Alaska sunset; Happy New Year

I've been enjoying a super-long weekend this week. I went into work Monday, then took off the rest of the week. It's been nice to take care of some things that have needed doing for a long time and simply spend time as I want to.

I cleaned out my closet and have a pile of clothes ready for the collection box. I plan to do the same thing with my cupboards. I have such a huge supply of dishes, casseroles, small appliances and other kitchen items that I never use.

Maybe I will actually (hopefully) accomplish one of my resolutions in 2010. I am determined to downsize.

I had a lovely quiet Christmas. My daughter and her family came over Christmas Eve, so we got the excitement out of the way early. Christmas Day my good friend came over for coffee and brunch and a nice talk. After he left, I dismantled the tree and put away the stockings. Some of my family and friends have questioned why I do it so early, but that tree had been up since the day after Thanksgiving and it blocked the extra daylight we are now gaining. I cleaned the window so I could see the birds better and am now seeing a change in the daylight as well.

The day after Christmas I phoned my parents and found my mother fell on Christmas Day and hurt her shoulder. She had been visiting my brother and fell on her way out to the car, right by the concrete steps at his back door. She declined a trip to the emergency room an hour away, and she and my father sat up all night - she in pain, he to ensure she was ok.

Saturday my brother took her to the hospital in Harrisburg where they discovered her shoulder is broken. The ball is in four pieces. After many hours and much discussion and several changes, they gave her pain medication and sent her home. Her arm is in an immobilizer, strapped tight against her body to prevent movement of the shoulder. When the swelling goes down, they will operate. Right now, all we know is she will see the doctor on Jan. 5 and they will give her date for the surgery to replace the shoulder. They have already ordered a ball for it. She is in pain, but the medications are helping somewhat.

Fortunately, my brother and his wife live across the yard. One of my sisters is five minutes away. Another sister is 30 minutes away. My sisters, sister-in-law, niece and nephew (both 20-something) have made daily visits to see if my parents need anything, bringing food and whatever else they need. I've called frequently this week, and Mother seems to be holding up fairly well. She suffers a bit of queasiness from the pills and doesn't have much appetite, but she sounds good. I'm relieved that my siblings are close enough to visit daily, because neither parent would let someone spend the night with them since the accident.

I'll be phoning them tomorrow to wish them a Happy New Year. My daughter and family and good friend are coming for our annual pork & sauerkraut dinner, a nod to my German ancestry and PA Dutch upbringing.

Tomorrow is also my granddaughter Maddy's 5th birthday. She is a delightful child and I'm so blessed to have her living nearby.

I went out to the get the mail a little while ago and the sky was so pretty I had to come back in and grab my camera. I wasn't dressed warmly enough to go far enough away to get the photo without the power lines and light pole. Though my thermometer said -9, it felt much colder than that.

Happy New Year. May your 2010 be a healthy happy year, filled with much love, great friends and wonderful moments.

Merry Christmas everyone

May you all be as blessed as I am with a wonderful loving family and true friends.

Merry Christmas.

Christmas lights, Solstice

The past three weeks have been pretty hectic - working, shopping, wrapping, mailing - but it's finally all done.

I got my mailing done in two trips to the post office, and was amazed and delighted that I was in and out in under 10 minutes both times. All of my gifts have arrived at their locations, cards are received and I managed to keep shipping costs down this year. I rarely get out of the post office in less than 20 minutes and the boxes cost a mint to ship. A couple of years ago it cost me $75 to ship two boxes to my granddaughters in Spokane. This year, I opted to buy gifts that are smaller in size, including gift cards, that would fit into the USPS's flat-rate boxes. From now on, that's how we're going.

My two friends Cindy and Mae and I had our annual holiday luncheon yesterday. We went to the Silver Gulch in Fox and had a wonderful lunch despite the -25 degrees. Although it was a little chilly in the restaurant, the food was good and the company can't be beat.

