On this holiday, please take just a moment...

to remember... those who gave their lives, those who served, and those still serving today...

The White House Commission on Remembrance (website at http://www.remember.gov/ ) is an independent government agency whose missions include:

• Promoting the spirit of unity and remembrance through observance of The National Moment of Remembrance at 3 PM local time on Memorial Day
• Ensuring the nation remembers the sacrifices of America's fallen from the Revolutionary War to the present
• Recognizing those who served and those who continue to serve our great nation and reminding all Americans of their common heritage

Source of image: a t-shirt for sale and hopefully I won't be sued for copyright infringement for using it… but I couldn't resist, it's such a neat graphic.

And now, a shameless plug for a past post on The Veterans in My Family. That post includes links to other posts on some of the veterans that I've written about.

The Destination :: GeneaMecca

Friday, May 20th – I know, I'm just a little behind on posting, but there is a good reason. I've been spending some time preparing for the “ultimate destination” for any genealogist! Yes, that's right – I'm in Salt Lake City!! And spending some time with my friend Carol Stevens from Reflections From the Fence.





Here we are with our “stuff” heading out to the library this morning. Photo taken by Carol's husband “Man”.





You'll have to excuse the black and white, I was so excited that I didn't check the setting on my camera! We're at the entrance to THE Library!





Here's Carol. We go to the “great” library and what do we do? Take pictures of the pretty flowers outside the entrance! They were gorgeous. Of course, this was after a short lunch break.



Oh, and just as we were leaving for lunch, I ran into Kathryn Doyle! She does the blog for CaliforniaAncestors. What a pleasant surprise!

The ice return

Laura and I decided to take the trip toour local cliffsto see what we could climb. We found that the ice has mostly recovered from the warm snap,although most of the longer routes need a little more time to be safe. The weather forcast calls for cooler temps this week and by next weekendmost linesshould be in great condition. We ended up getting a late start and only did one line, but we sure did pick a good one. The line was about 150' long and had some serious funkiness to it. The bottom was nice and phat (but took much removal for good reliable sticks).As I got towards the middle of the route the pillar got worse with very new unreliable surface ice. A nice rest made above this section made the final push to easier ground very doable. The upper section was very thin and didn't take very good screws. The last 20' of steepness was a horrorfest of hollowed out shit from the previous freeze. The final topout was an overhanging lipconsisting of sloppy mud on my right andon my left was a 300+lb block of oldice with nothing but 10" of air between it andthe wet rock.Not really sure what was holding it in place. My last piece of gearwas 15+ feet below me. It was my last long screw into a blob of ice not fit for the using.It made it toabout the 4th thread. After a serious hesitation, mental prep.and almost sharting in my goretex, I commited to the final moves of mud and deathblocks.It seemed like an eternity, but I made it to the tree and slung it with pride.Iwas happy to be standing in 3" of muck and water for my belay. I cringed as I peeped down over what I had just overcome. I swapped golves to bring life to my hands. They were wet and cold from being onthepitch for 1hr. and 15min. I'm sure Laura was freezing from her extended belay session, so I quickly put her on and got her climbing. She did very well coming up the steep section and made quick work through the easy section. The top proved to be tricky for her as well as she rolled herself onto the top, muck and all. No style points, but success was ours. We setup a rap madeour way to the ground. Wedecidedone was enough and opted to head home. Our day was not without incident though.I ended up gettingnailed by a UFO on the back while cleaning upropes. It left a nice knot on my back. Wrong place, wrong time. All in all it was a great day. Wedubbedtheline G Gully WI5- with fullpucker rating for the topout in current conditions. Here's a few photos from today!

Whitley County - A Place Some Ancestors Called Home

My grandmother, Hazlette Brubaker, was born in Lorain County, Ohio but her parents were born in Whitley County, Indiana. All four of her grandparents were either born in the county or came here as young children with their parents. Seven out of eight great-grandparents came to Whitley County as young adults; the eighth great-grandparent lived in Huntington County, which borders Whitley on the south. Of her sixteen great-great-grandparents, nine lived in Whitley County. In addition, three 3rd great-grandparents also lived in the county.

