Phend-Fisher Family Reunion Ledger (1924-1925)

The fifteenth annual reunion of the Phend-Fisher families was held at East Side Park, Nappanee, Ind. Sep. 5 - 1924

64 members being present. After dinner was over, those who cared to attended the ball game. Same officers were retained for another year.

Ed. Phend
Sec'y


The 16th annual reunion of the Phend - Fisher family was held at the home of John Rhodes, Nappanee, Aug. 28 - 1925.

65 being present.
The time before dinner was spent in a social way. After dinner a short programme was given by the McGowan sisters of Niles, Mich. A short business session was held. The following officers being elected
President, Sam Ringinberg
Secy. Ed. Phend
Treas John Ernest.

A collection of $2.55 was take[n]
1.50 paid to sec'y. cards & printing.

Place for next reunion was left for officers to decide.

Ed. PhendSec'y.

Reverse 'Weight Weenies'?

Alternating between the Royal H mixte and the Gazelle for transportation over the past few months, I've realised something funny: I have a minimum weight preference when it comes to commuter bikes.For fast cycling on hilly terrain, I love the feel of a light bike. But when riding for transportation in the city, the mixte is pretty much where I draw the line for how light I'd want my bicycle to be.Does that make me a reverse "weight weenie"?



What I like about commuting on heavier bikes, is that they tend to feel extremely sturdy in traffic. They also seem to have a more solid, commanding presence - useful when mixing it up with cars. I have found that drivers give me more room when I am riding something big and heavy-looking, possibly because they are more worried about damage to their car, should they accidentally clip me. Alternatively, it could be that on a massive bike - combined with an upright posture - I might seem like a more "legitimate" commuter to drivers. Whatever the reasons, I do tend to feel more comfortable and confident on a heavier bike in traffic than on a lighter one.



For me, the most important aspects ofride qualityin a city bike are stability, comfort over pot holes and bumps, and the ability to accelerate and slow down while maintaining full control. And heavier bicyclestendto do better in those areas. I am not saying "the heavier the better." But I think it is important to recognise that some of the merits of traditional city bicycles cannot be separated from their traditional heftiness.



The nice thing about my mixte, is that it can go from being laden with bags for commuting, to being light and ready for a fast ride, in a matter of seconds. And, unlike most other light bikes I've ridden, this one is comfortable over bumps - a major plus. For those reasons, I have been riding the mixte for transportation more than I thought I would (the bike was originally intended for long country rides). But she is definitely my lower limit for how light of a bike I enjoy riding in traffic.

Colorado - Garden of the Gods

Arrived in Colorado last night. Stop over in Colorado Springs to see if there is anything to do. There is a red square on the atlas indicating a point of interest called Garden of the Gods - so we go to investigate.

Wow!

Garden of the Gods is a City Parkwith beautiful red rock formations.Here are the kissing camels





Cathedral Spires



This guy was kindenough to pose for me.

The Three Graces

Technical climbing with equipement ispermitted you must obtain a permitat the Visitor's Center.

and the most popular Balanced Rock

Mount Vernon Place Once Upon A Time

My father, George Cokinos and Billie Stathes became friends when she was five, and he was six years old. She remembers the day they met at St. Sophia's Greek Orthodox Church- then the hub of the Greek community. (George didn't learn to speak English until he went to kindergarten.) His uncle, Adam Cokinos opened a candy shop at 9th and K some time around the turn of the century and then sent for his brother, Peter, George's father, to come join him in 1905. Another brother, Alec came sometime later and ended up living next to the church and being the caretaker.

Billie recently attended my father's funeral in Washington- flying in from her home in Florida where she is a retired teacher, a writer and a translator of Greek. She sent me this amazing map which was made by her cousin, Nick Chacos.




Between the two of them, they have set the gold standard for memory. Billie also included this narrative:
From 1922 until 1933 I called the two blocks of Eighth Street near Mt. Vernon Square where I lived-"the village". Mount Vernon Square with a beautiful park and a library was our landmark for an every day visit after school.

On the corner of 8th and L was the Greek Orthodox Church. There was a social hall in the basement where dances for teenagers were held every Friday night. You had to be fourteen to attend. Next to the church was a small two story house where the caretaker, Alec and his wife, Koula Cokinos lived. Their home was always open for cookies and a visit.


