The photos below were taken shortly after leaving Van Horn. These mountains were on the west side of the highway – a variety of interesting peaks.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Into the Mountains
Wednesday, April 6th - - After leaving Monahans Sandhills I continued west on I-20 about 130 miles to Van Horn where I turned north onto Texas Highway 54, which runs in-between several mountain ranges – the Boulder and Delaware are to the east while the Beach and Sierra Diablo rise up in the west.
The photos below were taken shortly after leaving Van Horn. These mountains were on the west side of the highway – a variety of interesting peaks.
The photos below were taken shortly after leaving Van Horn. These mountains were on the west side of the highway – a variety of interesting peaks.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Boa Leash by Blue Ice
I've been using leashes long before there were leashless tools. I also carried a third tool bitd. Broken picks and dropped tools are never a good thing.
Grivel and BD both offer a decent leash system. My problem is that they are "systems". I havebeen using a old style Grivel leash that I've had for 5 plus years now. Onoccasion I've venturedout with the newest BD Spinner leash,till it proved itself unreliable.But I own them all, Grivel and BD versions and have usedprototypes that still aren't available.
I'm not much into fancy stuff when simple will work, as well or better.
Do a search for umbilicals on the blog here and see what is currently available. I'll do another comparison soon.
I bought and had a chance to use a pair of the Blue Ice Boa leasheswhile I was here in Chamonix. Liked themenough I have set my old Grivel's aside and am using the Boa now full time.
I like they pull test @550 daN or 1236 lbf. No one else committing to over 800 lbs. BD says 800# but the UIAA test is 450# which is what theBD and Grivel is rated at, so why bother?
Because in climbing gear, more weight, "more better" (strength wise)generally.
More info here:
http://www.blueice.com/en/products/boa-leash
Now available in NA here:
http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//04/blue-ice-again.html
Soloing on the Passarelle gully, N Face of the Midi with a Boa leash system hitched to myharness and tools.I'll leave it to you imagination on where the ice really comes from for the start of thisclimb. Fun climb in cold conditions, none the less.
I went rightand avoided the ladder, the crux stick on that exit beinga very old wood cement form. But I did stop fora quick nap on the opposite viewing platform and lunch before heading off to ski the rest of the day. Colinon the same climb a few weeks later. Only in Chamonix!
Boa leash and a Cold Thistle hammer on your Nomic...what more could you need?
Liked them enough that I bought a few extra pairs to bring back to friends in the States. If you are in the USA and want a pair, send me an email. 26.00 € via Pal Pal will get them out to you on priority mail from Issaquah, WA.
Grivel and BD both offer a decent leash system. My problem is that they are "systems". I havebeen using a old style Grivel leash that I've had for 5 plus years now. Onoccasion I've venturedout with the newest BD Spinner leash,till it proved itself unreliable.But I own them all, Grivel and BD versions and have usedprototypes that still aren't available.
I'm not much into fancy stuff when simple will work, as well or better.
Do a search for umbilicals on the blog here and see what is currently available. I'll do another comparison soon.
I bought and had a chance to use a pair of the Blue Ice Boa leasheswhile I was here in Chamonix. Liked themenough I have set my old Grivel's aside and am using the Boa now full time.
I like they pull test @550 daN or 1236 lbf. No one else committing to over 800 lbs. BD says 800# but the UIAA test is 450# which is what theBD and Grivel is rated at, so why bother?
Because in climbing gear, more weight, "more better" (strength wise)generally.
More info here:
http://www.blueice.com/en/products/boa-leash
Now available in NA here:
http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//04/blue-ice-again.html
Soloing on the Passarelle gully, N Face of the Midi with a Boa leash system hitched to myharness and tools.I'll leave it to you imagination on where the ice really comes from for the start of thisclimb. Fun climb in cold conditions, none the less.
I went rightand avoided the ladder, the crux stick on that exit beinga very old wood cement form. But I did stop fora quick nap on the opposite viewing platform and lunch before heading off to ski the rest of the day. Colinon the same climb a few weeks later. Only in Chamonix!
