Beach Weather

Ever been to the beach on a cold, rainy day?It can be brutal. It can also, every so often, surprise you with a microcosm of serenity. Finding myself in South Boston on a wet afternoon, I stopped by Carson Beach before heading home. Some Greater Boston residents balk at the mention of South Boston beaches. Too urban. Too gritty. Too close to the airport. The water is freezing. The harbor is polluted. But when I visit the 5 mile walkable, cyclable stretch of shoreline, I see an intriguing, beautiful landscape. There are hills, fortresses, turn of the century pavilions. Views of the islands, the Atlantic Ocean and the city skyline surround. There is some difficult history in this part of town. And there are people eager to forget it, enjoying their evenings after a day of work, watching planes take off over the water. Boston-Reykjavic: 5 hours. Boston-Dublin: 6 hours. Boston-Paris: 7 hours. The rest of the world is really not that far.






But on a rainy day in March no one was watching the planes take off or sitting on the beach. The shoreline paths lay abandoned, strewn with wet sand from the latest storm.






On the boardwalk I saw an off duty policeman jogging. I saw a young woman pushing a baby carriage, adjusting the cover when the rain began coming down harder. I saw an elderly man get out of a parked car and stand in the dunes looking straight ahead, then get back in the car and drive away.








Closer to the water, it suddenly grew warmer and the wind quieted down. I stepped out onto the sand and took a few strides forward.The harbor looked still as glass.There was a breeze behind me, but not ahead of me, as if the boardwalk served as some sort of microclimate border that day.





The quality of light was different too. To my right, the sand looked beige and the water a pale gray.But to my left was a patch that almost looked sunny - warm saffron and turquoise.





The dunes looked soft and inviting,I would hardly guess theyhad been covered in snow only days earlier.






A solitary boat stood, tilted, in the shallow water. Later I learned it had spent all winter in that same spot. As I studied its curious presence, the air was still, almost stuffy. This could be a summer sunset.




But only yards behind me it was raining and some degrees colder. The shuttered up snack shack glistened in the fading light as I cycled past.





Closer to the street, the wind picked up, the tree branches groaned, the rain became insistent. I zipped up my jacket and began to make my way home, leaving South Boston - and beach weather - behind.

'Twas the Summer of '59

The first and last time that I attended summer camp was in June 1959. I was eleven years old and it was also the first time that I had been away from home for any length of time. The camp was affiliated with the Girl Scouts. Two of my friends, classmates and troop mates, Susan and Joanne, were there too, so it wasn't like I didn't know anyone. It sounds like I had lots of fun. Too bad I don't really remember specific events, though I do remember attending. Hopefully, my spelling and grammar have improved somewhat over the years...



Dear Mom,

I am fine, How are you, Jack, Doug, and Terry. Do you know that you have to pay 15¢ a car, 15¢ for parents, 15¢ for children under 12 years of age.

My consulers are Micky, & Watona. I am having a good time, I'm just a little home sick, not very much.

Do you know what a hopper is it is a person or more that helps set tables and get food on the tables. a hopper doesn't have to do his own dishes but she has to do the tables dishes.

I have written a letter to grandma to.

sincerely yours
Beckie W.



Dear Mom,

I told you about a hopper. I'm a hopper Sat. Lunch.

Can you guess who my cabin mates are? They are Susan Howell and Joann, Suzanne, Pamella, and Diane.

Monday night we had a lot of trouble Susan was crying for her dog, and Dianne triped and hurt her eye, and we made a clothsline and I forgot where we put it and ran thurgh it and got a rope burn, Suzanne was home sick.

I got your letter and was a little home sick. I am going to save $1.00, 5¢ a day for the Mermaid-Festival. Don't tell anybody else.

I lost grandmas address will you send me the address.

Sunday we had hotdogs, potatoe chips, milk, water, Bread & butter.

I am having loads of fun I will write to you & the family almost every day.



There is one letter that Mom sent me. I'm sure she wrote more but this is the only one that got kept...



June 15, 1959

Dear Becky -

Well how is the weather. It's raining here and I've got the furnace turned on - this is always the kind of weather you get when you go to camp. What time did you get to Pottawatamie. I'll bet you were hungry when supper time came - What did you have that was good to eat. Who have you got for a cabin mate. Even if it is raining I'll bet you have fun - We are watching T. V. It's the first its been on in the morning for 2 weeks. I've got some more strawberries that have to be picked. I was over at Pat's yesterday and we are going to have to start picking peas.

