14 Eylül 2012 Cuma

Washington Libraries

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A blurb in Sunday's Parade magazine last week said that "the nation's busiest library system by circulation is Washington's King County Library System. About 22.4 million items were checked out in 2010, exceeding the second-place library system in Queens, New York."

I think that's something to be proud of! Washington State has a great library system..... in fact, I just Googled the question "how many libraries in Washington State" and the list went on and on and on.

I wonder where our own Spokane Public Library stands among Washington's libraries in circulation statistics? Do YOU have a library card? Do YOU use it?

EWGS is double-blessed that our Spokane Public Library keeps such good care of our EWGS collection of genealogical materials. Have YOU visited the "Gene Section" of our downtown library?

Make it a September goal: Read a book, preferably one you've checked out from your library.

Coordinator for Digital Digest!

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EWGS is super lucky once again! Diane Boyd, on the left, our EWGS Webmanager, worked with Dani Lee McGowan today and Dani Lee has accepted the position of Digital Digest Coordinator. This is wonderful news! With Gerry Gosche as proofreader, they will make a great team.

Diane sent out a blast email announcing that the FALL issue of the DD was now posted and available to members............ I hope you've read your issue. The committee works diligently to ensure a quality online publication...... which will be even better with Dani Lee as Coordinator. Thank you, Dani Lee.

EWGS is certainly doubly blessed to have such knowledgeable and generous members.

P.S. Surely you all realize that a "blast email" is not to "blast you" negatively about anything; it just means a message blasted out online to each and every one of you :-)

WSGS Conference & Port Angeles

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Just back from Port Angeles and the Washington State Genealogical Society Conference. Charles Hansen, Jacque Lane and Marie Wallick were the only other attendees from EWGS. The highlight of the event (to me) was the pre-conference tour of Port Angeles......... the Underground of Port Angeles. 

Port Angeles was a deep harbor (second only to San Francisco) and so it was desirable to have a port and shipping facilities right on the water and not 800 feet up the bluff. So engineers and residents in 1914 devised a way to build concrete-lined roadways and sluice down mud from the bluffs to fill these future-road-channels and this left the first story of many of the buildings underground. Don Perry, our guide, said that 40% of PA's downtown buildings still have empty spaces underneath them. Such interesting history.

The Red Goose Shoes store was built in 1890 and is the only original building still standing. The sign was painted over at some point and exposed in 1923 with remodeling and is the only building sign allowed in downtown due to its age (PA downtown has beautiful murals, not signs). It still is a working shoe store but Red Goose Shoes is a long-defunct company.

The Clallam County Genealogical Society did a great job of organizing and the food/lunch was great. Kudos to them for sure. Next year's WSGS conference will be in Yakima, 28-29 June 2013, if you care to mark your calendar this early :-)

Can you guess what this is?  First one to correctly identify it will win a prize from me!

2012 WSGS Conference Armchair Genealogy Day 1

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Day one started at 0 dark 30 as we were about four hours south of Port Angeles at Ocean Shores, Washington, and I was to be at the WSGS Board meeting at 2 p.m. My sister Jacque and I headed out and soon we were on highway 101 in the tall trees of coastal Washington. This is Lake Quinalt on the way north.
Near Kalaloch we came upon a view point to see the Pacific Ocean.I clicked this picture as we crossed the Hoh River. I was surprised I got a waterfall also.Between Forks and Port Angeles is Lake Crescent and we drove alongside of this lake for several miles.We stayed at Port Angeles Inn up 101 steps from First Street. We did not count them but did go down that way once.We walked down to the Strait of Juan De Fuca and was watching the ferry to Victoria B.C. load. I looked across the street and there was a lady taking a picture of what looked like a warehouse, so we walked over and found this wall mural on the warehouse wall.Up the street towards First we stopped and had lunch then kept walking. On another wall was this very long mural of Port Angeles in 1914, took two photos to get all of it. Then across the alley was this picture of the Kalakala ferry from Puget Sound. Today it sets in dis repair waiting for a restoration. As I was taking this picture Roger Newman the WSGS Secretary walked up and told us the history of the Kalakala.So we walked up First to this sign on the street in front of the Elks Naval Lodge.This is the back of the previous sign.This is the Elks Lodge sign.So we went inside and took the elevator to the third floor for registration, and they could not find my registration, but found Roger's and Jacque's, so they made up a new name tag for me. We walked into the ballroom and was looking around when Roberta Griset started calling my name. Seems I had been volunteered to help introduce two of the breakout speakers, and she had my registration, and nametag and a packet explaining what I was to do. I then went back and turned in the other nametag. Then I went to the WSGS Board meeting.This is the conference Chair Virginia Majewski and WSGS President Sue Ericksen.This was the SAR Flag Ceremony to start the conference.Here are the two SAR gentleman that did the Flag Ceremony.

