Thursday, May 31, 2012

My genealogy day - 31 May 2012

It was another mostly genealogy day, and I think that I made some progress in the database and my Whittle presentation.  Good news - the Padres didn't lose again (um, off day).

*  Read email and blogs, then wrote Treasure Chest Thursday - Jane (Whittle) McKnew's Death Certificate and researched and wrote Adding a Story to my Ancestry Member Tree.


*  Had to go get my blood pressure tested at Sharp, so off at 10:45 a.m. and home by 11:45 a.m.  The nurse called a name and I went, she did my tests, then figured out she had the wrong person.  It got straightened out, but stuff happens!


*  Read, then worked on the Whittle presentation for several hours - got through the Australia and California material, only the English left to add.  


*  Researched and wrote Creating Research Notes in RootsMagic 5 - Post 1 and posted it.


*  worked in the database adding content and sources until 5:15, when we had dinner.  Linda needed a ride to a take food to a friend, so home by 6:45 p.m.  Then she wanted to work on her tablet.  


*  Finally back online at 8 p.m. to read, add to the Best Of post, and worked more in Find-a-Grave on Carringer and Seaver, then in 1930-1939 California death index to add content and sources.  


*  Checked in on Facebook.  Wrote this post.


Genealogy today was 9.0 hours.


The monthly stats summary for May (31 days):
* 1005 Feedburner for Genea-Musings (email) readers (+9)

* 1,347 Google Reader readers for Genea-Musings (+17)
*  Genea-Musings traffic rank:  worldwide: 255,510; US:  118,234 (Alexa)
* 52,916 page views (1707 per day, Blogger Stats)
* 23,666 web page visits (763 per day, Site-meter) (-196)
* 39,915  page views (1,288 per day, Site-meter) (-328)

End-of-May statistics for RootsMagic database:

* 41,306 persons (+3)
* 16,431 families (+2)
* 112,448 events (+695)
* 5,381 places (+61)
* 771 sources (+7)
* 28,620 citations (+282)

 I'm up to 25.5% (+0.2%) for citations/events and 69.3% (+0.7%) for citations/persons.
 


Both sets of stats suffered by the two week vacation we took.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

My genealogy day - 30 May 2012

It was a very full genealogy day...including a CVGS program.

*  Read email and blogs, then wrote (Not So) Wordless Wednesday - Post 207: Shuffleboard and Small Town Papers now FREE to access and Creating an Ancestor List ("Ahnentafel") in RootsMagic 5, but set the latter two for later.


*  Packed up the laptop, flash drive, smart phone and tablet and headed off to McDonald's for lunch, the bank for money, and the library for the CVGS program meeting.


*  Got my laptop set up, then visited with people.  The meeting started at 12:15 p.m., I gave my newsletter and research report, and then took notes for the first two presentations on Genealogy in the Cloud.  Then it was my turn to show Mobile Genealogy with a 50 slide presentation in 20 minutes.  


*  Home by 2:45 p.m. to watch the walkoff homer by the Cubs (Pads lost 8-6, now 17-35).  


*  Online to read, check Facebook, and find and add more images to the database, especially for the Alpheus Smith family.  


*  Went in for dinner at 5:30 p.m., then put out the trash and read the paper.


*  Online again at 6:30 p.m. to read, then added content and sources to the database.  I'm into the At... names now.  Added content and sources from Find-A-Grave also - found a whole set of Seaver folks that I didn't have, so added them with sources.  Added to the Best Of post, and wrote this post.


Genealogy today was 11.5 hours.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

My genealogy day - 29 May 2012

It was an interesting day, with a visit to the Verizon store before lunch.

*  Read email and blogs, then wrote Tuesday's Tip - Search Cemetery Records in Billion Graves Index and then researched and wrote Checking Out "My Source Box" on FamilySearch.org and set it for later in the morning.


*  Linda has lost her basic cell phone (before we went on our cruise), probably somewhere in the house (like a trash can), so we need to replace it.  There have been no charges on it since 9 May.  We went to the Verizon Store today to see what options there were.  She can get a $50 basic phone after 22 June due to contract limitations.  We could pay an $80 disconnect fee...or buy a smart phone for $200...we decided to wait until 22 June.  She also signed up for a class to learn to use her Samsung tablet that we bought in December, which I've used occasionally.  I was home by noon and watched some of the Padres game while eating lunch.


*  Online at 12:15 p.m. to read, then copied the mobile genealogy presentation to Dropbox and the flash drive, and then onto the laptop.  All set for Wednesday now!


*  Researched and wrote Creating an Ancestor List ("Ahnentafel") in Family Tree Maker 2012.  


*  Linda wanted a tablet lesson, so I spent an hour with her.  This is a patience challenge!


*  Captured some of the document images that I attached to my Ancestry tree using the smart phone over the past months.  Got about half saved and renamed.  More to do.


*  Went in at 5:30 p.m. to eat dinner, then watch TV news, and back online at 6:15 p.m.  Tried to index a California batch but there were none available.  Got 99% on last batch, but made several stupid mistakes.  


*  Worked in the database adding content and sources.  Checked in on Facebook, and wrote this post.


Genealogy today was 11.5 hours.



Monday, May 28, 2012

My genealogy days - 27 and 28 May 2012

Woe woe woe - my Padres continue to stumble...but genealogy goes on just fine!

1)  Sunday, 27 May 2012


*  Read email and blogs, then finished up the Best of the Genea-Blogs - 20 to 26 May 2012 post and set it for 12:30 p.m.


*  We went off to church at 9:30 a.m., then were home at 11:30 to watch the Padres game (they lost 2-0 to the Mets) and the end of the Indy 500.


*  Online at 1 p.m. to read, then write CVGS Program on Wednesday, 30 May: "Genealogy in the Cloud" on both blogs.  


*  Took a lot of time to attach images to sources in RootsMagic - got some of the Seaver families done, need to do more.  


