Merry Christmas!!!

To the readers of Tumbleweed Crossing.
May you have Joy in your Heart, Pease in your Soul, and Happiness, and Freedom forever. From the Desert Windwriter of Tumbleweed Crossing

Texas Hold 'Em

Daryl and Diana arrived last night, and we have enjoyed spending time with them today. We played a bit of pickleball, some of us went out on the boat and Nathan and Austin tried to make some money for us.

Karen and Tom hosted some poker fun. Tracy and Jim joined in the fun too. Tom had a great streak of luck from what I hear. Nathan came in second and Austin came in third. I think Jim might have been there for the food.

I would have went for the food! Well, really I would have went for the company. I didn't go though because Diana and I were walking around the campground in order to take some pictures.

It was a good day!

The Wolfman panel and Muley Point

Since we had been doing a lot of hiking every day up to this pointwe figured we should take a "rest day", so that's what we did today. We only did a couple of very short walks today but still saw some incredible sights! We were heading into the Cedar Mesa region of southeastern Utah which has quite a few locations of Indian ruins and rock art. Our plan for the day was to check out a couple of areas that were supposed to have some interesting petroglyphs, then work our way up towards Natural Bridges National Monument. Our first stop of the day was what is known as the "Wolfman" panel in Butler Wash not far from the community of Mexican Hat. It was less than a half-mile walk to see the panel, and it was fascinating indeed. On the side of the cliff near the bottom of the wash was a very nice series of images carved into the rock. It is always fun to sit and contemplate these images and what they may have meant to the people that carved them.





































After our visit to the Wolfman panel we headed for a road known as the "Moki Dugway", which is sort of a shortcut road between Mexican Hat and Natural Bridges National Monument. As you head towards the Moki Dugway from the valley, the road is paved but as you approach the base of Cedar Mesa the road turns to gravel and gets very narrow, then it starts to climb. The Dugway is a gravel road with a series of steep inclines and 180 degree switchbacks as it ascends 1,200 feet to the top of Cedar Mesa. At the top of the dugway a 5 mile dirt road goes through BLM land to an overlook known as Muley Point. The overlook has very dramatic views south over the twisting, entrenched canyons of the San Juan River and to the desert beyond. You can even see part of Monument Valley far off in the distance. We took in the views for a while then decided to head further up the mesa. Our plan was to camp at Natural Bridges, but as we drove towards the monument it started to snow and the temperature dropped from the mid 50's to the mid 30's. We didn't want to have a miserable wet and cold camping experience so we instead headed for the town of Blanding where we stayed at the Super 8. This turned out to be a nice treat because they also had a hot tub and for the second night in a row we were able to relax in the soothing waters of a whirlpool :-)

Birthday Buddies

Today is my sister's birthday. Teresa Jane Wiseman Ratcliff Plybon would have been 55 years old today. Born in 1954, she passed away not quite two years ago. The picture, above, of Terry and Grandma was taken in early summer, 1955.

My Dad was born in 1924, on January 29th. He passed away on December 18, 1995. The picture below was taken during the 1990 reunion of the 11th Airborne.

Birthdays seem to run in pairs in my immediate family. One of my nephews was born on my Mom's birthday in May (he was her first grandchild). One of my nieces and I were born in February, a few days (and, obviously, years) apart. My older brother and one of his sons, as well an uncle (by marriage) were born within three days of each other in March. His twin boys were born on the last day of March.

Another nephew was born just a day after my younger brother, during the first week of July. My brother's birthday was the one that we all celebrated when we were young, with a party and everything! After all, it was in the summer and close to the 4th. A great excuse for a family get-together. His son was born the last week of June. His daughter was born in September as was my other niece.

Unhappy Cat

I was trying to take some photos of the cats and dogs with a Christmas hat on so I could add to Christmas cards this year. Murphy did not like the idea and kept insisting he was a Halloween Cat rather than a Christmas cat.

Horse Books

Raising Rainbow let a comment about horse books and I haven't even mentioned them yet. I have lots of horse books from a Roy Rodgers book and a Lone Ranger book for small children to The Black Stallion series of which I was a member of the Black Stallion Club to dozens of other teenage horse books both fiction and non fiction. Now I have expanded my horse books since I got my real books with a lot of books about how to care, and train horses, plus some on horse breeds and a couple that are photo books on horses. Anything that concerned horses in any way has gone into my horse collection.

Jemez Red Rocks

Fuel for the Soul

The first of the iris started coming out of their 'cocoons' late yesterday afternoon and this morning two of them were in full bloom. They are one of my favorite flowers, so delicate and a bit whimsical. Though pretty they have no scent. They are also not the easiest flower to photograph. There are so many aspects to them and the color changes a little depending upon the light.




