Kicking Back, Old School Style

When I wrote about the modern Sturmey Archer Duomatic hub last week, a reader pointed out that vintage coaster brake hubs have"more 'backlash' - so you have to rotate the pedals further before engaging the brake." I had noticed this as well after switching back and forth between bikes with modern coaster brake hubs (SAand Shimano) and vintage ones (SAand Sachs).

My preference is for the older style. The position my legs tend to be in when braking with the older hubs feels more comfortable. And it is also more convenient to start from a stop: It is easier to arrange the pedals in the correct position when there is more "give" before the coaster brake is engaged.

I am sure there is a good reason why current coaster brake hubs are made so that they are quicker to engage. Anybody know what they are, and the history behind the change?

Cool Stuff - Alltop and Kronomy

footnoteMaven has been instrumental in getting a Genealogy category created at a new online service called Alltop.com, which the developers bill as a “digital magazine rack” for the Internet. I am honored to be amongst those listed. The site was formally announced in March of this year by Guy Kawasaki. One comment he made in the announcement was to think of Alltop as "aggregation without the aggravation.” For those who don't understand RSS Feeds or don't want to be bothered with setting up a feed reader, this may be a good solution. Of course, for those on facebook, using the Blog Network and/or facebook's, still in Beta, feature the "News Wall" is a more personalized solution.
I checked out some of the other posts on Guy Kawasaki's blog, and noticed something that really caught my interest. Something that could be fun and useful for genealogists and family historians.

First read his post Make Your Life Flash Before Your Eyes. Cool isn't it. Think of the possibilities. Create a timeline of your life, one of your ancestors, or one of your family lines using photographs and digital images of documents. Not just timelines, it is also a social networking site. Just what we need right? But this one looks different. The Kronomy - Share your life website is still in Beta and open only by invitation though you can submit your email address to be notified when it goes public.
Thanks to footnoteMaven and her post All The Cool Kids (And Me) for the heads up on Alltop.com and to Kathryn Doyle for the link to Mr. Kawasaki's blog.

Looking South

From the Crest of the Sandia Mts you can look almost in all four directions. It was so hazey that day that we weren't getting the best views as you do on some days. I didn't get any good ones from the walkway but did get this one at the start of one of the trails where you can actually hike from the top of the Crest all the way down into Albuquerque, about 11,000 feet down.

Sandhill Cranes and Moon

Following our wedding day we took a day "off" to rest and finish preparing for our honeymoon trip. On Friday we hit the road and by Saturday afternoon we were in Nebraska to see the Sandhill Cranes. Unfortunately we arrived in the middle of a late winter storm. The winds were out of the north and snow was blowing everywhere. It was very cold. Needless to say, not the best of conditions for enjoying the awesome spectacle that is the crane migration. We made the best of it, however, and still had loads of fun. We saw thousands upon thousands of Sandhill Cranes and, something we weren't expecting, countless numbers of Snow Geese! This shot of a group of cranes flying in front of the moon at sunset is my favorite image during our time spent in Nebraska. Tomorrow morning we head west across Colorado towards Utah and, hopefully, better weather!

Merry Christmas!!!

To the readers of Tumbleweed Crossing.
May you have Joy in your Heart, Pease in your Soul, and Happiness, and Freedom forever. From the Desert Windwriter of Tumbleweed Crossing

Tombstone Tuesday :: Brubaker in Mississippi

Charles Romain Brubaker, my great grandfather, is buried in Machpelah Cemetery, Pascagoula, Jackson County, Mississippi next to his second wife, Viola Fagan Winters Brubaker Shattles. (His first marriage, which ended in April 1921, was to Maude Catherine Wise. They had four children, one of whom was Hazlette Brubaker, my grandmother.)

CHARLES R. BRUBAKER / SGT US ARMY / SP AM WAR WORLD WAR I / AUG 19, 1871 DEC 19, 1945

VIOLA FAGAN BRUBAKER / SHATTLES / AUG. 15, 1889 APR. 11, 1977

Rose of Sharon