*  After dinner, worked in the database with content and sources, plus attached more images.  I'm finding that I don't have everything in image form!  Transferred family photos and cemetery photos for some fmailies to the Ancestor Files, but need to name them consistently.  


*  Did a batch of 1940 California census (still in Los Angeles city) and checked my results from the last batch.


Genealogy today was 7.0 hours.

2)  Monday, 28 May 2012


*  Read email and blogs, then posted Memorial Day - Honoring Their Service and wrote Amanuensis Monday - Obituaries for Charles Auble (1849-1916) and set it for later.


*  Wrote Samples of Essential Reports for Genealogists and set it for early afternoon.  Added some content to the Mobile Genealogy presentation for Wednesday.

*  Went looking for my Whittle file to work on the Finding Jane's Roots presentation - after two hours of sorting out, throwing out and straightening up piles of paper I have no clue where it is!  Drat.  Fortunately, I think all of my records are in digital format and my research was posted on Genea-Musings.

*  Watched the end of the Padres game - they lost to the Cubs 11-7 (now 17-33).

*  Online again to write Creating an Ancestor List ("Ahnentafel") in Legacy Family Tree 7.5 and then add to the database, finding content and sources.  Got past the Anderson hurdle...and did some random stuff too.

*  Went out to mow the front lawn at 4:30 p.m. - need the cable for the trimmer.  Drat.  In at 5 p.m. to eat dinner and watch TV news.

*  Online at 5:30 p.m. to read, add to the Best Of post, check in on Facebook, and add more images to the database.  Got through most of the Seaver-Richman side.  Need to add census records for the great-greats and earlier. Wrote this post.

Genealogy today was 12.0 hours.

Database stats:  41,308 people, 112,234 events, 5357 places, 767 sources, 28,455 citations, 116 multimedia items, 216 multimedia links.  I had 18 links just three days ago!





Saturday, May 26, 2012

My genealogy day - 26 May 2012

It was strange not having anything that I had to do today...I hope I didn't forget something!  I did forget the FGS MySociety Radio show.  Maybe I'll listen to it on Sunday.  I miss the GeneaBloggers Radio show on Friday nights.

*  Read email and blogs, and wrote Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Who Is Your Most Recent Unknown Ancestor? and set it for after noon.  Noted that Surname Saturday - LNU (again!) posted.


*  Read ESM's Research Notes material on the APGen site.  Wow.  I need to blog about that!  


*  Started my presentation on Finding Jane's Roots.  Tried to get a good picture of the McKnew family on the wall, but too many shadows no matter where I put it.  Got the intro done.  


*  Went in at 11 a.m. to watch the Padres game - we lost to the Mets 9-0 (now 17-31).  Linda brought home a pepperoni pizza from Costco for lunch.


*  Online at 1 p.m. to read, note that the SNGF post was up, and worked more on the presentation, then worked in the database, adding content and sources.  


*  Went in at 5 p.m. to watch softball and read the paper.  Vickie came for dinner and we talked about genealogy for over an hour afterward.  I showed her the Ancestry tree on the iPhone.  


*  Online at 7:30 p.m. to read, add to the Best Of post, and did a batch of FamilySearch Indexing in Los Angeles city.  Got 98% on the last batch - made several mistakes (didn't check all fields!) but the arbitrator disagreed on several names and house numbers.  


*  Added Research Notes for Alpheus Smith and Elizabeth Dill to see how that works.  I need to add comments to every source...the ones without any research note just give a date, place and citation without providing information about the Person and the Event.  


*  Checked Facebook, and wrote this post.


Genealogy today was 11.0 hours.

Friday, May 25, 2012

My genealogy day - 25 May 2012

I love days like this where I can write and work on the database and do some indexing.

*  Read email and blogs, then worked in the Norfolk county, Mass. deed registers for awhile.  Wrote Using the Online Norfolk County, Massachusetts Deed Registry, 1793-2012.

*  Copied the deed and probate transcriptions and sources for alpheus and elizabeth (Dill) Smith from my Genea-Musings posts to my database.  I need to do more of this on several ancestral lines.


*  Worked in the database adding content and sources - now through Albro.  There is a long way to go!

*  Went in at 4:15 p.m. to watch the Padres game, read the paper, feed the birds, eat dinner, and read my book.  Pads lost to Mets 6-1 (now 17-29 on the season).

*  Online at 7 p.m. to read, add to the Best Of post, add to the Mobile presentation, write the Surname Saturday post, index a batch in Los Angeles City of the 1940 census, and then worked in Find-a-Grave - through 680 in Seaver now.

*  Checked Facebook, and wrote this post.  

Genealogy today was 9.5 hours.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

My genealogy day - 24 May 2012

It was a fairly full genealogy day, and I made some progress on two projects.

*  Woke up at 3:30 a.m. and never went back to sleep.  Online at 7 a.m. to read email and blogs, then wrote Treasure Chest Thursday - 1841 English Census Record for John Rich Family

*  Researched and wrote Timeline Report in RootsMagic 5 and set it for later in the morning.

*  Started the Mobile Genealogy presentation for next week, and got it pretty much finished.  Added about 40 iPhone screen shots with captions.  

*  After lunch, went off to the pharmacy and then the library to find Lynch families in Chula Vista in 1970 in City Directories.  Photographed pages from 1970 to 1972.

*  Home by 1 p.m. to read, answer email, and then wrote Geneablogging works really well...  Checked Facebook, Twitter and google Plus.

*  Went in at 4 p.m.  to watch the Padres game.  Rain delay after two innings, took a nap, started again at 5:30 and we had dinner watching the Pads win 11-5 over the Mets.  Transferred City Directory data to Dropbox while watching.

*  Online at 8:30 p.m. to read, add to the Best Of post, and work in the database a bit adding content and sources.  Wrote this post.

Genealogy today was 9.0 hours

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

My genealogy days - 22 and 23 May 2012

Well, we're back from vacation and I've had two pretty full days of genealogy.

