Arrival of Spring & 1940 Census in Healdsburg

What a week! For those of us who did not  head out the door on Monday morning for an assigned work location, we were treated to something else -- the arrival of the long awaited 1940 Federal Census . . . but the reality set in quickly about entertaining any hope of seeing the census that first day. Besides I did have other assigned duties -- the weekly laundry -- it being Monday and all. But if ever there was the excitement of delayed gratification this was the moment. So we did the laundry and did other mundane things. And also we did fit in a walk to see the emergence of springtime here.

Dino and I walked to the town plaza and back and along the way we stopped to smell shoot some pics of the colors along Matheson and the return route on North. The array of flowers and buds are astounding. I did detect some fragrances along the way, but I think allergies have kicked in as well so I didn't experience every scent.

This week was so different than last week because it did have some days that were not rainy -- though it is being predicted that next week could be more rain than sun. I enjoy all the seasons and especially Spring.

Status of the Indexing of the 1940 Census


On Monday I attempted to access the site where I volunteer to do indexing -- FamilySearch.com -- however the cursor just spun around and around. So I wandered to another site to maybe "peek" at the census and Chicago in particular -- forget that. Apparently there were (as predicted) millions of hits seeking admittance to the census information.

So I waited until Tuesday and tried again -- to no avail. The sites were still not giving me access. So I did other genealogical things and enjoyed that too. I rummaged around through various old newspapers on the two sites for that that I subscribe to . . . and found a few articles about people in our tree -- to me that is rewarding. I see a slice of their life at various times and often I learn of things in their lives that I never knew of before. I even found the wedding announcement for my wife's first marriage . . . but I did know of that.

Wednesday came around -- should I try again or skip it again -- I could not skip it so I tried and guess what -- this time I gained access to the indexing site and downloaded a batch and started to index. The first location I chose to index was in Minnesota -- though we don't have too many ancestors there I thought it would be fun. The page that randomly was assigned to me came through nice and clear -- the downside was that it was for the inhabitants of a hotel and that meant almost every line of the 40 line page was a different surname whereas in a regular census page it is usually made up of families and family members most having the same surname and maybe ten or so surnames, sometimes much less with a large family.

The above shows the seven states that I worked on this week. The other lines have to do with other indexing projects that I have participated on. The FamilySearch indexing software is really easy and fun to use. As I type in the information most of the repeat typing is anticipated by the program and supplied. It is fun to gain a sense of the families as I plug in their information and make assumptions about their lives.

I have not attempted to index today as yet because likely there are a ton of people who actually work at other things Monday through Friday that are taking a crack at it . . . I can wait until Monday.

A Quick Look at the Family Website

There are a ton of April birthdays but only three celebrate on this day. So I have included a screen shot showing those three and also a peek at some of the articles that I have recently added to individuals in our tree.

  If you want to check out the above and other facts regarding the inhabitants of the tree, check out the website:   Dan's Family Website

Rain -- No Rain, Baseball


This is our first springtime living in this house. We are enjoying the "back yard". Across the fence from us are two baseball diamonds. For weeks now they have been grooming the diamonds and fixing them up to play ball on.We have had so much rain that the opening ceremonies to open the season scheduled for last weekend were delayed until April 13 -- this next Friday.
The day after the season was to begin -- the sun came out and though we have had some rain since then baseball again is being played everyday. If I position myself at the corner of our deck, I can see almost the whole diamond and observe the practices and hear the "crack" or "twang" of the bats.

The above shows some of the action as I sit on the edge of our deck. The new longer range zoom helps a bit as well. Next week it will be fun to see the dedication of the remodeled stadium -- hopefully the weather will cooperate.

Another Perspective 


From time to time as I wander around the internet I capture interesting things -- and this is one of those captures. This was an "off" week in Dino's GDB training, so I included one of my own pictures of him -- just taken as I write this -- the rest belong to Cute  (click to check out their site).

If you click on the above you'll see Dino's commentary as I write this blog. He is so funny sometimes as he often flops over on his back to nap or just reflect on things with a different perspective. The other photos are self explanatory.

My New Venture


I have been accused of "having too much time" on my hands . . . but that too will change in about 12 or 13 days . . . but more about that in another post. So, what have I done now -- I thought for the heck of it I would create another website. While trying to get to the indexing site and failing that and then watching a couple of Webinars I got adventuresome and started clicking away at options while on another site (just for fun) and one thing led to another and voila:

So please check it out -- Dan's Second Website

This is really "just for fun" and we'll see how it progresses. But it has only been up and running for a couple of days and the bottom graph shows some intersting stats about where the visitors have come from.  The internet is sure an amazing place . . . please let me know your reactions and/or suggestions, thanks.

For the Fun of It


I now have two reading instruments -- the original iPad and recently a Kindle Touch. They both serve different purposes and I use them both everyday. I am already hooked on these electronic devices and the iPad is so unique for so many things while the Kindle I can use just for reading. There is nothing like just curling up with a Kindle to read a book -- well not exactly, it has taken real patience to learn the peculiarities of the Kindle Touch, what to do when and what not to do -- but overall I like it for reading at night or outside.
It is said that the "new car smell" is very pleasing and I have to agree. And there is something missing from the Kindle and iPad when used as a substitute for an actual hard cover book -- the "book smell".I was blown away when I happened on the following as I read one of my favorite blogs -- eogn.com:

If you click on the above you'll see what I mean. Someone thinks of everything. I learn so much from Dick Eastman's blog every day. It is one of the first blogs I check each day. You can check it out for yourself and see the variety of things he publishes. Dick Eastman's Blog

Lastly


That basically is a taste of our week. Gail continues to put in time down at the "play yard" but that is drawing to a natural ending -- soon -- for this year anyway. For the rest of us -- Dino and Me, we just keep plugging away. Dino has a way of dealing with things his own way -- it is hard to believe that in just six months time he can do some of the things he does:

Here he is with the end of his tail firmly in his mouth -- he loves it when he can accomplish that He also feels accomplished when he manages to get an earful too . . .

So we hope your week goes well and we'll plan to see you in a few . . . (burgers tonight . . .)