Pueblo Montano Trailhead

There is a small park at the Pueblo Montano Trailhead that I went to this past week. I had been meaning to go for about a year or so and no one wanted to go with me so I went by myself. I found that a firefighter had made these wonderful chainsaw sculptures out the dead cottonwood tree trunks that were left from a fire that went throught this area in ... I had to take lots of photos of the sculptures and now I want to share them. I hope everyone appreciates this artwork as I do. My thanks to the artest for for doing the scuptures.

El Oso y el Madroño (The Bear and the Strawberry Tree)

Madrid’s coat of arms is a Bear sniffing the fruits of a strawberry tree. The statue can be seen at Puerta del Sol, in the heart of Madrid, the capital of Spain.



And I have two fotos of myself taken with this statue. The first one was in 2005 and the other one was in June, just two months ago. I have this odd feeling that the statue was moved, that it used to be standing right on the busy shopping street that intersects Puerto del Sol.



Foto on the left was taken during winter, February 2005 and on the right during summer, June . Judging from the pictures I do not think I have changed much in 6 years.



For the history geeks, here is the history of the coat of arms (taken from Wikipedia) why Madrid City Council chose a bear sniffing fruits from a strawberry tree to use as its emblem:



‘When in 1212 took place the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa between Alfonso VIII of Castile and the Almohads, the council of Madrid sent a detachment in support of the Christian king. We know, by chronicles of the time, that these troops carried a flag or banner which identified them: a statant bear on a silver field. This is the first mention in history, of the shield of Madrid.

Soon after, in 1222, a fact took place that modified the shield of the town. The clergymen of the Madrilenian parishes confronted the Council for the use of the fodder in the fields and forests in the municipal jurisdiction. Those were important resources for both institutions, and both wanted the use of these lands. Due to the importance of both groups affected, a royal mediation was necessary. The sentence declared by Alfonso VIII determined that the fodder would belong to the clergymen, whereas the forests would pertain to the Council. This decision did not convince the clergymen, but satisfied the Council. In fact, the council was so satisfied, that it immediately modify the shield of the municipality, adding a tree as proof of its new possessions. The figure of the bear ceased to appear walking, to be over its back legs, eating fruits from the tree.’



More stories of Madrid soon!

Like Old Times

I did some black and white photos of the Gilman Tunnels and town of Gilman. You can see some of the real old buildings that are ready to fall down at the next strong wind. Most are almost hiden by trees and brush. The a photo of the bridge that goes across the Jemez Creek to get to Gilman. Plus a shot of the pine trees and a pine cone up in the forest.

A Real Classic: Vintage Gazelle

My heart skipped a beat when I spotted this vintage Gazelle bicycle near Central Square in Cambridge. It was chained to a tree with an enormous lock, so clearly the owner is fond of it.

Judging by the decal designs and the amount of rust on the frame, I would say this Gazelle is from the 1970s. However, the cream Delta Cruiser tires look brand new, and the "O-Lock" on the back wheel looks like a recent addition. I am not sure what is that thing on the stem above the headlight mount - perhaps another lock? And the round black object on the handlebars opposite of the bell perplexes me as well. If you know what these are, please do tell.

The old headbadges were gorgeous; I do wish they'd kept them on the modern bikes!

Fork crown and dynamo for the headlight.

Rear fender with the "cotton-tail" white end and an integrated rear reflector. Love the look of those!

Gazelle was the first bicycle I fell in love with when I discovered the Dutch/transport style bikes. They have been manufacturing bicycles since 1892 and have the status of a “royal” manufacturer, which is why you will sometimes see the brand name written as The Royal Dutch Gazelle. It was wonderful to see this vintage examplar, holding up after decades of use and cross-Continental travel.

My tipsy bird

Last winter, I came home one day to what I thought was a dead bird on my deck. It was so sad.

I picked her up so that I could bury her.....and I felt her heart beating slowly. And then her eyes opened. She was okay!
What was so amazing was that she didn't seem nervous at all that I was holding her. I have held other birds (including a couple that have accidentally flown into my house) and their hearts would always beat rapidly. But this bird was content being held.

I placed her on my leg and took a few pictures- and she willingly obliged. Such a beauty!

Then I filled a dish with water and perched her on the edge. By this time, I had come to the conclusion that this wild bird was destined to be my pet. She would make a great companion, I decided. She'd travel with me to scout nurseries and gardens......Have I mentioned that I am completely delusional?

As I held my new found friend, I expanded her wings, checking to see if she was injured. That's when I noticed the red wax-like tips on her wing feathers. A Cedar Waxwing!

I found my bird field guide to make sure I had identified her correctly (I know, I am such a dork). That's when I realized what was really wrong with my bird....she was drunk.

I learned that Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) are fruit eaters. In the late winter, many of the berries they feast upon have fermented. As they gorge themselves on these fruits, they can become drunk and disoriented. Consequently, they accidentally fly into windows and buildings. Once they sleep off their buzz, they rejoin the flock (if they aren't devoured by a cat first).

Heartbroken that she wasn't going to be my pet, I made her a drunk tank and set her in it.
An hour or so later, she flew off and seemed fully recovered.

The berries on the Weeping Yaupon (Ilex vomitoria 'Pendula') tree by my office window are starting to ripen- Cedar Waxwings love this plant. Seeing the reddening fruit reminded me of my inebriated bird. You think she remembers her afternoon with me?

Edwin M. Joslin :: 1916 Certificate of Death

This week I received several death certificates that had been ordered from the Indiana State Board of Health, among them that of Edwin M. Joslin. His father's name is not given and his mother's name is listed as Mabethy Goodrich. That information was provided by Edwin's daughter Nellie Gunkle. To me, it seems feasible that "Mabethy" could be a corrupted version of "Nabby" which is how Abigail Goodrich was found in several other records, or perhaps it is wishful thinking - but at least his mother's maiden name was given as Goodrich!


357 stamped in upper right corner
13939 stamped on left above name

Place of Death: County of Tippecanoe, Township of Perry
Indiana State Board of Health / Certificate of Death / Registered No. 115

PERSONAL AND STATISTICAL PARTICULARS

Full Name: Edwin M. Joslin
Sex: Male
Color or Race: White
Widowed
Name of Wife: Sareph A.
Date of Birth: Dec 17, 1829
Age: 86 years 3 months 20 days
Occupation: Retired Farmer
Birthplace: Ohio
Name of Father: --- Joslin
Birthplace of Father: unknown
Maiden Name of Mother: Mabethy Goodrich
Birthplace of Mother: unknown
Informant: Mrs. Ed Gunkle
Address: La Fayette, R.R.L.
Health Officer: Dwight R. Baker

MEDICAL CERTIFICATE OF DEATH

Date of Death: April 3, 1916
Cause of Death: Arterio Sclerosis
Duration: two years
Signed: J. E. McCabe, M.D.
4/6, 1916
Address: Buck Creek
Place of Burial or Removal: Isley
Date of Burial: 4-9 1916
Undertaker: Dwight R. Baker

Sunset over Kanopolis Lake

Saturday, May 7th - - After such an exhilerating visit to the Center of the US and the Largest Ball of Twine, I headed south and ended up at Kanopolis State Park. It is located 33 miles southwest of Salina. It was a scorching 95 degrees by the time I arrived – and the air conditioning wasn't working in the van! I found a nice primitive campsite with shade and settled in for a late afternoon nap.



Toward evening, it started cooling down and I went for a walk down toward the lake. There I found just the “right spot” for viewing the setting sun. The skies had been hazy all day and the haze created the perfect atmosphere for an amazingly colorful sunset.