Iva Jean Rain Cape: Ethereal, Wearable

When asked to review the Iva Jean Rain Cape, I immediately recalled theremarkably successful photosof this item I had seen in the lookbook several months earlier. I'd been mesmerised by the stunning model and bicycle, by the perfect combination of my favourite colours, by the foggy, milky, electric feel of the whole thing. But a staged photoshoot is one thing; the article of clothing itself could be quite another. What we have here is essentially a silver hooded cape, to be worn on a bicycle. The skeptic in me was thinking that few of us can pull off a garment like that without looking like we are headed to a sci-fi convention.

When the Iva Jean cape arrived, I was relieved to find it quite wearable. The colour is a metalic slate gray, in no danger of being confused with an aluminum foil alien costume. The fabric is fluid and drapey, not stiff. And it is mostly noiseless (no swooshing).

The cape is made in Seattle out of a water-repellent, breathable nylon-polyester blend fabric with reflective piping. It is one size only and hits mid-thigh. I don't want to repeat manufacturer specs, so please read the complete list of featureshere.

Close-up of the hood, visor, rear vent and reflective piping.

The hood is roomy and can be loosened and tightened using a system of drawcords.

Rear view.

Stand-up collar inside the hood. The zipper extends half way down and makes the cape easy to put on and take off.

The arm openings have velcro closure, as does the large front pocket. There is also a system of drawcords and thumb loops on the bottom for keeping the arms inside the cape.

Full rear view.

In use on the bike.Speaking generally, I must admit that I am not a "bicycle cape person." When I look down and see a tent draped over my legs, it abstracts the pedaling experience for me. That said, this cape is so lightweight, that this effect is diminished. What I like about it particularly is the breathability, the flattering shape, and the ease of movement it affords off the bike.With capes I can sometimes feel as if I am getting tangled in them, but this onehas such an airy feel to it, that I could hardly tell I had it on.

One thing to keep in mind is that this is a cape, not a poncho. It is intended for casual use, such as commuting. As you can see in the pictures, the forearms are somewhat exposed when I am holding the handlebars, because I am fairly leaned forward on this particular bike. The more upright your position on the bicycle, the less this will be an issue. [Edited to add: The manufacturer explains that it is possible to cover the handlebars with the cape like so. However, when I attempted this my arms felt constricted and I was not able to use it comfortably in this manner.]

Having worn the cape in the rain a couple of times, the coverage was sufficient and there were no problems with the waterproofing. As far as temperature regulation, the cape functions as a light shell and you can layer underneath it.The vents provide good ventilation on warmer days.The front can be zipped all the way up to cover the neck up to the chin on days when you wish for a scarf.

I found the system of drawcords a little complicated, but I think this is a matter of preference and others will appreciate them, as they basically allow you to reshape the garment in a variety of ways. The one point of criticism I have, is what to me looks like some subtle bunching up of fabric around the seams (you can see it in pictures like this one). It could be just an unavoidable characteristic of the fabric used, but I am detail-oriented and my eyes keep being drawn to this.

The Iva Jean Rain Cape is available for sale online, and the retail price is $240. If you would like my review sample, please leave a comment with your email address by Monday, November 28th, 11:59pm Pacific time and I will choose a recipient at random. Continental US entries only please. In my opinion this cape will fit women up to size 10 US.

Enjoy the rest of your Thansgiving weekend!

Gunks Routes: Something Interesting (5.7+) & The Dangler (5.10a)

(Photo: Mid-route, placing the most important piece of gear on the Dangler (5.10a).)




I usually try to climb on Veterans Day. My office is closed. Since many people don't get the holiday off the cliffs are usually empty.




This year I was supposed to climb with Gail but she had a very busy weekend and on Sunday night she backed out, telling me she was exhausted. She already had a solution figured out for me, however. She proposed I get together with another climber she knew named Marat. We'd never climbed together but we'd met briefly once at the cliff. From our brief conversation that day I gathered Marat was an experienced climber. He seemed fine to me, and if a person as careful as Gail was willing to climb with him then so was I.




Marat and I ended up having a great day together. We started with Grim-Ace Face, a pretty excellent 5.9+. But more on that later. I want to talk now about what we did afterwards.