Last evening the three of us drove all over Fairbanks looking at holiday lights. I figured it would be a good time to try out the handheld twilight feature on my camera, and I wasn't disappointed with it. We were a little disappointed that a lot of places we've enjoyed seeing over the past few years didn't have their elaborate displays - some of them didn't even have a single light.

However, the Larson house was as lit up as normal.

Though I'm a traditionalist and don't like to see kitschy stuff that looks out of place, I decided the palm trees did fit the theme of this display.

I really don't like those inflatable snowmen, Santas and other things people put into their yards. We saw an inflatable Nativity and penguins as well, some of them losing their air and folding over onto themselves and others tipped over by the wind. To me, they're not attractive and seem like yard clutter.

By far, my favorite lights were those on natural displays.

The street lights cast a yellow glow on the birch trees.

This choke cherry tree may have been my favorite. It was strung with small white lights, and the fresh snow gave it a beautiful ethereal appearance.

Tomorrow is Dec. 21, the winter solstice. I often think it's my favorite day of the whole year, because it means we'll start gaining daylight again. I take my tree down by Dec. 26 so I can get every bit of that extra light (even though it's only 1 minute at first). My dad enjoys telling me it's just the first day of winter, but to me it signals we're midway through winter and heading toward longer days, and, eventually, break-up. There are a number of solstice activities, including fireworks, today. I can sometimes see them from my yard, so I'll probably take the dog out and see if they're high enough for us to catch a glimpse. However, I don't plan to go downtown to see them. This is the end of a long weekend for me and I need to get back into work mode tomorrow.

Plans for today include baking a ham for the office Christmas lunch, shoveling my sidewalk and brushing all the snow off my car.

Happy Solstice everyone.

Happy Thanksgiving

I have much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving - my family, my friends, my health, my job in a place full of wonderful people, my little dog and so much more. Occasionally, I hear someone talk about how hard life is and I realize how truly blessed I am.

Instead of cooking yesterday, I went to Pike's Landing for dinner with my friend Mae. We enjoyed a buffet that included turkey, ham and prime rib, salads, all the side dishes and a huge dessert table complete with sugar-free desserts. I did splurge as I do every time I visit Pike's brunch and had a creme brulee. It's only about four bites and since I only have it 3-4 times a year, I allow myself this special treat. The food was wonderful, as always, and we ran into other friends who wanted to spend the holiday away from the kitchen.

We took the circuitous route on the way back home. The sky was blue and the sun was shining down through the trees. It looked like a winter wonderland.

It was about 10 degrees, very nice after the -30 we had last week. All in all, it was a very nice day.

Today it was 20 degrees when I got up this morning. My little dog Buddy loves the warmer temperatures. He's always excited about going out - jumping, barking and turning himself inside out. (I think it may have something to do with the treat he gets when he comes back in.) When it's -10 or colder, he's in front of the door within 30 seconds, wanting to come back inside. We were out last weekend when it warmed up to -15 and he was giving me his most pitiful look - the guilt-trip thing. After just a few seconds at the colder temperatures, his beard turns white with frost.

Today it was up to 25 degrees, so we went out for a short romp. He loves to sniff the air and check out who was near his yard last.

I opted not to shop today. I don't like crowds, and especially rude crowds. I went out just twice on Black Friday and decided I will never do it again. The pushing, shouting, running down aisles really spoils my holiday spirit. I was not raised to act like this in public (or in private, for that matter) and I simply want to grab those people and tell them to act like adults. I'd probably end up in jail :) I guess I must be getting old, because I have little patience for dealing with it. I would rather spend more money and shop in relative peace.

I cooked a turkey today and spent some time with my daughter and her family, then did some laundry and put up my tree. It's not trimmed yet, but I can do that later. I love looking at the lights on it. Hopefully all the work is done now and I can simply relax and enjoy the weekend before going back to work Monday. I have a lot of leave I need to use up over the next month, and will be taking time off.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I hope your holiday was as good as mine was.

Looking for the good . . .

I am so glad this week is done. It's been a long one, and I'm afraid not a very productive one. I worked hard all week and didn't even take the camera out of its bag. It felt as though all I did was work, eat and sleep - and much of the eating (breakfasts and lunches) was done at my desk.