I cut one Iris and took it inside to get a full view of it. From the petals tip-to-tip the flower is a little over 8" across. Several of the plants are "twins" with two blooms at the top of the stalk. There are 12 plants and most of them have 3 to 4 blooms coming on. Absolutely Gorgeous! flowers to feed the soul...

California:: Jalama Beach County Park

I got a late start when leaving Morro Bay on March 29th and I only went about 100 miles south. Driving along California Highway 1 near Lompoc, in Santa Barbara County, I noticed a sign for Jalama Beach County Park. It had a campground and I needed a place to stay for the night.

It was somewhat challenging to get to. The sign showed that it was 14 miles down a county road. Wow! What a drive. Talk about a winding road and hilly! After about the first two miles I was ready to turn back, but there was no place to safely turn around, so I continued on. It was definitely worth the drive though...

It was a rocky, sandy beach.

Late afternoon and the fog started rolling in toward the shore.

I had forgotten that there was a railroad along the coast. This bridge was on the north side of the campground. Several passenger trains came through while I was there.

It was extremely windy that day. The two fellows in the background are kite surfing. It was amazing how they jumped the waves and moved in and out along the shore.

They did occasionally fall off their boards, but quickly retrieved them and went back out for more.

Heavy fog was on its way and the kite surfers were still having fun. So am I.

Smile for the Camera, 3rd Edition

footnoteMaven has posted the 3rd edition Smile for the Camera whose topic this time is "Celebrate Home" over at Shades of the Departed. Interesting stories and pictures were contributed which capture the essence of "Home." I'm sure you'll enjoy them, I know I did.

And, the topic for the next edition of Smile for the Camera is "My Favorite Photograph": "Choose a photograph of an ancestor, relative, yourself, or an orphan photograph that is your favorite family photo or that photograph you've collected and wouldn't give up for a King's ransom."

Read more about the topic and find out how you can participate (scroll to the bottom of this post) where you will also find links to the two previous carnivals.

Oh boy, this one is going to be a challenge for me... I don't know how I'm going to pick "just one" favorite!

Images courtesy of footnoteMaven.

Peruse our Virtual Album and Tickle Your Funny Bone!

Welcome to the 6th Edition of Smile For The Camera ~ A Carnival of Images!

Show us that picture that never fails to bring a smile to your face! An amusing incident, a funny face, an unusual situation. Choose a photograph of an ancestor, relative, yourself, or an orphan photograph that tickles your Funny Bone. . .

A big Thank You goes out to everyone who participated in this edition of Smile for the Camera, there were 29 posts by 28 contributors. As you peruse the pages of our virtual photo album, I am sure you will find more than a few pictures that will tickle your funny bone!

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Leading us off today is Midge Frazel of Granite in My Blood. She reminds us to "Never forget that your parents were once young, crazy and impulsive; even if they are gone, laughter about them will endure forever." Good advice, indeed. Her contribution to the carnival is My Parents Tickle My Funny Bone and it's likely to tickle yours too!

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Amanda Erickson presents Photo of my grandfather having fun posted at Random Ramblings. Two pretty girls and a "drunken" young man. Is it for real, or just pretend? Amanda's grandfather reveals the truth.

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Sheri Fenley, The Educated Genealogist, provides a "word picture" of her "Mummy Dahling" as "a lovely woman, a little uptight, a lot of prim and proper" but does that really describe Sheri's mother? Seems there is a funny side to her mother too, as shown in It Must be Genetic.

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Linda Stienstra, blogging at From Axer to Ziegler, presents some recent family pictures in These Just Tickle my Funny Bone!. A happy, laughing family with a little guy whose laughter is contagious and another of a couple of goofballs! When I viewed Linda's second contribution, Wouldn't this make you laugh out loud? I did, laugh out loud that is.

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Normally, you wouldn't think that a picture taken of a man in the hospital would be funny, but Elyse Doerflinger shows us that it can be with Hilarious Pictures Of My Family posted at Elyse's Genealogy Blog. Be sure you find out what he's reading!

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Wendy Littrell gives us "Scream" for the Camera posted at All My Branches Genealogy. Wendy says "Yes, we are a bunch of sick individuals! This picture shows just how twisted we are." Well, it is Halloween after all.

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Jasia, the lady with the Creative Gene has some new-found cousins with a sense of humor. And it shows in It Tickles My Funny Bone..., which is also a very nice tribute to a WWII Navy veteran.

