Death Record of Eliza Wise Hoffman

When I visited Wabash last Thursday I stopped at the Health Department to get a copy of the Death Record of Eliza Wise Hoffman. When the clerk was looking at Eliza's record she made the comment that the handwriting was atrocious. I asked to look at the record myself but my request was refused. As was my request for an actual copy of the record itself. Instead what she said she'd do is get another clerk to look at it the next day and then mail the certificate to me. So, figuring that was the best offer I'd get, I paid the $5.00 and gave them my address. The certificate arrived in the mail on Saturday.

Unless there is a specific reason that you need a certified copy, you should request a "genealogy copy" of death records in Indiana, whether requesting them from the county or the state. Also inquire as to the cost if ordering from a county, each one seems to charge a different fee. The charge for ordering from the state is $8.00 and it must be paid in advance. They call it a "record search" so you pay whether or not they find the requested record. Information on ordering death records (and birth records) can be found at the Indiana State Department of Health website.

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Genealogy Copy of Death Certificate of Eliza Jane Huffman.
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Certificate of Death Registration
Wabash County Health Department
Decedent's Name: ELIZA JANE HUFFMAN
Date of Death: November 2, 1920
Place of Death: PAW PAW TOWNSHIP City: WABASH
Age: 78 YEARS Marital Status: WIDOWED Gender: FEMALE
Cause of Death: CANCER STOMACH
Certified By: G. P. KIDD MD
Cemetery: IOOF PAW PAW TOWSNHIP ROANN IN Disposition Date: 11/04/1920
Funeral Home: SCHULER-ROANN
File Date: 11/30/1920 Book: 1918-25 Page/Line: 41 #512 Issued On: 02/15/..
Signed by (Health Officer)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Not all information is available for all years.
Birth Date: 05/11/1842 May 11, 1842 Birth City: [blank] Birth State: OHIO
Occupation: HOUSEWIFE Industry: DOMESTIC SSN: [blank] Race: WHITE
Address: City: ROANN State: INDIANA
Spouse: ARTHUR HUFFMAN
Father's Name: PATR ? WISE Father's BirthPlace: PENNSYLVANIA
Mother's Name: CHRISTINA Maiden: GARNE Mother's BirthPlace: UNKNOWN
Informant's Name: EFFIE WASTHREY ? Inform. Address: ROANN, IN Relationship: UNKNOWN
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Eliza's Spouse was Anthony Huffman, not Arthur. Her Father's first name was Peter. The informant was probably her daughter, Effie Wertenberger.

The new piece of information from this record is the maiden name of Eliza's mother, GARNE. Although I don't know how helpful that will be! An initial search for that surname at www.ancestry.com turned up absolutely no useful information. Without having actually looked at the death record I don't know if GARNE is what was in the record or if it was perhaps, a best guess by the clerk.

California :: Highway One Poppies

April 1st, somewhere along California Highway One, south of Big Sur.

Ice Cave at Hollow Rock

This "window" of ice is looking out on the little island known as "Hollow Rock", which has been the subject of more than a few of my previous blog entries. I feel very fortunate that I now have this image in my portfolio, since the decision to head out and shoot that morning could have easily gone the other way. We had spent 5 hours snowshoeing the previous day over some very rugged terrain, and our bodies really didn't feel like going out early in the morning and shooting again so soon after the snowshoe workout. The decision was made to head out, however, and boy am I glad that we did as several good images were made on this morning.
The sunrise over Hollow Rock was very nice, with some interesting clouds to spice things up. The real treat, though, was finding two small ice caves to photograph. This particular image is of the second ice cave that I found, and when I stuck my head into this little cave I couldn't believe the view I found with Hollow Rock visible through the hole. It was as though mother nature had tailor-made this ice formation for a curious photographer to stumble upon. There wasn't much room to work inside the cave to get this image. It required crawling into the cave head-first on my stomach then propping my elbows on the rocky ground to brace the camera for this shot. There was no room at this angle to use my tripod. I shot this hand-held with my Canon EF 17-40mm lens, shutter speed 1/60, aperture f16, ISO 200.

CIC Opening

The Climbing Information Center is now OPEN! Please feel free to come on by and say hello--We've spent the past couple of days de-shuttering the windows, digging out pathways,and just generallyshining the place up. The entrance is somewhat hidden due to huge walls of snow, but if you walk toward the Paradies Inn you should see the plowed path to our front door.





