Exploring the Past to Improve the Future
Week 20: #52 Ancestors – Textile By Eilene Lyon I did a bad thing. I’m still ashamed. My grandmother, Clare (Davis) Smith, said she had an heirloom to pass on to me, if I would promise to keep and preserve it. I broke that promise. Partly because of a misunderstanding about the nature of this... Continue Reading →
By Eilene Lyon The “From the Vault” series features an artifact or family photo from my collection to illustrate a tale from my distant past. Did your parents keep a baby book for you? Are baby books still a “thing”? The inside cover of mine indicates it was a gift from my Aunt B in... Continue Reading →
Week 18: #52 Ancestors– Social By Eilene Lyon Pioneering was not about rugged individualism. Settlers depended on family connections and other social ties for practical and personal reasons. Survival depended on the community network. Many jobs required extra helping hands. Other events drew on specialized skills, such as midwifery or blacksmithing. Even gatherings for work... Continue Reading →
Week 17: #52 Ancestors – Document By Eilene Lyon My mother handed down some written recipes, but they originated from her mother or mother-in-law. Though Mom had a home ec degree, she learned to cook in the era of convenience foods—very little made from scratch. The easier the better, as far as she was concerned.... Continue Reading →
Week 16: #52 Ancestors – Negatives By Eilene Lyon Negative space is an art term referring to the space around an object, or “air space.” Especially when working in watercolor, the artist focuses on filling in the darker places between lighter-colored features. It is a different way of seeing the world. Sometimes we have to... Continue Reading →
By Eilene Lyon “We know surprisingly little about vanished civilizations whose majesty and whose ultimate demise were closely linked to liberties they took with water.” – Marc Reisner, Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water It’s no secret that the southwestern United States is a dry place—and getting drier. We’ve entered our third... Continue Reading →
Week 15: #52 Ancestors – How Do You Spell That? By Eilene Lyon “How do you spell that?” “E-I-L-E-N-E” “That’s I-L-uh…?” Names can be such a pain! It’s no wonder that many immigrants choose to “Americanize” theirs. I doubt that my grandma, Reatha Gusso Halse, realized that her Grandpa Charlie Gusso and his siblings changed... Continue Reading →
Week 14: #52 Ancestors – Check It Out By Eilene Lyon My grandmother, Reatha (Gusso) Halse, never finished high school, but she spent two decades working in the Chemistry department at Oregon State University. As the supply room clerk, she spent her days checking out laboratory equipment to undergrads. Reatha became a widow at age... Continue Reading →
By Eilene Lyon While train history is a big part of this museum’s raison d’etre, the exhibits range far and wide. Nine years after the original roundhouse (where the steam locomotives idle at night) burned down in 1989, a portion of the replacement structure was set aside to house the museum. At least two locomotives... Continue Reading →
thoughts about parenting and life from below the surface
tiny histories
... stories of significant others ...
Celtic, Mythical and More ...
Creative writing inspired by life, love, laughter ... and a horse named Shakespeare
Tracing The Faces
Uncovering Family Legacies One Stitch at a Time
Adventures in Genealogy
Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana Blog
visual stories: fine art, artist books, illustrated gifts
Night Thoughts of a Literary Agent
Family and local stories and history, favorite books
A History of the Famously Interesting and Mostly Forgotten
Sharing stories from my family history
Things That Interest Me
Writing about experiences of women and girls in the North American West.
Exploring the Past to Improve the Future
Climbing, Outdoors, Life!
Travels Galore
Myricopia 