Sunset at Allensworth

Photographs taken on March 27, .. at Colonel Allensworth State Historical Park northwest of Bakersfield, California.

Perfect Weather for climbing and skiing

Breaking with tradition, as oddly happened also in 2005, there was reasonable weather on the upper mountain over Memorial Day weekend. The normal Pacific NW tradition calls for drippy rain and snowfall. So with the good weather came a whole bunch of skiers and climbers.

At Camp Schurman, the skiers took over. After all was said and done, there were more successful skiers than climbers! Here is an all women's team that ripped down from the summit on Monday afternoon. They reported excellent climbing conditions, and relatively icy ski conditions... But that wasn't a problem for them. On the other hand, I witnessed another skier tumble and fall roughly 200-300 vertical feet near 12,600 feet. It took his teammates a few hours to collect his equipment and get him back to Camp Schurman. He wasn't hurt too badly, but it was awful to watch it play out through the telescope. YIKES!

On an important administrative note, here is a heads up to those who don't think they need to register. There are intensity patrols happening in the backcountry and they are checking to make sure that all teams have permits. This weekend, a few parties were turned around and some were cited for failure to register for a climb. Make sure you get your permit and climbing pass before taking off. If you need help, give us a call 360-569-2211 ext 6009.

The Huffman/Hoffman Kinexxion :: Detrick

According to “The Henry R. Baldwin Genealogical Records” Didrich Hoffman was “born June 23, 1751 and died Mar. 10, 1826 age 74 yrs. 8 mos. 13 days” and was buried in Washingtonville Cemetery - the same cemetery where John and Catherine Hoffman are buried. On a visit to the cemetery in October .. I was unable to find any of their stones.



Samuel Hoffman and John Hoffman were named administrators of the estate of Detrick Hoffman who died intestate. His estate was valued at $263.14 on May 12, 1826 when the inventory was submitted to the probate court.



Detrick's wife, Susanna was still living when Detrick died and received her Widow's Distribution on May 12, 1826.








Estate of Dederick Hoffman (Packet 805) FHL film 2032459

Columbiana County, Ohio

A Schedule of the provisions and other property allowed to Susannah Hoffman Widow of Detrich Hoffman late of Salem Township Columbiana County Deceased for her Support for one year by us the Subscribers duly appointed appraisersers to the Estate of the Sd Deceased to wit:

one lot of meat, one hog, a Small lot of Kitchen furniture, one Cow, twenty Bushels of wheat, five Dollars in money, eight Bushels of oats, three lbs of Wool, one bushel and a half of Salt, a lot of Soap, twenty lbs of Sugar, two twiled bags

We the Subscribers do certify that the foregoing is a correct Schedule of property allowed to the above named Widow given under our hand this 12th day of May 1826.



George Wirick, John Yoder, Andrew Altman } Appraisers

The final account dated March 12, 1828 indicated that there was a balance in the estate of $586.392 to be distributed to the heirs, according to law. However, the heirs were not named.



On my visit to Columbiana County last July there was a file on Detick Hoffman at the Columbiana County Archives, which included a transcription of a Petition for Partition published on September 29, 1832 in the Ohio Patriot of New Lisbon. The library in New Lisbon has the Ohio Patriot on microfilm. The printer on the microfilm reader was out of order and the image on the screen was quite dark so the photo that I got of the article isn't that great, but after a bit of enhancement, it is readable...








The Ohio Patriot. September 29, 1832. Page 1.

The State of Ohio,

Columbiana county, ss

Common Pleas, Vacation after August Term, 1832.

Petition for Partition.

John Hoffman,

vs.

Samuel Hoffman,

Daniel Coler and Elizabeth, his wife,

John Swarts and Margaret his wife,

Henry Hoffman,

Samuel Hoffman,

Jacob Hoffman,

Abraham Hoffman,

Samuel Fox,

Edward Rhodes and Sarah his wife.

The petitioner this day filed his petition in the office of the clerk of said court, setting forth, that said petitioner and the defendants are entitled, as heirs at law to Detrick Hoffman, late of said county, deceased, to twenty-seven acres of land, being a part of the north west quarter of section 12, township 15, range 3, and praying the court to cause the one-sixth part of said land to be separated and set off to him in severally. Said petition will be presented to said court for hearing at the next term, commencing on the 15th of October next.