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At I Dream of Genea(logy), Amir Dekel presents us with a photograph of his paternal grandfather that shows "an amazing blend of extreme happiness, some sadness, pain and sheer terror". And given the circumstances, I agree! You'll find it posted at I Dream of Genea(logy): Smile for the Camera.

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T.K. asks "The funny bone is in the ear? Who knew?" Check out Tickle! posted at Before My Time. A wonderful, amusing portrait of mother and son!

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Colleen M. Johnson presents Pouty Laughs posted at CMJ Office Blog. Colleen has a right hook that had her grandfather laughing. And a second photo has Colleen admitting that "Pouty faces tickle my funny bone."

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Summer is officially over and autumn has set in. Where has the summer gone? Miss Jocelyn presents her Summer '08 Memoirs posted at A Pondering Heart that will have her smiling with remembrances for a long time.

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Bob Franks presents Yawning for the Camera? posted at Itawamba History Review: The Itawamba Historical Society. Bob says "From the first time I saw it many years ago, this photo has always brought a smile to my face. To me, it looks as if the subject was caught yawning the moment the photographer captured the image with the camera."

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Julie Cahill Tarr recently went antiquing and rescued some orphan photos. One in particular, Funny, Ha-Ha posted at GenBlog, made her chuckle. Their expressions are priceless.

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Terry Thornton, of Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi, presents A photographic essay of an orphan --- a visitor at Christmas. He says, "A few years ago, Sweetie and I "adopted" an orphan. During the few weeks the orphan was at our house, he took over our household. He was out of control --- and in need of a Ten Step Plan for rehabilitation. We sent him on his way and our household returned to normal --- what a relief. All we have left of that time are these photographs."

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One picture says it all! Donna Pointkouski combines all of the suggestions given in the prompt for this edition: "an amusing incident, some funny faces, an unusual situation" in her contribution My Father, the Comedienne posted at What's Past is Prologue.

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With My Dad, the Birthday Boy - But on a Horse?? posted at Attala County Memories, Janice Tracy wonders was a horse, a car, a tractor, and a wagon pulled by a goat all “accepted” as normal places for photographing children “way back when"?

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"Is this your grandma? Let's see, height, about 6'4", clean shaven, broad of shoulder... hmmmm..." Well, Sheri Bush says that Kind Of A Drag . . . posted at TwigTalk is an orphan photo but I wonder if she is just embarrassed to claim it as one of her family?

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Melody Lassalle presents Look! It's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! posted at The Research Journal. Melody says " I can’t help but look at that fake city background, then the car, and laugh."

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With The Chart Chick: The smile on a little girl's face. posted at The Chart Chick, Janet Hovorka, shows us several of her mother's favorite pastimes, well, maybe one isn't quite so much a favorite.

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John Newmark presents Smile For the Camera: Funny Bone posted at TransylvanianDutch. A grandmother who hides behind a large pair of sunglasses and a grandfather who prepares to dive into the water - aren't candid photos the best?

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Msteri River says "This family line is full of silliness!" and you can see the truth of that statement in It Tickles My Funny Bone posted at Heritage Happens.

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Carol presents 6th Edition Smile For The Camera - Funny Bone posted at iPentimento In Your Reader. She says, "I can’t say this picture necessarily makes me laugh, but it does make me smile :)"

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M. Diane Rogers, blogging at CanadaGenealogy, or, 'Jane's Your Aunt' says " Here's a family photo that always makes me smile!" Funny Bone - Smile for the Camera.

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At Taylorstales-Genealogy, Pam Taylor authoritatively states Laughter really is the best medicine! and gives a short, loving tribute to "two people who loved to share a smile and a laugh."

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Randy Seaver presents Family Photographs - Post 26: The Kids posted at Genea-Musings. According to Randy, "Children always make me smile, and laugh, and appreciate the gift of unconditional love between parent and child, and grandparent and grandchild too. These are my favorite people in the world."

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Over at Destination: Austin Family, Thomas MacEntee wonders if it is Funny, Embarrassing or a Cruel Joke? What? You ask? I'll just say it involves a cake and a 13-year old girl on a special day.

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footnoteMaven shares a special photo of Mr. Denver Colorado posted at footnoteMaven. There's more to the tale than a tall hat!

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And, rounding out this edition of Smile For The Camera, is my contribution Funny face, I love you! posted right here at kinexxions.

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The word prompt for the 7th Edition of Smile For The Camera is Oh, Baby! Show us those wonderful family photographs of babies, or those you've collected. Share the ones that are too cute for words, or those only a mother could love. Your favorite of grandma or grandmas' favorite. Grandpa on a bear skin rug or grandpas' little love. Everyone has a baby photo, so let's see it!

