It is about time! Tech fitting on a Spantik!

A Dynafit tech binding toe piece added to a Spantik at home!



Bravo! Looking forward to the field reports! The info is much appreciated. Hopefully others will be able to follow shortly. Including La Sportiva :)















































"I live andclimb in Alaska which typically requires longish approaches and the use ofskis. I have been using the standard silvretta bindings on a set of Atomic Climber skis (pretty light). I have wanted to use dynafit toe pieces on my Atomic skis for a while now and after my DPS Wailer 112 came in lighter than my "approach setup" I decided I had to try something.



Long story short I have bolted/glued the tech fitting plate I cut out of apair of old Garmont Megarides into my well broken in pair of Spantiks. I'mworking on mounting dynafit tlt speed toe pieces and a custom heel throwsystem (using a crampon wire heel latch). I haven't had time yet to build/test this system, but I will as soon as I get home in a week and a half.



Have you heard of anyone doing this before? Do you/they have any tips orsuggestions? I'm realize not everyone would utilize tech fittings onclimbing boots, but the crowd I run with in Alaska are surprised noclimbing boot manufacture has thought of this yet. Thoughts?



Just wanted to say thanks for being an inspiration to build and try newthings.

I appreciate your time and the sharing of your knowledge."



"I'm reluctant to take them on a long trip right away until they prove there reliability, so I'll start with a couple of short (4+ mile) approaches in variable snow conditions most involving trail breaking.

I don't have the heal piece assembled/made yet but I think I have an idea of what I'm going to do. I'll start on that when I get home next week also.



My most recent climbing trip(that turned into a ski trip) was into the Eastern Alaska Range involving 78 miles on snowmobile and 15+ miles on skis pulling sleds to where we setup a base camp. From there we toured around the West Fork of the Susitna glacier logging 60+ miles. It would have been really nice to have a lighter weight setup than the silvretta 404's I had for that trip though I was unwilling to trust this system having not put it through the wringer. Time will tell."

Anthropologie Bike Lane Dress

Last week the annual ritual of acknowledging aging descended upon me, and my loved ones consoled me with gifts evoking youth and whimsy - including this fun and girly bicycle dress. But can a cotton frock covered with a colourful, geometrically improbable bicycle print cure existential ennui? Why yes, it can. I wore it on the day in question despite the winter temperatures, and found it impossible not to have fun. Promoting frolicking to the extreme, it was a fantastic gift. The Anthropologie Bike Lane dress has figured prominently in the velo-twitteverse since it came out earlier this winter, and so I thought I'd post a review for others considering it.






The calf-length strapless cotton voile dress has classic 1950s styling: a rigidly tailored bodice and a full, loosely pleated skirt. The colour of the fabric is a vintagey cream, with the bicycle print in faded ink-blue and bright vermilion red. Both the skirt and the bodice are fully lined. I received this dress in a Size 2, and was sure that I would need to exchange it. But to my surprise, the small size fit me and I was even able to wear it over a long-sleeve wool baselayer. The design requires the bodice to be very form fitting, or else it won't stay up. Any larger and the dress would have been too loose. I would say go down one size from what you normally wear, and other reviews of this dress seem to suggest the same.





Despite the whimsical print, the Bike Lane dress is not trivial to get into. The construction is surprisingly traditional (read: complicated). The bodice is corseted, with flexible plastic boning sewn in at the rear and sides. There are two systems of closure: a long zipper on the side, and buttons along the back. Depending on how flexible you are, you may or may not be able to get into the dress on your own.







The buttons along the back are cloth-coverd and very pretty. They are also rather difficult to button and unbutton, because they are large and the button-holes are small. The Anthropologie websites describes them as "decorative," but technically that is not accurate since they actually function to open and close the dress in the back. I think what they mean is "decorated."






All the tailoring does serve a practical function, in that the dress really does stay up without straps. The corseting and the pleats criss-crossing the front also make it possible to wear it without a bra for those who require only moderate support.





Optional straps are included with the dress and they can be attached to sit either straight over the shoulders or crossing at the back. But if you are going to use the straps, I suggest sewing them in, as the hooks do not always want to stay in place.






While the Bike Lane dress is complicated to put on and may not work for all figures, if the fit is right it is very wearable and easy to move around in. There is nothing cycling-specific about this dress, but it is certainly "bikable." The full skirt makes it easy to step over a frame and to pedal, and it's not so long as to be prone to flying into spokes. The corset in the bodice is flexible and does not constrict movement. The quality of the fabric and craftsmanship is good, with a lot of little details that give this dress an elegant simplicity. I will probably wait for Spring/Summer to wear it again, and the gauzy voile should be comfortable on warm days. The very recognisable print means that it can't possibly be an everyday dress, but it's perfect for special occasions. A great gift for bicycle-obsessed ladies with a penchant for vintage tailoring.