I felt comfortable with Marat after our first few pitches, so I confessed to him a little dream of mine. I told him I wanted to climb the Dangler.




Now, I say that I "confessed" to Marat because I had this fear in the back of my mind that he would react to my little dream with scorn. You see, some very experienced and well-respected climbers think of the Dangler as a joke. They say it is too short, consisting of just three or four challenging moves. They claim it is contrived. They say it doesn't deserve the 5.10(a) rating Dick Williams bestowed upon it in 2004. (The rating has, no doubt, been adjusted upwards over the years. Todd Swain put it at 5.9 in his 1995 guidebook, and back in the 1980's the Dangler was listed (as a variation to Three Pines) in Richard DuMais' coffee-table book Shawangunk Rock Climbing as a "strenuous" 5.8.)









(Photo: The Dangler in the '80's. Taken from Richard DuMais' Shawangunk Rock Climbing (1985). You tell me, does that look like a 5.8?)




The elites' disdain for the Dangler is likely enhanced by the fact that the route presents such an attractive photo opportunity. The old-schoolers see groups of three or more climbers camping out on the GT Ledge, taking photos and whooping it up while everybody gets a turn on this little climb... it just doesn't fit with their idea of the trad experience.




Personally, I wasn't concerned about any of that. I wanted to try the climb because it looked exciting. Who wouldn't be excited by a perfect horizontal crack at the edge of a long roof, 150 feet above the ground?




The Dangler has been on my "easy" 5.10 list all year. For some reason I was sure I'd have no trouble climbing it. I thought that so long as I could place good pro I would be fine.









(Photo: Getting started on the Dangler.)




It turned out that Marat, like me, had never done the Dangler. And he was more than willing to follow me up it. But first we had to get up there.We decided that Marat would lead the neighboring climb Something Interesting (5.7+) up to the GT Ledge. Then we'd be perfectly positioned for the Dangler.




This was my first time on Something Interesting in a while, but I have led it twice before. It is a great route. The long first pitch follows an obvious slanting vertical crack up the face, all the way from the ground to the GT Ledge. As is typical of Gunks face climbs, the crack provides holds and pro, but no real crack climbing is required. The first time I led the pitch, back in , I thought it was totally cruiser. I must have really been feeling good because I couldn't even tell where the crux was supposed to be. The second time I led the climb I remember feeling tired. On that occasion I remember the crux very clearly at a bulge about 40 feet up. But on that day the whole thing felt like the crux, with several good hard moves amid the general steepness.




This time around, following Marat, I just had fun with it. I don't have much to say about it except that it is very enjoyable, with lots of nice moves. It is a sustained, long, high quality pitch.




I should add here that the second pitch of Something Interesting, which goes from the GT Ledge to the top of the cliff, is also well worth doing. It doesn't have the sustained quality of the earlier climbing, but the opening moves up to a pin and around a corner to the right are good. The easy traverse left that follows and the jug haul up the final corner are also nice. It seems that most people skip this pitch nowadays, which I think is a shame. If you reach the GT Ledge and you're not up for the Dangler, why not continue with Something Interesting instead of going down? Or better yet, move around the corner to your left and do the awesome final pitch of Anguish (5.8).









(Photo: Moving out. You can see here where I messed up a little. The rope is caught around my right leg, but I am unaware of it.)




Once Marat and I were both on the GT Ledge, I moved the belay over to the right and took a good look at the Dangler. Stepping up to the horizontal crack, I placed two good cams. Then I tested out the pose I'd be adopting for the rest of the climb: I reached out and lifted myself off the ledge, getting fully horizontal and locking my left heel into the crack. It felt secure but strenuous, and having gotten the feel for it I stepped down again.




Marat suggested I could get up there, place another piece a little further out, and then step down again before really committing. Seemed like a great idea to me so I did it. Then I looked over my gear-- the cams seemed secure. I could see that more good gear would be available as I moved out the crack. I told Marat I thought we were in good shape.




"You have a three-piece anchor!" he said.




Okay, when you put it that way....




I realized all of a sudden that I had an audience. A party of three had done the route before us and they had paused in their descent to watch us. This made me nervous. I tried to ignore them. (Later they sent me all of the great photos you see here, for which I am eternally grateful. They were from California, visiting the Gunks for the week.)




