September 11, 2012
Posted: September 11, 2012 Filed under: Genealogy 2 CommentsFolks in our New Jersey suburb are noting that our weather today is very reminiscent of that gorgeous day 11 years ago. In some ways it seems as if it only happened a year or so ago. Evidence to the contrary: The preschooler I was packing off to a school picnic that day is a freshman in high school, and the baby who was on the way is now in fifth grade.
For them, the September 11 memorials and news coverage provide opportunities to ask about the experiences of that day. We have our own family collection of thoughts and memorabilia, and it seems to me that different perspectives emerge in each year’s recollections.
• Bagpipes, a roll call of names, and moments of silence mark a now-familiar ritual in Lower Manhattan.
• The memorial to Flight 93 in rural western Pennsylvania has evolved into a national park site that drew 350,000 visitors in its first year of operation (it opened after the 10-year anniversary of the attacks).
• The photo of firefighters from my town in this piece about the volunteer efforts of personnel from New Jersey evoked a lot of memories.
• Finally, the September 11 Digital Archive continues to collect memories and images of the attacks and their aftermath, and is well worth a look.
The Ancestral Archaeologist 
Yes, of course, I recall that same preschool playdate — and I think that’s why we moms from that class bonded as well — as we waited to hear from loved ones (thankfully, we all did), marvelled at the eerily quiet mid-day sky, and feared how the world was changing.
Very true. I remember the first actual day of school being that way as well.