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Is This the Next Paris?
Over the past decade, Istanbul—the mesmerizing ancient capital that straddles two continents—has boomed, restoring itself to the global stage as a portal to Asia and the new Middle East. Alan Richman wanders the streets, bazaars, and waterways, and discovers a city and a dining scene poised to conquer the world
Where do you wish to dine when night descends?
Paris, perhaps. Not an unreasonable idea, although that means subsequently returning to a hotel room smaller than a Devil's Island prison cell and the next morning awakening to a city whose residents wish you were not so annoyingly different from them.
Let me suggest Istanbul, the most engaging city I know. Turkey isn't what it once was, when the Ottoman Empire grabbed a wedge of Europe, a huge chunk of Asia, and a northerly slice of Africa. But it is undergoing a revival, reasserting itself. Name your nation—Syria, Iran, Israel, even the European Union. Turkey's leaders seem happy to tell the whole lot where to get off.
Not coincidentally, dining in Istanbul gets better all the time. It's not yet ideal. Modern culinary trends clash with Ottoman-era dishes. Islamic prohibitions against pork and bloody rare meat rankle. Yet Istanbul is proof that power and prosperity are precursors to a flourishing cuisine.
No city I know offers more wonderful settings in which to dine. From the rooftop restaurants, which are in abundance, you can look down on edifices that are undeniably heart-wrenching yet remarkably vibrant: Ottoman Empire palaces, soaring mosques, all of them illuminated first by the setting sun, then by floodlights, and finally, and most appropriately, by a crescent moon.
Or you might prefer a table situated along a cobblestone passageway in Sultanahmet, the heart of the old city. I have a preference for the restaurant Balkç Sabahattin, where alley cats beg for scraps of your grilled sea bass and white-shirted waiters chase them away with spritzes of bottled water, inflicting momentary terror. (The cats recover swiftly and return.)
I also appreciate a well-set outdoor table only a few feet from the banks of the Bosporus, a strait more impressive than Paris's moody Seine. At Feriye Lokantas you might see small dolphins on a pleasure trip from the Black Sea leap into the air for their own amusement as well as yours. (A confession: I've never observed this, but the woman seated across from me swore she did, and our waiter said that on warm nights, after work, he sometimes went for a dip with them.)
You've heard the expression "location, location, location." Istanbul has it like no other city. Geographically, it is partly in Europe and partly in Asia, a beneficial accident that Turkey leverages to the maximum. Over the course of centuries, everything flowed into Istanbul, especially food. But it has always been the water and the nearness of it that elevates and distinguishes the city.
The allure of the Bosporus is immeasurable. It divides the continents. It connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. And it is more majestic than whatever river lazily flows through whatever city you have until now adored.
Might that be Rome? Lovely place, but to be honest, dead. Rome has a nice history. Istanbul has a more textured one. First it was the focal point of the Roman Empire, then the Byzantine Empire, and finally the Ottoman Empire—pretty much the Triple Crown of sovereignty—and it remains filled with irresistible bits of kingdoms past. Rome has the Coliseum, of course, but it's a skeleton. Istanbul has the Hagia Sophia. It's been burned, looted, disfigured. It looks prehistoric. It feels omnipotent. It has all those mosaics. And it boasts a rather sweet snack bar within its walled grounds.
A quiet moment amid the many cafés and bars that line
Nevizade Street.
Istanbul was founded around 660 b.c. as Byzantium. It became the capital of the Roman Empire by decree of Constantine the Great in the fourth century, grew into the most glorious city in the world under Emperor Justinian, was sacked by crusaders in the thirteenth century, and fell to Turks in the fifteenth.
I came along a mere quarter century ago, yet even then the city seemed to exist in the past. Cars passed over the Golden Horn, an inlet of the Bosporus, by means of a pontoon bridge built in 1912. Politically, the country had to tolerate a cadre of army generals who occasionally imposed military rule, maybe to stop communism or maybe just to show that they could.
The army was in command on that first trip, in the mid-1980s. When I argued with a taxi driver who had overcharged me, we took our dispute to the highest court of appeals, a soldier with an automatic weapon standing guard on a street corner. He ruled in my favor, and that began my love affair with Istanbul. I fell hard for çp i, roughly translated as "garbage kebab," which consists of skewered lamb scraps and lamb fat, cooked over an open fire. Çp i has remained the only two words of Turkish I know. On that trip I also ate the most perfect street food of my life, deep-fried mussels cooked in a monstrous wok, slipped into soft bread much like a miniature Parker House roll, then slathered with homemade walnut-studded tartar sauce.
Even now I search for those mussels. They continue to elude me.
Today, Turkey insists on recognition as an international leader, and it's hard to say such influence isn't deserved. While I was passing through Egypt in September, the prime minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, flew into Cairo. He was greeted with the reverence and passion that John Kennedy once attracted. I later met the general manager of Cairo's Kempinski Nile Hotel, who said of the ongoing Egyptian revolution, "If we follow Turkey, we will look like Turkey in ten years. If we don't follow Turkey, in eight months we will look like Palestine."
Lamb shank, ready to be devoured, at Borsa.
The woman, days away from her wedding, wore a tank top with the message SEXY LITTLE BRIDE. Istanbul might be a Muslim city, but clearly ayatollahs aren't running the place. She, her fiancé, a few of their friends, and I were riding up the Bosporus in a restored wooden powerboat, nibbling catered mezes brought on board and drinking rak, the anise-flavored spirit. They'd invited me for a ride, to be followed by dinner, and they were arguing with pleasure over possible venues. "A few more glasses of rak and he won't care," I overheard one of them say about me.
As our boat glided past the hundreds of mansions known as yal that sell for $10 million to $20 million and line the Bosporus, I realized I would not have another chance to dine with people of such affluence. So I selected the restaurant that nicely represented their lifestyle: Borsa, which has a branch at Istinye Park, a mall of high-end brands including Ladurée, the Paris macaron shop.
Eating, I have always believed, is the perfect and perhaps only way for an outsider with limited time to gain knowledge of a foreign country. Rarely has anyone been so thoroughly an outsider: I neither speak nor read Turkish, and I have no friends there. I do know something about Turkish cuisine, though. It's not quite one of the best in the world, but it's close.
That prosperity and stability are essential for a food culture to thrive is inarguable. Look around the region: Israel, which once had the least interesting restaurants on earth, is developing a promising Mediterranean diet entirely its own; Lebanon, historically celebrated for its table, is just starting to restore its culinary reputation after thirty years of war and neglect. Egypt is a disaster politically and economically, and the food there is tragically bad
Turkish dishes are immensely likable for their unrivaled freshness and elegant simplicity. Significantly, countries with first-rate cuisines almost always boast long histories of infatuation with food, and that's certainly true of the Ottoman Turks. Proof can be seen in the paintings of the gaily dressed and overfed sultans and harem women of the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. They might well have been the inspiration for the balloons that now float over holiday parades.
There is, however, that high-level culinary dissonance. The modern version of fine dining in Istanbul is straightforward, whereas the palace cooking of the Ottoman Empire was more elaborate. Much of this heritage disappeared in the 1920s, when Atatrk, the founder of modern Turkey, replaced Ottoman script with a variation of the Latin alphabet. This rendered thousands of recipes handed down from the Ottoman Empire unintelligible, lost in translation. When I first visited Istanbul, the cooking felt repressed. I liked the fish, the vegetables, and the çp i. Not much else impressed me.
Today chefs, restaurateurs, and cookbook authors are attempting to revive the Ottoman-era recipes, most of which are too convoluted for my palate. The best dish I've tasted is breast of chicken stuffed with pistachio-flecked basmati rice and placed on a bed of spinach, the way it's stylishly served at Feriye Lokantas, the dolphin-friendly establishment on the banks of the Bosporus.
Tomato salad topped with walnuts at Borsa.
The meze that we were eating on the powerboat is an essential staple of the Turkish table. It is not, as commonly thought, simply a collection of miscellaneous starters; it is a way of life that incorporates eating, drinking, and socializing. The meze wasn't brought on board because we had to be fed; it was there to promote hospitality and make me feel welcome, which it did.
Kebabs are almost as significant. They are pervasive, but to nonbelievers like me they possess a fatal flaw: Islamic law forbids eating meat that is not drained of blood, and I didn't have a kebab in Turkey prepared any way but well-done. However, I did notice observance of the religious prohibition against pork starting to crumble. The House Hotel Ni¸santa¸s, where I stayed, served a strapping if imperfect version of eggs Benedict—I imagined the chef shaking with fear as the bacon crisped in his pan.
At Borsa we were seated outdoors, on a deck, under an oversize umbrella, at a huge table covered with a white tablecloth. It was very classy and cool, much like the Hamptons. Yet the food could not have been more traditional.
The first dish was a salad of walnuts, tomatoes, onions, red peppers, and pomegranate juice that I was told originated in the agricultural area near Incirlik Air Base, a NATO facility that my hosts portrayed as an American air base. In Turkey, America remains a fairly neutral presence, as it is not elsewhere in the Middle East. (Diplomatic note: Turkey proudly considers itself an independent political and geographical entity, not a mere component of the Middle East.)
Just a small bit of the daily catch from the Black Sea, as
sold at one of the local markets.
Our second course, lahmacun (also known as Turkish pizza), consisted of herbs and chopped lamb atop flatbread; I ate it often on this trip, but no version was nearly as savory and crunchy as Borsa's. Baked eggplant, cooked with onions, tomatoes, and green peppers, was smoky and sweet and so spectacular my eyes watered with happiness, but I pretty much had the identical reaction to every variation on eggplant in Istanbul. Next came a peasant dish native to farmers near the Black Sea; it was made from corn flour, cheese, and yogurt. Turks are addicted to yogurt.
About when I was starting to think this dinner might be memorable, out came the overcooked meats. It probably says a lot about my despair when I say that the most tempting meat dish was the Roasted Bony Lamb Shank, which was, at least, tender.
The people dining with me were not looking toward Islam for relief from corporeal woes. So when we chatted about the possibility of a religious revolution and subsequent rule by Islamic law occurring in Turkey, they insisted it could not happen. "It is a great question, one we talk about all the time," one of them said. I pointed out that they were outnumbered by millions of other potential voters, the rural poor who have moved to Istanbul. "Turkey simply cannot be a country like Iran," one of them added. "Turks do not know Islam as a political model."
They noted that the language of Turkey is not Arabic. They pointed to the intense consumer culture in their country. So many malls. So many Starbucks. So many reasons not to embrace radical Islam. One woman told me that young Turks had become seduced by the idea of walking around carrying their coffee in take-out cups. Junk food, an American export, apparently helps, too. "Junk food is kind of joyful in Turkey," she added. A few days later, happy to check it out, I had the so-called Ottoman Meal at Burger Turk. The lamb patty was average, the slices of tomato in my sandwich excellent, and the fellow at the counter tried mightily to upgrade me to a one-liter Coke. The reputation of Americans for consuming vast quantities of sweetened beverages apparently has spread worldwide.
Since I first started traveling to Istanbul, my favorite restaurant has remained Balkç Sabahattin, located in that cobblestone passageway in the old city. The restaurant is easily found by asking directions from almost anyone, since the locals all know of it. They will direct you there after insisting they know a fish restaurant just as good that costs much less. They are mistaken; no grilled fish in Istanbul is better.
The restaurant, I was told, now accommodates about 200 diners, although I have no idea where. I've always eaten at one of the tables that line the alley. It's not quite level, but the slant isn't so dramatic that your stuffed grape leaves will roll off your plate. Overhead is a grape arbor. Alongside the tables are potted fig trees. Other pots hold radishes, garlic bulbs, even watermelons. The tables are oversize, the waiters attired rather formally. Have the meze, in particular the smoked eggplant, which is miraculous, and the whole snapper on the bone, masterfully grilled. The snapper is even better than the fillet of sea bass, which everybody but me prefers.
The first days of my visit to Istanbul came during Ramadan, and two women took me with them to break their fast at Hamdi, a well-regarded kebab restaurant. An American who joined us said she was uneasy at the notion of attending a dinner to celebrate religious traditions she perceived as alien. She was edgy as we entered—"intimidated," she later admitted.
Our table was on the top floor, which is partially outdoors and was entirely filled with those breaking the fast. My personal concern was less spiritual than hers: Smoking was permitted in the space, since it was technically open to the night air. A license to smoke is not to be taken lightly in Turkey. Indeed, the fellow sitting at the table closest to me didn't put out his cigarette during the meal; actually, he rarely took it from his mouth.
I had braced myself for lessons in orthodoxy, but they did not materialize. One of the women, a 33-year-old lecturer in international relations, explained how the Westernization that has defined Turkey for the past quarter century was in the process of ending as her country became more independent from the United States and Europe and more involved strategically throughout the region. Her friend, less academically inclined, regaled us with stories of the Turkish obsession with yogurt. She admitted that she had badly upset her hosts in Italy by putting yogurt on her pasta.
The view from our table included well-lit mosques displaying proverbs written out in lights and strung between minarets. It's a religious indulgence the secular government permits only during Ramadan. The uneasy American admired these expressions of devoutness, sensing their spirituality. The sayings closest to us read "There is no God but Allah" and "Love each other and be loved."
The 400-year-old Blue Mosque. (Unlike the grounds of
the city's other architectural marvel, the Hagia Sophia,
it has no snack bar.)
We ate a huge multicourse meal in ninety minutes, making us one of the slowest groups in the room. Turks eat fast, and in this case with good reason: They were starving. The lecturer offered a more nuanced explanation: "In Istanbul, life is fast; we cannot spend the time. Here is not like Spain, Greece, and Italy." After we left the restaurant, the now dazzled American woman said, "There was something so spiritual about the dinner, all of us together, like we were in a church. And we ate at the moment of sunset, which was uplifting, joyful. I was shocked to feel so in touch."
As is my nature, I had paid too much attention to the culinary and not enough to the ceremonial aspects of our meal. I am not unaffected by Islam. I might not even be neutral. But I never feel anything but happiness while in Turkey, and I considered the illuminated expressions of brotherhood to be sincere. It's the overcooked kebabs that got to me.
At Hamdi, I only liked the ones containing chopped meat. The chunks of skewered lamb or veal were barely palatable, whereas the kebabs made with ground veal and lamb were marginally juicy, like a well-prepared meat loaf. I particularly liked those that had a combination of the two meats and were accented with pistachios or spiced with a mix of sweet peppers, paprika, and black pepper. Other than the American woman's wholehearted approval of Islamic ritual, nothing about the meal surprised me more.
Istanbul isn't just one city but a metropolis of water, connected by ferries to islands and—if you plan wisely—multiple food opportunities. I made two such voyages. One took several hours and brought me to the island of Burgazada in the Sea of Marmara. The other was brief, an excursion across the Bosporus to the Asian side of Istanbul and the district of Kadky. The trip had much in common with a subway ride through Manhattan. The machines dispensing tokens rejected my bills, and I desperately begged change in coins from passersby. And the ferry was inhabited by hawkers not much different from those who haunt New York's transit system. On this trip, I was educated in vegetable peelers. The hawkers energetically sent potato skins flying.
Fresh grouper at Mikla, simply prepared.
After reaching Kadky, I happened by chance to wander into a long, narrow market street while in search of the restaurant Çiya, known for its authentic rustic dishes. The street, unfettered by signage, turned out to be Gne¸slibahçe, where the restaurant is located. On sale here were eggs with yolks as golden as the threads on a sultan's caftan—each vendor had a few eggs cracked open and displayed in their shells. I also encountered baked skulls, hot, fragrant, and steaming. I caught the eye of a butcher and nodded, my way of asking what they were. He said what I expected, only more colorfully. _"Baaaa," _he bleated. I also stopped at a baklava shop, where I bought a small sack of those preposterously sweet and luscious pastries—Gne¸slibahçe Street seemed to have everything. Turkish baklava is the finest confection to emerge from the holy trinity of nuts, phyllo, and honey. Still, it's sweet, insanely so. If you wish your baklava less sweet, head for Beirut.
The mezes at Çiya were basic, flavorsome, and sold by weight. The hot dishes were served steam-table-style, but they were ambitious enough that I'm certain they would have been wonderful if made to order. I pointed to a concoction that turned out to be rice, chicken, and almonds stuffed into a pastry shell, baked in a cup, then turned over onto a plate, in essence a poultry upside-down cake. It was cold. It would have been superb had it been warm.
My second journey, the one to Burgazada, was to meet a married couple introduced to me by friends in New York. She is a Turk. He is an American. They had picked this island for our rendezvous because of its serenity, which is not insignificant in Istanbul, thought to have a population approaching 17 million. My only mistake was taking the trip on a busy Friday, when the ferry was packed and I had to protect my standing-room spot next to the rail against all challengers, at one point using my leg to block a small boy trying to squirm into my territory. (Hey, I'm from New York.)
Our lunch was at the restaurant Yasemin, where we sat a few feet from the Sea of Marmara and ate grilled octopus mid with stuffed green olives; fried clams the equal of those I've had in Ipswich; and sensationally crunchy torpedo-shaped brek with a cheese filling. I'd been seeking these since my arrival. Brek (fried pastries) are a Turkish staple that are stuffed with any number of fillings, but Yasemin's were precisely the kind I find most satisfying. With them we drank a soda called Muslim Up, which is simultaneously intended to combat Western imperialism and to promote Palestinian causes. It made me belch.
The woman advanced a theory, not original to her, that the salvation of Islamic relations with the Western world was possible, thanks to economics. I was reminded of something the lecturer at Hamdi restaurant had said: "If China can have communist capitalism, why can't Turkey develop Islamic capitalism?"
She told me that young Muslims wished to prosper in business and use the money to aid their community. "So many want mansions as well as turning the world Islamic," she said. She claimed that this market-driven neo-Islamic movement coincided with the compassionate conservatism of America's Republican Party. I assured her she was wrong, since America's Republicans don't want to share their wealth with anyone.
We were finishing a sea bream, grilled to such succulence I had lost track of everything except the wonder of fish, when the owner of the restaurant asked if we'd like coffee or tea. "Coffee," I said. "Very well," he replied, "but you will not make your ferry back if you have coffee. If you want to wait for the next boat, I'll be happy to give you coffee." I ran for the boat. I really don't think much of boiled Turkish coffee anyway. (Yes, the coffee in Paris is better.)
Back on the European side, I went to visit the only person I knew in Istanbul, a carpet dealer with a small shop behind the Blue Mosque. On previous visits, I would be followed everywhere by men shilling for carpet dealers. They would offer to guide me to the only honest salesman in the city, who happened to be their brother or their uncle. On this trip, it didn't happen, not once.
The meze spread at Balkç Sabahattin, featuring eggplant
The mystery deepened when the dealer near the Blue Mosque seemed less pleased to see me than in the old days. He said he was thinking of closing down because people like me had stopped buying. He was selling no more than one carpet a month to Americans. I was my usual helpful self. I explained to him that we Americans were no longer buying rugs for our homes because we no longer had homes; they were all in foreclosure.
That night I visited the most highly publicized restaurant in the city, 360 Istanbul, which is located atop a once grand apartment building and offers this promise on its website: "Coupled with an ingeniously engineered and extensive wine menu, you can rest assured that we will have the perfect combination of wine and dish to achieve a gastronomic orgasm." You won't find semisexual stimulation like that in many Muslim countries. I ordered a drink called the Sultan's Aphrodisiac—note the continuation of the theme—so sweet it should have been named the Sultan's Diabetic Coma.
Our table was a good one. From it I could see the Topkap Palace, the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, the ferry docks, everything that makes Istanbul unparalleled. The menu consisted of a little of this and a little of that, dishes from a multitude of countries. I had a zucchini-flower dolma so heavy I wasn't certain our flimsy table could bear its weight, underdone noncrispy Crispy Duck Spring Rolls, carpaccio-topped pizza with a crust so soggy it might as well not have been cooked, and then, finally, Short Rib of Beef "Love Me Tender." The meat was caramelized on the inside yet magically crunchy on the outside, the only succulent beef I ate in Istanbul. With menus as haphazard as this one, the odds are decent that one dish might turn out to be delicious, but the chances are not good that you can guess which one it will be.
Such a collection of global comfort food is, I fear, becoming a worldwide restaurant trend. I think of it as neo-Continental cuisine, familiar food intended to appeal to tourists distrustful of the food in the countries they're visiting. In essence, it's bar food that's moved up in class.
Much more promising to me was the presence of a genuine celebrity chef in Istanbul. Mehmet Grs has a Turkish father and a Finnish-Swedish mother and grew up in both Istanbul and Stockholm. I knew he was the real thing when I phoned his restaurant, Mikla, located on the eighteenth floor of the Marmara Pera Hotel, and learned he was away at a Scandinavian food conference with other celebrity chefs.
Mikla was the loftiest restaurant I tried, by any definition. Grs has labeled his cooking the "new Anatolian cuisine," Anatolia being the major land mass of Turkey. It turned out to be among the best in Istanbul. And the top-of-the-mountain views from the restaurant were exceeded only by those offered at the restaurant's small chic bar located one floor above. With scenic outlooks, every floor counts.
My table—this was the only restaurant where I'd identified myself beforehand—was the most spectacular in the house. It was glass-enclosed and reminded me of an infinity swimming pool or a flying carpet. It seemed to hover unsupported in space. I ate raw grouper, bright and cool, sliced thin and topped with chopped Kalamata olives, chives, lemon juice, and olive oil, a thoroughly modern and vivid Scandinavian-Mediterranean preparation; mild anchovies encased fossil-style in crisps, reminiscent of a dish from Copenhagen's Noma; grilled grouper with all manner of vegetables, eight or nine of them, each cooked separately and differently, a triumph of kitchen technique and effort; and slow-cooked lamb shoulder, possibly prepared sous vide, accompanied by an exotic pesto. Elements of it were familiar—I'd tasted pomegranate molasses, a Middle East staple, before. But prunes? This was prune pesto spiked with pomegranate molasses, something entirely new.
I asked Grs's assistant for the number of the table where I dined so I could request it on my next visit, but she said it was like an unlisted telephone number, not given out. I did not despair. In Istanbul, you need not dine at an uninteresting table, because you can always find a restaurant that will offer you a wonderful one.
_Alan Richman is a _GQ correspondent.


