Saturday Night Genealogy Fun -- The Wayback Machine -- Reflections Style

Copyright 2015, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Randy Seaver is at it again on Saturday Night Genealogy Fun.  This time he challenges us to use the Wayback machine to capture the banners of our blog over the years.  How fun, right up my alley.

So, we are off.

2009 to 2010 this was the banner on Reflections:

By 2011, I added a second photo at the top, Tana and Big Butt.  The background color changed. There were also pages to click through to.

2012  The background colors changed, again, hmmm:

2013, there is a new tow vehicle there, Jolly, and once again, the back ground colors changed:

2014, with the page tabs back in the middle:

The current model, basically the same, just more page tabs.

So, not a lot has changed over the years.  Truthfully, blog reading has changed so much over the 6 plus years that I have been blogging that I realized many of my readers never even visit the blog proper. Many read it via readers, like Feedly.  They see the photos I post, but, they don't see the colors, the back grounds, the fun things I tuck in the column to the right or the top or bottom banners/photos.  Other than for my own entertainment, why spend hours tweaking the format.  I doubt I will ever see a reason to change the "fences" photo, it is my "trademark" of sorts.

But, I enjoyed seeing how I have changed the banner here at Reflections over the years.  Thanks Randy.

*  You too can access the Wayback Machine .

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Orville Got a Raise, and KC Reduced the Vice Squad.

Copyright 2015, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Old newspapers are fun to do genie research in.

Here is an excerpt from a 1940's paper:

From the Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri, January 5, 1940

"VICE SQUAD TOO IDLE

LID ON SO TIGHT HERE POLICE DETAIL IS DROPPED.

The Men Get Other Assignments Because There Has Not Been Enough for Them to Do - - Other Changes

Kansas City, once among the nation's wide-open cities, is closed so tightly now there is not enough work to keep a vice squad busy.

Chief Reed has dissolved his 8-man vice, gambling and liquor squad and assigned its members to other duties.  It was the first time in as long as headquarters veterans could remember that there has been no organized vice squad.

FIGHT TO GO ON.

The chief emphasized that his move meant no slackening in the fight against vice and gambling.

"The men in the various stations will still be alert to move against violators", he asserted, "but there is not enough for a permanent vice squad to do.  The emergency in regard to commercialized vice has passed."

…

CAN BE REORGANIZED

"If we need a separate squad, we can always organize one again," Chief Reed said.

…

These other police changes were announced by the chief today:

…

Patrolman Orville Lashbrook, promoted to rank of detective, with rise from $150 to $175.

...”

I research Lashbrooks, Orville is in my data base.   Over the years of researching Orville and the Lashbrook clan I found a few other choice little tidbits:

From the September 10, 1945 issue of the Independent Record, Helena, Lewis & Clark County, Montana:

     "Curious Policeman

     Finds Fortune

     In Stolen Bonds

     Kansas City, Sept 10 --(AP)--Orville Lashbrook, a Kansas City policeman, grew curious yesterday when he stumbled across a paste-board letter file lying in a vacant lot.

    So he opened it.  And inside were $39,750 worth of E war bonds, which had been stolen a week ago from the E.E. Carpenter home in Kansas City.

     But the 400-pound safe in which the bonds were kept still is missing."

From the November 9, 1945 issue of the Norwalk Hour, Norwalk, Connecticut:

     "Kansas City - - Patrolman Orville Lashbrook brought in a tough customer after a still fight.  The boys around the police station say the tough customer brought in Patrolman Lashbrook.  At any rate, the culprit is jailed and Lashbrook can vouch for the fact that the prisoner resisted the strong arm of the law.

     The culprit was an apple stealing opossum with sharp teeth. Lashbrook captured him and then didn't dare let go.  He was forced to dan??e (dangle?) the animal from the patrol car window while his partner drove eight blocks to the station."

Yes, newspaper research can be fun and more than engagement announcements, births of babies, marriage announcements and obituaries.  Sometimes you get opossums, safes and vice squads.

*  Clip art of the dice from openclipart, by badaman.  Safe from openclipart as well, by algotruneman

* Opposum from allthingsclipart.

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Treasure Chest Thursday, Florence's Last Craft Project

Copyright 2015, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

My grandmother, Florence Ruth Dews Bowen died in 1996.  She had been living in a nursing home setting for some years before her death.

When we retrieved her remaining belongings after her death we were told this was one of the last craft classes she had been able to participate in.

I procured (as in grabbed it fast as can be) it, and it hangs in the genealogy office here at the stick built.  It is a favorite treasure.

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I Dream of Barns and Sunflowers

Copyright 2015, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Near here there is a farmer that grows sunflowers.  Some years we can see his acres and acres of crops from the roadway.  Other years, he either does not plant or he plants where the fields cannot be viewed from that same roadway.

This year, we can see the crop.  However, whenever Man and I drive past there, the flowers are looking east, and I find myself looking at the backs of the flower heads.

There just happen to be a few old barns and buildings on that property that I have been wanting to photograph for a couple of years.

This year, I saw a photo in my creative dreams, the old barn buildings with sunflowers, acres of sunflowers surrounding the buildings.