1)  Monday, 21 May 2012:

*  We got home at 8:15 p.m. from the trip.  I unpacked, then fired up the computer and read 770 email messages since 12 May.  Deleted most of them, but had about 40 to answer.  Stopped at 10 p.m. and went to bed (7 a.m. Oslo time!).

2)  Tuesday, 22 May 2012:

*  Up at 4 a.m. due to jet lag effects.  Started in reading the last two days of blog posts, and started the Best Of post.  Finally finished this in the afternoon.  Marked all blog posts (over 1000, probably close to 2500) as read.  Will visit my favorites to see what I missed.

*  Answered many emails throughout the day.

*  Finally posted Catch-Up Day - Tuesday, 22 May 2012 and wrote Chronology Report in Legacy Family Tree 7.5 and set it for early afternoon.


*  Copied the photos from the iPhone to the desktop computer.  Organized them to some extent.  


*  Did a batch of FamilySearch Indexing to see how far California has been done - in Santa Cruz County.  San Diego City will be after Los Angeles City...still a week or two to go.


*  Watched the Padres game vs. the Cardinals over dinner and read mail and papers.  Pads lost 4-0 to the Cards.  Now 16-28.  


*  Copied the vacation journal to the desktop, updated it, and wrote 11 posts on The Geneaholic, one for each day.  They need pictures.  


*  Too tired to do any more - off to bed at 9 a.m.


Genealogy today was 11.5 hours.


3)  Wednesday, 23 May 2012:


*  I slept until after 7 a.m. - 10 hours.  I feel better...


*  Read email and blogs, wrote (Not So) Wordless Wednesday - Post 206: Scott's 2nd Birthday and then Got Dutch Ancestry? Tell Peter!


*  Made 40 screen captures on the iPhone for next week's talk, then put them all into Dropbox.  


*  Answered more email, and did some research for a CVGS query.


*  Researched and wrote Timeline Report in Family Tree Maker 2012.  


*  Added pictures to the daily Cruise summary posts, and then wrote Legacy Cruise Vacation Compendium.

*  Checked Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.

*  Worked in the database a bit, adding content and sources.  Almost got through the Adams entries that didn't have birth or death data.

*  Went in at 5:15 p.m. to watch the Padres game and eat dinner.  Put out the trash.  Pads lost 6-3 to the Cards (now 16-29).

*  Back online at 8 p.m. to read, add to the Best Of post, check my FS Indexing arbitration numbers - finally got a 100% on the last batch.

*  Wrote this post, and i'm done for the night.  Off to bed at 9 p.m. again as I'm really sleepy.

Genealogy today was 9.5 hours.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Cruise Vacation - Day 12 (Monday, 21 May 2012)


The ship docked in Oslo at 7 a.m. We were up before 6 a.m. And went up for breakfast at 6:15 a.m. Back in the cabin, we gathered our carry-on stuff, and left at 7:15 a.m. for the Schooner Bar on Deck 6 to get off the ship with Group 4.

After a short wait, the group went down to Deck 1 to debark, gather our luggage, and find the bus to the Oslo airport. This was very disorganized – they had a list but didn't assign persons to a bus, and we stood in several lines but the baggage holds filled up and we were shunted to another. We finally got on the 5th bus to the airport, which left at 8:30 a.m. It got there just after 9 a.m.

At the airport, we checked in at British Airways, received our boarding passes, and then were told to wait until 11:20 a.m. For someone to escort us through security and take us to the gate with Linda in the wheelchair. We objected, and they brought a wheelchair for me to push so that we could shop and get to the gate early. The plane was on time, and we were off to London shortly after the 12 noon scheduled departure. We arrived in London at 1:30 p.m., and they had a wheelchair for Linda waiting, and we were escorted through the maze to immigration and security and then to the train to go to our gate for San Diego. We were able to do a little shopping too.

The British Airways flight to San Diego boarded and left on time, at 3:05 p.m. Linda had an empty seat next to her which was handy since the lady in the seat in front of her wanted to recline her seat which hindered Linda from moving. I finished my Stuart Woods book, ate dinner, and then tried to watch movies (none were worth watching) and TV (ditto) and eventually dozed off for an hour or two. We had a snack over Salt Lake City, and landed at San Diego on schedule at 6:15 p.m.

The immigration line was long, but we had our baggage and called Barbara at 7:05 p.m. She picked us up soon after, and we stopped in Chula Vista for a quick dinner at El Pollo Loco. Then we were home around 8:15 p.m.

I unpacked my suitcase, but Linda got in bed quickly. I turned on the computer, and read my 770 new email messages until 10 p.m. Then I went to bed. Whew.   

Monday, May 21, 2012

Cruise Vacation - Day 11 (Sunday, 20 May 2012)


This was another "at sea" day, this time between Edinburgh and Oslo.  It was also a Legacy genealogy class day.

It was a quiet morning – we slept in a bit, went up to breakfast, and Linda went off to the pool. I read my book in an easy chair watching the ship cut through the fog.

After a quick lunch, I gathered my laptop and headed off at 12:30 p.m. For the Conference Room on Deck 6 for the last day of Legacy genealogy classes. Judy Wight presented “Digging for Gold in British Estate Records,” and then I presented “The Genealogical Proof Standard and doing a Reasonably Exhaustive Search” and “Searching Ancestry.com Effectively.” Ken McGinnis presented “Merging 101 and 202” which I had trouble following in Legacy Family Tree. Then there were questions and answers for all of the speakers. Geoff held the last drawings for Legacy CDs, and made a pitch for the 2013 cruise. We signed up for it!


We had dinner at a different table tonight because we were late to the dining room after trying to sort out the dining staff tips. We ate at the same table with Ken and Diane and Dave and Peggy. After dinner, it was off to the shopping area to buy several cruise pictures, and more gifts.

We knew we had a big travel day on Monday, so we went to bed relatively early after packing and putting the suitcases in the hallway.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Cruise Vacation - Day 10 (Saturday, 19 May 2012)


The ship arrived in Edinburgh this morning, but not near the city.  The ship lifeboats and local boats provided ferry service from the ship to shore.