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Day 4 - Paso Robles to Santa Maria, 97.7 miles
The fourth day of AIDS LifeCycle was a long but beautiful journey beginning by traveling back toward the ocean from the inland farms, and we hugged the beautiful curves of the Pacific Coast for much of the day.
However, the first couple miles out of camp were on a road of horrible disrepair. The wheels were chugging and bouncing even when I moved further center to the smoother portion. We saw a few people at the side of the road fixing flats, which I expected considering the condition. I probably would not have been as frustrated by this if it weren't for the fact the lane going the opposite direction had just been repaved and was smooth as butter.
Then suddenly the torn road led into beautifully fresh pavement, and I thought we were in the clear. But alas, somewhere in the mess of the past mile, my girl friend Meghan's tire got punctured and was now going flat. Amazingly out of a team of 20 people on skinny tires over 545 miles, we only had 2 or 3 members get a flat. This also happened to be the one day I forgot to bring my portable pump, so we broke out one of the emergency CO2 canisters to get us to the next point we could fill with air. I had not really used CO2 before was surprised how instantly the canister became frozen after use.
Although getting the flat was unfortunate, it was nice to take a moment to pause and reflect on the beautiful surroundings we were in. Pause is only interesting for so long though, so it was nice once we got moving again. At the first rest stop Meghan went to the always helpful bike tech booth to get proper air and pressure in her tire. I was surprised to find the mechanics had set up a blow up doll at the table to greet those waiting in line. It was another one of those uniquely ALC moments. Since the big hills of the day, dubbed the "Evil Twins" were up next on the elevation graph we grabbed a couple snacks to munch on and topped off our water.
Since so many of our group training rides emphasized endurance on hill climbing, especially in Ojai, the largest climbs on AIDS LifeCycle did not seem so bad. On "Quad Buster" the day before many of us were thinking where is the rest once we reached the top, and the Evil Twins were not as bad as portrayed either. This is not to say they were a cake walk or downplay the accomplishment of riders completing these hills, but compared to things like climbing to the Hollywood sign, it was not so scary. Meghan, pictured in the left, was mostly smiles going up the hill in spite of knee injury complications.
One of the really exciting moments about Day 4 is that just before you hit the big downhill of the day, there is a vista where riders gather that is the half way point to Los Angeles. Everyone cheers and breaks out the cameras to pose at the place signifying the feat of making it half way there, and in the case of our team, half to home. Everyday at some point of the ride there was a man always seen in different full body costumes cheering on riders. He was at the half way to Los Angeles point spreading the highly appropriate message of safe sex by being dressed as a giant condom. Of course we had to get a photo of this.
After hanging out with the ever so friendly giant condom, we staked out a spot on the rocks and those of us on the team who arrived together struck a pose of triumph. What goes up must come down, and I love to climb because I love to descend. Coming off of the Evil Twins was the most epic downhill of AIDS LifeCycle, with a long stretch of steep down hill grade, beautiful scenery and smooth pavement across a curving landscape.
After coming off the high of sudden elevation drop, we came across a particularly beautiful stretch of coastal road. It was such a consistently beautiful day I couldn't help but stop along the way for shots.
To be continued in Part 2 of Day 4.