All of the houses on the right were brownstones, three or four stories high. On the left was a row of small homes where the colored folk lived. We all played together.
Dr. Fred Repetti, the village doctor lived on 8th and L. Every family went to him for advice and medicine. During prohibition, he would give prescriptions for bourbon, Four Roses and rum. The drugstore at the other corner gladly filled them in medicine bottles. We made wine in our basement every year, and even the policemen would be waiting for it. Around the corner on M street was the grocery store and the Chinese laundry. We were very nasty to the Chinese boy.
Our pride and joy was the corner of 8th and M where there were four gas stations. We were very very proud of them. No one on our blocks owned an automobile. We would go to the corner every day to look at the marvelous cars which stopped for gas. Two blocks were torn down in the late 1930s taking our village with them.
(9th and L today)
I walked the neighborhood last month and found the library remains intact-although now it houses The Historical Society of Washington. The library was built with funds from Andrew Carnegie in 1905. The new convention center has obliterated blocks of history- only a few signs remain with pictures and anecdotes of the way things were.
(There's a heritage trail sign just to the left of this building on the corner of 9th and M.)

St. Sophia's moved uptown- just off Massachusetts's Avenue where it stands today. The current building was designed by Billie's cousin, Socrates Stathes.

Click on the maps above to see details of the little neighborhood that was.

GRIP :: Day 1 of Classes

Today was greeted with anticipation and trepidation - it was the first day of classes. After returning to campus last night, I tried to get some sleep as Dr. Jones had recommended but sleep wouldn't come. After tossing and turning for a while I decided to read the syllabus for Monday's class. I'm glad I did, it helped.



Dr. Jones started the class off by saying that there was a schedule for his talks - four of them for today - but by the end of the day we would be behind schedule. And, boy, was he right about that! He also said that by the end of the week all material in the binder would be covered so we won't miss anything! And there will be homework starting tomorrow (it's optional but highly recommended).



After a round of introductions - who we where, where we were from - the work began.



The first segment was all about Knowledge. Terminology was explained and examined and discussed. Examples were shown. Exercises were completed. Minds were confused. It was all about the building blocks of research: Sources, Evidence, Analysis, Correlation, Hypothesis, Conclusions, Case Building, Proof.



It was amazing how quickly the time passed. It was interesting to see how everyone approached the questions we were asked and how the answers to the same question were different.



Lunchtime came around and we hadn't even gotten through the handout for that first session. Can you say intense?



The afternoon continued with the terminology and examples and exercises. We also made it through the second handout about developing research questions and hypotheses. By the end of the day, I was mentally exhausted and physically tired. I decided to forgo the evening workshop on writing a family history and returned to my dorm room after supper.



The "plan" was to read the handouts for tomorrow's classes but weariness won out and I laid down for a short nap. Two hours later I woke up. I still haven't read all of the material for tomorrow but it's time to get some more sleep!

New speed ski record on Rainier!

Eric on his way to get some from the Muir snowfield.






Eric Carterhttp://coastmountainskiing.com/ Stano Faban http://www.skintrack.com/ and Nick Elsonhttp://infirmofpurpose.wordpress.com/ all from Vancouver BC currently, did the throw down this morning on Rainier. *Edit* A time of 4:19:12on DC! C2C @ Paradise. The full details and the pictures below came from fromEric's web site this morning.



Check out Stano's web site now as well as his TR is up.






photos courtesy of Eric's write up and web site this morning

http://coastmountainskiing.com/






Hopefully their own web site write ups will clarifythe actual details of their ascent. I saw literally only a few seconds of them coming and going. Of allthe races I have been in or witnessed only the professional peloton goingby isanything I haveto compare. And it was only three guys! In person they were all very casual about the whole thing. I course I had to bring up the SLC pace as a comparison. They wouldn't have, while knowing it to thesecond.



http://jasondorais.blogspot.ca//06/mt-rainier-speed-record-on-skis-50057.html



We could hear their skins coming from a few hundred yards away on the perfect snow conditionsas they literally blew past us. And Nick not even in Lycra or fully race kitted out for the style bonus points of the day ;-) Very fun for me to see it all unfold as they went up and then came ripping down.






Eric and Nick making it hard for me to even get a picture!





Dbl click on this one. Left to right, Stano , Eric and Nick 10 minutes or less from Muir.....and another hour for me!




Congrads guys! That is smokin!



Hello? Is this SLC? Mr. Dorias please? Either is fine, thank you.Hello? Hello! :-)

More Pictures of Watkins Glen State Park

Jennifer

Our mission statement here at jjobrien climbing & style is to go where other style reporters fear to tread.


When Jennifer's high-style polish met Slider Wall's legendary trachytefriction, jjobrien was there to bring back the look.

































