Northern Lights Moonrise over Wauswaugoning Bay

Well, the aurora made a pretty good showing last night! It sounds like most everyone had cloudy skies but lucky for me the clouds didn't move in up here until after the aurora faded. The lights put on a pretty good show from about 11:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. Here are my favorite images from last night!

Watermelons

It wasn't that we didn't plant watermelons early. We did. It's just that they were part of the straw-bale gardening experiment that went horribly wrong. And we didn't re-plant until the first of August. A race was on between the vines and the first hard frost.



This was our first attempt at growing watermelons.

My planting method went like this: "Oh, that was a good watermelon that we got from the farmer's market. I'll just toss some of these seeds onto the unplanted garden area and see what happens."

My husband's planting method was more sophisticated: "I'll plant some of these seeds that Aunt Polly gave us a few years ago. I'm even going to weed the area first, and plant in mounds. But I'm not going to use any fertilizer, because this dirt is so good. It's all a matter of mind control, anyway."



You might be surprised to learn that we did actually manage to grow a few excellent watermelons.

They were very tasty! We had a two or three week window between the first ripe melon and the first hard frost (around the first of November).



Did you know that melons can suffer from blossom end rot? It's a common problem with tomatoes, but for melons I get the impression that you really have to be trying. Oops. I blamed it on not fertilizing this end of the garden at all. Hubby blamed it on not watering enough (and improper mind control). It was probably the result of both. (I don't subscribe to the mind control theory of gardening.)

Gourds

My gourd crop is small this year but they look to be nice ones. Have about six at this time.

Several Different Horses

I tried to get little horses in a verity of different colors, poses, breeds.

Thanks, Miriam!

Sunday, September 19th - - It was a delightful day that was spent with one of my favs – Miriam Midkiff of Ancestories :: The Stories of my Ancestors. Miriam has already written about our day but I just wanted to add that it was my pleasure to be able to spend some time with her - to get to know her a little better and to meet her son and husband. Her son, being a teenager, didn't have much to say but her husband and I had several engaging conversations while Miriam was off doing something else. The pot roast was delicious. It was very nice to have a home-cooked meal for a change!

Miriam Robbins Midkiff and Becky Wiseman. Photo taken September 19, .. by her husband.
Even though I knew that Miriam and I probably wouldn't get together until Sunday, I arrived in Spokane about mid-day Friday. I had decided that this would be a good opportunity to have a couple of “down” days. I had to tend to some errands – get the oil changed in the van, laundry, grocery shopping – you know, things that “normal” people do on a regular basis ;-)

I also took advantage of having electricity at the RV park to work on the photos from August on the netbook. I don't normally stay at commercial RV parks (or resorts, as this one was called) because they usually resemble parking lots. But for some reason the state of Washington closed the campgrounds in some of its State Parks in mid-September so I had no alternative. This particular RV resort was actually kind of nice. There were some trees and bushes in between each parking space, which provided some degree of privacy. A rarity in an RV park! They also had wifi available but I kept getting kicked off the network after about 15 minutes online. Luckily there was a McDonalds across the street...and their wifi worked great.

My stop-over in Spokane was a nice break in my journey. Several tasks were accomplished and I got to spend some time with a friend. Thank you, Miriam! And I look forward to our next visit, someday!

Long Lost Cousin Nat

(F. Bernard Schultz in Hawaii 1940s)

The wonders of the inter net can be a fairly amazing thing. A man in Tennessee becomes interested in his family background when his father passes on so instead of writing a relative or going to the library, he googles the name of his father's father-Frank Bernard Schultz- and in fairly short order arrives right here-writing me for any information I might have. Why? because his grandfather married my grandmother- and left his grandmother to do so.

Here's Nat's story:

"As you know, I didn't know much at all about my grandfather, barely his name. After my father's death, I decided to take a "shot in the dark" and Googled my grandfather's name. Surprisingly, the first link was to a memorial to him from the Mamiya Medical Heritage Center in Hawaii. The article itself talked extensively about his professional history but little about his personal history. At the bottom of that article, though, was a reference to his step-daughter, Mrs. George Cokinos.

After reading that article, I went back to the same Google link pages and came across your blog, giving a Pearl Harbor tribute to your grandmother. Wondering how the name Schultz related to her, I read the article and found that the two of them had been married. Seeing that your last name was the same as the one in the Mamiya article, I decided to take a chance and to introduce myself to you to see if you might know about our family history. I now probably know my grandfather more than my father ever did thanks to a lead that I found on the internet."

