Pirate Hideout and Ocean Waves

Ahoy! This is where the pirates be hiding!

And this is the beautiful ocean, full of big waves today!

New Leaf

A new leaf on the Abyssinian banana.

Home Sweet Winter Home

When we first started full-timing, we didn't understand the annual sites that people stayed on. I mean, we understood what they were but we didn't understand the why. Our thinking at the time was if you have a house that has wheels, it should move around. Otherwise what's the point.



Like so often in life, we now do understand it since we are now in the position we are doing it ourselves. Why? For many different reasons; but in general because our needs have changed since then. So for this season at least, we secured a site that would allow us to stay put in one spot. I have no idea if this will be something we will continue to do and I don't need to know that. I only need to know what works best for us today.



The cons to staying put are we don't get to see new things and new people as often. The plusses are we get the spot we want for a longer period of time, we hopefully get to know the people that are staying put here with us a bit better, joining a CSA and we have internet. High speed internet!!!!!! Which we had long forgotten about. Which means Nathan can work much faster and more effectively and so can I. I can blog much faster which means I may return to more regular blogging.



Oh and we had to find a spot that was big enough for us to play cornhole on.



We really love our new spot. It's Home, Sweet Home, for now.

Day One on the Monarch of the Seas

Happy Birthday to me (and Aric!). Today was my second favorite birthday gift ever. Aric being the first and ultimate best of course! He was 21 today, and it was odd to celebrate without us being together. I still think of Aric being like this:



Wait a minute, I still think of *me* being like this until the mirror sets me straight. Not sure how he became an adult so quickly though, but he is! We will celebrate with him after the cruise.



We work up early today and headed over to the place where we parked the car. They drove us to the port and that was the last we did any work for the next four days. We were there early enough that we boarded the ship very quickly and easily. We headed up to the buffet first thing so we could eat before it got super crowded. Then we walked around the ship to explore and take pictures while it was still fairly empty.



There is a lot to see on a ship this size. Each deck has different things and each one looked like lots of fun would be happening there.



We then headed to our room. We laughed as soon as we saw it because online people commented on how tiny the rooms are on this particular ship. We thought it was huge! I mean you can actually walk alongside the bed completely on the one side. There is room for a desk and there is a big closet. And we did not have to duck down while getting out of bed. I guess this is one time our low maintenance living gives us an advantage in living in other spaces. On the other hand, we get weirded out a bit when trying to stay in regular size houses so there is that trade off.



We went to the pool deck, sat in lounge chairs and read and watched the boat leave from there. We stayed there until dinner. Dinner was a wonderful experience. Our waiters were Putu and Dwight and they were the best.



When we were back from dinner, we met our room attendant. His name is Arson and he was fabulous too. We took it was a very good sign that the staff we encountered so far were great and we hoped that it would be the case across the board. I'm happy to say that it was.



Our nighttime fun for the first night was Karaoke and listening to the cover band Eclipse. We were very impressed with them! At the end of day one, we decided if this is what cruising is like, count us in. We decided we may still want to do cruises even after we get back to our vacation free life. It is a great experience even if not being used as a "vacation". We said we'll see what we think at the end of the cruise. We headed to bed somewhat early because I wanted to be on the first tender that headed out in the morning. It was a wonderful first day.

Oh, John? I'm Looking for You!

My heart sank as I went through the Grantee and Grantor Deed Index Books for Columbiana County. There was just one entry for John Ruppard between 1803-1850. Lots of entries showed up for Adam Rupert and Jacob Rupert during that time period. But just a single entry for John.



That entry (v9 p47) showed that John Ruppard and Barbara his wife and Andrew Richard Ruppard and Mary his wife of the county of Columbiana in consideration of the sum of $300 sold a parcel of landto Durs Walserin the SW 1/4 of Section 26 of Township 15 in Range 4, which quarter section was confirmed to John Ruppard by Patent under the hand of James Madison President dated the seventh day of December Annon Domini One Thousand eight hundred and nine... [description of the land...] containing 70 and 79/100 acres.



Bottom of page 47 in Columbiana County, Ohio deed book 9from microfilm 926865 at the Family History Library, Salt Lake CityJohn Ruppard and Andrew Richard Ruppard selling land to Durs Walser(As always, double-click on the images to view a larger version.)

Page 48 in Columbiana County, Ohio deed book 9

page 48 in Columbiana County, Ohio deed book 9Signatures of John (in “German”), Andrew Richard, Mary, and Barbery Rupert/Rupard

That was nice, to say the least!