We did not book a tour for this day because I was concerned about the Tender experience and Linda’s balance (we have to take a small boat between the cruise ship and the pier). Plus, the tours offered involved quite a bit of walking and climbing stairs. Linda suggested that we take a taxi into Edinburgh, but the city is 45 minutes away – it would be very expensive. Hence, we stayed aboard the ship.

After breakfast at 7:30 a.m., Linda went to swim at the Solarium and I watched the Tendering for awhile, then read my book. At 10:30 a.m., I went to the cabin to update this journal, review the class syllabus some more, and work on my presentations.

We went to lunch, and then I came back to the cabin and worked some more on the presentations. I took a nap, and then finished my book and took it back to the library and got another one.

The ship departed from Edinburgh at 6 p.m. We went to dinner, then did some shopping on board. This was a quiet day of rest, which I needed.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Cruise Vacation - Day 9 (Friday, 18 May 2012)


This was an "at sea" day between Liverpool and Edinburgh, Scotland.  The ship sailed north from Liverpool, between the islands of Skye and Lewis, across the top of Scotland heading for Edinburgh.

We were up early because this was a genealogy day at sea – five sessions on Legacy, Irish research and Scottish research in the Some Enchanted Evening lounge (deck 6, aft). After breakfast, the first session was a number of one-on-one sessions with the Legacy team. We clustered around the Legacy team members, who answered questions and demonstrated various uses of Legacy. I got my laptop set up and practiced creating sources.

Geoff presented “Legacy: Especially for Beginners” and demonstrated how to start using the software – including “Set Relationships” (which enables the relationship between my self and anyone else in my database), “Set Direct Line as Preferred” (which highlights the direct line – I chose my daughter as the key person),“Apply Ancestry Colors” (for my four grandparents lines) and setting Bookmarks (I chose myself and Robert Seaver). He also answered many questions about other features, including adding persons and spouses, and working in the Master Location List.

Luc Comeau presented “GENViewer, GENMatcher, GENCatalog and Research Guidance” in the next session, but he didn’t touch on Research Guidance (because we had no Internet connection) and didn’t mention GENMatcher. He demonstrated how GENCatalog works (it’s free at www.mudcreeksoftware.com) to find ALL genealogy database types on a computer drive. This is especially useful if you have databases for different programs in many file folder locations.

GENViewer permits a user to look at GEDCOM, PAF, TMG, FTM, RootsMagic, Temple Submission and Legacy database files for specific persons, can compare information between two files, enables the user to identify “islands” in their database, and more. It is available from the Legacy Store.

We broke up at 11 a.m. and I was greeted by Renee and Don, and invited to their cabin to see Don’s digital picture collection. He has an expensive camera and specializes in large digital photographs that are enhanced by a process that lightens dark areas and darkens light areas to create beautiful detailed images. Then I went to the Solarium and picked up Linda and we went to lunch. The ship was at sea all day today sailing from Liverpool to Edinburgh, and the ride was a bit rocky – it gave me a headache most of the day.

After lunch, I read my book, rested my eyes a bit in the library, and we were back in the lounge at 4 p.m. but the Bingo session ran long until 4:15 p.m. Geoff and his team scrambled to find another venue, but we ended up back in the lounge and Judy Wight started her “Key Genealogical Resources for Ireland” presentation at 4:25 p.m. She covered Civil Registration, Church Records and Census records (and substitutes) in great detail, and offered some excellent guidelines on doing Irish research. The syllabus material is comprehensive and very helpful to me as a “Beginner” in Irish research. There were only a couple of people who proclaimed themselves to be Advanced or Intermediate researchers. Judy’s second presentation was “Key Genealogical Resources for Scotland” and it was similar in content to the Irish research talk – mainly Census, Civil Registration and Church Records, although she covered other record types briefly.

I left at 6 p.m. to go get dressed for the second formal night for dinner – and we got to the dinner table at 6:10 p.m., and sat at Table 32 with four other couples, including Don and Renee.

After dinner, the Legacy group congregated on the stairs in the Centrum and had a group picture taken by the cruise photographers and, hopefully, by several other persons. Several couples had pictures taken in their finery also, including us. Then we went down to the Centrum dance floor and listened to the Blue Waters band play dance music – they were very good, accepted requests, and we danced and talked until 10:30 p.m. with Ken and Diane, and Christy and Steve.  



Friday, May 18, 2012

Cruise Vacation - Day 8 (Thursday, 17 May 2012)

If it's Thursday, it must be Liverpool!  The ship crossed the Irish Sea from Dublin to Liverpool overnight.

We were up early, had breakfast and were ready to go on our tour before the ship docked at Liverpool at 7 a.m. We met in the Masquerade Lounge at 7:45 and got our sticker for the Liverpool and the Beatles tour that departed at 8:15 a.m. We had to walk a bit down the gangplank, up to the street and over to the bus parking lot. We boarded the bus with about 25 others – our guide was Hilary and our driver was Phil.

The first stop on the tour was at Mathew Street, where the Cavern club is located. There are a number of tributes to the Beatles along the street. We did not go into the Cavern club. Back on the bus for a short trip to The Beatles Story museum. We spent over an hour here, and it had the complete history of each member of the group, and of the group itself, with headphones to tell us what we were seeing. Beatles songs blared throughout. We bought T-shirts in the shop.





Back on the bus, we drove around Liverpool seeing sights, and stopped at Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, and the childhood homes of John and Paul. Then it was back to the ship at 12 noon. We missed seeing the Queen, but others in the group did.