2012 WSGS Conference Armchair Genealogy Day 2

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There were several vendors at the WSGS Conference and I think I visited all of them, but just took pictures of three booths, this was the APG BoothWSGS BoothVolunteer Award Winners at WSGS BoothFirst thing in the morning was the excellent Continental BreakfastContinental BreakfastBrian Hutchison the main speaker of the conference, this was his second talk, we could not hear him very well for his first talk on Armchair Genealogy, but it was on long distance researching. For the second session we moved closer to the front and was able to hear this session, Twenty Five tips in Sixty Minutes. After Brian's session we had two breakout sessions, I went to the session on the New Family Search by Ray Madsen, he is a very good speaker and his session was a good learning experience. The Next breakout session was Jon Kirshbaum and I got to introduce him and his session on Migration Routes. Jon rambled on for about 45 minutes and then in the last 15 minutes he got on subject. The room was warm and I thought it just about right, but most of the coast people thought it was too hot.
Next was the excellent lunch and then the annual WSGS meeting. 
This is Sue Ericksen WSGS President with Best Website Award
Volunteer award winners from around the state, but none from EWGS this year.I even got to tell about my project the Resource Guides. After lunch was the last breakout session, and I got to announce Rod Fleck and his session on Military Records from the beginning of the settlements in New England to WWII. Rod is an excellent speaker and his session was over way too soon. His session was in the Elk Lodge Room and this elk head is over the fireplace there.
Elk head in Elk Lodge RoomLast was another session from Brian Hutchison using underused sources to find your ancestors, and then they had several door prizes and raffel tickets to draw. I did not win anything.

New Year's Eve with the Montana Highway Patrol

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Trooper Patrick McLaughlin provides backup during a DUI stop.

Trooper McLaughlin types up a faulty equipment ticket.
In the well-below freezing weather, Trooper McLaughlin stops to check on a stranded motorist.

A DUI stop on New Year's Eve.

After a man was arrested for driving under the influence, the troopers move the violator's car off the road.
So I spent NYE doing a ride along with Trooper Pat McLaughlin of the Montana Highway Patrol. Overall, it was a quiet night - only one DUI, which we were backup on, and four broken headlights. But the 4.5 hours we spent with him were still very interesting. The scariest point of the night? When Trooper McLaughlin declared that the reporter and I were his backup if "stuff should go bad." He even showed us how to unlock the guns (a shotgun and an M4) in his car (a secret I'm not allowed to reveal). "They're hot, so you just have to pump a round into the chamber," he said. Ya.....okaaay.

So even though I was prepared for the worst, it turned out to be a tame, yet entertaining evening.

Traci & Jeff's Wedding ~ August 6th, 2011

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Yesterday I had the privilege of shooting a wedding for a couple who was not only photogenic, but had an amazing sense of humor. Here are just a few of my favorites so far.


Loved the rustic-chic venue, The Barn at Finley Point.

One of the sweetest 'First Look' moments I've had the privilege of witnessing.

Like I said, very photogenic.

Taylor, the flower girl, was adorable.

Lots of laughs and tender moments throughout the ceremony.
They hid their first kiss from the audience. How cute is that?!
Little bit of a cake battle (Traci won).

Traci got a bit of a booty dance from Jeff before the garter toss.


This was probably the funniest moment - Jeff went reaching for the garter and through some slight of hand, produced a pair of granny panties. Hilarious!





Traci's reaction to the granny panties bit. Don't worry folks, she's laughing.


Despite a nice breeze, the day was quite warm. The bride in front of the fan gave me an idea....

Love it!



Thank you, Traci & Jeff, for keeping me laughing throughout the day. Congrats and best of luck to you!