Spring Green

New leaves cover the oaks on this grassy hillside.

Redbud Tree

We had a rain shower the other day. As it went over and headed for Albuquerque there was a dark sky to the east with a bright sun to the west highlighting our prettiest redbud tree.

A Look at Rivet Saddles

When I last corresponded with Debra Banks, she was off to ride the Texas Rando Stampede 1200 - a 750 mile brevet that she would go on to complete in 85 hours. Naturally Deb did this on a Rivet: a waterproof, slotted leather saddle of her own design.




While Rivet saddles are fairly new to the scene, Deb's experience in the industry goes back to her time at Selle Anatomica. In her own words:

Tom Milton, the founder of Selle An-Atomica was my sweetie and after his untimely death, I ran SAA for a year while his estate was being settled. His family took over the company and I ventured out on my own to form Rivet Cycle Works.

At the moment, Rivet offers three basic models of saddles in different widths. Each is available in a range of colours, and with a choice of cro-moly or titanium rails. We discussed my trying one for review and settled on the Pearl.






Named after Pearl Pass in the Rocky Mountains, the Rivet Pearl saddle was optimised for long distance comfort and support. As Debra explains, this does not mean these saddles are solely for long distance riders. Rather, if a cyclist experiences saddle discomfort when attempting longer rides, it was designed with addressing this in mind. The Pearl model features bag loops for attaching a full sized saddlebag.






Measuring 170mm at the rear, the width of the Pearl is equivalent to that of Selle Anatomica saddles. However, the shape and structure are quite different. In fact, while Rivet saddles may invite comparisons to Selle Anatomica because of the shared history, I find them to have more differences than similarities. The list of similarities is short: Both are slotted, and both are made of waterproofed leather in largely the same range of colours. However, the form and feel have little in common.






The first thing I noticed about the Pearl before fitting it on my bike was how tall it was. The height, or depth of a saddle is not a spec that all manufacturerslist, but it matters. While the Pearl's leather upper is in itself shallow, the rails are pretty deep. Installing it in place of my Berthoud Touring saddle, my seatpost had to be lowered almost a full cm to compensate. Selle Anatomica saddles are even shallower than Berthoud, so the difference there would be greater still. I am not comfortable providing exact figures, because height is difficult to measure and I don't want to misinform. But basically it's Selle Anatomica < Berthoud Touring < Rivet Pearl, with just under 1cm of difference in height between each.






It occurs to me that the purpose of the deep rail design on the Pearl might be to avoid any chance of the leather hitting the rails should it stretch over time. There is certainly no danger of that.The wrap-around tab on the underside further reduces tension loss.






According to Debra, Rivet saddles can take about 300 miles to break in, during which time they may also stretch. The tension screw should be used to regulate tension - not just in the event of stretching, but also to find the tension that works best for the rider's anatomy.






The purpose of the slot on Rivet saddles is "to relieve pressure and help to re-distribute pressure to other areas, depending on how the rider sits on the saddle." The Rivet slot is a bit longer than the slot on the Brooks Imperial line of saddles, and considerably shorter than Selle Anatomica's.






The edges of the Pearl's sitting surface are crisply delineated, rather than rounded, which gives it a sculptural look. The "R"-embossed rivets add textural interest. The Burgundy colour, pictured here, is a deep brown with a magenta tint (and, from what I can tell, identical to Selle Anatomica's Mahogany).






For waterproofing, a chemical agent is mixed into the tanning process (a different process than what is used for vegetable tanned leather). To increase firmness and minimise sagging, a second layer of leather is laminated to the upper piece. The leather for Rivet is sourced from Wisconsin, then sent to Taiwan, where the saddles are made by a master craftsman. Rails and other frame parts are sourced from Taiwan. The saddles are assembled there and then shipped worldwide.








With the demo Pearl on my roadbike, I rode around the neighbourhood and determined that the standard (highest) tension felt pretty good. The rear felt just about right at my sitbones. The transition from rear to nose felt just a tad wider than what I normally ride. With this initial assessment I felt comfortable enough to try a long ride.




