Springfield, Missouri ~ November 4, .. A visit to a cemetery, the name of which I know not, to view the fall foliage. Most of the trees were way past their prime. Except for this one marvelous specimen. A beautiful day!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
for Ruth and Lorene...
Springfield, Missouri ~ November 4, .. A visit to a cemetery, the name of which I know not, to view the fall foliage. Most of the trees were way past their prime. Except for this one marvelous specimen. A beautiful day!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Getting a Drink
This is Tuffee trying to catch the water from the water hose while I water the plants, trees, and flowers. Tuffee can't go to the seaside like our blogger friend Max so she makes do by playing in the stream from the hose.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
No More Tears: Clear Glasses for Winter
One of my biggest problems cycling in the winter used to be my eyes tearing up. It would get so bad, that the constant flow of tears would blur my vision, making it hard to see where I was going. But like many cyclists, I soon found the solution: clear glasses or goggles.
On moderately cold and windy days, I wear simple resin glasses that I am very happy with. They are unbranded, so I don't have an online source to refer you to, but many bike shops around here sell them at the counter. I bought mine from the Wheelworks, for around $20. What I like about these particular glasses is how comfortable they are, even on long rides. They sit sturdy, but are lightweight and don't press into my face or temples. The lenses are durable and the clarity is good.
On particularly freezing days with harsh winds, I wear these wrap-around safety glasses from MSA. They cost only $4 and perform double duty as shop safety glasses for framebuilding. The MSA glasses are wonderful for creating a seal from the cold, keeping my eyes warm and dry and the sensitive skin around them protected. An additional benefit for those who wear prescription glasses, is that these can be worn over them. The downside is that they are on the heavy side, and if I wear them for too long they give me a headache - so watch out, if you have issues with that. But for short rides they are excellent, and on days that are cold enough to necessitate them my rides are on the short side anyway.
If you prefer the high-end route, I've tried and really liked the clear version of the new Lazer Argon glasses. These are in the $80-90 range and come with interchangeable lenses, which can be replaced with tinted ones. Oakley, Rudy Project, and most other athletic sunglass manufacturers also make clear or photochromic versions of many models.
While some cyclists like to wear goggles, I am not a fan: They snag my hair and don't seem to stay put as well as regular glasses if I wear them on the bike. I find that the MSA safety glasses provide the same coverage but with less fuss.
There are many inexpensive options out there for clear goggles and glasses, so try a few and see what works. And if you need more coverage? Well, a few days ago I saw a man cycling with a clear face shield. Perhaps a new fashion trend in winter cycling.
Look Out Places
The Nature Center is set up so that there is no way to get up close to the ponds where the ducks and geese hang out the most. It is for the protection of the waterfowls. They are kind of like the things that hunters and reserch people or photogephers set up to get close to birds or animals without being seen that are usually called 'blinds'. They have put up block walls with square holes in them to look out onto the ponds and where you can take photos. All of these and the ones of the previous post with the geese were taken from one of the 'blinds'.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Our History?
"In one legendary week on Ben Nevis in 1960 Jimmy Marshall and Robin Smith climbed six first winter ascents on consecutive days, including the mini Alpine-route, Orion Face Direct. They also made the first one-day winter ascent of Point Five Gully, went for a long walk and got arrested over an incident with some dominoes! Exactly 50 years later Dave MacLeod and Andy Turner pay tribute to Smith and Marshall by setting out to repeat all the routes that were climbed in that famous week. This film tells the story of the original events and follows MacLeod and Turner as they discover exactly what an achievement it was."
For those that think Chouinard, Jeff Lowe or Will Gadd invented ice climbing or modern mixed climbing you might want to look further. Tools and clothing have changed to make climbing easier but the beginning of our sport can certainly be traced in part to Scotland. Jimmy Marshal and Robbin Smith weren't the first obviously but they are part of the foundation. Curved tools and Terrordactyls came later and then the Chacal. But the original difficult routes in Scotland and the Alps were often done with a straight axe, a good wool coat and hob nail boots. Hard for most of us to even remotely relate to that beginning. Few could or would suffer through just how miserable and difficult it really was.
