Monday, November 30, 2009

Pants? A quick drive by......








Jens in the stellar mixed chimney of Blue Moon, Mtn. Snoqualmie




It was pointed out to me this morning that I don't do much on pants here on the blog but a lot of writing on thetop layers. Fair enough.









More importantly I don't put a lot of thought into pant these days. And I should. I really should.



Everyone seems to worry about the heat loss from your neck and head. Few worry about the heat loss from your legs. Myself included. Much warmth to be had by a thoughtful pant choice. Obviously this subject needs some details filled in and the thought process behind them laid out. For now it is just a drive by of the pants I do like and use. More later.



I own one pair of Gortex hard shell bibs these days. Haven't used them in years. Still own them mind you, just haven't used them. And they are really nice Arcteryx Goretex bibs.



The basic rack climbing and skiing? It is all soft shell but one.



Arcteryx Gamma LT, AR, SV, MX

Gamma LT is my most used pant, by a fair margin, winter and summer, climbing and skiing. The LT is the only one of the bunch I have actually worn out and then replaced.



NWAlpine Salopettes

My idea to get Bill making these. Used something similar back to the '70s.

I have them in the standard fabric NWA offers which is somewhere between the LT and the AR material but not as good as either. Two more pair in different weights of insulated Neoshell.

Great bib pattern, stock fabrics and workmanship could be better. Price point helps you ignore the flaws.

Worn out one pair of the original bibs.

Don't own the pant





Patagonia

Great fabrics. Weird and over complicated design work.

North Wall pants......Polartec Power Stretch Pro? Best material made for cold weather pants to date imo. Still not thrilled with the design work.

Mixed Guide Pant. Love the fit. Close as I come to a hard shell that I actually use. Wish they were more soft shell and less hard shell. Others who know a lot more than me really like the combo of hard shell soft shell. Vents that work.

Alpine Guide Pant...nice pant, nice fabric.

Weird as it might sound I bought all the Patagonia pants because they fit me in the waist extremely well. Cuffs on all of them are FUBAR though. in comparison to the other pants I use more. Annoying that.









Dynafit

Easy to poke fun at lycra.I really like the lycra based Dynafit Movement pant. Even the white ones. Lycra has its place in the mtns. I own two pair of theseand would use them everywhere they were warm enough or I could more fast enough. If only they were easier to replace. Thoughtful combination of pockets and lycra with wind blocks and a built in gaiter that really works. Now I generally save them for fast ski days or sunshine. Wish I didn't have to save them. For the right weather and given the right fitness level by far my most favorite pant in the mountains.



Take a look through the photos here on the blog. Most of these pants are well represented.

Base layers to go under them? That is another story waiting to be told.


Friday, November 27, 2009

Spanky & Tuffee

Spanky is Julie's dog. He and Tuffee are friends and like to run up and down along the wire fence between our places.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

The Copper Falls Trail

Monday, August 8th - - For some reason, I was quite ambitious today and went on a second hike. This was a 1.7 mile loop through the forest, along the river, with a few stair-steps involved as well as some other downhill/uphill sections where there were some handrails to help provide support. I'm not ashamed to admit that I made ample use of the handrails!



The trail would also cross two rivers in three places on very sturdy foot bridges and we'd see several waterfalls along the way. The pictures I took really do not do it justice. To fully appreciate the area you have to be there – feel the spray from the water and hear the roar of the river as it drops over the ledges and through the narrow passageways that it has carved out over many years. This was one hike that was definitely worth the effort!





A small portion of Copper Falls, which drops about 12 feet, on the Mad River. Like the Tahquamenon Falls, the copper color comes from tannin in the water.





A slightly better angle, but still showing only a small part of the falls.



This view shows it a little better – how the river has carved two paths around and through the stone walls of the canyon - but I think the only way you could get a really good shot of this falls would be by being suspended over the river in front of the falls, with a wide angle lens on the camera!



Flowing in a northeasterly direction, the Mad River essentially “runs into” a stone wall, making an abrupt left turn to the west. Coming in from the east is Tyler Forks. Visualize a rather crooked “T” with Mad River being the long upright part as well as the left hand part. Tyler Forks would be the right hand side of the “T” with a bit of a zig and zag just before and after it meets up with the Mad River.