The deed confirmed that Barbara was John's wife. And, Township 15 in Range 4 is Hanover township. And that means that he is probably the John Rupert mentioned on page 157 in the “History of Columbiana County, Ohio” (Mack, 1879).

“John Rupert, a German, who upon his arrival in Baltimore from Germany, being unable to pay his passage money, was sold by the captain of the vessel to a person who, in consideration of receiving Rupert's services free for the ensuing three years, paid the captain's demand. Rupert lived in Hanover until his death, after reaching the age of one hundred years. The farm he owned is now owned by C. Pfeffer, in section 26, Hanover twp.”

But just as interesting was the fact that John Ruppard had obtained the land by Patent. A quick search of the patent records at the BLM Website using his last name, as well as variations, brought up nothing. A search for township 15, range 4, section 26 displayed three entries – for the NW 1/4, the NE 1/4, and the SE 1/4. That was a bit confusing. What happened to the SW 1/4?



In a moment of serendipity later that day, I decided to take a look at the May issue of “Genealogy Gems: News from the Fort Wayne Library” that was still sitting in my email unread. That issue included an article by John D. Beatty on Ohio Public Land Records. Talking about the BLM database, Mr. Beatty states “While Ohio is represented, the database does not contain the names of those who bought land on credit before 1820.”



That could explain why John Ruppard does not show up in the BLM database! A trip to the Allen County Library will be forthcoming since “the records of Ohio’s public land sales, including those omitted from the GLO database, are available on microfilm in The Genealogy Center.” The article continues by providing a resource, also at the Genealogy Center, to find out whether an ancestor purchased land on credit.



There were two enticing grantor entries for “Conrad Yarian Exr etal” one in 1834 selling land to John Sheets and the other in 1842 selling land to Wm Ehrhart. From this entry in a WorldConnect database I knew that Catharina Rupert (presumed daughter of John Rupert) had married David Ehrhart.



In the 1834 entry, Conrad Yarian and George Snoke were the executors of the estate of John Snoke. For $2,000.00 they sold 190 and 75/100ths acres in the SW corner of Section 6 Township 8 Range 1 to George Sheets. Date of transaction was July 3, 1834. John Snoke (Snook) was married to Mary Rupert, daughter of Adam. I moved on to the next item.



As I began reading the deed record of the 1842 transaction (v33 p649), my heart skipped a beat and then started pumping faster. The names David Ehrhart and Conrod Yarian were there but the name John Rupart nearly jumped off the page! The record stated, in part:



“This Indenture made this sixth day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty two between David Ehrhart and Conrod Yerrien Executors of the last will and testament of John Rupart late of the county of Columbiana and state of Ohio, deceased, of the one part and William Ehrhart of the same county and State of the other part witnesseth that whereas the said John Rupart by his said last will and testament did authorise, impower and require his said executors to grant, bargain and sell the West 1/2 of the South West 1/4 of Section 26 Township 15 Range 4 in the said county of Columbiana...”



Page 649 in Columbiana County, Ohio deed book 33David Ehrhart & Conrod Yarian executors of John RupartSelling land to William Ehrhart

Page 650 in Columbiana County, Ohio deed book 33

It was almost “happy dance” time, but not quite. It still didn't prove that John was Eva's father. I was thrilled that I had found this because it meant that he DID have a will, and there would be estate papers! But when did John Rupert die?



I pulled microfilm (927750), which contained “Probate records, v. 11-13 1841-1846” and found an entry for the estate of John Rupert (I neglected to write down the volume number, but it was on page 360 and dated the August term of 1842, so probably book 11). But all it contained was the financial accounting of the final settlement of the estate. No mention of a distribution to heirs. It did, however, provide a clue to his date of death in an item for “Cash for Rent of Real estate” dated July 14, 1836.



Presuming that John died prior to July 14, 1836 when money was received for renting his land, I pulled the microfilm (2032650) “Estate records, no. 1694-1862 1834-1837” and went through the entire roll without finding anything on John Rupert. It had taken over an hour to read that roll of microfilm, looking at the names on the packets and hoping for positive results. I was concerned when I kept seeing the “Missing Packet” place holders and I was more than a little disappointed that I hadn't found the estate record for John. Was his one of the missing packets?

Drive By Shootings

One of the kindest things that Nathan does for me is to drive around and let me take pictures. Most times I like to walk around to take pictures. When it is as hot as it has been lately, I prefer to drive. I can't drive and snap shots, so I need his cooperation for this.