I could see the photo.

This morning we tried to capture my creative dream.

Only thing, sighhh, the sun was not quite up yet, yes, we were going through there that early, and the sunflowers were still sleeping.  And, there was this little issue of the access road, where I could legally drive and not tresspass, was further from the buildings than I thought, and there were some little rolling hills in between my vantage point and the buildings.

I was disappointed, but, shot off three quick photos.  In my opinion, two are total fails.  This photo was marginal at best.

I cropped the grass/weeds out of the foreground.  I brightened the entire image, and then, I applied a bit of artistic license, thanks to my photo editing program.

The result, kinda artistic.  Not what my mind had conjured up, but, some days you take what you have and run with it.

The Barn and the Sunflowers:

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Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Golden Wedding Anniversaries

Copyright 2015, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Randy Seaver over at Genea-Musings, has a Saturday night fun blog meme.  It has been a very long time since I have participated.  No excuse, other than life tends to get in the way.

Tonight's challenge is to see how many couples in our direct lineage may have hit a 50th wedding anniversary.  My curiosity was peaked.

I have adjusted the challenge a bit, starting with my grandparents.  I looked at my grandparents, great grandparents and great-great grandparents only.

The years reflect how long married before the first one passed.

Grandparents, Minnie Halterman and Leonard Trumbo, 38 years.  (I knew them both.)

Florence Dews and Hayden Bowen, 43 years.  (I knew them both.)

Great Grandparents, Minnie Remley and Joseph Bowen, 56 years.

Lorena Eley Norsworthy and William Dews, 19 years.

Anna Holsinger and Charles Trumbo, 39 years.

Ida Whitmer and David Halterman, 64 years. (Only ones of this generation that I knew personally.)

Great Great Grandparents,  Martha Sikes and Hezekiah Bowen, 48 years.

Mariah Grant and William Remley, 46 years.

Mary (mnu) and Edward Dews, unknown, best bet is about 30 years.

Sallie Darden and Solomon Eley, 6 years.

Catherine Fulk Fawley and Zachariah Trumbo, mmm, no marriage.

Mary Kessler and Peter Preston Holsinger, 44 years.

Barbara Delawder and Daniel Halterman, 54 years.

Sarah Basye and Selesteen Whitmer, 53 years.

So, I have four couples/grandparents that were married more than 50 years before death took one.  And, one couple, my great grandparents, that celebrated 50, then, 60 and finally 64 before death took one.

David and Ida and yepper, Moi,  

Thanks Randy for a fun challenge.

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Summer Time Blues - - AKA, Verizon Is On My Crappy List

Copyright 2015, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

I know, it has been a few days since I posted anything here.

Man and I continue to be busy, busy, busy.  We took a long weekend to roll Tana about 100 miles north and back.  It got a bit exciting as when we stopped for a potty stop I discovered the shower door hanging at a very weird angle into the middle of the bedroom/bath area.  Short version:  it was hanging by one screw on the bottom.  We managed to get door off and settled on the bed for the rest of the trip to the campground, where with a bit of huffing and sweating and as much strength as these two "seniors" have we managed to get the door rehung. Then, with a few tools brought over by MOC friend Jim & his lovely wife Bev, we managed to file the bottom of the door off so it would close again.

The rest of the weekend was enjoyable and I am quite pleased with this summer's makeover of Tana.  Still tweaking and fixing, but, happy.

NOT so happy with Verizon.

We went wayyyy over our 20 gigs of allotted bandwidth on the air card (our only method of connecting the computers to the net) in July.  In fact, in 9 days we used 17 gigs??  Say what??  And, one day in August so far, we used well over 6 gigs??  DOUBLE SAY WHAT??

It may be that Windows 10 tried to download.  Funny, Man had no idea he was eligible for the upgrade and did not even know about that little Windows icon in the bottom task bar.  I have NOT reserved. Supposedly, you must reserve to receive anything from Windows. So, why??  Well, who knows?

We have screamed and yelled and did get a bit of a credit on the air card bill from last month.  But, basically Verizon is clueless and of little assistance.

We have turned off all updates on Windows, no auto nothing.  Man is not using his computer except to pay bills.  I have limited my usage, no email programs left open, no Facebook left open (this addicted one is NOT happy, eh??).

I posted this on my Facebook wall, and the nightmare stories from friends experiencing the same sort of thing came pouring in.

Friends air cards showing 1 gig of use while turned off all night??  That sort of bizarre behavior.

So for the next 22 days I have less than 1/2 of the monthly allotment of bandwidth available.  Very little bloggin will get done.  Very little anything online will get done, I don't want to pay what Verizon nicked me for last month. And to think, I did not even have any fun with that extra 17 gigs.  I could have been watching videos or webinars.   How frustrating is that??  Paying mega dollars and no joy.

See ya whenever - - yes, you are hearing me sobbing and screaming and what is that phrase -- madder than a wet hornet??  Or something like that.  You can Uncle Google that for me, I don't have the bandwidth.

Gotta scoot - -  

**  Oh, and Verizon, please find and read my disclaimer on a separate tab/page here on Reflections.  I don't want to use the bandwidth to load and copy the URL here.

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