The story is well told by the Jimmy Marshal in person and the modern climbers, who 50 years later repeated the same classic Marshal/Robbins winter climbs. But there was no way to duplicate the original experience.
I offer a humble bow to Marshal and Smith for the effort.
7 climbs in 8 days! Conditions much have been in :)
The Great Chimney (IV,5) 6th February 1960
Minus Three Gully (IV,5) 7th February 1960
Smith's Route (V,5) 8th February 1960
Observatory Buttress (V,4) 9th February 1960
Point Five Gully (V,5) 10th February 1960
Piggot's Route (V,6) 12th February 1960
Orion Direct (V,5) 13th February 1960
The film can be ordered here:
http://www.hotaches.com/films.htm#Pinnacle
I've posted about this before but now the entire film is available and there are a number of teasers on you-tube as well.
This final bit isn't from the the original '60s climbs but a good look at what hard modern mixed in Scotland is today. Enjoy!
It's Looking Better...
One day this past week was spent at the Allen County Public Library attempting to determine the validity of the statement made in an article by Carrie Bray in 1949 that her great-grandfather (my 3rd great-grandfather) John Bray had arrived in Indiana on March 5, 1816.
An affidavit by Daniel Bray in the Revolutionary War pension file of his father John Bray, stated that “Some time in the early part of the year 1816, he went to the land office of Cincinnati to enter the North East quarter of Section No 25, town No 2, range 3 West. That owing to some mistake in the land office he could not effect an entry and he was obliged to return home and that his father John Bray, then went to the office and entered the said quarter...”
So the “problem” was: When was the land actually purchased and why did Daniel state that it was in Range 3?
The book “Indiana Land Entries Volume I” by Margaret R. Waters, published in 1948, contains the records for Indiana that are from the Cincinnati Land Office. It covers the area known as the “wedge” in the southeast corner of the state.
The map above shows the status of the Indiana Territory in 1810 with the four counties in existence at the time: of Knox (Kn), Harrison (Har), Clark (Clk), and Dearborn (Dea). The “wedge” mentioned in the Waters book was the area known as Dearborn county in 1810 as well as neighboring portions of Clark County.
By 1814 there were a few more counties in the Indiana Territory. Franklin and Wayne counties were created in 1811 while Switzerland was created in 1814 from that Dearborn “wedge” area as well as from portions of other counties. The two maps above are from the Genealogy Inc. website.
In the introduction of her book, Margaret R. Waters states that the records were copied solely for genealogical purposes to enable a searcher to learn if an ancestor located in Indiana and if so, where and when. To save time and space the acreage and final certificate numbers were omitted. A minimum amount of information is given (name, property description, date of entry) but enough to determine if the person of interest entered land in what would become the state of Indiana.
At the top of page 79 was the entry for John Bray showing that he entered the “NE 1/4 of S25 on 3-5-1816”. The line just below John, includes the name of Edward Ray who may be the same person who married Jane Bray, daughter of John. The previous page (78) showed that the land was in Switzerland County in T2N, R4W of the 1st PM (Township 2 North, Range 4 West of the 1st Principal Meridian).
The map above (from the Waters book) shows the “wedge” area of land from the Cincinnati Land Office included in the book “Indiana Land Entries Volume I”.
This enlarged portion of the previous map shows the townships that comprise Switzerland County. The dotted lines show the boundaries of Switzerland and Ohio Counties. (Ohio County was created in 1844 from Dearborn.) The land that John Bray purchased was in T2N R4W, which is in that tiny red triangle bordering Range 3 West.
Portion of a Switzerland County Map from the My Indiana Home website showing the location of Braytown in Craig Township.
Luckily for me, the Allen County Public Library has a series of microfilms called “Ohio Land Records” which includes the records of the Cincinnati Land Office. Film OLR-110 contained “Cincinnati Land Office Entries, 1814-1829” and it was even indexed by page number. Most of the page numbers were missing or illegible but it didn't take long to find his entry since I had the date he entered the land.
