Jamestown Settlement

Since it has rained the past few days, we have not had much outdoor activity beyond Pickleball. So we were very excited to have sunshine today, and took advantage of it by visiting Jamestown.

The Jamestown Settlement began in 1607, which was thirteen years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.

From the website:



"a group of 104 English men and boys began a settlement on the banks of Virginia's James River. They were sponsored by the Virginia Company of London, whose stockholders hoped to make a profit from the resources of the New World. The community suffered terrible hardships in its early years, but managed to endure, earning the distinction of being America's first permanent English colony.

Today at Jamestown Settlement, the story of the people who founded Jamestown and of the Virginia Indians they encountered is told through film, gallery exhibits and living history. "

The Estate of Dederick Hoffman :: The Sale Bill

Sale Bill, page 1

Estate of Dederick Hoffman (Packet 805) Columbiana County, Ohio

FHL film 2032459 accessed June 8, ..

The cover page shows that the sale bill was filed July 1st 1826.

A List of the property Sold on the 15th day of May 1826 by the Administrators of the Estate of Detrich Hoffman late of Columbiana County Deceased with the amount that the Articles was Sold for to wit

Samuel Hoffman	one Shue hammer & chisel	- -	20
George Holderreed	a hammer wedge & pinchers	- -	38
Christian Betz	one Square and hog tongs	- -	16
John Beevers	Mull rings and wedge	- -	38
Christian Betz	2 hay forks	- -	58
John Hoffman	Dung fork & Shovel	- -	47
Saml Hoffman	Dung hook	- -	50
Susanah Hoffman	one Spade	- -	12 1/2
Jacob Keckly	one Matick	- -	41
John Hoffman	one axe & Bell	- -	27
Saml Hoffman	one bell	- -	75
Thomas Minor	on Do	01	00
Saml Hoffman	one drawing knife	- -	25
David Gearinger	a lot of Augurs	- -	25 1/2
Christain Betz	one inch Augur	- -	40
Saml Hoffman	one hand Saw	- -	50
Abraham Hoffman	one axe	01	06 1/4
Jacob Stauffer	one mans Saddle	01	01
Saml Hoffman	one flax hackel	- -	39
Christian Myr	a curry comb	- -	06 1/2
Thomas Kitch Jr	one Grind Stone	- -	46
Henry Bricker Jr	one pair of hems [?]	- -	40
Saml Hoffman	one cow chain	- -	14
Do Do	Do Do	- -	28
Do Do	Do Do	- -	25
Thomas Minor	a halter chain & coler	- -	94
Wm Baker	one lot of traces chains	- -	62 1/2

Sale Bill, page 2

Estate of Dederick Hoffman (Packet 805) Columbiana County, Ohio

FHL film 2032459 accessed June 8, ..

		D	C
Henry Bricker Jr	Skillet & lid	- -	74
Saml Hoffman	one Griddle	- -	30
David Gochaneur	one pot	- -	90
John Hoffman	one Dutch oven	01	00
Frederic Betz	one Dough tray	- -	06 1/4
Abraham Mumert	one churn	- -	32
John Fry	one barrel	00	04
David Gocheneur	one Spinning wheel	- -	79
Do Do	two chairs	- -	35
Saml Boots	a lot of upper leather	01	02
Wm Baker	one chest	01	50
Jacob Stauffer Jr	one feed trough	- -	26
Henry Miller	2 tow [?] bags	- -	63
Saml Hoffman	2 turilled [?] bags	- -	56
Abraham Mumertt	Do Do	- -	72
Frederic Betz	one Jack Screw	03	50
Saml Hoffman	one half Bushel	- -	18 3/4
Jacob Roller	one Riddle	- -	25
John Hoffman	one 12 gallon Kettle	03	12 1/2
Saml Hoffman	Do Do Do	02	65
David Gocheneur	one meet tub	- -	57
George Holterreed	one log chain	02	00
Henry Miller	a lot of tin ware	- -	06 1/4
David Gearinger	a lot of Spoons	- -	20
Henry Miller	a coffee pot dish	- -	14
Abraham Mumert	one pair of Sheep Shears	- -	37 1/2
Abraham Hoffmann	a German Sermon book	- -	25
Abraham Mumert	a pewter Dish	- -	22 1/2
Abraham Hoffman	2 German books	- -	27
Saml Hoffman	a German Bible	- -	75

Sale Bill, page 3

Estate of Dederick Hoffman (Packet 805) Columbiana County, Ohio

FHL film 2032459 accessed June 8, ..

