California :: Piedras Blancas Elephant Seals

Near San Simeon, on the Coast Highway, is a special beach. One where the Elephant Seals come ashore for a few months of each year to give birth, breed, and molt. The female and juvenile elephant seals were on the beach beginning the molting process.








More information on Elephant Seals.

Phend-Fisher Family Reunion Ledger - 1911 & 1912

The 3rd reunion of the Phend - Fisher families met at Frank Wehrleys on June 24 - 1911
The A. M. was spent in a social way.
At noon a basket dinner was served under a tent, on the lawn.
There were about 45 present.
In the afternoon songs were sung and a prayer rendered by Rev. Spangler of the Evengelical church at Elkhart.
A talk by Wm Phend.
Other songs.
Remarks by Rev. Spangler then a storm prevented further pleasures.
It was decided to meet at Jacob Phends near Elkhart on June 29 - 1912.
Adjournment.Mrs. F. A. Wehrly, Secretary.= + = + = + = + = + =
There is no record of a family gathering in 1912. = + = + = + = + = + = The Phend-Fisher families gathered for a reunion in Elkhart County, Indiana almost annually from 1909 until 1943. Usually held at Nappanee, the events of the day were recorded in an old ledger book, now in my possession. Sadly, the fragile pages have turned brown, separated from the binding, and are, in effect, disintegrating. Some years more information was recorded than in others, but, for me, these pages provide a glimpse into the past. Spelling has been retained as it was in the original though some punctuation and paragraph breaks have been added. To view all articles in this series click on the "Phend-Fisher Reunion Ledger" label at the bottom of this post.

Just Taking it Easy...

It has been a week since my return. My timing was terrible (that's not exactly the word that went through my mind, but this is a “family friendly” blog). Somehow I had forgotten that it was Labor Day weekend, in both the U.S. and Canada (though there it was Labour Day). And I probably should also have looked a little closer at the map for a different port of entry... getting onto I-5 after crossing into the States was not a good decision on my part.

After I left Hope on Friday morning (September 3rd) there was a considerable amount of traffic on Highway One – it did, after all, go to Vancouver. It may see strange, but I was totally unprepared, psychologically, for all of the businesses and the stores and the amount of traffic on Interstate Five! It wasn't exactly culture-shock, more like sensory overload. Too much all at once. It didn't take long before my nerves were shot!

Almost on the verge of Panic, I exited onto the first highway I saw that would take me away from there – Washington State Road 20. I got through the heaviest traffic area and on past Sedro Woolley. The first State Park that I came to had a “Campground Full” sign, the second park was closed, the third one didn't have a campground. Not good. Then I got to the little town of Rockport. And they have a Municipal Park with a beautiful campground along the river. All of the RV sites were taken but there were still a few tent sites available. Lucky me! It was early afternoon but I stopped for the night anyway. No telling what, if anything, would be available on down the road. It took a while for my nerves to get settled. A nice hot shower helped immensely as did sitting down by the river and watching the water flow by.

Saturday morning, looking at the map, I realized that if I continued east on State Route 20, I'd be going through the Cascade Mountain Range and through the middle of North Cascades National Park. Neither of which would be bad, by any means, but I needed internet access and/or a cell phone signal. So it was back towards Sedro Woolley.

With my errands completed, and because the clouds had blocked out the sun, I decided to go south a short ways on I-5 to Everett and pick up U.S. Route 2, which is a scenic highway through the southern Cascades and Wenatchee Mountains. When I got over Thompson Pass, the clouds disappeared and I saw sunshine and blue skies once again. It was a beautiful drive though I took no pictures to prove it! The landscape changed as I drove east on the other side of the mountains. Fewer trees, brown hillsides, open vistas.

Near Wenatchee U.S. 2 joins up with U.S. 97 and turns north, following the Columbia River, so I did too. Highways run along both sides of the river, I stayed on the west side on the “alternate” route and stopped at the small town of Entiat where there was a municipal park and campground alongside the river. It was almost perfect. Large trees shaded the campground and dotted the riverside. Two nights I spent there, soaking up the sunshine and basking in the warm temperatures (low 70s) and light breeze, generally just taking it easy.

The view from my campsite, looking northeast.
Looking southeast.
From the north side of the park, looking toward the west. The campground was nestled amongst the trees on the western shore.

Clay Jug

This is probably my favorite of all the photos I took on mine and my friends trip to Old Town. It was sitting in a back corner of an outdoor coffee shop area.

Bicycles, Walls and the Passage of Time

Over the holidays I received a DVD of a film diptych that I'd long wanted to watch: Cycling the Frame and The Invisible Frame, directed by Cynthia Beatt.



In 1988, Beatt made the short filmCycling the Frame. Described as a "cine-poem," this 30 minute documentary follows a young British actress (Tilda Swinton) as she cycles along the perimeter of the Berlin Wall in what was then West Berlin. It is a 100 mile journey along mostly abandoned roads and overgrown dirt paths crossing forests and fields. The ever-present wall, with its menacing guard towers, turns the landscape surreal: It severs railroad tracks, creates paths to nowhere, and separates waterfront properties from the bodies of water they front. As Swinton pedals, she vocalises her stream-of-conscience thoughts about the things she sees and how they make her feel. As she grows tired of cycling and overwhelmed with her surroundings, the film begins to resemble a dream sequence. Finally she arrives to her Brandenburg Gate start and concludes that "this place is mad."