Blue Window

Blue window frame with a huge dark pink crape myrtle blooming beside it.

Mr. and Mrs. Jack Wiseman

Virginia Rose “Ginny” Phend graduated from High School on April 26, 1946. Less than two weeks later, on May 9th, which also happened to be her 18th birthday, she would be married to Jack William Wiseman. They had been introduced to each other by one of her former boyfriends after Jack had been discharged from the Army in January 1946. As a side note, that former boyfriend (Robert “Bob” Reiff) had married Virginia's sister Patricia in June 1945. It had been a mutual parting of the ways for Ginny and Bob with no hard feelings and was a source of amusement for many of us over the years.





Ginny and Jack, all dressed up for the Senior Prom.



Larwill High School Diploma for Virginia R. Phend



The marriage license was obtained from the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Whitley County, Indiana. Dated May 9, 1946 it was issued by Charles H. White.





The Marriage Certificate was signed by Rev. J. A. Leatherman.



Larwill Girl Married In North Webster Church



Miss Virginia Phend, daughter of Victor Phend of Larwill and Mrs. Harold Dunn of Auburn, became the bride of Jack Wiseman of Warsaw, at 6:30 o'clock Thursday evening at the altar of the Methodist church in North Webster, the Rev. L. E. Leatherman officiating.



Mr. and Mrs. Walter Mitchell of Columbia City, brother-in-law and sister of the bride, attended the couple. Mrs. Leatherman, wife of the officiating minister, presided at the organ, playing a medley of wedding music during the single ring ceremony.



The bride chose for her wedding a frock of aqua colored linen with which she wore white accessories and a corsage of yellow roses. Mrs. Mitchell wore a beige colored frock with black accessories. Pink roses formed her corsage. The groom and his groomsman wore white carnation boutonnieres.



The bride is a 1946 graduate of Larwill high school. The groom was recently discharged from military service after extended service in the Pacific Theatre of Operations. He is now attending a Tool and Die Makers school in Warsaw.



Mr. and Mrs. Wiseman are at home with the bride's father in Larwill.



[Unidentified newspaper article included with the license and certificate.]





All of the marriage items were found inside this little booklet. The license and certificate are attached to the inside covers and would be damaged if removed so there they will remain. Several years ago I found the newspaper article in the microfilm copy at the Peabody Public Library in Columbia City, Indiana. It was in the Saturday, May 11, 1946 edition of the Columbia City Post. It's nice to have the original article.



My parents were divorced in 1964 after 18 years of marriage. I was very surprised to find these items amongst Mom's things. She never said anything about having them, but then I guess I had never asked. I just assumed she had destroyed or disposed of them after the divorce. Just goes to show – don't make assumptions!

Vegetable Gardening 101

I'm going to this one-hour class at the Charleston Horticultural Society next week- anyone else want to come?

Thursday, August 20, 6 - 7 PM
Join Roger Francis, Agricultural Extension Agent for Clemson University Extension Service, for "the basics and beyond" of Vegetable Gardening. Learn how to plant cool season crops this fall and how to apply these principles to your warm season crops next spring. This presentation will equip you with the knowledge and confidence to begin your edible garden!

*UPDATE*
Cameron, Caroline, Anne, Katherine, and Nathalie (maybe) are coming (in addition to people that have already signed up)! If any one else is interested, this will be a great intro to vegetable gardening- and it will be fun!

Lady in Red: a Women's Day Give-Away

On the occasion of International Women's Day, I would like to give away 3 small items to my female readers. Yes, they are all red. Enjoy!



Pedal-Brite Flower Headlight

I received this awesomely whimsical headlight from a reader who has recently gone into business making them. Unable to find a bike light to match her cruiser, she made her own. The idea is to combine a headlight with the practice of attaching flowers to your bike. Handmade using jumbo silk daisies, the Pedal-Brite is reminiscent of the daisies adorning vintage plastic bike baskets. Battery-operated LED touch lights turns the giant flowers into functional, bright headlights. Pedal-Brites can be attached to a basket or handlebars, and everything you need for that is included. These flowers are quite large (12" in diameter) and are best suited for cruiser-type bikes. In addition to the red flower pictured, they are also available in white, yellow, orange, purple, turquoise and pink for a price of $30 on the Pedal-Brite website.





