Tombstone Tuesday :: Indiana Sisley & Conrad Stem

Indiana Sisley and Conrad Stem, my 4th great grandparents, are buried in Hively Corners (now known as St. Matthews Cemetery) in Thorncreek Township, Whitley County, Indiana. Their small gravestones, located just south of the church, are dwarfed by the much larger markers surrounding them. Above photo taken July 14, ... The two below were taken two weeks earlier.

On top of marker: INDIANA
On face of marker: Wife of / C. STEM / BORN / MAY 18, 1809. / DIED / DEC. 25, 1888. / Gone but not forgotten.

On top of marker: CONRAD STEM
On face of marker: BORN / MAY 16, 1804. / DIED / JULY 25, 1882. / Not lost, blest thought, but gone before. / Where we shall meet to part no more.

Rab in the rain? The RAB Cirrus Wind-Top

Truth is I spend a lot of time in the rain. I live in the foot hills of the Cascades for crimney sake. It is to be expected. And if I sort out the time spent, more of itis in my office thanoutdoors this time of year. Thankfully with the 22 of Dec close at hand! We all have are own crosses to bare. My buddy was commenting on howcold it wasskate skiing in and out of Moraine Lake last week. While I was running in the rain @ 36F degrees.



Cold is cold. But good gear can limit the suffering.





Which is why this quick blog. I like being surprised by good gear.



An hour run in a heavy rain at 36 degrees is a good test of one's will to get out of the house (at least for me) and of the gear. Not much gear involved. Gloves which I seldom, almost never, run in. But it was cold enough I kept them on the entire time. I used a simple lwt fleece liner glove. My favorite Lopren running socks, Nike flats, a pair of Paradox tights, a Performance hooded jersey and my RABCirrus Top. The less you use likely the better you'll want it to be.



An hour later my jersey was still dry. I was still warm and sweat wasstill running off me. Jacket was totally soaked, (as is everything exceptmy core) but the fabric still had water beading up on its surface. I am dry for the most part under neath and not wet or coldfrom the rain or the effort. Much to my surprise I didn't suffer much. And I hadn't expected much of the Cirrus in the conditions. The actualresults rather pleasant by comparison.



How cool is that?



Advertised as a wind shell by RAB but good in enough for some rain if you can keep moving and the DWR is new enough I suspect:) I am beginning to really appreciate this one. More to it than meets the eye. Side pockets that serve as vents for one. Great fleece backed "collar" if you zip it up and leave the hood down as I normally do running, even when it is pouring out. But nice to have an option that works so well. Great color choice forthose required high visibility days. Simple elastic cuffs. Well under 5oz. Not every lwt shell is created equal. The Cirus is better than most.












The Cirrus Wind-Top,full zip version.



Using the same Pertex Quantum 15 Denier fabric as the
Pull-On

the Wind-Top also features an under-helmet hood and 2
zipped

hand-warmer pockets.Designed for fast and light use the
Cirrus

Wind-Top is a fully featured jacket that can be used over layers

to
create a warm and windproof clothing system yet weighs in at

just 120g /
4ozThe Cirrus Wind Top is ideal for adventure racers,

mountain marathons,
fell runners, mountain bikers, or even for

super lightweight alpine style
ascents on rock where wind proof

protection is
required.



Sizes: S - XXL

Weight:
120g / 4oz (4.6oz for my Large)



$110 retail



More here on shells



http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//10/super-light-wind-shells.html

Nene Way 10 - Ferry Meadows - Peterborough - Whittlesey

With Marta. 11 miles. Brilliant sunshine. Very warm.





We set off from Ferry Meadows, and I couldn't resist one more mirror-lake-shot to start the day.



We were diverted from the river, as the path was closed, and walked around Thorpe Golf Course. Part of the route followed this 'covered walkway'











The shade was already welcome at 11 am.



We rejoined the original Nene Way at Orton Lock.



This is a sculpture "Festival Boat, 1988, Sculptor: Sokari Douglas Camp".