Every time we do this, I get home and find all kinds of interesting shots. Shots that have me going, wonder what I saw here. Or better yet, wonder what I missed here.



It is kind of hard to get the timing down right when taking pictures this way. Lots of pictures come out blurry. The lighting is off. The composure is terrible. The flip side is that we can see a lot, and capture a lot when we do this.Sometimes I ask Nathan to stop. Because I know that a quick shot won't do.I know that a drive by shooting won't be enough to capture what I want to.That we need to take a much closer look to fully take in the beauty. It is my photo tour version of "stop and smell the flowers".Beautiful, isn't it? Living the life in Virginia!

MSC Truck: a Very Rideable Cargo Bike

Finally, a cargo bike I can comfortably ride. A proper, enormous, heavy cargo bike. In the past I've described finding this genre of bicycles challenging to handle, and some of you have suggested that I might find a longtail easier than a front-load system. You were right! But this is not your typical longtail.



The idea of the MSC Truck is similar to that of a box bike or "long john," except that the loading platform is in the rear. Designed by my friend Wolfgang Hoefler for his delivery companyHeavy Pedals (in Vienna, Austria), the bike is manufactured by the Viennese Maderna Cycle Systems.

The mixte-esque frames are made of oversized steel tubing and is manufactured in Europe (Austria and Poland, as far as I understand).

The bike pictured with the aluminum box is Wolfgang's personal version with various customisations, and above is what the production version looks like with the platform empty. The wheelbase is 200cm and the total length is 265cm. The weight as pictured is 28kg (62lb). The wheels are 26". The rear rack is integrated with the frame, and the rack's tubing will fit many pannier systems including Ortlieb. The bike comes standard with a suspension fork, disk brakes, heavy duty kickstand, plastic fenders, padded vinyl saddle, and straight handlebars. There are several different gearing options, including derailleur and internally geared hub. Dynamo lighting is available as an option as well.

The loading platform is 60cm x 60cm.



The platform can house a variety of containers. Heavy Pedals prefer to use the customisable Alu-boxes. But it can also be fitted with a more traditional cargo box, or child seats. Personally I would love an option where slatted sides could be added to the platform so that it becomes a container in of itself.



There are provisions for bungee cord attachments.



The front of the bike has a dock to which you could also attach a front rack. Overall the Truck is rated to transport 150kg (331lb) of weight, not counting the cyclist.



The height of the rack coincides with the height of a typical crate, making it possible to turn the rear into a larger platform still for oversized objects.



When parked, the bike is very sturdy on its double-legged kickstand; there is no wobble.

Very sturdy indeed! As I discovered when handling the Truck, there is no need to lift it either to engage or pull up the kickstand - it works via tapping it with your foot and then rolling the bike either forward or back. Even a person of very slight stature can handle it.

I was reluctant to try riding the Truck, because I did not want to overturn Wolfgang's cargo and chip his paint by crashing it. But he knows my riding style (having taught me to ride a brakeless track bike safely last summer), and assured me I'd be able to ride it. It would feel just like a regular bike, he promised. And there is no dramatic story coming, because it did.Balancing it felt the same as with a regular bike - no twitchiness when starting and braking as I had experienced with front-load bikes. It wasn't especially difficult to maneuver around the very cramped space you see me riding in. I could sense that I had a long tail, but it was intuitive what to do about it. I can't really explain it any better, other than to describe the handling as unremarkable - which, when it comes to cargo bikes, is a compliment. Though I did not ride it through the city, I would feel comfortable trying. According to Wolfgang, the handling is not any different when the platform is empty vs heavily loaded; the only difference is that it's more difficult to go uphill with the extra weight. Typical speed of a moderately loaded Truck is 20 km/h (12.5mph), though it is capable of going over 30 km/h (18.6mph) if the rider prefers to travel faster. The speed depends on the gearing you chose as well.

In addition to the fine handling, the Truck was easy to mount and dismount in a skirt thanks to the unisex frame. The adjustable saddle height (via quick-release) was convenient as well. The bike remained stable when I was walking it. A good design all around, it seems to me. It is not as "cute" as a traditional cargo bike and I am not a fan of the colour, but I have no complaints regarding its functionality. In fact, I am wondering what the benefit of a front-loading cargo bike is, if the same weight can be transported via a longtail system without impacting handling - particularly since stuff can be piled higher in the rear, where it will not block the cyclist's field of vision. This is not so much a criticism of front-load bikes, as a genuine question: What accounts for the fact that traditional makers have favoured the front-load system?