Boa leash and a Cold Thistle hammer on your Nomic...what more could you need?
Liked them enough that I bought a few extra pairs to bring back to friends in the States. If you are in the USA and want a pair, send me an email. 26.00 € via Pal Pal will get them out to you on priority mail from Issaquah, WA.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Winter's Day on Mt. Rose
Went for a snowshoe hike up Mt. Rose today. Man, it was beautiful out there! What a delight tromping through the woods with a foot of fresh, light and fluffy snow! Today we had beautiful blue skies and a warm 30 degree temp with no wind... TERRIFIC day to be outside!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Seeking Hidden Treasures
Denise at The Family Curator has issued a Treasure Hunt! A Challenge for Genea Bloggers. The premise of this two-part challenge is that we must select a destination (i.e. a box of "stuff"), make a plan (map and timeline), post the plan by September 30th, then tackle the project, and before October 20th, share our once-buried treasure with a second post.
The Destination: The box shown below. It is one of 30 or so unopened boxes in my garage. It was two years ago that I moved from a house to an apartment. Many of the boxes contain books, there just isn't enough room for them in the apartment. Anyway, this box measures 13" high, 16" wide, and 13" deep.
The Map: To be honest, I don't think there will be any genealogical treasures within, but it is labeled "Cards, Letters, Misc" and the lord only knows what is included in miscellaneous! So, I'll sort through everything to see what I have and determine whether it should be kept or if it should be discarded. I can only hope that it will contain something worthy of sharing!
The Timeline: Hopefully, I'll get to this next week, but obviously will get it done before the October 20th deadline. How's that for commitment? The biggest step was moving it from the garage into the apartment. It is sitting in a spot where I'll see it every day so I won't forget about the project.
The Destination: The box shown below. It is one of 30 or so unopened boxes in my garage. It was two years ago that I moved from a house to an apartment. Many of the boxes contain books, there just isn't enough room for them in the apartment. Anyway, this box measures 13" high, 16" wide, and 13" deep.
The Map: To be honest, I don't think there will be any genealogical treasures within, but it is labeled "Cards, Letters, Misc" and the lord only knows what is included in miscellaneous! So, I'll sort through everything to see what I have and determine whether it should be kept or if it should be discarded. I can only hope that it will contain something worthy of sharing!The Timeline: Hopefully, I'll get to this next week, but obviously will get it done before the October 20th deadline. How's that for commitment? The biggest step was moving it from the garage into the apartment. It is sitting in a spot where I'll see it every day so I won't forget about the project.
A Dunfee Duo
Last December I wrote several posts regarding Aquilla and Eliza (Dunfee) Hoff and their son. In this post, I discussed the possibility that their son Jonathan H. Hoff (last found with his father in Drum Creek Township, Montgomery County, Kansas in 1880) and John Hazlett Hoff (found in Decatur County, Kansas in 1900 & 1910 and Lawrence, Douglas County in 1915, 1920, 1925, and 1930) were the same person.
Shortly after those posts were published, I contacted Cathy, the submitter of one of the most "promising" ancestry trees. We corresponded briefly at the end of December but came to no firm conclusions. In April, she ordered the marriage record for John H. Hoff that "Charlie" a kinexxions reader had located in an online index. It confirmed the names of his parents listed in the index, but didn't really bring us any closer to a conclusion.
Decatur County, Kansas Marriage Application dated March 15, 1892. Parents of Jno. H. Hoff are given as Olen Hoff and Eliza Durfee.
Part of the "issue" is that John H. Hoff is consistently 5 years younger than Jonathan H. Hoff. And there is the family tradition that John was "the only child of along-toward-middle aged parents, had a father 'mostly' German born in the United States. His mother, Irish, was born in Ireland and came to the U.S. in her seventeenth year" and John's parents reportedly died during his "early teen years" and he then went to live with an uncle.
Aquilla Hoff and Eliza Dunfee were married on September 4, 1851 in Ashland County, Ohio. He was 36 years old and she was 38. In the 1860 census, Jonathan is 6 years old. In 1870, he is 16 and in 1880 he is 26 years old - all consistent with an 1854 year of birth. So, yes, he would have been born to "late in life" parents with Aquilla being about 40 and Eliza being 42 years old. And he was an only child.