Little Package Lightweight Cycling Cap

Handmade items can be more accessible than you think. Did you know there is a woman in Oregon sewing cycling caps for as little as $15?In addition to selling ready to wear hats, Caroline also takes custom orders, and can use either her own or customer-supplied fabrics.This lightweight 3-panel cotton cap features a red and white pattern that is no longer available, but the fit and construction are similar to this model(and othersin her Etsy shop). Featuring a soft bill, this is a summer weight cap, for warmer days of which for now we can only daydream here on the East Coast, given the latest "weather event." I would say this cap runs small-ish, or at least looks best on women with small to average sized heads.





Ibex Knitty-Gritty Fingerless Gloves

Perfect for transitional weather, these wool fingerless gloves from Ibex are bright red with silver logos (also available in black on the Ibex websitefor $20). The gloves are made of lambswool with a touch of nylon for stretch.The underside features rubber grippers like so, excellentfor gripping bicycle handlebars or holding a camera.This pair is size S/M unisex - which is more like aMedium/Large when translated to women's sizing.



If you would like to enter, here are the eligibility criteria:

1. Women only, in the continental USA please

2. Provide a functional email address

3. Be sure to list which item you are interested in (see below)



And here is what to do:

Post a comment telling us what you and your bike are up to today. Anything Woman's-Dayish? I am always curious whether anyone in the US celebrates this holiday, and how. If you're doing nothing, that's fine too, this plays no role in selecting recipients. Somewhere in the comment, let me know which item(s) you are interested in (flower, cap, or gloves). It can be just one, or all three; I simply need to know which draw to include you in. Recipients will be chosen at random from eligible entries. Don't forget to include your email!



Deadline:

Saturday, March 9th, 11:55pm



Thank you for reading, Happy Women's Day, and enjoy your weekend!

Records from the Joslin Family Bible

It is not known who has the Lysander Joslin family Bible. Or even if it still exists. Thankfully, on February 7, 1895 the family information was written down by Andy Joslin. And sent to my 2nd Great Grandmother Malissa Joslin Brubaker.

There are two sets of transcriptions. I believe that the first two pages were written by Andy. And the last three appear to be written by Malissa. But I'm not sure. Compare the writing to that in this post and see what you think. The first transcription may have included a page of marriages but, if so, it is now missing.

Page 1

Malissa you will see that you got some of the names misplaced but you can see the dates are all right
Elcy died before Mary Jane
Ester died before Lilian

Page 2

Lysander P Joslin was born May first 1825
Lydia Joslin October 10, 1825
Ann E Joslin was born November 8, 1844
Mary Jane Joslin was born July 20, 1846
Elsy E Joslin was born August 5, 1847
Malissa M Joslin was born June 24, 1849
Luther M. Joslin was born January 2, 1852
Roxie A. Joslin was born April 4, 1853
John L Joslin was born November 30, 1855
Esther Joslin was born September 3, 1857
Minerva F. Joslin was born January 7, 1859
Andrew H. Joslin was born May 30, 1860
Lillian A. Joslin was born April 20, 1862
Ida Blanch Joslin was born July 11, 1863
Mandella Joslin was born December 9, 1866
Elmer & Elmus Joslin was born June 4, 1868
Mary Jane died March 21, 1850
Elsy Ellen died March 9, 1850
Lillian A died September 20, 1863
Ester died November 5, 158 [sic - 1858]
Elmer died June 30, 1868

In this second transcription, which I believe was written by Malissa, some middle names are included. There is one more name in the list of deaths: Ann Eliza Klingaman died July 28 1885 and the second page is a list of marriages.

Lysander Joslin & Lydia Robison were married Aug 23. 1843
Anna Eliza Joslin & Wm Klingaman was married Oct 12th 1865
Malissa Joslin & Wm Brubaker was married April 20 1871
Roxie Joslin & Jacob Parkison was married May 30, 1874
Luther Joslin & Dorothy Elliot was married Feb 1876
Minerva Joslin & Wm Knight was married March 1876
Ida Blanch & John E. Dressler was married. 1882
Della Joslin and Downa Quillen was married July 1883.
Andrew Joslin & Minnie Himes June 1st 1891
Elmus Joslin & Katie Kelly was married May 1892

In the middle of the third page that lists the deaths is the notation:
"This is the record of Father's family taken from the family bible Febyary 7, 1895 by Andy Joslin."

And, upside-down at the bottom of that page is another marriage:
John L. Joslin & Mattie --- was married September 29 1890

For additional information on this family, please see the following posts:

• Lysander and Lydia Robison Joslin
• Children of Lysander and Lydia Joslin
  

Christmas Lights

These are our lights for Christmas. Electric ones and luminerias from our front door. Hard to take photos of lights.

