Overthinking the Pink

A couple of weeks ago I got the inexplicable urge to redo the handlebars on my Rivendellwith pink bar tape.I don't know. One day I was looking at the bike and suddenly felt that the earthtone and twine thing was getting kind of oppressive. The bike wanted to break free. Withthe streets growing more dreary with each passing day, a burst of colour was sure to break up the monotony. And that it certainly has: Now I feel as if I am riding a bike made of watermelon, or an enormous piece of tourmaline. It's nice and cheerful.



Of course, unlike other cheerful colours, pink is somewhat charged with meaning because of its associations with stereotyped femininity. So I was not entirely surprised to receive an email from a reader eager to discuss my new handlebar tape. She was disappointed that, while my choice in bicycle colours and accessories had hitherto been "the antithesis of girly," now here I wasreinforcing the industry stereotype of women wanting pink on their bikes.

Heavy stuff. And as usual I find myself disagreeing and agreeing all at the same time. On the one hand, there is Elly Blue's post about "reclaiming pink." There is also the fact that originally, pink was considered to be a colour for boys. Finally, there is the Maglia Rosa of the Giro d'Italia- shouldn't that association trump the girly one?

On the other hand, I've heard too many women express frustration at the fact that the bicycle industry slaps pink colour schemes and floral motifs on everything that is designed for female cyclists ("shrink it and pink it") - from bike frames, to panniers, to cycling jerseys. I too find this annoying. But having thought about it for a couple of years, I suspect the real frustration here is that women-specific bicycles and products are oftentimes worse in quality than those designed for men. So the pink and flowery stuff, in combination with the inferior quality, is seen as a slap in the face: "Our marketing team believes you care about pretty colours and flowers more than you do about substance, so that is what we are selling you."

Ultimately, I think that pink is a more versatile colour than we give it credit for, particularly in the context of cycling. It is really all about presentation. I will probably not keep the pink bar tape on this bike in the long run, simply because it overshadows the elaborate lugwork that really deserves the starring role here. But for now I quite like it, stereotyped or not.



What comes to mind when you think of pink bicycles or bike related products - Giroor girly? or something else entirely?

By The Numbers?

No one more surprised than me of the results over the last 3 years.



The first post I made onCold Thistle was 1/29/10

Dec'10 saw 63K page reads for the month.

Dec'11 saw 84K page reads for the month.

Dec '12 saw 99K page reads for the month



As of today Cold Thistle has just rolled over 1.5 million page reads! But we have yet to break 4K page reads in a day...close mind you but CT never hit 4K in a 24 hr period. Thanks to everyone for dropping by. Theaudience here is literally from every alpine country in the world, reading and commenting on a daily basis. Andbetter yet contributing with guest blogs when you can or have the interest. My wish was forthe blog tohelp spread good info in the community. I'm blessed to still be a part of and how small thethe tribereally is.



Your support (the readers and manufactures) has enabled me to see more gear that I ever thought remotely possible. Reporting back here in writing and pictures is still fun for me. Hopefully it has been useful to you. The page reads here are way out of proportion to the 500+ membership. If you would liketo see more gear reviewed, take a moment and sign up as a member of the Cold Thistle blog. It costs nothing but a few minutes of your time. I willknow nothing more about you past your little photo in the "list". Way less time that it takes to read this blog post. The advantage to you (and me) is manufactures are more willing to be involved and support Cold Thistle...if you, the climbing consumer, will. The numbers do count!





Cheers to all, will be agreat year!



Dane

Phend-Fisher Family Reunion Ledger (1931)

[page 1]
Aug 30 - 1931

The 22 second anual Reunion of The Phend - Fisher familys was held at Elkhart Ind at McNaughton Park Aug 30 - 1931

The meeting was called to order by Pres. Henry A Phend with an opening Prayer by John Ernest after which several talks were given.