		D	C
Jacob Roller	8 knives	- -	30
Henry Miller	a tea Kettle	- -	27
Christian Meese	cups and Saucers	- -	12 1/2
Do Do	a lot of plates	- -	12 1/2
Do Do	a tin pan	- -	18 3/4
Andrew Altman	a lot of pewter	- -	59
Henry Bricker Sr	7 yds of Shirting linnen	01	57 1/2
Henry Miller	Do Do Do	01	82
Abraham Hoffman	8 Do Do Do	02	40
Isaac Baughman	10 yards of tow	01	82 1/2
John Hoffman	4 yds of Woollen cloth	03	00
Abraham Hoffman	one coggshell	- -	38
Saml Hoffman	one Steelgavel	01	04
Abraham Hoffman	one Rifle gun and exutrmer [?]	09	25
John Hoffman	a clock and case	05	80
Micheal Frederic	a Dresser	02	87 1/2
Saml Hoffman	a pot tramel		62 1/2
Abraham Hoffman	one mare	40	37 1/2
Christian Halderman	one Sow and pigs	03	07
Henry Bricker Sr	one Barrow	01	92
David Gocheneur	one ew and lamb	01	94
Do Do	one Do	01	31
Do Do	DoDo	01	45
Samuel Hoffman	one cuting Box	- -	75
Jacob Keckly	one windmill	05	15
George Holterreed	one pidea [?] Steer	05	03
Do Do	one black Do	05	00
Johnathan Tyler	on Cow	10	14
John Hoffman	one heiffer calf	03	25
Wm Betz	two crocks	00	14

Sale Bill, page 4

Estate of Dederick Hoffman (Packet 805) Columbiana County, Ohio

FHL film 2032459 accessed June 8, ..

		D	C
Wm Betz	two crocks	- -	14
Wm Betz	two crocks	- -	12 1/2
Henry Bricker	6 lbs flax yarn	- -	96
Do Do	Do Do	- -	96
Frederic Swarts	one lot of rye	01	80
Jacob Roller	Do Do	01	89
Micheal Frederic	3 yr Bushels of buckwheat	- -	56
Do Do	2 crocks	- -	07
Philip Houtz	10 bushels of wheat	02	60
Joseph Frederic	Do Do Do	02	90
Henry Bricker Jr	Do Do Do	03	20
Frederic Betz	Do Do Do	03	12 1/2
Henry Hoffman	Do Do Do	03	12 1/2
Joseph Frederic	Do Do Do	03	12 1/2
Christian Meess	3 Do more or less	00	90
Frederic Swarts	10 bushels of oats	01	40
Saml Fox	Do Do	01	40
Do Do	Do Do	01	40
Do Do	Do Do	01	40
Henry Bricker Senr	one bed and beding	06	00
Frederic Betz	10 lbs of Sugar	- -	75
John Sheets	Do Do Do	- -	70
Do Do	Do Do Do	- -	75
Do Do	to Sugar	- -	12 1/2
Saml Hoffman	one cag	- -	25
Henry Miller	35 lbs of Becon	01	57 1/2
Do Do	32 lbs Do	01	12 1/2
John Hoffman	22 lbs Do	- -	70
Do Do	13 1/4 lbs Do	- -	67 1/2

Sale Bill, page 5

Estate of Dederick Hoffman (Packet 805) Columbiana County, Ohio

FHL film 2032459 accessed June 8, ..

		D	C
John McConner	one lot of beef	- -	84
Frederic Swarts	one gig	- -	10
Frederic Betz	one Barel	- -	12 1/2
Samuel Butz	one chisel	- -	07
Saml Hoffman	one third of a lot of rye in the ground	06	85
Do Do	one third of a lot of wheat in the grnd	08	00

I do certify that the above is a correct list and amount of property Sold at the sale before mentioned.

Jacob Roller Clk [crossed out]

John Hoffman

Samuel Hoffman

Who's Got the Pony Watch?

Ziva and Tuffee watching the ponies.