Brownstone Falls is created when Tyler Forks plunges down 30 feet to join the Mad River. The name Brownstone comes from the color of the rocks surrounding it. They were formed eons ago from lava flows that contained small quantities of iron. Tyler Forks curves off to the right, eastward, above Brownstone Falls.





This picture provides no perspective whatsoever! But, there is the Mad River coming in at the top of the picture. The “whitewater” at the bottom of the image is actually Brownstone Falls dropping over the edge of a 30 foot cliff, plunging down and meeting up with the Mad River. Together they continue their journey as Mad River, veering off to the right (where the white foam is in the center of the photo). The sound was incredible. Not nearly as loud as Niagara Falls by any means or even Upper Tahquamenon Falls, but the sound reverberated around the canyon.





Okay, maybe this is a little better. But it still appears as though the water is flowing in from the right and the bottom and going out the top. You'll have to trust me, it isn't.





Adding to the sound of falling water was Tyler Cascades, which is a set of four smaller waterfalls just above and to the east of Brownstone Falls. Simply Gorgeous!



The trail followed Tyler Forks to the east a little ways then crossed at a point just above the cascades. By then the roar of Brownstone Falls was muted and the sound of the water tumbling over the rocks was quite soothing.



Oh, yes! This was one hike that was definitely worth the effort! And I savored every minute of it...



A Taste of the Radish

Xtracycle Radish

As anticipated after our meeting at Interbike,Xtracyclehas sent over a demo model of their Radish long tail cargo bike for me to test ride. I will be picking it up from Harris Cyclery next week, and after trying it for the first time a few days ago, I have a feeling we will get on nicely.Pioneers of the long tail concept, Xtracycle makes two main categories of products: the Free Radical, which is an extender kit that can turn almost any standard bike into a long tail, and a line of integrated longtail bikes. The step-through Radish model has been around since and is available in multiple configurations.The Radish pictured here is the Classic - designed to carry "groceries, cargo of all shapes and sizes, and adult passengers."




Xtracycle Radish

As the term "long-tail" suggests, the Radish sports an extended rear end: The back wheel is set back considerably, allowing space for a massive deck to extend along the chainstays. Other than that, the Radish looks like a fairly normal transportation bicycle: lowered stepover, swept-back handlebars, fenders, flat pedals and a chain guard. All it is missing is lights. Current retail prices for the Radish start at $1,220 for a complete bike, bags included.




Xtracycle Radish

California-designed and Taiwan built, the frame is welded cromoly steel. The complete bike weighs 43lb.




Xtracycle Radish

The 1x9 speed derailleur drivetrain is geared to provide a nice and useful range, including a low 1:1 gear.




Xtracycle Radish

V-brakes front and rear.




Xtracycle Radish

The cargo deck can serve as a carrying platform for large objects and passengers. It also integrates with XtraCycle's expandable FreeLoader bags, as well as with the optional WideLoader side platforms (not pictured). I am going to experiment while the bike is in my possession and see how well this system accommodates the sort of cargo I am likely to carry.




Xtracycle Radish

My initial ride on the Radish was modest. First I rode it completely unloaded, just to see how it would handle in that state. Then I added some photo equipment, my laptop bag, and an armload of random heavy-ish items from Harris Cyclery for extra weight. Here are my first impression notes based on the (4 mile) test ride:




. The unloaded Radish felt surprisingly light to pick up, something the shop staff noticed as well.




. The Radishhandles like a normal, faster-than-average upright bike. There was no learning curve involved in riding it. I would wager that if you can ride an upright bike, you can handle the Radish.




. I could not feel the long-tailness of the bike, even when cornering.




. I could not sense a difference in handling or speed between the Radish unloaded vs lightly loaded. Apparently it will take a lot more than the equivalent of a week's worth of groceries, plus camera equipment, plus laptop bag, for me to feel anything back there.




. Ride quality over potholes was great (26" x 2" tires).




. I like the quick and efficient feel of the derailleur drivetrain.




. The geometry makes full leg extension possible when pedaling, while still allowing me to put a toe down at stops without dismounting.




