Photos and comments from Arizona and around the world
The AncestryInsider's post entitled "FamilySearch Values Sources?" has a quote that says, "Genealogy without sources is Mythology." I find the earliest reference to this quote in a RootsWeb post dating back to 2004 in the Ralston Surname posts where the...
We found this rather prickly specimen of cactus growing on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The temperature was close to or below freezing. I think people associate cactus with warm and sunny climates, but the real issue is rain fall. They are arid...
Many of us old folks attended school in a traditional classroom setting, such as this typical one in Cottonwood's Clemenceau Heritage Museum, in Cottonwood, Arizona. Despite the obvious technological limitations, we seemed to learn how to read, write,...
I have written in the past about the so-called formal introduction of FamilySearch Family Tree since it has been postponed a number of times. But on 5 March 2013, the website finally showed up as a permanent link on the startup page of FamilySearch.org....
I have always been fascinated with model trains. All of my life, I have wanted my own model train set, but for many different reasons, never got around to having more than a train, a few cars and some random pieces of track. I admire those who make elaborate...
These ruins are located near to Montezuma's Castle. Those people that lived here are called the Sinagua (without water in Spanish) These buildings were constructed sometime between 1100 A.D. to about 1400. There is a lot of speculation about where the...
When you begin your visit to Montezuma's Castle, an ancient Sinagua ruin, you cannot see the ruin at all. You have to go through the Visitors' Center and walk down the canyon for a hundred yards or so before the ruin becomes visible. This is the first...
Along the waterways of Arizona there used to be these massive trees. In the case of the more northern waterways, they were sycamores, down in the lower deserts, they were cottonwoods. Sometimes in between they grow in the same areas. These trees still...
DearMyrtle, in a valuable blog post entitled Feedback: FamilySearch's Potential, brought up an interesting point about FamilySearch.org that applies to many other online websites: indexes do not contain all of the genealogical information. An index is...
There are a number of different styles of saddles. This is type of western saddle that I grew up using to ride horses. For a long time, I thought all saddles looked like this one, but now I am acquainted with other types. For a city boy, I spent a considerable...
There is no mistaking the identity of this iconic type of dome. It is set up to house a telescope. This one happens to be a short distance from my home in Mesa, not an ideal location for viewing the stars, but adequate. This is at the Gilbert Riparian...
The FamilySearch.org Research Wiki is easily the most valuable genealogical resource on the Internet. Even though it is largely unheralded and ignored by most genealogists, it is a hidden wonder when you realize the amount of information already present...
If you have never been to St. George, Utah, you have missed one of the primiere vacation destinations in the world. If is also a first class retirement community. It is centrally locate for access to some of the most dramatically beautiful locations in...
This is a traditional Hopi design. It is most likely a bird design flying over the earth. You can tell by the feathers on the wings.
If you look at this picture for a while, you might be able to figure out what it is and the direction you are looking. It is the top floor of the Desert View Watchtower, looking up from the floor below. The perspective is so different than you expect,...
Quoting from Nathan W. Murphy's article "Has Anyone Studied My Virginia Genealogy?" A new guide on FamilySearch Wiki can help you discover if anyone has studied your Virginia genealogy. You can’t trust every word of published family histories, but they...
OK, so today there have been half a dozen blog posts based on a press release from findmypast.com. I have included a copy of the press release below, if you haven't already seen it. Why is this significant? That would be the first question I would ask....
The number of online family trees submitted by users of all the various programs is truly staggering. There is not way any can even begin to examine all of the possible matches in all of the trees on programs such as Ancestry.com, MyHeritage.com, Geni.com...
They say that no two snowflakes are the same. Well, the same thing can be said about the rocks of the Colorado Plateau. The colors and forms are endless and never repeat themselves. The terrain is challenging to the casual visitor but it is home to m...
The architect of the Desert View Watchtower, Mary Colter, uses native artifacts for her design elements. We were surprised to find out these large pots were used as lighting fixtures. I wouldn't recommend this today given the value of this pottery. An...
In a video sent out to Family History Consultants, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced several new enhancements to the FamilySearch.org website. For members of the Church, the website will soon be available directly through signing...
In a recent press release RootsTech outlined three Unconferencing Lunch Discussions. I have been asked to participate in the Tree Connect Panel scheduled for Friday, March 22 at 12:50 pm. You might notice that some of the products that are being discussed...
Not to rush the season or anything, I am always impressed when Costco puts up their Christmas decorations in July or August, but RootsTech is trying for a new record in anticipation. Here is the announcement I got today: Mark Your Calendars for RootsTech...
Keynote Speaker James L. Tanner Veteran genealogist, speaker and author James L. Tanner will teach, “Top 10 Techniques: Fishing for Ancestors & Other Persons of Interest,” when he opens the Northern California Family History Expo. The expo is slated for...
I can't seem to get over the fact that ducks float. Not only do they float, but they float upright and almost completely out of the water. I don't float.