Choose a photograph of an ancestor, relative, yourself, or an orphan photograph that is the epitome of Oh, Baby! and bring it to the carnival. Admission is free with every photograph!

Your submission may include as many or as few words as you feel are necessary to describe your treasured photograph. Those words may be in the form of an expressive comment, a quote, a journal entry, a poem (your own or a favorite), a scrapbook page, or a heartfelt article. The choice is yours!

Deadline for submission is midnight (PT) November 10, ...

There are two options for submitting your contribution:

1. Send an email to the host, footnoteMaven. Include the title and permalink URL of the post you are submitting, and the name of your blog. Put 'Smile For The Camera' clearly in the title of your email!
2. Use the handy submission form provided by Blog Carnival.

Sherpas, some random thoughts and "Sherpa Adventure Gear"...

Photo courtesy of Mtn. of Travel web site

http://www.mountainsoftravelphotos.com/Makalu/Main.html

In the spring of 1977 John Roskelly and I left Spokane WA to attempt the West Pillarof Makalu with the first permission for a two person attempton a Nepalese 8K meter peak. Luckily for both of us in retrospect, John became severely ill on the walk in and our trip ended as a complete failure, still days from the mountain.



A 4 person Spokane team, againincluding John, returned to Makalu in 1980. John summitted alone on that trip butwith thesupport of ourfriends Jim States, Chris Kopczyski and Kim Momb. Theclimb was madewithout Sherpa support.



But John's and my short walk was a life changing event for me.



I had just started guiding in the NW a few years earlier and knew some of the the hazards even small peaks offer. The size, elevation and remoteness of the big Himalayan peaks was truly awe inspiring in 1977 and continue to be so now.



I was not comfortable in 1977 even paying porters to carry my gear into the mountains. I could not in good conscious ask anyone to climb a mountain with me simply for a salary. Even if that was likely the only salary available. I did notlike the economic realitiesof the relationship and did not want to be a part of it.



I have no clue how it is now but there was a pretty stark difference between the standard of living we enjoyedin the USA and the gear we would use compared to what the standard of living was in Nepal and the gear (which would be part of their salary)we would offer our porters or climbing Sherpas. I have not gone back to climb inNepal but even in 1977 I was uncomfortable asking anyone else to risk their life to come out and "play with me".



Enter Joe Puryear decades later. I admired Joe's Alaska climbs and we exchanged a few emails on routes he had done there. (there were few he hadn't) Joe was always gracious and gave freely of his time to complete strangers like myself.





Photo courtesy of Joe Puryear http://www.joepuryearimages.com/

You couldn't help but also notice on Joe's web site his climbing in Nepal and his obviousinvolvement in the Sherpa community.



http://climbnepal.blogspot.com/



I am sure there were othersprevioustoJoe's and David's tripsdoing something similar but they certainly inspired me by their actions. Theyseemed tobe involved in Nepal and the people not just just taking advantage of situation economically and getting to "climb on some one else's back".I liked what I saw and admired them for it.



If you look at Joe's web pages one of his sponsors isa company called Sherpa Adventure Gear.



http://www.sherpaadventuregear.com/index.php



To be honest until yesterday I thought Sherpa Adventure Gear was a small company, based in Nepal.Likely Kathmandu, and making the odd pieceof funky wool bits. Joe's trade mark hats for example :) I figured Joe was just supporting a local cause for the best of reasons. Nothing could have been fartherfrom the truthon the "funky wool bits". But I have no doubt Joe was "supporting a good cause for the best of reasons", just as Sherpa Adventure Gear was supporting Joe's avocation. By all accounts it wasa close and supportive relationship fromboth sides.



Here is the company line:



"Sherpa Adventure Gear was inspired by the many unsung Sherpa heroes of Everest. From the start, our goal has been to create outstanding outdoor clothing and gear you can depend on. But more than this, we want to show you a glimpse of the Sherpa culture and way of life. And at the same time support our Sherpa community back home. Whether you are looking for gear on your next adventure, or just want to learn more about the Sherpa people, you can discover all this in our website."



Tashi Sherpa

Founder and President



More here:

http://www.sherpaadventuregear.com/aboutus.php



Surprisingly Sherpa Adventure Gear is actually based in Renton Wa. Owned and staffed by Sherpa family members for the most part. But make no mistake this isn't a simple"mom and pop" operation. They have a national and international dealer network as well as several successful retail stores in Nepal. Sherpa Adventure Gear isserious player in active outdoor wear world wide. The majority of their products are sewn in Nepal with a smaller percentage in China at the moment. Mr. Tashi Sherpa and his immediate family are the driving force here and in Nepal.



