"Welcome to the Weekend Chat!" All Members Invited!! December 10th - 12th, 2021 [closed]

Question

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Members Checking in via "All About the Weekend Chat"

Click here if Interested in Hosting the Weekend Chat and earning a Guest Host Sticker? 

CHANGE TO BEST ANSWER PROCESS:  After much discussion we have come to the conclusion that all answers in the Weekend Chat are of equal importance and weight.  So we are going to discontinue the Best Answer portion as it adds points and then takes them away from posters and is causing some hurt feelings.  So in the interest of everyone is equal and valued we will delete any best answers given which will deduct those points because it has been pointed out that to give everyone best answer is also not a viable option. 

Weekend Chat is for everyone. It's a place to catch up on what people are up to and to share what you've been doing.  New members can say hello, introduce themselves, ask questions, and meet each other.  Our seasoned members can share progress or successes from their projects, give tips and advice, or chime in on hot topics.

Post as many answers and comments as you wish. It doesn't hurt anyone to post a lot and enjoy the multitude of topics.

Enjoy yourselves and spread the love!

Comments

Welcome to another fabulous Weekend Chat, my fellow Chatterboxes! And greetings from Cathey’s Creek (for a few more weeks), where the air is chilly with little sun to warm things up. Temps dropped to the high 20sF and reached only in the low 50s during the day. There was rain just one day this week, but we’re expecting more soon.

On the Home Front: Dad came home last Sunday but only stayed a day. He signed the papers on Monday for the sale of his home and had an oncologist appointment that afternoon. He was so feeble that the paralegal brought the papers out to the car for him to sign. The oncologist did not give a good report, pretty much that he was too old for an operation or chemo. Dad is not suffering pain, just getting feebler by the day.

We didn’t sign the same day because we were waiting on the loan folks to give more information to the lawyer. We got the word that all was good on Wednesday morning and now own the home, though Dad will be moving to Florida on the 23^rd. We also got out boosters that day.

Yesterday was also busy. I had a two-hour teleconference in the morning, a one-hour video call at noon, and then we were off to the lawyer once more, then to the bank, then to the insurance company to get the house insured. Leaving the insurer, we dropped off more stuff at the house and plan on doing the same this morning.

My younger brother and his wife will be here sometime today to spend the night and to get some things they’d like to have tomorrow at the house. Sunday, my stepbrother-in-law arrives with my step-nephew (the genealogical descriptions must be exact, right?), and they’ll take a few more things with them back to Atlanta.

On the Genealogy Front: While going through some drawers at the house, I came across an audio recording on a CD of my mother describing her childhood. I never knew that it existed! It was wonderful to hear Mom’s voice again.

I did a lot less greeting this week due to the busyness of the week, but some wonderful fellow Greeters stepped up and helped to cover my shifts. If there are ever any folks I can count on, it’s my Greeter family.

I saw that a WikiTreer added a son to one of my wife’s ancestors. I added sources for him and also his wife. I would like to work on that family, but I have too many other families of my own right now to do so. The Moores are not done yet, and there are always Underwoods to add.

Speaking of Underwoods, I am expecting to hear from an Underwood cousin from Guam who will be visiting in Charlotte. He was once the non-voting representative to the US House. We are planning to a one-day get together. Hopefully, I can squeeze that in. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

I took the opportunity to spiff up the profile of Irish notable, Fran O’Toole of The Miami Showband.

I hope that all of you are safe and well. I know this is a trying time for many of you, especially in Europe and elsewhere where the new variant is getting hold. Do all you can to protect yourselves!

Enjoy the Chat!

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Congratulations to your awesome find of the CD with your mom's voice on it!

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Thanks for hosting, Pip! As always, I enjoyed reading your post. Sorry to hear that your dad is getting worse! Are you planning on waiting until after the holidays to make the move? The audio of your mother was a wonderful discovery! I keep telling my friend Pat that she should record her lifetime because many interesting things happened to her. I tell her that her grand and great-grand children would treasure such a keepsake!

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Congratulations on the ownership of your new (dad's) home.

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Hi Pip, I'm at a funeral home in Milwaukee. My sister, Bonny's father-in-law died last Saturday. We cancelled our Florida Keys trip. Funerals for me are a celebration of one's life. I'm enjoying meeting and watching family and friends interact. Two family are deaf and they have been teaching me sign language. I've got the alphabet down pat! My nieces just arrived so I'll do my message tonight.

 Pip, so sad about your step dad. Just enjoy hugs and stories and let him know you'll be with him, as I know you will because you're always there for us. Hugs, Hipster

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So sad about your step-dad, Pip. =( If you ever wanna vent you know where to find us. Cancer sucks. Just come out and say it. You'll feel so much better.

On the plus side, finding that CD is like finding gold. Keep it. Put the files on your computer and in a jump drive. It's yours! I wonder what other treasures are in there. Hmmmm....The possibilities!

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It is amazing what you find in 'old stuff', I found a mini cassette of my great aunt on my dad's side talking about her family, that's what it says on the side, now I have to find somewhere to get it digitised.