Back aboard the ship, we had lunch, and Linda headed off to the Solarium to swim. I read my book for awhile, then walked Deck 10, and stopped to play shuffleboard with Luc and Geoff again. I played poorly with no wind on the deck. I went to get Linda more Benadryl ($5 for 10 tablets) at the medical center, then went to the room and watched BBC news and dozed for a bit. I went to get Linda at 5:15 p.m., and we headed off to dinner at 6 p.m. in the Aquarius dining room. Edvin told his life story, and gave me a special chocolate dessert. We went back to the room and Linda went to bed, while I finished my book and watched TV.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Cruise Vacation - Day 7 (Wednesday, 16 May 2012)


The ship left Cherbourg last night, heading for Dublin, Ireland around the south coast of England.

We were awake early, so got dressed and went up to breakfast at 7:30 a.m. From there, Linda went off to swim in the indoor pool, and I read my book in the Centrum until Geoff and Tanya came along, so we talked until they went in for breakfast at 9:15 a.m. I read for awhile, then came back to the room to catch up this journal and watch the BBC news.

I left at 11 a.m. with my book, went up to Deck 10 to watch the docking, and found Geoff and Luc playing shuffleboard, so I watched them for awhile. The docking was interesting – the ship headed for one bank, then turned about 90 degrees and backed into a second bank while turning another 90 degrees. The ship was docked at 12 noon, right on schedule.

We went for lunch at noon at the Windjammer Cafe, then to the Masquerade lounge to get our boarding pass, and were on the bus for the Leisurely Dublin Highlights tour by 1:15 p.m. The tour drove around Dublin, with the guide talking about Irish history, poets, playwrights, authors, etc. We stopped to see Oscar Wilde’s “statue” in a park, St. Patrick’s Cathedral (Anglican), and then next to Trinity College for shopping. We had thought about eating dinner in Dublin and taking the shujttle back to the ship, but we decided to go back to the ship on the tour.





After stopping at our room, we went up to dinner. Linda had a reaction to the salad, but ate her dinner, took her Benadryl, and went back to the room with chills. She is now out of Benadryl, so I called Medical and they sell it for $5. An emergency visit costs $30.   I'll get some on Thursday!

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Cruise Vacation - Day 6 (Tuesday, 15 May 2012)


The ship traveled from Le Havre to Cherbourg overnight.

We woke up at 8:30 a.m., got dressed and up to breakfast by 9:30 a.m. in the Windjammer. Linda wore her bathing suit and I escorted her to the indoor pool where she enjoyed the water for two hours. I read my book and took a walk around the deck.



We did not take a shore excursion today, being tired of buses.

I went back for Linda at !2:30 p.m. so that we could have lunch, and after lunch she took a nap and I went walking again and read my book. I bought the cruise terminal to Oslo airport tickets for Sunday, and turned in our passports as requested for security reasons. I reviewed the syllabus for the four classes that I missed, and reviewed and edited my Genealogical Proof Standard presentation.

We went out at 6 p.m. for dinner in the Aquarius dining room at Table #32. We stayed until 8:15 p.m. talking to each other and the staff. There was a good discussion of Y, mitochondrial and autosomal DNA tests among other topics. Then it was back to the cabin, and I reviewed and edited my Ancestry.com presentation and started to write this daily journal.  We went to bed before 10 p.m.

The ship departed Cherbourg at 5 p.m. and headed for Dublin.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Cruise Vacation - Day 5 (Monday, 14 May 2012)


The ship docked at Le Havre, France at 9 a.m. We were up at 7 a.m. to have breakfast and get ready for our day trip on a bus to do some sightseeing in Paris. We went, with our tickets, to the Masquerade Theater at 9 a.m. and gave them to Dave so that he could get all of the Legacy group on one bus. We had 44 of the 53 seats. We were on the bus at about 10 a.m. with tour guide Fredericka and driver Lou. We rode 2.5 hours through the countryside to Paris. We stopped for a restroom break before entering Paris, and I used the ATM to get Euros and we bought drinks for the bus.

In Paris, we drove down the Champs Elysee, past the Arc d’Triomphe, all of the shops and buildings to Place Concorde, then off on a street to the Opera House and other sites, and stopped at a restaurant Chez Jenny (which we dubbed Chez Jenny-ology). We had a lunch of tomatoes and olives, roast duck leg, and cheesecake. Linda had a reaction to something – probably the duck sauce, so didn’t have much to eat.





Then it was off to drive past Notre Dame, then over to the Left Bank, stopping at Invalides, and then to the Seine River near the Eiffel Tower. We boarded a river boat for a one hour sail on the Seine – up past Ile de France and back. We sat in the middle, so was able to take pictures on both sides, especially of Notre Dame. After debarking, Linda did some shopping for postcards, and I went across to the Eiffel Tower and took some pictures. When I came back, we bought ice creams and enjoyed them before boarding the bus at 6 p.m. for the ride back to Le Havre. After 8 hours on the bus, we were tired of sitting.




We got to the ship at about 8:45 p.m. and went up to the Windjammer Café for a quick dinner. Then to the cabin and to bed at 10 p.m. just as the ship departed for Cherbourg.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Cruise Vacation - Day 4 (Sunday, 13 May 2012)


This was an at sea day between Oslo, Norway and Le Havre, France.  

I slept pretty well, and we didn’t get up until 11:15 a.m. After getting dressed and ready to go up to lunch, I looked at the Legacy schedule and saw that I had missed the morning classes. Drat. My mind was set on afternoon classes, but that is next Sunday! On the way to breakfast, I found the classroom and Dave was still there packing things up. I apologized to him and he said that Geoff had tried to introduce me several times. Great! Now everybody knows that I missed the first session. We had lunch in the Windjammer and afterwards I found Geoff in the Aquarius dining room and apologized to him also. That was embarrassing.

I found the library and checked out a book, and read until 2 p.m., when I decided to take a walk on Deck 10 around the ship (1240 feet for one lap). The ship was going 20 knots into a 20 knot headwind (so about 45 miles/hour) and it was cold, about 13 C (55 F), so I was happy to stop at the shuffleboard on the port side to watch Geoff and Luc play shuffleboard – they do this every cruise, apparently. After awhile, they asked me to play and so we played until about 4:30 p.m. The wind would catch the puck occasionally and move it, and the puck would curve on almost every shot. I was windblown and my head was sunburned…but that was a lot of fun. I got to know Geoff and Luc a bit better, and vice versa.


