Photos and comments from Arizona and around the world
Genealogy's Star I thought it might me interesting to do some controlled searches with all three of the US-centric online databases to see how they stack up. What I mean by "controlled searches" is that I will be looking for sources I know are already...
Walking Arizona Saguaros are not the only large cactus with pleated trunks. There are a huge variety of species of column cactus in the world. They are quite common in the Salt River Valley as ornamental plants but only a few varieties are native to...
Walking Arizona It is an interesting thing about rabbits, they will sit there until you approach to a certain distance and then they will start to get nervous and one more step means instant flight. These little creatures seem to come out to eat and...
Genealogy's Star I am still getting used to Windows 8 on my laptop when, of course, there is another upgrade from Microsoft. However, I was impressed with these new features. Unfortunately, my laptop does not have a touch screen, so most of the new...
Walking Arizona I have been fascinated with the way mud dries and cracks. Some times the dried mud can be spectacular. The white sheen on this dried mud is salt.
Walking Arizona In the world at large, stone arches are quite rare. In some sections of the Colorado Plateau, they are relatively common; so common, as to be commonplace. In this case, there is this spectacular arch, almost next to a major highway,...
Walking Arizona There is a town named Queen Creek in the very far eastern part of the Salt River Valley. But there is actually a Queen Creek also. Typical of most creeks, streams and rivers in Arizona it is dry most of the year, but there can be some...
Genealogy's Star Believe me, I get asked the question in the title frequently and I have been thinking through the issues pro and con for some time now. The answer to the question is not as simple as saying, yes, you do need a desktop program. As a matter...
Genealogy's Star How do we save our photo collections for our family in the future, especially if we are using a digital camera to take photos? Should we print off paper copies? What format will be the best for archive purposes? Is there someplace to...
Walking Arizona This is one of the most perfectly made anthills I have ever seen. It looks like the particles of dirt were especially chosen to make the most accurate slope possible. Funny, this hill was right in the middle of a high foot traffic area...
Walking Arizona Too bad it is socially unacceptable to have a lawn to to this extent. I really love the colors and patterns of dried grass, but I also recognize the fire hazard and the spread of all those seeds.
Walking Arizona Not all saguaros grow on barren hillsides. This very tall specimen was found growing in thick bush with very tall eucalyptus trees in the background. The saguaro is probably around twenty five or so feet tall. The eucalyptus trees in...
Genealogy's Star In the 1868 revision of his book, The American Genealogist, William Henry Whitmore said, The improvement in the subject matter of our genealogies has been very apparent. Twenty years ago nearly every man who knew anything of his pedigree...
Genealogy's Star At RootsTech 2013, MyHeritage.com announced that they would be adding all of the U.S. Censuses, from 1790 to 1940, to their online Record Match program. Today, they announced that the records had been added. I immediately went to...
Genealogy's Star If it sounds like I am doing a series on the concept of "brick walls" you are right. I have a whole series of classes this month at the Mesa FamilySearch Library on the subject. I would guess that few of the people who come to me with...
Genealogy's Star I am not much of a hunter, but I used to practice archery. I learned several lessons from shooting arrows at a target, some of which apply directly to my genealogical research efforts. The first lesson concerned lost arrows. I would...
Walking Arizona This is one of the mountains in the category of "always meant to climb that some day." I have passed it hundreds of times and there is even a trail to the top. It was reportedly used as a place where troops were stationed for observation...
Walking Arizona I have been around windmills all my life. I am always amused when I read about solar and wind power being modern innovations. The windmill did its job of pumping water, day and night, for years upon end without needing more than occasional...
Walking Arizona The colors of the prickly pear flowers are so saturated but at the same time, some of the varieties are so thin that they are translucent. No photograph can really do justice to looking at the original flowers. The timing of these flowers,...
Walking Arizona Out in the desert, spiders pretty much rule the ground. Someone was commenting recently about killing off a bunch of undesirable house spiders, but there really isn't anyone with poison out there where they live naturally. Fortunately....
Walking Arizona Almost all cactus plants orient themselves to the sun in some way. I have seen few such dramatic examples as these golden barrels all pointing in the same direction.
Walking Arizona It is hard to decide whether this is really a tree or just a very large unusual plant. Its scientific name is fouquieria columnaris and the the only related plants are the ocotillos. The name came from Lewis Carroll's poem, "The...
Genealogy's Star We are still busy having new Webinars and making webcasts for the Mesa FamilySearch Library. My latest webcast was just posted online and updates the one I had done previously in 2012. I guess it was about time. Anyway we have a whole...
Family History Expos Today and tomorrow, April 30th, are the final days to register and receive the early bird savings for our Family History Expo in Sacramento June 28-29, 2013. If you have already registered be sure to tell a friend so they can take...
Walking Arizona I actually love Morning Glory, commonly called Binder Weed or Bindweeds and very bad noxious plant. I can remember it from when I was very young and I have always loved the flowers, but I guess I never had to try to get rid of it from...