The buisness of the day was then taken up with election of officers as follows.
Mr. Claude Pool President
Mr. Ruben Pletcher Vict Pres.
Cecil Phend Sec & Treas.

- - Entertainment Committe - -
Fred Ernest Chairman
Mr. Cecil Phend
Mrs. Cecil Phend
Mr. Russel Phend
Mr. Barton Thornton

It was then voted to have next Reunion at John Ernest Home close to Sugar Grove Church for next meeting Place. to be held Last Sunday in Aug

It was the moved & Seconded that Mrs Barton Thornton

[page 2]
should act as Birth & Death reporter again.

The minuits of the 1930 Reunion were read and approved correct by acting secretary Ruben Pletcher.

The financial report was as follows
Cash $4.05
Payed out 2.42
Balance $1.63
Collection 2.72
Turned over to Secrt Treas. $4.35

Deaths & Births as Reported by Mrs. Barton Thornton

To Mr & Mrs Lee & Bernice Phend Holderman a daughter Barbara Holderman
To Mr & Mrs Russell Phend a daughter Nancy Ann Phend
To Mr & Mrs Ruben & Surelda Phend Pletcher, a son Harrol Delbert Pletcher

[page 3]
Deaths as reported by Mrs Barton Thornton - Reporter

In family of Mr & Mrs Harry Shaw. Their Daughter Miss Shirley Darline Shaw died Nov 3. 1930 age [34 years crossed out] infant.

In Family of Mr & Mrs Henry A Phend. Their daughter Mrs Gladyce Irene Phend Pressler united in marriage to Mr Ralph Pressler died July 4 - 1931 - age 34 years. No children were born to this marriage

In family of Mr & Mrs Painter daughter Miss Maud Painter Married to Charley McGown
[Their daughter crossed out] Mrs Maude McGown died Aug 1931 age 48 leaveing two children. Donabelle & Dorris

Cecil S Phend Sec & Treas



= = = = = = Notes = = = = = =

Gladys Irene Phend was born August 8, 1896 in Nappanee, Indiana and was the daughter of Henry and Susie Yarian Phend. Gladys was married to Ralph Bryan Pressler on September 1, 1922 in Whitley County, Indiana. She died on July 4, 1931 of complications following surgery for appendicitis. Gladys was a sister of Cecil Phend (the secretary-treasurer for 1931).

Maud Painter was the daughter of William and Amelia (Herrold) Painter. She was born May 28, 1883 and died August 16, 1931 at her home in Niles, Michigan. Her marriage to Charles Thomas McGowan took place on July 1, 1905 in Elkhart County, Indiana. Maud and Charles had three daughters, Laura (Mrs. James Huff), Doris (Mrs. Arthur Dickey), and Donnabelle McGowan (still living at home in 1931).

The Phend-Fisher families gathered for a reunion in northern Indiana almost annually from 1909 until 1943. The events of the day were recorded in an old ledger book. Spelling has been retained as it was in the original though some punctuation and paragraph breaks have been added. The Phend Family Reunions were resumed in 1952 and have been held annualy since then. To view all articles in this series click on the "Phend-Fisher Reunion Ledger" label at the bottom of this post.

Peppermint Candy!

After all that brushing and play all the horses got peppermint candy which they dearly love. (most horses love peppermint, along with carrots, and horse cookies) followed by an afternoon snack of hay. (Of course their not spoiled!)

Measure!

I spend a lot of time measuring things. I measure my work in steel to .0001" or better. I get a consistent body weight every morning at a certain time to .1 of a pound. I want to know how hard I can climb on rock to the letter grade or how fast I run a 5 K to the second.



I want to know if I am in the black on a target. Is it in the X ring or just a 10. I want to know how many pull ups and sit ups I can do and my blood pressure and resting HR every morning. My Max HR on the bike and on a run. And I want to know what my dbl boots and my bikes weigh to the gram.



