Myrtle Beach State Park~The Beach

So far we can tell there are many touristy things to do here. Things like mini-golf, entertainment shows, shopping and lots of places to eat. None of those things are the reason we came here though. We came here for this reason:



Or to be more specific, we came here for this reason:



We drove to the Myrtle Beach State Park to visit the beach. There is a great park complete with a full service campground and fishing pier here. You can see some of the park here:



I mostly wanted to focus on the surf and sand today. So the other parts will just have to wait. Don't tell Ava we came here without her. The beaches are pet friendly here, so I'm sure we will bring her before we leave the area.





Ahhhh....I can feel my shoulders relaxing already.



Living the life in South Carolina!

Sunset at Cobscook Bay

Wednesday, September 19th - - A stormy day sometimes brings a beautiful sunset. After driving around looking for a 'better' spot to view the setting of the sun, and not finding one, I returned to my campsite just in time...





Sometimes I am, quite simply, amazed by the beauty of Mother Nature. The south-eastern sky was filled with a soft, muted pink...






While the western sky was ablaze with fiery streaks of orange.





It was a beautiful sight! Yes indeed.

Tombstone Tuesday :: Christian and Sarah Schuder

Christian Schuder (Jr.) and his wife Sarah Nancy Huntsicker are buried in the Syracuse Cemetery at Syracuse, Kosciusko County, Indiana. Christian's inscription is on the west side of the marker while Sarah's is on the east side. They are my 2nd great grandparents.



CHRISTIAN / SCHUDER / DIED / SEPT. 2, 1885 / AGED / 72 Y. 1 Mo. / & 14 Ds.



SARAH / WIFE OF / C. SCHUDER / DIED / JUNE 14, 1883 / AGED / 66 Y. 4 Mo. / & 12 D's.

The last digit in the year on Sarah's marker is difficult to read, even using the "foil" method but I think it is 1883. Birth dates, below, were calculated from their age on the markers and dates of death.

Christian is the son of Christian Schuder Sr. and Anna Eva Christina Stoever. He was born July 19, 1813 in Montgomery County, Ohio. Sarah was born February 2, 1817 and, according to census records, Pennsylvania was her place of birth, parents unknown. Christian and Sarah were married on December 22, 1842 in Montgomery County, Ohio. Sometime between 1860 and 1870 they moved to Jackson Township, Elkhart County, Indiana. Between 1870 and 1880 they moved a short distance to Van Buren Township, Kosciusko County.

Christian and Sarah (Huntsicker) Schuder were the parents of six children, all born in Montgomery County, Ohio. Two children died young. Only two of their children had children.

• Clinton Newell Schuder (1843-1858) died when 14 years old.
• Isaac Shuder (1846-1905) married Nancy Jane Lavering, had nine children. They are my great-grandparents. Their daughter Elsie married Charles Wilson Wiseman.
• Louisa Dora Schuder (1849-1922) never married. No children.
• Sarah Ann Schuder (1851-1853) was about 18 months old when she died.
• Diana "Anna" Schuder (1854-1902) married Solomon Coy. No children.
• Malen Schuder (1856-1920) married Alice Clem and had three children: Floyd, Ethel, and Dora.

All photographs were taken by me on July 11, .. and September 1, ...

15 Swoonworthy Velo-Valentines

Just over a week ago, I announced a Give-away for Valentine's Day - inviting readers to submit bicycle-themed Valentines for a chance to receive a beautiful, bright red Bobbin Birdie. Over 70 submissions were made, and I have looked at and read them all at least twice. All were beautiful and thoughtful, and I sincerely thank everybody for sharing them. I would now like to present 15 Valentines that, with difficulty, have been selected as the final entries. They are numbered (in no particular order) and your feedback is welcome. While this is not an outright "readers' choice" vote, your selections will be taken into consideration in the final decision. Thanks for looking, and enjoy!