It was time to go.




I'd never been on the route but of course I already knew what to do. It is hard to climb regularly in the Gunks without seeing some people do the Dangler. I had seen climbers moving out almost to the end of the crack and releasing their feet, pivoting to the right, then hooking their right foot around the final shelf and doing a pull up on good holds to get back into a standing position.




I'd also seen people protect the route rather poorly, which is completely unnecessary. The climb is extremely well-protected if you place the gear that is available. I think some people find it too strenuous to place the gear once they get fully horizontal, however, so they just run it out from the initial placements. It seems to me that doing this risks a swinging fall back into the face of the cliff, which is something I'd much rather avoid.









(Photo: In the final heel hook, getting ready for the pull up.)




When I got fully out there I didn't find it too hard to place the necessary gear. I got a great # 2 Camalot. The heel hooks were solid and I also found some useful holds for the right foot under the roof. You really need just one piece out there, and a number of different sizes would probably work. It took a little bit of hanging in there, but I was able to reach over my head and place the piece (see the photo at the top of this post). I felt really safe once I had that bomber yellow Camalot in place.




Then I let my feet release from the wall so I could swing into the pivot.




And something went terribly wrong. I found myself tangled in the rope. It was disorienting. For a second I thought I must have clipped the wrong strand. I told myself not to panic and to hang on!




It turned out my leg had simply caught the trailing strand of rope. Everything would be okay if I could just get disentangled without falling off. As I waited, hanging in there by my fingertips, Marat whipped the strand to get it loose and in a few moments I was free again. I was now at a disadvantage, however, because I was motionless, in a dead hang over the abyss. My feet were attached to nothing and time was ticking away. I needed to throw my right foot over my head and hook it on the shelf, without any swinging momentum to help me.






I could hear the crowd of onlookers cheering me on. (Thanks, guys!)




Somehow I managed it. I threw my foot over the lip and made the pull-up to get out. Despite the rope snafu I got the onsight. I Dangled-- and Tangled-- and emerged victorious.











(Photo: Finishing up.)






After I got through the crux I kept on going to the chains at the top of the cliff. I didn't think Marat would have any trouble following the route. If you feel your second might need coaching it would probably be wise to build a belay right after the crux or on the next ledge up instead of proceeding to the top.




In retrospect I wish I'd stayed near the crux so I could enjoy the show and take some photos of Marat on the route. He got through it just fine but I could hear some meaningful grunting going on! It would have been fun to watch.











(Photo: Looking back at Marat from just after the crux.)




Having done the Dangler I now say this to you: ignore the haters. This is a great route. The movement is unusual for the Gunks. The climb is not contrived; it follows a perfect natural line. And the pro is excellent. Yes the crux is short, but don't many Gunks classics have short cruxes?




Above all the Dangler is just an exciting good time. I had a big smile on my face for the better part of a week after doing it. I totally scraped up the back of my right leg doing the heel hook and I did not care. It was worth it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Peace River Today

I'm happy to report that the river is back where it should be for the most part. The park still has a lingering odor from the flooding but it seems to be drying out as far as I can tell. The area past the cones is what I had taken pictures of before.

The Great Arch, Pabbay, finally free

Donald King and myself, enjoying the boat ride back from Pabbay. The mugs were the boatman’s by the way.




June is often a time to get on a boat and go and find some amazing new sea cliff climbs to be done in the Hebrides. I’ve been lucky to have done more than my fair share over the past ten years. Yet they just keep coming! One place I’d never yet been was Pabbay. The obvious target was the Great Arch project.




The arch is of course the most striking and obvious challenge on the island. And like other lines of similar calibre such as the Longhope Route, it’s also going to be the hardest. Great! It was first tried by Cubby Cuthbertson and Lynn Hill while they were being filmed for a BBC TV programme in 1997. On that trip, the route didn’t go free although they did record it with a rest/aid point. With better weather and a bit more time, I’m sure they’d have done it. You don’t get a much stronger team that those two! Talking of strong teams, the next party to attempt it was Steve Mclure and Lucy Creamer a few years ago. Steve inspected the line on abseil and then made a great attempt to flash it, getting through the first crux. He fell in the roof, pulled back up to his highpoint on the rope and carried on to the end. He opted not to come back and make the free ascent. So, after all these years, it still needed doing. The projected grade I'd heard for the free ascent was E9 7a, but in the end E8 6c was more like it.