I was selected as a panel member this week to review tons of papers and determine if the ratings on them were correct. My fellow panel members were great, we got along well and were able to reach a consensus on all of them. However, that panel took up all day Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and half of Thursday. That gave me just a day and a half to catch up a week's worth of work.

That made me very grateful to have a wonderful staff who kept the office running smoothly and picked up some of my tasks on top of their own work. They are a great group of people - I missed their company while I was locked up in the panel work.

Friday the temperature dropped to -30 at work. Somewhere on the way to work, one of my tires went flat. I have no idea where this happened, as there was no change in performance until I was about 1/2 mile from the office. At -30 I wasn't about to let it sit along the road - towing and repairing a frozen car would be more costly than towing it and replacing the tire. It was 5 a.m. and there was no one on the road. As it turned out, I damaged the rim, so it had to be towed anyway, but is now back in my driveway, plugged in and happy.

Once again I was pretty grateful. I have a service station with a great reputation and honest mechanics. They towed my car, dropped me off at home to let the dog out and came back to get me when the tire was replaced. They're looking for a replacement spare for me today.

I've had some experiences with shady mechanics and these guys have been great. I started using them after one guy at another place quoted me more than $400 for a fix, then told me he would do it at his home garage for $350 because he was trying to build up a clientele so he could start his own business. I decided to get a second opinion and went to the place I now call my shop. They replaced a $15 part in 5 minutes and didn't charge me for the labor. I've been going there ever since.

Normally, all of this would have had me stressed out and ranting wildly. Instead, I'm simply glad it's over. Maybe it's because I pulled out an old commentary I once wrote and spruced it up a little. It was about keeping Thanksgiving separate from Christmas (they ARE two different holidays, after all), and being thankful for what we have. Perhaps that spilled over into my week, because I don't feel any stress and I'm pretty content despite the fact that it's really cold outside.

I'm looking forward to phoning my family in Pennsylvania Thursday and wishing all of them in turn a happy Thanksgiving, and to having a wonderful dinner at Pike's Landing. I'm taking much of the week off, so will probably cook at least a turkey breast if not a whole bird - I love the leftovers. But I also love having someone else cook and clean up on a holiday, and Pike's always has a wonderful spread.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Veterans' Day

Today is Veterans' Day. Originally called Armistice Day, it noted the end of WWI.

I have a few ancestors - and still living relatives - who have served in the armed forces.

Andrew Burd, in my maternal line, served in the Revolutionary War. He enlisted at age 14 and served as a fifer until his release at the end of the war - at age 21 - according to records. His tombstone says that legend has it the fife was shot from his hand as he was playing it, but he was uninjured.

Both William Portzline (my dad's mother's grandfather) and John Hamilton (my dad's maternal grandfather) served in the Civil War, in the same company. One record says that William Portzline was shot in the wrist and was briefly a prisoner of war. I'm still looking for confirmation and more information on the POW story.

My paternal grandfather served in France in WWI. He conducted recon, then drew maps of the terrain. I remember being cautioned not to ask him about the war when I was a young girl. I suspect he had some horrendous experiences. He was a very quiet, gentle man. I never saw him lose his temper or heard him raise his voice. I can't imagine how terrible that war must have been for such a gentle farm boy. After the war, he stayed on in France to study art, and he created so many things. He had a woodshop in the back yard where he would spend hours crafting furniture with curlicues on the feet of the tables and chairs. He made the dining-room table, so many chairs my grandmother had to tell him to stop and small boxes to hold various items. I have one wooden box, with a bunch of grapes carved onto the lid, that he made to hold a 35-mm camera (I have the camera as well). I also have a painting of a stream and spruce trees that he did. I treasure them both.







My grandfather, Cleve Hoffman, with his weapon









My mother's brother served in Korea. I can remember seeing him in his Army uniform when I was young. I didn't understand the excitement among my mother, grandparents and aunts and uncle then, but I remember thinking he looked pretty official in that uniform.

