Gunclub day II

We awoke to more snow and terrible roads, so we opted to head to the Gunclub again to do some different lines, since we got so drenched on NRA yesterday. We decided to start on Caveshot WI 4+. It was running just like NRA. We climbed it and got soaked just like NRA. The ice was a little more consolidated and the line climbed much better than NRA. After bringing Laura up to me on the belay ledge, everything was frozen solid and we opted to rap down and head out. On the way down I shot some cool shots of a near iceless Internet Connection WI5+ M6/7. (It climbs the overhanging wall with the blobs on it to the right of the rope). We had a blast even though it was 15° and running like crazy. Can't wait to get out on Sun day.

Ah, Yes! John Rupert...

After a fruitless search for the estate of John Rupert in the microfilm of “Estates 1834-1837” I returned to viewing land records. There was quite a list and many more that I wanted to look at and it was in my last week at the Family History Library.



As luck would have it, the next deed that I looked at was the cause of this incredible "Happy Dance" moment. The big find wasn't for John Rupert, in some ways it was actually better, as it had to do with the wife of Jacob Switzer, discovering her full name and the name of her father, Andrew Brinker! (More on that in a future post.) Why am I mentioning this now?



Well, basically to let you know that I didn't work in a straight line, I used more of a zigzag methodology, skipping around from one type of record to another and from one ancestor to another and then back again. Perhaps not the best approach but there were so many things that I wanted to find on different people.



I think I “shut down” for a while after the “big find” and didn't get much accomplished the rest of the afternoon. This was on a Saturday and the library was closed the next day. Though it didn't seem like it at the time, that was probably a good thing - it gave me time to absorb what had been found and devise a plan for the three remaining days that I had left for research at the library.



Saturday evening and Sunday was spent searching for family trees online for Andrew Brinker and using the Library Catalog to see if any of the sources mentioned in those trees were available at the library. A new “to do” list was also created with the desired film and call numbers for microfilm and books to be checked.



Monday morning I found the books I wanted, barely looked at them, quickly scanned the desired pages for future reference, and then returned to the estate records. In addition to looking for the estate of John Rupert who presumably died before July 14, 1836 (though I didn't know how much before), I was now also looking for Andrew Brinker who died in 1828. And there was another ancestor, Detrick Hoffman, who died in 1826. So I was looking for his estate record too. If you're looking for one, it doesn't really take any longer to look for three on the same roll of film!



On Saturday I had viewed the film for estates in 1834-1837 so I pulled out the film for 1832-1834 (packets numbering 1514 to 1693). A little over an hour later I had nothing. Except negative results. Sure would have been nice if those packets were indexed! Then it was on to the next roll for 1830-1832, which included estate packets 1355-1513. Time was in slow motion, it was taking forever to go through those films!



After a short break to relieve crossed eyes and blurred vision about midway through the roll, I resumed cranking away. And then, there it was! The Estate Packet for John Rupart! (#1439) Hooray! Hooray!



Included amongst the 24 images in his “packet” were some small miscellaneous financial papers, the estate inventory, the sale bill, and most important to me a document dated October 17, 1828 – his will.



Anything that appears inside square brackets [ ] has been added by me. Emphasis has also been added in several spots using bold face type.



[first page]

“In the name of God Amen the Seventeenth day of October Eighteen hundred and twenty Eight. I John Ruppart of Columbiana county in the State of Ohio, being in perfect mind and good memory although weak in body, therefore calling to mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die, do make and ordain this my last will and testament, that is to say principally and first of all, I give and recommend my Soul into the hands of Almighty God who gave it, and my body I recommend to the earth, to be buried in a Christian like manner, nothing doubting but at the General resurrection I shall receive the Same again by the mighty power of God, and as touching such worldly estate as it has pleased god to endow me with, I do devise and dispose of in the following form (Item) I do allow all my Lawful debts and funeral charges to be paid out of my Estate after my decease. (Item) I do allow and bequeath unto my wife Barbara all her clothing bed and beding her Spinning wheel and reel all my household furniture which I may have at my decease, during her natural life time and also all the rents interest and income of my place for her Support and maintenance during her natural life, and after her decease I allow my real and personal property to be sold by my executor and the money Collected to be paid equally divided”