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Dude, the CD is an absolute treasure. Cherish it my friend.

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Thanks for hosting again, Pip. Virtual hugs to your family, and prayers for your stepdad. Hope all goes smoothly with the move...glad y'all got boosted.

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Hope you managed to get that audio backed up somewhere in the cloud.

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I didn't find Beulah on this weekend! I just did a bit of a chat and responded to a few. It's December 12 2021 and it is the 'Phrase Master's' Birthday. She and I are Sinatra fans. I've been hearing some of his Christmas numbers on Alexa in between my sister's listening to Dean Martin.

Answer 1

Good morning Pip and the weekend chatters!

Weather

• rain on and off all week long
• it is currently 73ºF with a gray sky and rain on the way

Genealogy

• connected my 2nd great-grandparent to his parents which were already on WikiTree
  • The cousin finder found two new cousins for me here on WikiTree: a 3C1R and a 4C1R
• received the MyHeritage DNA kit on Tuesday and sent it off on Wednesday (waiting for results ....)

WikiTree

• The January 2022 Connect-a-Thon is now scheduled for Jan 14th - 17th.  The signup page goes live on Monday, Dec 13th.

Comments

I saw y'all were going to get some heavy rain (or at least it looked like it on the weather map). Congrats on the connection made. Mine are pretty much set, so I struggle to take lines further back, especially in Germany. Let us know when you get your results back, Tommy. Inquiring minds want to know!

Answer 2

Greetings to all from beautiful southeastern Arizona where it’s currently cold, cloudy, rainy, and windy (gusts up to 40 mph)! Currently 47° F with expected high of only 55° F, and we may have an overnight freeze. Ugh! I need to remember to bring the hummingbird feeder inside overnight.

Tonight, my library friends group hosts a Polar Express event, which is a fantastic night for children. Our mayor reads the story, then the children meet Santa and receive a small gift bag, followed by cocoa and cookies. Our library group’s President planned on setting up his model train collection outdoors, but I think he’ll have to put it up inside the library. Covid numbers are once again on the rise here — 3 of the town staff were exposed last week during a toy drive, so I’m afraid our turnout tonight will be disappointing.

When will this dang pandemic end? One of my writing friends contracted it, but she’s asymptomatic, so self-quarantined. She didn’t return my phone messages yesterday, and didn’t answer her doorbell when I stopped by last night. I contacted the police to do a wellness check, because she has mobility issues, and I was afraid she’d fallen. Thank goodness she was fine!

Last night I attended an Open Mic Night and read a letter from my first novel. Only a small number of people attended, and even fewer participated. I’m still working on transcriptions of 200+ year-old handwritten documents.

WikiTree: Haven’t made much progress on the O’Connell family because I was waiting to find out why Daniel MacGeoffrey O’Connell had been detached from Geoffrey O’Connell.

Well I need to get ready to host at the senior center. My library friends group is also coming there this morning to fill the gift bags for tonight’s event.

Hope each and every one of you has a great weekend!

Comments

Howdy, Diane! You've had a busy week. Good for you. My younger brother (also a WikiTreer) was in the Gadsden Purchase this past week. He doesn't contribute much at all (expect proofreading my biographies), so he doesn't know his fellow WikiTreers.

Have a wonderful day. You've got a lot on your plate today, too!

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Sounds like a fantastic event scheduled for the kids this evening (all ages).

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The weather in Arizona sounds more tempting than the weather in Minnesota.

Yep. I'm ready for this pandemic to end. I'm going to review the procedure to don on and off the isolation gear (mask, gloves, face shield and gown).

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Hi Cousin! Late due to funeral. See waaaay below. Hugs!

Answer 3

Hi from southern Sweden! We are getting some new wet snow at the moment, and it is dusk. Soon time to leave work.

Have a lovely, and safe weekend everyone!

View from a window at my work below.

Comments

Hi, Maria!!! I'm still waiting on snow here. Though my wife doesn't like it, I love it. Be safe on your way to work.

Beautiful stars in the pic. I can see the snow through the window.

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Oh, Maria, that is a lovely picture ... thank you for sharing the view with us

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Thank you! This is a view from the way home, on bike.

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I love the star decorations! I hope you are getting ready for December 13th (St. Lucia Day).

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Thank you Eileen! We do get ready for Saint Lucia, in my family mostly by baking "lussekatter", a sweet bun with safron and raisins.

(Photo from wikipedia.)

Answer 4

Good morning, all. 

Thank you for hosting the Weekend Chat, Pip. 

Congratulations on owning a new home, AND on the puzzle of where to store the package of 400 or so pieces of paper to prove it. (I say 400 or so, because I counted up the pieces in OUR package of paperwork and it was 358. Of course that was in 2009 and in California, and maybe North Carolina in 2021 is not that similar.) 

HOME FRONT we actually had RAIN -- I could tell it was rain because there was several inches of water (deep) in the gutter. Fog does not leave running water in the gutter. At least not in all the years we've lived here. 

Otherwise the weather out there has been dank overcast cool to chilly with an occasional hour or two or so of the sun peeking out and FOGGY ... boy howdy LOTS of foggy like it was in the winter of 2008/2009 ... 