We'll be open this weekend from 8AM to 3 PM Saturday and Sunday . The CICwill be closed during the week--and willopen full time (6 AM to 3PM, 7 days a week)for the season on May 12. Feel free to stop by or give us a call with questions--360.569.6641.




All climbers must register in the CIC if going above 10,000 feet during the hours we're open, otherwise look for the self registration boxin the Old Station. Don't forget to check out from your climb.

Walkin' the Land of my Ancestors

With clear skies and 80 degree temps (in October, no less!) I just couldn't stay indoors today. The Crooked Lake Nature Preserve lies mostly in Whitley County on the Noble-Whitley county line about half a mile west of State Road 9.

The southern area, which I explored today, is the Lawrence Bishop Memorial Addition and is located on the south side of Little Crooked Lake, off of County Road 600N. This southern area borders the land where my 3rd great grandparents, Jacob and Malissa (Stem) Wise lived. And where her parents, Conrad and Indiana (Sisley) Stem lived on a neighboring farm.

Below is a portion of the 1889 Plat Map of Thorncreek Township, Whitley County. It shows that M. A. Scott (Malissa Ann, married Jacob Scott in 1876) owned 106 acres of land in Section 3 on the south side of Crooked Lake. This land had been purchased by Jacob Wise in August 1849. To the east of the Scott property was C. Stem, who owned 32.5 acres. Conrad had purchased 152 acres (most of that southeast quarter) in December 1853. Nowadays, the majority of their lands have been subdivided into 2-5 acre lots, several are still available for purchase. Some of the houses being built are ridiculously large, especially in light of the current economic situation.

The map below is from the Indiana DNR (Department of Natural Resources). The outlined area encompasses the Crooked Lake Nature Preserve. As always, click on the images to see a larger version. The dotted line on the right is State Road 9 and the dotted line along the bottom is County Road 600N.

A mowed path meanders along the south and east sides of the meadow. It enters the woods on the north side, weaving in and out several times before emerging into the meadow once again on the west side. This first view is looking to the northeast (from the west side of the trail).

Cut flowers

My gardening group was approached with a project: to grow cut flowers for Hospice.

At heart, I'm a fairly practical person. Whenever I take a personality test, the results always come back the same: Logical. A realist. Pragmatic. A huge skeptic. So why I tend to have such grandiose visions in the planning stages of all my own projects, I have no idea.

I really needn't have worried how many times a week I'd have to drive to town to deliver the multitude of stems I'd be producing. (A boundless bounty of beauteous bouquets, I was sure!)

Oh, the hours I spent, researching the intricacies of each possibility. Was it a good cut flower? (Did the bloom last?) Could I grow it from direct seeding? Did it fare well in the south? Did blooms emerge within a reasonable time frame? Did googling the botanical name produce pictures that looked even remotely like the glossy catalog photos?

Finally I had my list, and ordered 15 varieties that seemed the most promising. We were late planting everything this year, but since we have such a long growing season that's not a problem.

Apparently though, the only thing I can grow is Zinnias. And a sunflower or two.

Technically I did have one California poppy. And there are some African daisies and Cosmos plants that have lots of foliage on them, if no blossoms yet. But mainly, just Zinnias.

Creekworld

Creekworld, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

It happens every year...

A storm comes in that drops a huge amount of rain a very short period of time...which causes local waterfalls to burst into torrents. This cascade is located in a rugged canyon in Las Trampas Regional Park.

Oh, if you ever visit this cascade, be sure to look for the elves that live amongst the mossy boulders...

;)

The moss in this area is really amazing...definitely something out of a fairy tale.

Sunflower Silhouette

A tall 'Mammoth Russian' sunflower from the past summer.

Porkypine Canyon

On this day we decided to go to a place we hadn't been to for about five years, Porkypine Canyon, or that is what we call it as the first time we went there we saw a porkypine. This was about 25 years ago. Porkypine was wattling along down the road but when it saw us it went up into the rocks. I don't think it was the rocks I took so many photos of this day but a simular bunch that I didn't get a photo of. I really like this jumble of rocks with an almost square rock sticking up like a giant childs lego block. It was squared off so well it looked like it had been done by a giant machine. We didn't find any porkpines this day but did see a lot of fresh deer and elk tracks.