subset: commoncrawl


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Many of the developments that ignited the current Veterans Affairs Department firestorm came to light due to employees blowing the whistle on malfeasance.
Two advocacy groups -- Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and the Project on Government Oversight -- have joined forces to provide a new avenue for whistleblowers to come forward.
The organizations have created a website, VAoversight.org, for employees to file reports of wrongdoing at the agency. Joe Newman, a POGO spokesman, said the whistleblowers are not required to identify themselves and the group would work to ensure confidentiality and anonymity for those who seek it.
Ultimately, the groups hope to provide protection, guidance, policy advocacy and, when possible, investigations into the employees' claims. POGO has a team of a former investigative journalists and others ready to look into the reports it receives.
"We try to help [whistleblowers] navigate those potentially treacherous waters," Newman said of POGO, which has been involved in whistleblower advocacy for more than three decades. The group has already received four reports on its first day since launching.


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What a treat! Included in an order from one of my oldest and dearest "imaginary friends", Julia aka Miss Frugality a special patchwork brooch as a gift. Thank You Julia, I'd like to knit a hat to match it. Visit her etsy shop, materialised and try to guess what I chose for a present.
....Not that Julia is really imaginary, but for some people, it is the easiest explanation of cyber-pals. I did have an imaginary friend in kindergarten, Janet Heikenin, (Kristine's sister) told all kinds of stories about her a-la Miss Tollipop...kept it up for months...the family believed...odd how she never came over to play...
Oh yes, before I forget, if you're in the Handmade gift mood, KriKri is having her annual sale on December Sixth, even online this year. Sparkling, shiny, colorful dishes to die for.
Exciting Update! Miss Tollipop is having a give-away! Visit!


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Student or Learner
Prompt: Write a personal essay about yourself, your interests, and your plans for the future. (<500 words)
"I Am a Story"
I am unique. I am driven and passionate. But so much more lies in me than simple words. I have so much potential. I want to be a story.
On September 18, 2006, I received an early Christmas gift that changed my life forever: a small, gorgeous, buckskin colored mare with a silky black mane and tail. Apart from the ponies at the state fair, I had never ridden a horse before, but from the moment I stepped into the stirrup it seemed as if I had an innate talent, a destiny, of sorts. I pin this memory as the beginning of my journey as an equestrian and the turning point to the discovery of myself.
Raised in central Mississippi suburbia, an ideal atmosphere, I experienced a flawless childhood. However, pressure began to mount as I progressed into my preteen years at Saint Andrews Episcopal School, known as the most academically challenging college preparatory institute in the state of Mississippi. The added stress of the intense curriculum and my self-imposed drive for success left me socially withdrawn as I began spending an inordinate amount of time studying in order to keep exceptional grades. The once active softball and basketball player with a giggly personality diminished into an anxious overachiever. I was completely immersed in the smallest aspects of any potential educational triumphs. At thirteen, I found that something was missing. I needed some kind of escape or form of pleasure to balance the constant burden of schoolwork. Little did I know that I would find it so quickly; that an unconventional gift, a horse, would revitalize my entire outlook on life.
Before I began my journey as a rider I was convinced that Veterinary Science was the right profession for me. Throughout my high school career, I toggled with my plans for the future. I shadowed various veterinarians, volunteered with multiple rescue associations, as well as a therapeutic riding center, and worked with a well-respected AQHA Professional Horseman. My experience, working with such well respected horsemen and a variety of amazing animals, validated the certainty that horses must also have a place in my career. With the introduction to the rare programs that the University of Findlay offers, I plan to major in both Western Equestrian Studies and Equine Business Management. I also have an interest in pursuing a minor in Psychology in order to enter the field of Equine-Assisted Therapy, a field that offers unique opportunities to those with mental health issues through relationships with horses. The programs that Findlay offers and the diversity of their amazing opportunities present a direct path for me, a passionate equestrian, to accomplish all that I need and desire to achieve. The University of Findlay has the power to build my story.