That is a roof that needs climbing.




I headed over with Donald King to see if we could do it. We had a good window of time to cope with the usual sea cliff problems of sea spray dampness and bad weather. So I was quite relaxed and excited about getting on it. On our first day I abseiled down the crux top pitch through the huge horizontal roof. It was totally damp with sea spray so all I could do that day was pull on and try a few individual moves in the roof on the GriGri and then do the first couple of wet pitches for something to do, abseiling off into the sea around midnight in fading light.




Next day I waited until the evening to even go on it in the hope the sea spray might dry out a bit more. It was fortunately drier when I arrived. I went down and played about a bit more on the abseil rope for an hour or so and had that feeling that maybe I ought to stop there and have a good go at the whole route the next day (and last before a big rainy front arrived).




On day three we were disappointed to find the dreaded sea spray hanging like a mist under the great arch. It was a roasting hot sunny day, but the route was dripping. All we could do was lie and sleep in the sun on the hot boulders at the base for four hours. Hard life eh?












Pitch 2.




However, sunbathing was not what I traveled all that way for. So at around tea time, almost without speaking, we got ourselves together and just started going upwards. Pitches 1 and 2 round the first pitch flew by in minutes. The big third pitch was a grunt with still wet holds lurking in the big roof, but it also went fairly smoothly for both Donald and myself. The infamous offwidth slot of pitch 4 was only a few metres in length, but my first experience of ‘scapular walking’. I have no idea if that is a climbing technique, but it worked. Pitch 5 was the most gloriously exposed and finely positioned 5a pitch I’ve ever climbed. It was so relaxing. A cool breeze began to blow as I started it, and became more and more noticeable as I shuffled across the brilliant incut flakes of gneiss, a huge roof below my feet, another looming directly overhead.












The roof of pitch 3 looming overhead. This pitch was about E5.





By the time I reached the belay below the crux 6^th pitch through the great arch, the breeze was chilling me, and I could see the colour of the gniess turning before my eyes from a that familiar flat grey of dampness to the crisp white of dryness; and friction. It’s been a wee while since I’ve had that great feeling of ‘now is the time to go for it’. Simultaneously feeling a little queasy in the stomach, and anxious to release the physical energy and adrenaline which is bursting to get out.






The next thing I knew I was 10 metres up the pitch, leaning back with my hands off with double knee bars behind a huge undercut in the most outrageous position. The first crux was right above. A full stretch reach from the undercut to a tiny crimp and then a boulder problem to get to the break at the back of the arch itself. In the space of ten minutes I’d gone from a bag of nerves with a stomach full of butterflies, to feeling totally relaxed and just eager to go for it. So the first crux felt easy.




Unsurprisingly, the transition to completely horizontal roof climbing felt a bit of a shock to the system, and I fumbled with two cams, and then decided not to even bother with the third. I was getting too pumped. I got really excited about the next seconds as I’d find out whether I had enough power to do the crux, or fling myself into the huge space below and test the cams and wires in the creaky roof flake. So I realised I better move it before excitement turned to nerves. What followed was a classic climbing moment of a blur of slapping hands, quickly made up sequences on the hop when I did it all wrong, and a bit of aggression. In no time I found myself stood above the lip, panting to catch my breath.




The great thing about roof climbs is once you get over the lip, it’s usually over and you know it. All that was left was to fully soak up the spacey atmosphere as I abseiled back down to strip the roof and dangle around on the rope waxing about the route just climbed as the sun finally sunk into the sea.




After a 1am dinner of curry, rice pudding and cups of tea at the tents, the rain started. 36 hours or storm later, the back of the great arch had become a waterfall which would have taken days to dry out, and we got on an early boat home. On the ferry back from Barra, we were suitably inspired to seek out some more obvious great lines to point ourselves at in the Hebrides in the not too distant future. A good start to the summer, which has come seriously late in the highlands this year.













Well happy abseiling back down to strip the runners from the roof.












