A Tip of the Hat

There is no date on this photograph, but it has been identified as Carrie Alexander. It was taken at the Siegel Cooper photo studio in Chicago. The Siegel, Cooper & Co. discount department store was established in 1887. [1]



Caroline Jane Alexander, known as Carrie, was born November 18, 1868 in Washington Township, Kosciusko County, Indiana. Carrie was a sister of my Great-Grandmother Amanda Minerva Alexander Wiseman. Carrie married John Franklin Roath on July 8, 1884 and they had three daughters: Jessie, Leah, and Ruby. My grandparents, Charles and Elsie Shuder Wiseman, would name two of their daughters Jessie and Leah. Prior to 1900 they moved to Anderson, Indiana and later to Dayton, Ohio. Carrie and John would divorce and Carrie would later marry Perry Martin Comfort. One of my dad's brothers was named Perry Martin Comfort Wiseman! Carrie Alexander Roath Comfort died in 1930 in Dayton, Ohio.

[1] Chicago History Website http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/2847.html

footnoteMaven has a list of other bloggers who have posted on the topic that was started by Laura Crawley with her post From The Ministry Of Silly Hats.

Blueberries

the berries that are blue, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Across the country, farmers' markets are in full swing. These berries were a local market and looked incredibly good. Raspberries at the market were cheap, as well as tomatoes and pretty much all the vegetables. My best find was Fresno chile peppers, which are used in Indonesian cooking - score!

SST (That's Sorting, Scanning, Trashing!)

For the two weeks prior to my mother's 80th birthday much of my time was spent in removing the pictures from several of her albums, scanning those pictures and then putting them into archive albums for her. This resulted in approximately 575 scanned image files! I then selected the "best" and printed out perhaps 75 images for display at her open house. I'm very happy to say that the photo-montage was a big hit and well worth the time and effort.

With that project completed I (finally) began the task of sorting my own pictures that have been stored in three "shoeboxes" (not really, but photo storage boxes about the size of a shoebox) into chronological order. I'm trashing the out-of-focus, really bad shots, and giving away duplicates. I did get a good start on scanning some of those pictures the first part of this week but got sidetracked onto another project the latter part of the week.

On Monday and Tuesday I scanned nearly 350 images working about 12 hours total. These were all 3 1/2 x 5" pictures so I could put 5 photos on the scanner bed at once. Of course, I still scanned each one individually but the fact that there would be a series or group of pictures that had been taken at the same event helped to speed things up to where I could scan about 40-45 pictures per hour at times. I also discovered a neat feature of the scanner software that allows me to set a prefix for file names so that all the images from a group or series could automatically be given the designated prefix. Eventually I'll go back and add identifying information to each picture, once I figure out how it is done. The entire process is both fun and tedious. Yeah, right! No, really, it is! So I keep telling myself...

Of the three "shoeboxes" of pictures, half of one box has been scanned. I considered sending the pictures out for commercial scanning, particularly using the free offer at ScanMyPhotos.com that Apple used. The thing is though, after sorting and selecting the pictures to be sent out, there were only about 300 that were of the 4x6" size, which was what was required for the free offer.

While sorting the pictures into chronological order I realized that I had only had prints made of a few of the pictures from my trip through the western states that I took after getting out of the Navy. Those pictures were slides. Prints from slides were expensive back then, compared to the cost of prints from negatives. And I didn't have a job at the time. Anyway, now I'm trying to locate a slide scanning service here in the Midwest. There are lots of places on the west coast. Some that do the scanning onsite and others that send them off to India or some other country. Really, really don't want to send them overseas. And would prefer someplace closer than California.

I've got seven 3-ring binders that each have 500 or so slides in protective pages. That's 3500+ slides, and no, not all of them will be sent out for scanning! Selecting the slides to send out is problematic. I'm trying to figure out a way to jerry-rig a light box or possibly find someone who has a slide viewer. I did scan a test slide on my HP Scanner that has slide/negative scanning built into the lid. I don't have the time or patience to scan those at the rate it took to pre-scan and scan the test slide (several minutes). The scanner added an overall bluish tint to the slide as well. I was able to adjust the image after scanning to get a usable picture, but it took a lot of time to get it close to the original.