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Scott@OCG needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 95 designs submitted by 29 freelance designers.
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE ENTRIES - we will post a winner this afternoon.
AlabamaHorseShows.com is an equestrian networking site that allows competitors in Alabama the ability to plan a show season and show committees to promote their event - horse shows, equestrian clinics, and trail rides etc etc. This is for both western and english disciplines.
Do NOT use the current cheesy logo as a baseline for anything - we put it together quickly to kick off the site.
- Would like something similar to what vir2le did for a client: look at the 2nd one - the horse head looks a little funny but the concept is clean.
- the logo needs to be predominately horizontal (check out site header and you will see why)
- Also the president of AHS.com likes these designs as well - the 1st one in the list (far left)
- Leaning toward royal blue (as in blue ribbons) but open to other ideas - not excited about red, though
- Add ".com" to end of Horse Shows as we're marketing the website
- Generic horses or english horses preferred
- looking for clean, professional lines/images
- Thank you for your interest and best wishes designing!
- no cartoons
- no "old west" type fonts
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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New England Clam Chowder
Chances are that if you spent Christmas Eve at our home you've had a big bowl of my homemade New England Clam Chowder. It's been a family tradition of ours for nearly 20 years to serve piping hot New England Clam Chowder, fresh baked rolls, sourdough bread, pints of beer, flutes of prosecco and sparkling apple cider. Whenever I prepare the chowder, I make a large vat of it… When I say vat, I mean two and a half gallons or enough to serve well over a dozen people. That's a lot of chowder!
I don't think I've ever made this recipe on a small scale before… And this is the first time that I have written down the recipe. Whenever I prepare the soup, it's from memory and taste. Since the recipe makes about 10 quarts of chowder, be prepared to spend a couple of hours preparing the soup. It's just that large quantities of soups take longer to cook than recipes for 4 to 6 people.
My New England Clam Chowder is a wonderfully hearty and creamy soup with tender clams, diced potatoes, onion, celery and bits of bacon. I then finish the soup with a bit of half and half to lend a bit more creaminess to the chowder and then garnish with a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley for color. Enjoy! Tessa
- 4 cups chopped clams
- 1 – 51 ounce can of clam juice
- 12 cups diced potatoes (russet)
- 7 cups of water
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 2 cups chopped celery
- 2 Tbs butter
- 1 pound bacon
- 1 1/3 cup flour
- canola oil (as needed)
- 1/2 gallon whole milk
- 2 tsp old bay seasoning
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 cup of half and half
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- salt and black pepper to taste
Place 12 cups of potatoes in a covered pan. Add 7 cups of water and 1 tsp salt. Cover and boil over medium heat until potatoes are tender (be sure not to over cook the potatoes). Drain, cover and set aside. Meanwhile, sauté the onions, celery, a big pinch of salt in 2 Tbs butter. Cook until onions are translucent. Remove from heat and place onions and celery aside for later.
In a large pot, cook the bacon. Remove bacon from the pot and set aside. Add 1 1/3 cup flour to the bacon grease. Add canola oil to the mixture (if needed) in order to make a thick batter like consistency. Cook on medium low heat, stirring constantly for about 3 to 4 minutes (light roux). Slowly add the clam juice (not the clams!) and milk whisking constantly. Cook until thickened or about 20 – 30 minutes.
Chop the bacon into small bits. Add the bacon, Old Bay Seasoning, white pepper, potatoes, onion, and celery and continue to cook until hot and almost to a bubble. Don't let the soup boil or let it stick to the bottom of the pot. When the soup is nearly done, add clams, parsley, half and half, salt and black pepper to taste. Cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutess. Taste the soup and correct your seasonings. If there's a floury taste to the soup, just cook it a bit longer. If it's too thick for your liking just add more milk or half and half.
Ladle hot soup into cups or bowls and garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Serve with crusty sourdough bread or fresh baked rolls. Makes about 10 quarts.


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Mayor Don Wesely today invited residents of Lincoln and Lancaster County to attend a second round of workshops on the development of a new Comprehensive Plan, a framework for future growth in the city and county. Eight initial meetings were held in January, and five more are now scheduled for April 18 and 19.
The current Comprehensive Plan has been revised many times since its 1994 completion, and officials hope to have a new draft plan by the end of 2001. Discussion at the workshops will focus on where the city is now and where citizens want it to be in the future. Workshops are scheduled for:
If special accommodations are required for an individual to participate in a meeting, contact the City-County Planning Department at 441-7491 at least 7 days before the meeting. Comments on the Comprehensive Plan may also be submitted through the Planning Department on the city's web site.
Media Release


text:
(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
Contact us for information about using this image.
When Massachusetts began erecting monuments and memorials in the 1860s, few public voices opposed the movement. This article represents the opponents' view. Although the author was careful to assure readers that he honored the past, he argued that money spent on monuments diverted funds from the necessitiesof the present time. Here he openly criticized the otherwise generally popular movement by town leaders to erect memorials on historic sites.
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"Deerfield"- Sheldon talks about Monuments
"Deerfield" regarding Monument Banter
Union Battery Invoice for Cannon and Expenses
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text:
Beowulf (poem)
Beowulf is the conventional title of an Anglo-Saxon epic poem.
J.R.R. Tolkien was a prominent Beowulf scholar; his Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics was a turning point in the modern study of the poem, moving the focus from its historical to its literary significance.[1] Tolkien also left two substantial unpublished manuscripts concerning Beowulf. The first, a more substantial version of the previously mentioned critical essay, was edited by Michael D.C. Drout and published as Beowulf and the Critics.[2] The second is a partial poetic and full prose translation of the epic, including commentary.[3] The latter was a minor media sensation on its 'discovery' in 2003 and was also to be prepared for publication by Drout, but as of 2010 this was not forthcoming.[4] The unpublished manuscript is kept at the Bodleian Library in Oxford.[5]
Tolkien looked highly upon Beowulf, and it both indirectly and directly influenced his own imaginative work. The episode in The Hobbit where Bilbo steals a cup from Smaug's horde, for example, is a conscious homage to a similar theft in Beowulf.[6]
See also
External Links
- Beowulf at Wikipedia
- Tolkien and Beowulf - Michael Kennedy details some of the similarities between the two.
- ↑ Heaney, Seamus (2000). Beowulf, "Introduction". New York: W.W. Norton. pp. ix–xxx.
- ↑ Michael D.C. Drout, Beowulf and the Critics.
- ↑ Beowulf: Translations by J. R. R. Tolkien. Updated 2003-01-05. Retrieved 2010-08-14.
- ↑ Michael D.C. Drout, Wormtalk and Slugspeak: Beowulf Basics. Updated 2007-10-10. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
- ↑ Rhona Beare, "A Mythology for England", in The Silmarillion: Thirty Years On (ed. Allan Turner)
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien; Humphrey Carpenter, Christopher Tolkien (eds.), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 25, (dated February 1938).


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Still in the "shopping" theme (see my previous post) this time I prepared a simply illustration: a beautiful girl doing her shopping with Paris roofs and Eiffel Tower in the background. Created in Adobe Illustrator CS5 back saved to CS4 version.
What do you think ? – it's my first time with human body (I mean in vector ;)) so I'd really appreciate your feedback.
It's free for personal and commercial use. Enjoy your shopping.
If you host this file please don't forget to add a link to this site.
And if you like/use it please bookmark and share. Thank you.


text:
Style: Curly
Material: Synthetic
Length: Short 3 1/4" front, top, crown, and upper back. 2 3/4" sides and nape.
Weight: 1.7 oz.
Features: Kanekalon® WhisperLite® fiber
Thank you for showing interest in this item. You will be notified by email as soon as this item is available to purchase.
The item you selected has already been subscribed to notify to this email.
System error: Failed to submit email, please contact website administrator.


text:
I'm an italian kiter girl. I'm sorry for my english, but the next month I'll come to San Francisco due to work for several months, so I'd like to know some information about San francisco kitesurfing spots.
I'd like to know if there are and where are kitesurfing centers in the Bay area, and which are kitesurfing intermediate level spots.
Moreover, are the spots reachable by public transports?


text:
Two anonymous sources are claiming that Twitter was looking to acquire Camera+, one of the top iPhone photography apps available. This, of course, would be in response to Facebook recently snagging the hugely popular iPhone app Instagram. Unfortunately, the folks that make Camera+ are all over the world, and few were willing to move to San Francisco as a part of the deal.
Twitter has a long-standing mobile lineage, so it makes sense that they're looking to the world of iOS apps to expand their workforce. They reportedly even had talks with Instagram (as did Google) before Facebook swooped it up. Sure, Camera+ only has a fraction of the userbase Instagram enjoys, but really any devs with experience creating filters could significantly upgrade the embedded photography functions of the native Twitter apps for iOS. Camera+ already plugs into Twitter, includes geotagging support, and has offers image stabilization when taking your picture.
Even if these talks fell through (if they happened at all, that is), it's entirely possible that Twitter execs will continue to hunt for savvy app developers to upgrade Twitter's mobile photography experience. Maybe the guys at Camera Awesome would be open to that kind of conversation....
Twitter has a history of buying mobile apps and taking on their developers, after all. They bought Loren Brichter's Tweetie for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and they bought Tweetdeck, darling of the social marketers.
How often do you guys share pictures on Twitter? Which cloud service do you usually upload to? Is there a particular iOS app you use to take your snaps? Do you tend to apply artsy filters when you share mobile pics online?
Source: Bloomberg


text:
The Wine development release 1.3.5 is now available.
What's new in this release:
- Support for animated cursors.
- Printing directly through CUPS instead of lpr.
- Installer fixes for Office 2010.
- Many MSXML3 improvements.
- Improved Shader Model 4 support.
- Proper icons in built-in Internet Explorer.
- Translation updates.
- Various bug fixes.
The source is available now. Binary packages are in the process of being built, and will appear soon at their respective download locations.