The instagram post that caught the eye of Marketing Managementat Lorna Jane.

The camera lovesLorne jane.









Follow me on instagramat johnjobrien.

That's right, no service where I live, my battery is flat and I lock the screen rotation thing.













The poster shot.






jj

Lady in Red: a Women's Day Give-Away

On the occasion of International Women's Day, I would like to give away 3 small items to my female readers. Yes, they are all red. Enjoy!



Pedal-Brite Flower Headlight

I received this awesomely whimsical headlight from a reader who has recently gone into business making them. Unable to find a bike light to match her cruiser, she made her own. The idea is to combine a headlight with the practice of attaching flowers to your bike. Handmade using jumbo silk daisies, the Pedal-Brite is reminiscent of the daisies adorning vintage plastic bike baskets. Battery-operated LED touch lights turns the giant flowers into functional, bright headlights. Pedal-Brites can be attached to a basket or handlebars, and everything you need for that is included. These flowers are quite large (12" in diameter) and are best suited for cruiser-type bikes. In addition to the red flower pictured, they are also available in white, yellow, orange, purple, turquoise and pink for a price of $30 on the Pedal-Brite website.





Little Package Lightweight Cycling Cap

Handmade items can be more accessible than you think. Did you know there is a woman in Oregon sewing cycling caps for as little as $15?In addition to selling ready to wear hats, Caroline also takes custom orders, and can use either her own or customer-supplied fabrics.This lightweight 3-panel cotton cap features a red and white pattern that is no longer available, but the fit and construction are similar to this model(and othersin her Etsy shop). Featuring a soft bill, this is a summer weight cap, for warmer days of which for now we can only daydream here on the East Coast, given the latest "weather event." I would say this cap runs small-ish, or at least looks best on women with small to average sized heads.





Ibex Knitty-Gritty Fingerless Gloves

Perfect for transitional weather, these wool fingerless gloves from Ibex are bright red with silver logos (also available in black on the Ibex websitefor $20). The gloves are made of lambswool with a touch of nylon for stretch.The underside features rubber grippers like so, excellentfor gripping bicycle handlebars or holding a camera.This pair is size S/M unisex - which is more like aMedium/Large when translated to women's sizing.



If you would like to enter, here are the eligibility criteria:

1. Women only, in the continental USA please

2. Provide a functional email address

3. Be sure to list which item you are interested in (see below)



And here is what to do:

Post a comment telling us what you and your bike are up to today. Anything Woman's-Dayish? I am always curious whether anyone in the US celebrates this holiday, and how. If you're doing nothing, that's fine too, this plays no role in selecting recipients. Somewhere in the comment, let me know which item(s) you are interested in (flower, cap, or gloves). It can be just one, or all three; I simply need to know which draw to include you in. Recipients will be chosen at random from eligible entries. Don't forget to include your email!



Deadline:

Saturday, March 9th, 11:55pm



Thank you for reading, Happy Women's Day, and enjoy your weekend!

Autumn is Coming...

As we push into late August the first signs of fall are starting to show themselves. Returning clouds, crisp days leading to cold nights, and fewer climbers are a familiar scene this time of year. We actually had some snowflakes fall on rangers the past couple of days, but the report from Muir today was of sunny skies, gentle breezes, and cool fall temperatures.

September is still a great month to climb, one of my favorites actually. Although the weather can be variable, it is still very pleasant for the most part. Climbing in September can also lead to a lot more solitude on a mountain where that is sometimes hard to find. Routes like the Emmons and the Kautz, which can be extremely busy during mid-summer, turn into full-on wilderness experiences in September. Something very notable about this year that is different from previous ones is that the routes still have a lot more snow on them than normally would be present in late August. This means instead of climbing glacial skeleton and having to wind around what may seem like endless fields of huge crevasses to reach the summit, climbers are treated to what can only be described as excellent climbing!

There are a few changes coming in the next couple of weeks of which climbers should be aware. One is that the ranger stations where you register to climb will no longer be open on their summer hours. After Labor Day the Longmire WIC, White River WIC and the Climbing Information Center will all still be open but on a more limited basis. Stay tuned for the exact hours,which we will be posting as we get confirmation on the schedules. Climbing rangers will be around throughout September, but on a more limited basis. So make sure to get your urgent questions answered by a ranger when you register.

Come on out and enjoy this next season change on Rainier. There is still a lot of climbing to be done, and watching the leaves change color from 14,000' is a pretty spectacular sight!