[second page]

“Children namely Elizabeth, Barbara, Margaret, Sarah, Catharina, Eva, Lea, Rachel, Ruppart excepting Richard Rupart I allow and bequeath unto him the Sum of one dollar to be paid first by my executors as I have given him his share of my estate in my life time. (Item) I do Likewise nominate constitute and appoint my Son in law, Conrad Yerion and David Ehrhart [the latter name was inserted above Yerion] to be my whole and Sole executors of this my last will and Testament Investing him [two words crossed out] with full power to execute this my last will and testament, I do hereby utterly dis allow revoke all and every former wills or bequeathments by me in any wise before named ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my last will and testament In Witness whereof I John Ruppart have hereunt set my hand and seal the day and year aforesaid in the presence of those Witnesseth present. mb [?] David Ehrart interlined before signing.”



Signature of Johannes Rupart [in German and his seal]

[witnesses] Jacob Watson and Joseph Swinger





The signature of John Rupart from his will dated October 17, 1828.



The signature of John Rupert from Deed Book 9 page 48 dated August 24, 1824. Is this the actual signature of John or was it written by the recording clerk? Quite a difference in four years, but then I don't write my name the same every time either.





First page of the will of John Rupart. Estate Packet 1439. Family History Library microfilm 2032592.



Second page of the will of John Rupart. Estate Packet 1439.



Third page of the will of John Rupart. Estate Packet 1439. Declaration of the witnesses. Signed by Charles D. Coffin, Clk. Com. Pleas



Cover page of the will of John Rupart. Estate Packet 1439.

Is the date in the upper left corner ( August 7, 1831) the date the will was admitted to probate or the date of death of John Rupart? How soon after death is the probate process started? There was nothing in the estate packet to indicate when John had passed on.



The will tells us that his wife Barbara was still living when the will was written on October 17, 1828 and that he had seven daughters and one son living at that time: Elizabeth, Barbara, Margaret, Sarah, Catharina, Eva, Lea, Rachel, and Richard Rupart.



Now why didn't he include the married names of his daughters as many testators do? I should be happy that we got the names of two of his sons-in-law (or is it son-in-laws?): Conrad Yerion and David Ehrhart. After all, the naming of Conrad Yerion provides that definitive link for me to John! Seems like we always want more though.



In the post Father of Eva Rupert :: Is it John or Adam? we found that Hannes and Barbara Ruppert/Rubbert had three children baptized in the Bermudian Church in what would have been York County, Pennsylvania at the time (now Adams County): Eva, Jacob, and Salome. The latter two are not named in John's will so do we assume that they had died without heirs prior to the time John wrote his will? Were there other children that were not named in the will?



If you are a descendant of John Rupert or researching the Rupert Family, PLEASE contact me at kinexxions@gmail.com

Fondness for the Bottle

With the excellent modern dynamo hubs that are now available on the market, it might seem that using a "bottle" generator is a hopelessly outdated and clearly inferior method of powering bicycle lights. We imagine crusty old bottle dynamos making high-pitched hissing noises, powering feeble halogen lamps. Surely such a system cannot provide sufficient illumination. At least that was my thinking, until I actually used a bike with a bottle dynamo to get around in Vienna earlier this year. It was not a totally ancient bottle, but a couple of decades old and definitely crusty from use. And to my surprise, it powered my bike lights just as well as the dynamo hub on the modern Pashley I had back in the Statesat the time.



The vintage Gazelle I now ride as my main transportation bike has a bottle generator as well - this one from the 1990s. It is well-used and worn out, but works fine - both before and after we converted the lights on this bike to LED.



While I am not suggesting that a bottle dynamo is "better" than a hub, I think that it does have some underrated virtues, and that in some cases it can make sense to use it. Consider, for example, that...



