There's a Number (and an App) for This 'n That

If I was going to vote on the perfect weather-day, today would be it. Not too hot, not too cool with just a hint of wind . . . mostly clear skies, blue with the wispy white bits of cloud here and there. And almost no sounds being generated in the neighborhood , wow!

If I were going to put a picture to the above description it would be the picture that my brother took a few years ago. I actually developed the photo (in the days of actual film) while I worked in our local photo lab. The simple scene speaks ( a very high number) tons without so much as one word, allowing the viewer to add their own interpretation. ♥

I don't know how long this weather will last and I know that some parts of the country are having some extreme weather such as blizzards but we are enjoying this to the max. Probably not an App for this . . .

This Week -- Birthdays from the Tree

We want to recognize all those that celebrated birthdays this past week. There are numbers and apps for all that:

Hopefully you recognize some of the above folks -- especially "Daughter Two" on the 3rd . . . (numbers)

Picture Perfect

Just like the last few weeks I have been working on pictures -- and I am not alone as I heard my brother mention on the phone the other day "I have pictures all over the floor . . ." He is working on a project that tells his story in some of the pictures that he has accumulated over his life.

I have accumulated a ton of pictures and I hope that I can "leave" them to folks who will not have to guess as to who the subjects are "too much" . . . and as I have to answer to Gail frequently about how many I have actually labeled . . . not all of them -- yet.

The above collage is an example of what I have been working on this week. In the above are all three of my siblings and one pic of my Uncle.

Top left is Stewart Bumgardner in a cart pulled by a goat. It is in the front yard of their home in Chicago (about 1930) at 2521 N Bernard St. I remember that enterprising photographers used to come around the neighborhoods and sell pictures of kids either on ponies or carts like the above.

To the right is my sister, Marilee standing in the back of our grandparent's home (2521 N Bernard) I am guessing that it would have been taken around 1942 . . .

On the left middle is a beautiful shot or my younger brother, Jon, walking with "Lady" our Great Dane about 1950 in the back of our house at 240 S La Grange Road, La Grange, Illinois. The picture is the only one that I have seen of "Lady" -- we do have others of Jon.

The bottom picture came to me pretty much scratched and marred after what seems to me folding and refolding for whatever reason. I worked on it for a couple of hours and have gotten a reasonable photo out of it . . . my brother Marv is in the photo taken probably around 1938 in a housing complex in Chicago.

Try to guess which one is him -- for those who know him it should be apparent for a lot of reasons. For those who don't know him -- a hint -- someone may have "stuck a gun in his back" . . . it really wasn't that
kind of neighborhood though . . . but I do see one young lady with a rifle.

And lastly (about the pictures anyway):

When working on my family history I had sent away for my Father's Army records so that I could piece together his at least two terms of service -- but the Army's response was that his records along with millions of others all were lost in a fire in the St. Louis repository several years ago.

So it is always great to get a picture that documents some of that Army experience of my Father's:

Sergeant Marvin S Hiles Sr is 2nd from the right on the bottom row -- this was the first time that I had seen this photo and it does document when and where -- I just don't know for how long. I know that he was in the Army in the mid 1920s and now through the 1931 period, but there is a lot missing to that period.

Here's a Number:  25945 & Counting . . .

Well that is a number that I hope to grow for a while. That is the number of days that I have been around so far to date. And what is interesting is just how many of those days that I can remember in any sort of detail.

One of my all-time favorite actresses -- Mary Lu Henner -- has been around for 22462. One significant difference though with her is that she can remember almost every day and it's details. She has "hyperthymesia" which gives her that memory capability. She has written books on her highly superior autobiographical memory -- I would like to read those books.

Another interesting fact about Mary Lu -- she was raised in the Logan Square area of Chicago -- the same area that my Mother and family lived growing up -- small world.

A fun and quick site allows you each to plug in your birth date and calculate your "days" . . . visit it at:

Days Calculator and click on the "days alive" button.

TV GENEALOGY This Week

Genealogy Roadshow this last week was produced in Detroit, Michigan -- and it was a great show with several folks participating. I find every instance of the search fascinating and know that for every few minutes we see on TV -- there is probably hours and hours of research being put into that.

So last week,  Detroit,  this coming week -- San Francisco and who knows maybe we'll see someone we know -- could happen . . . Monday Night on PBS, check it out.

What Sports are All About . . .

It can't all be work genealogy -- there should be some sort of break. This week there is:  the start of the post season MLB. We watched a game last night -- we have to catch up knowing who plays on what team and all and we usually do by the time the World Series is over . . .

It is too early to tell who will be in the series but we look forward to seeing some of the games. In the meantime it is week 5 in the NFL -- San Francisco is 2&2 so the outcome of this weeks game versus the Texans on Sunday Night will be interesting and may tell the good story.

I have to say that MLB misses a real facet to the game that the NFL endorses . . . you'll have to guess.
There may be an App for that . . .


That was a bit of our week -- hope your week was great -- see you in a few! Burgers tonight!