This loaner the newer Chrome Notebook is ... you know, it might be easier to capture a gator than to "master" this thing 

GENEALOGY -- same as ever for my activity and achievements. 495 Contributions at this moment this AM and 511.6K on my profile (as she pats her own back and dislocates her elbow doing so ...  )  And mind you all this flagrant (?) achievement is despite the struggle with the loaner Chrome Notebook ... 

I have every available ounce of Confidence that due to the Struggle with software -- and an occasional hardware or wetware that I shall finish my life as Strong as Albert Einstein or Winston Churchill or, I dunno, maybe Thor or Jupiter. 

From Struggle we find Strength. (paraphrase of Arnold, The Terminator) Arnold Schwarzenegger - Strength does not come from...

 There's the ever present hourly struggle with the changes in WikiTree software and its glitches, and over at familysearch.org and its occasional glitches, and on this loaner device and the demon what lives inside it, and of course when the internet goes whacky poo like it did last week for five or six hours plus -- or when the ISP goes whacky poo which it does now and then ... 

Well, have a pleasant weekend ... stay safe 

Comments

Susan! Rain?!? It rains where you live?   BYW: I think you're probably about right on the paper. I'm trying to pare it down as I pack.

My wife just got a new laptop. She had me set it up for her, and it is sitting on a side table sad and unused. She just can't give up her old (no hyperbole) Toshiba yet, but she did say she wanted me to go ahead and transfer the data over to the new one.

You are already on a roll this month with 495 contributions! I have a feeling that I'll have far fewer than usual for me this month. Got other things on my plate.

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Pip, if there's anything in the packet of papers relating to the purchase of the house and title, loan(s) and etc that CAN be SAFELY discarded, I'd like to know what them is ... I figure i toss a paper, it will be the ONE PAPER we need in the future on some point or another

YES IT RAINED, water in the gutter indicates it RAINED unless of course the woman next door is emptying her pool, but I always check to see if that is happening, it were not, it were rain water in the gutter 

One of these days, your wife will have to switch over because the oldie will give its last gasp and ... gonna happen, sure as water runs downhill ... 

I'm not sure when you will have the span of time it will take to transfer files but I suppose one of those flash drive gizmos and load all from the oldie and then plug it into the newbie and see what happens ... ??

There will be compatibility issues probably ... most likely ... count on it and it is possible you will experience a pleasant surprise because none arise ... woohoo 

Just think, Pip, you are 'immortal' being on zillions of feet of film in archives in the cloud and elsewhere 

Answer 5

Good morning from rainy Tucson.  We've had .52 inches at my house, which portends well for spring flowers.

I'm getting through December but decided not to put up any Christmas decorations or send cards.  Next year.

On WikiTree, we've had a lot of interest about the Company of Frenchmen who served in the Revolutionary War for independence.  There were 19 Acadians.  Quite a few people might be able to join the DAR on the basis of their service.  (I am related to all of them but only as cousins).

Since Ales added the Acadian sticker into our project status report, I've been finding more people who should be included in the project.  Many who are on the Louisiana Wall of Names of Acadians who arrived there to settle after the Expulsion.  Some people had fled the original Acadian Nova Scotia for what is now Cape Breton, then were deported to France, then chose to go to Louisiana.  And so we have Cajuns!

Comments

Hiya, Cindy! Those 19 Acadians, did they join one particular company or were they scattered among different units? What a fascinating topic to dive into!

No decorations here, either, but we'll have to at least get a small tree up for our youngest when she comes to visit. She'll be expecting it!

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Hi Cindy! I'm in Wisconsin attending a funeral, then my niece's graduation next week. I'm alone during the holidays (except for Christmas...at a colleague's). How about a glass of vino at Teaspoon or Tohono Chul (no toast as it is likely as expensive as vino!) before Christmas and before or after New Year? I'll call!

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I was thinking of this very thing!  I’ll be traveling from the 23rd to the 28th. How about getting together around New Years?  I could use a good start to 2022.

Answer 6

Good morning, Pip, from a warm, muggy, Texas. Yesterday was finally the eye surgery for me. It went well, at least so far.  I see the surgeon this afternoon to have the very large patch apparatus removed from my right eye and to check the retina. My vision will be very blurry while the healing happens. It is a relief to have the surgery completed  - now on to the healing!

There won't be a lot of genealogy in the next week or two which will be difficult for me since I usually do something every day!

Pip, I hope the move continues to go well and my prayers continue for your Dad.

Comments

I am so glad to hear the surgery went well, Ginny! No rush on the healing! We've got you covered.

I saw on the news that it was going to be pretty war, down you way, even at the start of winter. It won't be that warm, here for several months.

Answer 7

Hi from southern Ontario,

Chez moi/at home: what's happening here? This week has been a bit of a blur, cold with snow on Monday and Tuesday, snow yesterday; Then this forecast for the next 24 hours.

Heavy rain and strong winds Friday night into Saturday night. Hazards: Heavy rain. Rainfall amounts of 25 to 45 mm. Strong winds gusting between 70 and 90 km/h. 