As we walked into Peterborough, we saw several bridges













I'm surprised Peterborough doesn't make more of its waterfront, though it does have the Green Wheel network. When we found our way blocked we turned into the Rivergate shopping centre and sought out coffee in the town centre. Pavement cafes in this weather - it could almost have been Sevilla.







Children were running and splashing in the fountains.



A colourful flower display



an odd view of the cathedral.







A pleasant tree-lined path by the Nene on the way out of Peterborough. The river has become noticeably straight by this point.







The bridge carries the cycle-path over the Nene to Whittlesey. We used the map, which showed the Nene Way following the road.







A friendly (hopeful?) pig in an enclosure near the path. Pity about the barbed wire shadows!







The erstwhile Dog-in-a-Doublet pub, fondly remembered from days ice-skating on Whittlesey Mere.











Dog-in-a-Doublet Lock.





At the road junction we turned right across the bridge towards Whittlesey, where we had lunch in an Italian cafe, then explored a while.








old town hall and museum



market place and butter cross



St Mary's church






Distinctive street lamps








The statue of the Whittlesey Straw Bear - donated, improbably, by Councillor Ursula Cuffe.





I think we'll give the Nene Way a rest for the moment. It's a long way to drive for a day's walk; the Nene has several courses - the old course is covered in parts by the Hereward Way out towards March; the new Nene is very straight and confined as it heads through the Fens to the sea.

Out of Texas... into New Mexico... and Beyond

After departing Big Bend National Park on March 3rd, I traveled about 100 miles northwest to Fort Davis, just as I had done three years ago. Once again I stayed at the Davis Mountains State Park for nearly a week. And, once again I did pretty much the same things as then but there were no hikes or even pretty sunsets.



Leaving Fort Davis on March 10th I made it into New Mexico, traveling west through El Paso and north to Alamogordo, stopping for the night at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park. It was extremely cloudy in the north as I drove out of El Paso giving me hopes of seeing a nice sunset. There were several layers of clouds that blanketed the sky when I arrived but within an hour they were gone! It was amazing to me how quickly the clouds disappeared.






My Campsite, looking toward the east.





A fun and rather dramatic shot of Van Dora and the mountains in the background.




The think layer of clouds that blanketed the area when I arrived gave way to puffy cumulus clouds and blue skies.






By the time the sun was setting, the clouds in the west had blown away.





The mountains to the east caught the last golden rays of the setting sun.


In the intervening week, I ventured into the north and western parts of New Mexico, primarily because I had never been there before and actually ended up in Colorado briefly. I'll have more photos posted in the next few days.



When I left Indiana, I had planned on eventually spending some time in Salt Lake City again. That time has come... the last three days were primarily spent driving (and driving), and I have arrived in Salt Lake City. I've also registered for RootsTech and hope to see many of my genea-blogging friends this week.

Little Darlings! Who are you?

The only thing that I can state with any degree of certainty is that all three of these pictures were taken before I was born! They are from a box of the photos that I got from my dad, many of them are unidentified. In the 1980s dad got together with one of his first cousins and they compared their pictures. They were able to identify some of his pictures but not all. I've gone through my database and, depending upon the dates of the pictures (which I haven't really attempted to determine) and assuming they are family members, there are few possibilities - at least from the names and dates that I currently have.


Above is a photo postcard that was never sent. There is no address or any identifying information on the back. 3 1/2 x 5 3/8". *If* this was taken about 1914, it *could* be Vivian Willodene Wiseman born 1908 and her brother Samuel Wiseman born 1912, both children of Smith and Rose (Scott) Wiseman. Smith was the brother of my grandfather, Charles Wilson Wiseman. Smith moved to Dayton, Ohio shortly after his marriage to Rose in 1908.