Cropped portion of the page showing the entry for John Bray (last entry on the image). The date at the top shows the transaction was made on March 5th 1816. The text in the column on the right states “John Bray of Franklin County applied to enter the North East quarter of Section 25 Town 2 Range 4 West - Containing 159 44/100 acres and produces the Receiver's Receipt No 30668 dated this day for $79 72/100 amt [?] being the one fourth part of the purchase money of said quarter Section of Land.”
So it seems that the date of March 5, 1816 as given by Carrie Bray in her 1949 article correlates to the date of purchase of the land. It also confirms the statement made by Daniel Bray in his affidavit that he went to the land office in Cincinnati “some time in the early part of the year 1816”.
But there was a surprise in the land entry document - the statement that John Bray was “of Franklin County”.
In searching the web for information, I came across the site Cincinnati Land Office Records, which appears to be a part of the Ohio Memory project even though those records are not included in their list of collections. The site contains images of the original land patents issued to the purchasers. There are only a little over 300 documents currently online but it is going to be an awesome site when they get more documents published. Anyway, at the bottom of the second paragraph of “About this collection” it states
So that might present a little problem. However, Franklin County, Indiana is so very close to Switzerland County while Franklin County, Ohio is further north and east, closer to the central part of Ohio. Since we don't know the whereabouts of John Bray between 1805 and 1816 (as mentioned in The Evidence at Hand) it is possible that he could have ventured further north, but I don't think so. Perhaps that is just wishful thinking on my part. If he was “of Franklin County, Indiana Territory” then that would be evidence that he was actually residing in the area and would definitely be eligible for membership in the Territorial Guard Society of Indiana.
We have the record of the land entry on March 5, 1816 and the statement by Daniel Bray that he, then his father John, went to the Cincinnati Land Office in the early part of 1816. Does that constitute enough evidence to be able to say that they were then residing in the Indiana Territory?
What other records exist during that time period that can be used to help substantiate the claim that John Bray resided in the Indiana Territory in 1816?
An affidavit by Daniel Bray in the Revolutionary War pension file of his father John Bray, stated that “Some time in the early part of the year 1816, he went to the land office of Cincinnati to enter the North East quarter of Section No 25, town No 2, range 3 West. That owing to some mistake in the land office he could not effect an entry and he was obliged to return home and that his father John Bray, then went to the office and entered the said quarter...”
So the “problem” was: When was the land actually purchased and why did Daniel state that it was in Range 3?
The book “Indiana Land Entries Volume I” by Margaret R. Waters, published in 1948, contains the records for Indiana that are from the Cincinnati Land Office. It covers the area known as the “wedge” in the southeast corner of the state.
The map above shows the status of the Indiana Territory in 1810 with the four counties in existence at the time: of Knox (Kn), Harrison (Har), Clark (Clk), and Dearborn (Dea). The “wedge” mentioned in the Waters book was the area known as Dearborn county in 1810 as well as neighboring portions of Clark County.
By 1814 there were a few more counties in the Indiana Territory. Franklin and Wayne counties were created in 1811 while Switzerland was created in 1814 from that Dearborn “wedge” area as well as from portions of other counties. The two maps above are from the Genealogy Inc. website.
In the introduction of her book, Margaret R. Waters states that the records were copied solely for genealogical purposes to enable a searcher to learn if an ancestor located in Indiana and if so, where and when. To save time and space the acreage and final certificate numbers were omitted. A minimum amount of information is given (name, property description, date of entry) but enough to determine if the person of interest entered land in what would become the state of Indiana.
At the top of page 79 was the entry for John Bray showing that he entered the “NE 1/4 of S25 on 3-5-1816”. The line just below John, includes the name of Edward Ray who may be the same person who married Jane Bray, daughter of John. The previous page (78) showed that the land was in Switzerland County in T2N, R4W of the 1st PM (Township 2 North, Range 4 West of the 1st Principal Meridian).
The map above (from the Waters book) shows the “wedge” area of land from the Cincinnati Land Office included in the book “Indiana Land Entries Volume I”.
This enlarged portion of the previous map shows the townships that comprise Switzerland County. The dotted lines show the boundaries of Switzerland and Ohio Counties. (Ohio County was created in 1844 from Dearborn.) The land that John Bray purchased was in T2N R4W, which is in that tiny red triangle bordering Range 3 West.