I tested the Pearl on an informal 100K. Including my ride to and from, it was an 87 mile day in the saddle. For me, the Pearl out of the box did not require a break-in period. I experienced no soreness over the course of this distance. The leather felt quite stiff, but suppler than my hard-as-a-rock Berthoud. Compared to a Selle Anatomica, the "hammocking" action was subtle, and I could not discern independent movement between the two sides separated by the slot.The curvature and surface of the Pearl's rear felt very comfortable as the miles rolled on. Once in a while I could feel the ridges of the slot toward the front. It was not enough to cause chafing in the course of the distance I did, but I wanted to note that I could feel them. What did cause chafing - and this started around mile 60 - were the sides of the saddle in that transitional part that tapers toward the nose. Given the location and nature of the chafing, this was not a breaking-in issue or a tension issue, but a structural issue - the Pearl model is slightly too wide for me in the rear-to-nose transition, which caused chafing to my inner thighs over time. Having received my feedback, Debra agrees with this diagnosis and suggests I try the narrower Independence model to compare.






As we all know, preferences in saddle shape, size and feel are highly personal. It is always good to have options and variety. Designed by an experienced randonneuse, the saddles from Rivet Cycle Works are a welcome addition to Brooks, Berthoud and Selle Anatomica. The Pearl model is priced at $150 with cro-moly rails and $250 with titanium rails. In addition to saddles, Rivet also offers handlebar tape, mudflaps, and other goods. I wish Deb all the best with the business, as well as in her cycling adventures.

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.

Hairpins

Only when reviewing the route months later did I realise that I must have climbed for 7 miles to the high point of Cushendall Road. Effortful as this must have beenon a small wheel folding bike, itdid not register as such in my memory. What I do remember: Ascending - almost like floating - through an expanse of short, scraggly pine trees, past a surreal lake with steam rising off it. After that, there were farmlands and more farmlands, with their scatterings of placidly grazing sheep. Before long, I was at the top, and now the foggy glens edged by the sea spread out in front of me. Looking down, it was hard to believe that soon I would be at sea level.




I was not, at that point, used to descents longer than a couple of miles. This one was around 6. It began slow, but the grade steepened as it continued. As I gained momentum, the surrounding grasses and the sea began to blur together with the fog, into one green foamy mess. I felt intermittently dizzy and sleepy. In the distance I glimpses another forest and welcomed the variation in landscape.




When I saw the sharp curve in the road ahead, it was a jolt to my system, even though I had seen the map and knew to expect it. From my vantage point, the hairpin turn looked like a giant version of an actual hairpin. Somehow I'd thought the distinct shape only emerged in aerial pictures, and could not be glimpsed as such in real life from a bike. But there it was in front of me, a hairpin sure as day. There was the flash of recognition of what was about to happen, and then it happened. I reduced speed, then reduced it again, and leaned, and still felt the violent yank of whatever force did not want me to make the turn. But I made it: Braking clumsily, drenched in sweat and on the verge of skidding, I made it. For the rest of the descent I was wide awake.




Another time, back in Boston, I joined a friend on an unfamiliar route through some local hills. Having finished a climb we were about to descend a high traffic road, and she warned me not to pick up too much speed. The wind carried her voice away, but I could make out "Sharp turn! ...end up opposite traffic lane!" Gingerly I cycled around the bend, which I discovered to be another hairpin. Again it stunned me that even with the cars speeding past, even with the row of strip malls in the distance, even with all my energy focused on making the turn while keeping my line of travel, I could make out the shape of the mighty, beautiful hairpin.




So that makes two so far, which is also the number of actual pins I usually wear in my hair. That connection bears no significance what so ever, but it pops into my mind when I use the pins - just one of those silly associations.




Some years ago, a Tyrolean friend told me - in great, descriptive detail - about the Stelvio Pass, with its 48 hairpin turns. A vintage Austrian picture book was produced, dramatic hand gestures were involved. When she said her uncle liked to ride his bike there, I thought she was joking. How could such a thing be possible, on a bike? I felt lightheaded just looking at photos of the bends, scattered through the mountain like pins in some mad woman's hair.

Working Guy 1940s

Shake it off!

A cow Moose shakes water from its body after digging in the water for some plants to eat along the Gunflint Trail in Northeast Minnesota.