Fisher A. Blocksom, Att'y for petitioner.

August 23, 1832 – 31s6w

The key element here is that there are 10 people named in the Petition for Partition but John was requesting his “one-sixth part of said land” indicating that there were only 6 children of Detrick Hoffman.



It was more than a little frustrating when I was unable to locate the deed record, assuming that the land was sold. The only other record I found relating to the partition of the land was the following record in a Common Pleas Journal at the Columbiana County Area Archives.








Common Pleas Journal (v7 p512) April Term 1833, 4th day, 2nd of May

Samuel John Hoffman vs Samuel Hoffman} Petition for Partition. Writ of Partition returned that the frieholders therein named upon actual view of the premises were of the opinion that the land could not be divided according to the demand of said writ without a manifest injury to the value thereof. They therefore appraised the Same at $280; which return is here now approved, and no one or more of the parties concerned electing to take the said Estate at the aforesaid appraised value, the Court at the instance of the Demandant order that the said Lands & tenements be sold at public auction by the Shff. who held the inquisition, or his Successor, according to law that [?????] accordingly.

Through evaluation of various records (primarily Columbiana County census and marriage records as well as several deeds) and information from another researcher who contacted me late last year (he's a descendant of Michael Hoffman), we believe the relationships of the individuals listed in the Petition for Partition are as follows:

• John, Samuel, Jacob, and Abraham - children of Detrick


• Elizabeth wife of Daniel Coler, Margaret wife of John Swarts, Henry Hoffman, and Samuel Hoffman - children of Michael & Mary (Coy) Hoffman


• Samuel Fox and Sarah wife of Edward Rhodes - children of Phillip and Susanna (Hoffman) Fox

Various undocumented “sources” give Berks County, Pennsylvania as the birth place of John Hoffman. The manuscript on microfilm of “Church record of Zion's or Spiess's Reformed and Lutheran Church, Upper Alsace Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, 1774-1845” copied by William J. Hinke, July 1921. Typed April 1944 shows the following births for children of Dietrich/Diedrich Hoffman (the mother of the children wasn't given):

• Henry b. Dec. 14, 1777, bapt. Febr. 20, 1778


• John b. June 22, (1778)


• John Michael b. Mar. 10, 1782


• Samuel b. Apr. 6, 1785 bapt. May 29, 1785.

The son Henry was not named as one of the heirs of Dietrich. It's likely that he died young or perhaps as an adult without issue.



In 1997 John T. Humphrey published “Pennsylvania Births: Berks County 1710-1780” and a second volume for the years 1781-1800. All four of the above named children of Dietrich Hoffman are included in these books with the same dates – with the exception of John. The Humphrey book gives John's date of birth as 09 Nov 1778. According to the cemetery transcriptions noted in the 2nd post in this series “my” John Hoffman was born in November 1779. I don't know if the Zion-Spiess Church records have been microfilmed, they are not at the Family History Library.



It is rather slim evidence but based on the following, I'm going to go along with other researchers, for now, and say that John Hoffman who was married to Catherine Coy is the son of Dietrich Hoffman:

• They lived in close proximity to each other near Washingtonville in Columbiana County, Ohio. Dietrich lived in Salem Township and John in Green Township (which later became part of Mahoning County).


• They are both buried in Washingtonville Cemetery.


• Michael Hoffman married Mary Coy, sister of Catherine Coy.


• John had four sons: Samuel, Henry, Jacob, and John. The first three were presumably named after his brothers. Why couldn't he have named a son Dietrich?


• John had five daughters: Mary, Susannah, Elizabeth, Margaret, Catharine, Hannah, and Sarah. The first daughter, Mary, was presumably named after his wife's mother. The second daughter, Susannah, was presumably named after his presumed mother, Susannah Alder. Elizabeth and Sarah are also the names of his two (presumed) sisters.

Obviously, additional research needs to be done... One of the items in the inventory of the estate of Dietrich Hoffman was “one German Bible” which was purchased by Samuel Hoffman during the estate sale. Where is that bible today?



I'll be posting some of the documents from the estate files of John and Dietrich as well as the few documents that have been found on several sons of Dietrich. Hopefully, if any descendants or anyone else researching the Hoffman family find these posts they will contact me at kinexxions “at” gmail “dot” com.

I wonder, were they happy?

Recently I scanned some miscellaneous documents for a project for my local genealogy society. Among them was this one. . .