More than two decades after the original journey, the director and actress set out again to film the follow up, The Invisible Frame. In , they retrace their route along the now long-absent Berlin Wall. A visibly more mature, sharper dressed Tilda Swinton cycles the perimeter, this time weaving back and forth across the phantom border. There are signs of life now: The roads have bike lanes and motorised traffic. On some of the dirt paths we see joggers, dog walkers, children and other cyclists. But despite an apparent return to normality along these stretches, the majority of the landscape is no less eerie twenty years after the wall's removal. We see abandoned buildings, barren fields, dingy looking lakes, random bits of strangeness. It's as if scarred, dead space remains left where the separation used to be. Disconcerted, Swinton meditates on this as she pedals, concluding that "when one wall comes down others come up."



While these aren't cycling films exactly, the prominent role of the bicycle is impossible to ignore. From a practical standpoint, a bike was necessary to make the films happen. Much of the route along the real/ phantom Wall is not accessible to cars, and traveling 100 miles on foot would not have worked with the scope of the project. The speed of the bicycle matched the speed with which the narrative needed to flow, and even the camera crew traveled via a cargo recumbent. As each film progresses, the bicycle begins to seem increasingly important, merging with Swinton's visceral sense of self. She starts to mention it in her stream-of-conscience utterings, to talk about space in relation to not just her, but to her and the bike, to confuse herself with the bike. While this contributes to the mystical feel of the films, it will also be recognised by cyclists as a completely normal sensation to have during long rides.



It was interesting also that the bicycle seemed well-matched to Swinton's person in each of the films. In the original, the actress's flowing clothing looks worn and a little disheveled; her hair natural and slightly unkempt. The bike she rides is a rickety swoopy mixte with faded paint. In the newer film, Swinton is dressed in a stylized and sophisticated manner. She wears architectural-looking clothing and shoes. There are sharp angles to her haircut, her hair now a platinum blond. The bicycle she rides is angular and modern, its paint metallic. This transformation in personal style and bike echoes the rift I felt between the earlier and the latter films. Cycling the Framecame across as spontaneous and exploratory, whereas The Invisible Frameseemed stiffer and more choreographed. The actress/cyclist is no longer the same person and does not relate to this landscape in the same way. She talks about openness, but speaks in political and philosophical generalities and is seemingly less present in Berlin itself.



Can we ever recreate an experience, or re-visit a place? And can we ever really understand another country, as we tour it on a bike with a foreigner's benign detachment and predatory curiosity? These are the questions these films, with their collective 200 miles of cycling along a real/ unreal wall perimeter, ultimately seem to be asking.



If you are local and would like to borrow my copy, drop me a line. The Invisible Framecan be viewed on netflix, but the original Cycling the Frame was not available online last time I checked.

Washington Summer

Long term high pressure systems have surrounded the mountain, and after reading the forecasts, look to remain in the area. With July coming to a close, statistically the number of climbers on the mountain also begins to fall. Climbers looking for an experience of solitude in the alpine wilderness can come take advantage of the peace and quiet now. By climbing mid-week this time of year, even on some of the standard routes, the chances of meeting other independent parties on route is greatly reduced.

The late-snow season has left many of the routes in great shape. Climbers will find that the flowers and trails are just now starting to melt out in the alpine meadows. The "peak" of the flower season is still to come. On approaches, climbers have been seeing more Black Bears, Clark's Nutcrackers, and Elephant's Head than in previous years.

As the season progresses, different routes will start to see more traffic. The Mowich Face and the Tahoma Glacier are both routes which stay "in," well into September, along with the standard routes - the DC and EW. Welcome to Remember to bring the sunscreen!

Big Bend Revisited :: Boquillas Overlook

Thursday, February 28th - - It was late afternoon when I drove out to Boquillas Overlook on the east side of Big Bend National Park. The road to Boguillas Canyon is a mile or so from Rio Grande Village. It is a short but somewhat "challenging" drive with lots of twists and turns along the way.



Signs are posted in certain areas of the park regarding Mexicans coming across the river to sell trinkets and craft items "for the support of the Boquillas school." The signs warn you that purchasing these items is illegal. However, there is apparently enough income gained that they continue to present their wares for sale.





At Boquillas Overlook there were several boulders used for displaying the goods for sale. The sign reads "Art, Craft, for Sale please purchase to Help Boquillas Mexico school kids Donations are aseptable. Walking Sticks - 6, Scokoypions - 6, Road runner - , Ocotillos - 5..."





All of the displays were selling similar items... walking sticks, and scorpions and road runners made from wire and beads.





When I arrived at the overlook, there was a Mexican walking away from the area. He waved, said hello and something else that I didn't understand, then walked down the hill and away toward the river.






I nonchalantly started taking pictures... Looking to the East...





Looking to the West...




And the view to the south... Oh, my - Across the river a boat sits on the shore and to the right, under a clump of trees was a group of men...





A close-up of the men lounging in the shade of the trees. I didn't mention earlier, that another sign at the turn-off to Boquillas Canyon warned of numerous recent vehicle break-ins. We were told to make sure our vehicles were locked and that valuable items were hidden away. I wondered if these were simply men lounging about or were they bandidos? Ah, the mind can take you off into some strange places...