Yodelin ..

It has been a while. I probably should do a year end recap, or a goals for the coming year before doing a new post for a new year. But that is not how it is going to be.



In a stroke of luck I had some time off. (we were slow at work) And Dan was in between jobs. So I lobbied to get out. Unfortunately, the weather didn't really cooperate and we weren't going to riding 12" of fresh. Bummer.



The forecast was somewhat miserable with sun and above freezing temps for the day prior to us getting out. No measurable snowfall in the previous few days either. This made us fall to the old standby of Yodelin.We both figured that a northern exposure, and trees would have protected what precious snow there might be. And as always, Yodelin never seems to disappoint.













We arrived in the parking lot to a light snow falling. The road in was horrible, an icy packed luge run with a dusting of new snow on it for the minimum in friction coefficient. As we went up, the snow fell harder and the snow underfoot was deeper. We started getting positive vibes. Up near the ridge, the snow was deep, and there was no readily detectable crust. We skinned through the cut and up into the trees to our transition point.







The first run was good. A little choppy and boney in sections where people recently laid tracks. We continued to the second road and really enjoyed the less tracked lower portion. So we skinned up again. Our track from the first run had a fair amount of new snow in it, making it appear a day old. This time we went further on the ridge to get out of tracked snow and had a nicer upper portion consisting of 4-8" of loose snow. (I hesitate to call it powder. But it was not concrete.) We once again continued past the first road and had a really good run through the trees to the final road where both Dan and I fell coming through the ditch by the road. At this point and elevation we were receiving some heavy wet snow and decided to call it a day as we knew the snow wasn't getting any better. We skinned back to the lift hut and transitioned back to ride the road out.

Beauty and the Beast

Two recent visitors:

A Great Egret (Ardea alba)







and two Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus)




The Black Vulture isn't really a beast of course. He's just got an image problem.

"Hey, compared to the Turkey Vulture, I'm a beauty queen!"

Actually I think they're both beauties. We see Turkey Vultures a lot more than Black Vultures, so I was tickled to see these guys perched in a dead tree last week on a foggy morning.

The Great Egret has decided that he likes our fishing hole and has been hanging around for the past week, getting used to us. The Great Blue Heron is the only one not happy about that.

He seems to think he's got exclusive fishing rights, and intimidates the Great Egret with lots of squawking and flapping. "Heron fight! Heron fight!"

Mt. Rainier, Furher Finger

Mt. Rainier finally had a good weekend forecast, so it was time to attempt the Furher Finger route.



Our route is shown in red. We descended the Kautz Glacier route, shown in blue.

Dave on the Nisqually Glacier passing some crevasses on our way to high camp.

Our camp at Turtle Rock (9400').



We got an "alpine start" at midnight, so we could hopefully get to the top and down before the snow got too soft. Dave moving up Furher Finger.



Doug near the Hourglass.

Doug and Dave on top with a little snow falling.

Dave below the steep pitches on the Kautz Glacier, just above the Turtle Snowfield.





The weather was great on day one and OK on summit day. The fresh snow from a few days earlier made the climb pretty tiring. We ended up using our snowshoes to keep from sinking into the mushy snow on the way down from high camp.





It was fun and challenging to climb a new route on Rainier.

Mmm, Cramberries

Bird Count

This weekend is the time to count the birds in your yard or where ever you take a walk, or hike or want to do it. This website will tell you how to count and submit your findings so they can be recorded for the whole United States. There is also a group that does it for England and Canada but I don't know if it is this weekend or not. You can do it for a little as 15 minutes or as long as you want. So take the time to count a few little birdies and let everyone know. www.birdcount.org

The death of Emily Joslin Long :: 1929

A copy of Emily's death record was obtained from the Health Department in Columbia City, Whitley County, Indiana and is recorded in book 3, page 50.


first page of death record #108

Second column:
Full Name: Emily E. Long
Place of Death: Columbia Township Whitley County, Ind.
Sex: Female
Color: white

Third column:
Name of Husband or Wife: John Long
Date of birth: Dec 12 - 1837
Age: 91 Yrs. 11 Mos. 24 Days
Occupation: Housewife

Fourth column:
Birthplace: Ohio
Name of Father: Thomas Joslin
Birthplace of Father: Canada
Name of Mother: Abigail Goodrich
Birthplace of Mother: Ohio

Fifth column:
Informant: M. R. Long
Address: Anderson - Ind
Filed: Dec 31 - 29
Name of Health Officer or Deputy: E. U. Nolt, M.D.


second page of her death record

First column:
Date of Death: Dec 6 1929

The rest of the first column and the second column are the physician's statement.

Third column:
Place of Burial: Salem Cem - Noble Co., Ind.
Undertaker: Charles s. Smith
Address: Columbia City
Date of Burial: Dec 8 1929
Was Body Embalmed? Yes

==+====+====+==

The given name of "Thomas" for her father on the death record is not correct but it does give his surname, Joslin, and his place of birth is probably right (Canada or Vermont in other records). There was no Thomas Joslin in Delaware or Franklin County, Ohio during the time that Emily was born. Given the fact that she is listed in the 1850 census with James and Abigail Joslin, I'd say it was a pretty safe bet that her father was James Joslin. The other really important fact shown on the death record is that her mother was Abigail Goodrich!