In turn I found out that my new (step) cousin, Nat who is about my age, has a son that he will pass this chapter of family history onto as well as some letters and souvenirs from his grandfather's life with our grandmother. And I got a new pen pal.

And from our Friends in Finland!

From the top of Europe a great blog and an approprieate picture for the current and reaccuring topic of crampons.



Thanks Toby!



Gotta watch that crampon fit. Nepal Evos and Black Diamond Cyborgs should be good to go though. That one might well be operator error. SorryToni...as I was cheeringfor you! But I know the head of Black Diamond's hard goods program uses the same set up and hasn't lost a crampon yet.



More here:



http://lightfromthenorth.blogspot.com//01/january-ice-climbing-and-hiking.html





Black Diamond field testing the same boot/crampon combo on Utah ice last winter.

Tree Lighted at Night

Sweet FA (First Ascent)

You've worn his kneepads.

You've read his forum.

You've done his training.

Now let's see him climb.



You know the rules: If you bolt a new route, it's your project. No questions.However, if you leave the State it all gets a bit ambiguous.

William Monks bolted an extension to Friends in High Places, leading intobrave new territory between Gasoline Rainbow and Cleared for Take Off.



Willmade a public announcement opening the project on29th July .

By 10:00am on the 30th Lee had sent it.

The lower section is in common withsedate and slopy Friends in High Places 21





But the top goes nuts !

Along the way there's some spectacular scenery, big strong moves, razor sharp edges and the odd kneebar.













Did I mention the kneebars?





That is one spooky top out.

Climbers, you know the feeling: You are a long way off the deck, your rope is coming from below the overhang, everything slopes the wrong way, and you are pumped spastic.







Lee displays his trophy. The faded red tape that once marked the route's ownership to Mr Monks.

Thanks Will, for a terrifying new addition to an already intimidating wish list at Coolum Cave.

Tentatively graded 26.



Photo: Sam Cujes

Senior climbing photographer and style director from jjobrienclimbing was there to get the story.



jj

Indiana Sisley Stem :: Show and Tell

The topic for the 55th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is Show and Tell. "Show us and tell us about an heirloom, a special photo, a valuable document, or a significant person that is a very special part of your family history." Ever since it was announced, I've been mulling it over as to what I should highlight. I've already shown some of the things that are special to me and told you about them - family photographs, reunion ledgers, old letters, my grandmother's autobiography - but, thankfully, there are still a few more things left to write about ;-)

My grandmother, Hazlette Brubaker Phend, put together what I call her genealogy book. Included within its pages are the standard pedigree charts (sadly, they are not documented) and family photographs (even more sadly, glued firmly to the pages). They are all precious to me, but there is one page that is extra special.

There are four items on the page, the first two are the topic of this post:
1. A picture of Indiana (Sisley) Stem, my 4th great grandmother! It is a copy, not the original. The quality isn't all that great, but I think it speaks volumes. I'd love to know if it still exists and, if so, who has the original.
2. The calling card of Mrs. Indiana Stem.
3. A photograph of a man with a child sitting on his lap. This too appears to be a copy of the original image. Grandma didn't identify it, perhaps she didn't know who it was, but it's possible that it is Conrad Stem, Indiana's husband, and their son Lewis Austin Stem.
4. A third picture, of the children of Austin Stemm: Earl, Charles, Ben, Hooper, Cresco, Clara, and Fern.

Indiana Sisley was born on May 18, 1809 in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. She was the eighth of ten children born to Margaret Ellis (1773-1870) and Lewis Sisley (1765-1826). I haven't found a marriage record yet for Indiana and Conrad Stem but when her father's estate was settled in 1834 they were named as "Conrad Stein and Indianee". (As an aside, the Stem surname has been difficult to research due primarily to bad penmanship and misinterpretation of that writing! Stem, Stemm, Stein, Stern, Stenn, etc. Their son, Lewis, adopted the Stemm spelling.)