Bottle-powered lights are just as bright.Most modern bottles can handle the exact same voltage as most modern hubs (6 volts / 3 watts). This means that I can use the same LED lighting set-up with a bottle as I would with a hub. There are differences in efficiency and a few other factors, but when using a bicycle for transportation at urban speeds, I have never felt this difference.

The bottle is easy to install.If you don't yet have generator lighting on your bicycle, installing a bottle is a matter of clipping it to the fork, or to one of the rear stays, using a bracket. Installing a generator hub is considerably more difficult: You must either rebuild the front wheel around the hub, or buy a new wheel with the hub pre-installed.

The bottle is less costly.A good dynamo hub costs around $80 on average, plus the wheelbuilding fee (or the price of a new wheel) - which can run rather high. In the EU, a decent bottle can be had for under $30, with no additional fees involved.

The bottle is independent of hub/wheel functionality.If your bottle dynamo breaks, it is not a big deal: buy another one. If your hub dynamo breaks, you will have to not only buy another one, but also rebuild the wheel or buy a new wheel.



The bottle weighs less!Surely that's an important factor for all of you out there counting grams on your roadsters and Dutch bikes?



Because my vintageGazelle's bottle has seen some wear, I will soon replace it with thisNordlicht HQ thatan acquaintance has sent from Holland - which is both a more modern, and a more classic-looking model.



And I also have this modern B&M dynamo that I acquired second-hand and plan to install either on my Bella Ciao or on my Raleigh DL-1. I am curious how these will perform in comparison to each other, as well as in comparison to the older AXA that is currently on my Gazelle - though I suspect I will not feel a difference.



I know that most of you probably prefer hubs, and I myself have excellent generator hubs on my touring bicycles. But sometimes a bottle is just a simpler solution - especially when the bicycle itself is simple. If only the choice of commercially available bottle generators was as rich in the US as it is in the Netherlands! Does anybody else out there use bottles? anybody prefer them?

The FUN begins for the / season!

Kurt Hicks' great photos of skiing near Bakerlast week. More sun again today! Hopefully others will be getting out and ripping a few as well.



More aboutKurt,climbing and skiing and this trip @ http://www.kurthicks.com/

In Case You Were Wondering...

Yes, I did find someplace cooler! When last I left you, I was sweltering in 100 degree temperatures, along with much of the Midwest and the East Coast! Thursday morning (July 21st) I continued driving through Toledo and on into “Pure Michigan” northward. At Standish (north of the “thumb”) I followed U.S. 23 along the coast of Lake Huron. It was a very nice tree-lined drive with little traffic, but views of the lake were few and far-between. Of course, I could have stopped at one of the many public access areas but the temperature was still near 100 degrees and I was quite comfortable in my air conditioned van!



The temperature did drop the further north I drove but still in the 90s. Oddly enough it wasn't until I turned inland a ways that the temperature dropped into the upper 80s. I spent the night at very pleasant State Park at Onaway on the shores of Black Lake near the upper tip of the Lower Peninsula. The temperature actually got into the 70s overnight. Upper 70s but 70s nevertheless!



It seems that every campground has a different atmosphere to it. Some have open campsites with little privacy but the people seem friendlier there than at the campgrounds where the sites are more secluded. Some, by their very nature – such as those on or near lakes - tend to be noisier than others. It was tempting to spend a few days at Onaway but it was a busy place with lots of kids and dogs and was very noisy.



So on Friday morning I went in search of a more quiet, secluded place where I could simply relax and perhaps work on the research papers I had accumulated while in Ohio...



No, it's not Michigan! But thought I'd share this, which was taken about six weeks ago in the Rocky Mountains. Perhaps it will make someone feel a little cooler during this heat wave ;-)

Second Life: on Cycling and Aging

Reading On My Own Two Wheels by Malachi O'Doherty*, I am transported from the North Shore of Massachusetts back to the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland, where I spent some weeks on my bike this past Spring. The Belfast-based author describes many of the same roads I traveled on - the same challenging hills, treacherous weather and glorious scenery - making me long to return there even more than I do already.