text:
2012-03-11 Webinars Home Grown
Start: 11:36:33
alt: hello keli1, happy Daylight Savings time LOL
keli1: Good morning to you! how ya doing? health wise, are you being good?
alt: doing fair healthwise so I have to be good LOL... how bout you?
keli1: doing good so far, everything is working, LOL. I am going back on weight watchers, got to loose weight the healthy way
alt: wonderful.. good luck with WW, I could stand to lose 70-80 lbs.... the healthy way.
keli1: it is the only one that works, at least for me and it is about portion managment, lol..need what I can. I just booked my flight to SLC
alt: I've gained about 50 lbs since 2009 & Ft. Wayne.. I was on Nutri-System then and it was working. so you're 'good to go' for SLC.
AYWalton: greetings alt, and keli1
keli1: Yes I am going, first time, plus want to be there to support others, etc
alt: good morning AYWalton, how are ya?
AYWalton: yall talking diets?
keli1: Good morning to you Angela!
AYWalton: I need to lose about 30 pounds myself!!!
keli1: I need to lose 50
AYWalton: and it is almost afternoon! I just realized that. Forgot to set my clocks! we should all do one together!
keli1: I am doing weight watchers, was successful before...
AYWalton: I have done WW in the past as well.
keli1: I want to look like my ancestors, lol
AYWalton: it is a good program. your ancestors probably were not sedentery folks. you know genealogy does add pounds. and now that we have computers, we don't even have to walk to the car to go to the archives or library. we click away in our pajamas.
keli1: for sure! I like the change of behaviors and can't get it from prepared foods
alt: that' my 'main' problem is I'm too sedentary, not burning any calories at all with activities.
AYWalton: but I like cooking and need to add more healthy dishes to my diet.
keli1: I just finished my application for first families of ennsylvania
AYWalton: we need to reward ourselves with computer time instead of interrupting computer time with moving around. lol
alt: wonderful keli1 FF of PA... is this with the PA Gen Soc?
AYWalton: I have noticed at many genealogy conferences how many folks have a hard time moving around. what is FF of PA?
keli1: yes with the GPS
alt: First Families of Penn.
keli1: just getting a certificate from them, lol
AYWalton: ahhhh ok.
keli1: Irita got one for Ohio.. I have one for Benzie Michigan
alt: do you have to be a member of GPS & what is the time period? documentation required?
keli1: I am not sure, but will do it if necessary, they have 3 different time periods any documentation that we have, so I hope it is accepted I think most socities have them now
alt: okay .. Ohio has FFO before 1820... Settlers & Builders before 1861.. Irita & I have family in both.. as a matter of fact we both have AA family in Ohio before 1803.
keli1: Colony and Commonwealth 1638-1790, Keystone & Cornerstone 1791-1865 and Pennsylvania Proud: 1866-1900 mine so far is under Cornerstone
alt: For OGS you have to prove ancestral lines & residence generation by generation back to the given time period.
keli1: yep, pretty much the same
alt: it is a great exercise in documenting your 'tree' & having it reviewed by a 'peer' group for acceptance.
keli1: yep, we did Benzie County years ago.
alt: okay, comments on WDYTYA... I thought it was a very, very good episode.
keli1: I was not able to see it, will have to watch when they put it up on the website
alt: okay, I think you will enjoy it
keli1: I actually like all of them... I heard they had a black researcher involved
alt: there was a good posting on FB about Jerome Bettis "other" family lines this morning.... someone has done a lot of research into his genealogy.
keli1: yea I read that
AYWalton: the episode is online, keli1 I watched it yesterday. they always have it up the very next day. it was a good episode.
keli1: oh is it up now, really, at the main website, yeah..
AYWalton: they had two history professors have face time with Bettis. no genealogists---but at least they were black. genealogists, might have gone further to learn perhaps how Bettis's slave ancestors were acquired. but they did a good job. and didn't feel a need to connect to a remote village in Africa---they stayed in KY, mostly. and there were good records.
alt: I would think that they did go much further than what the program showed AYWalton
keli1: oh that is good staying in KY, I have some research in KY, Bell & Harlan Counties
AYWalton: that's right----there is supposed to be a missing episode somewhere online. I did get to see the missing episode with Blair Underwood. there is probably more on their site also for the Bettis episode. Will have to check.
alt: I wasn't aware of the "dowry" records for KY, need to check them out for a couple of counties to see if they exist.
AYWalton: is it "dowry" or "dower" (and hopefully not "dour")
alt: I thought they did a good job with the records they showed .. Census, vital, Newspapers, Court (Probate & Civil) photos & oral history. Dower
keli1: oh they have those records that is good, not all states have them
AYWalton: I was wondering how many states have them.
alt: I've seen & heard of "Dower/Dowry" slaves mentioned in estate records, but never seen them recorded as such prior to an estate settlement.
AYWalton: don't think we have them west of the Mississippi.
keli1: that is something to find out and post.
AYWalton: I wonder if Virginia has them. being one of the oldest states.
keli1: Question: why do they include Michigan being west of the MS, is it because of the colonies, etc?
alt: I have no idea
keli1: what about Ohio...
alt: Never heard of Mich being considered west of the MS.. since it is directly north of Ohio and we're east of the MS.
keli1: I guess my question is coming from the homestead act of 1862, they always says west of MS states
AYWalton: they include Michigan?
keli1: just doesn't make sense to me, LOL
AYWalton: I have never known that.
keli1: yes, I downloaded both of my family patent from glorecords
AYWalton: but east of the river?
alt: I've looked and I can't see Ohio as having 'homestead' lands... it was pretty much settled by 1862 and the 'districts' were pretty well determine by then. .
AYWalton: Michigan is east of Illinois, which is east of the Mississippi.
keli1: just says west of MS
AYWalton: where was that? on which site does it call Michigan as being west?
keli1: reading about the Act
AYWalton: I see.
keli1: also listened to the webinar on FTU virtual conference, they mentioned it as well, maybe I am reading it wrong
alt: the Ohio HIst Soc has a book/booklet "Ohio Lands" and it show how Ohio was 'tracted' out by VA mil district, Western Reserve, Connecticut lands, etc., but not sure it mentions Homestead Act
keli1: I really wish that Afrigneas and AAHGS would provide webinars or podcast...
alt: OH, MI, IL, IN, & Ws all came out of the Northwets Territory Act of 1787.
AYWalton: something to suggest, keli1 I know that ProfessorDru has a channel. much needed and a great idea!!!
keli1: I have been saying that for a while...getting a bit tired of it... broken record
AYWalton: perhaps we can become proactive about it!! make some and offer them to AfriGeneas. greetings Ms. Selma!!!
keli1: Hi Selma
AYWalton: did you change your clocks Selma?
alt: who among AfriGeneas would take the lead in finding 'sponsors' for Webinars, lectures, etc.
Selma: Good afternoon folks..Alt,AY, and keli
alt: Hello Ms Selma.
Selma: Most of them AY..gotta change the one I am looking at now.. LOL Need a step stool
alt: careful Selma, we don't want another accident.
AYWalton: don't step on it---wait till a tall person comes. Remember your ankle, Selma!
keli1: step stool, what did you do?
Selma: "Dower" records..not dowry
alt: okay Selma thanks re:Dower vs Dowry
keli1: lol a give and take thing-dower
Selma: I have a two step , step stool..clock is on the wall...I changed it I am safe..although the clock is now crooked.. LOL
alt: were these the type of records Geo. Washington's wife would have had recorded prior to her marraige to him for the slaves that she brought into that marriage?
Selma: If the slaves were inherited by her from her husband.. 1st husband
keli1: it covered a lot of what was coming to the marriage...goes back to the mother land
alt: and her's were right?
keli1: could a will change a dower or does it matter which one was filed first
Selma: Hold on reading B. Vines Little book on inheritance in Colonial VA..
keli1: yea I attended her talk in richmond but can't remember, hmmm I should still have her handouts
Selma: This i prior to the revolution
keli1: Charlottesville LDS/FHC is scheduling their family history day for June 16, they are looking for speakers
Selma: Under common law a married women did not exist as a separate person but became one with her husband Whatever personal property she had prior to marriage was vested in the husband He only gained title to the rents and profits of any real estate during the marriage, it remained entire to the wife after the death of husband..or to her heirs if she died before him
alt: In the case of Geo. Washington it is often stated that he couldn't free most of his slaves because they were "dower" slaves of his wife Martha.
keli1: Men took it all! gotta love em'
Selma: LOL..and thats how the men are acting in the VA Legislature today..as we speak
alt: y'all want me to step out of the room LOL ... course you're talking about 'white' men and the olden days genealogically.
keli1: yes my gosh, darn can you believe the ultrasound bill that just passed
Selma: I have not seen the type of record referred to in the Bettis episode Which appears to be a separate type of document based on a law passed in KY..and said to be in other states, but they didn'tsay which ones.
alt: me neither Selma, wonder if is specific to KY?
Selma: AY..email Mark Lowe and ask him..re the "Dower Records
keli1: he does KY and TN..
alt: Mark's gonna be at OGS in Cleveland again this year.
Selma: I think he mentioned in the chat that night that another state had the same records, but didn't say which states
AYWalton: I don't have Mark's email, but I am sure I can easily find it, Selma.
keli1: I have it, hold on
AYWalton: ahhh ok.
keli1: firstname.lastname@example.com
alt: I found the Civil court case in the Bettis story to be interesting. and the older gentleman who could relate to the oral history of that case.
keli1: Angela are you podcasts on Afrigeneas website, or the link to hear them?
Selma: AY..must be mulit-tasking
keli1: what about Dru's or are any on AAHGS or Afrigeneas website
AYWalton: oh ok, back.
alt: y'all remember William Carson aka 'Hollywood"... his folks were from Paducah, KY and during the same time period as Bettis' g-father 1920's .. he still has family in Paducah.
AYWalton: what was the question keli1? I don't think so.
Selma: I saw your post to him alt..
keli1: how do we get them up?
AYWalton: the website has old software and some things will have to be updated to make changes to the site. it needs a new design.
keli1: who is the web master?
AYWalton: the family is the largest item on the page, yet it is not a link and the ads take up much of the rest of the real estate. I know that there is an effort to streamline the page a bit. don't know where the design is, yet, though. howdy Nadasue!
alt: Hello Nadasue.
keli1: hi Nadasue
Nadasue: Hello all!
AYWalton: hey Nadasue, great photo of you, and keli1! Nice photo!!!
Nadasue: Ah, thanks! It was great to meet her. keli1
Selma: Afternoon Nadasue
Nadasue: Howdy, neighbor!
keli1: thanks it is good to meet people when you chat with them for a couple of years, lol
Selma: Took me almost 10 years to meet alt.. LOL
keli1: lol
Selma: in person and JArrin..
Nadasue: I've only met AYWalton and now keli1 as far as anyone out of my immediate area
keli1: so Angela is that going to happen re: website?
alt: 2009, right Selma and we immediatley recognized each other LOL
Selma: LOL
AYWalton: Much depends on the webmaster. You can share ideas with BJ and VKN. they know more about the status of things.
Nadasue: Talking about the afrigeneas site?
AYWalton: yes, Nadasue.
Nadasue: k... good
keli1: okay, I will email VKN, etc
Nadasue: Anybody see my tweet this morning? I got through another brick wall!
keli1: No I have not pulled it up today..
Nadasue: Well, at least chipped it down a bit...
AYWalton: I missed your tweet, Nadasue.
alt: AYWalton,just received the AR AAHGS newsletter in my email uesterday, I have yet to read it.
AYWalton: it is good, alt. they do a good job.
keli1: does anyone have plans for Greensboro in Oct
alt: not me
AYWalton: not sure, keli1. I am going to Salt Lake City, so I have to count my pennies. but I can easily be convinced.
keli1: I just booked my ticket to SLC
AYWalton: I am excited about SLC.
Nadasue: Found death certificate for collateral relative, which gave new burial location in Warren Co., NC. Decided to post it to FAG. God there and even though that person wasn't on there, the second name on the interment list was that of my maternal GG-GF!
AYWalton: FAG?
Nadasue: Clicked on it and there was a HEADSTONE with named spelled differently, birth year, and DEATH year! Find-a-Grave
AYWalton: ahhh ok.
Nadasue: I
Selma: Great find Nadasue
keli1: Find a grave is awesome!
Nadasue: I'd only had his name before thie (which I found a couple years ago) and didn't know when he died or where, etc. Nice inscription on headstone too. Gave me an indication of how he lived.
AYWalton: we need to have a glossary lol --for FB / Tw / FAG and others.
keli1: lol
Nadasue: Yes
AYWalton: that's good, Nadasue! You must be so pleased!!
keli1: I am happy for you!
Nadasue: VERY. I almost jumped in the car right away to go there! Decided to make myself wait because I'm going there on 31st. Thanks.
AYWalton: lol I know you were excited!
Nadasue: :}
alt: Yes, congrats Nadasue, shows we have to 're-visit' thes sites on a frequent basis as new data is being added everyday, plus data that we can now connect with that has been on the sites for years.
keli1: I hope to stay hot on the trail to find Anderson Russell, just found his 2nd wife's death certificate which is the first lead...that should lead me back to him she never remarried, died at the age of 102, in the same area they lived in 1880
Nadasue: Well, the thing is, I never would have found it on a search because the spelling was different. If I hadn't gone to the cemetery to look for the other person, I'd have never known! That's great keli1 Such a simple thing, too. His name was spelled Asy. I've tried Acey, Ace, Acy, Asa, Acee.... Just never thought to try ASY....
alt: the Bettis episode showed us a great example on spelling LOL
keli1: really I need to locate it on and watch today
Nadasue: I always try so many variations on surnames. This shows how it can happen with given names, also.
Selma: AY...did you find the video on chuch controversy on Bettis family
AYWalton: not yet, Selma
keli1: I posted a note on facebook to remember that death certificate creates more records
Nadasue: Here ya go keli1 http://www.nbc.com/who-do-you-think-you-are/video/jerome-bettis/1389825
alt: that was a GREAT posting keli1, how many of us think of a 'record tree" I know I hadn't realy thought of it in that sense.
Nadasue: Yes, I LOVE death certificates, and since most of my folks are from NC, I'm especially lucky that so many are online
AYWalton: I think I found it, Selma. http://www.nbc.com/who-do-you-think-you-are/video/legend-of-adversity/1389879
keli1: yea, the presenter made the reminder, so back to basics again
AYWalton: going to go and watch it. Plus it is almost 1 o'clock, so going to sign off. have a good one folks. take care everyone.
alt: I've had good fortune with NC DC & images on Ancestry Nadasue
Nadasue: Just which VA would be accessible
Selma: Like eveyrthing else..info on the death certificate is only as good as the knowledge of the person giving the info
keli1: does the link so just the highlists or the whole show, it says 2:09 that in minutes
Nadasue: True... you have to use discernment, but still it opens doors
keli1: okay got it,
Selma: I think AY's link goes to the segment that explains the split in the church ...which pitted one side of the family against the other..it was not on TV
keli1: yea Nadasue's link is 43 minutes I need to buy one of those things to hook my laptop to the tv
Nadasue: The link I sent is for the whole episode
keli1: I am waiting to hear back from Vicki on Mariah's timeline, lol, but I might of scared her
Selma: LOL
Nadasue: Selma How was the meeting Wednesday night?
alt: the point of keli1's post wa show to think of how many other records a DC will connect you to .... an obit, a funeral program, a coronor's report, a cemetery, etc.... not just the information of the event re:death.
Selma: It was good..we talked about the Pleasant Shade cemetery project..will be sending out info once we get a date and time..we need volunteers to come and help transcribe the info
keli1: yea Art, we typically will stop once we get the death records, but oh so many more hints on other things
Selma: A number of our members are local..and have folks buried there...
Nadasue: Okay. Good.
Selma: It was the only black public cemetery here in this area until about 1960's
Nadasue: Yes.
Selma: So folks from both Hampton and NNews are buried there
keli1: selma do you get trickles of the community (non-members) coming to your meetings?
Nadasue: Well, I'm happy to help. I think I responded to the email saying so.
Selma: or I should say folks who were lving here at the time of their dealth..many folks here are from other places Oh yes..we have folks who show up..pick our brains...then come back 5 years later to pick our brains again... I usually remind them LOL Oh you are on my list Nadasue
Nadasue: :}
keli1: just thinking of more ways to market the meetings, etc
Selma: Folks..I have to leave..have a great day..
alt: yeah, Selma we 'jump' on the visitor's for a membership... we get them for at least a year... and we can always use that 20.00 for the membership LOL
Nadasue: Well, folks, I'm going back to my lazy, movie-watching, little bit of indexing and research day. Cya