Today's forecast is 7 C and partly sunny, tomorrow 16C sunny and heavy rain. Somewhere there is a disconnect, can we have heavy rain with sun all day tomorrow? One thing is sure the snow will be gone. The rest of next week, night temps higher than the average day time highs. And I still haven't rabbit proofed the garden!  

We got our Christmas tree, its in the garage waiting for a suitable space to be cleared for it. I seem to have covered most flat spaces on the main floor with piles of paper, some family history related, many others Horticultural society stuff. On Tuesday we are having our first in-person Horticultural society meeting since March 2020, about 35 people have signed up, proof of vaccination and masks required. 

Alton Cemetery project and other genealogy: I went back through profiles I created as a newbie 2 years ago and improved the sourcing, not that there weren't sources, but they definitely weren't ones that would help someone else find the information. 

The cemetery project has to be worked on in large chunks of time otherwise I get lost in the branches of large families all of whom name their children the same. 

Other: apparently, we will be having at least 1 granddaughter perhaps 2 staying with us starting on Boxing Day for a week as their mum has decided to go to Jamaica for a week. I think most of the family will visiting my younger brother for Christmas or Boxing Day, about 25 of us. 

Plus, on a less cheerful note, my SIL has just been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, its very early and she has been accepted into a clinical trial for early treatment of newly diagnosed cases. 6 rounds of chemo and then the trial part with 2 possible treatments.  

Comments

Ha! M, we have our tree on stand-by, too. Fortunately, we've already moved some stuff over to the new home, so there's plenty of space for it.

I'm so sorry to hear about you SIL. I know the concerns.

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Hi M, just sending a late 'Hello'. I am in Wisconsin and attended my sister's husband's father's funeral...full military honors. Very sad to hear of your SIL's diagnosis. Never fails for this kind of stuff to occur during holidays to put a damper on things.

I'll be looking for your VV now because I am freezing my arse off here in snowlandia!

Answer 8

Good Morning from north Georgia, USA, where, to quote my husband, "It looks like winter." It's not that cold today, but as the song says, "All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray." No major plans for the weekend--we will see friends tomorrow for our weekly lunch together.

Hubby and I had our COVID boosters on Tuesday. I was dreading it since I'd felt so awful after shot number 2, but I had only mild symptoms this time--sore arm, a little tired feeling on Wednesday, chills Wednesday evening, and some mild asthmatic wheezing. I was feeling "normal" by Thursday.

On WikiTree my contribution count is high, but that just illustrates that how WikiTree tabulates contributions is flawed. I'm changing out one image for another on many profiles, so my contribution count is artificially high. As far as actual contributions, I have created 20 new profiles so far this month and each of them have at least one source, but usually more. I'm only 34 short of having 2000 profiles on my WatchList. Perhaps I'll attain or pass that milestone by the end of December. One day this week I worked on the weekly Data Doctors Challenge for a while which dealt with correcting ref tags. And my suggestions are "up-to-date" which is not to say they are all cleared. I am waiting for other WikiTree profile managers to respond for two of them. The others will linger because there is no way to reconcile a difference between the info I have and info on FindAGrave--there is no source yet discovered to determine which of us is correct. For example--they might have a certain death date, but I do not because I don't have a source for it. They don't have a source for it either, but it didn't stop them from putting it on FindAGrave.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Comments

Yep, same weather here, neighbor.

We got our boosters Wednesday this week, Nelda. My wife came through with flying colors; I on the other hand got achy, very tired, and a slight fever, so sleep eluded me last night.

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Nah, Nelda, NOT 'artificially high' - it ONLY measures the number of Saves, regardless of the type of activity ... it is not limited to working on profiles, it can be Pip's Greeter activity for which he get Contributions -- it is any activity that involves clicking Save ... 

 Go into a profile and hit the spacebar while up in the Biography section and then save the file and voila you get a Contribution for hitting the spacebar and saving the file

Answer 9

Today is......

NATIONAL BOUILLABAISSE DAY

National Bouillabaisse Day  gives seafood lovers everywhere a reason to celebrate. This flavorful fish stew hits the spot on cold winter’s day, too. 

The French are known for many great recipes. Their food inspires travel to France for a taste of authentic dishes. Bouillabaisse tops the list of must-have cuisine while visiting France. The tasty stew originates in the port city of Marseille. It is traditionally made using bony rockfish, saffron, fennel seed, and orange zest.

However, in the culinary world, strong opinions bounce around about the proper ingredients for an authentic bouillabaisse. Those opinions include the type of fish. Typically, cooks use red rascasse, sea robin, or European conger. They also debate the type of wine (red or white). Both topics are hotly debated. They even argue about the soup’s origins. Did a Greek goddess create the stew? Or does the credit belong to coastal fishermen who threw the ingredients together from unsold bony rockfish? Perhaps these spicy debates add a little flavor to the stew, too.

Regardless, cooks use a variety of fresh fish as their first step to a delicious bouillabaisse. It is especially important if you can’t get to the south of France to order it made for you.

