Thursday, June 3, 2010
May 29, 1910
May 29, 1910
Walked to Elmwood and took the car up home to Dinner & to Daves. Dave, Beatrice, Bess & I walked over to see Gertie & home in the rain.
W. Rain
R. 11
Curtiss in an aeroplane flew from Albany to New York.
I LOVE when he mentions stuff like this!!1
This is neat little story!
Excerpt from the Glenn Curtiss Website:
In the early morning hours of May 29th, 1910, Curtiss set out to do the unthinkable. For a purse of $10,000, offered by New York World publisher Joseph Pulitzer, Curtiss set out to fly from Albany to Manhattan.
Pulitzer’s rules were simple if not insane: Curtiss was allowed two stops to refuel and the entire distance of more than 150 miles had to be completed in less than twenty-four hours.
Curtiss was the only pilot in the world to agree to Pulitzer’s terms.
That morning more than 100,000 spectators gathered along Curtiss’ Hudson River flight path to witness one of the greatest spectacles of their day.
At 7:02 am Curtiss and his Albany Flyer were airborne.
Donning goggles, a cork life vest and rubberized waders, Curtiss kept pace with the news train. On-board the locomotive, his wife Lena hung out a window cheering her husband on while waiving a handkerchief. “It was like a real race and I enjoyed the contest more than anything else during the flight,” Curtiss later recalled.
Eighty-seven miles into his trip, Curtiss landed his Albany Flyer in an open field near Poughkeepsie where he borrowed oil and gas from curious motorists before taking back to the air.
Shortly after his second takeoff dangerous wind currents just south of Storm King Mountain nearly tossed the aviator from his plane. “My heart was in my mouth. I thought it was all over,” Curtiss recalled.
Regaining control of the airplane, Curtiss found himself in the homestretch. The Manhattan skyline was just visible on the horizon.
Then disaster struck.
Curtiss’ aircraft was leaking oil. He needed to put down before his engine froze up. But where?
Scanning the ground below, Curtiss looked for a large patch of green in northern Manhattan he had scouted out while planning his flight. Veering east from the Hudson, Curtiss put down in Inwood, on a stretch of land owned by the family of the late financier and leather merchant William B. Isham.
At 10:42 am, Isham’s daughter Flora and her husband, Minturn Post Collins, were reading about the flight in the Sunday paper when they heard a motor running behind the house.
Heading out back to investigate, Collins immediately realized he was standing face to face with the aviator he had read so much about in the morning news.
“I am certainly delighted to be the first to congratulate you on arriving in city limits, and am glad you picked our backyard as a place to land,” Collins told Curtiss.
All business, Curtiss responded, “Thank you, but what’s worrying me now is oil and gasoline. Have you any that you can spare?”
Walked to Elmwood and took the car up home to Dinner & to Daves. Dave, Beatrice, Bess & I walked over to see Gertie & home in the rain.
W. Rain
R. 11
Curtiss in an aeroplane flew from Albany to New York.
I LOVE when he mentions stuff like this!!1
This is neat little story!
Excerpt from the Glenn Curtiss Website:
In the early morning hours of May 29th, 1910, Curtiss set out to do the unthinkable. For a purse of $10,000, offered by New York World publisher Joseph Pulitzer, Curtiss set out to fly from Albany to Manhattan.
Pulitzer’s rules were simple if not insane: Curtiss was allowed two stops to refuel and the entire distance of more than 150 miles had to be completed in less than twenty-four hours.
Curtiss was the only pilot in the world to agree to Pulitzer’s terms.
That morning more than 100,000 spectators gathered along Curtiss’ Hudson River flight path to witness one of the greatest spectacles of their day.
At 7:02 am Curtiss and his Albany Flyer were airborne.
Donning goggles, a cork life vest and rubberized waders, Curtiss kept pace with the news train. On-board the locomotive, his wife Lena hung out a window cheering her husband on while waiving a handkerchief. “It was like a real race and I enjoyed the contest more than anything else during the flight,” Curtiss later recalled.
Eighty-seven miles into his trip, Curtiss landed his Albany Flyer in an open field near Poughkeepsie where he borrowed oil and gas from curious motorists before taking back to the air.
Shortly after his second takeoff dangerous wind currents just south of Storm King Mountain nearly tossed the aviator from his plane. “My heart was in my mouth. I thought it was all over,” Curtiss recalled.
Regaining control of the airplane, Curtiss found himself in the homestretch. The Manhattan skyline was just visible on the horizon.
Then disaster struck.