Ice Climbing at the Asbestos Wall

I am really feeling like I’d like to get more into ice climbing.



Perhaps I should have said this before my last post about ice, but better to say it late than never: I know very little about ice climbing. The last thing I want is for someone who actually knows a lot about ice climbing to stumble upon these ramblings and come away thinking that I regard myself as some kind of real ice climber because I’ve toproped short, picked-out beginner walls on four occasions in my life. Obviously, I know I am a beginner. In offering my thoughts I hope to offer a beginner’s perspective on ice, and not much more.



With that out of the way, let me tell you about my day with V at the Asbestos Wall in the Catskills.



As the day approached, I watched the weather, hoping it would stay below freezing this time. On my last ice climbing day the temperature had spiked up into the mid-forties, leading to very wet and potentially worrisome conditions. This time around there appeared to be no problems in that regard. The high for the day was projected to be just 14 degrees, which is less than the ideal temperature, since when it is so far below freezing the ice can be brittle and chip off in plates when you stick your axe in it. But at least I could expect that this time it wouldn’t be so difficult to stay dry, and I wouldn’t have to worry about melting chunks falling on our heads.



I proposed to V that we check out the Asbestos Wall, mostly because I believed it would be easy for us to set up topropes. Neither of us was planning on leading. I of course have never led on ice, and while V has the screws and used to do it, our trip was going to be his first time on the ice in at least three years. So he just wanted to get a feel for it again and told me he’d prefer it if he didn’t have to lead.



I had never been to the Asbestos Wall, and in fact had never really considered trying it before because it has a reputation as an overcrowded nightmare, full of loud, inconsiderate gumbies hogging routes and hacking the ice into oblivion. It is also a very sunny wall and the ice tends to bake and get that milky/cloudy appearance that can signal poor conditions (hence the wall’s name). But since we were heading up on MLK Day, which is a Monday and a workday for many, I hoped it wouldn’t be too crowded. And with a forecasted high temperature well below freezing, this sunny area seemed like just the ticket.



When V and I arrived we immediately saw why the wall gets so crowded. The approach is incredibly easy. The ice is visible from the parking lot and the slope beneath the climbs is neither steep nor unpleasant. And although the sections of the wall aren’t terribly high—the tallest ones are maybe 40 feet, tops—they are generally vertical, with very few ledges or broken-up sections. Add to these virtues the ease of access to the trees atop the cliff and the place becomes a beginner ice climber’s dream come true.



All of this is provided, of course, that you have enough room to climb without fear of getting a rope dropped on your head. We met a woman at the wall who had tried to come the previous day (i.e., Sunday). She said her party had given up after being at the wall for less than an hour because they found the crowded conditions so miserable.



But on this holiday Monday we had no such issues. The woman I just mentioned was part of a group of three. There was a guided party and I think two other pairs at the wall all day. We found plenty of ice to share with this small group of climbers and had ourselves a great time. We set up ropes on three different sections of the wall over the course of the day, and at each section we were able to pick out three or four different lines to climb. We had no trouble getting a section of the wall to ourselves any time we wanted it. There were ample signs of the wall’s popularity; most of the climbs we chose had obvious pick markings, and some would have benefitted from some time alone to recover. In the most extreme cases there was evidence that fragile lower sections of the wall had been kicked out by clumsy, rough climbers who came before us. But there were some fat columns we climbed on which there was no evidence of prior climbers, most likely because these particular sections have so much water flowing through them that holes fill in and freeze over very quickly. We tried to find the least hacked-up lines we could, and took care not to cause further damage to any of the more fragile features we found. We had a fun day, one I’d repeat without hesitation. Even though the temperature was quite low we were in the sun until the late afternoon, and had no trouble staying warm, which of course presents another issue with this wall on warmer days, when it must be difficult to evaluate whether the ice is in good condition.



So I would recommend the Asbestos Wall highly, but only to beginners, and only on a weekday, and only when it is quite cold. It really is a sign of how popular ice climbing has become that you can find five parties at this wall on a weekday. I would guess that a decade ago you might not have found so many parties at this wall over an entire weekend. Now, it seems the weekend crowding is so bad that this wall becomes unbearable. Even during the week, I can’t imagine what this wallwouldoffer a solid leader on ice. There are better, longer, less-crowded climbs within a very short distance of this wall. But for easy access to steep toprope climbs, it’s pretty hard to beat.