A happy rock climber












A still happy rock climber abbing in to do Prophesy of Drowning, E2, just before getting the boat home. If you climb E2, you must do this route.












Smiles are a running theme for rock climbers on Pabbay. It’s pretty good!












Do you need any more convincing that Prophesy of Drowning is a very very good E2?












Hebridean sunsets on the ferry home. A good moment to dream up new climbing plans.

Anyone Remember the Madrillon?

According to my father, The Madrillon was the place to go in Washington in the 1940s. That's my dad, George Cokinos, with the wacky tie on the far left. Guess they had a band there, too...





Bring your own memories or just your curiosity to the Historical Society this Saturday June 26 for a trip in the way back machine with Jeff Krulik:



Eat, Drink and Be Merry in 1950s-60s DC:

A Panel Discussion, Slide Show and Oral History Presentation

with the Photos of Emil Press 2:30- 4:00

801 K Street, NW at Mount Vernon Square



Free

Niagara Falls

This is one of those things that I had on my Bucket List when we started traveling. This is also one of those things that lived up to its hype. It is also one of those things that is so incredible, that words can't even begin to describe it.

It is also one of those things that pictures can't truly capture it. I still tried. I wanted to post about a hundred of my shots from this wonderful day, but I forced myself to pare it down to a size I could actually upload using our connection.

To be up close and feel and hear the power was really something. It reminded me of how much grander things found in nature are than things that man builds.

Not to mention, it was just beautiful. Really, really take your breath away beautiful!

Living the life in the land of natural wonders!

Harry H. Wise and Family

The Harry Wise family, about 1916 or 1917
Wayne, Emma, William, Gladys, Harry, and Kenneth
Harry H. Wise, son of William P. Wise and Sophia Dunfee, was born on August 10, 1874 in Whitley County, Indiana. He died on November 29, 1938 in Lorain, Lorain County, Ohio at age 64, and was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Lorain, Lorain County, Ohio.

Harry married Emma Klieman. She was born on August 6, 1881 in Mount Clemens, Macomb County, Michigan and died on October 17, 1952 in Mt. Vernon, Knox County, Ohio at age 71. She was buried next to her husband, Harry Wise, in Elmwood Cemetery in Lorain, Lorain County, Ohio.

His obituary was published in the Columbia City Post (Whitley County, Indiana) on November 29, 1938.

Harry H. Wise, 64, native of Thorncreek township, died today of heart trouble, at his home in Loraine, Ohio, after an illness of two weeks, according to a message received today by his two sisters, Mrs. Jos. Yontz, of this city, and Mrs. Harlo Burns, of Troy township.

Mr. Wise, a son of the late Mr. and Mrs. William Wise, of Whitley county, located in Ohio forty-four years ago. For forty years he had been district agent for the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, and during that time has maintained offices in Lorain.

He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Emma Wise, a native of Mount Clemons, Mich., and three sons, William, a druggist, Dr. Wayne Wise, a chiropodist, and Kenneth; and a daughter, Gladys, now married, a former teacher, all of Lorain. Besides the two sisters residing here, Mr. Wise is survived by a brother, Morris, residing in Sturgis, Mich.

Funeral services will be held Thursday afternoon at 2 0'clock in Lorain and committal services will be held there. Mrs. Yontz will be unable to attend the funeral rites of her brother because of illness which has confined her to her home in this city.

His obituary was also published in The Lorain Journal (Lorain County, Ohio) on 29 Nov 1938.

Harry H. Wise, 64, 901 7th-ct., prominent Lorain Insurance agent, died this morning at his home following a brief illness. Born in Indiana, Wise came to Lorain in 1895. He was appointed the first paid driver of the Lorain fire department in March, 1901, stationed at No. 1 station.

Leaving the fire department after nearly six years of service, he went into the real estate business for a short time and then into the insurance business, in which he had been engaged for the past 30 years. Wise was connected with the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. at the time of his death. He was an active member of the Christian temple and Woodland lodge Knights of Pythian.