The "other" project that I got sidetracked on this week was sorting through the four HUGE boxes of mounted and framed photos that haven't seen the light of day since they were boxed up in 1996! These are mostly photos that were taken while working on my bachelor's degree from Indiana State University. As part of each assignment we had to mount our work "professionally" for presentation to the class. Needless to say the stack of matt board (nearly 4' high) was far more impressive than the photographs themselves. The majority of the photographs were saved though and the matt board went to the recycling center today.

My plan now is to continue scanning the pictures in the shoeboxes, several hours a day, with a goal of completion by June 30th. (I'm setting a goal hoping it will keep me on track and motivated.) Devise a method for selecting the slides to be sent out for scanning; get them selected and sent out as soon as possible. And there are still all those boxes in the garage that need going through! And all those ancestral genea-documents to be scanned. And, well, lots of other things too.

What I've found while doing all this sorting, scanning, and trashing is that it is difficult to wrap my mind around the task of writing. I've stated before, I'm a slow writer, it takes time for me to put together a decent post. I guess the muse has left the building. As a result, posting has been sluggish. Most posts lately have consisted of recently scanned photographs. They don't take much thought, and are somewhat entertaining. Hopefully my few faithful readers will still be around when the muse returns and I get back to writing and, also hopefully, you will be interested in whatever it is I have to say. In the meantime, I hope y'all enjoy the pictures!

Somewhere along the Oregon coast, June 1979.

Mothers and Grandmothers

Left: My Mother Right: Me and Grandma with cousins Jim, Mike, Kathy and Tom.


My 2nd Great Grandmothers, Malissa Joslin Brubaker Bower and Lovina Berlin Yarian with my aunt Phyllis Phend, about 1924.

Today being Mother's Day, I spent most of the day with Mom, just the two of us. It was a very pleasant day. That being said, my tribute for Mother's Day will not be for her, but for all the mothers that came before to get us to this time and place... some known, some unknown. Here are the known, through my Mother and back eight generations:

Hazlette (Brubaker) Phend Dunn Ferguson (1902-1984) Indiana

Maude Catherine (Wise) Brubaker Yontz (1877-1953) Indiana
Susie Lula (Yarian) Phend (1872-1956) Indiana

Louisa (Fisher) Phend (1827-1898) Germany, Ohio, Indiana
Lovina Viola (Berlin) Yarian (1845-1932) Ohio, Indiana
Malissa Mariah (Joslin) Brubaker Bower (1849-1937) Indiana
Sophia Elizabeth (Dunfee) Wise (1850-1916) Indiana

Susanna (Kübli) Phend (1785-1856) Switzerland, Ohio, Indiana
Christenia (Houck) Fisher (1805- ? ) Germany, Ohio
Elizabeth (Switzer) Yarian (1815-1894) Ohio
Susannah (Hoffman) Berlin (1804-1880) Ohio, Indiana
Sarah (Foster) Parkison (1818-1904) Ohio, Indiana
Lydia (Robison) Joslin (1825-1899) Ohio, Indiana
Malissa Ann (Stem) Wise (1833-1901) Ohio, Indiana
Catherine (Jones) Dunfee (1829-1903) Ohio, Indiana

Catharina Phend (1754-1797) Switzerland
Verena (Laederich) Kübli (1747-1824) Switzerland
Eva (Rupert) Yarian (1786-1866) Pennsylvania, Ohio
Mary Catherine - wife of Jacob Switzer (about 1790 - ? ) Pennsylvania, Ohio
Juliana (Dietzler) Berlin (about 1772 - ? ) Pennsylvania
Catherine (Coy) Hoffman (1779-1852) Maryland, Ohio
Nancy (Neel) Brubaker (1797-1851) Ohio
Margaret "Peggy" (Myers) Foster (1797-1820) Ohio
Abigail (Goodrich) Joslin (about 1805-after 1882) Ohio, Indiana
Anna - wife of Henry Robison (about 1794 - ? ) Ohio, Indiana
Christena - wife of Peter Wise (1801-1884) Ohio, Indiana
Indiana (Sisley) Stem (1809-1888) Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana
Sophia Elizabeth (Hazlett) Dunfee (1794-1864) Ohio, Indiana
Elizabeth (Helms) Jones (1804-1883) Ohio, Indiana

