Thursday, December 31, 2009

Joslin Family :: 1850 Whitley County Federal Census

As shown previously, the household of Jonas Joslin was the only 'Joslin' family in the 1840 Federal Census in Whitley County, Indiana. In 1850, 'Joslin' families can be found in the ancestry online index in seven counties in Indiana including Carroll and White in the west-central part of the state; Brown, Owen, and Vigo in the southwest; and Starke and Whitley in the northern portion. There are two 'Joslin' households in Whitley County: James and Lysander. The entire census for Whitley County has been viewed on microfilm and there are no other Joslin households in the county.

1850 Census, Whitley County, Indiana, dwelling 270, family 278, page 472a
James Joslin, 54, farmer, born L. C. [probably Lower Canada although it has been interpreted as South Carolina by some researchers]
Abigail, 46, born Ct [Connecticut]
Edwin, 20, farmer, Real Estate valued at $200, born O [Ohio]
Joseph, 17, farmer, Real Estate valued at $160, born O [Ohio]
Emily E., 12, born O [Ohio]
Mary L., 6, born Ia [Indiana]
Bela Goodrich, 74, born Ct [Connecticut]

Lysander Price Joslin was married on August 23, 1843 to Lydia Robinson. Their family is listed in the 1850 census on the page preceding that of James and Abigail.

1850 Census, Whitley County, Indiana, dwelling 262, family 270, page 471b
Lysander P. Joslin, 25, farmer, Real Estate valued at $350, born O [Ohio]
Lydia, 24, born O [Ohio]
Ann E., 5, born Ia [Indiana]
Melissa M., 11/12, born Ia [Indiana]

Fanny Joslin, the sixth 'child' of James and Abigail, was married to Joseph Shoemaker on February 5, 1843 and they were also living in Whitley County in 1850 (page 460).

While the 1850 census does not provide relationships to the head of household, the fact that James Joslin was the only 'Joslin' found in Whitley County in 1840 carries a certain amount of 'weight' indicating that he is the father of the children listed in his household in 1850 and he is really the only candidate to be the father of Lysander and Fanny as well.

Solomon's Castle

Last year, Austin and I visited this quirky place. It ended up being one of our favorite things since we went on the road. We have tried to explain what it was about this place that captured our hearts, but it is really hard to put it into words. Last week, Nathan and Aric were able to see what all the hoopla was about.

First, there is the castle. This eye catching art studio/home was built by Howard Solomon. Then there is the art. If you hadn't realized there is a sense of humor in the artist just by seeing the castle, you will know it after seeing the art.

Some of the art, like the stained glass windows, is so beautiful.The bonus to this neat place, is Howard Solomon.

I think Aric said he was one of the funniest guys he has ever met. When you take the tour, and hear his life story, he is equally impressive in his drive to follow his own path. Given we are living a somewhat out of the box lifestyle in order to pursue our dreams, we always respect it when someone else is bold enough to do the same.And we love it when someone finds a way to take what is burning inside of them, and instead of quenching that thing...finding a way to keep it alive, and share it with the rest of the world. Even if it is not "our thing", we can appreciate the beauty in the process and the delivery of someone honoring what is their thing.

We use a lot of sappy phrases when sharing with our kids to convey what we hope for in their lives. You know..things like, "You only have one life to live so you might as well make it yours". And sometimes they look at us like uh yeah...sure...what does that even mean though???? It's a really cool thing when they can see what that looks like, and we can simply say "that, is what we are talking about". So we thank this artist for being a fine example of that.



Not that my kids seem to need a whole lot of help in living their lives as their own.



They still can use heroes though, even if they are the most unlikely ones.





Living the life, our life, in still so chilly Florida!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Beaver Cuttings


We found a couple of trees along Jemez Creek where at least one beaver had been busy cutting down trees. In this photo is where it had worked on a tree with all the woodchips around the tree.

Monday, December 28, 2009

Another Season... Another Vintage Bike?

Posting this at the end of April Fool's Day might raise suspicion, but I promise it's true: I have another "new" bike. The Co-Habitant and I were returning home from some errands and minding our own business, not even remotely entertaining the possibility of new bike acquisitions...

...when we saw a striking, if slightly decrepit, cream and black Mercier mixte outside of a nearby bike store. This was not the typical mixte we tend to see in these parts, so we got curious. After trying the bicycle I was amazed at how wonderfully it rode - despite the slick 20mm tires the bike shop chose to fit it with! The poor, lonely Mercier was for sale at a very modest sum.

