To let go is not to cut myself off; it’s realizing I can’t control another.
To let go is not to enable but to allow learning from natural consequences.
To let go is not to try to change or blame another; it’s to make the most of myself.
To let go is not to care FOR but to care ABOUT.
To let go is not to FIX but to be SUPPORTIVE.
To let go is not to judge others but to love them anyway.
To let go is not to DENY but to ACCEPT.
To let go is not to point out others’ faults but consider my own.
To let go is not to criticize others but just be the best I can be.
To let go is not to regret the past but to thankfully live for the future.
(Why this particular post today? It is the start of a new year and we all know there will be obstacles to over come so we must “let go” and be thankfully positive.)
The motor vessel Kalakala was a ferry that operated on Puget Sound from 1935 until her retirement in 1967. The MV Kalakala was notable for her unique streamlined superstructure, art deco styling and luxurious amenities. The vessel was a popular attraction for locals and tourists and was voted second only to the Space Needle in popularity among visitors to Seattle during the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair.
After retiring from passenger service in 1967, the ship was beached in Kodiak, Alaska, and converted into a shrimp cannery. In 1998, the ship was refloated and towed to Puget Sound with the owner hoping to restore the ship. During this time, the ship continued to deteriorate, with the Coast Guard decaling the ship a hazard to avigation in 2011. Unable to raise the funds required for restoration, the ship was scrapped in 2015.
The book, Weird Washington, explains the story and history of this once proud ferry boat……. that many of you might remember traveling aboard. Members of the Advanced Ghost Hunters of Seattle & Tacoma were most interested in the ship and the possibility that it might be haunted. Several members were aboard when she was towed from Alaska back to Puget Sound in 1998 and felt certain they documented “ghostly manifestations.” So goes another story of Washington’s history…..
(Big thanks to Wikipedia for the info and images.)
Who isn’t in line for FREE stuff? To those of EWGS members who have been in my genealogy classes in the past, haven’t I taught you “that if it’s free, take two?” 👵 Well, it’s true; everybody checks out “free stuff.” It’s human nature.Thomas MacEntee is the genius behind this website (www.genealogybargains.com) and the links at the top of his site are:
Home
Genealogy Webinars
FREE Genealogy Stuff
Store
Connect with me
Under the “FREE Genealogy Stuff,” Thomas (in his newsletter) mentions what’s free today or this month in the genealogy world. (Click to his website to sign up for his free newsletter.) Under the “Store” you’ll find over a dozen pages of cheat sheets or how-to sheets that he’s created and offers mostly for free …… but some are $1.99. By now (late in December) your “extra” spending money is running low, so having freebies offered to you right now is a December gift to you for sure! Enjoy.
When we see, hear or read “December 7th,” we likely immediately think of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. I thought you might like to learn of other events throughout history that also happened on December 7th:
1696 – Connecticut Rt 108, one of the oldest highways in America is completed to Trumbull
1732 – The Royal Opera House opens at Covent Garden, London, England
1787 – Delaware is the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution
1808 – James Madison elected 4th U.S. President
1842 – New York Philharmonic’s first concert
1868 – Jesse James gang robs bank in Gallatin, Missouri
1872 – HMS Challenger sets sail on 3 1/2 year world oceanographic cruise
1891 – the 52nd U.S. Congress was first to appropriate $1,000,000,000
1909 – Inventor patents Bakelite, sparking birth of the plastics industry
1912 – Bust of Queen Nefertiti found in El-Amarna, Egypt
1917 – The USA’s 42nd “Rainbow” Division arrives in France (with Col. Douglass MacArthur among its ranks)
1917 – U.S. becomes 13th country to declare war on Austria during WW I
1926 – Gas refrigerator patented
1937 – Dutch Minister Romme proclaims married women are forbidden to work
1937 – Red Sox acquire the contract of 19-year-old Ted Williams
1941 – Adolf Hitler issues first anti-Jewish proclamations
1967 – Otis Redding records “Sittin on the Dock of the Bay”
1972 – Apollo 17 launched; crew takes famous “blue marble” photo of Earth
1979 – Star Trek: The Motion Picture, first movie from the TV series
1992 – Galileo spacecraft passes the North Pole of the Moon; 1995 heads to Jupiter
2020 – Coca-Cola named the world’s No. 1 plastic polluter
2021 – Chile becomes the 31st nation to legalize same-sex marriage
There was a L-O-N-G list of events that happened on December 7th, in several categories. Ask Google to read the entire list….