I rested for awhile in the cabin, and at 6 p.m. we went to dinner in the Aquarius dinging room at Table 32. Some of our seatmates changed. Sandip and Edwin brought Linda’s meal ordered the night before, and I had the Filet of Beef which was excellent. The desserts are very appealing (Edvin gives us the yummy-yummy menu every night) and delicious. I usually have vanilla ice cream.

After dinner, we headed back to the room and I read my book, and we went to bed after 9 p.m. I haven’t opened my laptop computer yet, and it’s been 36 hours since I last checked the Internet. The Internet on the ship is expensive - $50 for 100 minutes, so I’m avoiding it.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Cruise Vacation - Day 3 (Saturday, 12 May 2012)


We started the day in Oslo, Norway in our room at the Scandic Sjolyst Hotel.

We got dressed, packed our suitcases, and went down for breakfast at 8 a.m. I retrieved my iPhone from the desk, fully charged. I checked my email and Facebook on the hotel computers, and went up and watched TV and read until 10:30 a.m. We took everything down to the hotel lobby, which was packed with tourists waiting for their sightseeing buses. We checked out, and had them call a taxi, which came within five minutes. The taxi ride to the cruise ship terminal was only about three miles and cost 170 kroner (about $30).

The taxi dropped us off right at the baggage area of the terminal, and we handed over the bags there. Then we checked in at the security station, received our room key cards, had our picture taken, and boarded the Vision of the Seas cruise ship at about 11:30 a.m.

We went up to the Windjammer Café on Deck 9 for lunch right at 12 noon, and enjoyed salad, fruit and bread. We were able to go to our cabin 3006 at 1:30 p.m. and settle in. At 3 p.m., we went to the Legacy Family Tree meet and greet on Deck 5, and met Geoff, Ken, Dave and Luc from Legacy, plus the travel agent Christy, and a number of other cruisers, including geneabloggers Kay Haden and Donna Peterson.

The lifeboat drill was at 4:30 p.m. – we’re assigned to lifeboat 2. After that, we went back to the cabin and unpacked the suitcases which had arrived while we were at the Legacy meeting. The cruise ship departed Oslo at 5 p.m. – the maneuvering engines in the bow are right below our stateroom.


Then it was time for dinner at 6 p.m. – the Legacy group – 170 strong – was assigned to Tables 18 to 42 in the Aquarius Dining Room. Our assigned table was 32 with Sandip, Edvin and ??? as our waiters. Linda explained her allergy problems to Sandip and Edvin, and they reviewed the menu and suggested the Top Sirloin steak for her. Our table-mates this first night included Ken and Diane, Bruce and Patsy, Virgil and Kay, and Dennis and Barbara. I had the top sirloin steak also. Linda asked for a rarer cut twice…

After dinner, we went to the Masquerade Lounge and caught the end of the first show. Then it was down to our stateroom, a check of the TV news, and to bed by 9 p.m., since we were still not on a good sleep schedule yet.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Cruise Vacation - Day 2 (Friday, 11 May 2012)


I fell asleep easily at 11:30 p.m., but woke up at 2 a.m. wide awake. Of course! After tossing and turning until 6, I slept until 7:30 a.m. when we got up and went down for breakfast. After breakfast, we went back to the room and slept from about 9 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. I was supposed to call Torill Johnsen before 1 p.m., so I did that and she came to pick us up at 2 p.m.

Torill drove us through western Oslo and up the Helmankoller mountain to the north of the city, showing us some Olympic facilities and other points of interest. We stopped at the Riksarchivet (the Norway National Archives), and saw some of the research areas, and took some pictures.


 Then it was off the mountain to stop at a shopping center so Linda could buy something from Norway. She didn’t. We toured around downtown Oslo after most of the rush hour traffic was gone, and stopped for dinner at the Engebret restaurant, where we treated Torill to dinner. 


 It was too late to do more sightseeing, so Torill dropped us back at the hotel at about 8 p.m. I posted two pictures to Facebook from the Riksarchivet.

I decided to charge my iPhone because I had taken pictures and checked the Internet occasionally over the last two days. My iPhone charger did not fit into my power adapter, and my extension cord did not fit into it either, and the adapter would not fit into the wall plug. I went down to the desk and they said I could buy an adapter two blocks over, but the shop was closed. The desk man offered to charge the iPhone, so I took him up on it and worried all night about it! I used the hotel Internet to read my email, read blogs (595 since Wednesday afternoon) and check in on Facebook.

We were asleep by 9:30 p.m. and slept poorly until about 7 a.m. with quite a few wakeups.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Cruise Vacation - Day 1 (Thursday, 10 May 2012)


DAY 1 – Wednesday, 9 May 2012 to Thursday, 10 May 2012, San Diego to London to Oslo, Norway

We boarded British Airways Flight 272, a Boeing 777, in San Diego at 9 p.m. on Wednesday night  The scheduled departure was 8:20 p.m., and we departed at 9:30 p.m. The legroom was cramped but we had aisle seats to minimize the getting in and out problem. There was a dinner meal – it was forgettable. Linda had half of her Subway sandwich. I watched the movie The Descendants on the flight and some TV shows, and dozed a bit. We arrived at Heathrow Airport in London about 1.5 hours late, but our connecting flight to Oslo was also delayed a bit. Linda had a wheelchair, and we were escorted from the arrival gate through a vast underground maze by a wheelchair pusher to the Oslo gate. British Airways has 66 gates at Heathrow. I exchanged dollars for Norwegian kroners at the airport (highway robbery!).