On his marriage application of March 15, 1892, Jno. H. Hoff gives his age as 33. In the 1900 census, John is listed as born in Nov 1859. In 1910 he is 51 years old. In 1915 he is 55. In 1920 he is 60. In 1925 he is 65. And in 1930 he is 70 years old. All consistent with a birth year of 1859-1860.
According to census records, Aquilla was born in Maryland and Eliza was born in Pennsylvania. My mother and grandmother always said the Dunfees were Scotch-Irish so maybe the "Irish" part in the John Hoff family tradition has some semblance of truth to it. But Eliza was not the immigrant - her parents were both born in Pennsylvania also.
Eliza died on August 6, 1876 probably in Lagrange County, Indiana. She is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Lagrange County. At that time, Jonathan would have been about 22 years old (i.e. not in his early teens). Aquilla died June 27, 1883 also in Lagrange County. Jonathan would have been about 29 years old. Even subtracting the five years "lost" when given the age of John H. Hoff, it means he would have been 17 and 24 years old when Eliza and Aquilla died.
Of course, I have a theory regarding the age difference between John H. Hoff and Jonathan H. Hoff, assuming that they are indeed the same person. Did vanity enter into the equation? Perhaps John "shaved" 5 years off of his age so that he would not be so much older than his wife Mary who was born in January 1868. Using their ages, she would have been about 14 years younger than Jonathan and about 9 years younger than John.
One idea that Cathy proposed was that maybe Aquilla was John's uncle and that John was adopted by Aquilla and Eliza. But if that is true, he would have been adopted as a much younger child, not one in his young teen years. And there were no other known children for Aquilla and Eliza, especially older children.
So we're back to square one, not knowing with any degree of certainty whether John is Jonathan.
But, entering into the picture is contact with another Dunfee descendant, this one through a brother of Eliza. No, Roger didn't add anything to the information we have, but he did have a photo that really got my attention when I saw it. Roger's ancestor is Jonathan Smith Dunfee who is a brother to Eliza and to my 3rd great-grandfather, William Hamilton Dunfee.
You see, Cathy has a photograph of her great-grandfather John Hazlett Hoff. And Roger has a photo of his great-great-grandfather Jonathan Smith Dunfee. And they both gave me permission to use those photos here on kinexxions.
When I first saw the photo of Jonathan S. Dunfee it immediately called to mind the one of John H. Hoff. I kept clicking between the two and finally got them displayed side by side as shown in the composite below. The resemblance is striking. At least it is to me.
On the left is John Hazlett Hoff and on the right is Jonathan Smith Dunfee. Possibly nephew and uncle. Photos used courtesy of Cathy Hansen and Roger Waller.
But a really neat thing that I was able to do, with Roger's permission, was to give a print of the picture of Jonathan Smith Dunfee to one of his great-grandsons that lives here in Columbia City. Cal is my 3rd cousin twice removed and I've known him for a very long time. Mom and her siblings "always" knew their Dunfee cousins, which I think is pretty cool. I spent yesterday afternoon with Cal and his wife, Ardilla, talking about the Dunfee family, genealogy and numerous other topics. We had a wonderful visit! (As a side note, Ardilla is a grand-aunt of my brother's two oldest boys. Their grandfather is Ardilla's brother.)
A hearty "Thank You" goes out to Cathy and Roger for willingly sharing their research and their wonderful family photographs.
I must say, these last few months have been absolutely fantastic for me in terms of genealogy and family history research! It's been amazing and I can't wait to see what comes along next!
For more information on the Dunfee family, see theIndex to Posts, which is a compilation of all the posts that have been published here at kinexxions on the family.
Shortly after those posts were published, I contacted Cathy, the submitter of one of the most "promising" ancestry trees. We corresponded briefly at the end of December but came to no firm conclusions. In April, she ordered the marriage record for John H. Hoff that "Charlie" a kinexxions reader had located in an online index. It confirmed the names of his parents listed in the index, but didn't really bring us any closer to a conclusion.