Ruth and Gene Stutzman are on vacation this week too - I hope you can read this - I'm trying to get done before the mail man gets here - Terry was looking for you last night & wanted to know when we were going to get you - Bill & Sue were here yesterday and Doug started yelling for you to come & play - He stopped as soon as he got "Bec" out.

= = =

There was one more page in her letter that listed the addresses of people that I was supposed to write to. She signed the letter "Mommy".

Pat is Mom's sister. Pat and her family lived on a farm and always planted a large garden. Bill and Sue are Mom's brother and his wife. Jack, Doug, and Terry were my brothers and sister. It's nice to know that my siblings missed me ;-)

I'm pretty sure that Camp Pottawatamie was located on or near the Tippecanoe River, which was the same river that flowed through the fields less than a mile from our house. I also think the camp is now part of the Tippecanoe River State Park. The town of Winamac is located on State Road 14, in Pulaski County, about a two hour drive from where we lived at the time. Not that far, but I'm sure it seemed further.

This post was written for and contributed to the 76th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy :: How I spent my summer vacation…

Phend-Fisher Family Reunion Ledger (1924-1925)

The fifteenth annual reunion of the Phend-Fisher families was held at East Side Park, Nappanee, Ind. Sep. 5 - 1924

64 members being present. After dinner was over, those who cared to attended the ball game. Same officers were retained for another year.

Ed. Phend
Sec'y


The 16th annual reunion of the Phend - Fisher family was held at the home of John Rhodes, Nappanee, Aug. 28 - 1925.

65 being present.
The time before dinner was spent in a social way. After dinner a short programme was given by the McGowan sisters of Niles, Mich. A short business session was held. The following officers being elected
President, Sam Ringinberg
Secy. Ed. Phend
Treas John Ernest.

A collection of $2.55 was take[n]
1.50 paid to sec'y. cards & printing.

Place for next reunion was left for officers to decide.

Ed. PhendSec'y.

Wham Bam Thank You Lamb!

So, did you know that Mary had a little lamb? No, seriously. That there once was an actual girl, named Mary, who kept a diminutive pet sheep? The girl in question(Mary Sawyer, to be precise)lived in Sterling Massachusetts in the 1800s. And according to historical scholars, some time in 1830 she brought her pet lamb to school - an act that caused such mirth among the other children, that a local poet was inspired to immortalise it in verse. On the Sterling Town Green, astatue now standscommemorating the event.



This statue also marks the halfway point and only control stop of theNew England Randonneurs Populaire - a timed 107 km ride that heralds the official start of the local brevet season.



"But at least take a picture next to the Lamb!" someone exclaimed when I mentioned there would be no pictures on this ride. A kindly volunteer did the honors. My few lucid memories of the Populaire revolve around the stone rendering of the famous Victorian pet.



Having already done two "Permanents"earlier this month (this one and this one), I hoped the official Populaire would not be anti-climactic. I needn't have worried.



Some notes, while it's all still fresh and I am too tired to feel self-conscious:



I must remember that rides with similar overall elevation gain can be very different. The climbing on this one was intense and draining, even though the elevation gain (3813ft over 68 miles) was the same as in the previous (easier!) 100Ks I did this year.



But perhaps much of that had to do with howI did this ride. Straight through, minimal stopping, really pushing myself to get it done. Particularly on the return leg, I just basically raced through the course, inasmuch as I am capable of such a thing. I do not know what possessed me to do it this way; I certainly did not have to as there was plenty of time left before the cutoff. But it felt in the spirit of the event: Everyone seemed focused on making good time. I finished well (for me), certainly better than expected. But it was tough. At some point,everything was a blur, attempts at conversations became babbling nonsense.



For some of the time I rode in a group.This proveda novel experience compared to previous group riding.While the group's average speed was similar to my own, their rhythm did not match mine - a situation I found extremely difficult to deal with. I tried a few times to cycle ahead of the group, so as to go at my own pace. This did not work, as they'd always catch me. Falling behind did not work either, as I'd eventually catch up, yet again be unable to pass them. I seemed destined to ride in this group and adapt to its rhythm; it was as if a magnetic field held us together!



The start of the Boston brevets is in a middle-of-nowhere location - an airforce base some distance from my house. By the time I got home, I had ridden 105 miles, and felt every single one of them. A Century is not quite a casual distance for me, yet. This is disappointing.



Because of the Boston Marathon bombings and their aftermath, the Populaire took place one week later than initially planned. The 200K brevet is next Saturday, not leaving much time for further training. Considering how I feel after this ride, I am not sure it is a good idea to embark on the 200K so soon. But I will see how I feel mid-week.



Finally... Despite this depriving me of photo opportunities, it felt good to put in an effort and try to make decent time. By mid day it was all over, and afterward I felt oddly over-emotional. I wasn't happy, or sad, or proud or frustrated exactly. Rather, it was as if so many miles and so much intensity packed in a fairly short time was too much for my system to cope with. But in a good way... I think.



My thanks to the New England Randonneurs for putting on this event, and to the wonderful volunteers who made it happen. I hope to see you again this summer.

Lugged Non-Steel?

[image via the IF Blog]

I have been curious about bicycles that are lugged, but not made of steel. The first ones I noticed were the lugged carbon fiber frames made by our local Independent Fabrications.I have seen a couple of these in person, and they are beautifully done. The picture above is a detail from the XS model. The lugs are painted titanium, over a clear-coated carbon fiber frame.



[image via theIF Blog]

Here is a detail shot of a cyclocross model where both the lugs and the frame are carbon fiber.



[image via theIF Blog]

And here is a Corvid model frame, from a bicycle built for Boston Celtic Ray Allen - the carbon lugs painted a metallic Celtics green. The lugs on the Independent Fabrications bikes are molded to incorporate the stylised crowns in the company's logo, so the look is especially striking.



[image via Alchemy Bicycles]

Though I have never seen their frames in person, Alchemy Bicycles seems to be doing something similar - carbon fiber frames with aluminum lugwork.



[image via Bruce Gordon]

And Bruce Gordon takes it one step further by making his titanium-lugged carbon fiber frames look like true classics.



Reading the manufacturers' descriptions of the construction, I am wondering how IF and Alchemy integrate the lugs with the frame. I am nowhere close to knowledgeable when it comes to these manufacturing techniques, but don't the lugs run the risk of making the infamously brittle carbon fiber even more so? Is a lugged carbon frame "safe"? And is there any purpose, other than decorative, to lugging these frames? After all, I had thought that the very benefit of carbon fiber construction, was that it enabled the frame to be built in a single mold.



[image via aj_the_first]

But carbon fiber is not the only non-steel material being used in lugged bicycle construction. The above detail is from a wooden Porteur made by a small frame builder.



[image viaaj_the_first]

The lug sleeves here are parts of actual lugged tubing, the lugwork rather elaborately done. Have a look at the flickr pictures that show his process - it's fascinating.



[image via Urban Velo and Sylvan Cycles]

And a lugged faceted frame, made bySylvan Cyclesout of composite wood. The faceted tubing reminds me of this vintage lugged aluminum Caminade bicycleI wrote about earlier. It must feel interesting to ride a faceted bike. I have never heard of Sylvan Cycles before, but apparently they are made in Massachusetts. Amazing how many interesting local builders there are in our vicinity.



[image via antbikemike]

And speaking of local builders and wooden tubing, I still can't get over the antique wooden showbike by ANT.



[image viaantbikemike]

The lugsleeves are copper-plated steel and they were designed to attain the aged look - which makes this bicycle seem wonderfully "alive" to me.



But, same as with carbon fiber, I am wondering whether these wooden bicycles are truly ridable, and what effect the lugwork has on them structurally. Does it improve things, or is it mainly there for the "wow" factor? I would love to try a lugged wooden bicycle or a lugged carbon fiber bicycle some time, and would be interested to hear from those who have ridden one. These construction methods do not receive a great deal of attention, but they are certainly intriguing - and beautiful.

Breathtaking White Peonies

Temple Square Gardens – Tuesday, June 7th

Passing the Link-Love Around

There's a love virus meme being propagated through the genea-blogosphere and kinexxions has been tagged twice! Thanks go to both Thomas MacEntee at Destination: Austin Family and Sheri Fenley at The Educated Genealogist.

The rules associated with this particular tagging thingy are that the tagged blogger

• can put the logo on his/her blog
• must link to the person who gave the award
• must nominate seven other blogs and link to them
• must leave a comment on each of the nominated blogs

I've selected some of the "newer" blogs that I enjoy reading.
Listed in "reverse" alphabetical order ;-)

• We Tree by Amy Coffin
• Twig Talk by Sheri Bush
• TJLGenes : Preserving Our Family History byTravis LeMaster
• Taylorstales-Genealogy by Taylorstales
• Photo-Sleuth by Brett Payne
• Nana's Diggins by Suzy
• From Axer to Ziegler by Linda "in Lancaster" Stienstra
  

Micro Chips

I took Codee in to get her yearly rabies and vacintions. She did real good. For once she didn't throw up. Just drooled everywhere. I was going to get her micro chipped but they had run out. So guess it will have to wait a bit. I think micro chipping pets is a good idea. I am sure a lot of lost pets could be returned to the greaving owners if they had been chipped to start with. I understand it will be required in some areas. A lot of people are complaining about added expence and trouble but it can sure save a lot of headaches in the longrun.

The skinny on the up coming CT ski reviews?

Heli turns bitd


If someone had told me I would have the interest in writing a ski review on Cold Thistle a couple of years ago I'd have laughed. "No way in hell!"



A couple ofreasons for that. I really don't have that much interest in skis or ski gear. The other is I don't have the technical knowledge to do as good of job at it as I would like.



But...just as my original hunt for a good "climbing down jacket" ended up starting this blog and the gear reviews. My hunt for a decent ski for my own use has convinced me to write down what I have been learning over the past few seasons about skis (boots and bindings as well)and go back to the base of knowledge I gained in the early '70s through mid '80s on ski technology working in shops as a mechanic and boot fitter. I am not trying to apply the old knowledge base to thecurrent technology andcrop of skis.



My typical answer when questioned about skisin the last decade or so has been, "they are fine..they turn left and they turn right". Some thought I was actually joking,,,I wasn't. Skis are simply tools to me. It helps to know the tool you need and to be able to choose the right tool asrequired. But it is apoor craftsman that blames failure on his tools.A couple of winters ago I got an awakening that my unused ski skills had degraded to an embarrassing level as had my ability to judge what really was "good ski gear" for my own use.






Pulling off an ill fitting ski boot high on the Vallee Blanche.




Funny now that I think back on the time I spent skiing. All the info here on Cold Thistle about climbing boots? The foundation of that info is based on what I learned and know about ski boots. Early on my skinnyfeet were ridiculously hard to fit in a ski boot. I had simply forgottenwhere it all started for me about how important a good boot fit really was until recently. That in itself surprises and inspires me.



My first three pair of plastic ski boots from the late 60's and early '70s. The ones prior were leather!






Lange Pro





Lange Comp





Lange Comp










My last pair of Langes, The Banshee,1973


I first saw a pair of Dynafit TLT Performance boots at the OR show several years ago. Then again as they first became available in the Chamonix shops. I scoffed at the $1000 price tag at OR and again in Chamonix. By that spring I was desperate to own a pair. Now? The TLT and the second generation boots (Dynafit One) that came from the original TLT idea are my favorite boots for more than just skiing. As acrossover forski mountaineering andice climbing they are exceptional boots for the amount of control you can have while skiing in them. In a lot of ways the TLTreminds me of the old Scott Superlight series of boots actually. I had a buddy thatadded a Vibram sole to his and climbed in them as well.








Jeff on steep ice with a TLT.







And I would eventually find all sorts of uses for my ownTLTs.


What I didn't realise at the time is just how import the skis would/had become and just how different the skis designs were now. If I am going to be an advocate of ski mountaineering and the use of ski boots to climb technical ground with,I had better square away a few thoughts on skis as well.



I founda few of us out herelooking for the same things or very close to it in skis. If you have a mountaineering back groundthe current rando race gear is going to have some appeal. If you learned to ski (as most do) at a lifted served ski area you are likely looking at good down hill performance as well. I want a good skis on a groomed slope as well as off piste when in really bad snow conditions.

All that is possible btw.



My bet is with a similar back ground we have all been looking at similar skis. To that point I'll eventually be writing up reviews on the skis I have been on in the last couple of seasons.



Most importantly the choice in ski is as individual or may be even more so than a well fitting pair of climbing boots. What works for me you might hate. Or the other way around...which is what got me started looking for a "better" ski in the first place.



How a ski performs depends on so many things, your ability, your own boots and the snow conditions. So you will see a lot of back ground info and detailson each ski test (mine and others).



The idea here is to get you into a ski you will enjoy for your own purposes not sell you any particular ski. If you happen to have the similargear, physical attributes and skill set as Dave Searle, Jerry Johnsonor myself, lucky you! If not hopefully you'll be able to glean enough info from the reviews to at least get started in the right directionon a decent ski choice for your own use.



But I can tell you quite clearly the gear available now will enable a decent skier to easily..as in really easily...ski terrain and snow conditions that even a decadeor two ago was unrealistic for anyone but an expert, very experienced skier. There are some down sides to that fact...like the need for more snow, avalanche and forecasting knowledge. The knowledge is now required because the newest skis have opened up so much more terrain to less experienced skiers. It is a double edged sword. You can ski more places easily. But you can also get yourself killed a lot quicker as well by making a bad choice in the wrong snow conditions.



Oh, and you poor bastards on snow boards? If you want to climb and explore the back country? Get a pair of skis :-) You'll go farther, faster and with less effort in places you simply can't go on a snow board. Same places you would also behard pressed on a split board. More on that subject at some point as well.

Off to the French Alps

We are leaving in a few hours. We will be going to the same ski area we went to last year but will be staying in a different village. Dutchman and I loved the slopes here because they are a kilometre wide!







This is the ski village. Just look at how wide the slopes here are.



We have visited this village last year, Dutchman several times, while I, I think twice in the afternoon. It was a rather quick visit as it is located at the other side of the mountain range where we were staying. The ski lifts connecting both mountain villages closes at 4PM sharp, so we were always in a hurry.



Nevertheless, I will be blogging during the holidays, internet connection permitting.



On other news, this weekend the whole Netherlands will be ice skating on the frozen lakes. Here is a Volkskrant article (Dutch) about the ice skating tours this weekend all over the country starting today Friday: Schaatstochten trekken 50.000 recreaten(Ice skating tours attracts 50,000 holidaymakers)



See you in the French Alps!

Jordanian Breakfast and Camel Traffic

My modest Jordanian breakfast at the hotel camp.

My plan was to wake up early the next day to catch the breath taking, the Bedouins claim it is, sunrise in Wadi Rum. However, peeling myself off the bed proved an impossible task. I did manage to wake up early but it was too late for the magical sunrise. The sun has risen already.

When I got out of our bungalow hut to take a peek, I saw a few hotel guests sitting up the boulder of the camp. Ugh, die-hards, I told myself. I wish I have their discipline.

For breakfast I had a simple Jordanian fare: pita bread, humus and yoghurt dip, cucumber, tomatoes, goat’s cheese, black olives and a boiled egg. Their orange juice tasted like concentrate with lots of sugar, yuck.

After breakfast we climbed up the rock boulder to take a foto of the hotel camp. It looked so surreal. A camp that is a hotel with a swimming pool and an amphitheatre in the middle of nowhere in the Jordanian desert. It’s one of a kind and we were glad to have stayed here.

There was light already when I woke up. If I was not wrong it was 6am, perhaps even earlier.

I was not able to catch the beautiful desert sunrise but these people on top of the boulder did.

Blondine was keen on doing the hot air balloon while I am hesitant.

Our breakfast table.

We climbed the boulder and this is the view of our hotel camp.

Now, our agenda for the day is to drive north to Madaba (Moab) and then follow the Biblical Trails.

The drive will be a loooooong drive as we will be taking the exhilarating snaky King’s Highway. We are excited! But before exiting Wadi Rum area we came across a prevalent desert road obstruction: camel traffic. A family of camels!


Please forgive my poor filming skills, here is the camel traffic video:


Notice that the camel’s legs are tied with a rope? Nothing to do with abuse to animals. This is done so they won’t be able to wander very far.

Next: Looking for a tank station on the desert highway