About 1845, Conrad and Indiana had moved to Chester Township in Wayne County, Ohio. They were there only a few years, coming to Indiana about 1851 or early 1852. Their last child, Lewis, was born in Indiana in August 1852. They settled in the northern part of Whitley County, in Thorncreek Township, less than a mile from the southern border of Noble County. Their daughter and son-in-law, Malissa and Jacob Wise (my 3rd great grandparents) lived on the farm to the west.

From census records I know that Conrad Stem was a farmer. He died in Whitley County on July 25, 1882 at 5 1/2 pm, aged 78y 2m 9d (birth calculates to May 16, 1804 and matches the date on his tombstone).

No obituary has been found for either Conrad or Indiana. I really know very little about her. She was a farmer's wife. She was the mother of six children. Her first child, Malissa was born in 1833, followed by Amanda in 1837, Mary in 1841, Hester in 1844, Sarah in 1845, and, at the age of 43, her last child, Lewis was born in 1852. Her first grandchild, William P. Wise, was eight months old when Lewis was born. A child and grandchild born in the same year.

"Jarrad" studio was located at the "Cor. Berry & Calhoun Sts., Fort Wayne, Ind." A trip to Fort Wayne, 20 miles away, would have been a big deal back in those days, the 1880s. Was it a special occasion? Were pictures of other family members taken at the same time? I look in the mirror and see the "droopy" eyes and the cheek lines, though mine aren't quite as prominent. She looks a bit stern, but I see determination in her eyes.

The Calling Card with decorative embossing and fine lettering. To me, though worn and stained, it quite simply exudes style. Click on the image to view a larger version and you'll see exquisite details in the capital letters, including a stylized fish beneath the S in Stem. The sign of the fish, an ancient symbol of Christianity. Could that be a family bible she is holding in her portrait?

From the picture and calling card we can infer that Indiana Stem was literate. She's holding a book (a bible, maybe?) in her hands. Those are the hands of a farmer's wife, the years and arthritis have taken their toll. I do wish more detail showed, but doesn't that appear to be a lace shawl covering her head and flowing down the front of her dress? I don't have a date for the photograph but Indiana Sisley Stem passed away on Christmas Day in 1888. She is buried beside her husband Conrad in the Hively Corners Cemetery (now called St. Matthews Church Cemetery) in Thorncreek Township, less than a mile from their home.

It wasn't until I moved to the Tri-Lakes area in 1997 that I discovered where Indiana and Conrad had lived. Our new home was less than two miles away. Every time I go into Columbia City, I pass by their place and the cemetery, and I say a silent hello.

I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself, but this is a two-part post. In June of .. I was contacted by a descendant of Amberson Evans Sisley, brother of Indiana Sisley Stem. Please, click on through to discover the treasure I received from her. . .

This post was contributed to the 55th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy: Show and Tell

Fields of Figueroa Mountain

Fields of Figueroa Mountain, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Here's a wide-angle view of some of the flowering hillsides on Figueroa Mountain near Santa Barbara. What an incredible place...unbelievably colorful!

Night Time in the North Country

Here's another Aurora shot from last night. This one was taken just after 3:00 AM as the sky was starting to show the very first hints of daylight. Contrary to what this photo may lead you to believe, the clouds were NOT moving fast in this exposure. In fact, they were barely moving at all. Usually you only get this effect with the clouds when they are moving quickly through the scene. This was a 30 second exposure, but the clouds moved very little in that time.They held this "streaking" formation for close to an hour. It was one of the coolest skies that I have ever seen.

Dynafit's Cho Oyu and Nanga Parbat for Fall

Last Winter's OR show in SLC had a few things that really interested me. A few of them I was really chomping at the bit to get on and get them outside to play with. While at least a little bit connected and knowing who to ask, doesn't mean you will get what you want no matter how much cash you happen to have. And I am always strapped for cash forthe "want items".



Super stoked to get into the Scarpa Maestrale RS ski boot and the Rebel Ultra early on. Getting to ski on the new Dynafit Cho Oyu and Nanga Parbat has been harder. The Cho Oyu was available at the Vertfest locally for demo. Anyone could hook up that ride!And many did .Pretty awesome really. But the Nanga Parbat wasn't to be seen there. Or here :(



There is a magic number in lwt touring skis I look for. That is 1000g per ski. Many race skis will come just under that number but very few "real" skis will. My Broad Peak and GTRs (167cm and 168cm respectively) are just over in the 1150g range. Light and still, almost, real skis. Good enough for me anyway in any condition I really want to ski.