HOW TO OBSERVE National Bouillabaisse Day

Travel to France to enjoy the authentic taste of bouillabaisse. No time? Visit a French restaurant near you or even try making it yourself. Explore a variety of recipes for bouillabaisse. 

We’ve provided this Bouillabaisse Recipe for you to try. Add a baguette and watch a French movie (or any movie about food) for additional flair. We have a few suggestions to get you started:

• The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)
• Julie and Julia (2009)
• Kings of Pastry (2010)
• Ratatouille (2007)
• Big Night (1996)

You can also take a cooking class to master this delicious stew. Let us know how it turns out!

Comments

You know, I'm no sure that I have ever had this dish, but it sounds tasty. I'll have to try it. Thanks, Dorothy!

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Somewhere along the line, Bouillabaisse became our family tradition for Christmas Eve.   No one in the family is french.   But, it is a wonderful dish and easy to allow everyone to "serve themselves".

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 I can't imagine eating it in December as memories are of  sitting at an outside table with a view of the Mediterranean and a glass of rosé de Provence in hand,  Our local market in France sometimes had the small  rock fish used as a basis for a bouillabaise but I've never attempted to make it. 

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Julie and Julia was a funny movie. I've read the book. I didn't know about Bouillabaisse Day!

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Hi Dorothy! Funeral on Friday was full military honors, which always gets me (sister's father-in-law...Korea vet). Bouillabaisse? Nopity nope nope nope!

Answer 10

Thank You for hosting the Chat Pip.

Musings form The North Coast of Ohio.

Weather,

Cold and damp weather this week but warming up today and into next week.

On the Home Front,

Busy with the visitor so not much else. Diane did get her booster vaccine on Tuesday with only a couple of days running a slight fever.

Genealogy, Nothing of note, almost nothing at all. I am slipping I guess.

Comments

You are slipping, Dale. I bet you were still busy as ever, even with a visitor in the house. 

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In my defense Pip I did have to pick up the slack around the house because of Diane being sick on Wednesday and Thursday. The only good thing, if you can call it good, is that her reaction to the booster was not as bad as her reaction to the flu shot.

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I have actually done some work on the Amateur Radio project today. In part because the visitor has become more comfortable in our home and she actually is starting to fend for herself, we always said that, at least for now, it is her home as well as ours, and that frees up some of our time again.

Answer 11

On this day:

1616: The Portuguese historian Diogo do Couto dies

1830: The American poet Emily Dickinson is born

1948: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is accepted

Comments

I'm going to pick two (when I find the time): do Couto and the UDHR. Thanks, Professor!

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Emily Dickinson's WikiTree Profile:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Dickinson-53

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Jelena! I was just reading her top 14 poems on facebook  yesterday because my niece and her partner are getting married next year and they want me to do a 3 minute 'something.' I was searching for (and found) the perfect Emily Dickinson poem. And my nice (Emily!!!) was born on December 9th.

Answer 12

Happy Friday Pip & his followers!

Weather: In southwest Florida (Gulf Coast) it has been foggy most mornings lately, in fact so damp that my hair is soaked when I get in from my very early morning walk. But it's been fairly warm (highs in the 70-80s F or 21-28C) so I do not complain. 

Holiday: I've been searching for ideas for Christmas gifts for my other half, and finally came up with one that I think is clever. He's an old Elton John fan (actually more Beatles & Rod Stewart, but same genre) and there is a local theatre doing a show of Elton John's body double, Rus Anderson, as The Rocket Man. Rus is a Scot, as is my husband, so I'm excited to see this show and I'm hoping my husband will love it, too. Dinner & a show for Christmas! (Hey, I thought it was clever anyway ;)

Genealogy: (sort of) a friend is struggling with getting a new computer to run her old genealogy program. And I was the one who convinced her years ago to use it. So we're struggling together to get it working via phone, email, chat, etc. Apparently all the new machines have cloud storage as an automatic backup, and it's messing with an old style program (The Master Genealogist). Urgh. We'll get there. Probably with the help of her Geek Squad contract. 

WikiTree: I keep trying to focus on one thing, but end up all over the place. Must. Focus. Twisted Thistles  will be fielding a team for the January Connect-a-thon. Hip-hip!

Comments

Focus? What's focus?  For me, it's like telling a dog, "Squirrel, squirrel!"

Very clever gift, Bobbie. I bet your husband is gong to love it. So very cool!

Envious of your warmer weather!

Answer 13

Virtual Vacation!

In late August 2003 we spent a long weekend at a cottage on the Bruce Peninsula which is about 3 hours northwest of home. These are the pictures I couldn't find last week, turned out they were in the photo album labelled 2004. 

Bruce National Park is on the east side of the peninsula. The peninsula is about 100 km long and sticks out between Georgian Bay and Lake Huron. The east side of the peninsula has steep limestone cliffs about 200 to 500 feet high and really rough cold water. The land slopes down to the west side and has some great sandy beaches.  The tip of the peninsula is the end of the Bruce hiking trail that runs 900 km from Niagara through the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve. 