Xtracycle Radish



. The quick release seatpost makes sharing the Radish easy.




. The stepover is pretty low, but still requires leaning the bike toward me in order to step over the top tube. It is not quite as low as a full-on step-through or loop frame.




. The size of the Radish makes it impractical for me to store it indoors (we have a tiny place). I wonder how it will fare when stored outside.




. While my impulse is to say that if the Radish were mine, I'd want a box permanently affixed to the rear, I will give the standard setup a fair chance before jumping to conclusions.



. Aesthetically, I have to admit that I like the Radish a lot; it just looks so darn friendly and adorable.




All of this combined leaves me in eager anticipation of truly putting this bike through its paces and experimenting with various types of cargo. If you are local and interested in taking it for a spin, the Radish remains for a few more days atHarris Cycleryin West Newton, MA, and will return there after my review.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Four in One


left: Charles Romaine Brubaker, born August 19, 1871 (my great grandfather)
right: Hazlette Aileen Brubaker, daughter of Maud Wise and Charles Brubaker, born January 16, 1902 (my grandmother).


left: Virginia Phend, daughter of Hazlette Brubaker and Vic Phend, born May 9, 1928 (my mother).
right: There are no formal "baby" portraits of me, or my younger brother. There are several of my older brother, the first born. And of my sister, the last born. There are a few casual snapshots of me as a toddler, but the picture on the right is the only one taken of me in a formal studio setting. It's a hand-painted black and white photo, dated 1951, so I would have been 3 years old.

Contributed to the 7th Edition of Smile For The Camera :: Oh, Baby!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

EZ Tools? Finding What Works


I knew that I was pushing my luck, riding a bike that had just been assembled the previous day. And sure enough: 5 miles into the Vermont Fall Classic my dynamo headlight rattled loose. I was just about to rummage around for my folding multitool, when a riding companion, Vorpal Chortle, whipped out a little wrench-looking thingie with multiple heads that I'd never seen or used before. "Here, maybe one of these is the right size?" It was. Without getting off the bike, I tightened my headlight and amoment laterwe were on our way again.



No one thought that anything out of the ordinary had transpired, but I was stunned. This was not what tightening bolts on a bike was normally like for me. This was done without effort, and more importantly, without the usual flood of shame and anger at my helplessness.



I've explained before the situation with working (or rather not working) on my own bikes. It's not that I don't know how or don't want to learn. I can give others tutorials on bike repair. But I have problems with my hands that limit my hand strength, dexterity and fine motor skills. Even just holding some tools is difficult: They fall out out of my hands, because my fingers can't grip them tightly enough or wrap around them in the right way. In the very best case scenario, I might be able to do an easy repair (like tightening a headlight bracket) but it will take ages. I have tried individual wrenches, Y-wrenches and folding multi tools, and it's always the same story. How or why the flimsy looking Park Tool MT-1 was any different was beyond me.



Shortly after the Vermont Classic I bought an MT-1 of my own (available locally at Harris Cyclery), and can now easily handle anything on a bike that requires a 3/4/5/6/8mm allen wrench, an 8/9/10mm socket wrench, or a straight blade screwdriver. That does not cover everything, but it's a start. There is something about the size and shape of this thing that both stays put in my fingers and provides enough leverage to compensate for my lack of hand strength. The joy this has brought me is almost embarrassing (thanks Vorpal Chortle!).



Granted, this particular tool may not work for everyone. But my point is,if you are finding bike repairs physically difficultthere might be something out there that does work. I am going to experiment more aggressively from now on, and maybe I will find tools for all the other tasks I still have trouble with. For instance, I might be imagining this, but I recall watching a woman use a collapsible type of lever that connects to the hub axle(?) to remove a tire in one fell swoop. Maybe I ought to look into that and try to get my flat fixing time to under 30 minutes. In the end, I would love to put together a list of "EZ Tools" suggestions, but I'm not sure how universally applicable these things are. Ultimately, we must keep experimenting to find what works for us, and for some this will be tougher than for others.

