Ecuador Highlight

By Eilene Lyon As much as we were impressed with our time in the Galapagos, I believe the real highlight of our 2007 trip to Ecuador was our time in the Amazon basin, along the Napo River. The Sacha eco-lodge arranged our transportation from Quito by plane, van and motorized canoe. Smaller boats carried us... Continue Reading →

Laundry Soap

Week 24: #52 Ancestors – Dear Diary By Eilene Lyon So far I’ve only come across one true diary in the family, which I wrote about last year in Reatha Gusso, 1932. For an entire year, my grandmother kept a daily journal without missing a day. To our knowledge, it’s the only one she ever... Continue Reading →

June 16, 2019 55

The Musician

By Eilene Lyon A Photo Restored and Colorized Recently Val Erde made a wonderful offer to do free digital colorization for eight people who use vintage photographs in their blogs. I quickly volunteered, and was so lucky she selected one of my images. I first posted this photo of the Gusso brothers last July in... Continue Reading →

June 11, 2019 59

Saddled With The South

Week 23: #52 Ancestors – Namesake By Eilene Lyon My great-grandfather was the fourth child born to Melville Cox Davis and Sarah Rebecca Livengood in Elmwood, Saline County, Missouri, on December 15, 1867. A few months earlier, Sterling Price, former governor of Missouri and Confederate General, had passed away. Because the Davises were from North... Continue Reading →

June 9, 2019 18

Gold Country Tour

By Eilene Lyon After completing my archive research in California (Huntington Library, Bancroft Library, and the California Historical Society), it was time to do some gold rush sight-seeing. My first stop was the Wells Fargo branch on Montgomery in downtown San Francisco. This city owes its explosive growth directly to the gold rush. Wells Fargo... Continue Reading →

June 8, 2019 29

St. Anthony’s Fire

Week 22: #52 Ancestors – At the Cemetery By Eilene Lyon There is a cemetery in New Orleans that I have not seen, and probably never will. Why? Because there are no grave markers, and the buried remains are merely a bony tangle in the delta silt. Still, it is hallowed ground. This is the... Continue Reading →

May 31, 2019 20

Blogging Bicentennial

By Eilene Lyon I know that people generally celebrate blogging anniversaries, but since I was on hiatus when my anniversary came around (and likely will follow suit each winter), I decided to celebrate this, my 200th blog post. For something a little different, I “borrowed” these questions from Ally over at The Spectacled Bean. Think... Continue Reading →

May 29, 2019 35

“Local Marine Alive, Well”

Week 21: #52 Ancestors – Military By Eilene Lyon This time of year, I like to feature someone on my family tree who perished during service to their country. They are invariably young men who never had a chance at a normal adult life. I hope I run out of these stories before too long.... Continue Reading →

May 26, 2019 26

Alien Invasion

By Eilene Lyon You may have noticed I haven’t posted much lately. This week saw me overwhelmed in fighting aliens – right here at home! They go by the name of Scorzonera laciniata. Yes, I mean a dastardly weed invading our property, threatening to take over, lock, stock, and barrel. I first spotted the cutleaf... Continue Reading →

May 24, 2019 25

Unheard Of

By Eilene Lyon I am looking at a white sheet draped across my normally expansive view. Yep, it is snowing here in southwest Colorado. The local ski area, Purgatory, plans on opening this weekend with all the fresh pow they're getting. Crazy!! Happy May!

May 20, 2019 27

Myricopia