The water looks almost Caribbean blue but you will get cold really quickly without a wetsuit. This picture is the Grotto a cave at the bottom of the cliff face. It is one of the most visited places in the park especially with 'younger people' who climb down the cliff. 

There is a hiking trail along some water level sections of the cliffs. 

Cabot Head Lighthouse is 80 feet above Georgian Bay and has been in operation for over 100 years. The east side and north tip of the peninsula are littered with shipwrecks, at north end, people can dive amongst the wrecks. 

 

One of the many boulder beaches in the park. 

This is Marr Lake it used to be a bay about a 1000 years ago and since then a huge amount of boulders have built up across the opening turning it into a lake. 

This picture is of the Singing Sands, on the west side of the peninsula, when the wind blows across the beach you can hear the sand grains moving.

Many sections of the Bruce trail run through the National Park. It’s a fascinating place with lots of animals including big ones like black bears and deer, and small ones including raccoons, squirrels, chipmunks and Massasauga rattlers a poisonous snake. The park also has 34 different types of orchids and 1000 year old cedars on the cliff edges. The cedars like the ones in this photo grow incredibly slowly, their roots are entwined between the rocks. 

Comments

Just lovely. I really like the lighthouse, M. Very different than others I've seen.

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Very different because it's made of wood? Or because it isn't round?

Most lighthouses along the less populated and later settled shores of the Great Lakes are wood, it would have been very difficult to build them in stone, very few people and wood was plentiful.

The lighthouse keepers would also have needed to be farmers so they could feed their families.

High school friends owned this lighthouse and used it as a summer cottage.

https://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=1093

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Hi M, thanks for this particular Virtual Vacay! Bonny and I were supposed to be in the Florida Keys and would have toured the lighthouse not far from Hemingway's home in Key West. It's a round lighthouse, though. Instead, we had to cancel to attend her husband's dad's funeral.

So, you have water, sand, lighthouse, etc. so close enough for missing the Keys this weekend. You take care. I won't return to Tucson until the 20th. I'm attending my niece's graduation from nursing school next weekend.

Answer 14

It's FINALLY snowing in Denver!  It’s the latest it has ever been for the first snow. The city is celebrating by taking their cars and running into Jersey barriers.

On the genealogy front, I am still making progress on the cemetery study. 21% complete. I will probably jump off this a while as several relatives have contacted me with pictures to upload and family lines to explore.

I'm just excited to look out the window and see the white. If I’m not driving in it, it is beautiful.

Comments

Running into jersey barriers seems like an odd way to celebrate snow. :) The same things seem to happen in Portland, Oregon. Otherwise intelligent individuals climb into their cars, drive up to a 45 degree decline, hit the gas, and go spinning downhill at thirty five miles an hour. There's this thing called gravity that they just don't understand. It's a pretty simple concept really. Stuff falls down. You can't control it. So the bottom of all the hills is a car park. It's funny except, I live on the same planet with those people. Kinda scary really.

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Jersey barriers.... Hahahaha!!! That's the way it'd be around here. I saw you were gong to get you first snow, Gurney. The weather folks said it was the third longest that y'all have been without snow.

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Jersey barriers. That's a new one for me.

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I made an assumption that Jersey barriers were the concrete barriers between the traffic directions on major highways. They have a different name in Ontario but I have no idea what it is, perhaps median barrier.

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Jersey Barriers is what we grew up calling them in maryland.  But you are right.  They are the concrete barriers used to separate directions of traffic on highways.  And they have a lot of them here.

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We have them here in Minnesota too!

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Jersey barriers is the name I'm used to. Why anyone would want to interact with one is beyond me. Seems dangerous.

:)

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Apparently, seen online,you can get them in plastic also not just concrete ... the ones rammed by the cars might be plastic otherwise the tow companies are having a bonanza time hauling the wrecks away

BTW the barriers come in colors, are described as portable, durable ... their design was to cause the vehicle to slide along up parallel ... etc ... interesting idea ....

I'd say you want to be the one to own two tow trucks during the Destruction Derby

Answer 15

It was supposed to snow a bit here over night ... so far, nothing here north of Denver and the sun is now out.  Looking at road cameras it looks like Denver got a bit and the mountains got dumped on ... 12-20 inches or so.

My brother in law and his brother are trying to piece together some of their genealogy and I'm trying to help.  They're doing pretty well on their dad's side but the mother's side is a struggle.  Her parents were born in Austro-Hungary in the late 1800's ... then it became Yugoslavia and is now present day Croatia.  Hard finding things.  FamilySearch has a Croatia site with records sorted by religion.  I'm groping through that ... you can search but name spellings have changed.  Her mother did get her birth certificate when she was like 64 ... probably for social security.  That does help.  Her dad, so far, is just word of mouth until they immigrated to the USA in the early 1900's and got married here ... search goes on.

Comments

Funny that our two Colorado Chat participants would post at the same time, Bob. Did you and Gurney call each other first? 

UGH, I'd hate to be trying to hunt down records in that part of Europe in that time frame. I wish you the best of luck!

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Well, technically, there are 3 of us from Colorado. ;-) I just mostly lurk and post occasionally.

