By Eilene Lyon It really doesn’t count as a byline, but it’s my first recollection of something I wrote being published somewhere—even though it was just a question. In this case, it appeared in the Teen Action Line column of the Miami Herald international edition on Nov. 17, 1974. For a 12-year-old, this was a... Continue Reading →
Anacapa Island Conservation
By Eilene Lyon The highlight of our recent vacation trip to Channel Islands National Park, off the coast of southern California, was a day spent at Anacapa Island. Anacapa consists of three islets about 11 miles from Santa Barbara. Landing on East Anacapa was adventurous. The zodiacs transporting us from the National Geographic Venture had... Continue Reading →
Connecting with Cousins
Week 32: #52Ancestors – Reunion By Eilene Lyon Because I was an “Army brat” we rarely gathered with family over the years. We had an occasional Thanksgiving or Christmas at Grandma Halse’s place in Corvallis, which included aunts, uncles, and cousins on my dad’s side. I met more relatives on Dad’s side when Grandma celebrated... Continue Reading →
Cactus Rescue
By Eilene Lyon Our rural dirt road is bounded on the east by steep shale and sandstone slopes prone to erosion. Last week we had several torrential rains that swept water and mud across the road, leaving piles of debris and cutting new gullies down toward the river below. While walking the dogs a couple... Continue Reading →
Bio Bite: Lloyd Richard Halse
By Eilene Lyon Lloyd Richard Halse (1902-1957) Lloyd was the fourth of eleven children in the Guy and Mabel Halse family. He had no children, but took younger brother Al under his wing like a son. He twice married the same woman, Berdyne Ulven (1901-1998), but it was not a close relationship. Lloyd preferred the... Continue Reading →
The Eckermann Ranch
Found Photo Project #7 By Eilene Lyon I found this family portrait in an antique store in Sandpoint, Idaho. The only information on it is a name written in pencil on the back: Arthur Eckermann. I was astonished to discover this is a unique name and found him quite quickly. This does not show the... Continue Reading →
From the Vault: Merit Badge
By Eilene Lyon This one goes waaaaay back to the early 1970s. I was surprised to find this in my “vault.” I started out in Brownies, as signified by the wing badge on this sash. This was during the years we lived near Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. I may have been in Girl Scouts for a year... Continue Reading →
Goes by Grandma G
Week 14: #52 Ancestors – Begins With a Vowel By Eilene Lyon My great-great grandmother, Olive (Springer) Gusso, was born into a large family of first-generation Americans in 1870. Both her parents were German-born immigrants, Charles Springer of Heidelsheim and Margaret Delle of Mainz. The Springer family moved from Wisconsin to South Dakota when Olive... Continue Reading →
Bio Bite: Hazel Mildred Halse
By Eilene Lyon Hazel Mildred Halse Sturm (1899-1959) Hazel Mildred Halse was the oldest daughter in a family with eleven children in Codington County, South Dakota. In addition to her school work, she had to help her mother with domestic chores and caring for her younger siblings. Her mother, Mabel Cutting, married at sixteen. All... Continue Reading →