The pictures above and below are photographs mounted on cardboard; they have been cropped to emphasize the image. The girl by herself is 2 9/16 x 5 1/2 on a 5 x 8 1/2" card. The photo below is 5 5/8 x 3 15/16 on an 8 x 6" card. They both have a studio name embossed in the card: Hessel, Warsaw, Ind. *If* taken in the 1930s, they *could* be the two oldest children of Samuel Dewey and Ida Estella "Stella" (Wiseman) Mow; Mary Ellen and Thomas Mow.

According to the Indiana State Library, The Warsaw Daily Union was published from 1904-1949, which really doesn't help in narrowing down a timeframe for the picture! (The Daily Union merged with the Warsaw Times to become the Warsaw Times-Union, which is still being published.) The date of the newspaper is not legible. The headlines that I can make out are "Warsaw boys win in state matches", "Would build up new prosperity", "Heaven insulted by puff of locomotive", and "H. S. Kaufman chosen for superintendent".


Enlargements of the little girls in the pictures above. Is it the same girl in both pictures?

Other unidentified photos that I've previously posted about include Unraveling a little mystery (about Mercedes, the "Detroit Cousin") and, in .., a series of "Mystery Photos" from the Wiseman Family Bible. footnoteMaven analyzed one of those photos in her post titled Dating Old Photographs :: Becky's Mystery Photograph #9, which is an excellent resource for analyzing old photos.

Contributed to the 9th Edition of Smile For The Camera.

Updated 2:40 pm on January 11th: A Big Thank You to fM and Tamura Jones for providing clues and additional info. Check out the comments they left! The genea-bloggers are a wonderful group of people!

Regarding the photo of the kids covered in newspaper - H. S. Kaufman was superintendent of the Warsaw city schools 1908-1917. Charles J. Hessel, occupation photographer, was found in the 1910 census in Warsaw (pg 1a), as was Mr. Kaufman (pg 4b). So that really narrows down the timeframe IF the newspaper in the photo was a current issue. That said, if the picture was taken in 1908, then I currently have no one in my database who would "fit" that date! This info brings into question the date of the first photograph also, probably much earlier than I first thought.

Muir Snowfield and the Disappointment Cleaver Route

Check out this 2x6 style of crevasse crossing. The image was snapped over the weekend (thankfully the board didn't)... The lumber has since been pulled, so now climbers must find another way around the crevasse. Here's more on the DC...

I received a few comments about the ice mass on the Muir Snowfield. Avid Rainier skier Ron Jarvis had this to say,

"When I started playing on Rainier in 1991 there were no dismounts required while skiing from Muir to Pebble in late summer/fall and as I recall that seemed to be the case right up until the last 2 or 3 years (dementia notwithstanding :-) ).

I would also add that similar conditions (volume/snow-ice depth) also seem to be the case on the contiguous neighbor to the east, the Paradise Glacier."

We love new gear.

The very wise marketing team at Wild Country (UK) wereconcerned about me climbing on French made gear. Not safety, style.They are so style conscious, the Brits.So they chose this stunning outfit for me.The Wild Country Ultralite Elite harness.And they racked it up, left and right, with their latest and totally techno-fabulousHelium quickdraws.



Climbers, you know I'm not that fussy about harnesses and quickdraws, I've used a lot of junk in my time and I never blame my gear,but when I took this lotfor a burl today I felt like I was using the best.Good gear matters.

















The Helium Quickdraws areabsolutely superb. They are lighter than anything I've used before.The dogbones are fat, the way I like them, andthe wire gate secures in an ingenious recessed fashion, no doubt made possible by tricky new manufacturing techniques.And how good do they look?



The first matching set of quickdraws I ever bought were Wild Country, and I fondled them all the way home in the car from Brisbane.

I don't know what a quickdraw will look like in 10 years, but for now this is as good as it gets.Thanks Wild Country, thanks Steve Foster.

Gushing, I know.But don't tell me you guyshaven't slept with your new gear beside your bed.





Good night.

jj

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.

Arches National Park :: A Few More Views

These pictures were taken on the morning of May 17th on my final drive-through of Arches National Park. It was another beautiful day!