Cherish the Environment

 

Clayton James Surratt, Autumn Rose Surratt, & Wyatt England Surratt 

     In our day and age as well as throughout our human industrial history, many people see the environment simply as a resource to be used and abused. From deforestation and melting ice caps to endangered species and plastic pollution, humans have had a devastating impact on the environment. But one thing I am truly proud of about our family is our relationship with the environment. Nature is beautiful and a great place to relax and have fun. For example, great grandma Fonda Doris Magill enjoyed riding bikes down to the beach. Every summer, she and my mom, Summer Gould, would bike down to the beach in Oceanside, California to hunt for seashells. 

    Another example is great grandpa Maurice Lee Gould, who loved to sail. He and great grandma Doris Maxine Perry liked to vacation at lakes and water ski. 

 

Greg Gould, Doris (Perry) Gould, Pandy the pug, Maureen Gould, & Maurice Gould in the boat 

    

    One other example is great grandpa Grayson Walter Meese, who loved to travel. He visited Carlsbad Caverns and Yosemite. He also enjoyed camping. Grayson and great grandma Helen Elizabeth Shaw went back to New York every year to visit family. They also visited Niagara Falls. 

    Great Grandma Wanda Dean Trantham also traveled to Yosemite National Park. She visited Picnic lake in Potrero, California regularly on vacation. Wanda enjoys camping and sitting in front of the fire.  

    Not only did many of my great grandparents value the environment, but so do my grandparents. First, grandpa Gregory Gould and grandma Deborah Beucus traveled to several national parks including Carlsbad Caverns, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Painted Desert, Redwoods, Denali, Joshua Tree, and Hawaii Volcanoes. They enjoy hiking, camping, and they even took sailing classes together. Grandma Debi also studied geography at San Diego State University. 

 

Greg Gould & Debi (Beucus) Gould 

    Second, grandpa Robert Joseph Surratt and grandma Sandra Karen Meese lived in a trailer driving around to different states like Washington, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, and Arizona. They visited many places including Mount Saint Helen's, Crater Lake, Death Valley, Yellowstone, Short Acres, Bryce Canyon, Idyllwild, Redwoods National Park, the Grand Canyon, and Multnomah Falls. They like seeing lighthouses and waterfalls. 

 

Sandy (Meese) Surratt & Bob Surratt

    My parents, Summer Gould and Walter Edward Surratt, also enjoy spending time in nature. They both love fishing, hiking, and camping. They took me and my brothers, Clayton James Surratt and Wyatt England Surratt, on many hikes as kids. We went to El Capitan Reservoir, Cedar Creek Falls, Mission Trails, Mount Laguna, Lake Jennings, Santee Lakes, Colorado River, Lake Cuyamaca, and Dead Horse Falls Trail. 

 

 

Walter Surratt, Scrappy Doo, & Summer Gould 

    I enjoy hiking and camping. One of my life goals and dreams is to visit every National Park in the United States. I also enjoy watching animal documentaries like Our Planet on Netflix, America's National Parks narrated by Garth Brooks on Disney+, Our Oceans narrated by Barack Obama on Netflix, and America the Beautiful narrated by Michael B. Jordan on Disney+. I love animals and nature. This is a passion that I gladly share with many of my family members and ancestors. 

 

me

How do you honor our ancestral value of the environment and spending time in nature? 

With love, 

Autumn Rose Surratt 

The Ancestor Witch