Magdalena (Tschiemer) Phend (1722-1797) Switzerland
Anna (Frutiger) Kübli (1720-1790) Switzerland
Margaretha (Williams) Yerion (1745-1833) Pennsylvania
Susan (Wagner) Berlin (about 1744 - ? ) Pennsylvania
Susanna (Alder) Hoffman (about 1760 - ? ) Pennsylvania, Ohio
Mary - wife of Henry Coy (about 1755 - about 1785) Maryland, Pennsylvania
Elizabeth (Steinweg) Brubaker (about 1765-about 1821) Pennsylvania
Rebecca (Franks) Neel (1768- ? ) Pennsylvania, Ohio
Magdalena (Daniel) Foster (1755-1823) Virginia, Ohio
Margaret - wife of John Myers (about 1770- ? ) Ohio
Ruth (Dyer) Joslin (1771-1830) Vermont, Ohio
Sally (Church) Goodrich (1780-about 1831) Connecticut, Ohio
Margaret (Ellis) Sisley (1773-1870) Pennsylvania
Mary - wife of George Dunfee (about 1760 - ?) Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio
Elizabeth - wife of Jonathan Hazlett (1762-1848) Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio
Mary (Swigart) Helms (1777- ? ) Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana

Barbara (Zwahlen) Phend (1701- ? ) Switzerland
Margreth (Egger) Tschiemer (about 1695- ? ) Switzerland
Maria Magdalena - wife of Mathias Jurion (1705-1763) Pennsylvania
Anna Margarita (Euler) Berlin (about 1720-about 1807) Pennsylvania
Anna Elizabeth (Andriges) Kau (about 1720- ? ) the Pfalz ?
Christina Barbara (Kleist) Daniel (1734-1770) Pennsylvania
Sarah (Tarbell) Joslin (1741-1810) Massachusetts
Abigail (Price) Goodrich (1754-1827) Connecticut, Ohio

Lucy (Wilder) Joslin (1715- ? ) Massachusetts
Elizabeth (Bowers) Tarbell (1707-1756) Massachusetts
Sarah (Dewey) Goodrich (1712-1782) Connecticut

[note: Updated with some links and additional names May 11, ..]

Bryce Canyon to Phoenix

Time to leave Bryce Canyon! We get up early and to Sunrise Point to catch the Sunrise (that's the whole point right?)

The sun comes up slowly (maybe because it's only 24 degrees outside)

On the road again heading towards Flagstaff. Passing thru Red Rock Canyons.

Yes, there are tunnels!

We stop in Kanab, Utah to visit Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. It is a no-kill shelter that takes in all kinds of animals many with disabilities or other problems that make them hard to adopt out.

This little cutie has an ailment that makes him unsteady on his feet,but he looks quite content.

We pass through a section of the Vermillion Cliffs and cross the Colorado River via the Navajo Bridge at Lee's Ferry

We arrive in Flagstaff on Tequila Sunrise Day. Apparently it is a college homecoming party that involves starting drinking Tequila Sunrises at 6 a.m. followed by many Red Bulls and a Parade. We decided maybe we didn't need to revisit Flagstaff

Thought this guy wascute but looks like he wasn't enjoying the Party much either.

Back on the winding Route89A always wondering what will be around the next turn.

A view of the road ahead (or should I say below)

I read on a T-Shirt that 89A has 156 turns in 12 miles.

We stopped in Sedona planning on spending a few days hiking but the town is not what we remembered from 10 years ago - it has doubled in size and the amount of people there was crazy - it was a weekend and 80's so we visited the Honanki Cliff Dwellings and continued on our way.



As we drove through Arizona to places we had previously been - we found it to still be in ruins!