Icy Sunset over Whitecaps Bay










































Yesterday my friend Roger and I spent pretty much the entire day outside photographing as much ice as we possibly could. We found countless awesome ice features throughout the day. Unfortunately at sunrise, my "big" camera (a Canon 5D Mark II, the one I take all my landscape shots with) froze up and absolutely would not work, before I was able to take a single picture! As a result, I ended up shooting most of the day with my "little" camera, a Canon G11. I had a ton of fun shooting with the G11 and came away with plenty of really neat shots taken with it.



Late in the afternoon we brought our gear inside and I tried warming up my big camera and putting a fresh charge on the battery. After a while I put the battery back in the camera and it worked! So, we headed out to shoot sunset. When we got to our planned sunset location I pulled out my camera, took 4 pictures then it froze up again and was totally unresponsive! I sure am glad I was able to get this shot before the camera froze up. We went back out this morning to shoot sunrise, and after being in the warm house all night and again putting a fresh charge on the batteries, the camera worked fine all morning. Go figure.

Pleasanton Family History Expo

By all accounts, the recent Family History Expo in Pleasanton, California was a success. I'll add my kudos to all of the reports with one exception...

The speakers were good. The topics presented were varied and interesting. Visiting with geneabloggers previously met was wonderful. The exception? In plain and simple terms, the venue was awful. Two classrooms in each building separated by fabric curtains certainly did not enhance the learning experience. To give her credit, Holly Hanson (president of Family History Expos) apologized for the classroom environment in her end of the Expo presentation, saying that the Expo will return to the area next year but in different and hopefully better facilities. That's good news for everyone! All in all, the Expo was well worth the time and money.

The first session I attended was with Arlene Eackle. And even though I have few ancestors in the south (a couple in Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky), I learned a great deal about locating the “right” ancestor through property records.

At 11:30 I learned what was new in RootsMagic4 with Bruce Buzbee. RootsMagic has some interesting features. I'm almost convinced that I should switch from Legacy! Almost.

The lines for getting lunch were quite long and I missed the 1:30 session with Lisa Alzo that I had planned on attending. Her talk was on Websites You Might Be Missing - a review of some cool tools and useful web sites for genealogists. I'll be able to get some of that information from the Syllabus but I'm sure more information was given in the lecture.

At three o'clock I sat in on Tim Cox's presentation on Hard Drive Organization and learned about how he files his genealogy documents and images. I'm always looking at how other people do that since I have several thousand documents and photos that I scanned before leaving home last September and have yet to organize them. I want to devise a system that will not need to be changed sometime in the future! Probably an impossible dream.

The final classroom session for the day was with Jean Wilcox Hibben on Shaking the Myth: Proving/Disproving Family Legends. Jean has devised a method of evaluating evidence by asking a series of questions to help determine if the legend could be true. It was fascinating to “step through” one of her family legends using this process.

The first day wasn't quite over when the last session finished. I, along with most of the geneabloggers and quite a few other people, attended the live Genealogy Gems Podcast with Lisa Louise Cooke. Her guests were Craig Manson and Sheri Fenley. They discussed writing for the online magazine Shades of the Departed which was created by footnoteMaven. Both Craig and Sheri were fantastic guests, and the dessert bar was pretty good too!

Lisa Louise Cooke and Craig Manson
Day two of the Expo, I was a slacker. It was noon before I made my way to where the Expo was being held. I went in to a session at 1:30 but left after 10 minutes. I couldn't hear the speaker due to the noise from the neighboring session... I went to a 3:00 session but left soon after it started because the subject wasn't what I thought it would be. At 4:30 Holly Hanson gave the final presentation on breaking down brick walls on those troublesome ancestors providing several inspiring examples. And then, it was over... a few days respite and I'm back on the road!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Dark and Beautiful



I always get the dark butterflies mixed up. Three in this area are similar:

Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor),
Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) and
the black form female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus).

But I think this one is the latter.

The plant she's on is White crownbeard (Verbesina virginica). (It's the same as Frostflowers plant from back in February.)

It's curious that only some Eastern Tiger Swallowtail females are dark - to mimic the poisonous Pipevine Swallowtail - and some are not. They seem to have several successful strategies to avoid getting eaten: the young caterpillars resemble bird droppings, the mature caterpillar has large false eyespots, and the chrysalis looks like a stick. So why after all that trouble, wouldn't you want to turn black and look poisonous?