Half an hour later, I was pedaling it home (after paying for it of course), and now the Mercier is mine!

Mercier was a well-respected French bicycle manufacturer in the 1960s and 70s, competing with Peugeot, Motobecane and Gitane. Mysteriously, almost no information is now available on the original Mercier (even the wikipedia entry has been deleted). Though a new company now exists under the same brand name, it has no relation to the original manufacturer.

I don't know where to start describing why I like this bicycle and feel that I must have it. For one thing, there is the attractive lugging. Here is the seat cluster with pinstriping detail on the top of the stays.

Split headtube lug for the twin lateral stays - something my Motobecane mixte does not have.

Headtube lugs, fork crown, and pinstriping on the fork. Downtube shifters (which I do not find particularly attractive, but can easily replace). Overall, the lugwork and other aspects of the bicycle's "decor" are charmingly eccentric compared to other mixtes I have seen.

The components seem to be a mixed bag of lower and higher end. The stem, which I find beautiful, is an AVA stem, which Sheldon Brown described as follows:
"Many higher-quality French bicycles of the '70's came with AVA brand bars and stems. These have a reputation for failure, and should be replaced if the bike is to be ridden hard or fast."
Hmmm... "higher quality" and "failure" in the same sentence? Should I interpret this to mean that as long as I don't race on the bike, the AVA stem will be okay? That is how I would like to interpret it. Advice welcome.

The handlebars are a narrow version of North Roads (what I imagine Nitto's "Dove Bars" are like) and seem original. I prefer narrower bars and love how these feel when I ride the Mercier: they give me a great deal of control and my hands don't seem to grow tired.

The beautiful Lyotard pedals feel great.

Simplex front and rear derailleur, as well as Simplex dropouts. Classic 10-speed gearing.

From what I understand, this rear Simplex derailleur is not good. I am pretty sure it's plastic. The spoke protector ("pie plate") is also original and stamped "made in France".

Mafac "Racer" centerpull brakes, which I believe are pretty good. However, the bike has steel rims (bad for braking), so I need to think of a solution to this.

"Beacon" pleather sprung saddle. Feels comfortable so far, but I imagine that after a long ride it will not. I will probably replace it with one of my vintage B72s - but first I want to ride on this one down Beacon Street.

This Mercier is a 20" frame, whereas my Motobecane is a 21" frame. This is visible in the heights of their seat tubes, but oddly enough their head tubes and stems are about even - despite the fact that the Motobecane has a modern, extended Nitto stem. The Co-Habitant thinks that this is because the Mercier's virtual top tube is upward-sloping, allowing for the handlebars to be higher in their standard position. Whatever the reason, the Mercier does not feel like it is too small; it feels just perfect and is extremely comfortable to ride.

Here is another side by side comparison. Though they are both French mixtes from the 1970s, I find the Mercier to be a considerably more comfortable ride than the Motobecane. What elusive aspect of the bikes' geometries and/or components account for this I do not know, but it is so. The Mercier was a pleasure to ride from the first moment, whereas the Motobecane required "taming" and is still a bit too "racy" for me even with the many changes I've made in attempts to make it more comfortable for everyday cycling.

So, I am considering doing one of the following:

A. Cannibalizing the better components from the Motobecane (derailleur, shifters, and - is this possible? - wheels) and building up the Mercier as my perfect vintage mixte. Then sell off the Motobecane for cheap.

B. Converting the Mercier to a single speed, or possibly even fixed gear (you know, to practice for the velodrome). This should be relatively easy and unintrusive, given that it has clamp-on derailleur and shifters, and compatible drop-outs.

Any opinions and advice regarding these options would be much appreciated!

Pangbuk Ri

Lead climbing ranger David Gottlieb and friend/former climbing ranger/Pacific Northwest hard-man Chad Kellogg put up a harrowing, spectacular, and unprecedented ascent of Pangbuk Ri in Nepal (pictured to the right). Starting their climb early on 10/10/11, they summitted and returned to basecamp in an epic 50 hour push.
Read the full trip-report on Chad's blog here, and see some awesome photos and short video from David's blog here.


With decent weather over the long weekend, lots of backcountry snow enthusiasts were out playing. The NWAA (Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center) started posting updates, check them out here.
Have a safe and inspirational holiday season!

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Large Rock Avalanches on the Nisqually

OK, folks, there're some major rock avalanches happening on the Nisqually Glacier. Anyone venturing near the Nisqually or even traversing across it lower down to get across to the Fan should read this post. We're not talking about a bunch of rocks, but many thousands of tons of debris in a 50' wall of snow, ice, water, dust, and rock coming down the glacier that would outrun anything in its path.


