Mystery Photo #4

This is the third in a series of unidentified photographs from the Charles Wiseman Family Bible. See this post for background information. Click on the "Mystery Photo" label at the bottom of the post to see all of the photographs in this series.

Paper Photograph on card stock 2 ½ x 4 ¼" Somewhat faded. Is the photographer J. R. Gocgas? Taken in Madison, Indiana. ** Update **footnoteMaven identified the photographer as J. R. Gorgas. Apple found this page on J.R. (first name Joseph or John) at Craig's Daguerreian Registry of American Photographers 1839-1860, which appears to be a good resource. Much Thanks to both fM and Apple!!

In Trinidad: Oscar and his world

While in Trinidad I had the opportunity to meet Oscar and I was humbly honoured to see a part of his world that he so cherishes.

Oscar lives in the old centre of Trinidad. You can quickly recognise him pushing his hand cart or sitting on top of it as he peddles fresh fruits from corner to corner in Trinidad. However, Oscar is not just your quintessential fruit vendor.

We first saw Oscar at the Plaza Mayor. He is super-duper friendly. He doesn’t speak English at all but I understand and speak a wee bit Spanish accompanied with the vital hand language of course, haha, so that made communication a bit easier. However, at Plaza Mayor we just smiled at Oscar and didn’t really engage in a talk with him.

Later, he found us again sitting in a small park in front of the Church and Monastery of Saint Francis. He gave us a warm familiar smile. He then put down his wagon on the street, walked up to us and started a conversation. Interestingly, we managed to have a decent chat in my oh-so horrible almost unintelligible Spanish. He then sat down beside me and asked where we are from and I said—Holland. The Netherlands.

His face shining, he said, ‘Ahhh Holanda! Un momento...’

Oscar then took out a plastic pouch in his bag and opened it. I was quite curious what he wanted to show us? And then slowly he took out his precious collection, a bunch of pictures and letters. They were from his friends and acquaintances all over the world. From tourists passing by Trinidad. Tourists from the Netherlands as well. Some of the pictures he even looked younger and a few of the letters were dated old.

He then spoke, with pride, about these friends.

Blondine and I were a bit surprised and at the same time charmed by this friendly old man. I on the other hand was so touched. He showed us a part of his world and the friendships he cherished with these people. Tourists, visitors, they were just like Blondine and I, passing through Trinidad.

It also seems that he carries the pouch of pictures and letters with him every single day as he peddles fruits in the old centre of Trinidad. I have very strong suspicions that Oscar uses his fruit peddling activity as a front; simply an excuse to meet new (foreign) friends.

His world revolves around meeting people from different parts of the world and he cherishes this experience deeply. Such a very sweet man.

I didn’t have anything to give to Oscar, such as a picture and a letter, but I have this blog entry to dedicate to him.

Snowshoe adventure on Mt. Josephine

My last few snowshoe hikes have been up Mt. Josephine, but not on the "normal" trail that everyone knows about. I decided to go up the back side of the ridge, going in from Highway 61. There is an old trail that runs along the spine of the ridge but it has not been maintained in years and is very difficult to see in most places. It took two trips on two consecutive days to break the trail to the summit. The first day I only made it halfway up the mountain and was completely worn out due to the depth of the snow and uphill climb. Most of the "trail" goes through some pretty thick brush, but once you get to the summit the terrain opens up and the views are worth all the effort it took to get there.








Once I had a trail packed all the way to the top I returned with a couple of friends who wanted to snowshoe the trail with me. We took our time and spent most of the day on the trail. Its only about 3 miles round-trip, but we took our time and savored the views along the way and spent quite a bit of time at the summit. Along our snowshoe path we saw 4 or 5 places where deer had bed down for the night. It was interesting looking at the indentations in the snow and thinking about a deer curled up there for a good night's sleep. When we made it back to the highway the sun was getting ready to set and the colors in the sky made for a perfect ending to an incredible day.

All Four Up

All four feet off the ground

Callistemon

The flower of Callistemon somewhat resembles a fiber optic lamp.