Curtiss’ aircraft was leaking oil. He needed to put down before his engine froze up. But where?
Scanning the ground below, Curtiss looked for a large patch of green in northern Manhattan he had scouted out while planning his flight. Veering east from the Hudson, Curtiss put down in Inwood, on a stretch of land owned by the family of the late financier and leather merchant William B. Isham.
At 10:42 am, Isham’s daughter Flora and her husband, Minturn Post Collins, were reading about the flight in the Sunday paper when they heard a motor running behind the house.Heading out back to investigate, Collins immediately realized he was standing face to face with the aviator he had read so much about in the morning news.
“I am certainly delighted to be the first to congratulate you on arriving in city limits, and am glad you picked our backyard as a place to land,” Collins told Curtiss.
All business, Curtiss responded, “Thank you, but what’s worrying me now is oil and gasoline. Have you any that you can spare?”
Strawberries
I went to pick one, just to try it, anticipating the sweet taste of my very first home grown strawberry.
I stopped myself though. There were only about 10 berries that looked almost ripe.
"Tomorrow," I thought, "tomorrow they will be perfect. Tomorrow, I will have them on my yogurt for breakfast. I will eat every single one myself."
This morning I was talking to my mother on the phone as I walked out to the garden to pick my breakfast.
She got an earful.
#$*$^@%$ #%^$!* $*#%^%&@%&% &*)(#%!$!$.
There was NOT ONE D@MN STRAWBERRY OUT THERE. Some animal had the same idea as myself, letting those berries ripen to perfection and then eating them. I bet that darn squirrel was watching me yesterday, and noticed that he better get a move on or else I was going to beat him at his game this year.
Seriously, do these varmints not know that I once spent a day cooking in a kitchen with 2 squirrel bodies in a large bowl next to me? I have photographic proof of that even. Do I have to make laminated copies to post around the garden?
I'm so done with Strawberries. I almost ripped them out today but figured maybe someone else would want them. Any takers?
They are all yours.
What I'm Reading-A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812
However, my latest obsession is a Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 by Laurel Thacher Ulrich.
My Pioneer Deanna is doing a program at the museum this year on Midwifery in the 19th Century. While giving a talk about her program she mentioned the diary. Being that I'm in the midst of my own diary project, this really sparked my interest.
Ulrich uses the diary as a backdrop to talk about life in the 19th century. Her research, along with the actual diary entries make for fascinating reading . And she is so well researched. She worked on this project for 8 years!
Martha kept a diary for 25 years at a time when most women could not read or write. The glimpse that she gives into everyday life is fascinating and rare. The way that Ulrich makes sense of it all and how she weaves the story of a a life in the context of her vocation, women's familial roles and society at large is awe inspiring. If you are at all interested in 19th century life, midwifery, diaries, or just a good read, you must check this out.
I need to buy this book (that is saying a lot!) For one thing I just had to renew it again. I can generally read any book in 3 weeks time. This one I'm savoring. In addition to that, it's not an easy read. I don't mind working a little. It is so rare a book that makes me want to just slow down and really read everything.
On a website about the diary, book and, I just discovered, a film! (which I've ordered from the library) I found an interview with Ulrich. Her words about writing about an ordinary person touched me.
When you decide to write about the life of an ordinary person, you start out with the premise that this person is not important because of some thing they did or who they were, but because understanding ordinary life has a value of its own.
I love this because it's true about Adam and Bess. It's true about my own blog (to me anyway) and others that I read, and even this whole Facebook thing that we all seem to be participating in these days.
We're all just telling our story.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
May 26-28, 1910
May 26, 1910
Bess and I went to a reception for our new pastor at our church. There were a lot of people there. The comet was ---- with a new tail but we did not see it.
W. Fine. Colder
R. 11
May 27, 1910
Did some spading in the garden.
W. Rain
R. 10
Me too Adam, me too!! (of course, I did mine today, June 1st)
May 28, 1910
Finished spading up the north side of the lot. & Dave & I played handball at the gym. Home at 10 and saw the comet.
W. Fine
R. 11
I like that he is so excited about the comet. In my lifetime the comet has made it's way back around (in 1986) and I can tell you I wasn't nearly this excited about it. I was 15 at the time. I don't even remember it registering as a monumental event (that says way more about my 15 year old self than it does about Adam of course.)