Moving On :: A Jog in the Road Back

Monday, August 30th - - Highway 37A west from Cassiar Highway (in British Columbia) is also known as Glacier Highway. Though the clouds had moved in and were hovering over the tops of the mountains, portions of a few of the glaciers could be seen from the highway, which began in a wide valley but soon narrowed. A river on the left and the mountains on both sides dominated the views. Numerous waterfalls and streams could be seen cascading down the sides of the mountains. Along with the clouds came the rain, sometimes heavy, and I drove slowly through the valley, savoring its beauty.

One of the streams/waterfalls that drop hundreds of feet down the mountain side along the Glacier Highway.

Halfway to Stewart the valley expanded once more. A first glimpse of Stewart, in the rain and early evening twilight, was not impressive. It looked drab and run-down. I passed by an RV Park and went on to the Municipal Campground, which was in a heavily forested area. It looked dark under the trees even though it was still early evening. But it offered flush toilets and hot showers, so it got the nod for the night!

==========

Tuesday, August 31st - - Stewart didn't look much better when I drove through town this morning. It was drizzling rain and it was foggy. Visualize a small town in America in the 1950s then move forward 60 years but make no changes to the town. Old buildings add character to a place but most of these buildings were way past their prime.

I stopped at the Visitor Center, which appeared to be one of the newest buildings in town, and picked up a self-guiding car-tour map of the road that goes to Hyder, Alaska and which continues on to Salmon Glacier. I was informed by the nice lady that it is a dirt road but once you get through Hyder and beyond the Bear Viewing Platform and get back into British Columbia, the road is well maintained and in good condition. The implication was that the U.S. portion of the road wasn't in good shape. Well, it wasn't implied, she came right out and said that the U.S. portion of the road was terrible! It had potholes and washboard areas and was narrow in spots – but it was only for a couple of miles. It's safe, she said, just take it easy.

Throwing caution to the wind, I drove up that road. Slowly and carefully, taking it easy. I've avoided traveling on dirt/gravel roads as much as possible. I just don't like them. But sometimes you have to risk it and hope that the risks are worth the rewards. They were.

Hyder, Alaska (four miles from downtown Stewart) is a small town of 100 happy souls, and one old grouch. So says a sign on one of the old, rugged buildings. The dirt road, the rain, and the fog didn't add much to the appeal of the place. There were about 20 old buildings (some were in use as small shops) and two RV Parks along with a Post Office and a General Store.

I stopped at the Bear Viewing Platform (about 3 miles from Hyder) that is managed by the National Forest Service. No bears were in sight and none had been seen yet today. The Ranger said a mother with her cubs usually comes in about noon and again about six o'clock. It was only nine so I continued on to Salmon Glacier seventeen miles further up the road.

Six miles from the Bear Viewing Platform, I crossed back into British Columbia. And the road got considerably better, as promised. All this time the road is going up. And it keeps going up as well as winding itself around the side of the mountain. And it is still drizzling rain. Ten miles further there is a turnout and I get my first look at Salmon Glacier. Splendid!

The river of ice fills the valley below and continues on up and around the mountain peak on the left. Those black streaks are dirt and rocks that the glacier has picked up as it moves imperceptibly over the mountains.

It would not be an easy task, if even possible, to hike over this.
Crevasses and holes would make it a rather treacherous journey. These aren't just ripples in the surface, they are deep. Perhaps a hundred feet or more.

Salmon Glacier from another turnout two miles north. The clouds and fog obscured the little bit of sun that occasionally came through.

The Salmon Glacier is the fifth largest glacier in Canada and is a remnant of the last glaciation period which occurred 14,000 years ago. What I saw and what is shown here are but a very small portion of the glacier which extends way back beyond the horizon.

The sun did make an appearance now and then and the rain finally stopped - briefly. Down in the valley and a few miles to the south are the towns of Hyder, Alaska and Stewart, British Columbia.

Even more slowly than going up, I made my way back down the mountain. I stopped at the Bear Viewing Platform for about 45 minutes. Saw a lot of Chum Salmon in the river, both dead and spawning, but no bears. And the sun was, once more, hidden by the clouds.

I returned to Cassiar Highway and the long drive south, stopping at the town of Smithers for the night. And the rain? It seems that it was the first that Stewart/Hyder had seen in two months! And it followed me to Smithers where I learned that they too hadn't had rain for many weeks.

You can call me Crazy

I've been called that as well as many other things in the past! This time, it is well-deserved. And if you've been wondering why there haven't been any posts here on Kinexxions since the first of June, read on...