In 1823, the county of Allen was created in the relatively young state of Indiana. Within that territory was the land that would, in 1838, become Whitley County. Four years previous, it had been put under the jurisdiction of Huntington County. All of that area was once the domain of the Miami Indians. The earliest white settlers came to the area about 1827 and by 1838, the population had grown sufficiently enough to be allowed to govern themselves. The first tax assessment, made in 1838, included the names of 136 men. How many women and children were living here at that time is not known. By 1840, the number of households had grown by 60% as shown by the Federal Census that year, which listed 219 households, and the total population of 1,237 for the county, which was comprised of 338 square miles. To say that it was sparsely populated would be an understatement!

It was in August of 1838 that the first of my ancestors came to Whitley County. These were the Goodrich and Joslin families and they purchased land in the northwest portion of the county. About 1843, Grandma Jones came to Columbia City. With her were her parents, Conrad and Mary (Swigart) Helms, and several brothers (you can read about the brothers in the post on Hell's Half Acre). They settled in Columbia Township. Also coming to Columbia Township at about the same time were Henry and Anna Robison. And William Hamilton Dunfee. His parents, James and Sophia (Hazlett) Dunfee would follow a few years later though they lived in Jefferson Township on the eastern side of the county, bordering Allen county. By 1850 the population of the county had reached 5,190.

In 1851, eight year old William Brubaker came with his step-father and mother, George and Sarah (Foster) Parkison. The next year, Conrad and Indiana (Sisley) Stem arrived on the scene as did their daughter, Malissa, and her husband Jacob Wise. They lived in Thorncreek township, north of Columbia City. In addition to my grandmother's ancestors, my grandfather and his parents, Henry and Susie Phend, moved to Columbia City about 1898. In 1900, there were 17,328 people living in the county. As of .., the population was 30,707 which was predominantly white (98.37%). Native Americans constituted 0.36% while 0.19% were African Americans and 0.18% were Asian.

Of the actual homes of my ancestors, their physical houses, the only one that remains that I am aware of is the Brubaker home at the Goose Lake Farm. The old Scott School that my grandmother and her siblings attended is still standing, though abandoned long ago and now used for storage.

Whitley County has been, and still is for the most part, an agricultural community. There is some industry, mostly in Columbia City and along U.S. Hwy 30 which runs east-west through the center of the county. The other major highway is U. S. 33 which cuts through Churubusco in the northeast corner of the county connecting Fort Wayne with Goshen.

The landscape is nothing spectacular though it is quite pleasant. Rolling hills and flatlands, fields of corn and soybeans, along with lots of trees, wooded areas and a few lakes. I don't think there is a lot of tourism, other than people passing through on their way to someplace else. There are historical markers which note some events and people of the past, but there is really nothing to see at most of the markers, other than fields or trees.

Perhaps the most impressive landmark of the county is the courthouse in Columbia City, which was designed by Brentwood S. Tolan, of Fort Wayne. It was built about 1890 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The surrounding town square was added to the register in 1987.

Autumn Afternoon, Lake Agnes

Along the Superior Hiking Trail near Lutsen, MN. This is from yesterday morning's hike, which was literally a PERFECT day! Sunny, calm and beautiful fall colors. A stark contrast to today's rainy, windy weather.

Polar Rotation

My friend Roger (http://www.rogernordstromphoto.blogspot.com/) was just here for a weekend visit and we spent some time together photographing the stars on friday and saturday nights. Roger has been interested in learning more techniques for shooting stars, and since I shoot a fair amount of night-time images, he wanted to pick my brain a bit.

We are both armed with Canon 5D Mark II full-frame cameras, which means we have cameras that are capable of producing some stunning night images. While we didn't have the best skies for shooting stars (there were more clouds than I would have liked), we still came away with some fun images.