The British Airways flight to Oslo departed at 6:15 p.m. (supposed to be 5:15 p.m.) and they served only flavored chips and a drink. Linda had the second half of her Subway sandwich. We got to Oslo Airport at 9:30 p.m. After the wheelchair ride through the airport from the departure gate through immigration, then claiming out two suitcases, to the airport entry, we bought tickets for the 25 minute train ride from the airport to the central Oslo station for 170 kroner each (a kroner is about 18 cents American). We barely got off the train with our two bags and Linda’s walker, plus our carry-ons, and walked to the street to hail a taxi. That cost 350 kroner (about $55) for a 15 minute ride. The Scandic Sjolyst Hotel is on the west end of Oslo near Bygdoy, and seemed to specialize in business travelers during the week and tourists on the weekend. We got into our room with no problem, pushed the twin beds together, and tried to sleep.  It was a long day and night!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Not really exciting genealogy days - 6 to 8 May 2012

Hmmm, where have I been?  Away?  No.  Just busy doing non-genealogy things and getting ready for our vacation - we leave on Wednesday for Oslo.

It is so easy to not journal!

1)  Sunday, 6 May:

*  Read, finished up the Best Of post, then we went to church.  Then it was off to La Jolla to see my 89-year old neighbor, Kurt, perhaps for the last time.  He is in a rehab/nursing care center.  We headed back to Chula Vista, stopped for lunch, and got home in time to watch the Padres  game.  We lost, I forget the score.

*  Before dinner, Linda started packing for the trip.  I cut the front lawn and beheaded a sprinkler head so struggled to replace it.  Success!!

*  After dinner, I read, then wrote several blog posts for Monday and for the trip.

Genealogy this day was maybe 4.0 hours at most.

2)  Monday, 7 May:

*  Read, noted that my blog posts went up, and wrote another one for later in the day.  Printed off the CVGS Newsletter master and the mailing list and got the newsletter bag ready to go.

*  We left at 9:30 a.m. for Sherry's funeral service in Imperial Beach.  It was formal and nice... stopped at Costco for a Polish dog on the way home.

*  Watched Lisa Alzo's webinar on Pennsylvania research.  Nice job!  Wrote several more blog posts for Tuesday and the vacation coverage.

Took the CVGS newsletter stuff down to the UPS Store and ran it off.  When I got home, I took a nap.

*  We left at 3:30 p.m. for the celebration of life for Sherry in Imperial Beach.  Lots of good sharing, then potluck dinner, and we left at 5:45 p.m. for the trolley station.  got to Petco Park at 6:45 p.m. and was able to change out tickets foro ur next four games.  Padres won 3-2 over the Rockies (now 10-20 on the year).

*  Home by 11 p.m. to read, then off to bed.

Genealogy today was about 4.0 hours.

3)  Tuesday, 8 May:

*  Read, noted that Tuesday's Tip had posted, and wrote two other posts for Tuesday.

*  Reviewed some of the Source stuff for the Wednesday meeting.  Got all of my electronic cables and gear together.  Printed off some source citation materials and made a one-page handout for the CVGS Research Group on Wednesday.

*  Answered some emails, then wrote posts for the rest of the vacation coverage.  Probably wrote 15 posts today.  Time sure flies when you're on a deadline.

*  Got all of the vacation papers sorted out and organized, brought the suitcase in from the garage, and picked out stuff to take.

*  After dinner, packed the suitcase.  Full.  Weighed both of them.  Heavy, but not yet 50 pounds.

*  Watched the Padres game (we won 3-1 over Rockies, now 11-20).

*  Read everything, and now off to bed to get some sleep.

Genealogy today was 9.5 hours.

We leave on Wednesday afternoon for Oslo on British Airways.  The Geneaholic will be dark until at least 22 May.  I will have posts on Genea-Musings each day describing what we hope to do on our vacation.  I'll try to write up significant events, and provide pictures, from the cruise, the sightseeing and the Legacy classes.


Saturday, May 5, 2012

My exciting genealogy days - 4 and 5 May 2012

Four more get-ups until we fly off to Oslo.  Linda wants the suitcases on Sunday, and I'm busy getting my computer files on the laptop updated.

1)  Friday, 4 May:

*  Read email and blogs, and wrote Follow-Up Friday - Reader Comments and Helpful Tips.


*  Went off at 10:30 a.m. to the clinic for my blood pressure test, and stopped by the pharmacy on the way home.


*  Back at work at 11:30 a.m., researched and wrote New Hint Notifications on Ancestry Member Trees.


*  Wrote three Surname Saturday posts, then worked in the database for awhile.  Answered some emails also.

*  Watched DearMYRTLE's webinar on using FTM 2012.  Added to the Best Of post.

*  Went in at 5:30 p.m.  for dinner, then worked on the CVGS Newsletter for awhile.

*  Watched the Padres game until 8 p.m., then watched WDYTYA (the Rashida Jones episode) - excellent show this week.  Padres lost 9-8 to Marlins in 12 innings, it ended at 12 midnight.  Yawn!

Genealogy this day was 7.5 hours.

2)  Saturday, 5 May:

*  Read email and blogs, then went off to the Men's Prayer Breakfast at 8 a.m. We are studying Mormonism, and had two young missionaries as guests to help us understand beliefs, scripture and practices.


*  Home by 9:30 a.m. to note that Surname Saturday - HAMANT (England > Massachusetts) posted and to write Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - A 100 Word Genealogy Challenge.


*  Made the cruise shore excursion reservations, answered some emails, did some researxch on the San Diego Dill family in GenealogyBank.


*  Tuned in late to the MySociety radio show.  Drat, I wanted to hear about Mocavo.


*  Transferred my presentations for the cruise to flash drives, Dropbox and the laptop.  


*  Went in at 3 p.m. to watch the Kentucky Derby, read the paper and take a short nap.


*  We left at 3:45 p.m. for the trolley to go to the Padres game.  We were in our seats by 4:45 p.m. and I read the paper.  It was a Filippi's pizza night...and my ice cream in the helmet too.  Padres lost 4-1 to Marlins in a quick game (now 9-19 on the year).