The Amazing Bloomin' Cactus

This Christmas Cactus was given to me six years ago when it was about 6 inches high. Now it is 24 inches across and the highest branch is 15 inches high; the pot is 7 inches high. The first half dozen flowers bloomed last weekend. I counted 20 full blooms, 6 more ready to bloom, 10 medium sized buds and more than 50 small buds just coming on. It is incredibly beautiful, the pictures in no way do it justice but I just had to share. The most blooms that have ever been on it at the same time has been six. Has anyone ever seen a Christmas Cactus with so many flowers?

Packed

"If your bike has couplers, or if you have a spendy bike case, or if you pay a shop to pack your bike, or if you have a folding bike, shipping a bike is still a pain in the ass for everyone involved."

That is what one of the wisest blog posts of all time has to say about mailing bikes, and I am sure they would apply the same to travel. Based on the stories I've heard about traveling with bicycles, it certainly seems to be more often a pain than not.


So I am going abroad again, and this time I'm taking a bike along. Never done this before and I'm getting really nervous! It almost feels as if I am doing something illegal by putting a bicycle in a suitcase. "Can I get away with it?" I find myself thinking as I glance over my shoulder furtively.




Well, I guess I am about to find out for myself how much of a pain it really is. Will write about it once I cross the Atlantic!

Fire in the Sky

Horsethief Lake, Columbia Hills State Park, Wishram, WashingtonSeptember 20, ..

The Dunes in the Morning

Wednesday, May 11th - - The temperature didn't get as low as I had feared it might but it was a blustery 40 degrees when I awoke at 6:30 this morning and saw heavy clouds hovering over the area. The forecast was for a 60% chance of rain. With the cold and gloomy prospects for the weather, I decided to move on with the hope that one day I will return. Off in the far distance, to the southwest in the valley beyond The Dunes, there was sunshine. Some scattered clouds too, but not like the gray clouds overhead.





The Dunes are held captive by the Sangre de Christo Mountains. The campground is to the right of where the dunes drop off (just right of the center of the photo). The sun was coming over the mountain on the right and maybe it would have burned off the clouds and fog, but then again maybe not.





The sun came through the clouds briefly on my way out of the park. I love how the light moves over The Dunes.





A closer look, half in light and half in shadow.



The shape of The Dunes mimic the peaks of the mountains behind them.



To my amazement and delight, this image brings it all together... the light, The Dunes, the mountains, the clouds, the moment. There for an instant. Then it was gone. I stood in awe as the sun rolled over the dunes. It was incredible to watch.

Mesclun Mix

The mesclun I planted a long time ago finally seems to be growing.

Camp Muir and Paradise

The mountain theme last weekend was snow... and lots of it. Here is an image of Little Tahoma taken by Joe Puryear on Saturday at Camp Muir when the weather cleared. The photo below, however, better represents the weather conditions.

A few teams took a stab at the Disappointment Cleaver, but all turned back over avalanche concerns. The lower portion of the cleaver has a history avalanche, and there were plenty of unique layers in the snowpack to draw some concern from both guides and climbing rangers. Over the past few weeks, the mountain has received at least a two feet of new snow. In many places, there is more due to wind transport. Joe will post some route images and conditions tomorrow.

One quick tip: the Muir Snowfield is in EXCELLENT shape for skiing/boarding, especially now that the wet weather has backed off for a few days.

PARADISE CONSTRUCTION

This weekend, some climbers experienced a few issues regarding construction at Paradise. Most of the upper parking lot is fenced off, which greatly limits the number of parking spaces. On Saturday and Sunday, the parking lots filled REALLY early. We strongly suggest that you arrive early if you want to find parking close the Jackson Visitor Center.

When the Paradise Picnic area melts out, all people planning to park overnight will need to park there. We'll provide more information on the Paradise situation when we have some maps and more to share. Stay tuned...

The best money you can spend in the mountains.....

"To evolve, you must stay involved" Glen Plake





It is easy to get complacent and lazy. It is much harder, having and keeping a beginner's mind, the mind of a student. I have a hard time doing that myself. And it takes me a concerted effort to get there.



Couple of reasons for that. While I am curious I am not a very good student. I'm demanding and stubborn and head strong. And I don't listen well. I have to work at it. It might takecold hard cashto get me to listen at times. My cash! Worse yet I am not generally willing to do anything new. As in a new sport. The sports I do now I have been doing for several decades. Andin my own mind I am at least fair at them. It has taken a good bit of practice after all.I haven't done many...so I have worked hard at getting proficient at what I do enjoy. But truth is I aways want to get better.I've worked as ateacher enough to recognise hard case students like myself. It aint pretty. Wish it were different but it is not. A lot of ego wrapped up in all that.