"July 29 / 95

Mr. Wm. H. Magley will please give to Charles O Hess the propper papers to make him self and Miss L. E. Jones happy.

Yours truly
Ed Jones"

Wm. H. Magley was the Whitley County Clerk of Courts in 1895. That's the office that issued marriage licenses. Recorded in Book 5, page 343: Charles Oscar Hess married Ella Jones on August 1, 1895.

According to the transcribed records, Charles was 24 years old and the son of Peter S. Hess. His mother's maiden name was Creager. Ella was 17 years old and the daughter of Edmond Jones. Her mother's maiden name was given as Diller.

A check of the cemetery transcriptions showed that they are buried in Adams Cemetery, Troy Township, Whitley County. Their names are recorded on the same stone. Charles Oscar (1871-1927) and Lucy Ella Hess (1876-1967).

15 Years Under the Chaincase

With a blizzard raging outside, what better way to spend an evening than working on bikes? The Co-Habitant agreed to help with my Gazelle (and by "help" I mean "do most of the work"),in exchange for which I prepared lavish portions of a dish that is sort of a cross between French Toast and a Croque Monsieur - only larger, fluffier, more generous on the cheese, and with some secret herbs that make it special. He likes my cooking, I like his mechanics: win-win!

Though I bought new tires for my Gazelle months ago, we had been procrastinating with their installation, as it required dealing with the formidable chaincase. Removing it seemed complicated. And who knew what was under there after all these years?



TheGazelle'schaincase is a vinyl casing that is stretched over a metal support structure.It is clipped and fastened at several attachment points - including an amazing system of clasps along the bottom, the likes of which we have never seen before. I am not certain how closely the current-production Gazelle chaincase resembles the one on my 15-year-old A-Touren model, but mine was not exactly easy to remove and install - not a project for beginners at least.



Once removed, this is what was inside. It's entirely possible that the drivetrain has not been worked on since the bicycle was first purchased by the original owner. The metal structure supporting the vinyl casing was covered in surface rust, as were parts of the chain itself. But otherwise, there were no apparent problems. These bicycles were built to be used and abused for years without any need for maintenance.

We were disappointed to see that the chainring did not have little gazelles carved into it like the older ones did. But I suppose that would be too much to expect from a '90s model. The metal chaincase support structure disassembles into several parts - allowing the rear portion to be removed without taking the whole thing apart.

The main chaincase attachment bolt is on the chainstay - a more secure method than attaching chaincases or chainguards to the bottom bracket. Another point of attachment rests on the rear axle. While more difficult to tinker with, the benefit of the vinyl chaincase design, is that it is less likely to rub or knock against the chain. It also weighs less than plastic or metal chaincases - though somehow I doubt that was a concern for the makers of Gazelle.

The Co-Habitant was thoroughly impressed by the design of the GazelleA-Touren's rear triangle, and believes it to be a better (more integrated) system than that of the vintage Raleigh DL-1 or of the modern Pashley.

Everything on the Gazelle fits together just so, as if the parts were all custom-made for each other. And once the chainguard is off, the fork ends are cut in such a way, so as to facilitate wheel removal. The 28" wheels with the stainless steel rims weigh a ton.

The routing of the tail light is entirely internal: The wiring comes out of the chainstay right next to the fork-end, and snakes along the inside of the rear fender invisibly. These are the kinds of design elements that make this bicycle a fully integrated system - almost an organism - that experiences very few problems. There are fewer things to shake loose, break, or fall out of adjustment, which is what makes it so low maintenance.

I know that some enthusiasts would have next taken the whole bike apart, scrubbed off the rust, polished the frame and components, and put it back together - but we prefer to let functional bikes be. Having checked the drivetrain, none of the components seemed to be any worse for wear despite some cosmetic degradation, so we just cleaned them up a bit, greased everything, adjusted the brakes and shifter, and closed the whole thing back up. I will replace the chain soon just in case, but that is about it. Changing the tires on this bike was easy, and the cracked originals are now replaced with newSchwalbe Delta Cruisers. We also removed the vinyl dressguards and are replacing them with something more personalised. The snow continues today, but by the time it is over the winterised Gazelle will hopefully be ready for her test-ride. Working on this bicycle has made us both appreciate just how well it was built. I know that the current-productionGazelles differ in the way they are constructed, but I hope that they retained at least some of the ingenuity of the original design.