Decatur County, Kansas Marriage Application dated March 15, 1892. Parents of Jno. H. Hoff are given as Olen Hoff and Eliza Durfee.
Part of the "issue" is that John H. Hoff is consistently 5 years younger than Jonathan H. Hoff. And there is the family tradition that John was "the only child of along-toward-middle aged parents, had a father 'mostly' German born in the United States. His mother, Irish, was born in Ireland and came to the U.S. in her seventeenth year" and John's parents reportedly died during his "early teen years" and he then went to live with an uncle.
Aquilla Hoff and Eliza Dunfee were married on September 4, 1851 in Ashland County, Ohio. He was 36 years old and she was 38. In the 1860 census, Jonathan is 6 years old. In 1870, he is 16 and in 1880 he is 26 years old - all consistent with an 1854 year of birth. So, yes, he would have been born to "late in life" parents with Aquilla being about 40 and Eliza being 42 years old. And he was an only child.
On his marriage application of March 15, 1892, Jno. H. Hoff gives his age as 33. In the 1900 census, John is listed as born in Nov 1859. In 1910 he is 51 years old. In 1915 he is 55. In 1920 he is 60. In 1925 he is 65. And in 1930 he is 70 years old. All consistent with a birth year of 1859-1860.
According to census records, Aquilla was born in Maryland and Eliza was born in Pennsylvania. My mother and grandmother always said the Dunfees were Scotch-Irish so maybe the "Irish" part in the John Hoff family tradition has some semblance of truth to it. But Eliza was not the immigrant - her parents were both born in Pennsylvania also.
Eliza died on August 6, 1876 probably in Lagrange County, Indiana. She is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Lagrange County. At that time, Jonathan would have been about 22 years old (i.e. not in his early teens). Aquilla died June 27, 1883 also in Lagrange County. Jonathan would have been about 29 years old. Even subtracting the five years "lost" when given the age of John H. Hoff, it means he would have been 17 and 24 years old when Eliza and Aquilla died.
Of course, I have a theory regarding the age difference between John H. Hoff and Jonathan H. Hoff, assuming that they are indeed the same person. Did vanity enter into the equation? Perhaps John "shaved" 5 years off of his age so that he would not be so much older than his wife Mary who was born in January 1868. Using their ages, she would have been about 14 years younger than Jonathan and about 9 years younger than John.
One idea that Cathy proposed was that maybe Aquilla was John's uncle and that John was adopted by Aquilla and Eliza. But if that is true, he would have been adopted as a much younger child, not one in his young teen years. And there were no other known children for Aquilla and Eliza, especially older children.
So we're back to square one, not knowing with any degree of certainty whether John is Jonathan.
But, entering into the picture is contact with another Dunfee descendant, this one through a brother of Eliza. No, Roger didn't add anything to the information we have, but he did have a photo that really got my attention when I saw it. Roger's ancestor is Jonathan Smith Dunfee who is a brother to Eliza and to my 3rd great-grandfather, William Hamilton Dunfee.
You see, Cathy has a photograph of her great-grandfather John Hazlett Hoff. And Roger has a photo of his great-great-grandfather Jonathan Smith Dunfee. And they both gave me permission to use those photos here on kinexxions.
When I first saw the photo of Jonathan S. Dunfee it immediately called to mind the one of John H. Hoff. I kept clicking between the two and finally got them displayed side by side as shown in the composite below. The resemblance is striking. At least it is to me.
On the left is John Hazlett Hoff and on the right is Jonathan Smith Dunfee. Possibly nephew and uncle. Photos used courtesy of Cathy Hansen and Roger Waller.
But a really neat thing that I was able to do, with Roger's permission, was to give a print of the picture of Jonathan Smith Dunfee to one of his great-grandsons that lives here in Columbia City. Cal is my 3rd cousin twice removed and I've known him for a very long time. Mom and her siblings "always" knew their Dunfee cousins, which I think is pretty cool. I spent yesterday afternoon with Cal and his wife, Ardilla, talking about the Dunfee family, genealogy and numerous other topics. We had a wonderful visit! (As a side note, Ardilla is a grand-aunt of my brother's two oldest boys. Their grandfather is Ardilla's brother.)
