Badlands :: Rolling in the Dust

Wednesday, August 24th - - The gravel road continued on for a few miles but I turned around and headed back to the main road. As I passed Sage Creek Basin Overlook the bison that had surrounded me a few minutes earlier had made their way off into the prairie. To my right another small band of buffalo were coming across the road. Traffic was stopped until long after they had passed.



Prairie Dogs provide a service to the buffalo by giving them a place to roll in the dirt! At the entrance to the burrows there is always a large pile of dirt that has been thrown up by the Prairie Dogs digging the tunnels. Hopefully, when a bison decides to roll in that dirt, the little fellows have made it safely underground!





Going down....



Really getting into it!



Ah, that felt good.



Giving it another go.



Shaking off the dust.



Feeling better, I'm sure!

So Long Old Friend by Chip Py

I bought this TV in 1986 at the Peoples Drug Store on Old Georgetown Road for $129.00. It was a wedding gift to my sister. For the last ten years, it has been my basement TV. Something to turn on while I painted furniture, strung up my fishin' poles or any other basement project. It has no remote, the channels are changed with a knob, and it gets UHF! (that round thing on top is a UHF Antennae) I have chosen not to buy it a conversion box because it just doesn't seem right.

I will miss my basement TV. It will probably sit in my basement for a few more years until I take it to the dump. Or perhaps, like LPs, I could wait for the analog TV comeback! That High Def is probably just a fad. One day my TV will be retro cool, and I'll be cutting edge!!

Spring has arrived!

Just over a week later and WOW how things have changed along the shoreline! A week ago I was photographing ice all along the shore, this week all of that ice is gone. Its been very warm the past week, much warmer than March usually is. As a result, all of the ice that covered the Lake Superior shore is now gone. Which means, I suppose, that I can get back to photographing the rocks along the shoreline :-) I love shooting ice, but the rocks are fun as well. I am always very "foreground conscious" when it comes to my images... that is to say, I'm always looking for something interesting to put in the foreground of my landscape images. While exploring the shoreline yesterday I found this seasonal stream that only runs in the spring, emptying into Lake Superior. I knew it would be a good location to shoot a sunrise, so I went back there this morning to do just that.



All that talk about strong foreground elements being said, sometimes I just can't resist a more "simplistic image", such as the one above.



After shooting the sunrise over Lake Superior, I headed up to Grand Portage State Park to see how High Falls was looking after all the recent warm temperatures. I wasn't sure if I would find the falls still frozen, or running freely. As it turns out (much to my delight), I found the latter. The falls certainly wasn't the fullest I have seen it, but it was running at a very nice level for photography. When you get too much water coming over the falls it certainly is fun to watch, but shooting becomes a hassle. Too much water means too much mist, which in turn means its hard to keep the water off the camera.



The water level on this morning was just about perfect for making images. There was some light mist which necessitated the occasional wipe-down of the camera, but it wasn't bad at all. Also, when the water level is like it was today, the falls is much prettier (in my opinion) than when it is really raging. When its really running strong you don't get as many little channels of water coming over the edge. Photographing High Falls is something I never tire of... and that's probably because it never looks the same. The lighting is always just a little bit different and the flow is always different. On this particular morning I was blessed with some very nice light and clouds to complement the seemingly "perfect" amount of water :-)

Tuffee's Hole

Tuffee dug a hole in the damp dirt by the house. She looked cute in it but I got afraid the rock would fall in on her if she dug any more so we filled it in. She just dug another one beside of the first hole but at least the rock wasn't near it.

James Joslin :: 1844 Sale of Land to Edwin and Joseph Joslin

These are the land records previously mentioned in which James and Abigail Joslin sell the remaining 40 acres of their land purchased in 1837 to Edwin M. Joslin and Joseph A. Joslin. Edwin was only 14 years old at the time and Joseph was a month shy of 12. Edwin and Joseph each paid $50 for their 20 acres of land. Edwin sold his land for $200 on January 21, 1851 to Lysander P. Joslin (Deed Book E page 213). On November 1, 1853 Lysander also purchased Joseph's 20 acres for $300 (Deed Book G page 143).



On the left is the record of sale to Edwin. Joseph's record is on the right. Click on the images for a larger version.

Whitley County, Indiana Deed Book "D" page 187
Transaction dated August 1, 1844
Filed August 14, 1849 9 A.M.
James Joslin & wife To Edwin M. Joslin Warrantee Deed

This Indenture made the first day of August in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and fourty four between James Joslin and Abigail Joslin his wife of the County of Whitley and State of Indiana of the One part and Edwin M. Joslin of the County and State aforesaid of the other part. Witnesseth that the said James Joslin for and in Consideration of the sum of fifty dollars to him in hand paid by the said Edwin M. Joslin... a certain tract or parcel of land in the County of Whitley aforesaid as following towit the South half of the North East quarter of the North West quarter of section Twenty five in Township thirty two North of Range Eight East in the district of Lands subject to sale at Fort Wayne Indiana Containing twenty acres...

Signed by James Joslin and Abigail Joslin
Witnessed by Nancy Cozens
John H. Alexander, Justice of the Peace

=+==+==+=

Whitley County, Indiana Deed Book "D" page 188
Transaction dated August 1, 1844
Filed August 14, 1849 9 A.M.
James Joslin & wife To Joseph A. Joslin Warrantee Deed

This Indenture made the first day of August in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and fourty four between James Joslin and Abigail Joslin his wife of the County of Whitley and State of Indiana of the one part and Joseph A. Joslin of the County and State aforesaid of the other part. Witnesseth that the said James Joslin for and in Consideration of the sum of fifty dollars to him in hand paid by the said Joseph A. Joslin... a certain tract or parcel of land in the County of Whitley aforesaid it being the North East quarter of the North West quarter of Section twenty five in Township thirty two North of Range Eight East in the district of land subject to sale at Fort Wayne Indiana Containing twenty acres...

Signed by James Joslin and Abigail Joslin
Witnessed by Nancy Cozens
John H. Alexander, Justice of the Peace

Can't Get Enough of This

I just can't get enough of this:

Pioneer Park Days in Zolfo Springs, FL

Every year since we have been wintering at Peace River TT's, we have heard people talk about Pioneer Park Days at the park across the street. And every year we have somehow missed getting over there to check it out. So we made sure to do it this year.





So what is this event, that has been happening here for 43 years? Well, it is part flea market and part celebration of pioneer living. There are many demonstrations that show how the pioneers lived such as dutch oven cooking, basket weaving and other 1800's activities. Then there are rows and rows of stuff. Stuff to browse and stuff to buy.



Then there are tractors, tractors and more tractors. Real ones and toy ones. Over 400 exhibits of them.



Lots of cool cars.



Lots of hit and miss steam engines which I find fascinating.



Really cool RV's.



Opinions.



Yummy food.



And fun!





We had a great time here and now we know that it is something we will be sure to want to visit each time we are here!