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I'll bet there are more than three of us! :)  Nice to "meet' you Eric.

Answer 16

Good afternoon/evening from Germany,

the weather has been grey and quite cold this week again. On the other hand, I hardly was outside this week, just as precaution because of Omicron. Yes, officially there are about 30 Omicron cases, but virologists think there are actually several hundred of them already in Germany.

But there may be a good news though. My district insists on giving the booster only after 6 months. Bavaria (different region) only lets Bavarians boost in their vaccination centers, in Rhineland-Palatine I didn't find a vaccination center that works without fix appointments. Oh well, so I walked through the vaccination information websites of literally every Hessian district, that 1. gives vaccination without appointment and 2. allows the booster after "just" 5 months. And... (drum rolls) I found a district. So, in case I will be early enough there (I really hope so, although I am not sure) I will get my booster on Monday. Mum wants to come with me just in case I have some fast side-effects.

Germany has a new government... finally. And we even have an epidemiologist as secretary of health. I really hope that the decision process about restrictions will be shorter than until now. The incidence is decreasing slowly but surely, but we still have far too many infections. Our ICUs are as full as never. In our district (400,000 inhabitants), there were yesterday only 5 ICU beds available.

Genealogy-wise, I focused on the family I started working on last weekend and I started a new adventure around WikiTree. I completed my first hour of rangering. I hope I didn't let any vandals do some damage, but it didn't seem that way.

Stay safe, wear FFP2-masks whenever possible and have a great weekend.

Comments

Definitely, take care of yourself. Good news on the boosters!

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Thank you Jelena for ranging our tree!

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We have a lot of the omicron variant here in Nebraska too. I am getting my booster tomorrow.

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Jelena, we had to make appointments for our boosters. Our usual drug store didn't do them, so we tried another online. Got it the same day. And glad of it.

We saw that Merkel was on the way out. Just didn't know it would be this month. She sure was in office a long time.

Glad to have you on as a Ranger! Good for you (and us)

Answer 17

Pip, my prayers are with you, your family and your stepdad. Enjoy the time you have with him. Blessings to you.

Greetings from snowy Rochester, Minnesota! The temperature is a crisp 30°F (-1°C). Wind chill is 23°F (-5°C). The local meteorologist forecasted 7 to 13 inches of snow! Snowshoeing season will start real soon!

Home Front: I'll be working this weekend as a newly certified nursing assistant since November 2nd! I'm still working with the same employer and dealing with new and old experiences. The place has been decorated even though it's still Advent not Christmas yet. Footnote: I'm guilty of listening to Christmas music early.

I have my birthday week off next week. My birthday is on Tuesday. I'll do appointments and decorating the apartment. I need to get Hobby Lobby today! I have a final exam for my Chemistry on my birthday.

Next month, it's Anatomy and Physiology and Trained Medication Aide classes. I'm really excited! My husband got me charts for the different body systems.

Genealogy Front: I'm excited to do challenges once again! I'm excited to approach my birth state (Arizona) once again for a future WikiTree Challenge.

Have you noticed that genealogy is a journey back in time and you visit faraway places? I'm sticking with the domestic area (United States) I have little experience dealing with French, German and English records.

I did an interview for WikiTree's Member of the Week: https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/1338514/meet-our-members-eileen-robinson

Comments

 What I have noticed mostly aside from some really interesting puzzles about which child was birthed by which mother or trying to find out if that woman actually DID birth 22 children (well, she had 3 sets of twins and a couple of triplets, so.... maybe) -- MOSTLY I have noticed is that I am spending a lot of time with a lot of deceased people ... never mind the zombie apocalypse, just do profiles of multiple deceased persons ... 

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 Wow, Eileen, There's no doubt that you will be using every thing you learned about in your studies .. the pandemic is not over yet and all the other medical needs are still happening ... 

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Eileen, like you I have been sticking to my American research lately. It's so familiar that it's become second nature.

Hope you can make it to Hobby Lobby through the snow! Looks like winter has set in for you. I bet we won't get snow until at least January.

Have a great birthday and enjoy your time off!

Answer 18

Thanks for another lovely chat Pip, they're always a pleasure to read and make me feel normal LOL. Super sunny and warm down here in the south...work has been crazy and I am REALLY REALLY glad its Friday.

I'm wishing both you and your dad so much strength, you'll both be in my thoughts . What a lovely treasure to find the audio with your moms voice, I must chat to my gran and do something similar soon!!!

On the genealogy front - not much new, but I have been working with the South African Roots project and various other projects, and have been learning so much, this has been a wonderful experience. But work has been so busy recently that if I'm not fighting off a throbbing headache in the late afternoons I'm just utterly exhausted...I can't wait til things quieten off there. My supervisor resigned with immediate effect and this has landed a ton of new stuff on my plate...sigh.

Have a super weekend, and thanks again for another fantastic weekend chat 

Comments

Howdy, my fellow Greeter! You're warming up, and we're getting colder. Thanks for your kind thoughts about dad. I appreciate it.

You have a super weekend yourself. Don't let the work overwhelm you. I know about those headaches making one exhausted.