The Cho Oyu is listed by Dynafit @ 1080g in a 174cm. My demos came in at 1192g per ski. Still doing really good for a slightly wider ski and short 174 compared to the 167/168 skis mentioned previous.



"Dynafit sez:Despite the wide geometry of the ski, the weight is only 1080grams and is thus perfect for deep snow as well as mountaineering and ski expeditions. The Cho Oyo offers a new 3-D flex-tip design and a micro sidewall construction to achieve optimum weight reduction. With ‘scoop’ rocker, triple radius, a paulownia wood core, and new carbon speed stringers for the Cho Oyo. CHO OYO Available length of skis: 174,182,191, MSRP $799.95"



Broad Peak is a 112/74/96mm ski

Cho Oyu is a 124/88/110mm ski













The Nanga Parbat is a 116/80/84mm ski and advertised at 1000g












No question I want to get my hands on the Nanga Parbat, But while doing the research for this blog piece I realised that Dynafit is still making the Broad Peak. It just isn't being imported to NA now.



Hummmmmm. Hate to do it but this is likely agoodsource for theBroad Peak and other Dynafit skis no longer imported to NA. http://www.telemark-pyrenees.com/en/






2014 Dynafit offerings




Sorry, I got distracted there on what is and isn't easily available in the US and North America.I really like the Cho Oyu. It is very light for the width and it skis very well. Up front I really didn't know what to expect on this ski. I took my 178 cm La Sportiva Lo5s and the Cho Oyu for some booting and short gullies at Crystal. All skied in a pair of TLTs Ps.






Same gullies, different skis, and the man in the mirror.


First thing I noticed was the lack of weight. Even with Dynafit rental bindings the Cho Oyu was a pleasure to haul around and boot with.



My first run was lift assisted to get a feel for the ski. It seemed a lot like skiing a Broad Peak or a 7 Summit to me. But interesting enough less swing weight. And a Broad Peak is no heavy on swing weight.



Of my quiver I thought theLo5 was the skiwould best compare to the Cho Oyu. Missed that mark by a mile even though the Lo5 is125/95/115 and the Cho Oyu is 124/88/110mm. The 178cm Lo5 is 3# 8 oz per ski. The Cho Oyu is 2# 6oz per skis. Add the fact that the swing weight is all under the boot on a Cho Oyu and you really notice the difference skiing and on a boot pack. So no legit comparison to be had there.



The 174cm Cho Oyu really skis short by comparison as well. Substantial tipand tail rocker for this size and genre of ski imo is just part of the reason. The 174cm length even in a slightly wider ski skied liek a much shorter ski for me.....clsoer to a 160cm ski in feel. They were very quick turn to turn if required.



Lou offers some observations recently on his thoughts and some good pictures of the ski's profiles.

http://www.wildsnow.com/9644/dynafit-cho-oyu-review/



But there is more going on. Part of it is the weight loss by chopping the ski up piece by piece. Not that it seems to effect how it skis spring snow mind you. Really makes me think about havinga short Nanga Parbat for the weight reduction and Spring conditions. And a longer, widerCho Oyu to ski on winter snow.






Look Ma, no tip!





And a shaved pin tail!


So no comparison of the Cho Oyu to the Lo5 in any way I can think of. But a very good ski compared to my all around Spring, andstand by, the Broad Peak. Anything the Broad Peak will do, the Cho Oyu might well do it even better. With only a 50g weight penalty and a tiny bit (may be enough) more ski under you to make a difference in weird conditions. The tip and tail rocker and pin tail are going to make a difference in rough snow conditions and soft snow as well. Much more ski under your feet than the GTR. Which is another ski I like a lot in 168 and 178 cm lengths. And a betetr compoarison then the Lo5 to the Ch Oyu.



Love to get a pair of ths Cho Oyus out with a set of Dynafit Race bindings screwed on them. With Rainier in full on corn harvest season right now you can only imagine how much I wanted to pull the demo bindings and get after it on the Cho Oyu.



Bottom line? For the most part they felt like a lighter Broad Peak to me. Some of that was good. Butthey aren't as damp as a Broad Peak. The swing weight seemed better enough(less effort) that I am commenting on it. Not a huge fan of the color or the tip shape. I know, I know, this from a guy who still wears funky head bands and Vaurnets. I really liked how much the ski weighted on the pack even with the demo binding. They were notablein a good way and light.