Snow Bike SOS!

This morning I received an email from a reader - Elise - who left her bike locked up outside a restaurant overnight, to find it covered in snow the next morning. Upon trying to retrieve the bicycle, she discovered that "allthe parts were snow-encrusted" and wasn't sure it was safe to ride,so sheleft it where it was and took the bus to work. Of course it then snowed again, and the bike's condition only got worse. Elise is wondering how to retrieve her bike after it's been in the snow in freezing temperatures for what has now been 2 days.






While I don't know what condition Elise's bike is in, I can share what has happened to me in the past as a result of leaving a bike out in the snow for too long, and hope that something here might be applicable:




"frozen" wheels: Once I found that my bike did not want to roll after being left locked up outside in the snow. The front wheel would not budge, and at first I thought something was seriously wrong. On closer inspection, it turned out there was some frozen snow stuck between the fender and the tire. I cleared it out and "unfroze" the wheel.




clogged brake calipers:Riding a bike with caliper brakes in winter, I quickly learned that getting clogged up with snow eliminates their stoping power. And since snow does seem to love settling down on brake calipers and then solidifying, it is essential to clear it out of there. Wheel rims can also get iced over and may need to be wiped down.




icy pedals: A few times my pedals have gotten icy, to the point of making it difficult to ride the bike without my feet slipping off. When this happens I scrape them with the textured sole of my boot to break up the sleek surface, or try to rub some dirt on them.




"sluggish" drivetrain: Infreezing temperatures, it can sometimes feel that my drivetrain is slower, or not as smooth as usual. My understanding is that this is due to whatever lubricants are used on the drivetrain getting gooey from the prolonged cold. It is still okay to ride your bike like that as far as I know, but it might feel a little weird.




Each of these things has at some point made me panic and feel that a bike was "unridable" after being left out in the snow, but they all proved to be resolvable.





Granted, other issues may not be as easy to deal with.I've heard stories of frozen U-locks being impossible to open, and of leather saddles snapping in half if ridden when frozen. And perhaps the most common problem of all isfrozen derailleurs, which I have no experience withsinceI do not ride derailleur-geared bikes in the winter.





Whether it's about components on the bike getting iced over, or the owner feeling that conditions are not safe enough to ride home, bikes get left in the snow - which all too often turns into full on abandonment. Any tips for avoiding thiswould be much-appreciated. How do you deal with a snow-encrusted bike?

Chilling out in Mactan at Crimson Beach Resort & Spa

Come to think about it, it is barely a month and a half since we were in Cebu, Philippines. It felt now like it has been forever. Time flies so fast indeed when you are busy (and enjoying) with life.



I am looking forward to visiting my hometown again next year.









Now, when Dutchman and I arrived in Cebu from Seoul (more entries of our trip to Seoul to come soon, just switching to Cebu for now) last October, my parents deposited us the next day at the 5-star Crimson Beach Resort & Spa in Mactan Island, Cebu. It’s their welcome to Cebu treat for us.



Well, it’s nice to have a sponsor sometimes so Dutchman and I are not complaining =)



After a 5-day city trip in Seoul this is a nice and timely respite. We basically did nothing here but chill. Maximum chill. We spent most of our days at the bar by the pool and beach. I made a separate entry about this a while back, go here: Hanging out at Azure Pool Bar



Trivia: Did you know that most beach resorts in Mactan Island have man-made white beaches?





























Food here is okay. It could be better considering that this resort has a 5-star rating.



I have to tell this story though since it had to do with food. There was this middle-aged American guy relaxing beside us at the Azure Pool Bar. He was alone, and he complained incessantly about his food not being cooked well and so forth. I was actually having a nap when I was roused by this man during one of his many attempts at complaining. Americans tend to have high-pitched louder than normal voices, so yes, his high-pitched voice woke me up from my slumber.