Answer 19

Hails and horns, Wikipeeps!

It has been an interesting week on the genealogy front! First off, I have a blog about Italian cuisine. Check it out here. The topic was "Homemade". Why not talk about homemade Italian cooking? https://allroadhaverhill.blogspot.com/2021/12/52-ancestors-week-49-homemade.html

You're gonna gain weight reading it, I guarantee it! 

I also heard from the commune office in San Pietro a Maida! They gave me Domenica Gullo's birth date but no parents. I resent a message and asked politely if they could give me the parents of Domenica. They gave me her exact date of birth but no parents. Was so weird. I hope they clarify it this time. Perhaps they were in a rush? Not sure.

I did wonder who else I can ask about and I made a list to see who I really need info for. I was thinking I have Caterina Coppola's birth as well as her sister Concetta's. Should I ask for her brother Paolo's and GIovanni's? 

Speaking of Concetta and Paolo, I asked my cousin in Switzerland about Caterina's brothers and sisters. She said she remembered her grandma (Caterina) talking about Paolo and Concetta in America. I laughed so hard. Why? Well, I have this DNA match who descends from Paolo and he was adamant that Paolo didn't have brothers and sisters. He was a complete jerk. Even his first cousin told me this and confirmed my story was accurate. Part of me wants to have my cousin Caterina message him. >=D

Oh and she was very happy to see my work on Find a Grave regarding Giovanni! =D

On the non genealogy front, I am working on Christmas cards. I am sending two to Europe and the rest scattered across the country. My shopping is almost done. Just need to shop for my dad and he is impossible to shop for!!

Have a great weekend!

Comments

Great blog. Everything looks delicious, probably because of the vegetable jail! The city of Rome, New York was mostly southern Italian. There was one restaurant that had fantastic mushroom stew - a very dark red sauce (aka gravy) with lots of mushrooms. And, of course, the stores had all the ingredients you needed. I also miss the sausage bread that a coworker made for Christmas, using her grandma's recipe.

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Cool. But, ya know outside New York we never call sauce "Gravy". Dunno why that's so popular in New York and New Jersey. Weird. The bread and soup sounds great.

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The bread is fantastic. When I do get back to visit the Rome area I pick some up at the local store, but of course its never as good as homemade.

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All that food mentioned in your blog made me hungry, but I don't think I'll find anything near as good as what you described.

Christmas cards.... ugh!

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I visited the blog. It made me hungry, very hungry. It also made miss the food that my mother, aunt and grandmother made. My uncles. that I am not at all close with. Wouldn't share the recipes, which they use in their restaurants. Those three ladies were amazing at Hawaiian, Italian, and German foods. Food is my favorite way to bond. Your fathers pizza made me want to eat my laptop.

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@Kay: Nothing ever is.

@Pip: Come north of the Mason-Dixon line and you might find something. You never know!

@Paul: Never eat your laptop. That and a wise turtle once said " Forgiveness is divine. But, never pay full price for a late pizza."

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Chris, how do Italians (in Italy) celebrate Christmas? Do they have Christmas trees? My kid sister wants to know.

Answer 20

Hello, Friday afternoon in Everett, Washington. The sky has been cloudy all day and it's about 38 degrees F. The rain and rain/snow mix may start tonight. I took two walks today with the dog. On the first walk I was very sleepy and the second walk, around noon, was a bit longer but I am still very sleepy.

I spent most of the day finishing the hand quilting on a 40" x 60" that I will submit to Project Linus on Sunday. I started the quilt in the beginning of 2020. It's peach and aqua and gray and purple and it has cartoon cops chasing bank robbers, dinosaurs, Winnie-the-Pooh, cats but no chickens. The back is peach & white polka dots with a stripe of aqua on chocolate polka dots. I still am not 100% back on board with the new sewing machine although I have acquired more scraps. The next one to be quilted is the red, white & blue 101 Dalmatians quilt. When I think how long some of the quilts at Project Linus hang around the project coordinator's house without going out the door, I am a bit consoled. I just need some help clearing tables, sorting and vacuuming.

My brother sent an email with the news about his wife's sister, in her 60s, and the result of the test on her digestive system. She has cancer of the pancreatic ducts and it is metastatic. This is a time in his life that my brother is rising to the challenge of this situation and also in tending to the estate of his late friend and selling the property. I foresee a return to California to visit him; a visit that will be a challenge for me but one I must take on, when the time is right.

At Wikitree I am busy adding more connected profiles to the US Black Heritage challenge. I don't know how close the challenge is now to the 50,000 that Emma MacBeath is shooting for, but there are less than 5,000 to go now.

I enjoy helping others find connections.

Comments

I'm very sorry to read the news about your sister-in-law. It is a devastating diagnosis for you and your family, I know. My mother passed from pancreatic cancer at the age of 49. I pray you will all be blessed with love, peace, and comfort as you go through this together.

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Sad news about your family, Margaret .. I had an aunt passed on due to pancreatic cancer

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Margaret, going though Mom's house (which we just bought), I found several quilts that I did not know of hidden under a pile of blankets in a closet. Made me think of you.