Tuzigoot Ruins

Montezuma Cliff Dwelling Ruins

We arrive in Phoenix a couple days before our flight to Hawaii to try and find a place to store the RV. We finally find a storage unit that has a parking spot inthe back for $50 for a month, we just fit in. We also found that the Best Western had apark and fly option for $90 we got a nights lodging and parking for up to 2 weeks - cheaper than parking at the Airport and we got a free shuttle ride! Nothing worth posting about Phoenix just a large urban sprawl. We were very happy to get an email from "our boss", changing ourChristmas Tree lot from Phoenix toTucson- yeah! Next stop Hawaii!



Till Later!



Meanwhile we keep on Trek'n

Melissa & Gary

Finally, Dogs Gone

Nita looks like she is ready to relax since that dog, Tuffee, has left.

Crater Lake Revisited

Saturday, October 1st - - Last year I spent three beautiful days at Crater Lake National Park (September 24th through the 26th). And though this visit was just a week later than last year, the weather was much different – colder and cloudier, though not quite as windy – and the campground was closed as were many other facilities in the park.



This time, the visit was a short one – just a few hours – but it was sort of on my way. I don't know why, but this is a special place for me. It is exquisitely beautiful. Magical. Perhaps it is the startling color of the water – it's like nothing I've ever seen anywhere else.



Last year I had taken a series of pictures hoping to “merge” them together into a panoramic view, but never got around to doing it. And now I have this fancy new camera that does that for me! You really, really need to double-click on these images for a larger view...





This view was taken at Rim Village on the south side of Crater Lake.



This is from the southwest side near Discovery Point.



And, this is from the west side at Watchman Overlook.

Those few patches of white on the west side (left) of Wizard Island are piles of snow that are “left over” from last years record snowfall.





Surprisingly, there were quite a few other people there – but take a few steps along one of the trails and the people seem to disappear. Not many travel those paths this time of year. It would be easy to lose yourself in a place like this. The mind wanders into mysterious places while you're watching the movements of the clouds and the water. Time passes quickly, too quickly, but it is a two hour drive to the next campground and it is getting late in the afternoon. Reluctantly, I leave. Hoping that some day I may return again to spend a little more time in this place.

LED Lights for Classic and Vintage Bicycles?

When it comes to bicycle lighting, our primary objective is to be extremely visible. On bicycles without a dynamo, this means LED lighting. One downside to LED lights, is that most of what's currently on the market looks very modern and "techy".We try to find LED lights that are both the brightest and the least in conflict with the classic looks of our bikes. A good example of that is the set-up on my vintage Raleigh DL-1 (above). I have received some emails asking how those lights are attached, and so I will describe it here.

Like all of our LED lights, the lights on this bicycle are by Cateye - a company whose products seem to be consistently good. The headlight is the Opticube HL-EL530, mounted on the right fork blade. Mounting it in this manner requires 2 supplementary gadgets: the FlexTight mounting bracket, which comes packaged with the headlight, and the Minoura Besso fork mount, which must be purchased additionally.

The Opticube headlight is sold with a FlexTight mounting bracket included. This bracket is designed to be wrapped around a handlebar or around a long lug nut on the front wheel, like the one that comes standard on the Pashley and is pictured here. However, most bicycles - including my DL-1 - do not have sufficiently long lug nuts for this, and so you will need either a lug nut extender or a special mount that attaches to the fork blade like a branch, around which the FlexTight bracket can be wrapped. The mount we like to use for this is the Minoura Besso, priced in the $5-10 range.

Here is another view of this setup. You can see how the Minoura Besso mount is attached to the fork blade, and the Opticube headlight is then attached to it with the FlexTight bracket.

Yet another view from the back. I should note that some are against attaching a headlight to the fork blade, based on the idea that it can slip down and fall into the spokes. Personally, I think that this really depends on your attachment method. If you use a proper mount and attach it tightly, it seems extremely stable and not in the least prone to slippage. If you've had a bad experience with this method, please let me know; so far I have not heard of any.

This is what the headlight looks like in motion, "in the wild". From a short distance it actually resembles a vintage light, and it certainly comes across that way in pictures like these. Of course, up close you can tell that it is modern, but the design is nonetheless one of the most elegant ones available, as far as modern bike lights go.

For tail lights, we use two Cateye TL-LD610 lights, attaching one to each rear stay in the same way as on our Pashleys.