Survivors are his wife, Emma, to whom he was married Jan. 1, 1900; three sons, William, Amherst; Kenneth and Wayne, Elyria; one daughter, Mrs. Gladys Stegall, Mt. Vernon; one brother, Morris, Sturgis, Mich.; and two sisters, Mrs. Harl Burns, Etna, Ind., and Mrs. Joseph Yontz, Columbia City, Ind. Eight grandchildren also survive.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Sidney B. Royce funeral home with Rev. B. H. Linville, pastor of the Christian Temple, officiating. Burial will be in Elmwood cemetery. The body will be take to the home tomorrow.

Emma's obituary was published in The Lorain Journal (Lorain County, Ohio) on 18 Oct 1952.

Mrs. Emma Wise, widow of the late Henry [sic] Wise, a Lorain insurance agent for many years, died last night at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Fred Steagall, Mr. Vernon. She was 71. She had been ill for several months and had just recently moved into Mrs. Steagall's home.

Mrs. Wise was a member of the Christian Temple, and is survived by two sons, William, Lorain, and Wayne, Elyria, in addition to Mrs. Steagall.

The body is at the Thompson Funeral Home, where services will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. Rev. Wood B. Cundiff will officiate. Burial will be in Elmwood Cemetery.

The family of Harry Wise was located Lorain County, Ohio in the following census records:
1900 1717 Lexington Ave., Lorain, Black River Township page 30 E.D. 79
1910 408 Idaho Ave., Lorain, Black River Township page 175 E.D. 89
1920 Lorain, Ward 2 page 54/3A E.D. 8
1930 Lorain, Ward 2 page 16/2A E.D. 11

Harry H. Wise and Emma Klieman had four children:

1. William Harold Wise was born on August 3, 1900 in Lorain, Lorain County, Ohio. He died on September 18, 1969 in Wilkinsburg, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania at age 69, and was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Lorain, Ohio. William married Anna Hazzard about 1921. Anna was born about 1901 in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. She died on January 22, 1960 in Lorain, Lorain County, Ohio 10 at age 59, and was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Lorain, Ohio.

An unidentified article in "the scrapbook," presumably from a Lorain, Ohio newspaper, no date, provides a short description of the wedding of William Wise and Anna Hazard. The 1930 census indicates that they were married when they were both 21 years old, which puts the event at about 1921.

Charmingly attired in a suit of navy blue broadcloth with a picture hat of black velvet, and carrying a bouquet of white roses, Miss Anna Hazard, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Hazard, of West 27th street, was united in marriage to William Wise, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Wise of Washington avenue. The ceremony was performed at seven o'clock last evening in the parsonage of the Church of Christ by the Rev. L. O. Newcomer. Only the immediate families witnessed the wedding.

Miss Gladys Wise, sister of the groom, attended Miss Hazard. She also wore a navy blue suit with fall hat to match. Her flowers were pink roses. William Hazard, brother of the bride, attended the groom.

Mr. and Mrs. Wise left last evening for a short trip to Buffalo and Niagara Falls. Upon their return they will reside in Lorain. Mrs. Wise is one of Lorain's most popular young women. She is a graduate of Lorain High School and is employed as bookkeeper at the Allen Shoe Store.

Mr. Wise is also a well known local man. He is a graduate of Lorain High School and at present is attending Western Reserve University where he is studying pharmacy. He is a member of the Church of Christ.

William's obituary was published in The Lorain Journal (Lorain County, Ohio) on September 19, 1969.

William H. Wise, 69, 1423 D St., Lorain, a lifelong resident of Lorain, died yesterday at Columbia Hospital, Wilkinsburg, Pa. He had been visiting his son, William, in Monroesville, Pa. He was a pharmacist and had worked for Standard Drug and Revco Companies. He was a member of the Christian Temple Church.

Survivors besides his son, include a daughter, Mrs. Charles (Mary Ann) Lambdin, Port Arthur, Tex.; several grandchildren; a sister, Mrs. Gladys Steagall, Huron, and a brother, Wayne Wise, Elyria. Friends may call at the Schwartz, Spence and Boyer Home for Funerals tomorrow from 7 to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. The Rev. James Hartley of the Christian Temple will officiate at services at the funeral home Monday at 1 p.m. Burial will be in Elmwood Cemetery.

Anna's obituary was published in The Chronicle Telegram (Elyria, Lorain County, Ohio) on January 22, 1960.