Understanding Hills

Like Eskimos are said to have many words for snow, it seems to me that cyclists ought to have many words for hills. After all, what does it really mean when terrain is described as "hilly?" There are the short city hills that only seem like hills when I ride my upright 3-speed, there are the long and annoying false flats, the rollers, the twisty hills, the mountain passes.My perception of hills also changes over time. Rides I considered hilly a year ago, I now think of as "mostly flat," in light of some other hills I've ridden. And then I get annoyed at myself, because I remember when others described those rides as "mostly flat" and I felt bad, because to me they certainly seemed hilly. Hills are a fluid concept.





The more hills I ride, the more I realise that steepness and duration alone are not what makes them easy or difficult for me. More than anything, the pattern of grade change can make all the difference between enjoying the challenge of the climb and hating it. On a hill with a consistent grade, I can "settle into" the climb, whereas a hill with erratic grade changes drains my energy much faster. In the picture here I am standing atop of a relatively mild, but much despised hill after just having climbed it. It's hard to explain why I hate this stretch of incline so much, but it messes with my head. Starting immediately after a traffic light near the center of Lexington, it initially acts like a normal hill and as I near the top, I feel a sense of accomplishment: almost made it. But just as I reach what appears to be the crest of it - and this gets me every time - not only does it continue, but suddenly it becomes steeper. That last stretch, usually with my gearing already maxed out, just always manages to drain my morale. By comparison, the nearby Page Hill is a more significant climb. But I find it easier to handle, because the grade transitions it goes though somehow feel more logical.



Lat week I got a new computer and it has this feature that shows the grade percentage. This little toy has made me ridiculously excited and I am finally getting a sense for what different grades feel like. It also allows me to quantify my suffering. A climb starts to feel effortful at 6%, difficult at 10% and when I got the "Mommy can I go home now?" feeling I glanced down to see 14%. I was also surprised to learn that the "flat" Minuteman Trail reaches a 4% grade in a couple of the false flat stretches. Are you falling asleep yet at this fascinating information?



I am told that lots of cyclists start out hating hills, but then grow to enjoy them more and more. It could be that I am in that category... how else could I enjoy making a game of guessing the grade?

Sixteen Hands Horse Sanctuary

Back in , thanks to my niece Lauren, we stumbled across a horse sanctuary. Diana asked that day if I minded if we stopped to check it out for Lauren's sake. I did not mind at all. We got out, talked to someone and made a decision to come out for a day to do some work. I blogged about that day here: Helping at the Horse Refuge. What I did not know that day was how much the place would stick with me and draw me back for more.


Last year, as soon as I realized that we were in fact going to stay in one spot for a bit and that my last child was leaving home, I decided I'd better find something to do that would help me adjust to both things. I remembered how much I loved the "feel" of Sixteen Hands and started there. Then a series of health issues and a computer crash halted my attempt. Still, I knew I needed to get going with something or it would potentially be a very ugly scene when Austin did in fact move out. I thought maybe I should find something closer, something I had experience with, something that fit our lives when we started moving around again. So I looked around at my options. And kept coming back to Sixteen Hands. I'd tell Nathan that I still wanted to do it. But just did not get around to doing what I had to do to make it actually happen.



The first week I set up a booth for Thousand Trails at Friday Night Live in Wauchula, I see the lady next to us setting out items with horses on them. I say to Nathan, "I still want to do volunteering at Sixteen Hands" and then set out to go be friendly and talk to my neighbors just to make nice. I get to the front of the booth and am shocked to see it is Sixteen Hands. I most likely overwhelmed them with my excitement as I talked to Robin and Diane. I get the information again and this time, I know I'm going to follow through no matter what. I do. And the rest, as they say, is history.



I always knew I liked horses, but was not what I'd consider a "horse person". I wasn't obsessed with them like my niece Lauren or my Mom. I thought I'd enjoy being around horses. I had no idea I'd fall head over heels in love with them though. Or that I'd want to spend as much free time as possible with them. Or that I'd talk endlessly about them until poor Nathan's eyes rolled back into his head from sheer boredom.