This is, I’m 100%, a Christmas tree the likes of which you’ve never seen. This was a page in the L.L. Bean catalog, a clothing company based in Maine. And in case you cannot tell, it’s a tree built by stacking lobster traps!! Way cool and most unusual, no?Now for some December chuckles:
What do you call an elk that can sing & dance? ELFIS!
What do you get when you mix a Christmas tree with an iPad? A PINEAPPLE!
What is the Grinch’s least favorite band? THE WHO!
What goes Ho-Ho-Whoosh, Ho-Ho-Whoosh? SANTA CAUGHT IN A REVOLING DOOR!
What kind of photos do elves take? ELFIES!
Why was the snowman looking through the carrots? HE WAS PICKING HIS NOSE!
What did the reindeer sing to Santa on his birthday? FREEZE A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW!
Knock, knock. Who’s there. Dexter. Dexter who? DEXTER HALLS WITH BOUGHS OF HOLLY.
Yes, these are pretty cheesy but you laughed, didn’t you? Took me a minute to get the iPad one……….
What would December be without a blooming amaryllis? In any of their gorgeous colors, they are the quintessential December flower. Did you know that according to Greek mythology, the first amaryllis grew from the droplets of blood of the nymph Amaryllis, who was smitten with a handsome but aloof shepherd named Alteo. That beautiful flower helped win his heart. Well, now you know!
Here’s a tantilizer for you: How many “people” are you? Daughter – Child – Mother – Parent – Sister – Sibling – Wife – Spouse – Niece – Grandmother – Granddaughter – Aunt – Cousin – Great-grandmother – Mother-in-law – FRIEND …….. can you add something I missed? Could do the same thing for gentlemen.
The New England Historic Genealogical Society announced that they’re offering a Genealogists Handbook for Portuguese Research. There will be some folks delighted with that bit of news. (Click to www.AmericanAncestors.org)
Here’s how to fool people and make a new document look old: Create a sample on plain paper with black or dark brown pencil. Make a dark, strong tea and let it cool. Then put your paper in the tea and leave them there for 3 days. Squeeze and crush the papers daily. Finally, remove the paper from the tea and air dry in a surface where the tea will not stain. Why does this work? Tea contains tannin, a dark chemical that stains paper.
A funny from Chuckleberries, from the Huckleberry Press: A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to “honor thy father and mother,” she asked, “Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?” Without missing a beat, one little boy answered: “Thou shalt not kill.”
Want to expand your vocabulary? And impress your family and friends? Google this: “100 Totally Weird Words.” There you’ll learn about words like “argle-bargle” which means “copious but meaningless talk or writing.” Perhaps you would think this post was argle-bargle?
What IS the difference between these two “finding grave memorials” websites?
Both Billion Graves and Find-A-Grave do have similarities. Both websites have cemetery data.The biggest and main difference is that Billion Graves included the GPS coordinates which, they say, follows the Genealogical Proof Standard.
Billiongraves.com was begun in 2010 with the stated mission to provide accurate gravestone data with both images and GPS coordinates. To date, the website has millions of headstone images and they’re closing in on nearly two million records.
Find A Grave started in 1995 with the stated mission to post memorials, remembrances and virtual flowers first for celebrities and then for every-day people. They now exceed two million records.
As I see it today, the best thing for you to do to understand the differences is to click to both sites and click around, seeing what they offer and how the data offered. Pick a little cemetery that you know of and see if there are transcribed memorials for that cemetery.
Additionally, you can take your own grave marker photos and upload them to both sites, and you can assist with the indexing of the tombstone information.
Today’s Laugh: Many in the Northwest are elk hunters; I hope they and you get a laugh from this postcard. It reads “The morning after the last day of elk season. Idaho.” These delightful cards are the creation of Paul Stanton and produced by Clay Salzman. He offers a bunch of similar cards; click to www.duckboy.com. (He did give me permission to use this image.) The caption reads: “The morning AFTER the last day of elk season, Idaho.”