A hearty "Thank You" goes out to Cathy and Roger for willingly sharing their research and their wonderful family photographs.
I must say, these last few months have been absolutely fantastic for me in terms of genealogy and family history research! It's been amazing and I can't wait to see what comes along next!
For more information on the Dunfee family, see theIndex to Posts, which is a compilation of all the posts that have been published here at kinexxions on the family.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Sand Rabbit
One of our resident cottontail rabbits showing how they can hide when they sit still in an open area just because they are so close to being the color of the sand and dirt.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Assateague Island :: The Beach
Seeing these hoof prints in the sand gave me hope that I'd actually see the "wild" ponies on the beach.
But those tracks were from horses brought in by some campers. The big black ones are Percheron horses. Really big ones.
But those tracks were from horses brought in by some campers. The big black ones are Percheron horses. Really big ones.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Foothill Gold
Foothill Gold, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.
Poppies on the Hite Cove Trail near Briceburg, California.
For some reason, the poppies in the Yosemite foothills seemed to have smaller flowers than those in the Bay Area. Perhaps it's the soil or the colder winters, but these poppies are definitely distinct from their Bay Area counterparts.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
"Gasoline Rainbow" 28
My first climb at the grade. Gas Rain is probably still my favourite line at Coolum, it's a second pitch start, steepening up after the second bolt. I took so many plunges from the crux of this route, some of them beauties with an armfull of rope out to clip, just falling into clean air.
36 attempts finally acheived a tick.
photo: Phil Box
Friday, July 3, 2009
Bull Moose at 3:00 A.M.
Last night at 2:00 A.M. I woke to check the aurora index and next thing you know I'm spending the remainder of the night and early morning out in the woods! During the evening the aurora forecast was looking more and more favorable but not strong enough to head out before going to bed. So, I set my alarm for 2:00 hoping that maybe by then it would be worth going out. When I checked the forecast after my alarm woke me it indicated that the aurora was at "STORM" level! Once I saw that, I was on my way outside with my camera in tow. Unfortunately, it started to rain just moments after I arrived at my first location along the Lake Superior shoreline. The aurora was active, I could see it plainly in the sky between the rain clouds. The rain prevented me from getting any shots so I altered my plan and decided to head inland and see if the sky was clear away from the big lake.
On my way up Old Highway 61 in Grand Portage I drove right by a swamp and there, standing not more than 20 feet off the road, was a big bull moose! He didn't even move when I drove by, so I slowly backed up to get a better look at him. He still wasn't moving, so I turned the truck a bit until the headlights were shining right at him. He just stood there, staring at me as I stared back at him. This photo was taken through the windshield of my truck. I think it turned out pretty good considering it was a hand-held shot from behind the wheel of the truck and at ISO 6400! I took a few more pictures of him before he started to walk away. As he walked away I shot a couple of video clips of him as well. It was a great start to my late night photo outing!
Too Local? Not to Worry!
Today I made the decision to do something new and exciting: to rent an art studio close to home. My current studio situation is kind of disjointed. I have a small painting studio in our apartment, and the Co-Habitant and I share a photography studio outside of Boston. Neither has been working out very well. I have a difficult time painting at home, often feeling stir-crazy and unable to focus. And the photo studio, while a great space in theory, takes so long to get to that we do not go there as much as we envisioned. Some restructuring is in order if we want to be more productive.
When I began to look for studio space, I was hoping for a moderate bicycle commute. A manageable distance would be key to maintaining a daily practice - especially in the winter when it gets unpleasant to cycle in the snow in traffic. Good studio spaces are pretty scarce around these parts, but I didn't want to settle for something so far away that I'd end up never going there. I looked around and didn't find much. Then suddenly a great space turned up a 10 minute ride from my house. That's almost too local!