Portion of a Switzerland County Map from the My Indiana Home website showing the location of Braytown in Craig Township.
Luckily for me, the Allen County Public Library has a series of microfilms called “Ohio Land Records” which includes the records of the Cincinnati Land Office. Film OLR-110 contained “Cincinnati Land Office Entries, 1814-1829” and it was even indexed by page number. Most of the page numbers were missing or illegible but it didn't take long to find his entry since I had the date he entered the land.
Cropped portion of the page showing the entry for John Bray (last entry on the image). The date at the top shows the transaction was made on March 5th 1816. The text in the column on the right states “John Bray of Franklin County applied to enter the North East quarter of Section 25 Town 2 Range 4 West - Containing 159 44/100 acres and produces the Receiver's Receipt No 30668 dated this day for $79 72/100 amt [?] being the one fourth part of the purchase money of said quarter Section of Land.”
So it seems that the date of March 5, 1816 as given by Carrie Bray in her 1949 article correlates to the date of purchase of the land. It also confirms the statement made by Daniel Bray in his affidavit that he went to the land office in Cincinnati “some time in the early part of the year 1816”.
But there was a surprise in the land entry document - the statement that John Bray was “of Franklin County”.
In searching the web for information, I came across the site Cincinnati Land Office Records, which appears to be a part of the Ohio Memory project even though those records are not included in their list of collections. The site contains images of the original land patents issued to the purchasers. There are only a little over 300 documents currently online but it is going to be an awesome site when they get more documents published. Anyway, at the bottom of the second paragraph of “About this collection” it states
“In certain instances it has been impossible to determine the correct state of origin of the purchaser; generally this is due to the fact that both Indiana and Ohio have identically-named counties, such as Franklin County. In these cases, both Ohio and Indiana have been listed as the state of origin.”
So that might present a little problem. However, Franklin County, Indiana is so very close to Switzerland County while Franklin County, Ohio is further north and east, closer to the central part of Ohio. Since we don't know the whereabouts of John Bray between 1805 and 1816 (as mentioned in The Evidence at Hand) it is possible that he could have ventured further north, but I don't think so. Perhaps that is just wishful thinking on my part. If he was “of Franklin County, Indiana Territory” then that would be evidence that he was actually residing in the area and would definitely be eligible for membership in the Territorial Guard Society of Indiana.
We have the record of the land entry on March 5, 1816 and the statement by Daniel Bray that he, then his father John, went to the Cincinnati Land Office in the early part of 1816. Does that constitute enough evidence to be able to say that they were then residing in the Indiana Territory?
What other records exist during that time period that can be used to help substantiate the claim that John Bray resided in the Indiana Territory in 1816?
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Sherpas, some random thoughts and "Sherpa Adventure Gear"...
Photo courtesy of Mtn. of Travel web site
http://www.mountainsoftravelphotos.com/Makalu/Main.html
In the spring of 1977 John Roskelly and I left Spokane WA to attempt the West Pillarof Makalu with the first permission for a two person attempton a Nepalese 8K meter peak. Luckily for both of us in retrospect, John became severely ill on the walk in and our trip ended as a complete failure, still days from the mountain.
A 4 person Spokane team, againincluding John, returned to Makalu in 1980. John summitted alone on that trip butwith thesupport of ourfriends Jim States, Chris Kopczyski and Kim Momb. Theclimb was madewithout Sherpa support.
But John's and my short walk was a life changing event for me.
I had just started guiding in the NW a few years earlier and knew some of the the hazards even small peaks offer. The size, elevation and remoteness of the big Himalayan peaks was truly awe inspiring in 1977 and continue to be so now.
I was not comfortable in 1977 even paying porters to carry my gear into the mountains. I could not in good conscious ask anyone to climb a mountain with me simply for a salary. Even if that was likely the only salary available. I did notlike the economic realitiesof the relationship and did not want to be a part of it.