My dad, his brother Neil, brother-in-law Raymond and my cousin Don all served in the Navy. My cousin was primarily in the Mediterranean.

From top to bottom: Uncle Raymond, Dad, Uncle Neil

Dad spent time in the South Pacific - Philippines mostly. He was a sonar technician on a Canadian hospital ship called "Letitia."

LETITIA / EMPIRE BRENT / CAPTAIN COOK 1924



Built as the LETITIA in 1924 by the Fairfield Co, Glasgow for the Donaldson Line of Glasgow. She was a 13,475 gross ton ship, length overall 538ft x beam 66.4ft, one funnel, two masts, twin screw and a speed of 15 knots. There was accommodation for 516-cabin and 1,000-3rd class passengers.
Launched on 14th Oct.1924, she sailed from Glasgow on her maiden voyage to Liverpool, Quebec and Montreal on 24th Apr.1925, and she ran a joint service with the ill-fated ATHENIA to Quebec and Montreal in the summer and Halifax and St John NB in the winter. In 1927 her accommodation was altered, to carry 298-cabin, 310-tourist and 964-3rd class passengers.
In 1939 she was requisitioned by the Admiralty and commissioned as an Armed Merchant Cruiser. She later became a troopship and was extensively damaged in 1943 and was temporarily repaired in the USA.
In 1944 she was taken over by the Canadian Government and converted into a hospital ship with a medical staff of 200 and a capacity for 1,000 wounded. Over the next year or so she carried over 7,000 sick and wounded back to Canada and was on her way to the Pacific theatre of war when Japan surrendered. She was then used for the repatriation of Canadian troops and families. While still engaged in this work, she was sold in 1946 to the Ministry of Transport and renamed EMPIRE BRENT. While on route to Halifax in 1947, she collided with and sank the STORMONT in the River Mersey and had to be drydocked in Birkenhead with stem damage.
In December 1947, she was completely overhauled on the Clyde and refitted as a troopship. Used for trooping voyages to India and the Far East until 1949 when she commenced an emigration service between the UK and Australia with a capacity for 965 emigrants. Withdrawn from this service late in 1950, she was laid up for about six months and was then completely reconditioned as a New Zealand emigrant ship with accommodation for 1,088 passengers in two-, four-, and six berth cabins.
Renamed CAPTAIN COOK, her ownership was to pass gradually to the New Zealand government, who were paying for her by installments. She commenced sailings from Glasgow via Panama to Wellington on 5th Feb.1952, taking about 33 days, sometimes being used to repatriate troops from the Far East on the return voyage. From April to October 1955 she was chartered to Donaldson’s and made seven round voyages between Glasgow, Liverpool and Montreal, but then went back to the New Zealand service.
In 1957 she had a fire while in Wellington, but was able to sail to the UK for repairs. She arrived at Glasgow at the end of her 25th New Zealand voyage in February 1960, was laid up at Falmouth and was then sold to British Iron and Steel Corporation, towed to Inverkeithing and broken up. [Donaldson Atlantic Liner "Letitia" of 1925 by Captain J.H.Isherwood, Sea Breezes Magazine, September 1967]

I had several friends in college who were VietNam veterans, and I work with Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Their strength - and that of their families - is incredible. The telephone calls home and the occasional hook-ups via the Internet can't erase the  fear, the separations and the everyday challenges they all face. It requires a special strength.

It's a hard job, and it takes a tremendous toll on those who serve combat tours as well as on their families.

Today I will attend the Veterans' Day observance in Fairbanks, where I will stand at attention when the band plays the Army Song. I'll remember my days in the Women's Army Corps. I'll remember my ancestors and my living relatives who served and who had to overcome hardships and long separations from their families, without the benefit of telephones and Internet connections. And I'll say a special prayer for those who are serving today.

I salute all of you.

The lost are found

In an effort to use up some annual leave (I'll lose it in January if I don't use it up), I took last week off. Instead of driving all over the place with the camera, I hit the doctor for flu shot and the computer for some much-neglected research. I spent an average of 3-4 hours a day trying to track down some long-lost ancestors.