Rolling Log

Here is one of the logs coming into shore. It was rolling in the water as the tide came in. It couldn't go out due to the rock behind it, and seemed to be taking it's time coming on in. We didn't get to near as you could tell it was very heavy and would be deadly if a big wave were to pick it up and throw it on to the beech. We took it's photo and wondered on.

What happens when you leave cats alone too long

Unparalleled paper towel carnage. The measly scope of the lens could not contain the enormity of this atrocious butchery.

Plus, it's not what you want to come home to when you're feeling sick.

The refrigerator magnets (southern contingent) must also have been judged guilty of unspeakable crimes against cats. Their hideous punishment was too graphic to be shown here.

Mammillaria Cactus

I have had this little cactus about 10 years and last month it decided to bloom. Blossoms are tiny, less than a quarter of an inch across. But such a beautiful color. There have been 18 of them in a circle around the top of the cactus. You can get an idea of size comparred to our cat, Twinkie. On looking it up I found it is in the mammillaria family.






















This is another suculant plant that blooms frequently. It is almost an inch across. There are several succulants in this pot. The flower is on the plant that has long, thin but fleashy pieces not the one with the short thin tringles as it looks like, You can see the piece of plant on the left side of photo. Don't know it's name.

Down Town

One of the main streets in Clatskanie.

Western Spur

Handmade cowboy spur that was worn by my granddad when he was a cowboy in early 1900's.

Red Rock Ice

We've got ice! I'm in heaven once again :-) Ice in all its infinite variations is by far my favorite thing to photograph in the winter season. This morning I got out along the shoreline to photograph some cool ice formations on some small cliffs just a few miles from my home. The ice in this particular location is formed from the Lake Superior waves as they splash against these rocks. The water drips down the rock, freezing as it runs down the surface of the cliff. Another interesting thing about ice is that it is constantly changing. It never looks the same from one day to the next!

Light is always right

It doesn't matter if you are sport climbing at your local crag or in the greater ranges, light is always right if you want to push the limits of what you are capable of.



Every trip outreinforces that mantra to me. It doesn't matter if the object under discussion is a super light weight forged wire gate carabiner,your climbing pack,the helmet or clothes you choose. All of them add up to significant weight as a whole. How you decide to climb, be it unroped, scantily protected or lacing it up matters as well. Are your skills up to the task and your chosen style?



How fast you climb will define what you bring for food and water. How you dress will define that equation as well. Too warm and you'll need more water and your body won't work as efficiently. Too warm and you'll climb slower.



Going lightmeans speed in the mtns. And speed in the mtns is all in the details which includestaying aware and alert top to bottom. Are the ropes organized? Did you bring enough gear but not too much gear? Will the climb push you or will you push on the climb?



The picture is a scan from the 1984 Wild Things catalog. It is worth a dbl click to read or reread.







In April of I publisheda "weight list" here on the blog. I didn't do it for anyone but myself. I update it it as needed and refer to it myself all the time. If you don't write it down and keep track of the info you'll never know what you carry or how much it weights. And what it weights matters if you what to push yourself. It is a habit worth developing.



My list:

http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//04/weights.html



If you are reading this blog then likely you are aware of the amazing climbs getting done in the alpine. If you aspire to those sorts of climbs it also pays to look at the gear and systems the major players are using.



There are few Willo Walzenbach's going off on their bicycles and using wool over coats to climb the big north faces these days.



There is how ever a ton of technology available to us today. All ofthe most recent hard climbs have depended on that same technology to some extent. Saying that takes nothing away from the climbers involved. It has always been that way. Modern gear and the resulting technology has just allowed us to push the envelope farther. Just as it has previous. Take a look at your "favorite flavor". I've mentioned or posted pictures of mine on the blog any number of times or just check the other links. The same guys that aregenerally pushing hard and going extremely light.



You don't have to climb at a professional level or in distant mountains to take advantage of what I am suggesting here. And to get good at it you need to do it in small doses, locally first.



Gear doesn't climb mountains, men do.



Alpine climbing (or any climbing) is a thinking man's game.



Smart climbers think about what gear they use, what it weights, the tactics they will try to use on the climband why. If you aren't doing all of that, you are missing well over half the game.

A Riverview Site

One of the advantages of having an annual site is that you can pick any spot in the park to plunk down on. One of the advantages to doing lottery and driving the park is when a great spot opens up, you see it right away. Which was the case a few weeks ago. As I drove through the park, looking for empty sites, I saw something that shocked me. One of my favorite spots that had been occupied by an annual site member, was now opened up. I drove back to the office and asked for permission to move to it. Then I went home and asked Nathan if he was ok with moving to it. Normally I would do that in reverse, but I knew if I waited then the site would be gone!



We are now on the end of a dead end road. Our side only has two spots, counting us. We are fortunate to have Rich and Donna behind us. Two of the spots on the other side of the road are annual sites with friendly neighbors also. And the site one away from Rich and Donna is the same way. So we are surrounded by great people that will remain neighbors for longer than two weeks at a time.



As great as they all are, the real draw is that this is now our "front yard".





More of the front yard view:



Most of the side yard is the part that joins with Rich and Donna's yard. Some of it empties into a hiking trail.




We are loving it here so far. It is so peaceful and we have a bit of space to spread out in, especially if we have company. The beautiful weather has meant that Nathan can work outside in the tent, and enjoy working without people walking by all day long. It helps him to not feel so cooped up inside and it gives me some space to get away from "work" when I am at home. We are already toying with the idea of renewing the site for next year!



Living the life in gorgeous Florida!

A new day

After somewhat of a hiatus from shooting the Spirit Tree I figured it was time to do another sunrise at what is undoubtedly one of my favorite shooting locations. I ended up choosing a fantastic morning to head down to the tree! Wonderful clouds and great light awaited. I never tire of making images of this wonderful and amazing tree.

Phend-Fisher Family Reunion Ledger (1923)

[page 1]
The fourteenth annual reunion of the Phend - Fisher family was held at the home of Jacob Phend north-west of Elkhart on Sunday Sep 2, 1923.

There were 61 members and 5 friends present. The forenoon was spent in a social way. Rev. J. H. Held gave thanks before serving dinner. Prayer and interesting talk by Rev. Held preceding business session after dinner.

Officers elected.
Wm. Phend, Pres.
Ralph Ernest, V. Pres.
Reuben Pletcher, treas.
Ed Phend, Sec'y.

A committee was appointed by the president to secure date and place for the next reunion, consisting of
Fredrik Wherley
Will Phend
Fred Ernest

Music by Mrs. Ed Phend and La Mar. It was moved and seconded that Mr. and Mrs. John Waddels of

[page 2]
Tippecanoe, Ind. should be recognized as members of the reunion. The[y] were unanimously elected as members.

Ice Cream was served before leaving for home. A collection was taken to defray expenses.
Fred ErnestSec'y.



The Phend-Fisher families gathered for a reunion in Elkhart County, Indiana almost annually from 1909 until 1943. Usually held at Nappanee, the events of the day were recorded in an old ledger book. Spelling has been retained as it was in the original though some punctuation and paragraph breaks have been added. To view all articles in this series click on the "Phend-Fisher Reunion Ledger" label at the bottom of this post.

Floods and Flowers

A ride that starts with mild rain, luring me out, ambushes with a downpour. I am too far out now to turn back. Might as well keep going.



This is all right. My tires slice through puddles.



Rain, rain, pouring rain. Drumming against my helmet. Dripping from my visor. This is okay. This is rather peaceful. The roads are all mine.



Meadow, meadow, forest, farm. Farm, farm, forest.



But darn, what's this. Country road, traffic backed up around the bend. I pedal carefully along the shoulder.



Endless line of cars, deep puddles, feet clipped in, water pouring down my face off the soggy visor,thinking "This is crazy," feeling calm, humming to myself.



A woman driver in a pickup rolls down her window. She points to my bike, then points to the back of her truck. I half-raise my hand in a half-wave like "I'm good, thanks." She shakes her head and smiles. I pass her in traffic.



Pedal, pedal, pedal. Rain, rain, rain. Cars, cars. Honking. Brake lights.



Two teenage boys in a Jeep roll down their window and lean over. "Cool bike! Cool braids!" Thumbs up to me from the teenage boys.



There is a soggy book on the grassy side of the road. Tossed by a kid out of a car window? Kittens on the cover. Bloated, wet kittens.