I have no clue how it is now but there was a pretty stark difference between the standard of living we enjoyedin the USA and the gear we would use compared to what the standard of living was in Nepal and the gear (which would be part of their salary)we would offer our porters or climbing Sherpas. I have not gone back to climb inNepal but even in 1977 I was uncomfortable asking anyone else to risk their life to come out and "play with me".
Enter Joe Puryear decades later. I admired Joe's Alaska climbs and we exchanged a few emails on routes he had done there. (there were few he hadn't) Joe was always gracious and gave freely of his time to complete strangers like myself.
Photo courtesy of Joe Puryear http://www.joepuryearimages.com/
You couldn't help but also notice on Joe's web site his climbing in Nepal and his obviousinvolvement in the Sherpa community.
http://climbnepal.blogspot.com/
I am sure there were othersprevioustoJoe's and David's tripsdoing something similar but they certainly inspired me by their actions. Theyseemed tobe involved in Nepal and the people not just just taking advantage of situation economically and getting to "climb on some one else's back".I liked what I saw and admired them for it.
If you look at Joe's web pages one of his sponsors isa company called Sherpa Adventure Gear.
http://www.sherpaadventuregear.com/index.php
To be honest until yesterday I thought Sherpa Adventure Gear was a small company, based in Nepal.Likely Kathmandu, and making the odd pieceof funky wool bits. Joe's trade mark hats for example :) I figured Joe was just supporting a local cause for the best of reasons. Nothing could have been fartherfrom the truthon the "funky wool bits". But I have no doubt Joe was "supporting a good cause for the best of reasons", just as Sherpa Adventure Gear was supporting Joe's avocation. By all accounts it wasa close and supportive relationship fromboth sides.
Here is the company line:
"Sherpa Adventure Gear was inspired by the many unsung Sherpa heroes of Everest. From the start, our goal has been to create outstanding outdoor clothing and gear you can depend on. But more than this, we want to show you a glimpse of the Sherpa culture and way of life. And at the same time support our Sherpa community back home. Whether you are looking for gear on your next adventure, or just want to learn more about the Sherpa people, you can discover all this in our website."
Tashi Sherpa
Founder and President
More here:
http://www.sherpaadventuregear.com/aboutus.php
Surprisingly Sherpa Adventure Gear is actually based in Renton Wa. Owned and staffed by Sherpa family members for the most part. But make no mistake this isn't a simple"mom and pop" operation. They have a national and international dealer network as well as several successful retail stores in Nepal. Sherpa Adventure Gear isserious player in active outdoor wear world wide. The majority of their products are sewn in Nepal with a smaller percentage in China at the moment. Mr. Tashi Sherpa and his immediate family are the driving force here and in Nepal.
As a small manufacture myself I have begun to look at what I make, how that effects others, the productsusefullife spanand how my products arerecycled.
It makes me more aware of what others are doing in their own communities and why.
The climbing community, especially the alpine climbing community is very small. And it hasn't changed much in the decadesI have been involved with it.. We are in fact a large family. Death is a fact in alpine climbing. Joe Puryear'sdeath last year effected many climbers, locally and Internationally. It will happen again...and again. It is part of our game.
This is a hard blog to write. Too many serious issues that most (including myself) would rather ignore. So I'll stop there.
I wouldn't have brought up Sherpa Adventure Gear here if I didn't think they were making some incredible products for hard alpine climbing, no matter what their politics were. But their politics stood out to me. I was introduced to the company yesterday and bought a couple of their pieces for my own use that I will review in the blog. Just wanted to give a heads up for a business and business model I admire in many ways.
"Namiste"
http://www.mountainsoftravelphotos.com/Makalu/Main.htmlIn the spring of 1977 John Roskelly and I left Spokane WA to attempt the West Pillarof Makalu with the first permission for a two person attempton a Nepalese 8K meter peak. Luckily for both of us in retrospect, John became severely ill on the walk in and our trip ended as a complete failure, still days from the mountain.
A 4 person Spokane team, againincluding John, returned to Makalu in 1980. John summitted alone on that trip butwith thesupport of ourfriends Jim States, Chris Kopczyski and Kim Momb. Theclimb was madewithout Sherpa support.
