Monday Genea-pourri, Week of January 15-21, 2018

Randy Seaver of Genea-Musing started this meme and I loved the idea. Genealogists are great at documenting our ancestors’ lives but not so great documenting our own. I’ll write about what I’ve been doing the past week.

Genealogy

1. Blogs

Got caught up, writing future blog posts, since I would be in Salt Lake City for eleven days. This post was started and was added to during the week, to be published on Monday, January 22. Two posts were published on the 15th:

·         Mam-ma’s Southern Family: “Happy 7th Blogiversary!”

·         My Trails into the Past: “Monday Genea-pourri, Week of January 8-14”

I also published a post for the “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.” The theme was longevity and I wrote about my grandmother and her uncle, who both lived to 100ish. https://mam-massouthernfamily.blogspot.com/2018/01/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks-week-3.html

2. Genealogy Courses

I am working on the curriculum of an intermediate course I’m teaching for California Genealogical Society in May. It will be five classes and I have created an outline draft of my plan for the upcoming Events Committee meeting on Saturday, which I am unable to attend. I plan to work on the curriculum while riding Amtrak to Florida in February. I have a portable table and I set up my laptop in our sleeping car room.

Sunday, I picked up my name badge and syllabus for the SLIG (Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy) course Advanced Land Tools: Maps. I'll write more about the course next week.

3. History Center

I had a lot of queries to answer at the Contra Costa County History Center. One called for getting a deed from the County Recorder’s office. Boy, it’s not a good idea to go there on the day after a holiday. It was busier than I’ve seen it. Another query wanted to know about the warehouse built by McNear in  Port Costa, and still another about the publisher of the Walnut Creek Kernel. Interesting stuff to research!

4. Family History Library

Had a partial day on Wednesday and full days on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. I worked at writing up the research report for my client. Newspapers, digital films, and microfilm images have been wonderful sources in filling out their lives. I have also seen many genealogy friends who have come early to do research.

Me, on the 2nd floor

Travel

I flew to Salt Lake City from Oakland on Wednesday. I had a window seat and got a few shots of the bay and Mt. Diablo. The whole Central Valley was socked in with fog. There wasn’t much snow of the mountains in the Sierras. The flight itself was pretty normal until it was time to land. Just before we were to land on the runway, the pilot took off again and circled around. We got a good view of the city as we landed from the south.

Mt. Diablo above the fog

Nice & clear in Salt Lake City

The weather Wednesday and Thursday was very nice—‘sweater weather.’ Friday was much cooler and windier, and by the evening it started snowing. When I woke on Saturday morning, I could see the trees covered in snow—like a picture postcard. Walking on Sunday morning to church was dry but the snow on the tree branches were very pretty.

just west of the Joseph Smith Building

Interior of the Cathedral of the Madeleine

Sports

I haven’t been active with any sporting activities besides walking, but I have been enjoying watching the Australian Open tennis tournament on television. With the time difference, the games are broadcast during prime time. I only miss the last games, usually played by the best men players, because by eleven o’clock I’m ready for bed. I’m looking forward to more tennis next week.

Copyright © 2018 by Lisa Suzanne Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.