Rangers, climbers, and guides at Camp Muir first were aware when these series of slides started on the 24th of June. Rangers reported feeling the earth shake and hearing a very loud rumble. Indeed, you can tell from extent of airborne dust in the picture above that it must have been loud. Shortly after the slide occurred, the geologists at the Cascades Volcano Observatory called us and asked us what was up. Below is the seismograph reading during the event.Here's a quote from one of the original emails between the NPS and USGS. - "FYI about 10 minutes ago the climbing rangers at Camp Muir saw what they all described as the biggest icefall they've ever seen come off the Nisqually. A guide party at 8,000 ft on the Wilson glacier reported that it had multiple fingers & traveled down to about 7,800 ft. They also described it as the biggest icefall they've ever seen anywhere.
The rangers at Muir described the debris as a mix of rock & ice and being about 50 feet thick but couldn't judge the acreage covered as it is hard to see the entire run-out zone from Muir.
" from Ranger Ben Guttridge.

After I heard about the slide, and saw it from my house in Packwood, I decided to hop in my airplane and take a ride towards the mountain to get some pictures as close as I could.


All in all, there have been three slides of this size in the last two days. Right now, we don't recommend crossing the Nisqually Glacier at all - although at this time, the park has not declared a "closure" of the area. If you are intent on doing the Kautz Glacier route, think about accessing the base of the route by Comet Falls trailhead. Click on this link for a Google Earth KMZ file of the approximate extent of the series of avalanches. Also, here is the screenshot of this file from Google Earth.


Friday, December 25, 2009

You Ride a Bike, Don't You?


I was headed toward the subway platform, lost in thought, when a construction worker shouted this to me as he walked past - rhetorically and with a good-natured smile, almost as if in greeting."You ride a bike, don't you!"



For a moment I wondered how he knew. I do not carry a bicycle helmet around. Neither do I have a U-Lock sticking out of my back pocket. Nor do I wear t-shirts with pictures of bicycles or bicycle slogans on them. And then I remembered: I was "wearing" a wheelset. A full wheelset, with tires attached. I was bringing the wheels to Framingham - an hour long trip on subway and commuter rail - and rigged up a system inspired by carrying my skates around.





Having tied the wheels together with a rope, I then slung them over my left shoulder as if the wheels were a handbag and the rope was a shoulder strap. It was surprisingly comfortable and I could hardly feel the weight, which is why I forgot about the wheels when the stranger addressed me.



Something similar happened yesterday, when I wrangled a floor pump into my handbag and walked to my art studio with 1/3 of the large, orange pump sticking out. When I stopped for a coffee on the way, the person behind me in line startled me by saying "That's quite a pump you got there!" Once I realised what he meant, I considered explaining that my hand-held pump does not fit Shrader valves. But thankfully it was my turn to order coffee just then and the person was spared that narrative.



What is the most unusual thing you've carried off the bike that distinguished you as a cyclist?

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

The Bicycle-Friendly Workplace

Seven Cycles

There is a range of opinions among cyclists about what constitutes a bicycle-friendly workplace. Some consider indoor bike parking a must. Others are concerned with shower facilities. Others still feel that bike to work schemes are crucial. More than anything, our ideas of a bike-friendly workplace seem to depend on how we construe transportation cycling.




For me personally, the most important thing about commuting is having a safe and comfortable route. As long as that is in place, I am pretty easy. At my last 9-5 job, the 4 mile riverside commute kept me happy. On arrival, I locked my bike to a pole. I brushed myself off in front of a mirror before facing co-workers.It did not occur to me to lament the lack of indoor bike parking, let alone to wish for showers at work.Once I transitioned to freelance and began to spend the day going from place to place, it made even less sense. "Hello, I'm here to meet about the XYZ project ...But first, do you have a shower I can use? I arrived by bicycle you see."




Others have different priorities, which is understandable. Long, strenuous commutes involve challenges that I do not usually face. Likewise with finding all-day bike parking in unsafe locations.




From an employer's perspective, the question is which priorities it makes the most sense to cater to. Is it the employer's responsibility to offer indoor parking? Many bicycle commuters say yes. Others feel it is the cyclist's responsibility to choose a bike that can be stored outdoors. What about shower facilities? There are those who lobby for them. And there are those who feel that the idea of showers at work conflates transport with sport.