I measure because I want to do better. If you aren't measuring how do you know if you are doing better? The fact is you don't. The flip side of that is if you aren't getting better you are getting worse. If you don't measure you don't know what is better or what is worse. There is nothing that takes any kind of physical skill that stays the same for long. Use it or loose it. Measuring it will help you keep it or better yet get better at it.

Mountain Snowpack Begins to Build Again

The recent storms have brought almost 40" of fresh snow to the mountain and more is expected in the near future. While this bodes well for the upcoming climbing season, the inclement weather does nothing to help with the road reconstruction effort underway. Still, the forecasted reopen dates remain in effect: April 1st for the opening to Longmire and May 1st for the opening of the road to Paradise. Unfortunately, with road reconstruction in full swing, there really isn't public access to Paradise... Even if you have the energy and determination to ski or hike the road. More on Access

Over the weekend rangers climbed to Camp Muir to inspect conditions and dig out facilities. I've included several photos here from this trip to whet your appetite.
While things are quiet here at the Park, this might be a good time to get a jump on things and purchase your 2007 climbing pass and cut down on the time you will spend during registration. Complete the Climbing Pass Purchase Form and fax it to 360.569.3131.

Pink Elephant Balloon

French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

After seeing some great recipes for French onion soup, I decided to try my hand at the dish. The end product was a success!

The soup was actually very easy to make - it just took a while to cook the onions.

Anybody have experience with French onion soup?

Laura Virginia Dunfee

As promised, here is an example of the results of using the "foil technique" for reading nearly illegible tombstones mentioned in a previous post. There will be several more examples, with even more dramatic results, posted soon. (As always, click on an image to view a larger version.)

Laura is buried in the Masonic Section of Greenhill cemetery in Columbia City, Indiana near her parents and several siblings. Both pictures were taken yesterday afternoon. The larger letters on the stone are mostly legible but the foil enhances them considerably. The very small letters towards the bottom of the stone still can't be read, even with enhancing the image. There just isn't enough left to get a legible rubbing. Laura Virginia Dunfee was the first child born to my 3rd Great Grandparents, William Hamilton Dunfee and Catherine B. Jones. Of their seven children, four would die young and Laura was the first to pass to that other world.

There is some confusion on my part as to her date of death. According to the cemetery transcriptions done by the Genealogical Society of Whitley County in .., Laura died May 1, 1861 aged 12 years 3 months and 6 days. That information is confirmed by the photos above, and based on that information, Laura's date of birth would be January 25, 1849.

Many, many years ago Nellie Raber compiled the "Digest of Obituaries Published in Newspapers of Columbia City Whitley County, Indiana 1856-1910". A mouthful, for sure, but a very useful and valuable resource. Especially since many of the very early county newspapers didn't make it to microfilm and the originals are no longer extant. Why am I mentioning this, you ask?

Well, Nellie had an abstract of a death notice for Laura: "Died - At the residence of her father, Laura Virginia Dunfee, daughter of William and Catherine Dunfee, on the 4th inst. of scarlet fever, in the thirteenth year of her age." Nellie listed her source as "Whitley County News, May 28, 1860". And therein lies the confusion. How could an obituary be published a year prior to Laura's death? It could have been either a transcription error on the part of Nellie Raber or the person typing the final copy read her writing wrong.

Laura's parents, William and Catherine, were married on March 5, 1848. Based on the date of death and age inscribed on her grave marker, Laura would have been born 10 months and 20 days later. If you go by the date of the newspaper as provided by Nellie Raber and the fact that Laura was in her 13th year, then she would have been born 2 months before her parents were married.