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Each time I sit down at my desk to write about my family, or about Irish history, to contemplate the lives led by those who have gone before me, I see two small sepia images of my grandmothers. Years ago I affixed these two portraits to the wall above my desk. Grandmother Annie and Grandmother Mary look out at me from photos taken so very long ago, before either one was married, before they had stepped onto their ultimate path in life. Each time I look at them I feel as though they are bidding me to uncover family stories, to learn as much as I can about the path travelled by every member on my family tree. Both of my grandmothers died long before I was born, and so these small sepia images give me a connection across time to these women, whom I did not have the privilege of knowing in life.
Just imagine if each one of those pictured could call out to us through time and ask:
What it is that you see in my image?
Who do you believe I was in life?
On what parts of my life do you choose to focus?
What aspects of my life do you choose to ignore?
Do you truly know my history?
Will you remember me?
Top row: Margaret Toole Geraghty, Anne 'Annie' Magee Geraghty, Michael Magee, Patrick Geraghty, Enda Geraghty.
Middle row: Alice Fitzpatrick Ward, Patrick Ball, Thomas Fitzpatrick, Thomas Michael Kettle.
Bottom row: Maria 'Mary' Fitzpatrick Ball, Maria 'Mary' Hynes Fitzpatrick, Andrew Joseph Kettle.
Be sure to stop by Alan and Kat's blog Sepia Saturday to see how others are inspired by images in sepia.


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FREMONT — Two men have received lengthy prison sentences and another man is headed to jail for their involvement in robbing a 47-year-old man on a bicycle and threatening to stab him last year in Fremont, police said Wednesday.
The man was leaving work on his bike on July 2, 2012 when he was followed by three men in a black Chevrolet Silverado near the intersection of Irvington Avenue and Fremont Boulevard, police said. Without warning, two of the men jumped out of the vehicle and rushed the victim, threatening to stab him if he didn't turn over his cash and cell phone, said Detective Michael Gebhardt.
The victim was not badly injured.
Working with Milpitas police, Fremont detectives identified Jesus Mora, 20, of Oakland, Michael Bryant, 20, of Fremont and Armando Sandoval, 20, of Oakland as the suspects.
Police said Mora, who had been released from prison two weeks before the robbery, was located by Fremont police and arrested. Bryant was arrested in San Jose and Sandoval was later picked up in Hayward. At the time of his arrest, Bryant had a felony warrant stemming from a residential burglary case out of Hayward, police said.
The three men were charged in connection with the robbery and pleaded no contest to robbery charges.
Within the last month, Bryant received a 10-year prison sentence for his involvement in the Fremont robbery while Mora was sentenced to eight years in prison. Sandoval received a 5-month jail sentence.
Reach Kristin J. Bender at email@example.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/kjbender.


text:
Brain Teasers
Mr. Jones filed a lawsuit against the company he worked for. He claimed that the company he worked for was drugging him to make him a better worker. He claimed that the coffee the company provided contained a drug called Trimethylxanthine. Trimethylxanthine is an addictive drug that increases alertness, improves concentration, and gives you a euphoric feeling. It operates using the same mechanisms that amphetamines, cocaine, and heroin use to stimulate the brain only to a lesser degree. When the coffee was tested it was found that it did contain large amounts of Trimethylxanthine. But, Mr. Jones did not win his lawsuit. Why?
AnswerTrimethylxanthine is also known as caffeine.
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Ideal for those in strategic or competitive intelligence roles, the report details the strategic opportunities and evolving competitive landscape.
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High level analysis of the whole market including, key trends, opportunities, companies & market size. Delivered as PDF.
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Photo Gallery
ON SET Inside SET Boutique
SET on King
January 24, 2014
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If you like all of these great freebies and deals, make sure you sign up for my newsletter.
You can print a coupon for 40% off one regular priced item at Jo-Ann Fabrics. There are a couple of other coupons available, too. This coupon is good through 8/5/15.
Did you realize that they also accept competitor's coupons? Well, they do. They accept all competitor coupons.
Image Credit: Jo-Ann Fabrics


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This is nice as it starts minimized in the system tray. Of course I wouldn't be posting if I wasn't having a problem. This was working beautifully in Elyssa Beta 032. I installed Elyssa Stable last night, and now it launches full screen each time I boot the PC. I can't figure out why the command flag is not working. Any ideas?
Code: Select all
liferea -mainwindow-state=hidden


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SAN JOSE — The San Jose Unified School District both defended its work and pledged to rededicate itself to preparing all students for college, despite a decade of falling far short of that goal.
A story in the Los Angeles Times on Monday noted that even though the district adopted a policy of requiring all students to pass a set of college-preparatory classes, only 40 percent of graduates in 2011 did.
The classes are required for entrance to the University of California and California State University. In 1998 San Jose Unified became one of the first districts in the state to require all students, not just those deemed college-bound, to pass the 15 courses in order to graduate.
"We are clearly in a better place than where we were," before adopting the so-called A-to-G requirements, Superintendent Vincent Matthews said Monday. "However, clearly, we still have a long way to go."
He noted that before college-prep courses were required, less than 26 percent of seniors graduated prepared to enter the University of California. Both the overall rate and the rate for Latino students who make up more than half of district enrollment have increased.
But clearly there is a large loophole in the requirement. Many students are failing, dropping out or not taking the tougher classes. Some transfer to one of the district's many alternative schools, or find remedial classes may take up their schedules. Others may take vocational courses — many of which have UC approval — yet they somehow fall short of meeting the full requirement.
In Santa Clara County, among the 11 school districts that run high schools, San Jose Unified lands exactly in the middle in the percentage of Latino graduates who are prepared for UC entrance. The figures for 2011 range from 44 percent for Palo Alto Unified to 16.1 percent in East Side Union.
Carol Myers, a former San Jose Unified trustee, said the data doesn't surprise her. Although she voted for A-to-G, she said she raised several concerns, including what would happen to students who fail or don't want to take college-prep courses. "If a kid isn't successful right away, we don't have enough safety nets to help them," she said.
At the time, the district pledged to boost summer school and teacher training to support students in reaching the higher goals. But years of successive budget cuts have all but eliminated summer school and many academic programs.
Matthews said the district's strategic plan adopted last year listed as the No. 1 priority eliminating the opportunity gap that separates groups of students. That includes both improving students' skills and offering them more options to advance.
The requirement to take college-prep courses went into full effect with the Class of 2002. For the first few years, the district fudged its calculations, by counting students who earned a D — which is not accepted by UC — or who met an outdated and less-demanding list of CSU prerequisites. Ex-Superintendent Linda Murray discovered the errors in 2008 while conducting a study.
Despite the discouraging college-prep numbers, the district shouldn't back away from the A-to-G requirement, said Rosa De Leon of Californians for Justice. Two years ago the group worked to persuade the East Side Union High School District to follow in San Jose Unified's lead and adopt A-to-G requirements as the default curriculum in 11 high schools.
"I think it is very important that we prepare all students for college and to provide the support that they need," De Leon said. "A through G is not only a pathway to college, but also provides students with the skills they need for life."
Contact Sharon Noguchi at 408-271-3775. Follow her at Twitter.com/NoguchiOnK12.
Latino Graduates' College Prep rates
Districts vary widely in the percentages of Latino high school graduates who pass the courses to qualify for entrance to UC and CSU. The figures below are for the Class of 2011, the latest numbers available. They do not take into account socioeconomic status.
District % Latino college-prepared
Palo Alto Unified 44.1%
Los Gatos-Saratoga 43.8%
Morgan Hill 35.9%*
Fremont Union 31.5%
Mt. View-Los Altos 30.8%
San Jose Unified 26.6%
Campbell 26.1%
Gilroy 20.3%
Santa Clara 19%
Milpitas 16.5%
East Side 16.1%
* Figure for 2010; complete 2011 data not available


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Hey Freon 12...
Discussion and topics about BeerTools.com online calculators and other tools.
Moderator: jeff
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Hey Freon 12...
I found out why I can't get messagages through on your email.... my providers gateway won't see netzero servers for some reason ! I tried another mail client and it acted the same, so it has to be my service. Please e-mail me a phone number that I can use to contact you in the evening, I can get your e-mails, I just can't repond to them.
Mesa Maltworks
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Going going.....
We are going July 17th for the tour de Ale.
I sent contact phone #'s via e-mail. I trust this forum enough to post it here if I have to.
I sent contact phone #'s via e-mail. I trust this forum enough to post it here if I have to.
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The researchers at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) are on an amazing mission. They operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory and their research uncovers the mysteries of universe. Coincidentally, CERN is also the birthplace of the world wide web as we know it.
Switzerland-based CERN is also a member of the OpenStack community and a supporter of open source technologies and the open cloud. And today, we've formed a new contributor agreement with CERN openlab through which Rackspace will deliver a hybrid cloud solution featuring OpenStack-powered public and private clouds that will help CERN advance its important research.
This is awesome because it gives us the opportunity to work closely with CERN to help fuel new, potentially ground-breaking research and particle physics innovation while also extending the reach of the Rackspace Hybrid Cloud.
Through our relationship, we'll work with CERN on a number of initiatives, first of which is to create a reference architecture and operational model for federated cloud services between Rackspace Private Cloud, Rackspace Public Cloud and CERN's own OpenStack-powered clouds.
Here's what Tim Bell, infrastructure manager in CERN's IT department said: "We definitely see great value in open source technologies like OpenStack. They foster continuous technological improvements through community contributions, while also giving us the ability to quickly address challenges, such as massive scaling, by leveraging the work of others." Bell added that CERN just celebrated the 20th anniversary of its decision to make its world wide web software freely available.
The scientists at CERN study the building blocks of matter, particles, to better understand the universe and its origins. It already uses OpenStack software to manage resources across its two data centers that power the Large Hadron Collider (below), the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator, which produces more than 25 petabytes of data annually.
This new relationship is an extension of our previous work with CERN, through which we delivered a solution that allowed CERN to burst workloads into our public cloud. With the new agreement, Rackspace Private Cloud will be deployed onto servers CERN uses for production physics experiments. Together, Rackspace and CERN openlab will test and ensure seamless federation between the public and private cloud platforms, showcasing the true value of the hybrid cloud.
To see more on how CERN and Rackspace work together, check out this video:
And to see more about how the open cloud powers academic and scientific research, take a look at these videos from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA):


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Make this 6 BR house into a 6 BR retreat and please buy it already
We're taking another drive by Redwood City this week, but this time we're headed for the hills. Emerald Hills, that is. Or Cordilleras Heights, depending on which realtard portal you choose. Thanks very much to Burbed reader laurenatuw for this find somewhere in the Woodside zip code.
645 CALIFORNIA Way
Redwood City, CA 94062
9 Beds
6 Baths
3,100 Sq. Ft.
$548 / Sq. Ft.
Built: 2007
Lot Size: 0.32 Acres
On Redfin: 22 days
Status: Active
Property Type Detached Single Family
Community: Cordilleras Heights
Best lot in Emerald Hills. Excellent location. 3100 sq foot main house and guest house with additional 579 sq feet. Great possibilities await you. Make it into a 6 bedroom retreat.
Unfortunately for us, we were unable to find the interesting photos that laurenatuw must have seen when sending this in:
wow, a gem
3100 square foot main house is apparently not big enough to have a couch that wouldn't block the door.
and maybe they are simply suggesting projects by the abundance of remodel supplies in the pics: tractor, ladder, random plywood, traffic cone – its practically a where's waldo of construction items hiding in a 1.7mill listing
Alas no remodeling supplies in the current pictures. And for 3100 feet of main house they're being awfully skimpy on the photos, because here are the other two.
Fortunately, there are always some sites our there that take their sweet time updating listings. Today we're featuring a new one for you: HomeSwing. (Wow, that sounds kind of sleazy, doesn't it? Maybe they arrange key parties.)
For Sale › California › Redwood City › 94062
645 California Way
Redwood City, CA 94062
- $8,738/month
- 9 Bedrooms
- 6.0 Bathrooms
- 3100 sq ft
- Built 2007
- Single-Family Home
Big Price Reduction. Beautiful Emerald Hills. Expansive 4 yr old home – 9 bdrms, 6 full bath. Main house 3100 sq ft & Guest house is additional 579 sq ft. 14000 sq ft Corner Level lot w/RV access & Electric gate. Backyard is large enough for a pool. (Pool plans already apprvd by design review board)
Property Highlights
- San Mateo County
- 9 Bedrooms
- 6.0 Bathrooms
- Finished: 3100 sq ft
- Built 2007
- Geo Coordinates: 37.457, -122.276
- Days On Homeswing: 647
Wait, what… 647 days on market? Unfortunately HomeSwing is leaving out some useful information, such as the MLS ID number so we could see just how old this listing is. But the 2011 copyright on the photos offer us a free clue. (As do the exact same photos cached from California Moves, along with the MLS ID of #40541748. As opposed to the other MLS ID of #40617479. Neither of which start with Lucky #8, so they're probably dangerous.)
Then we found a different couch blocking the door.
There was also a completely different random view from the second floor than in the most recent set of (only 4) pix.
Plus a photo of the fence, in case you were worried there weren't any. Fences.
We're sorry we couldn't find the construction equipment scavenger hunt, but while we're not finding any, feel free to predict just what the correct price level is to induce the proper overbidding. This agent is off to a great start raising the price $20K on a house that didn't sell in two years.
Bunus: Did you make your best price estimate? See how well you tracked Zillow's Zestimates! They didn't think this house was appreciating very quickly. It must have been built in one of those Not Actually In The Real Bay Area portions of an otherwise RBA zip code.


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also available at www.SethSpeaks.net –
In the next couple of days, the Alexi Casilla arbitration situation will be over. Arbitration hearings are to be complete by February 15th. The sides are not to discuss when a hearing is scheduled, so we don't know when the Twins and Casilla would have a hearing in front of an arbiter. Of course, it is also possible that the two sides will come to an agreement before going to arbitration.
This is Casilla's second year of arbitration. Last year, he signed before a hearing and played the 2011 season making $865,000. 2011 was a strange season for Casilla. He began the season as the Twins starting shortstop. In April, he hit .167/.227/.200 in 22 games. Trevor Plouffe was called up and got almost a dozen games at shortstop. Tsuyoshi Nishioka, who was rehabbing his broken leg, was being moved to shortstop. Casilla was really bad. However, once you get past April, Casilla had a very solid season. Check out his monthly splits:
- April – .167/.227/.200
- May – .288/.351/.424
- June – .274/.349/.400
- July – .283/.333/.404
- Season – .260/.322/.368 in 97 games.
Unfortunately, he played just one game in August and September combined due to an injury. If you recall, he came back for one game and was immediately placed on the disabled list again afterward.
Casilla's 97 games played in 2011 was on less than his career-high of 98 games played as a 23 year old in 2008. He will go into the 2012 season as the Twins starting second baseman, but frankly, many question if he isn't best as a utility middle infielder.
Casilla and his representation is asking for $1.75 million. The Twins offer was $1.065 million. The midpoint is $1.407 million. Here are some comparables:
- Robert Andino (Orioles) – Settled for $1.3 million
- Mike Aviles (Red Sox) – Settled for $1.2 million
- Jeff Baker (Cubs) – Settled for $1.375 million
- Emilio Bonifacio (Marlins) – WON at $2.2 million
- Mike Fontenot (Giants) – Settled at $1.05 million
- Chris Getz (Royals) – Settled for $968,000
- Jed Lowrie (Astros) – Settled for $1.15 million
After reviewing this list and doing some comparison, I don't think that Casilla is wrong in asking for $1.7 million. I personally think that the midpoint of $1.407 million seems fair. Obviously the Twins biggest case is that he hasn't ever played in 100 games, so I don't blame them for coming in low.
My guess: Right before it would go to an arbitration hearing, they'll agree to a one year, $1.4 million salary. I think that if it does go to arbitration, Casilla would likely win.
Did You Know?
It was on this day (February 11) in 1974 that this whole arbitration system was established? According to JJ Swol of Twins Trivia, 48 players invoked their new arbitration rights including Twins pitcher Dick Woodson. Woodson was seeking $30,000 and the Twins were offering $23,000. My how things have changed in nearly 40 years. Woodson won, by the way.
Any thoughts? Please feel free to use the Comments Section!


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A local builder in the Hunter region turned to EC Credit Control for assistance when a client owing him $10,000 went into liquidation and there was no dividend paid to unsecured creditors.
Through EC Credit Control the business now has current Terms of Trade documentation (Credit Application, Directors guarantees, Invoice, Quote, Job Completion, Variation forms and Contracts) tailored to the businesses needs and current with all legislation requirements. In addition EC Credit Control have registered the builders key clients on the PPSR.
The Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) was introduced in January 2012 and is the National register for all personal property other than land, buildings and fixtures. Key is that when a complete and correct registration is in place the party becomes a "secured†creditor in an insolvency event and any payments the creditor has received in the previous 6 months will not be deemed a "preferential paymentâ€.
The builder said "I recommend every business to take advantage of the free appraisal EC Credit Control does on your business, the documentation and credit management systems you are using. Especially with the recent changes to the Home Building Act around contract requirements….it's a mustâ€.


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Asheville has much to see and do, and our Blue Ridge Mountains bed and breakfast is a part of it.
On a quiet, tree-lined street in the historic Montford District, the house sits on a one-acre lot surrounded by lawns and gardens. Relaxing on the large, traditional Arts and Crafts-style front porch, you can watch neighbors stroll to town and children play, much as they would have 100 years ago. Enjoy the shade of our grape arbor in the back while a gentle mountain breeze moves through the trees and flowers.
Inside, the house is filled with furniture, antiques, and artwork from around the world. Every piece has a story, from the owner's great-grandmother's clock which began its life in Raleigh, North Carolina, moved to Connecticut, and thence around the world until returning to rest once again in North Carolina, to the intricate wood carving from the rafters of a Balinese house. Traditional family oil portraits grace the fireplaces while upstairs a large Vietnamese oil painting lights the staircase. But this is not a museum; it is a home with all the comfort and activity of one. In the kitchen, a fire burns in the corner while cookies bake in the oven and a pot simmers on the stove. In the gardens, flowers are picked and bushes are trimmed. Ice-cold lemonade is served from a glass pitcher while a bird sings in the distance. With all of this, it's hard to leave, but the nearby city of Asheville beckons.
Asheville is a picturesque North Carolina mountain getaway as well as an adventure of its own. In addition to the many festivals and expositions which are planned, the streets are alive with spontaneous outpourings of music and dance. A walk through the downtown area will find much to interest you with its unique galleries and shops. You may want to spend some time perusing the menus posted outside the restaurants in order to make the difficult choice of where to eat. A visit to the Biltmore Estate is essential, and the nearby Biltmore Village offers attractions of its own with its half-timbered buildings and up-market shops.
A short drive away, the mountains rise in front of you, and the views and vistas are unparalleled whether you view them from your car or from one of the many hiking trails available.
However you choose to spend your time, there is an adventure around every corner in Asheville!
Nature photos of the area.
Small Details
Small details of the Carolina Bed & Breakfast.


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Americans are getting married at ever-older ages, and a new report says this trend may be partly responsible for the shrinking of the middle class.
On average, brides are 26.5 years old and grooms are 28.7 when they head to the alter, according to the authors of the report, "Knot Yet," which was released Friday by the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia and collaborators. Those ages represent historic highs.
For college-educated men and women, delaying marriage has paid off – literally. By enabling them to finish school and get their careers established, these younger adults are investing in themselves for the long haul.
The return on this investment is most significant for women: Those who finish college and get married after turning 30 earn $18,152 more per year, on average, than women who marry in their 20s or teens. Even women who are high school graduates but don't finish college earn $4,052 more per year, on average, than women who marry when they're younger.


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Mount Agassiz (Desolation) Climber's Log
Fairweather - Oct 25, 2015 4:12 pm Date Climbed: Jun 13, 2009From Wrights Lakes x2
Repeat hike from previous year.
This time I brought Todd.
Brian Asher - Oct 20, 2014 6:52 pm Date Climbed: Oct 19, 2014Pyramid, Aggasiz, Price
Pyramid, Aggasiz, and Price.
Started at Lyons Creek Trailhead. I ran the gentle uphill for the first 4.5 miles of the trail before hitting Sylvia Lake. At Sylvia Lake look straight across the far side of the lake for the only major notch in the ridge about 800 feet above you. Head around Sylvia Lake to the left and start heading straight up on rock slabs and talus. A faint trail appears when you are nearly at the top of the notch. When you reach the top of the notch the view opens up and Pyramid can be seen ahead and to the left. The trail seems to stop and start as you head directly towards the false summit below the peak. Once you reach the false summit the true peak comes into view directly ahead of you.
Head down the northeast (backside of Pyramid Peak) and stay on the north side of the ridge. This is slow going, heading across the talus on this sloping traverse staying below the ridge. Pass under the first major highpoint on the ridge and shoot for a notch before the second highpoint. It is doable class 3 scrambling to get up to this notch. From the notch the long traverse to Aggasiz is in full view. Stay on the west side (left if heading from Pyramid to Aggasiz) of the ridge. Although not difficult this is a slow traverse and will likely take some patience. When approaching the summit of Aggasiz head towards the notch to the left of the summit, then go left. Although one can pull themselves up to the summit block on the south side, the north side provides for a bit easier access in getting up to the awesome summit.
The traverse from Aggasiz to Price is simple and in front of you. After the Pyramid-Aggasiz traverse the ease of the Aggasiz-Price traverse is a welcomed sight! After heading down Mount Price you can shoot down into either of the two basins south of the summit. Both will lead you down to Lyons Lake which will become visible after descending further down in the basin. Stay to the west side of Lyons Lake where you will pick up a trail leading you down to the junction with the Lyons Creek trail. After another 4.5 miles down the Lyon's Creek Trail you finally arrive at the Lyon's Creek Trailhead. This hike took me 7 hours, and I ran the first 4.5 and last 4.5 miles.
cab - Jul 21, 2014 11:16 am Date Climbed: Jul 19, 2014From Pyramid
On the way from Pyramid to Price.
seano - May 29, 2014 3:07 pm Date Climbed: May 14, 2014Traverse from Pyramid
Continuing on a loop from Pyramid to Tallac. Cool summit. Trip report.
trexkerry - Aug 8, 2013 4:29 pm Date Climbed: Aug 3, 2013Price and Agassiz
Traversed the Price and Agassiz ridge - trip report here:
Daria - Jul 29, 2013 1:32 pm Date Climbed: Jul 7, 2013High crystal range traverse
Done as the traverse from price, to Agassiz, then went on to pyramid. Great range traverse and the summit of Agassiz was unique!
tyler4588 - Jun 12, 2012 3:43 pm Date Climbed: Jun 8, 2012From Lyons Lake
With Price Peak. Nice views of a still partially frozen Lake Aloha. It was very windy up there.
WayneFry - Dec 29, 2011 3:04 am Date Climbed: Dec 27, 2011South Ridge
In from Lake Sylvia via the south ridge and out on the west slope to Lyons lake. Great route and an awesome view at the summit. About a 12 mile trek from the Lyons lake TH.
dkangas - Sep 18, 2011 6:50 pm Date Climbed: Aug 19, 2009With Mt Price
Went from Wright's lake past Grouse Lake. Did Agassiz first, then over to Price and down the Northwest face of Price to Island lake. Fine day.
Marmaduke - Aug 6, 2011 7:39 pm Date Climbed: Aug 4, 2011With my Son
Climbed with my son Tyler. Camped on the saddle and walked to Price as well. Nice weather, great views. Very cool summit block!!
birdhead - Aug 1, 2011 12:02 am Date Climbed: Jul 31, 2011From Mt Price
Traversed over from Mt Price. Descended via Sylvia Lake and found some nice waterfalls along the creek.
Darren9 - Jul 16, 2011 5:02 am Date Climbed: Jul 2, 2011Pyramid Agassiz traverse
SMG - Up the Pyramid North Couloir to summit, down the sometimes exposed ridge traverse to Agassiz and back to Lake Sylvia. Fun scrambling on rock and snow.
PSchubert - Feb 18, 2011 8:49 pm Date Climbed: Sep 12, 2009N Ridge from Price
A short walk from Mt Price. The view was well worth it! There's a nice spot at the very top rock to sit and hang your feet over desolation wilderness.
mrchad9 - Feb 13, 2011 5:02 pm Date Climbed: Feb 12, 2011Winter from Pyramid
Up Pyramid from Rocky Creek, then over to Agassiz and Price following the ridge. Snow was pretty hardpacked and very icy on the north side of Pyramid. Never needed snowshoes all day, just crampons. Extremely windy, below freezing, and great views.
Jonodo - Sep 13, 2010 12:00 am Date Climbed: Sep 12, 2010Wrights Lake
Nice hike from Wrights Lake. Also hit Mt. Price, Blue Mtn and Peak 9,250.
CWessels - Aug 14, 2010 11:13 pm Date Climbed: Aug 13, 2010Pyramid-Agass-Price Traverse
Second peak of the day, on a traverse of the "big three" from Lyons TH. View of Agassiz in profile is spectacular (esp from Price). SE wall is an excellent scramble, but we came down it--not up.
winemanvan - Mar 16, 2010 10:41 am Date Climbed: Aug 16, 1977Like a Jungle Gym
Along with Price and Pyramid, Agassiz was like my own private gym. One summer my friend and I helped the back country ranger carry out pieces of a single engine airplane. The engine is probably still there. It had smashed into the east wall of the Crystal range. We also helped the ranger hike out trash. It's amazing how much crap people leave behind.