Heavy Pedals is a delivery service and cargo bike shop in one, and they stock all sorts of delivery cycles from different manufacturers - including long johns, bakfietsen and cargo trikes. But the MSC Truck is the one I'd be most comfortable riding on the streets at this stage, given my brief experience with the other styles. Local pricing for the Truck starts at €1999- and there is not currently a North American distributor.

Grand Canyon :: Indian Gardens to Plateau Point

This is the third installment, before continuing you might want to read the first and second parts of the story! For whatever reason, most likely just plain tired, I didn't get any pictures of our campsite. Like all of the sites at Indian Gardens it had a picnic table with a shelter over it along with metal boxes in which to store your food and toiletries (the odors will draw the critters). After a brief rest we ate our lunch of pita bread sandwiches, protein bars, and trail mix. For some reason it tasted quite good!

Then it was off to our second destination of the day – Plateau Point, which lies 1.5 miles north over a relatively easy trail. The trail to Plateau Point can be seen in the second photo of the second post in this series.

As we were coming off the last switchback and down into the canyon at Indian Gardens we had noticed a change. More trees, brighter green, and glorious Red Bud trees in full bloom! Just beyond the campground, alongside the stream, there was a grove of Red Buds. Their flowers contrasted brightly against the green of the surrounding trees and the grass growing beneath their branches.




And the little cactus plants literally covered the ground in some spots. And they were nearly ready to burst forth into bloom! On the way out to Plateau Point, we saw just one cactus in bloom with gorgeous deep red flowers, but it was too far off the trail. However, on the way back, Fred spotted another blooming cactus, just a few feet away. I just had to stop and get a few pictures of it. Amazing color. And it wouldn't be long before the desert floor was carpeted with their color. It had to have been an incredible sight.



The view of the Colorado River from Plateau Point, looking east.

Looking west.

We spent several hours at Plateau Point. Much of the time we were alone and it was so peaceful and quiet. People would come and go, make noisy chit-chat, then leave us. For a while we watched a group of six Condors riding the air thermals until they disappeared into the distance. You could occasionally hear the water tumbling over the rapids far below. Ravens soared and swallows flitted over and around us. Sitting on the rocks, on the edge, yet in the middle of the Canyon is indescribable. As the sun lowered in the sky, the air took on a chill, and we reluctantly left Plateau Point.

We thought about staying and watching the sunset, but we didn't have any lights with us. Instead, we went back, got our lights, then walked to a point that provided a decent view. We knew we wouldn't be able to actually see the sun drop below the horizon but thought perhaps it's waning rays would add some color to the Canyon. It wasn't spectacular though it was quite nice. A fitting end to an incredible day. One that started out a little “iffy” but turned out great. We really couldn't have asked for a better day to make the trek into the Canyon. Quite memorable.

The Belgian ‘Nationale Feestdag’ in Ghent

Trivia: Did you know that Belgium was once part of the Netherlands?

Blondine and I in Ghent last weekend (21 July).

In 1830 Belgium broke away from the Netherlands but it was only a year later that Belgium’s National Congress adopted a new constitution and on 21 July 1831 Leopold I of Saxe-Coburg swore allegiance to the new constitution. He became the first king of Belgium.

Thus 21 July is Belgium’s ‘Nationale Feestdag’ (National Holiday) and coincidentally Blondine and I were there. I’ve been to Ghent before so I know what to anticipate except that we didn’t expect the multitudes and the noise.

It was about 16:00 when the provisional bar and cafe stands and floating entertainment platforms on the Graslei (canal) were opened. Crowds kept flowing in and the noise became unbearable. Sorry if I am sounding like a grandma but I cannot handle a rowdy crowd. If I go to a street party I need to have static location where I can sit and watch everything happening before me and not the other way around. Anyway, it was really busy and congested. Some of the tram stops were even converted into café terraces. But we were glad to have enjoyed the city before the street party started.

Belgium’s ‘National Holiday’ is pretty much like the ‘Queens Day’ in the Netherlands but without orange-clad people in hilarious out-of-this-world outfits and the gar(b)age sale on the streets.

Check out a few pictures here of the crowds:

Tram stop converted into a cafe terrace.

When we left there was no available space on sight along the Graslei.

Watch this space for more Ghent stories and pictures in the coming weeks (culinaire, boat trip, architecture and more), as well as my previous travels to Copenhagen, Denmark (April – just a few more posts), Cuba (May), Lesvos, Greece (June-July) and a few local-Netherlands stuff in between.

And oh, I’ve booked a long weekend trip to Paris next month with Bru!