The diameter of the rear stays is usually not large enough to fit these lights, but they are sold with plastic liners to expand the stay diameter.

Using these two light strips on the rear stays is the nicest tail light setup we can think of. Not only does it make the bicycle highly visible in traffic, but it also gives the cars a good feel for its width - which can be very important in the dark.

And as far as aesthetics go, attaching the lights along the stays creates a very natural, unobtrusive look that does not conflict with any part of the bicycle's design.

My descriptions make it seem like the lights - especially the headlight - are a pain to attach, and I have to admit they kind of are. But you only need to do it once, and in the end it is worth it: Top of the line illumination, maximum safety, and classic looks will be your rewards.

Happy Birthday, Dougie

For 3 weeks every year my older brother, Doug, and I are the "same" age, he being born 11 months and 8 days before I was. Growing up we always had a bit of fun with that, sometimes confusing our classmates and friends. Today (March 9th) is the day he "officially" becomes one year older than me. Happy birthday, brother.

Summer of 1951. Doug and me in front of the weeping willow tree.

Pickleball Wing Ding Tournament

Today we got up very early, so we could head over to a pickleball tournament that Rich and Donna invited us to. The tournament was at King's Point in Sun City and was called the Wing Ding Tournament. This is only the second round robin tournament we've been to, with the first being the one we hosted. It was good for me to go and play with all new people, since I tend to have this mental hangup about playing with people I don't know yet. Since we move every two to three weeks, it is not a good mental hangup to have at all.



I had fun today. I still prefer just playing with the people at Thousand Trails without the pressure of tournament play, but it was good for me in some other ways so I'm so glad I did go.



Buddy rode with us, and it gave us a chance to know him better. The people we met and played with were wonderful. I have often said the pickleball crowd has some of the nicest people we meet, and today proved that to be true.



I'm always so impressed with Austin when we go to events like this. He is so wonderful to not be intimidated about being the youngest person, the youngest player and the only one under 18. I'm not sure I'd have been able to do that at all at his age!

The weather was fabulous, which just made the day all the more wonderful. Now I'm off to ice my ankle, which is swollen since I ever so gracefully twisted it and fell. Nothing major, just enough to remind me that I'm no longer 20.Living the life in finally warm Florida!

Front Porch Living

Walking through our neighbourhood, it's always interesting to see how many people store their bicycles out on the porch. Passing one particular block, it seemed like every other house had one. Occasionally readers ask whether storing a bike on the porch is a good idea, especially in the winter months. And as usual, it depends.




Indoor bike storage can be tough around here, so it's understandable that for many the porch offers a happy compromise. The bike is protected from precipitation by a roof, so it won't be soaking wet or covered in snow come morning. It is on private property and not out in the street, which offers some peace of mind.And it doesn't take up valuable storage space indoors.






But a porch does not make a bike theft-proof or immune to the elements. It goes without saying that the bike should be locked up securely, ideally with a thick chain. And if you live near salt water, or in an area that gets heavily salted in winter, rust will form despite the roof cover. Components may still freeze, due to moisture getting into them. I have also heard accounts (though have never seen this with my own eyes) of steel bicycle tubes distorting when left outdoors through the winter - most likely due to water condensing, then freezing inside the tubing.




The best candidates for porch living are either beater bikes that you do not care about damaging, or heavy-duty utility bikes with thick tubing, durable paint, and rust-resistant components. Both categories also have some built-in theft protection by virtue of being perceived as too unappealing or heavy to steal. Personally, I would not hesitate to store a bike on my porch, if I had one - though not a delicate or expensive one. And not one heavy enough to make the porch cave in... something I saw the other day during one of my walks.

More of Williamsburg VA

More of Williamsburg. Today we had a nice lunch together. We were the only ones in the restaurant which meant the server could chat with us. Sometimes that is a nice thing, sometimes that is not so nice. It was ok today. Nathan commented on the great copper plated menus and he told us the guy who ordered them got fired over it. They were very pricey and he ordered 500 of them. Very strange, since maybe 100 would have been enough for this place. Ah, the things we learn from talking to people.



And for Jack and Diane: