Tombstone Tuesday :: Christian and Sarah Schuder

Christian Schuder (Jr.) and his wife Sarah Nancy Huntsicker are buried in the Syracuse Cemetery at Syracuse, Kosciusko County, Indiana. Christian's inscription is on the west side of the marker while Sarah's is on the east side. They are my 2nd great grandparents.



CHRISTIAN / SCHUDER / DIED / SEPT. 2, 1885 / AGED / 72 Y. 1 Mo. / & 14 Ds.



SARAH / WIFE OF / C. SCHUDER / DIED / JUNE 14, 1883 / AGED / 66 Y. 4 Mo. / & 12 D's.

The last digit in the year on Sarah's marker is difficult to read, even using the "foil" method but I think it is 1883. Birth dates, below, were calculated from their age on the markers and dates of death.

Christian is the son of Christian Schuder Sr. and Anna Eva Christina Stoever. He was born July 19, 1813 in Montgomery County, Ohio. Sarah was born February 2, 1817 and, according to census records, Pennsylvania was her place of birth, parents unknown. Christian and Sarah were married on December 22, 1842 in Montgomery County, Ohio. Sometime between 1860 and 1870 they moved to Jackson Township, Elkhart County, Indiana. Between 1870 and 1880 they moved a short distance to Van Buren Township, Kosciusko County.

Christian and Sarah (Huntsicker) Schuder were the parents of six children, all born in Montgomery County, Ohio. Two children died young. Only two of their children had children.

• Clinton Newell Schuder (1843-1858) died when 14 years old.
• Isaac Shuder (1846-1905) married Nancy Jane Lavering, had nine children. They are my great-grandparents. Their daughter Elsie married Charles Wilson Wiseman.
• Louisa Dora Schuder (1849-1922) never married. No children.
• Sarah Ann Schuder (1851-1853) was about 18 months old when she died.
• Diana "Anna" Schuder (1854-1902) married Solomon Coy. No children.
• Malen Schuder (1856-1920) married Alice Clem and had three children: Floyd, Ethel, and Dora.

All photographs were taken by me on July 11, .. and September 1, ...

Reverse 'Weight Weenies'?

Alternating between the Royal H mixte and the Gazelle for transportation over the past few months, I've realised something funny: I have a minimum weight preference when it comes to commuter bikes.For fast cycling on hilly terrain, I love the feel of a light bike. But when riding for transportation in the city, the mixte is pretty much where I draw the line for how light I'd want my bicycle to be.Does that make me a reverse "weight weenie"?



What I like about commuting on heavier bikes, is that they tend to feel extremely sturdy in traffic. They also seem to have a more solid, commanding presence - useful when mixing it up with cars. I have found that drivers give me more room when I am riding something big and heavy-looking, possibly because they are more worried about damage to their car, should they accidentally clip me. Alternatively, it could be that on a massive bike - combined with an upright posture - I might seem like a more "legitimate" commuter to drivers. Whatever the reasons, I do tend to feel more comfortable and confident on a heavier bike in traffic than on a lighter one.



For me, the most important aspects ofride qualityin a city bike are stability, comfort over pot holes and bumps, and the ability to accelerate and slow down while maintaining full control. And heavier bicyclestendto do better in those areas. I am not saying "the heavier the better." But I think it is important to recognise that some of the merits of traditional city bicycles cannot be separated from their traditional heftiness.



The nice thing about my mixte, is that it can go from being laden with bags for commuting, to being light and ready for a fast ride, in a matter of seconds. And, unlike most other light bikes I've ridden, this one is comfortable over bumps - a major plus. For those reasons, I have been riding the mixte for transportation more than I thought I would (the bike was originally intended for long country rides). But she is definitely my lower limit for how light of a bike I enjoy riding in traffic.

Arches Revisited

Ten days ago I left Hovenweep National Monument and continued north toward Moab. My intention was to stay a few days and spend some time at Arches National Park. I immensely enjoyed my visit there, about a year ago. However, after a stop at the visitor center, where I learned that most of the campgrounds in the area were already full and booked for the weekend, I resumed driving. There is a State Park at Green River about 45 minutes northwest of Moab and, as luck would have it, they still had quite a few campsites available. It was mid-afternoon when I checked in and before the sun set the campground was full.



The next morning (Friday the 13th), I decided to stay at Green River State Park for the weekend. It was a gorgeous day and after doing a few chores in the morning took a drive over to Arches National Park.





One of the numerous formations at Arches. It was late afternoon and nearby formations cast their shadows, slowly creeping ever closer to this formation.





Another formation silhouetted against the skyline.



The snow-capped La Sal mountains rise up in the distance and dominate the horizon



Balancing Rock. From this angle it really does looks like it is doing a balancing act.



But as you walk around it, the angle of view and perspective change; it is securely attached to the base rock. In time, the wind and rain will erode the base further and some day, in the distant future, the balancing rock will be no more.





And, of course, the setting sun marked the end of another beautiful day!

Mount Catherine ..

Scott had the day off and wanted to ski before Thanksgiving. I wanted to burn the calories that I was about to consume, so I happily obliged. The plan if there was good snow was to go yo-yo somewhere and have fun in the powder. However, it looks like we have hit the El Nino segment of our dark months with higher temps. This meant rain at the passes the day previous and a 10000' freezing level on the day of our trip.