The Florida Aquarium in Tampa

For some strange reason, we have never visited this aquarium before. Even after other people told us how wonderful it was, we still had not made it over to Tampa to visit. This past weekend we decided enough was enough, it was time to see this aquarium. I am so glad we did because it was overall a really nice aquarium.



The exhibits were laid out in zones: Wetlands, Bays and Beaches, Coral Reef and Ocean Commotion. Each area gave information and examples of creatures that would live there.



There was also a Splash Zone and Dolphin Cruise, neither of which we enjoyed. The only downside to this place was it was so horribly crowded that at times it was hard to even see the animals due to people crowding the exhibit. I imagine that weekdays are less crowded so we might have to come back again sometime during the week.



My favorite parts were this:



So cool to watch but no way could I imagine doing that! I did have fun with this guy who came up close and then splashed me:





We had a really nice day here and I do hope we can visit again sometime.

A Rainbow Beam

Friday afternoon it clouded up and I thought for sure we would get a good shower but we didn't. We did get to see a part of a rainbow in a really dark cloud.

Cycling in Lower Manhattan

I am in New York City for a few days, with all sorts of nice cycling people who have gathered here for the New Amsterdam Show this weekend and the Bobbin Bicycles/ Adeline Adeline party last night. One of the first familiar faces I encountered was the beautiful Julie, of the Julie blog. This lady works in the fashion industry and rides all over the city on her white and pink Linus loop frame named Kate Middleton... which I think speaks for itself: Cycling in New York has certainly become more accessible over the past few years.






On my way down here on the train I realised that I had not been to the city since maybe - which is almost 4 years ago now. I have to confess that I don't love New York. It's not that I hate it. I just fail to see the magic and romance in it that everyone gushes about. Maybe it's because my family briefly lived in Washington Heights at a time when it was anything but romantic and my impressions are forever coloured by those childhood memories. Whatever the reason, I just see New York as a very large, very crowded city where you have to watch yourself despite all the art galleries and coffee shops and lofts and trendy boutiques that have popped up in neighbourhoods that used to be considered "dangerous."






And despite hearing about all the new cycling infrastructure here, I couldn't easily picture myself riding through the streets of New York, at least not right away. What about the dense traffic? The notoriously aggressive drivers? Walking from Penn Station to Tribeca it was hard to imagine myself sharing these busy streets on two wheels.





But an hour later I was doing exactly that - on a beautiful Retrovelo, courtesy of Adeline Adeline. While my travel radius was mostly limited to lower Manhattan, it was still a surprise to experience how relatively easy riding in the city has become.





I started out on the West Side Highway bicycle path, which is quite impressive. The 5.5 mile stretch of major road along the Hudson River has a protected greenway running through it the entire way, with somewhat frequent but well designed interruptions where bicycles even get their own green light.






The lanes are wide, allowing bicyclists to pass pedestrians and each other if need be. Cyclists were courteous and used their bells. Pedestrians behaved predictably. With views of the city ahead and views of the river alongside, it is a great path.





Many of the piers in this are have been renovated and developed with all sorts of little restaurants an recreational complexes. The weather was pretty terrible on Thursday afternoon - heavily overcast skies and cold temperatures - but there were lots of people strolling along the piers and enjoying their day.





One great thing about New York City, is that no one found it strange at all when I would stop to photograph the bike. In Boston passers-by will sometimes comment how wacky it is that I am standing there and taking close-ups of a bicycle, but here no one batted an eye.






Having had my fill of the West Side Highway, I took to the streets. Some streets have bike lanes and others don't, but honestly I found that it did not matter hugely. The bike lanes were so frequently blocked by double parked cars and delivery vehicles that a degree of comfort with vehicular cycling was necessary regardless. There was a lot of traffic, but it was slow moving and drivers seemed accustomed to cyclists. I got honked at a couple of times, but so did everyone else around me - honking just seems to be a way of communicating here. When I needed to make a left turn and didn't change lanes early enough, a taxi driver saw my predicament and let me squeeze in ahead of him with an impatient but not unfriendly wave. Overall it was entirely manageable and not any more stressful than riding in downtown Boston.






I will not be in town long enough to experience riding in the city as a person living here would, but my Thursday afternoon jaunt was a nice introduction to cycling in New York. After 4 years away it was certainly the best "welcome back" I could have hoped for. I will eventually be posting about the New Amsterdam Show and all the other things I am doing here, and you can check my twitter feed for "live coverage" snapshots of all sorts of neat things. Have a good weekend!