*  Home by 8:45 p.m. to read, add to the Best Of post, and work on the CVGS Newsletter.  About 90% done now.  Wrote this post.


Genealogy today was 7.0 hours.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

My ex citing genealogy day - 3 May 2012

Six more days to get ready for our vacation cruise...Linda hasn't even started packing yet!  It was a stay-at-home day for me, and I got quite a bit done.  To wit:

*  Read email and blogs, wrote Treasure Chest Thursday - 1851 English Census Record for James Richman Family and then AncestryDNA Autosomal Test is $99 for Ancestry Subscribers.  Wrote two more TCT posts for the vacation days.


*  Edited my FORUM article and sent it to the editor.  Task completed!  Finally.


*  Edited the Searching Ancestry.com presentation for the cruise - need to review again, but mostly completed!


*  WrotPlanning More Genealogy Fun - Searching for John Seaver's Parents.  Did a little research on this task.


*  Worked in the database for several hours adding content and sources.  No great breakthroughs!


*  Went in for dinner, then worked in the front garden for awhile, read the paper, watched TV news, and did the dishes.


*  Online at 7 p.m. to read, do a page of FamilySearch Indexing (Sacramento CA), then worked on the CVGS Newsletter.  Got caught up, now waiting for input from board members.  


*  Added to the Best Of post, checked Facebook, printed off shore excursion pages, and wrote this post.


Genealogy today was 10.5 hours.



Wednesday, May 2, 2012

My exciting genealogy day - 2 May 2012

This was not much of a genealogy research day...but a Genea-Man has to do what he's gotta do.

*  Read email and blogs, and wrote (Not So) Wordless Wednesday - Post 203: The Pink Oldsmobile, then watched the video and wrote AncestryDNA Video On YouTube.


*  Left at 10:15 a.m. for a meeting at the library, which only one other person showed up for.  So I went to McDonalds for lunch, and back to the library for the CVGS Board meeting.  It was followed by the meeting.


*  Home by 2:45 p.m. to read, and noted that Committing Genealogy Fun - Part 2 posted as scheduled. 


*  Went in at 3:30 p.m. to watch the Padres game, read the paper, take a short nap, eat dinner, put out the trash, and do the dishes.  My Padres won 5-0 over the Brewers (now 9-17).  


*  Online at 6 p.m. to watch/listen to DearMYRTLE's webinar on 1940 Census Indexing.  Captured more English census records on Archives.com also.


*  Added to the Best Of post, did some online research adding content and sources to the database, checked on Facebook, got the CVGS Newsletter draft ready, wrote a blog post for next week, and wrote this post.  Whew!


Genealogy today was 9.5 hours.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Three genealogy days - 29 April to 1 May 2012

I got busy in the evenings here so I didn't journal for two days.  Bad boy!  I'll try to catch up.

1)  Sunday, 29 April 2012:

*  Read email in a hurry, noted that Best of the Genea-Blogs - 22 to 28 April 2012 posted.


*  We left at 7:45 a.m. for Disneyland, and were in the park at 9:45 a.m.  Tami and family got there about 11, and we celebrated Audrey's birthday at lunch with a big cupcake and big red cookie.  We went on small world, Tarzan's Treehouse, Jungle Cruise, Buzz Lightyear, the Carousel, and Pinocchio.  We left at 4 p.m. to go home.


*  We stopped at El Pollo Loco for dinner, and were home by 6:30 p.m.  I read, answered email, and loafed - my feet hurt.


*  Watched the Finding Your Roots episode at 8 p.m. then checked Facebook, started the next Best Of post, and retired to slumber.


2)  Monday, 30 April 2012:


*  Read email and blogs, wrote  Amanuensis Monday - Probate Records of Ezekiel Worthen (1636-1716) of Salisbury, Mass.

*  Worked on the Reasonably Exhaustive Search presentation for the cruise for awhile.

*  Researched and wrote Finding U.K. Census Record Images.  Worked in the database for several hours, adding content and sources from online databases.  Printed off some of the cruise shore tours to decide what we want to do in France, Ireland, England and Scotland.


*  Wrote Getting Ready to Travel...

*  We left at 4:35 p.m. for the Padres game.  Ate t the Tin Fish downtown, then watched the game.  We lost to the Brewers 8-3 as Ryan Braun hit 3 homers in the game.  None of them cheap!

*  Home by 10:45 p.m. to read, then off to bed.

Genealogy today was 8.0 hours.

3)  Tuesday, 1 May 2012:

*  Read email and blogs, wrote Tuesday's Tip - Read GenealogyInTime Magazine


*  Worked on the Ancestry.com message responses - researched Lola, George and John Seaver.  Wrote Committing Genealogy Fun - Helping A Correspondent.

*  Worked in the database for several hours.  Wrote a post for the week we're gone.

*  We had dinner, and I filled the bird feeder, replaced the hose in front, and watered the front plants before the Padres game came on.

*  Padres won 2-0 over the Brewers on a Mark Kotsay homer in the 8th (now 8-17).  

*  Online at 10 p.m. to read, add to the Best Of post, check Facebook, and write a post for Wednesday.  

Genealogy today was 10.0 hours.

The monthly stats summary for April (31 days counting 1 May):


* 996 Feedburner (email) readers (+10)
* 1,330 Google Reader readers (+59)
*  Genea-Musings traffic rank:  worldwide: 211,533; US:  67,066 (Alexa)
*  62,479 page views (2015 per day, Blogger Stats)
* 28,702 web page visits (957 per day, Site-meter) (+139)
* 48,490 page views (1,616 per day, Site-meter) (+241)
Those are the best month statistics ever!

End-of-April statistics for RootsMagic database:

* 41,303 persons (+37)
* 16,429 families (+2)
* 111,753 events (+1467)
* 5,320 places (+139)
* 764 sources (+10)
* 28,328 citations (+836)

 I'm up to 25.3% (+0.4%) for citations/events and 68.6% (+2.0%) for citations/persons.