My aunt Phyllis has a very old scrapbook full of newspaper clippings. Almost none are dated. Stamped on the back cover of the scrapbook is "PAT. MARCH 1876". Most of the clippings are obituaries of friends, neighbors, and family. We think that it was started by Catherine Dunfee, got passed down to her daughter Sophia who contributed many of the clippings , then to her daughter Maude Wise Brubaker. Then to my grandmother and on to Phyllis. I've only seen it twice as it is very fragile but a cousin made copies of it and gave a copy to my mother and her siblings. Making the copies probably didn't help its condition any but at least the information is available to me. The clippings are not in any kind of order. They were not pasted on the pages in chronological sequence. They aren't grouped by families.
Laura's obituary from "the scrapbook" with no date, no newspaper noted.

Laura, though young, had quite a circle of acquaintances to whom she had become endeared by her kind and gentle conduct. She was dutiful to her parents, kind and sisterly to her little brothers and sisters, social at school with her school mates, everywhere made and had friends. Her numerous acquaintances have lost in her death a dear little friend. It is truly sad to part with those we love whether old or young, but Providence so orders and we must and should meekly submit. She is gone and from our sight; but let this be our consolation, such as she compose the kingdom of heaven.

A branch has been torn from the family vine;
Unlooked was the storm that swept by,
And suddenly ceased the fond tendrills in their twine,
And slowly the tear drippings dry.
A star from the household's bright sky has gone down,
O'er Jordan's dark shore one has risen,
There sparkles o'er yonder another bright crown,
A voice swells the music in heaven.

Spring Training

Arlington Ashby attends to a mock patient

The climbing ranger team has been busy this spring with a number of trainings. We kicked it off with a highly productive week of rope rescue instruction led by Leo Loyd of Rigging for Rescue. The following week we focused on EMS ( emergency medical services ) skills, with one day of instruction from Remote Medical International followed by a day of training with Pearce County Fire EMS. Returning lead climbing ranger Glenn Kessler who gave us a day of rescue training geared towards professional avalanche rescue. Tucked into this busy schedule was a highly enlightening half day presentation by Mike Moore of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center on mountain weather. We are all looking forward to getting out of the classroom and climbing on the upper mountain with the first available weather window. Training is great but climbing is better.

DG

A new day

After somewhat of a hiatus from shooting the Spirit Tree I figured it was time to do another sunrise at what is undoubtedly one of my favorite shooting locations. I ended up choosing a fantastic morning to head down to the tree! Wonderful clouds and great light awaited. I never tire of making images of this wonderful and amazing tree.

Allen County Public Library Grand Opening

This afternoon I attended the ceremonies for the grand opening of the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne. It's impressive, to say the least. I spoke very briefly with Curt Witcher, the director of the Genealogy Center, and of course he was quite excited. He said there were a few minor things that still needed to be completed but they were about 99% ready for the opening. Below are some pictures I took this afternoon.

Some lucky folks got a sneak peak at the library last Sunday. You can read about that in an article in the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel; they also have some pictures.




The opening ceremony. A few people were on hand.
These scanners allow you to create a digital image of the microfilm, two of them can also scan microfiche. The image can be edited on site. If you load the film wrong and the image is backwards you don't have to reload, the scanner can be set to reverse the image. It can also rotate the image and switch it from a positive to a negative or vice versa. Way cool. Even more cool, you can print the images or write the images to a CD or save them to your thumbdrive (or any USB drive). The email feature is not yet working. I could see using that if you only had a few images. I forgot to ask if they sell the CDs. At this time there is no cost for scanning or printing but, according to the staff member that was giving the demonstration, that may change in the future.



This was taken shortly after the opening ceremony. It is the largest of the patron work areas. It is in the same room with all of the family history books, a small portion of which can be seen on the far wall. The chairs are very comfortable. Two copy machines are available in this room.



This is a huge space. It is where all of the City Directories and oversized books are located. The shelving units move with the push of a button. If someone is in the row the unit won't move. Of course everyone had to see if they worked properly. There are three aisles of shelving units. Each unit is quite wide, probably 20 feet or so.




One of the computer areas. This was about 15 minutes after the opening.