But the main theme of the book - whose subtitle is Back in the Saddle at 60 - is that of the author's return to cycling after an absence of three decades, and of the relationship between cycling and aging. Overweight and diagnosed with diabetes at 60, Malachi O'Doherty turned to what had been a favourite pastime of his youth in attempts to regain his health and energy. What follows is a complex and engaging personal account that is part memoir, and part commentary on what it is like to ride again as a changed man in a changed world. It is no longer the 1980s and the author is no longer in his 30s. Confronted with a new breed of bicycles, high-traffic roads, newfangled cycling infrastructure, and a society where cycling is far from a normative behaviour, the author finds himself in a state that is a mixture of wonderment, disappointment, frustration, and delight.




On My Own Two Wheels is a personal narrative. It makes no generalisations, gives no advice, offers up no lessons to the reader. But I suspect the experiences described will be widely relatable. I would estimate that as many as a quarter of this blog's readers are middle aged men and women who had cycled in their youth and have recently gotten back into it, or are attempting to do so. I have met many such cyclists riding for transportation in Boston, and more recently at randonneuring and club ride events. I recall reading that the average age of a Paris-Brest-Paris participant is in their 50s.




There are some specifics in Malachi O'Doherty's story that I find intriguing. One is the way he faces changes that have taken place in the bicycle industry during his time off the bike. Of those who return to riding after decades of absence, many gravitate toward the type of bike that had been popular in their youth - seeking out vintage or classic machines, even taking pains to refurbish them with period-correct components. Some want to ride an exact replica of the bicycle they raced or toured on in their 20s or 30s. Others purchase the kind of bike they had dreamed of, but could never afford back in the day. But the author falls into the category that prefers a clean start and turns to contemporary industry standards. He went to a bike shop, asked for advice, and purchased a modern touring bike - fitted with brifters and clipless pedals in leu of the downtube shifters and toe clips he had used three decades earlier. The new aluminium bike is a size smaller than the steel bike of his youth. It handles differently. Far from feeling at home on the alien machine, O'Doherty nonetheless accepts the new technology and the challenges it presents. I get the sense that for him this is part of the deal: As fondly and nostalgically as he recalls the spirited rides and long touring trips of his 30s, reliving the past is not what he is after; he intends to start a new chapter.




Another choice the author makes early on is to stay away from the racing and club cycling cultures - or any particular bicycle culture, for that matter. He describes his preferred riding style as "tootling," or simply wandering around by bike. And yet, he notices contradictions in himself - competitive impulses and cravings for speed that seem to come out of nowhere and undermine (or enhance? it's not always clear) his experience of the two-wheeled journey. He relates these paradoxes in cycling to paradoxes in life. Perhaps cycling offers a means of understanding himself better.




At the time of writing this post I am 33 years old. What draws a person to the bicycle at the age of 50, 60, 70 and beyond I can only speculate. Some are motivated by health and fitness-related concerns. Others take it up as a hobby after retirement. For others still it seems to be a matter of nostalgia. But regardless of the motive, a not uncommon result is that cycling becomes more than just an interest, but a way of life. A "second life," as one local cyclist in his 70s put it, throwing a slender muscular leg over the top tube of his racing bike and giving me a meaningful wink: "I am in better shape now than I was thirty years ago and my mind is sharper." I believe him. Riding with some exceptionally strong cyclists in their 60s and 70s has made me look forward to that age in a way I hadn't done before. I'd like to be like them when I grow up.




----

*Malachi O'Doherty is an online acquaintance, and I am a great fan of his political books and commentary. A reviewer's copy of On My Own Two Wheels was sent to me by the publisher.

Jonas Joslin :: 1840 Ohio Census

Several years ago I found Jonas Joslin in the 1840 census in Delaware County, Ohio - by viewing the microfilm and looking through all of the pages for Liberty Township. Luckily there are only a few pages for Liberty Township.

A recent search of the online index at ancestry.com for the 1840 Ohio census for "Josl*" turned up eight results. Jonas Joslin was not among them and there was no "Joslin" family listed in Delaware County, Ohio.