I still love the 'feel" of Sixteen Hands. Probably more so than our first visit, because I know all that is involved with what creates and preserves that peaceful environment. I'm honored that they let me come out, completely green and stupid in all ways, and so patiently allowed me to find my way during this new chapter in my life. I'm guessing you will see lots about the horses and SHHS because it is where I spend a good bit of my time while we are temporarily planted!



Living the life in FL!

Proof of Life?

The man in the mirror, Jan




A year ago to date I had my chest port removed after chemo. I had taken all my nutrition and hydration though that port for months as well as the poison that cured my cancer, the medicine to keep me alive and the pain killers to stay that way when I wondered if I would.



Mark's 02 comments mean something to me personally. More than the obvious stir of the pot in mountaineering. And thankfully not what they mean to you in all likelihood. I made the journey to attempt an 8000m peak, once. From that experience I decided not to support that economy or life style...over30 years ago now. I was appalled that simply clean water and soap could have gone a long ways in easing the suffering I saw.



My thought then was. "things will change here once these people get a hand on a AK47".....and rightfully so.



Rarely have I regretted the decision to stay away. But I have regretted it at times.



Last year I rushed to the outdoors, a place of refuge for me, literally hours after being untethered from, literally, life support. I appreciate a lot of things differently now.



A year later, to the day I realise now,I was on what to me could have easily of been a "make a wish" day trip. Almost surreal.



I was back country skiing with two guys that many, myself included, would have been happy to pay for their time just to be a fly on the wall.Dream trip from "Make a Wish"if you are into that sort of thing. I just wanted to go skiing, but the moment and situation didn't escape me. I was just too busy with MY lifeto really appreciate it.



I had dinner the night before with an old friend who by any measure has nothing to be insecure about. But he shared with me that his entire career was/is based on insecurity. He simply wanted to be liked byand impress his peers. He just never realized that, he had, and no one cared.



Climbing at any level means nothing. It isn't the climb or the difficulty or what you learned while you were there. It is who you are now, today, and what you offer the greater human community, your family or your friends.



It costs you nothing to show that you appreciate your family and friends, offer a word of support to a co-worker or the homeless guy on the street. Or that your buddy's last climb did in fact impress you. I might be jaded and hard to impress but I do find the words come easier and with more meaning if I practice being a more supportive person. "Fake it, till ya make it", may not be a bad motto for us A type personalities.






MITM's partner, Jan



Only guy you need to impress is the man in the mirror. He is the only one that came in with you and he is the only one that will leave with you. Doesn't hurt to kick his ass once in a while and remind him of the fact.

Who Did What? The Closing Ceremonies!

Thomas has posted the Genea-Blogger Games: Closing Ceremonies with some interesting tidbits about the games as well as the flags of all medal winners along with their medal count.

Among other interesting facts regarding the games that Thomas provided is that 35 of the 38 people who entered the competition were able to complete one or more events as planned and earn at least one medal. A total of 120 medals were awarded, of which there were 40 Platinum, 33 Diamond, 24 Gold, 10 Silver and 13 Bronze. Be sure to read the rest of his post for more information and to see who did what. Great job, everyone! Are you ready for ..?

So, how did I do? The details are here. . .

• Cite Sources: Bronze
• Back Up Data: Gold
• Organize Research: Platinum

• Write, Write, Write: Diamond
• Genealogical Acts of Kindness: Platinum

Bossing The Blooms

No, I haven’t found a magical way to make peonies grow in Austin – these flowers appear by permission of my youngest sister - she took their photos in her Illinois garden. They’re lovely, fragrant, old-fashioned, doubled peonies, ready to cut for vases.


My sister said she wished she could hold back the peonies until out-of-state guests arrive in a couple of weeks. That reminded me of an old trick for keeping peonies in storage, ready for June graduations and parties. Maybe you already know about it? Or is this another of those things that longtime gardeners mistakenly think everyone knows? Please let me know if you’ve done this, too.