Both the Cho Oyu and the Nanga Parbat are offering some pretty wild, modernand lwt technology for "speed touring" skis. I have no doubt from my limited use of the Cho Oyu that either the Cho Oyu or Nanga Parbat are going tobe great ski mountaineering ski. Sad it willtake another winter season and some deep snow to comment any further. But for some winter conditions the Cho Oyu especially might really offer some unique soft snow surprises. All in a very good way I suspect. Good turns are only 4 months away if we are lucky.

Waxwings

Yesterday afternoon the Cedar Waxwings kept calling me, but I had to stay inside because the taxes weren't finished.



Waxwings

Four Tao philosophers as cedar waxwings
chat on a February berry bush
in sun, and I am one.

Such merriment and such sobriety--
the small wild fruit on the tall stalk--
was this not always my true style?

Above an elegance of snow, beneath
a silk-blue sky a brotherhood of four
birds. Can you mistake us?

To sun, to feast, and to converse
and all together--for this I have abandoned
all my other lives.

-Robert Francis

The picture is from last year. Thanks to Jenni for telling me about this poem. It says so much about waxwings that is true.

Lake Itasca :: Day's End

Wednesday, August 10th - - It had been a perfect day! In hopes of catching a nice sunset, I strolled along the beach area. There were no clouds in the sky but the haze turned the sky into a stunningly brilliant orange.







Disclaimer: The image above has been cropped and digitally enhanced! The contrast has been adjusted and a little saturation added, although not all that much.







As the sun dropped below the horizon, the orange color deepened to almost red.



This little duck was all by itself. The kids had gotten out of the lake and it was zig-zagging all around the beach area. I love the patterns it made in the water...

On the Vine

This was a big watermelon. We guessed it at about 20 pounds. Biggest we ever raised. And it was good. The next photo down is of it cut open.

Wordless Wednesday :: The Georgia Guidestones

The Georgia Guidestones in Elbert County, Georgia March 14, ..
Copyright © .. by Rebeckah R. Wiseman

The Shadiest Time of the Year

This is our fifth autumn in this house and as each October ends we've noticed that the air-conditioner seldom kicks on no matter how warm the day. The sun is so low that it can't penetrate the still-full, green canopy of the two tall pecan trees to heat the rooms on that end of the house. The east end of the garden gets sun in the morning, but by the middle of the day the back garden is all shadows. As the sun swings around to the west around 3 PM, it illuminates the outside edge of the garden along the fence and then shines on the vegetable patch. After barely surviving the long hot summer, the pepper plants obey their biological imperative, using the sun at low power to reproduce and set a couple of dozen peppers. We'll let the peppers run their race to grow until the freeze warning comes - and will be glad to have even a small crop!

In late afternoon enough sun falls on the Secret Garden to trigger a few Confederate Rose blooms. Hibiscus mutabilis is a close relative of hardy Hibiscus like my 'Blue River II'. Confederate Rose can grow to tree size in Austin if sited well, but my small plant is new this year - a passalong from my friend Carole, it's still in a 10" container.


Enough sun fell through the pecan leaves to set buds on the Camellia sasanqua 'Shishi Gashira' a few months ago. The taller, older Camellia japonica did not enjoy this summer. It looks stressed and may have a handful of flowers this winter. In contrast this little sasanqua didn't seem to suffer one bit and is prepared to open dozens of blossoms.


When I wrote about berries in October I had to leave out the most spectacular berry in our yard - a tall Yaupon near the gate. The paperbark type of birch tree was always something I admired for decades but could never own. They didn't do well in Illinois and could not survive here. Now the sight of bright berries, beautiful trunks and white bark have vanquished any longing for birches... I love my yaupon!



The morning sun is enough to make these Brugmansia set buds but they develop more slowly than they did a month ago. If frost comes too soon these buds will never become yellow trumpets and the peppers and warm weather annuals will die and these passionvines will turn to threads, but the garden won't go to sleep.



Instead, as the pecans let loose their leaves, the winter sun will shine through the spaces between the bare branches. When the shadows turn again to sun it will be time to plant pansies and snapdragons, alyssum and dianthus. The loquat will keep opening fragrant flowers and when we take our coffee out to the patio, we'll be glad to have the patio umbrella over our heads.