Emily's obituary was published on December 6, 1929 in the Columbia City Post, Whitley County, Indiana. A full transcription of the obituary was posted in March along with photos of her gravesite as well as those of her husband and two of their children. The obituary confirms her date of birth stating "The deceased was born on December 12, 1837 and at the time of her death lacked but six days of being 92 years old." It also said she "was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Long [sic] and was born at Columbus, Ohio. When a small child she came with her parents to Lorane."

James and Abigail Joslin lived in the southern portion of Liberty Township, Delaware County - near the Franklin County line and a few miles north of the largest city in the area, then as well as now, Columbus.

Emily Eliza Joslin was married to John Long on October 12, 1854 in Whitley County, Indiana. Her obituary stated that "She was the mother of eight children, seven having preceded her in death." While John's obituary stated "Seven children was the result of this union, three of whom preceded him." Though they may have had seven or eight children, only the names of four are known.

• Edwin Monroe Long was born November 10, 1856 and died July 8, 1928. He is buried in Salem Cemetery next to his parents. Edwin married Dora J. Bowlby on November 18, 1877 and they had two children: (1) Estie A. Long married Samuel Swihart, had seven children and lived in Allen County, Indiana. (2) Coral Long may have first married Charles E. Spaid and later Earl Haynes or Haines. She lived in Spokane, Washington and Missoula, Montana.
• Jennie Candice "Candas" Long (1863-1911) married Ferdinand Myers on December 9, 1882 in Whitley County, Indiana. She is buried with her husband in Salem Cemetery next to her parents. They had five children: Flossie (married Virgil Nobles), Grace, Mabel (married Byron Ayres), John, and an unnamed female.
• Cora Alice Long was born on January 4, 1866 and died on July 6, 1926. She was married on August 16, 1890 in Whitley County, Indiana to Charles Winton Burnworth. They were the parents of six children: Lena Vivian, Emily Orene, Melvin Lafayette, Gladys Victorien, Doris Elbertine, and Clyde Charles. My grandmother was good friends with Gladys for many, many years. In the summer of .., I discovered that a niece of Gladys' lived just two blocks away from me. She had compiled a history of her branch of the Burnworth family and loaned me her book so that I could make a copy. It was a treasure trove of information on the family!
• Mott R. Long was born in November 1866 and died on July 15, 1950 in Anderson, Madison County, Indiana. He was married to "Pearl" and had a step-son, Rollin.

Silver Cream Pitcher

Clear Above, Films Below

Wednesday Morning on the Ingraham

The past couple of days have been absolutely gorgeous on the upper mountain. The sun has been out, winds have been calm and fresh snow covers almost everything. There have been a few climbers who were undeterred by the mediocre forecasts,and three hardy souls braved postholing andgusty windsabove 13,000'to summit via the DC earlier today. Even the climbers who did not make the summit have found some fun making fresh turns on their skis and boards, practicing rescue and ice climbing skills in crevasses, or soaking in the views of volcanotops poking through the clouds.




There is a forecasted low pressure system moving through the Northwest over the next day or two, so some inclement and unpredictable weatheris expected on the upper mountain, but this systemseems to haveenough similarity to the last one where climbers can alsoreasonably expect periods of nice weather to be found on the upper mountain over the coming days. The only way to know what is happening is to come see for yourself. Check out recent conditions updates for more specific information on climbing routes.



Also in other news check out the Rainier Independent Film Festival going on this weekend at variouslocations around the base of Mt. Rainier. It looks like they have some great films selected and the venues(which include a Cine-Yurt!)are as varied as the films being screened.

Going Home

The Sandia Mountains as seen from Highway 550 when we head home after a day in the Jemez Mountains. Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, and Corrales lay at the foot of the mountians where they can't be seen in this photo. It takes us about an hour and a half to drive between home and Jemez Springs.

New Bowl

I got this bowl at a thrift store. I really like, it just called to me, but hubby didn't care for it. It had no markings on it, and wonder if anyone knows anything about cermanic bowls like this.

Cars

Cars have always been a big part of my father's life. He once bought a house- one half of a duplex with 9 garages. You can still see them on the alley - between Van Ness and Upton Streets. He can tell you about every car he has ever owned starting with the Model T Ford he bought on the sly with the money he earned from picking up golf balls and selling papers. His father thought he was too young to have a car, but that didn’t stop my dad. He lied about his age, forged his father’s name, and got a permit when he was only fifteen. Then his friend, Fred Brown had to hide the car at his house until it was too late for my Papou to stop the deal.