The Body Speaks Bike

Those who've spoken more than one language over the course of their life will sometimes notice a curious phenomenon: They will remember events and conversations from their past not in the original language, but in the language that is currently dominant for them. It is as if our mind auto-translates the dialogue. I will remember conversations in English that couldn't have possibly happened in English. And then I must struggle to reconstruct the real dialogue, the actual words used, in order for my mind let go of the auto-translate and restore the "correct" memory. It's just one of those weird, fascinating, disturbing things that the human brain does. And it isn't limited to language.




Last weekend I went berry picking at a nearby farm. Blackberries are in season now, and with a small green basket I headed out to the rows of bushes. Pulling the plump bubbly things off the prickly branches in the afternoon sun, I remembered the last time I'd done this: It was in my 20s and I lived in England. Our small university town was surrounded by miles and miles of meadows, a riverside path winding through them. I remembered in vivid detail cycling through the meadows in the exquisite afternoon light and stopping to pick blackberries along the way. Sometimes I'd be alone, other times with my friend. In summer the blackberries were everywhere and, excited by this discovery, we gorged on them shamelessly - staining our clothing in the process, drunk on the countryside smells and the sheer beauty of our surroundings. In my mind's eye Iseeit all so clearly: The river. The farm gates. Climbing over nettles to get to the berries. And, of course, riding my bike along the path. Except, wait... rewind. I could not have been on a bike. I did not own a bike at the time; I did not cycle when I lived in England.




And so there I stood now, dismantling this incredibly real-seeming memory of myself riding a rusty 3-speed through the East Anglia countryside. And its companion memory of riding together with my friend - both of us astride such machines, summer dresses fluttering in the breeze. In fact we did not cycle side by side. We did not dismount our bikes and toss them onto the grass upon spotting the berries. I suppose we must have walked. But the visceral recollection of walking is vague, buried somewhere in there like the true dialogue of those auto-translated conversations I struggle to remember in their original language. I guess my body speaks bike now.

Wordless Wednesday :: Another Hoosier Farm

Noble County, Indiana. Summer of 1982.Sepia toned infrared photograph.Copyright © 1982/.. by Rebeckah R. Wiseman

Big Bend :: Snow in the Chisos

It doesn't snow that often at Big Bend but the day after my aborted trek to Laguna Meadows, it snowed. The high temperature reported on the 22nd was 86° though I didn't think it got that warm. But in the early hours of the morning of the 23rd the temperature plummeted. I awoke to snow on the windshield. I stayed in my sleeping bag for quite a while but once my feet got cold I had to get up and moving, which was no easy task since I was stiff and sore from two days of hiking!

I started up the van to get warm while eating some breakfast. Once I got warm and added several more layers of clothing, I actually felt quite comfortable. Until I got into some wind. I went to the Visitors Center and looked at the exhibits, again. Then I went out and took some pictures.

Looking west toward the window. 11:11 am.

Casa Grande. 11:17 a.m.

Creepy tree with Casa Grande in the background.


What do you do if it is too cold to just sit around the picnic table and you don't want to go for a hike? You go for a drive, to lower elevations and hopefully some sunshine.

About halfway down the mountains. 3:11 pm.

The Chisos Mountains, from the northwest side. 4:00 pm.

The Chisos Mountains, from the east side. 5:16 pm.

Casa Grande. 5:57 pm.

The only trace left of the snow in the evening was in the trees in the high elevations.

Photographs taken February 23, ...

Iconic British Telephone Booth

OMG, I got paparazzi'd yesterday in Sheffield while inside the iconic British telephone booth! LOL

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!

Christmas Cookies

The topic for the December 8th installment of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories hosted by Thomas MacEntee is: "Christmas Cookies. Did your family make Christmas Cookies? How did you help? Did you have a favorite cookie?"

My Mother and I have been making cookies together for at least the last 20 or so years. Snickerdoodles, Oatmeal Raisin, Gingerbread Men (and Women), frosted Sugar Cookies of various shapes sprinkled with colored sugar, and others too.





