  9. You are going to love Santorini! My grandparents were from Greece and it's really a spectacular place to visit. I would contact the Greek church in Lake Forest and see if anyone knows your father or grandfather. Perhaps they can answer any questions you may have. So I quess that makes you half Greek?

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    1. I have not done the DNA testing yet, but likely will. There was not a Greek Orthodox Church in Lake Forest, nor would my father have attended.

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    2. I was thinking that your Greek grandfather attended church and perhaps your father did when he was a little boy. That's only if you want to dig further. I know many Greek immigrants that when they first came to America they seeked out Greek churches to meet people from Greece regardless if they were religious or not. Also I believe there are at least 21 Greek churches in Chicago. I know people who go to more than one church. I'm not sure which is the closest church to Lake Forest but it is easy to find out. If you have any interest, you could call and ask to talk to the priest and I know for sure that he would be happy to ask around to see if anyone knew him if you give him your grandfather's last name. Who knows what you may find!

      Also, real quick...my Mom want to Greece to locate her Father's town and to see if any of his siblings were alive. Everyone was so happy to help her. One person, thought of another person who could help, who then thought of another person. By the end of the day a 94 year old man knew my Mom's relatives and took her to meet them. The cool thing about it was is that my Mom's aunt and cousin were thrilled to meet her. They invited her for dinner and caught my Mom up and on all my grandfather's siblings and families. The best part was is that my Mom could not get over how her cousin and her looked alike! Good luck with whatever you do and do make that trip to Greece. You won't regret it! I really enjoy your blog Beth! You have fabulous taste!

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    3. Sorry I did not fill in all the particulars. I now know all the details on my grandfather and father including all names, addresses, dates, etc. so there really is nothing I need to find out. There were dozens and dozens of documents on Ancestry. I just gave the short version on my post. I literally found every single document imaginable. I am actually not especially interested in the whole ancestry thing although I know many are, I was just out to solve a mystery which I did.

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  10. Blue is timeless because it's colorful but calming. Visit Santori while a cruise ship is in port and see how much everyone loves it. 😀

    As a fellow Floridian, the Weather Channel isn't a grea toss. They've figured out that hysteria generates ratings so they shriek like little girls at the slightest tropical disturbance. Find a good local weather person who will stay calm while delivering the latest updates. Better yet, follow Mike's Weather Page for the best information.

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  11. Al Spok Lost in Greece !! 2021

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