But while the studio is close by, it is in a neighbourhood I do not normally venture to - separated from my neighbourhood by a great big hill. In fact, the entire trip is basically the hill: Both going there and coming back, the first portion of the ride I spent climbing and panting, taking care not to weave in front of moving cars. The second portion I spent descending - careful not to go too fast, as cars appeared out of nowhere. Oh boy. This is what awaits me every day, twice or more a day, in high traffic and on an upright city bike! Laden with a heavy pannier, my 3-speed climbed faithfully, maintaining a consistent line of travel. I did it, but I didn't like it. Hopefully I will get really strong in a couple of months without breaking my knees first. Of course I could also just walk; it's close enough... but what would be the fun in that?
New England Coastal Town X
New England Coastal Town X. You know the one. Narrow streets, saltwater marshes, dog-rose bushes. Windswept rocky beaches, icy currents. The natives distinguished from the tourists by their accents, the age of their boat shoes, and their ability to go in the water (watah) without flinching. Dilapidating beachfront properties, clung to for generations before ultimately being sold because money's run out or the siblings can't decide who keeps the house.
The developers from the Cityare good guys,thank God, not at all like those soulless predators who would have entire blocks of historical properties bulldozed for condos. Worshipful of the town's character, they only want to update, to improve. They landscape with native plant life (they've researched this; it looks natural and wild yet subtly colour-coordinated).Gingerly and respectfully they extract Jesus and Mary statues from front yards. They remove asbestos, replace yellowed wallpaper, tear down drop ceilings to expose natural beams, liberate hardwood floors. They gut those claustrophobic interiors with their myriads of tiny rooms to create an open concept layout. They install granite kitchen counters, stainless steel appliances, add extra bathrooms (really, a 6-bedroom house with 1 bath?...).
The updated properties are resold at prices that reflect the quality of labour, the professionalism of the interior design and the local sourcing of materials. They are bought by urban escapees. Eager to live in the quaint town for a fraction of the cost of their cramped city apartment, they long to improve their quality of life with fresh air and natural beauty and a sense of community. But the economy is terrible, and their ideas of local employment opportunities prove over-optimistic. Two years later they return to the City, keeping the property as a summer house and income-generating vacation rental.
A tiny commercial street runs through a narrow peninsula. It is home to 6 ice cream shops and 5 seafood restaurants, every single one of them with water views. The seafood is freshly caught, the ice cream home made. "There's a line, but it's worth it." A woman wearing a white beach dress and straw hat asks the high school girl behind the counter if the scallops are good. Unthinkingly the girl answers that she hates seafood, then laughs apologetically and promises they are excellent. The woman asks the girl where she is from. She replies that she lives down the road, pointing in the direction. The woman is ecstatic as she carries her food away to the outdoor seating area. She tells her husband about the exchange. "You know they're locals if they hate seafood!"
Around the corner is a string of cozy little shops selling locally made jewelry, fair trade clothing from South America, organic hand lotions, antique furniture, used books. The local Art Association operates a Co-Op. Paintings, ceramics, woodblock prints. A hand-holding couple discusses purchasing an abstract seascape. "I want the lighthouse to be recognisable without the whole thing being cheesy, you know?" They study several pieces that meet these criteria, tilting their heads.
There is a yoga studio, a book club, a historical society, a concert hall, a market stall selling fresh produce thrice a week on the Green. Artist residencies are held on a bi-monthly basis. There is a mannerism and style of dress that distinguishes the seasonals from the more casual vacationers and day trippers, establishing a hierarchy of sorts.
And then there are the locals, that elusive species. They work the counters, staff the hotels, rent out the boats. But mostly, those who remain are like ghosts. Sometimes you hear the accents at the beach, or a voice calling a child in "for suppah" from an open window.
New England Coastal Town X. I've lived in one and I've visited many, and now here I am again. Memories blend with images glimpsed from afar as I ride my bike past the rocky beaches, charming shops and impeccably renovated properties.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Today's Photos
Today I have uploaded a bunch of photos. Here is one of an apple tree blossom. There are some of the desert wildflowers that grown in my yard and on the nearby desert. There are some of the redbud trees in our yard and some of my geraniums. Then there are a couple of our new kitten Wiley. Hope you like them.
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