Lorain - Mrs. Anna M. Wise, 59, of 1423 D St., died in St. Joseph Hospital this morning after a short illness. She was the wife of William H. Wise. Besides her husband she leaves a son, William W., Hobart., Ind.; a daughter, Mrs. Charles Lambdin, Sheffield Lake; five grandchildren; her mother, Mrs. Mary Ann Hazzard, Lorain; two sisters, Mrs. William Bock, Salem and Mrs. Eugene Wood, Amherst; two brothers, Joseph Hazzard, Avon and William Luther, buffalo. The body is at the Schwartz-Spence Home for Funerals. Arrangements for services are incomplete.

2. Kenneth Klieman Wise was born on October 18, 1901 in Lorain, Lorain County, Ohio and died on July 10, 1948 in Elyria, Lorain County, Ohio at age 46.

The Ohio Death Records online at www.familysearchlabs.org provided his birth and death information. It also gives his wife's name as Vada Mae. The 1930 census for Lorain County (Elyria Ward 1 page 22) shows Kenneth as head of household, age 28 and wife Vada, age 27. They were married when he was 21 and she was 20 so year of marriage would be about 1923. Also listed was a son Jack and a daughter Betty.

3. Gladys Margaret Wise was born on March 10, 1903 in Lorain, Lorain County, Ohio. Gladys is not listed in the Social Security Death Index so it is possible that she may yet be living. She married Fred Steagall about 1927. He was born on January 24, 1903 in Ohio and died on March 27, 1984 in Fort Myers, Lee County, Florida at age 81.

In 1930, Gladys and Fred were living in Knox County, Ohio (Mt Vernon, Ward 3 page 45/2A E.D. 9). They were living in Mt. Vernon, Knox County, Ohio when her mother died in October 1952. Gladys lived in Huron, Ohio when her brother, William, died in September 1969 and resided in Ft. Meyers Beach, Florida on March 23, 1974 when her brother Wayne died. My grandmother's notes indicate that Gladys and Fred Steagall had two sons.

4. Wayne Clayton Wise was born on September 20, 1909 in Lorain, Lorain County, Ohio and died on March 19, 1974 in Fort Myers, Lee County, Florida at age 64.

An abstract of his obituary was on found online at the the Cleveland Necrology File (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio March 23, 1974) shows that his wife, Margaret, was still living as were two children.

Sources are available upon request. Harry Wise is my Great-Granduncle, a brother of my Great-Grandmother, Maude Wise Brubaker Yontz. If anyone reading this is related to any of these people, or knows anything about them, please contact me at kinexxions "at" gmail "dot" com!

A Special Announcement

Our oldest daughter, Ashleigh, had a baby girl on June 30th. She is too far away from us for me to be there in person, but I got to join in through the power of text messages and it was neat to be included in that way. We are completely smitten with little Aseanti Olivia, who we nicknamed the Princess or Sweet Cheeks. We think she is just perfect, but we might be a bit biased.

First Group Ride!

Yesterday, I went on my first group ride. Yes, there were only three of us and we're all friends. But those who were reading this blog last summer understand what an accomplishment this is for me.



Ever since I began to ride a roadbike, I've been whining about wanting to learn how to ride in a group... yet refusing to go on group rides. Yes, it was paradoxical. But you see, I wanted to learn theskillsof riding in a group, while at the same time being afraid of it - convinced that I would perish in a high speed crash, images of the most gruesome bicycle race pile-ups flashing through my mind. I toyed with the idea of joining the women's training rides offered by a local cycling team, but ultimately the entire summer passed and I did not do it - opting for solitary rides and occasional rides with the Co-Habitant instead. I had to be coaxed into joining yesterday's ride, and I did try to back out as usual... but in the end something just clicked in my head and I went. And I'm very glad. Yes, I know you told me so!



My cycling partners were the Co-Habitant on his nearly-finished Surly Cross-Check (notice the fenders!) and our neighbour Somervillain on his vintage 650B conversion.



I was on my Rivendell Sam Hillborne. How happy he was to be out amidst the cherry blossoms!