Maybe the male butterflies prefer blondes.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Folklore Galore

Friday, August 12th - - It was raining when I woke up this morning as it had most of the night. Later in the day it seemed to be clearing and I decided to drive into Bemidji, about 30 miles north of Lake Itasca. About halfway there the sun would occasionally came out between the layers of clouds.



Bemidji, Minnesota is the first city on the Mississippi. They have a sign posted in the center of town that says so!





However, their real claim to fame though is that they are the home of one of several statues of Paul Bunyan and his famous blue ox, Babe! Here, they reside in a lakefront park on the shores of Lake Bemidji.





The rather crude “folk art” figures were built in 1937 and funded through donations made by local residents. It was rather fun watching the people interact with Paul and Babe!









Later that afternoon, driving south back toward Lake Itasca, the sun disappeared. By the time I got to the campground, it was raining again. And it rained for most of the next day. But that gave me an opportunity to get a bunch of blog posts written and scheduled!



Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Winter on Hungry Jack Lake



















































Here is another view of Hungry Jack Lake, this time a wide-angle view. The other day I posted a close-up, abstract shot of the snow drifts on the lake that was taken with my telephoto lens. The clouds were really neat above the lake when I made this photo. Because of the winds, the clouds were moving fast and it was fun watching the shadows move across the frozen surface of the lake.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Brigstock to Great Oakley via Geddington

Part of Mel Jarvis'sAround Corby Walk, but clockwise.





With Barry and Gordon. between 9 and 10 miles in reality. Weather - a shower before we started, then very windy, but sunny. Hard work in the teeth of hurricane Katia's tail.





Beware - ignore miles 5 to 7 on the garmin link- no way did our guided tour of Geddington church cover 2 miles! Nor was I running back and forward across the village! Technical hiccup. Then I left the machine running in the car for part of the journey back. Human error.





We started walking from behind Brigstock Village Hall, crossing the stream via a footbridge, and taking the right-hand of two paths uphill over several cultivated fields. The path runs parallel to and slightly higher than the A43 road.








Making our way towards Stanion with a headwind




Crossing the brook

Once in Stanion we turned left into Willow Lane, then left again just before Keebles Close along a short footpath leading to the Pocket Park, which is managed for wildlife. After the park we turned left again and walked along the road for about 100 yards before turning right on to the footpath which took us uphill through more fields towards Geddington Chase.




Walking uphill from Stanion



The path cuts off the corner of the first field, then follows the hedges as it climbs up a hundred feet or so. It is well marked. Eventually we arrived at Geddington Chase, and followed the wide grassy avenue to Chase Lodge, a fine well cared for house and garden, ruined (for me, though I'm sure the owners have good reason) by their guard dogs, which bark enthusiastically as soon as they hear or see you.

We followed the clear footpath arrows around the house and took the path south-west - not the one directly opposite us. This leads downhill through the woods, past an abandoned building, and on to a track which becomes Wood Street leading into Geddington village. This is a village with a history far bigger than its size would imply. Its most famous attraction is the Eleanor Cross, built by Edward I to mark one of the resting places of the funeral procession of his wife, Eleanor of Castile, as her body returned to London in 1290.



We stopped to look at the information board outside the church, and local enthusiast and editor of the Geddington website, Kam Caddell, came to tell us about the village and gave us a guided tour of the church, which dates from around the eighth century, and stands on a previous pagan site, linked to the well beneath the cross, which is reputed never to dry up. The village was a favourite haunt of English royalty for most of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. For more information about this , go to the village website.




The bridge over the River Ise was built in 1250




We crossed the bridge and walked along Bridge Street almost as far as the Post Office/ Tea Room before turning left along the path leading through a park. It took us out at the main road (opposite Dallington Crescent. The path continues across the road, just next to the drive to a house. We followed the path, eventually turning right near Mill Farm and emerging on to the road between Geddington and Newton. A few hundred yards of road walking, then we took a path to the right. There are two paths - we followed the right hand fork.

We walked uphill through a couple of large cultivated fields towards an electricity pylon - the highest point of this section. The next stretch was downhill, under the railway bridge, and through a field near the old Great Oakley Station. Across the road and into a field next to the track the path has paving stones - the story goes that the landowner laid York stone slabs for the locals to walk to the station, which was far enough away from his land that it caused no disturbance. But once the station was no longer in use, the York stone was replaced by something cheaper - concrete.





