Gen 2: Anna (the explorer)

Anna is the oldest child of Abigail and Joseph, and was born shortly after their return from their honeymoon. Always a curious and active child, she hated her crib already as an infant. She learnt to crawl early, and as soon as she walk she hated being carried. As a child she was much more interested in exploring the world than learning to sow or play piano. She loved to ride her bike, and later horses, as well as running, climbing and everything else that was utterly inappropriate for a girl. She dreamed of seeing the world, and she raged against the constraints of her time. It let at times to a rather difficult relationship with her mother who wanted her to settle, find a husband and follow the norms. 

As a teenager and young woman she got engaged in the fight for women's suffrage, and when WWI broke out she volunteered as a nurse and left for France. There she worked with the injured solders and there she fell in love. Maurice was an artist, a dreamer liker her and shared her wish to see the world and discover its mysteries. His death, just at the end of the world, hit Anna hard, leaving her with a fear love and commitment, and an even deeper desire to fulfill her dreams. 

After the war, Anna took off to Selvadorada, exploring the jungle and looking for the rumoured hidden ancient temple. She was there for over a year, exploring the jungle until she found was she was looking for. A treasure in the jungle (and a street dog that she named Omisco from the people who built the temple). 

Returning home, she settled in San Myshuno and made her money from the artifacts she sold, and the articles she wrote and published. She had also become quite a skilled photographer and sold her pictures for quite some money. In the city she also meet Johnny Lamotte, her next door neighbor and immediately sparks flew. But Anna was not ready to move on, nor ready to settle down, so she took off, this time to Japan to learn to climb mountains. Again she was gone for over a year, until she had conquered Mt Komorebi. She returned with new stories for the magazine, and new photos to sell, sure that Johnny would have moved on and gotten married by now. 

He had not, and the chemistry was still there. But as depression hit and her sister got in trouble, Anna, restless and scared, left again this time to save Josephine from trouble. In Chestnut Ridge she fell in love with the community, the free space, the horses, and spontaneously bought a ranch to save both horses in need and her sister's family from poverty. Johnny was furious. Was she leaving him once more? The two had a massive fight and somehow during the fight Anna managed to propose. She is still not sure how that happened, but Johnny accepted, the two got married in a small private ceremony (her mother might never forgiver her for this) and moved to Chestnut ridge together. Too old to have children, Anna sees her animals as her children, and she semi-adopted her sister's children too, especially Thomas, her sister's oldest who is just as in love with the horses as she is. 

As WWII breaks out, she proudly sees Thomas enlist, but is at the same time terrified of losing him after the death of her brother and a nephew in the early years of the war. When his mother begs her to keep him safe, she vows to keep an eye on him, while knowing there is really nothing she can do. Using her contacts as a freelance writer, she sells her most precious horse and takes off after him to Tomarang, writing about the war while hoping to keep an eye on Thomas at the same time. But when Harrison dies at the end of the war, Thomas himself persuades her to go home. She return with Harrison's ashes, bury her nephew, and return home to her farm, her horses and the husband she loves.