Mom made cookies for Christmas and at other times of the year when I was growing up but not for gift giving and not to the extent that we have been doing these past 20 years. After Thanksgiving we buy all of the ingredients we'll need and then the first full weekend of December we start mixing and baking. I've never counted up how many dozens we make, but depending upon the type of cookie, each batch makes between 3 and 4 dozen cookies. We usually made four batches of Snickerdoodles, Oatmeal, and Sugar Cookies but only two batches of Gingerbread cookies and a batch or two of several other varieties. The past two years we've reduced the number of batches by about half, but it is still a lot of work. And it is still fun. I wonder what would happen if we didn't make them?

After the cookies are baked and cooled, they get stored in sealed containers in the garage (where it is cool) until we are ready to package them, usually the following weekend. Our big family Christmas dinner is normally a week or so before Christmas so they don't need to be frozen for long-term storage. Mom mixed up a batch of Snickerdoodles today. Since her oven isn't working right, I'll be baking them tomorrow as well as mixing and baking a couple batches of oatmeal raisin cookies and a batch of Gingerbread cookies. Probably won't make the Sugar Cookies this year though - I really never did like having to roll out the dough, mess with cookie cutters, and then decorating them. Ours sure never looked like the ones shown above! My favorite cookies are the Oatmeal Raisin and the Gingerbread.

A couple of recipes I found online are quite similar to the recipes that we use. The recipe for Oatmeal Raisin cookies comes straight from the Quaker Oats box! When searching for these recipes, I found it amusing that the Sunmaid website called them Raisin-Oatmeal cookies. The pictures used above came from the sites below.

• Snickerdoodles
• Sugar Cookies
• Gingerbread Cookies
• Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Jefferson Ohio From My Window

Werfkelder Tunnel

There is nothing much to say about these pictures except... Typically Utrecht.

Visit Period: December

Watched ‘La Bayadère’ Ballet Show at the Estonian National Theatre

On my wish list in my visit to Tallinn was to watch a ballet show. Eastern Europe is the gateway to the ballet world and I wanted to have a taste of this in Estonia. I was lucky enough because when I was there the ‘Bajadeer’(also spelled as Bayadère)was premiered at the Estonian National Opera House! I could not have been more happier!







So here I am in the lift of Meriton Old Town Garden Hotel ready to go to the show. I was lazy to wear something else, so I improvised and put on my black heels (and not the stilettos because the cobbled streets in Tallin are a pain to walk on) and my dependable black shawl. Done! Would have loved to do something with my hair but did not have the time.







This is the Estonian National Opera Theater and this picture was taken from this trendy café called Kohvik Komeet located in the shopping mall across it. A very nice place to spend a break especially with this view.







The lobby of the theatre taken during the afternoon I bought the ticket. I bought the ticket a day before the show directly from the ticket counter of the theatre.









The Bajadeer ballet performance show is a 2-hour show including the break.



I also have a very nice seat, quite lucky I should say, near the middle on the lower balcony. This is the interior of the theatre. Very nice.










And look at that ceiling!







I found a quick snippet in YouTube of the Bajadeer ballet show, see below:








And here is the show… these pictures were taken from the website of Estonia’s National Opera. It is not allowed to take pictures and to film during the ballet performance so obviously not to embarrass myself, I slipped my camera back into my little bag.











Here is a little summary of the Bajadeer Ballet Show:



Ballet by Ludwig Minkus

World premiere on January 23, 1877 at Mariinsky Theatre

Premiere at the Estonian National Opera on May 16,



“La Bayadère” is a story of eternal love, vengeance, and justice. The ballet recounts the story of the impossible love between a temple dancer (bayadère) Nikiya and the noble warrior Solor. In a moment of forgetfulness, Solor becomes engaged to the Rajah’s daughter Gamzatti and in order to assure the young man’s love for Gamzatti, the Rajah decides to kill Nikiya...



To read more, go here: La Bajadere at the Estonian Opera



I found the show very delightful. I especially loved the scene with the ‘wild guys’. So much energy and power. Exhilarating.



During the break I went downstairs to the café at the basement for some martini. It’s a 15 minute break (umm, I think longer, not sure anymore) and you can elect to order food in advance. If you do this, you will have to go to this VIP room to enjoy your food, which I didn’t do because I didn’t want to eat in the theatre. Nevertheless, not ordering food during the show was a good decision.



My martini below at the cafe in the basement and the hallway outside the lower balcony level of the Opera House.







The Opera house after the show and the Bajadeer official poster.







Now back in the Netherlands, I’m looking forward to seeing something of this calibre or better in Amsterdam!