The east entrance from the south side. A city street used to be where the stairs and the ramp are now. The entire area in front of the library has been turned into a plaza. The entrance and the side to the left of it are new. That's where the cafe and bookstore are located. The inside of the building was completely gutted and remodeled. If you've been there before you won't recognize it as the same building, nothing is where it was.




The east entrance from the north side.

Aaargh. I got a little frustrated adding these pictures. They kept disappearing on me! Aside from that, it was a GREAT day!!

More Blackberries

After breakfast we decided to take a walk around the large yard that Paddy calls home. It was so pretty and green and there was one of northwestern Oregon's light, misty rains sprinkling on us. But that didn't stop us from exploring the huge blackberry patch to find the fruit that Jim had missed earlier. For once I had my fill of fresh blackberries.
Of course you have to fight the birds and deer for them. But that is part of the fun.

Mt. Adams, South Climb

One group at the start of a good climb on Adams.



Chris on the steepest part of the climb.




More climbers heading up Widowmaker.




Mt. St. Helens and sunset as seen from our camp at 9,300'.




Climbers starting up the south face early in the morning.







The true summit as seen from the false summit. There were a lot of threatening clouds and even some wind-driven 1/4" hail, but it did not last long.



One group on the summit...



and another...



and another...



and another.




What a great climb. The road was clear, the weather was good and the snow was excellent. The guides were awesome, the sherpas were strong and the climbers were determined. What more could you ask for?

Evening Wood Lily, Ham Lake Burn Area

If you're thinking of taking a drive up the Gunflint Trail, be sure and check out the Magnetic Rock Hiking Trail. About a half-mile in along the trail, the Wood Lilies are blooming and there are quite a few of them! In my opinion they are one of the most beautiful flowers of the Northwoods. I loved the contrast between the colorful flowers, green grass and charred black ground that remained from the fire, which occurred in May 2007.

Abstract Ice at Hollow Rock

Okay, just in case anyone has been looking for a little more perspective on the last two ice shots I've posted, here is a wide-angle view of the wave pool that contained that eye-catching ice. Hollow Rock is in the background.

Owl's Clover

An owl's clover flower, Castilleja exserta, growing alongside a trail.

Whitethroat and Orange Tip and good morning viewing

A good mornings viewing with Whitethroat, Yellowhammer, Orange Tip, Large White and a Speckled wood.

Wacky Weather!

We all thought La Nina was going to give us a cold and wet winter with lots of snow and great skiing. Well, there have been some good days of skiing at Paradise, of course, in the last month, but there's been a lot of wild weather.

We're currently on the tail end of a 7" rain storm at Paradise. It was raining at times, clear up to 9000 feet. Fortunately, no major flooding damaged any roads (so far). We're planning on opening the road to Paradise today, after keeping it closed yesterday, due to avalanches (both snow, rock, and mud), flood, and rockfall potential.

Ranger Drew Bryenton dug a pit last week. Look for more full profiles from Drew. We'll post them here as well as on the NWAC website. Here's the January 11th, full profile / before all this rain.

Currently, the rain has switched to snow. It's sticking to the old rain surface pretty well. The new snow density is about 40%... Not good skiing, but good for stability.
There are some scheduled climbs this week. I hope to hear back from them so stay tuned.
~ 2 hours later: Just got back in from digging around for avalanche stability along the road to Paradise:
Date/Time: 1/17/ ~ 10:00amElevation: 5250Slope: 49degAspect: 170degTWeather: SnowingTemp: 32FLat: 46.781244Long: -121.743672
Results:
SST (Shovel Shear) - STE @ 35cm Q3 (Weaker waterlogged snow just collapsed).CT (Compression Test) - CTE(5) @ 35cm Q3 (Weak snow collapsing)ECT (Extended Collumn Test) - ECTX (No propogation across collumn / shovel only plowing down)RB (Rutschblock Test) - RB3 @ 35cm Q3 MB (Weaker snow collapse / no shear surface).