Photos and comments from Arizona and around the world
Sometimes the Canyon walls play hide-and-seek with the clouds. When the cloud windows open, you can see details that are usually lost in the vistas of the huge Canyon. This is one reason to go to the Grand Canyon when the weather is poor and it is cold...
One of the interesting things about probate law is its conservatism. Many of the forms and much of the terminology have remained virtually unchanged for hundreds (perhaps thousands) of years. Probate procedures arise from the need to have an orderly method...
Of course, I don't mean when is it time to quit genealogy, for me, that will never happen until I die; I mean when is it time to quit looking for that elusive ancestor? Oh, guess what? The answer is the same. We never stop. But there are limitations to...
You have to look closely at this photograph to see the patterns created in miniature by the erosion of the sand in this hillside. If you do, you will see that the forms are exactly those of the Southwest, only on a small scale. The same forces that created...
It is doubtful that Frank Lloyd Wright was personally familiar with ancient Indian ruins when he coined the term "organic architecture" but it is certain that what the ancients built was a more closely aligned with that concept than the buildings constructed...
Indian ruins in Arizona and the Southwest are just that, ruins. Many of the sites were heavily vandalized in the years before people became aware of the need for historical preservation. When you visit a site, you are really seeing what was left behind...
Walking Arizona The Kiva was a round, ceremonial room, usually below the level of the ground. Its structure was derived from ancestral Pueblo pithouses. Many kivas are still in use today by the descendants of these ancient inhabitants. All we usually...
I had this topic on my list of subjects and then saw that it was Douglas Adams' 61st birthday, so I decided to take the time to write this post. For those of you who don't immediately know what I am talking about, "Don't Panic" is on the cover of the...
The weather outside was cold and foggy and this fire was extremely inviting. But as with Frost's little horse, we had to hurry on and had miles to go before we slept.
Instead of the Man in the Moon, some cultures around the world and especially in the American Southwest, see a rabbit in the moon. This is a charming original Hopi drawing of the Rabbit in the Moon. The story of the rabbit is variously told and it is...
Would you like a week in Salt Lake City, Utah for a genealogical research visit to the Family History Library? What if you also got some expert research help and structured classes? That is exactly what is happening with the April Salt Lake Family History...
Note: This is a reposting of my recent article in TheAncestorFiles.blogspot.com for those of you who do not yet read that blog. I will only do this on the rare occasion that the material is particularly interesting to me and has some greater historical...
I imagine that there is some scientific explanation for sea foam. It is probably caused by the action of the waves and the salt and mineral content of the water, but rather than spend some time looking up the answer, I prefer to leave it as one of the...
The idea of footsteps in sand is regularly used as a metaphor for the transient nature of life itself. I guess I am going to join the crowd on this one. When I see a beach without any footprints, it feels like I am the first person to ever walk there....
Warning: If you are imbued with an active sense of political correctness, you may as well ignore this post. I make no pretense at maintaining any significant amount of political correctness. I have a saying, "I don't deal with stupid and I don't deal...
Modern anthropologists and cultural historians tend to put a religious and symbolic spin on every ancient mark on stone or wall. I have always wondered why this is the case? It is entirely possible that some of the designs had no deep meaning but were...
Some of the most interesting features of the sandstone rocks in Arizona and Utah are these alcoves created by the action of water seeping through cracks in the rocks. It is as if the water is painting an abstract picture on the walls of rock. They are...
This is approximately what some of the State of Florida looked like at and before the time of the arrival of the Europeans. This is in the Pelican Island National Wildlife Preserve and they have made an effort to eliminate all imported plants to restore...
This is a trick question. Of course, spelling is important to properly communicate and as we learn in school, noticed by people who are teachers in our school system. But if you look at a representative sample of comments on various topics online, spelling...
From time to time we will answering questions posed on the Family History Expos website in the Ask-the-Pros section. Here is this post’s question: Question: How do I find an obituary of a person who died in 1945 in the Ft. Bayard VA Hospital, Grant county,...
It has come to my attention that there is an illegal hack from my blog sending out pop-ups and linking to other pages. This is not authorized. I am so sorry for an inconvenience. I understand that I many have to move my blog to a new template or take...
The old almost-ghost town of Jerome, Arizona sits on the side of Mingus Mountain facing the Verde Valley. It is a picturesque town with a thriving tourist business. With an economy entirely based on mining, it has gone through a boom-and-bust cycle more...
I was asked a question recently about how we could expand the field of genealogical research to include a younger-aged participation. I have thought a lot about this and see several really difficult challenges to including a broader age range of participants....
I spent years pulling Globe Mallow out of my garden as a weed. But growing wild it is a lovely flowering bush. I love the color. At the time this photo was taken, the wild flowers are just beginning to bloom and I will have to get back out to the desert...
I refer to these birds as "Gang Birds" because they congregate in aggressive groups of adults in our neighborhood. They are solid black colored when adults and so it is hard to tell that this is the same bird I see on my front lawn.