Though we were riding different bikes, the aesthetic was amusingly similar. We all had candy-coloured frames with fat tires, cantilever brakes, aluminumfenders, leather saddles, classic bar wrap, and even twined water bottles. All three of us were also wearing wool. We looked like a team of eccentric bicycle obsessionists. The plan was to go on a roughly 40 mile loop - starting on the Minuteman Trail, then going through the hilly parts of Lexington, and arriving in Concord, MA - where we would stop before returning along a similar route.



Any nervousness I had about the ride dissipated as soon as the three of us set off in city traffic on the way to the Minuteman Trail. I expected this to be stressful - keeping pace with the others while paying attention to cars and negotiating treacherous intersections - but instead it was easy. Easier than cycling in traffic alone andeasier than cycling in traffic with just the Co-Habitant.I still need to think this through in order to understand why, but possibly because three cyclists really do constitute a group in the eyes of motorists and are thus given more space. Maybe. Whatever the reason, it was great.



For the first part of our ride, we went in an unchanging single file procession - with the Co-Habitant first, Somervillain second, and me last. We cycled fairly closely behind one another, which I did not find problematic. It took me some time to get used to the rhythm with which Somervillain started from a stop, and to time my own starts the same way so that I wouldn't run into him. But otherwise, it was all very intuitive. I did not have trouble pacing myself to maintain the same speed consistently. And I also liked it that they hand-signaled every move they would make on the road. When we cycle alone, the Co-Habitant and I don't do this - which sometimes results in miscommunication.



We went along the Minuteman Trail at 14-16mph, then headed for the hills in Lexington. We've had an especially long winter and rainy spring this year, and I had not done major hills like this since last Fall. I was physically unprepared for them. I also forgot how steep and long this one particular hill was. We began climbing it, and almost immediately I was spinning in a low gear and my speed dropped to 7mph. I just couldn't do any better. It was at this point that we dispersed, so that the stronger riders would not lose momentum. Somervillain took off uphill and the Co-Habitant followed him at a slower pace, but still faster than me. I eventually made it, but the climb was such a huge shock to my system that even the downhill decent that followed made me unable to catch up with them. As soon as the distance between us decreased, came another uphill and I would lose them again. While I found this frustrating, I also appreciated having a true sense of the differences in our abilities. And I certainly preferred them going ahead to slowing down for me - that would have made me feel excruciatingly self-conscious. We cycled over a series of hills in a similar style - the distance between us decreasing on the descent, then increasing again on the ascent - until finally the elevation changes lessened and we were able to cycle in a single file again. I did not have trouble keeping up on flats and mild hills, so that was a relief. The day had been beautiful and sunny up until then, but now it started to rain, which was a relief as well. The raindrops cooled me down.



We stopped in the Concord town center to have lunch and coffee. The sun came out again by then, and the small town looked ridiculously picturesque - blue skies, green grass and cherry blossoms everywhere.



We filled up our water bottles.



And Somervillain showed us his clever iphone-charging system.



The socket is built into the light mount and derives its power from the dynamo hub. He made it himself. I don't own an iphone, but still want this on my bike!



At some point in the course of the ride, the Co-Habitant's brakes suddenly became stronger, solving his brake dilema. Looks like they just needed to wear in.



My writing skills are not strong enough to make the canti-comparison conversation that followed sound interesting, but I'll show you Somervillain's Mafac brakes.



And myTektrobrakes. After a thorough examination of my bike, wemay now have a diagnosis for my complaint about the drivetrain fussiness: bent derailleur hanger, possibly. So I will have to take care of that.



After the town center, we cycled a bit further and stopped by Walden Pond.



Even with lots of people there on a Sunday, it is still such a quiet, meditative place.



We chose a slightly less hilly route home, and the return part of our loop was more casual. We switched places in line frequently, and at times cycled in a cluster instead of a procession - all of which I was fine with. I got a sudden burst of energy on the way back and did not feel tired.



It is fair to conclude that my first group ride was a success. I enjoyed cycling in a procession at a controlled speed, and I did not have problems riding in close proximity to the others. I guess my sense of incompetence in this respect was exaggerated. The losing them on hills aspect I will have to work on, but I think it is to be expected given the differences in physical strength between us.



I looked up the schedule for the women's training rides this summer, and the first one of the season is this Tuesday - tomorrow! Before I lose my nerve, I think I need to just force myself to show up. Will make my best effort - now off to shop for a certain required accessory!