Skinning up the slopes of Hyak

So we headed for Mount Catherine with the hopes of a summit. Chad joined us at the Mercer Island Park and Ride and we were on our way. The weather was clear and we saw a beautiful sunrise before arriving at Snoqualmie Pass to low clouds and fog. Instead of taking the Sno Park and forest road in as it seemed tedious. We opted for the skin up Hyak and over the other side. We followed forest roads (Nordic ski trails) down the other side a bit before leaving on a bearing across the North Face. After endless traversing through trees, we got to an open area which we confirmed with the map was the east end of the summit ridge. There were cliffs and no obvious way up, so we traversed more and more which reminded Scott and I about the Ski Patrol Race we had done back in February.

Heading into the trees

We occasionally crossed open slopes and contemplated trying to gain the ridge to the summit but we were having little luck. Our difficulties were exacerbated by the constant fog which made seeing ahead not easy and gave us little incentive to try and head up only to be confronted by cliffs. So we maintained a fairly level traverse and then we started seeing flatter terrain. We finally made it near Windy Pass and eventually saw a sign with an arrow pointing in that direction. There was a weather monitoring station there too, and some blue diamond trail markers. We stopped for lunch. (It was around 1pm.) The sun just barely came out briefly enough for us to see our shadows. Then we deskinned for a short ski down to another road. At this point we had forsaken our summit attempt and were content with a circumnavigation.

A more open area

Unfortunately due to the poor sloppy snow conditions and the ungroomed state of the road, going downhill on the road took almost as much effort as going uphill. We worked hard to make our way out and after it seemed like there would be no more downhill, I gave up on the skinless skis and stopped to put my skins back on as it seemed they would offer me better propulsion. They did, but Scott and Chad were out of site, and I did not catch up with them until the final downhill to the parking lot in the Hyak ski area. (Which was in more disappointing slop.)

Boulder field

Overall, I was happy to get out. The weather wasn't great, but that wasn't really a big deal. We knew going into it that the snow wasn't going to be so good for skiing, but it was more about the journey. Even though the road out was tiring and tedious, it was still better than being on snowshoes. Plus I think this is the first time I have circumnavigated a peak. Cool.

The road out

Reaching a Non-Cycling Audience

I received a copy of the first issue of Anthology magazine in the mail today - sent to me, because they ran a feature on Lovely Bicycle. I knew they'd made some illustrations based on my photos, but I did not expect to see a cartoon version of myself and the Pashley Princess(depicted complete with cream tires!) cycling through a cartoon version of Boston. Funny! Unlike the real me, my cartoon self likes to cycle in high heels - so perhaps she can teach me a thing or two!



The story they ran included an edited version of my "Bicycles for Everyday Cycling" page, which I hope will be helpful to readers of the magazine who are considering purchasing their first bike.



I think it's neat that Anthology presented the information as an "anatomy lesson" and made its own hand-drawn illustrations (by Kris Atomic). This makes the text a lot more engaging than my original version (I read it with interest!) - and achieving that is important for print publications trying to compete with online media. I can imagine somebody who is not into cycling at all picking up this magazine in their local coffee shop or book store and getting drawn into the article, becoming curious about bicycles as a result.



In addition to the "Anatomy of a Lovely Bike" article, there was also a beautiful feature on Meligrosa of Bikes and the City with her cool mixte, as well as a helpful piece on shopping for bicycles and accessories.



One reason I am pleased to be featured inAnthology, is because they are not a cycling publication, but a more general lifestyle magazine. Before I began Lovely Bicycle, there was a period of a year or so when I vaguely wanted a bike but did not know how to even begin looking for one that was right for me. There was a disconnect between the sort of bicycle I wanted and what was available in most bike shops at the time, and I simply did not know where else to get information. A series of bike-related articles like the ones Anthology published would have helped me, and I hope that they can now help others. Besides, I just love the idea of things like dress guards, chain cases and "lugged steel construction" being presented as standard features. I hope that women walk into bike shops and ask for them, as casually and matter-of-factly as they would ask for cake in a bakery.

More Fall Colors in New York

We are staying at the Red Rock Ponds Campground here and it is one of the nicest places we've stayed at. The park is gorgeous and the owners are just wonderful. When we first arrived, there were only a few trees with leaves changing colors. In just a matter of days, we are seeing more and more around us.

Water Slide Fun

Today we hit the water slide here at the park. There is just not much that is better for summer fun than this!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Our little trip took us to one of the most beautiful sites we've ever laid eyes on: our granddaughter. My mom will probably tell you that the picture above looks like my baby pictures. That's not why I think she is beautiful though. She just is!

Makes you want to sniff her newborn baby head, doesn't it? How is it that even baby slobber is cute?

I'm a little smitten with her. Ah, who am I kidding...I'm completely head over heels in love with her!!!!!

She is so smart and funny already. She makes a different face every ten seconds which cracks us up.

Papa thinks she is the greatest thing too!

My best birthday ever was when I had Aric (happy Birthday number one son) but this ranked right up there. She's a keeper to be sure!



Living the life as Mimi!

Happy Holidays at Sea World

Today we visited Sea World, which was decked out for the holidays. It was such a treat to walk around hearing Christmas music while seeing all the decorations. It definitely put me in the holiday spirit.

We don't even have a Christmas tree this year. Nathan said he brought me to a place where there were tons of trees instead.

Beyond the fabulous decorations, there was holiday entertainment too. Christmas music:

An ice skating show:

Even Shamu's show was Holiday themed. I sat next to a cutie pie who made the show ten times better because she squealed with delight each time she saw the whales.

We had a great time and really loved the different shows! We hope to get back again to see the few shows we did miss before they change them out.



Living the life in Florida!