Nevertheless, the waitress had to bring back his hamburger order 3x to the kitchen! And she was apologising profusely to him like he is god almighty. American guy said it is not her fault and he will personally go to the kitchen and complain to whoever has authority there.



Dutchman and I were looking at each other with WTF written across our faces, haha.



I dont know who to feel sorry for? The American who did not get what he wants? Or the waitress who could not stop apologising?



The next day we saw the American guy again at the Saffron Restaurant sitting across us during breakfast. Guess what he was doing this time? Complaining again about his food! He even went to great lengths lecturing the wait staff manning the buffet on what needs to be done.



Oh dear me. All I can think was--Such a difficult person to please, I am glad I am not dating this guy!







On the second night, the whole family had dinner at the Saffron Restaurant in the resort. We took one of those private rooms so we can have some privacy.



We ordered ala carte instead of availing the buffet. You know, you can only eat so much.







Service personnel were very courteous, as usual. Filipinos by default are courteous and very hospitable people . Perhaps an overkill because I had an overdose of it. I mean at every corner I turn to I see a Crimson personnel, who upon seeing me, drops whatever he or she is doing and greets me excitedly—‘Good morning/afternoon/evening maám!’ with his or her hand placed across the heart.



At first it was—‘OhWOW, how nice and courteous these people are!’But multiply that 50x a day and at some point you really get dizzy of the act.I know, Filipinos just do not know when to stop (being nice), huh? LOL



Dutchman was getting tired of it as well and he finally asked me, ‘Why do they do that? Place their hand on their chest when they greet guests?’



I told him—It is supposed to mean that their greeting is coming from the heart.



Well, with all due respect, it looks like a SOP thing already. It’s like having a call centre agent on the line who is following his or her call script. Please, it is not natural anymore. It is OA (overacting).



Tip to the management at Crimson: Your service personnel do not have to greet your guests every second around the clock nor place their hand across their hearts. A big and friendly smile or nod will do!







Our room—it is quite big with a little garden view from the tub. The bed was lovely.



The downside at this resort is the internet. They say that they have free internet but it is uber slow. And they also lock many internet addresses. For example, I cannot load my blog using their internet access. I get a message saying that the site is not accessible so I asked reception about this and was informed that I will have to go to their IT and request for access of the said internet address.



What the heck? It is just a blog, not a porn site, ok? Nevertheless, since I am by no chance like the American guy who would go to great lengths in the complaining department, I just shrugged off my hopes of using the internet at this resort. There’s better things to do, or not to do.





















All in all, we had a very nice and relaxing stay at Crimson Beach Resort & Spa. This is a place to chill out, not a place to be on active holiday because there is not much to do inside, outside and nearby the resort.



Thanks again Mom and Dad for the lovely treat!

Morning Sunrays

Mirabelle's second camping trip ..

In a stroke of luck, Jennifer and I were both not working. So we took Mirabelle on another camping trip. This time, like the previous out to the warmer, sunnier side of the mountains.



We drove out Wednesday morning and did pretty good timing the drive with Mirabelle's nap schedule. We opted to check out the Aplets and Cotlets (Liberty Orchards) store in Cashmere as our first stop on the warm side. It wasn't really that interesting. And after a few samples, we continued east to the Mission Ridge ski area for a short hike. Unfortunately, this was not well timed with naps, and Mirabelle was a bit over tired when we placed her into the new back pack for the hike. She whined most of the twenty minutes or so we went uphill, and then we took her out for a snack and to see if she would calm down.







No luck with the calming, and we headed back down the hill where she fell asleep moments before returning to the car. Since it was chilly, we just headed back to Leavenworth after a stop at a market on Highway 2.







After playing in town a bit, we headed to Eight Mile Campground for the night. Where we ate dinner, and then had a good night's sleep before being waken up by the camp host. We drove into town and hiked the Nordic trails at the ski area before leaving to come back home. One stop up at Stevens Pass for Mirabelle to stretch her legs, and we were in the final leg of our journey.