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1. "Be Mine" Submitted by Park Girl: "'The bicycle, the bicycle surely, should always be the vehicle of novelists and poets' - Christopher Morley".




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2. "Together We'll Go Far ... On Love & Bicycles." Submitted by Stephen Lee Ogden.




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3. "Bicroscopic Valentine." Submitted by Jessi: "Portraits sourced from the Commons, Bobbin Birdie bike, and original photograph of silk threads under glass slide, taken with a Nikon 1970's microscope mount. Everything but the silk fibres are halftoned, because that is how I roll."





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4. "Diamonds are a girl's best friend. But my valentine is a mixte."Submitted by Mindy: I wanted to draw a picture of my bike, because I do love my mixte! The text still works even if you're not familiar with the mixte/diamond frame thing (see what I did there?)."







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5. This evocative poem was submitted by Robin.




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6. "A day with... is better than a day without..." There is another side to this card, and it is shownhere. Submitted byWillie Bailey.



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7. "Hip hoppin' & Bobbin' for you, Valentine!" Submitted by Julie: "My dog, Bonnie, is a little shy and eccentric, and is always the star of our "family" greeting cards. She was going to make a Valentine anyway, but she decided to go with a flashy Valentine theme in hopes of winning her dear mother, me, a pretty new Lady Bike."




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8. "All I want to do is make tricycles with you." A collage submitted by Michelle B.




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9. "The story, context, high-res sharable files (including vector) for anyone who wants to have fun and make their own for someone can be discovered here." Submitted by nandapocentric.




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10. An embroidered Valentine! Submitted byyn0405:"My entry, inspired by the little Birdie"




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11. "The two things in this world that are true: my sturdy lugged frame and my love for you!" Submitted by LT: "When I read your latest post this morning I thought immediately of my favorite old family photo, so I added a few bits to the photo to make it a vintage-themed Valentine."




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12. A poem submitted by William B. The text reads:



"Said the front tire to the rear

Follow me; I’ll lead my dear.

Round and round we’ll roll together.

‘Cause when you push I steer better.

If miles from here the road’s not fair

We’ll just let out a little air.

I will not shimmy, I will stay true;

That is the promise I make to you.

At dusk, to emphasize our genders,

We’ll slip into some silver fenders.

Your tread is slick; your spokes are fine;

You’ll always be my valentine."




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13. "Sending you... Love." Submitted by Margaret.






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14. "I wanna ride with you."Submitted byAinsleyW:"Happy Valentine's Day!! Here's my entry, designed specifically in the likeness of mine and my sweetie's bicycles."





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15. Submitted by Audrey W., the poem reads:




"true love

discouraging, tiresome
amassed frustrations
quick release–
escape
restore sanity?

true love, loyal to
youth, to health, to
the beating-
heart

celebrating curves,
bearing pain and
bliss–
eternal"





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So, what do you think? List the numbers of the Valentine(s) that appeal to you in the comments, and your feedback will help determine the recipient. There are no rules by which to judge the Valentines, these things just sort of have to "hit" your love receptors. How much work went into making them is, of course, worth considering as well. The recipient will be announced on Valentine's Day, February 14th. Please feel free to contribute to the comments up to the eve of that date. Thank you everybody for looking, reading and participating. Have a lovely weekend!

Acadia :: Another visit to Schoodic Point

Monday, September 17th - - Today was moving day. We were traveling Down East out toward Cobscook Bay and Campobello Island. After a few stops in Ellsworth, and with plenty of time to spare, I decided to stop once again at Schoodic Point. I had checked the tide schedule at the campground and knew it would be high tide at Schoodic about the time I was passing by. Besides, it was yet another beautiful day!




























I had planned to stay for about 30 minutes but enjoyed the sunshine and waves for a full 90 minutes before moving on...

Sunset in Avila

Sunset in Avila, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Two Fridays ago I was at Avila while the sun was setting. It also happened to the night of a windstorm, and 50-mph gusts were sandblasting me as I took this photo.