We emerged into Great Oakley at the Row, and shortly afterwards took a footpath to the right, through the hall grounds, past a large pond, and past the church with its one-handed clock







We followed the road from the church, turned left, then right to pick up the footpath which follows Harper's Brook to the Spread Eagle.





Then it was about a mile to collect Gordon's car and get a lift home ( and a bag of apples!)

Saturday, November 14, 2009

"Queensland - The Steep State" The Crux Magazine story

Featuring the Phil Box photo that went to number one in the U.S. for 3 months on rockclimbing.com

Click on the story to enlarge and read.





The Rock! mag story







Poster that appeared in Crux 4



Photo: Neil Montieth





"Call of Duty" 28 Coolum Cave The very long and very steep "Call of Duty" is an extension of the original Gareth Llewellyn line "Weapon of Choice".





Photo: Antoine Mousette


Friday, November 13, 2009

Neato! Nice Porter You Got There...

Vermont Fall Classic, Start
For those of us who spend more time reading and communicating about bikes on the internet than in person, sometimes we go years before hearing bike terms uttered out loud. And so we form our own pronunciation, discovering only later that it might not match the way others pronounce the same words. Largely this is because so many bicycle words are foreign in origin. Even if we know the original language, it is not clear whether the common pronunciation matches it or has been distorted.



I remember the first bike word I had to adjust from the way I said it mentally was panniers. When I first started seeing this term I assumed stress on the second syllable (rhymes with veneers) and found the anglified stress on the first syllable jarring (I still can't get over that the English will pronounce ballet as "bally"). But I switched early on, and now PAN-iers sounds perfectly normal - though I still pronounce it the other way when referring to the French skirt hoops.



With other words, I cannot switch over. At some point I realised that many people pronounce porteur as "porter." Porter bike. Porter bars. Porter rack. What? It's porteur, rhymes with connoisseur!



Likewise, I have heard randonneur bikes called random-ners.



And I have heard decalleur pronounced as deCAY-ler.



English speakers generally pronounce mixte as mixtee, not "meext" as in the original French. Although I notice that some - not knowing French but wishing to pronounce it in what they believe to be the correct way - say mix-TAY, as if the French word had an accent aigu at the end (mixté). I have always said it the anglicised way, just because "meext" sounds strange to me as a noun.



Then there are the Japanese manufacturers. In my head, Tange sounded like the first part of the word "tangible," and I was pretty sure I'd heard it said that way. Later I started hearing "tahn-gay."



And I've always mentally pronounced Nitto like "neato," later surprised to hear bike shop mechanics pronouncing it to rhyme with ditto. They in turn found my way amusing. "Really, neato? I guess they are kinda neat-oh components!"



Dia Compe seems to be a free for all. I have heard dee-yah-coump, dee-yah-coum-pay and Diacom.




Of course all of this is more entertaining than anything. Languages get mixed and terminology evolves; there is not necessarily a "correct" way to pronounce any of this stuff. Though I am still not sure about dynamo... Stress on the first syllable or the second?

Mockingbird


This isn't the best photo because I took it through the window screen. This mockingbird, his mate, and three chicks have taken up residence in our back yard and like to come onto the patio to eat the bugs that the bug zapper light attaches each night. I like the fact that they come eat the bugs but the male mockingbird had apparently lived somewhere where there was a very tinny, cheep sounding windchime before he came here. And he had learned to make the noise of that windchime and used that noise to call his chicks to come eat bugs. It sounds sort of like a small, tinny, cheep bell and can be quite irritating after several hours of hearing it. Mockingbirds are known for imitating the songs of other birds, and learning to make odd noises like sqeeky gates, kids toys, barking dogs, meowing cats, and now windchimes.Also you would have thought that the mockingbirds would have got used to me watching them out the window. Oh, no. But they would let my old cat lay outside on the patio and watch them. The cat is closer to them than I am. That was fine. But me at the door or window with a camera. Never. I was finally able to get this shot through the screen and it is the best I have managed so far.And smart birds that they are, this family of mockingbirds has also learned that if they sit on that plant stand that the bird is on that they get a little of the cool air that comes through the window from the air conditioner. We have a swamp cooler and they do better if a window is cracked open. I didn't realize that I was putting the plant stand in a direct line with the window when I put it there. I haven't been able to use it for a plant as our bad winds have knocked off the ones I have tried there and I gave up and let the birds sit on it.