The hard part is that you have to live where peonies grow – which eliminates many of us! And you need a couple of established peony plants like my sister’s. If I were at her house we’d go out and cut stems about 10 or 12 inches long, with buds that show some petal color, and are just starting to swell – something bigger than a golf ball – smaller than a tennis ball. There are several good buds at lower right in the photo below.


The flower buds need to be perfectly dry so you don’t get mold! Remove any leaves. Wrap each stem individually in paper towels or newspaper, bundle 6 or 8 stems together and slip them in a plastic bag. I used to use the sleeves in which the newspaper arrived. Cut a few more than you need, since some may be duds.
The bundles go on a refrigerator shelf, with the heads facing in. About twenty-four to thirty-six hours before you want to arrange them for your table, you take the peonies out, recut the ends and put them in water and most of them will be fine and unfold. Then make your arrangement, adding fresh peony foliage to make them look just cut. Be amused as your friends search your garden looking for the peony plant that blooms after all the others are done.

You can use this technique to delay peony bloom for a couple of weeks… wait too long and they'll probably still open, but the flower petals get dry on the edges. Have fun!

If you've got it, flaunt it! COG 55 posted!

And man, the Genea-Bloggers have got it!

Jasia at Creative Gene has posted Carnival of Genealogy, 55th Edition and it is the biggest ever! There are 50 posts by 49 authors covering the "Show and Tell" topic. As Jasia says, "Our esteemed group of contributors is sharing special persons, photos, documents, and heirlooms with you today. You will be truly amazed at the collection of articles presented here! No, I'm not exaggerating. You will be amazed at some of the fascinating items people have shared from their family's history."

My contribution for this edition is Indiana Sisley Stem :: Show and Tell and The Sisley Family Bible. Yes, I submitted two posts, but they are related (pun intended).

The next COG will be hosted by Lori Thornton of Smoky Mountain Family Historian. The topic is "10 essential books in my genealogy library." Check out Lori's post for more information.

Due to the explosive growth of the COG, and the amount of time it takes to put a COG post together, Jasia has a request for all contributors to future carnivals:

Due to the recent rapid growth of the COG, and assuming its popularity continues, I will have to make some changes to the way it is presented. I am asking that all future participants use a descriptive phrase in the title of their articles (i.e. "Miss Kate's Autograph Book" as Denise Olson did) and/or write a brief description/introduction to your articles in the "comment" box of the blogcarnival submission form (i.e. "I loved show and tell in school. Way back then I was only allowed to bring one item. For this edition of the COG I'm bringing a small valise full of items that are all related to A Pink Ball Gown." as Apple did). This will give readers an idea of what you've written about and hopefully interest them in clicking on your link. I will no longer be doing this for the authors. I just can't keep that up with the volume of submissions. I'm also considering other changes to the COG. I'll keep you posted.

The deadline for submissions for COG 56 is September 15th. Use the carnival submission form to submit your post. Past posts and future hosts can be found on the carnival index page.

Carnival of Genealogy graphics created by footnoteMaven.

Time slipping

3/1 Update: I said below that we'd be on the Azalea aisle at this weekend's show. To be more specific (since there will apparently be two soapmakers on that row): Azalea 1204.



We've got a craft show coming up and life is hectic, so blog posting may be light or nonexistant for a week or so.



The show is Cottontails, at the Civic Center in downtown Birmingham - come see us! We'll be downstairs on the "Azalea" aisle.

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Check out the Friday Ark for your weekly critter fix.

Gratin Dauphinois

Gratin Dauphinois, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

A specialty from the Dauphiné region of France. This savory treat consists of thinly-sliced potatoes layered with garlic, herbs, and Gruyère cheese in a dish filled with milk. The dish is then baked for at least an hour, or until the potatoes come out tender and delicious.

Serve with a succulent roasted chicken on a cold winter night.

Hubby & Tractor

Even hubby got into the dirt moving business with the tractor.

Old Church Sign

This sign my the Old Town Church told about it's 200th Birthday. 1793 - 1993.