Annette Lake & Silver Peak

It was a warm 4th of July at Annette Lake. We could see trout swimming near the shore.

Tania, Michael, Michelle, Danielle, Becky, Bethany, Tina and Doug.





A gang of bloodthirsty mosquitos chased us up the mountain.





Traversing around the summit block.



Michael, Tania, Danielle, Bethany (and Doug) on top of Silver Peak.

Boot-ski race on the way down.

Anthropologie Bike Lane Dress

Last week the annual ritual of acknowledging aging descended upon me, and my loved ones consoled me with gifts evoking youth and whimsy - including this fun and girly bicycle dress. But can a cotton frock covered with a colourful, geometrically improbable bicycle print cure existential ennui? Why yes, it can. I wore it on the day in question despite the winter temperatures, and found it impossible not to have fun. Promoting frolicking to the extreme, it was a fantastic gift. The Anthropologie Bike Lane dress has figured prominently in the velo-twitteverse since it came out earlier this winter, and so I thought I'd post a review for others considering it.






The calf-length strapless cotton voile dress has classic 1950s styling: a rigidly tailored bodice and a full, loosely pleated skirt. The colour of the fabric is a vintagey cream, with the bicycle print in faded ink-blue and bright vermilion red. Both the skirt and the bodice are fully lined. I received this dress in a Size 2, and was sure that I would need to exchange it. But to my surprise, the small size fit me and I was even able to wear it over a long-sleeve wool baselayer. The design requires the bodice to be very form fitting, or else it won't stay up. Any larger and the dress would have been too loose. I would say go down one size from what you normally wear, and other reviews of this dress seem to suggest the same.





Despite the whimsical print, the Bike Lane dress is not trivial to get into. The construction is surprisingly traditional (read: complicated). The bodice is corseted, with flexible plastic boning sewn in at the rear and sides. There are two systems of closure: a long zipper on the side, and buttons along the back. Depending on how flexible you are, you may or may not be able to get into the dress on your own.







The buttons along the back are cloth-coverd and very pretty. They are also rather difficult to button and unbutton, because they are large and the button-holes are small. The Anthropologie websites describes them as "decorative," but technically that is not accurate since they actually function to open and close the dress in the back. I think what they mean is "decorated."






All the tailoring does serve a practical function, in that the dress really does stay up without straps. The corseting and the pleats criss-crossing the front also make it possible to wear it without a bra for those who require only moderate support.





Optional straps are included with the dress and they can be attached to sit either straight over the shoulders or crossing at the back. But if you are going to use the straps, I suggest sewing them in, as the hooks do not always want to stay in place.






While the Bike Lane dress is complicated to put on and may not work for all figures, if the fit is right it is very wearable and easy to move around in. There is nothing cycling-specific about this dress, but it is certainly "bikable." The full skirt makes it easy to step over a frame and to pedal, and it's not so long as to be prone to flying into spokes. The corset in the bodice is flexible and does not constrict movement. The quality of the fabric and craftsmanship is good, with a lot of little details that give this dress an elegant simplicity. I will probably wait for Spring/Summer to wear it again, and the gauzy voile should be comfortable on warm days. The very recognisable print means that it can't possibly be an everyday dress, but it's perfect for special occasions. A great gift for bicycle-obsessed ladies with a penchant for vintage tailoring.

Sunset over the Crazies

The Crazy Mountains (also called the Crazies) are an isolated “Island Range” sitting between Big Timber and Livingston in south-central Montana and are the dominate landmark in the area. The highest peak is Crazy Peak, which stands at 11,214 feet and rises over 7,000 feet above the Great Plains to the east.

These photos were taken on July 17, .. near the exit ramp of Interstate 90 a mile east of Big Timber. I couldn't decide which one I liked the most... the clouds kept changing, as did the colors, which were absolutely amazing. Mother Nature put on another fantastic display. Enjoy...

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