Others believe that focusing on parking or showers is too narrow of an approach. What about calling for employers to open up shop in bike-friendly locations? What about travel compensation, tax incentives, bike share memberships, and the like? Or maybe a different paradigm altogether: What if neighbourhood employers join forces to sponsor bike lanes (and street plowing in winter) within an X mile radius?




Budgets are finite, and often employers get mixed messages as far as what cyclists are looking for. The bike-friendly workplace is a concept worth exploring more thoroughly.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Skiing Mount Rainier

There is nothing totally new about skiing Mt. Rainier. Sure, it's not done that often, but people do ski and ride it... However, skiing the Wilson Headwall is something special. The recent snowfall is settling nicely in some areas. Climbers-turned-skiers (or are they skiers-turned-climbers?) are making their moves on Rainier's slopes. Ski, board, and snowpack reports are welcome!

As for the internet... this blogger site has its down days... But that's ok, because it's easier to express frustration at an internet site, than say, well... we'll just move on...

A few "climbing instigators" have been sending GREAT route conditions information. I've been trying to dump most of it directly into the blog. But as the amount of information grows, I wonder if it would be easier to have a bullentin board?

Please send me your thoughts? I'm very pleased that you are willing to share their experiences! Everyone REALLY appreciates it!

Image by Sky Sjue, just before he drops down the Wilson Headwall...

Friday, December 18, 2009

The Ninilchik Russian Orthodox Church

The Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord Church sits atop a bluff overlooking Cook Inlet south of Soldotna in the tiny community of Ninilchik. We stopped there on the way to Homer because “The Milepost” (the travel guide we're using) stated that this church was a popular tourist site on the Kenai Peninsula with beautiful views of Cook Inlet.

The church was picturesque as was the cemetery. The church has an active congregation and there were several recent burials in the cemetery.

According to an entry in Wikipedia, the top bar of the double cross may represent the death of Jesus and the second one may symbolize his resurrection, but it could also be the cross beam on which Christ's wrists or palms were nailed. The bottom, slanted bar may represent a footrest where Jesus' feet were nailed to the cross. Another interesting interpretation has a much deeper meaning: The bottom bar may represent a balance of justice. Some sources suggest that, as one of the thieves being crucified with Jesus repented of his sin and accepted Jesus as the Messiah and was thus lifted into Heaven, the other thief rejected and mocked Jesus and therefore descended into Hell.

And even though Mother Nature wasn't cooperating (clouds and rain all day long), the view from the bluff was still quite beautiful. A portion of the town of Ninilchik and Cook Inlet (at low tide) seen from the bluff.

Norrøna Lyngen down jacket?









First time I have done something like this. But the priceis a$100 off what I paid for mine a couple of years ago. While notcheap itis an exceptionaljacket. Normal retail is 349 Euro or $465 today! I get nothing from this. Just a friendlyheads up to the localsthat might be interested. B/C has 47 in stock and three color choices @ $279.16 delivered. Gotta love a strong dollar.



http://www.backcountry.com/norrna-lyngen-down-jacket-mens



http://www.norrona.com/Products/3172-09/lyngen-down750-jacket-w



http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//03/design-triumphsthe-norrna-lyngen-down.html





NORRØNA (V) MAGAZINE - A ski oddysey from Norrøna on Vimeo.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Diana and Krystal in the Tournament

First, let's talk about the ladies. Diana and I paired up together. We played four games. We played hard.

We played well as a team.

We were happy with how we did today.

We ended up in the championship game for our bracket. We won Runner Up position. Considering that three out of four of our games were against two men, I was thrilled!

These were the winners in our bracket:

Congratulations guys! You played a great game against us.



Thank you, Diana, for playing with me. That is the most fun that I've had in a tournament to date.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

A view


Another nice view from the seating area behind the gift shop

Lobstah Gettah?

This spectacular bicycle was parked next to a beach entrance at the National Seashore on Cape Cod. The frame is ancient, but clearly the bicycle is very much functional. The red Raleigh grips look like a comparatively recent addition, but all else seems original - including tires and saddle!

Rear wheel. Note the chainring and guard on the other side. The bolt-on on the stay indicates that it is coaster brake.

Front wheel - note the original parking stand.

The blue plaque between the tubes says "Donut Shop".

The lobster pot is shiny and new. The lid is secured with pink bungee cords, but I wonder how the pot itself is secured to the front rack without the need to make holes in the metal? The owner of this masterpiece was not in sight, or I would have loved to ask. This is one of my most exciting bicycle sightings ever!