But John's and my short walk was a life changing event for me.
I had just started guiding in the NW a few years earlier and knew some of the the hazards even small peaks offer. The size, elevation and remoteness of the big Himalayan peaks was truly awe inspiring in 1977 and continue to be so now.
I was not comfortable in 1977 even paying porters to carry my gear into the mountains. I could not in good conscious ask anyone to climb a mountain with me simply for a salary. Even if that was likely the only salary available. I did notlike the economic realitiesof the relationship and did not want to be a part of it.
I have no clue how it is now but there was a pretty stark difference between the standard of living we enjoyedin the USA and the gear we would use compared to what the standard of living was in Nepal and the gear (which would be part of their salary)we would offer our porters or climbing Sherpas. I have not gone back to climb inNepal but even in 1977 I was uncomfortable asking anyone else to risk their life to come out and "play with me".
Enter Joe Puryear decades later. I admired Joe's Alaska climbs and we exchanged a few emails on routes he had done there. (there were few he hadn't) Joe was always gracious and gave freely of his time to complete strangers like myself.
Photo courtesy of Joe Puryear http://www.joepuryearimages.com/
You couldn't help but also notice on Joe's web site his climbing in Nepal and his obviousinvolvement in the Sherpa community.http://climbnepal.blogspot.com/
I am sure there were othersprevioustoJoe's and David's tripsdoing something similar but they certainly inspired me by their actions. Theyseemed tobe involved in Nepal and the people not just just taking advantage of situation economically and getting to "climb on some one else's back".I liked what I saw and admired them for it.
If you look at Joe's web pages one of his sponsors isa company called Sherpa Adventure Gear.
http://www.sherpaadventuregear.com/index.php
To be honest until yesterday I thought Sherpa Adventure Gear was a small company, based in Nepal.Likely Kathmandu, and making the odd pieceof funky wool bits. Joe's trade mark hats for example :) I figured Joe was just supporting a local cause for the best of reasons. Nothing could have been fartherfrom the truthon the "funky wool bits". But I have no doubt Joe was "supporting a good cause for the best of reasons", just as Sherpa Adventure Gear was supporting Joe's avocation. By all accounts it wasa close and supportive relationship fromboth sides.
Here is the company line:
"Sherpa Adventure Gear was inspired by the many unsung Sherpa heroes of Everest. From the start, our goal has been to create outstanding outdoor clothing and gear you can depend on. But more than this, we want to show you a glimpse of the Sherpa culture and way of life. And at the same time support our Sherpa community back home. Whether you are looking for gear on your next adventure, or just want to learn more about the Sherpa people, you can discover all this in our website."
Tashi Sherpa
Founder and President
More here:
http://www.sherpaadventuregear.com/aboutus.php
Surprisingly Sherpa Adventure Gear is actually based in Renton Wa. Owned and staffed by Sherpa family members for the most part. But make no mistake this isn't a simple"mom and pop" operation. They have a national and international dealer network as well as several successful retail stores in Nepal. Sherpa Adventure Gear isserious player in active outdoor wear world wide. The majority of their products are sewn in Nepal with a smaller percentage in China at the moment. Mr. Tashi Sherpa and his immediate family are the driving force here and in Nepal.
As a small manufacture myself I have begun to look at what I make, how that effects others, the productsusefullife spanand how my products arerecycled.
It makes me more aware of what others are doing in their own communities and why.
The climbing community, especially the alpine climbing community is very small. And it hasn't changed much in the decadesI have been involved with it.. We are in fact a large family. Death is a fact in alpine climbing. Joe Puryear'sdeath last year effected many climbers, locally and Internationally. It will happen again...and again. It is part of our game.
This is a hard blog to write. Too many serious issues that most (including myself) would rather ignore. So I'll stop there.
I wouldn't have brought up Sherpa Adventure Gear here if I didn't think they were making some incredible products for hard alpine climbing, no matter what their politics were. But their politics stood out to me. I was introduced to the company yesterday and bought a couple of their pieces for my own use that I will review in the blog. Just wanted to give a heads up for a business and business model I admire in many ways.
"Namiste"
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