I started tracing my ancestry in 1999, when I visited my family in Pennsylvania for a couple of weeks.

My parents were able to give me some background on their families - parents and one grandfather's name for my mother; parents, grandparents and one side of great-grandparents from my dad. Fortunately, my mother's cousin was happy to provide some insight into one branch for me.

That trip and the thrill of finding information online when I returned to Fairbanks kept me going. I joined a genealogy group that met monthly here and solidified my interest. Each time I found another ancestor the excitement increased.

Several of us from the genealogy group made trips to Salt Lake City to visit the genealogy library there. We would go down for one week, spending hours at the books and microfilms. I became expert at loading and unloading the film spools and zipping through them to the page I needed. My bookshelf at home is now loaded with research books, papers and magazines.

Subsequent trips to PA to visit my family had me visiting the local historical society and the county courthouse archives. We took drives to local cemeteries to photograph tombstones. My dad took us by the old family homestead, where both my grandfather and his father were born. It's still owned by the (second) wife of one of my ancestors.

I backed off the genealogy for a couple of years when a serious illness and astronomical medical bills not covered by my insurance made it tough to justify paying a lot for the subscription to the best websites for the research.

However, I decided to get back into the work. I'm pretty much an indoor person during the winters here, as the cold really bothers my arthritis, and I didn't want to become just a lounger. So I reactivated my subscription. The website has improved tremendously since my last visit, and I found a quaking leaf on nearly every name in the tree I had started 10 years ago. When I clicked on the leaf, I was led to hints on the specific ancestor. WOW! Much of the information was not new to me, but other bits had me looking for sources to confirm. Once confirmed by a census, newspaper, Social Security death index, WWI and WWII draft card or other official document, I could then say with certainty this belongs in my tree.

In my maternal grandmother's line, I had her parents and her father's father. However, that line stopped there. I was relatively certain that George (my grandmother's grandfather) was the son of Jacob. But I couldn't prove it. All I had was a hunch, however strong it was. I had managed to get Jacob's family traced to France in 1520 - but still needed to link him to George.This week I FINALLY managed to get that confirmation thanks to a quaking leaf that led me to church records. So I have my mother's maternal side back to France (to America via Scotland and Ireland) in 1520 and her paternal side to Switzerland in 1634.

My dad's families are primarily of German heritage, as are many of my mother's other lines. I've hit a couple of brick walls with two of Dad's lines, but again this week, thanks to those little leaves and a much larger library available online, I got the Hoffman (my maiden name) line back to Germany in the 1600s.

As I'm working this project, I'm astounded at what these people who are all part of me must have faced - poverty, hard work, persistence, long ocean voyages - and HUGE families. Many of them had 12 or more children. Many of them lost a number of those children before they reached adulthood. Most of them were poorly or uneducated. They were simple folk - farmers, laborers, boatmen. They had no modern conveniences to help with cooking, baking, laundry or cleaning. But their obituaries describe them as "well respected citizens." The church was important to them. Thus far, all but one family line has arrived in the US through Philadelphia, and that one line came in through Baltimore. They all moved a bit northwest to what are now Perry and Juniata counties - and many of them are still there today.

As a teenager, I thought our family was rather uninteresting because they didn't come from somewhere else. As I started tracing these people, I became very grateful they were grounded in one spot. I heard my friend mutter, "He's in New York in 1850 and he's in Idaho in 1870. Where was he for the 20 years in the middle? How did he get there? Why doesn't he show up anywhere in the 1860 census?"

This past week hooked me again. I've felt once again that thrill of success. I know that the farther back I go, the sparser the records and the more difficult to find information that is verifiable. But I will press on. My greatest regret is that I didn't start this before my grandparents died. My greatest joy in it is that my granddaughter is interested in the project. Hopefully I will be able to continue finding "lost" ancestors to share with her and generations still to come.

My paternal grandmother's grandparents

My dad's parents

My dad's paternal grandparents

the Hoffman homestead

My mother's parents and me