If you recall, back in December of last year, I began "cleaning up" my Legacy database. By the time I left on my travels at the end of January, some progress had been made but not much was done on it again until I returned to Indiana five weeks ago.



In the process of moving information from notes into events and sourcing it, I came to the disturbing realization that my sources were an absolute mess! There was no consistency in how the citations were entered and none are even close to "the standard" or any standard for that matter. I could come up with several excuses for this sad state of affairs, but what good would that do?



I have so many documents from my several visits in the last two years to Salt Lake City that need to be reviewed, analyzed and entered... but I made the difficult decision to not enter any new data until the "old" source citations were reviewed and standardized. All of them. So, yes, I must be crazy. Especially after I found out how many sources I have entered and how many individuals use those sources. Rather mind-boggling actually.



The other "big" decision made on the first of June was to begin using Legacy's SourceWriter. I understand there may be some issues with transferring sources via GedCom but using that feature would (hopefully) force me into a standardized format. That and I finally purchased the digital version of Evidence Explained. I figured it might help me to understand why a source had to be cited in a certain way ;-)



As might be expected, I had a few questions. I had recently joined the Legacy Virtual User's Group Community (LVUG) on Google+ (G+) so posted a question there. You can find it as well as the responses by clicking on the "Sources" link on the left hand side of the G+ LVUG Community landing page.



Some good ideas and information was offered by JL Beeken, Tessa Keogh, Monique Riley, Marla Larson, Richard Hallford, Melanie Armstrong, and Linda McCauley, all of whom I would like to thank for their ideas, suggestions, and input. It really helped me make a few decisions as to how I wanted to do the sources.



With over 7200 people and more than 700 sources in the database this is a monumental undertaking. But it really needs to be done. The number of individuals using a source varies considerably. Quite a few (probably more than half of the sources) are used by under 10 people while about 35 are used by more than 200. The source used by the most people is the Social Security Death Index with close to 1500 people - and each of those individuals has 2-3 citations for the SSDI (birth, death, and the event). Thank goodness for the source clipboard and Legacy's tagging feature! It would be an impossible task without those features.



On June 1st I started working with the source citations from Ancestry.com and FamilySearch databases and have gotten about 2/3 of the way through that list, eliminating about 15 duplicate sources. I've been working on the SSDI source citations for most of two days and am about half-way through with it.



I will be holding off on updating sources for census records until the Legacy team releases version 8 sometime later this year. It seems they may be implementing a feature for "shared" events such as census records that sounds rather intriguing. I sure am looking forward to the new version of Legacy!



Blog posts will be few and far between for the next month or two, as if they haven't been already this year! Most of my time for the next month will be devoted to this project. I will be attending G.R.I.P. the week of July 21st and (very optimistically) hope to have much of it completed by then. And, sometime the end of July or first part of August I'll be moving into my new apartment! And then there is the FGS Conference in August, which I am also looking forward to attending.



I hope that when this project is completed (or as complete as it can be) that I will still have a few faithful readers left. Thanks in advance for sticking around... and wish me luck!






At the end of the day, what's done is done.

Death Valley :: Desert Flowers #1

Death Valley :: Sunset

Firefighter & Dragon

The firefighter has his foot on the dragons head.

Tombstone Tuesday :: Long Family, Salem Cemetery

The Long family plot at Salem Cemetery, Washington Township, Noble County, Indiana.

Emily Eliza Joslin was the daughter of James and Abigail (Goodrich) Joslin. She was a sister to my 3rd great grandfather, Lysander Price Joslin. Emily was married to John Long on October 12, 1854 in Whitley County, Indiana. Her obituary states she was the mother of eight children but I have found record of only four: Edwin Monroe Long (1856-1928), Jennie Candice Long Myers (1863- 1911), Cora Alice Long Burnworth (1866-1926), and Mott R. Long (1866-1950).

JOHN LONG / 1826 - 1900 / EMILY E. LONG / 1837 - 1929

John Long's obituary was published on February 7, 1900 in the Columbia City Commercial, Whitley County, Indiana.

John Long was born in Ross county, Ohio, Nov. 23, 1826, died Jan. 21, 1900, aged 73 years, 1 month and 25 days. He emigrated with his parents to Indiana at the early age of 10 years and remained with them till Oct. 12, 1854, at which time he united in marriage to Emily J. Joslin and moved to the site of his present home soon after. Seven children was the result of this union, three of whom preceded him.