Before he had his own car, my Dad would steal my Papou's car- a maroon Chevrolet with black fenders. Papou kept it in a garage about a block away. Dad swiped the keys to both the garage and the car. He never put gas in it, and Papou never figured out why the car got such bad mileage. He even took it back to the dealer to complain. Later on, my brother would follow unwittingly in his shoes. Not knowing of Dad’s escapades, he’d climb down the tree outside his bedroom window on Davenport Street and “borrow” the car at night. The difference between father and son here was that my brother got caught . Our dad checked the mileage.
My brother’s only recourse was to buy his own car with the money he made from a temp job at the post office. He got a 1939 Buick, shaped like a torpedo. What little paint it had was blue. There was an antenna in the middle of the windshield. No brakes, no insurance, and once again, a forbidden purchase. He’d park it about a block away and walk home. He didn’t get caught until about 9 months later when Dad found a traffic ticket in his wallet.

Anyway after the Model T, my dad upgraded to a 1927 Chevrolet-2 door coupe convertible and from then on it was convertibles all the way. He wanted to modify the Chevy so he went up to the Friendship depot and got a straw bench from a retired streetcar. Then he cut the trunk lid, reversed the hinges, and made his own rumble seat. The next car was a 1932 Desoto with black fenders. He bought that one from a chef from Altoona who was working for Papou at Macomb Cafeteria.

Just before WWII, he got a brand new 1940 Hudson V8 with back windows that buttoned in when the top was down. That was it for new cars for a while. The factories stopped making cars and started making war machines. Those were dark days for my father. During the war, he pre-ordered four cars- and as they started rolling off the assembly line he was right there. The first was a 1947 green convertible Studebaker which he sold when the green convertible Buick came in. Next was the maroon Town and Country Chrysler which he totally loved until the emerald green Cadillac showed up. From then on, it was Cadillacs right on up to the seventies when Cadillac stopped making convertibles. Even then my cousin, Peter Sclavounos, managed to find him a custom made red Eldorado- which turned out to be the last stallion in line, and Dad’s personal favorite with its chrome spoke wheels and big white side walls. But Dad eventually got the fever for a new car again- and it had to be a convertible. That’s when my all American Dad converted to BMW, and it was somewhere around then that he got the bright idea of buying my mother “her car” for their anniversary. My mother didn't learn to drive until her late twenties, and she doesn’t particularly enjoy it, but she wanted her freedom. She avoids the Beltway at all cost, although I have to say she’s a little bit of a lead foot for a supposedly timid driver. She drives to get there, and she does just that. She’s always hated the top down for the unspeakable things that happen to her hair, but she’s always driven a convertible because that’s what Dad loves, and Mom has always "gone along with the program". Even now-just this year- for their 71st anniversary, Dad went out and bought her a bright red Toyota Salera convertible. My mother was totally gracious about it, too. She said she liked the color. And just like when he was a kid, Dad got away with it.

Approaching Rain

Approaching Rain, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

It's been a very wet winter here on California's Central Coast. With over 17 inches of rain so far, we're at more than twice the amount of rain we had at the same time last year. As a result, the hills are incredibly green, the reservoirs are filling, and the Sierras are buried in snow. This is great news considering the state has been in a drought for the past few years.

A band of rain just behind Bishop Peak is visible in this photo. About 60 seconds after this photo, another rain band from the south drenched me by surprise.

Sneaky Moose on the Pigeon River

This morning I had the good fortune to spend about 45 minutes in the company of this very curious Moose on the Pigeon River at Grand Portage State Park. We watched each other for a while from a distance, then I decided to head back to the park visitor center. As I made my way back to the trail, she followed me cautiously from a distance. At one point I turned around to see her peeking around this corner of the river, which made for a terrific shot.

Tree in Daylight

Under the Rock

This is the photo I took of the crawl space that goes all the way under the huge rock. It is next to the 'cave' in the above shot.

Hike a Day 2 - Bryce Canyon - Queens Palace Trail

Checked into the nice air conditioned Best Western Airport getting ready for our anniversary trip to Hawaii. Figured I post some more Bryce Photos while enjoying the AC!

There are no bad views in Bryce Canyon

I think that might be our trail down there!

Who knew Hoo Doos were so cool?

Must be one of the Palace Walls

The Queens Garden - it's lovely

One of the Palace Doors

A view of the Palace:








Till Later!

Meanwhile, we keep on Trek'n

Melissa & Gary

Skeleton Dolls

Sarah, my sister, makes skeleton dolls. She calls the Dolls From the Bone Yard. The skeleton is plastic but the rest is all handmade. She sells them at farmers markets and craft events in and around Las Cruces. If anyone is interested leave me a comment with an email and I will get back to you. Shown here are cowboys, Mexicans, witches, Cap'em Jack from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, nurses, and fancy ladies. She also does Doctors, angels, brides and grooms, hippies, solders, and fisherman. I couldn't get over how cute they were. She sells a lot for the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead which is about the same time as our Halloween.

High Pressure!

Hope everyone has been enjoying the sun. We would love to get some reports or photos of people's climbs if they would like to share. Climb safe.