By Eilene Lyon August 28, 2018 Drove back past the nearly empty reservoir at Paonia State Park. Mostly there’s just a muddy meander through the accumulated silt. A few feet of water stand at the south end nearest the dam. Cattle were grazing on the now-exposed terraced sides. As our mountains and rivers out west... Continue Reading →
The 15-lb Nugget
Week 38: #52 Ancestors – Unusual Source By Eilene Lyon I’ve written quite a few posts about unusual sources, because I’m always pursuing juicy leads, like a dogged investigative reporter on the trail of the latest Trump scandal. I’ve listed some of these at the end. Please check them out! For this week’s prompt, I... Continue Reading →
Famous Family
Week 33: #52 Ancestors - Family Legend By Eilene Lyon There’s a spark in all of us that yearns to be remembered after we’re gone. Those with children are assured of being remembered for a generation or three, perhaps. After that, some sort of legacy or notoriety is probably required. For those of us without... Continue Reading →
Murder in New Netherland
Week 31: #52 Ancestors – Oldest By Eilene Lyon I consider myself a family historian. Genealogy is a tool I use to construct my family stories. For this reason, my family tree does not wander back to the hinterlands of history. Most of the people I research date from the 18th century forward. In fact,... Continue Reading →
Kauai Refuge
By Eilene Lyon A Bountiful Gift Around 2010, I picked up the book Waking Up In Eden by Lucinda Fleeson and learned for the first time about the Allerton Gardens on the island of Kauai. I never really expected to see the place myself, but a great deal showed up on Travelzoo and away we... Continue Reading →
Famous Names?
By Eilene Lyon A post by InNate James discussed his possible family connection to the notorious outlaw, Jesse James. He mentioned that the James family tried to disassociate themselves from him. That was not a universal response to his deeds, though. My family tree sports one “Jesse James Brooks,” for example.1 He was born in... Continue Reading →
Pay Your Taxes!
Week 15: #52Ancestors - Taxes By Eilene Lyon The moral of this story is written in the title – pay your taxes, or there will be consequences. In this case, I am referring to property taxes, and what could happen if you don’t pay them. One of the more intriguing (and mysterious) people in my... Continue Reading →
History of the Theory of Evolution
By Eilene Lyon This is the follow-up article to Science and Belief. Darwin’s Observations on the Natural World Charles Darwin formulated his hypothesis of evolution by natural selection based on observations he made during his trip around the world on the Beagle in the 1830s. Some of those observations: Island groups had wildlife differing from... Continue Reading →
We Are Not Powerless
Repealing The 2nd Amendment is Possible By Eilene Lyon Here’s a pop quiz for my American readers: In which decade was the last amendment added to the Constitution? No cheating! A. 1930s B. 1950s C. 1970s D. 1990s Some might say that the 27th amendment is inconsequential, and the fact it took more than 200... Continue Reading →