Jonas Joslin is indexed as 'Jonas Joflin' in the ancestry index. I finally found him in the index by searching for first name of Jonas and last name blank in Delaware County, Ohio. A correction has been submitted to ancestry to aid others in finding him.


Liberty Township, Delaware County, Ohio - Page ?? I have "30" written in my notes, probably from the microfilm. The ancestry image has "0100" stamped along the right side. There is "186" written in the upper right corner but it is crossed through. It is Image 3 of 6 for Liberty Township.

In the 1850 census, Jonas Sr. is listed as head of the household with Jonas Jr. and his family in residence. Based on that, I've made the assumption that in 1840, Jonas Sr. was the head of household and Jonas Jr. and his family resided with him. But I could be wrong ;-) Ruth, the wife of Jonas Sr. had passed away on August 27, 1830.

The probable household of Jonas Joslin in 1840:

• 1 male under 5 [1836-1840... William, son of Jonas Jr., born 1836]
• 1 male 10-14 [1826-1830... John, son of Jonas Jr., born 1828]
• 1 male 30-39 [1801-1810... Jonas Jr. born 1807]
• 1 male 60-69 [1771-1780... Jonas, Sr. born 1769]
• 3 females 5-9 [1831-1835... 3 daughters of Jonas Jr., Lucretia, Nancy and Jane]
• 2 females 30-39 [1801-1810... Fanny, daughter of Jonas Sr., born 1810, and Lucy, wife of Jonas Jr., born 1807]

Portrait of a Photographer

I've been looking for a picture of myself to add to my profile page but don't have any recent digital pics. This drawing was made by a 2nd grade student when I was stationed at the base photo lab in Yokosuka, Japan in 1978. I was on assignment at the base elementary school and was only there about half an hour. Before I left the classroom a little girl came up to me and handed me her drawing. I've gotten a lot of enjoyment out of it over the years...

Beachcombing #4

Padre Island National Seashore
Corpus Christi, Texas
February 17, ..

Overview and map of Alsace Wine Route Villages

Last month (April ) I did a road trip to the Alsace Wine Region in France. The area is famous for Riesling and Gewurtzraminer (white) wines. What can I say, I fell in love with the place! The whole region is so pretty, amazing, gastronomic and intoxicating! Haha! As the popular slogan goes — drink moderately, if you are in the area =)



Alsace Wine Route Map



For starters I have here below 2 maps of the Alsace Wine Route and Villages.









As you can see on the right map, there are many villages that fall along the 170-kilometre wine route and all these villages are pretty and welcoming in their own right. Some are bigger while the others are smaller. Because I do not have a week to leisurely explore these lovely places, obviously I have to make a choice, which proved to be quite difficult at first because I wanted to visit them all. On the left map shows a condensed map highlighting the popular villages.



Ideally, visitors to this region need a minimum of 2-3 days to see the highlights at a travelable not rushing pace. This is of course excluding the big cities such as Mulhouse and Strasbourg, the latter you need to spend at least a day or two. Based from my recent experience, I suggest a maximum of 3 villages in a day — first village in the morning where you have coffee, second village during midday where you spend your lunch at, and the third village in the afternoon for tea and to close the day. The villages are very near each other, about 10-15 minutes away. To calculate actual distances, go to googlemaps.



For Colmar, since this is a bigger town, I suggest to spend a day or a lunch until the afternoon here or during summer into the evening when the terraces are open late.











The actual Road Trip



So these are the wine villages (and cities) I visited during my road trip:



Ribeauville

Riquewihr

Kaysersberg

Eguisheim

Turckheim

St. Hippolyte (and Haut Konigsburg)

Colmar (where I stayed)

Strasbourg (where I did a pit stop going back – lunch, this city needs a revisit from moi in the near future)



Colmar I believe was the best place to base this trip because the city literally is nestled in the heart of the wine growing area giving it easy access to the villages up north as well as down south. The city is even christened as the capital of Alsatian wine. Well, I can tell you this, Colmar is the gateway to the Alsace wine country.



I chose these villages based on the reviews and pictures I saw online while researching the trip. And I strongly believed as well that I have indeed chosen the prettiest and best wine villages.