Boulders of Ice

Here is another "oldie"... lately it seems I've been more interested in digging through old photos rather than shooting new ones. However, the weather recently has been bringing us cooler temperatures so hopefully there will be some NEW ice to photograph soon :-)





































In the meantime, I bring you this shot from March of 2007. We had a lot of ice that year, and some rather unique things happened. We had ice extending out from shore quite a ways and a big wind storm came up, crushing up the surface ice. As the ice rolled around in the waves it was shaped into these round-ish "boulders". Then, the waves flung the ice boulders up onto the shoreline. Most of the beaches in Grand Portage were covered with ice similar to what you see in this photo. It was pretty surreal... and FUN walking along the shoreline and taking in this winter wonderland! This post comes to you on Christmas Eve, so I'd like to wish you all a wonderful and very Merry Christmas!

Interlude...

Saturday, September 17th - - After leaving Yellowstone National Park I traveled toward the small town in southwest Montana where I stayed for most of July last year. It looks much different here now than it did then – the “hills” are mostly brown providing quite a contrast between the lush, green areas that are irrigated or those along the rivers, which are lined with trees. The weather has been rather nice with lots of sunshine but the skies have mostly been the “hazy-white” variety, which isn't conducive to obtaining “pretty” pictures of the scenery.





I've been here almost two weeks and have been taking advantage of the time to “catch up” on blog reading and writing, a little research (very little), and going through the pictures I've taken this year. Much of my time has been consumed/absorbed with work on the netbook. So much so that I feel like I've been sucked into the vortex of the computer, which is a never-ending cycle!



As mentioned in a previous post, I've been looking for a new camera and hadn't had much luck with finding one in stock. The stores had the ones I was interested in on display but didn't have them available to purchase. I finally gave up going to a “brick and mortar” store and bought one online! I went with the Nikon P500. The other camera that I was looking at was the Canon SX30. They both have similar features but the Nikon just “felt good” in my hands. It arrived a little over a week ago and I've been having some fun playing with it and learning some of its features. It will take some practice to get used to what it can do; it's amazing to me what all they've packed into this thing!



After the camera arrived and it took five hours to charge the battery in the camera, I realized I would need another battery and an external charger. Those were ordered and arrived here on Tuesday. It still takes about 2 ½ hours to charge a battery but that is better than 5 in the camera!



One of the things that I really wish came with the camera is a printed manual, but nowadays that is not likely to happen. The pdf manual comes on a CD and it's easy to find what you are looking for, but it's just a little difficult to look things up when you are “out in the field” using the camera!



So far, I'm quite happy with the camera.

While We're Still In Northeast

(From left to right-standing: Nick& Kiki Kendros, Pota& Peter Cokinos, Kalliope Cokinos)

Middle Row-Catherine Cokinos w/big bow, little George Cokinos

Seated:Bill Maofis and Harry Tagalos)



So I was looking in old photo albums when I found a picture of the Kendros and Cokinos families. Dad's been reading a bunch of crime books by a certain local writer with a Greek background, and it came back to him that our families have crossed paths and were all part of that H street scene.



I wanted to know more. (What else is new?) so I hooked Dad up with Ruby Kendros Pelecanos who is sharp as a tack, and sort of a cousin. She was born right around the corner from our family at 808 K Street. Her Dad, Nick Kendros, had the Woodward Sandwich Shop at 1422 H Street in the 1920s. She also remembered Bill Maofis who had a dry cleaner across H from our family's candy shop. Bill was godfather to my Uncle Nick and to Ruby as well. Her maternal grandfather, Harry Tagalos was great friends with our grandfather, Peter Cokinos, and her paternal grandmother, Economia was first cousins with him as well. (Peter that is) (Yep, my head hurts,too) And a lot of them made the trip from the tiny hamlet of Agoulnitsa, Greece all the way over here, so along with George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, they got this city rolling. Hats off to those urban pioneers.

These are The Faces of Genealogy

Henry and Susie Phend with their great grandchildren on the celebration of their 60th wedding anniversary, September 2, 1952. That's me on the left side, sitting on the ground. My brothers, Doug and Jack, are between me and Susie. Doug was 5, I was 4, and Jack was 3 years old. The other kids are first and second cousins. They are just part of the reason I “got into” genealogy.



I'm a little behind in my blog reading... and saw this post late yesterday afternoon, which explains why I'm posting this photograph, which is one of my favorites.



Due to the amazing response of the genealogy-blogging community, the offensive photo was removed from the online article.

Wordless Wednesday :: Schooldaze ~ Eighth Grade

Black-Eyed Susan

Black-Eyed Susan, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Minnesota has some great prairie wildflowers. This black-eyed susan was out in a field of daisies near St. Paul. Minnesota is a nice place to visit - when it's warm!