As a small manufacture myself I have begun to look at what I make, how that effects others, the productsusefullife spanand how my products arerecycled.



It makes me more aware of what others are doing in their own communities and why.



The climbing community, especially the alpine climbing community is very small. And it hasn't changed much in the decadesI have been involved with it.. We are in fact a large family. Death is a fact in alpine climbing. Joe Puryear'sdeath last year effected many climbers, locally and Internationally. It will happen again...and again. It is part of our game.



This is a hard blog to write. Too many serious issues that most (including myself) would rather ignore. So I'll stop there.



I wouldn't have brought up Sherpa Adventure Gear here if I didn't think they were making some incredible products for hard alpine climbing, no matter what their politics were. But their politics stood out to me. I was introduced to the company yesterday and bought a couple of their pieces for my own use that I will review in the blog. Just wanted to give a heads up for a business and business model I admire in many ways.



"Namiste"

Myths About the Mixte

With the Renaissance of the Mixte still going strong this year, I find myself in frequent discussions over its benefits and drawbacks. And inevitably, I catch myself over-stressing the drawbacks - but it's only because I want to make sure that those who dream of mixtes look at them realistically and not through rose-coloured glasses. There's this idea that the mixte is the perfect do-everything bike, because it can be used both as a roadbike and as a city bike - but I do not entirely agree. So here are some "myths" about the mixte, which I would like to supplement with a more realistic set of expectations:

1. The mixte is a roadbike and a transportation bike in one



In theory yes, in practice not really. The typical mixte frame has roadbike geometry, combined with a lower step-over height than a diamond frame bike. The road geometry is what makes it light, fast, and suitable for being set up as a roadbike. The lower stepover is what makes mounting and dismounting easier, thus making it suitable for transportation.



But while the mixte frame design may work as a roadbike or a transportation bike, you can't actually set it up as both simultaneously. If you set up your mixte with upright handlebars, it will be faster than a heavy, upright city bike, but it will not perform like a roadbike with drop bars. On the other hand, if you set it up with drop bars it may perform like a roadbike, but the positioning will be too aggressive for a city bike. The mixte frame construction has the potential to be either, but you still have to choose.



2. The mixte is easy to mount and dismount



That depends on where you are coming from. If you are used to diamond frame bicycles, then yes it is easier: On a mixte, you don't need to swing your leg around the back, but can lean the bike toward you and step over. However, if you are used to step-through and loop frame bicycles, the mixte may disappoint you. On step-through and loop frames, the top tube is low enough to just freely walk through. The mixte's stepover is considerably higher and requires leaning the bike toward you, then bending your leg at the knee in order to get your foot over. The construction also does not allow you to hop off the bike sideways as you're coming to a stop, as some get accustomed to doing on a step-through.



For comparison: The standover height on my Gazelle loop frame is 18.5", whereas the standover height on my Royal H. mixte is 24" - a substantial difference. Some find the mixte standover to be too high for the easy on-off they seek in a transportation bike.



3. The Mixte is Comfortable



Don't count on it. I've discussed this in an earlier post about buying a vintage mixte, but I still get lots of "I got this nice townie bike, but it's so uncomfortable!" emails, so I wanted to bring it up again. Mixte bicycles look cute and so we tend to assume they are easy to ride. But most of them are essentially roadbikes with upright handlebars, and road geometry does not make for the most relaxed and comfortable ride. Roadbike geometry also presents logistical problems, such as short chainstays making it more difficult to carry panniers, and toe overlap making tight turns trickier.



It is not impossible to find a comfortable mixte. If you're buying vintage, look for one that is a touring and not a road model, and is made of cro-moly steel. If you're buying new, I know that the Rivendell Betty Foy is a comfortable bike, and I've heard good things about the Soma Buena Vista's ride quality as well. And then of course there is the custom route, where the framebuilder can ensure that comfort is a priority. But there is nothing about the mixte design that is inherently comfortable; you will need to put some time into research and test rides.



I hope that all of this does not come across as overly negative. Having gotten one custom made, I am obviously a fan of mixtes. But I do think that it helps to have a realistic understanding of what sort of bicycle a mixte is - which includes not only knowing its benefits, but also its limitations. If you are a mixte owner, what make and model do you ride? how have you set it up? do you use it for transportation or recreationally? and what benefits and drawbacks would you say it has?