Stay tuned! I will be posting my stories and pictures soon.

Exploring by Land

While we were having fun on the boat, we came across this place that we just so happened to hit the tide right so we could get out and explore by land some. This had the kids very excited! The boys hopped out and pulled us as close to shore as possible. Austin carried Lauren so she didn't have to deal with water creatures.

After walking across some very, very slimy water and dodging jelly fish, we hit the land. Once we hit land, we were all super excited about this venture.

The kids rushed ahead to see what exactly was here. They liked the bird blind. Josh filled us in on what he thought this place was all about. Josh knows everything about everything, so we learned a lot!

We all liked the nature we found there. Can't you just smell the sand and sea salt?

Sometimes we approach learning differently in our households. Sometimes it looks very similar. Today was an example of where we approach learning in the same way. In both our homes, it is a daily thing where learning looks just like what you see here. Someone finds something interesting and eventually you find the whole gang gathered around discussing it.

Well, except for Josh...who has his own path to explore at the moment!

I love how we will all roll up into the learning and enjoy it together, each adding something to the experience. It's one of the things I most enjoy about traveling with Daryl and Diana. So what kinds of goodies did we find?

Pretty cool, huh? Diana graciously took a picture of us, and right after that my battery died so I did not get one of them.

This place ended up being so awesome, I'm putting it down as one of my faves. It's been a long time since I did that, so I guess we were due one! Thanks, Daryl and Diana for making our day so great.



Living the life in beautiful Virginia!

Forsted Rope with Oat Seeds

Aesthetics of Use

This morning I came across the phrase "aesthetics of use" when it appeared inBill Strickland'sdescription of hismuddy cycling shoe. It is a term I often hear thrown around by artists and designers. In essence, it means that to see an object in use is beautiful - that an object reveals its true self not on display, but in action. Some makers like to think of the aesthetic direction their objects take in the new owners' hands as a happy surprise. Others try to control it. Others still encourage what might be called hyper-use (or at least superficial signs of such), believing that distress enhances the appeal of their creations. These attitudes can be discerned in the manner manufacturers describe and promote their products. Owners' attitudes run the gamut as well. Some emulate the manufacturer's vision in their use of the object, while others are intent on making it their own.







Thinking of these differences, I am reminded of Pamela Blalock's bicycles. A local randonneur who probably spends more time in the saddle than not, she has a few bikes and they are very nice ones. At some point I had it in mind to test ride and feature some of them here. But the more I examined them, the more I realised that the bikes say more about Pamela herself than they do about the manufacturers and models they started out as.






Befendered, weathered from winter commutes, and covered in all manner of curious contraptions, "Cielo Cross bike" hardly seems like an apt description for the magnificent creation that is the Green Queen -Pamela's transportation bike. Fixed gear, rear rack, dynamo lighting, possibly more than one bell - these things make sense to her; the bike is clearly built with a purpose.








Neither is it really accurate to describe her roadbike as a Seven Axiom and leave it at that. While I do not think Pamela was the first to put dynamo lighting and bar end shifters on a Seven, she certainly managed to do it in a way that looks eye-catchingly unusual - blurring boundaries between racing and utilitarian riding and making others question their own understanding of these boundaries. The visually distinct setup reflects preferences that developed out of personal experience.Pamela came up with these ideas from doing years of long brevets and endurance races. It's what works for her in use, and the aesthetics are merely a by-product.








We all have our own ways of using objects, of gaining experience, and then of changing the way we use objects as a result of what we learn from experience. We can follow a manufacturer's vision, we can imitate those whom we admire, we can heed the advice of the more knowledgable. But ultimately we each have our own trajectory to follow.Aesthetics of use are personal; they are not generic, rigid ideas of how an object ought to be utilised.

Sky Lupine

Sky Lupine, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

This is the fragrant sky lupine, lupinus nanus. It grows in exposed fields and on hillsides all over California. If you drive through the Santa Ynez Valley right now you will see hillsides covered in sky lupine. These blooms were on Figueroa Mountain, just outside of Los Olivos.