Let's see, what is going on at the front of all this backed up traffic...



A broken light. A ditch at the intersection filled with deep water. The bigger cars rolling though it slowly. The smaller cars frantically flashing their signals, making U-turns.



I pass them all and turn right. No one else wants to go there. What's wrong with right?



No matter. An end to the chaos. A silent empty road. Trees, trees. Darkness at noon. Streams of water across the pavement. Rain.



This is okay. This is all right. This is rather peaceful. The road is all mine. My shoe touches water on the downstroke.



And then I smell the flowers. A deep, heavy scent, almost an odor. The raindrops carry it, like perfume oil. A low-hanging branch of blossoms. I grab it and pedal home.



My bike is upside down in the kitchen. My flower, my prize is on the table. The rain has stopped, like none of it had ever happened. But water droplets glisten on the petals. And on the pedals.

Snoopy in the moonlight

After spending the last hour of daylight exploring the Devil's Garden we walked back to our campsite and waited for our friend Roger to arrive. We sat at our camp table and chatted for only a few minutes when we heard a vehicle approaching on the dirt road. Sure enough, it was Roger. He had been driving all day and hadn't eaten yet so after a quick meal and some visiting, since it was such a beautifully calm moonlit night, we decided to head back down to the garden to do some moonlight photography amongst the hoodoos. For the next hour and a half Roger and I wandered through the towering sandstone formations looking for interesting compositions. The image shown here was my favorite of the evening. I call it "Snoopy in the moonlight". See if you can tell why I gave the image this name :-)

Can Stop, Will Stop: TRP Mini-V Brakes

I have embarked on a long term test ride of a Honey cyclocross bike, similar to the one I rode in the Kearsarge Klassic last summer. When asked about component preferences on the demo bike, one thing I requested was stronger brakes. I had remarkably poor stopping power with the cantilever brakes on the bike I'd borrowed earlier, and I generally have not had good luck with cantis. I described these problems to Honey and we decided to try v-brakes. They suggested the TRP CX8.4 "mini-vs."




The TRP CX8.4 linerar pull brakes were designed for maximum stopping power oncyclocross bikes. Unlike full sized v-brakes, they were also designed to work with integrated road levers (this particular model works best withCampagnolo and SRAM)without requiring an adapter- reducing bulk, weight and complexity. These brakes have a number of features to recommend them for cyclocross racing, but having no experience with that side of things I will stick to describing them in the context of "just riding."




Under my weak grip, theTRPs feel reassuringly powerful. Those with strong hands could in fact find this problematic, but for me it is a welcome change from having to worry about stopping a fat-tire roadbike with cantis at the bottom of a hill. This is the first time I have used v-brakes on such a bike, and the quality of the braking does feel different from centerpulls and cantilevers. I have to apply pressure differently to regulate exactly how much I want to brake, but it didn't take long to train my hands to "understand." When attempting to slow down at high speeds, the braking is not harsh or jerky, but it is stronger than typical - so it helps to have a gentle touch, or else to use only one finger on the lever. For harder braking, there is a luxurious, modulation-friendly margin before coming to a full stop that I find especially helpful. In the past, I have had to get creative in order to stop on downhills during unpaved rides, and I've even employed my foot as an auxilliary brake on a couple of occasions. The TRPs are at their best precisely in those situations.




I have ridden the bike only a couple of times so far, but our winter conditions have allowed me to immediately try it on snow and slush. Getting the rims slushy did reduce braking power, but there was so much of it to begin with that it remained manageable. Basically, with the mini-vs the bike rides with slush-clogged rims like it did with dry rims when it had cantis.




The Honey cross is set up with a carbon fiber fork, and I have not detected any judder with the TRPCX8.4s. These brakes easily clearthe 700Cx35mm tires currently on the bike, and look like they could fit a fender. My understanding is they will not clear a 650B x 42mm tire; for that full sized v-brakes may be required.




With an MSRP of $149 per set, the TRP CX8.4 brakes seem like an excellent and accessible option for those seeking extra braking power on a roadbike with canti/v bosses. As I get the opportunity to try other brakes worth mentioning, I will continue the "can stop, will stop" series (See also: Paul Racer centerpull brakes).