Monday, November 9, 2009

James Joslin :: 1844 Sale of Land to Edwin and Joseph Joslin

These are the land records previously mentioned in which James and Abigail Joslin sell the remaining 40 acres of their land purchased in 1837 to Edwin M. Joslin and Joseph A. Joslin. Edwin was only 14 years old at the time and Joseph was a month shy of 12. Edwin and Joseph each paid $50 for their 20 acres of land. Edwin sold his land for $200 on January 21, 1851 to Lysander P. Joslin (Deed Book E page 213). On November 1, 1853 Lysander also purchased Joseph's 20 acres for $300 (Deed Book G page 143).



On the left is the record of sale to Edwin. Joseph's record is on the right. Click on the images for a larger version.

Whitley County, Indiana Deed Book "D" page 187
Transaction dated August 1, 1844
Filed August 14, 1849 9 A.M.
James Joslin & wife To Edwin M. Joslin Warrantee Deed

This Indenture made the first day of August in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and fourty four between James Joslin and Abigail Joslin his wife of the County of Whitley and State of Indiana of the One part and Edwin M. Joslin of the County and State aforesaid of the other part. Witnesseth that the said James Joslin for and in Consideration of the sum of fifty dollars to him in hand paid by the said Edwin M. Joslin... a certain tract or parcel of land in the County of Whitley aforesaid as following towit the South half of the North East quarter of the North West quarter of section Twenty five in Township thirty two North of Range Eight East in the district of Lands subject to sale at Fort Wayne Indiana Containing twenty acres...

Signed by James Joslin and Abigail Joslin
Witnessed by Nancy Cozens
John H. Alexander, Justice of the Peace

=+==+==+=

Whitley County, Indiana Deed Book "D" page 188
Transaction dated August 1, 1844
Filed August 14, 1849 9 A.M.
James Joslin & wife To Joseph A. Joslin Warrantee Deed

This Indenture made the first day of August in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and fourty four between James Joslin and Abigail Joslin his wife of the County of Whitley and State of Indiana of the one part and Joseph A. Joslin of the County and State aforesaid of the other part. Witnesseth that the said James Joslin for and in Consideration of the sum of fifty dollars to him in hand paid by the said Joseph A. Joslin... a certain tract or parcel of land in the County of Whitley aforesaid it being the North East quarter of the North West quarter of Section twenty five in Township thirty two North of Range Eight East in the district of land subject to sale at Fort Wayne Indiana Containing twenty acres...

Signed by James Joslin and Abigail Joslin
Witnessed by Nancy Cozens
John H. Alexander, Justice of the Peace

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

The Straw Brothers

Alex:









Just say for example you were from Colorado and youhad dual U.S. - Australian Citizenship.

Then imagine you were fanatical about snow boarding and climbing.

And your older brother was too.

Take into account that Colorado has aguably some of the best powder in the world and is not such a shabby place for climbing either.



Then lets just say you chose to live most of your life in Brisbane.

Either there's a girl I don't know about, or he's running from the law.

Eric: As above, but 3 years older.


Good choice boys?


Eric:













..The Straw Brothers taketo "Black Leather Dungarees" at Coolumand find out all about the hype, the pump, and the pure excitment of one of the Cave's best and highest.


















..










Alex on "the slab" section of the route. Not a slab. Just not as crazy steep.







Whether youclaim to be a boulderer or a boarder, you are going to need a beanie.

Otherwise who's going to believe you?






Climbers, don't just dream about being as cool as these guys, do what I do- copy their look.

Get the "Climber Beanie", hand made from un-dyedAlpaca and Merino wool, atRed Phoenix Emporium




Or at least click on the link to seethe boys represent Red Phoenix,the uber cool, cult style outfitters to the very chic.










Good choice boys.

jj