He united with the Freewill Baptist church, of Ormas, Ind., in February 1890, and has always lived in consistent accord with its tenants. As to his Christian character and fortitude no words of praise can pay better tribute than his humble and patient resignation during the past eighteen months of his affliction. Never once complaining or murmuring as to his lot, but only waiting for the summons to come up higher. As evidence of his faith and hope when interrogated as to his future, he smilingly replied that all was bright to him and earnestly requested all to do right and meet him in a better world.

As a neighbor he was ever kind and true to his convictions of justice and right. As a husband and father his past life's devotion demonstrates better than words can tell. In the sacred grief of the friends thus deeply bereft we can but drop the tear of sympathy, and for consolation point me to Him who doeth all things well. Though confronted by sad mementos of the pale horse and its rider that has severed the silver cord and so ruthlessly broken the dearest of earthly ties, it has but strengthened that invisible tie that binds us to the spirit land beyond. Though sorrow chills our souls and the clouds of gloom cling close above our heads while the weary years roll by, we have the cheerful assurance, "there is light beyond the clouds" and every year but narrows the surging tide and brings us closer to a blissful reunion in that haven of peace and rest.

Funeral services were held at the Salem church, Tuesday, Jan. 23, conducted by his former pastor, S. H. Dull, of Hillsdale, Mich., and the remains were interred in the cemetery near the church.

Emily's obituary was published on December 6, 1929 in the Columbia City Post, Whitley County, Indiana

Mrs. Emily Long, 91, passed away at the county hospital near here at 6:30 o'clock Friday morning following an invalidism of several years duration. Mrs. Long had been ill many months following a stroke of paralysis and in recent weeks had contracted a heavy cold which was thought to have hastened her death.

The deceased was born on December 12, 1837 and at the time of her death lacked but six days of being 92 years old. Mrs. Long was well known in the county. Surviving is one son, Mott Long, of Anderson, Ind. The decedent had been a patient at the institution where she died since February 20, 1928. The body has been removed to the Smith funeral home on South Line street.

Mrs. Long was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Long [sic] and was born at Columbus, Ohio. When a small child she came with her parents to Lorane. She was married to John Long in 1853. She was the mother of eight [sic] children, seven having preceded her in death. Funeral services will be held at the Smith funeral home Sunday afternoon at 2 o'clock with interment in the Salem cemetery in Noble county.

MYERS / CANDAS J / 1862 - 1911 / FERDINAND / 1857 - 1911
Candas was the daughter of Emily and John and is buried next to her brother Edwin.


FATHER (on top of stone) / E.M. LONG / NOV. 10. 1856 / JULY. 8. 1928

The obituary of Edwin M. Long was published on July 11, 1928 in the Columbia City Post, Whitley County, Indiana.

Edwin M. Long, past 71 years old, a native of Etna township, Whitley county, died Sunday afternoon at 1:05 o'clock at the county farm and asylum after an illness of almost a year due to infirmities of old age. He was confined to his bed for the past seven months.

He was born in Whitley county and was a son of John and Emily Long. His father preceded him in death but his mother makes her home at the county farm. She is past 91 years of age. Mr. Long resided in Whitley county practically all his life except for twenty years when he was a carpenter in Fort Wayne. He returned to Whitley county from Ft. Wayne two years ago.

The deceased was twice married. His first marriage was to Dora Jane Bowlby. Two children were born to this union. Esta, wife of Samuel Swihart, of Fort Wayne, and Coral Haynes, of Kettle Falls, Wash. He was married a second time to Florence Kimes, of Ft. Wayne, who survives. Mrs. Long has been at the county farm for the past several months aiding in caring for her husband. There are two step children surviving this marriage, Ralph Kimes of Ft. Wayne, and Edna Kimes of New York. A brother, Mott Long, resides at Anderson. There are nine grandchildren and three great grandchildren living. Shortly before his death Mr. Long made arrangements to be baptized in the Mennonite church.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday afternoon at 2 p.m. at the Hood & Smith funeral home in Columbia City. Rev. Benjamin King, of Fort Wayne, will conduct the services and burial will be in Salem cemetery.