So for me to want to learn something new, I need a harsh reminder that I don't know everythingall already :)



A good physical trashing ( or falling even once a day on skiis will do it) generally gets me off the dime and rethinking what I am doing and how I might do it better. But putting myself in the position of astudent, and with a beginners' mind is really hard for me. And when I do, I expect...usually demand, a lot. As I said, I'm a tough student.













This weekend is our local skimo festival. It is called Vertfest and has been held at Apental ski area for the last few years. It is a great venue that hasn't yet really seen its true potential. There is a lot of industry support from many manufactures like, Outdoor Research, Dynafit and La Sportiva among others.A full setof demo skis and boots. That has to be fun!








"Precious"@ The La Sportiva tent :)








The Vertfest race was a a great course of either one lap (for 2250' gain) or two laps (for 4100' of gain). My friend JasonDorais of SLC laid down his two laps before I had done my first one. Time I heard was around 1:15. Which is smoking! Even though I am not really sure Jasonthought it was even a decent work out. Others did;) Have yet to actually see results (shame on you VertFest guys!) But the ladies winner was no slouch either. Sorry,I don't have her name just a pretty picture :) If someone can pass it along that would be great.






Jason Dorais, the Men's winner on Scarpa and Trab









Theobviously happy, Juya Ghanaie,Ladies OA winner!

She also finishedbefore I got one lap done!



Congrads to both!!





10 minutes prior to the start





At this point the pack has broken up and we are gettin strung out.










As good as the skimo race is at Alpental, it is the demos and the following Sunday of clinics that is the real high point of Vertfest IMO.



For just under $100 plus the lift ticket, I was able to do two clinics on Sunday.






Not that steep, but there is a lot of ski base showing...so steep enough.

Alpental has a lot of steep terrain in bounds.






The first was an excellent " Steep Skiing" taught by Martin Volken of Pro Guide Service with input by Tim Petrick, currently working forK2. But a legend atPSIA and the US Nat. Demo Team






Martin Volken, photo courtesy Andy Dappen




Alpental offers some steep terrain. We generally had good snow and I learned a few things and was reminded of a few others. You had to work for a living in this clinic. And be a little careful as well with the crusty conditions and the ice the previous day under a foot of new snow. Well worth the effort. If you ever get the chance this is a "must do" with Martin.It was a brilliant bit of instruction and perfect demo of the skill set required to ski steep terrain. Martin didn't miss the chance to remind us that this kind of terrain wasn't "normal skiing with a full pack in the mountains". You need to be careful in the back country, out of bounds and inside a ski areas like Alpental. All good reminders, imo.



http://www.proguiding.com/



http://amga.com/about/i_mvolken.php



http://www.gearinstitute.com/gear-news/industry-news/item/ski-industry-icon-tim-petrick-returns-to-k2



http://psia-w.org/alpine/psia-western-alpine-demonstration-team/











Olivia Race, photo courtesy of the LAS web site




The afternoon was taken up by my second, 3 hr. clinic. This one, Sponsored by La Sportiva, was unassumingly labeled, "Intermediate Techniques to Improve Efficiency for Backcountry Skiing".

Ialways aspire to be more efficient! How could I loose? It was taught by Olivia Race from the Northwest Mountain School. I have to say Olivia's class was really fun. Low stress compared to the terrain Martin and Tim had us skiing.I had no idea what to expect on this one and Olivia's obvious skill shonebrightly in the three hours of instruction. I have always said climbing (and skiing) is a thinking man's (or woman's) game. Olivia reminded me of just how true that really is, again. My brain almost hurt with just 45 minutes of her one on one tutelage. But I didn't realise it until I was done and anotherof my fellow studentscame under her critical eye and gentle instruction style. While I mindlessly followed along happy for the mental break. That hasn't happened in a long while. Again,brilliant. Learning new things is hard work for me ;)



http://www.mountainschool.com/



http://www.sportiva.com/ambassadors/athletes/skiing/olivia-race



Anyone that knows me (or has read reviews here) should know that I don't offer compliments often or easily. And I am pretty picky on who I will go out tothe mountains with out reservation. I was lucky enough to meet three this weekend that I would add to that list any time.



No question, the best $100 I've spent on "gear" in a long, long time.





Hire a qualified Guide or Instructor and speed up your own learning curve! That can include climbing or skiing and any part of eithersport depending on what you are looking to improve.