Remember getting catalogs from Genealogical Publishing Company (based in Baltmore, Maryland)? I sure do….. sometimes I did order a book but more often I made note of a book pertinent to my research and would look for it next time at a big library. Maybe you did that too? Well, GPC has morphed into My GPC Library and comes offering books to you in a brand new format: digitally. Click to www.genealogical.com to get all the info. But, bottom line, you’ll have access to 800 books for a yearly subscription of $135, or for six months for $75, or for three months for $45. (What a great idea for our long winter days, no?)
Before you read on, here’s a warm fuzzy for you from EWGS member Rosemary Braun. She has a granddaughter born when her parents were in South America, and was named Xochitl……. “so-CHEE.” The name is Mayan and means “beautiful flower.” Rosemary assures us that she loves her name.
Breakdown of the major categories:
Industry leading how to books and manuals – an unsurpassed collection of more than 140 of our best titles that you cannot find anywhere else
More than 375 genealogy books on colonial American families
Over 239 books on New England or Mayflower genealogy
Nearly 200 immigration titles covering Colonial America to about 1865
Native American guides and records
The best collection of titles on Royal and Noble genealogy
More than 90 titles on Irish and Scottish genealogy
Guidebooks for African American genealogy and records of families prior to 1870
This is one of the best non-fiction books I’ve read lately. It’s the story of “Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.”
College rowing had been a team sport since the early 1800s and began in New York. By 1900, many major colleges had rowing teams and the competition was fierce. I literally couldn’t put the book down as I learned about the history of this sport and the teams at the University of Washington in particular. I do recommend this as a worthwhile winter read for you all.
What I want to share with you today begins on page 122 and I both quote and paraphrase: “In one small corner of the country (Washington state), something large was beginning to stir that terribly hot summer….. early on August 4th (1936) …. folks from Seattle climbed into their automobiles and headed east. People in Spokane filled their picnic hampers and loaded them into their cars and headed west. By late morning, the roads were black with automobiles converging from all directions on one unlikely spot: Ephrata, a forlorn little town of 516 people, out in the desolate scablands, not far from the Columbia River and a 50-mile long canyon called the Grand Coulee.
“By midafternoon, 20,000 people had gathered behind a rope line in Ephrata. When Franklin D. Roosevelt appeared on the platform before them his cigarette holder angled jauntily upward, the crowd roared its welcome. Then Roosevelt began to speak, leaning forward on his podium, clutching it. In measured tones, but with rising emotion, he began laying out a vision of the benefits that the new Grand Coulee Dam would bring to this arid land in exchange for the $175 million public dollars it would cost……….”
Roosevelt then spoke of the many benefits and in closing said: “We are going to see, I believe, without own eyes, electricity and power made so cheap that they will become a standard article of use….for every house within the reach of an electrical transmission line.”
While it was not mentioned in this book, no doubt Roosevelt spoke to the thousands of “arid lane” that could be transformed into productive agricultural land.
I wasn’t there; you weren’t there, but with this author’s words, we can well imagine the day, the crowd and his welcome news.
We do tend to head straight to the “big” libraries in the big cities and so easily overlook what the smaller town libraries might have for us. Case in point, the Appleton, Wisconsin, Public Library in Appleton, Wisconsin, located northeast of Madison, the state capitol.
This town of about 75,000 citizens, has just opened a brand new library…. doesn’t it look both grand and enticing????
Why should you care about the Appleton Wisconsin Public Library? Because they offer free genealogy resource/research monthly programs via ZOOM, that’s why.
Their program quickly upcoming on Saturday, November 18, 2023, at 2:00 Central Time is titled “Researching German Ancestry”. Link to register is: https://bit.ly/3Xx1XHK (or likely from their website….. if you don’t register, you won’t get the ZOOM link).
The Saturday, December 9th program is titled “Making Sense of All the Research You’ve Done.” The link to register is: https://bit.ly/3x1gtKm. Again, do register to get the ZOOM link.
The library hasn’t posted any information about their 2024 programs but I imagine that these offerings will continue.
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