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, some people were really in an uproar over the comet in 1910. Some bought into the hysteria created by the discovery of poison gas in the comet. My friend Toni recently gave me a written account from her own family. Her ancestors lived in Italy. At the time of the 1910 comet her family had a particular cheese they were saving for a special occasion. Their young daughter, (her great grandma I think.) figuring she was going to die anyway, ate the cheese! I bet she got in trouble later!!!
The funny thing is that people have been recording sightings of Halley's comet since 240 BC, all without incident.
This is neat:
Halley's calculations enabled the comet's earlier appearances to be found in the historical record. The comet may have been recorded in China as early as 467 BC, but this is uncertain.[46] The first certain observation dates from 240 BC, and subsequent appearances were recorded by Chinese, Babylonian, Persian, and other Mesopotamian texts.
Of course at the time people didn't know that what they were observing was "Halley's Comet" of cours e:
Halley's returns to the inner Solar System have been observed by astronomers since at least 240 BC, and recorded by Chinese, Babylonian, and medieval European chroniclers, but were not recognized as reappearances of the same object. The comet's periodicity was first determined in 1705 by English astronomer Edmond Halley, after whom it is now named. Halley's Comet last appeared in the inner Solar System in 1986 and will next appear in mid-2061.
Bess and I went to a reception for our new pastor at our church. There were a lot of people there. The comet was ---- with a new tail but we did not see it.
W. Fine. Colder
R. 11
May 27, 1910
Did some spading in the garden.
W. Rain
R. 10
Me too Adam, me too!! (of course, I did mine today, June 1st)
May 28, 1910
Finished spading up the north side of the lot. & Dave & I played handball at the gym. Home at 10 and saw the comet.
W. Fine
R. 11
I like that he is so excited about the comet. In my lifetime the comet has made it's way back around (in 1986) and I can tell you I wasn't nearly this excited about it. I was 15 at the time. I don't even remember it registering as a monumental event (that says way more about my 15 year old self than it does about Adam of course.)
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, some people were really in an uproar over the comet in 1910. Some bought into the hysteria created by the discovery of poison gas in the comet. My friend Toni recently gave me a written account from her own family. Her ancestors lived in Italy. At the time of the 1910 comet her family had a particular cheese they were saving for a special occasion. Their young daughter, (her great grandma I think.) figuring she was going to die anyway, ate the cheese! I bet she got in trouble later!!!
The funny thing is that people have been recording sightings of Halley's comet since 240 BC, all without incident.
This is neat:
Halley's calculations enabled the comet's earlier appearances to be found in the historical record. The comet may have been recorded in China as early as 467 BC, but this is uncertain.[46] The first certain observation dates from 240 BC, and subsequent appearances were recorded by Chinese, Babylonian, Persian, and other Mesopotamian texts.
Of course at the time people didn't know that what they were observing was "Halley's Comet" of cours e:
Halley's returns to the inner Solar System have been observed by astronomers since at least 240 BC, and recorded by Chinese, Babylonian, and medieval European chroniclers, but were not recognized as reappearances of the same object. The comet's periodicity was first determined in 1705 by English astronomer Edmond Halley, after whom it is now named. Halley's Comet last appeared in the inner Solar System in 1986 and will next appear in mid-2061.
Eating Locally Starts in The Back Yard
Two weeks ago, my friend Deanna had a dinner party with the theme "New York State Of Mind." Her main course was strip steaks and she instructed us to bring something either reminiscent of a New York steak house or something produced in NY State. We, of course, drank NY State wines too!
I was side dish which was fun to experiment with. First off I made creamed spinach which was out of this world good, I've made it twice since. I did use my own green onions for it but it was pretty much just a steak house recipe.
I also made Tyler Florence's Horseradish and Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes These potatoes were crazy good which could have a lot to do with the stick of butter and container of sour cream. In them, I used MY VERY OWN FRESH HORSERADISH!! Yes! Remember back when I planted it?
I could have probably dug it last year but I waited just to be sure that I now have an established patch. I do now! All that green is not Horseradish. Just the flowering stuff in the front. In the back is garlic.
There were some dandelions growing by the horseradish that I told my husband to leave right where they were when he was popping the rest out of the lawn a few weeks ago.
He answered with a resigned shrug, "We're eating these aren't we?"
Yup! (Note, in the Shaker Garden at the Museum, they actually PLANT dandelions in a row in the garden.)
So, I also made (this was the best part!) a tasting portion of sauteed carrots with dandelion leaves, violet leaves and sorrel. It was good. Everyone ate their entire portion. The recipe I used called for Argan Oil, which I did not have. I did have truffle oil which I used instead (Yes, not really a local ingredient, I know.)
I was side dish which was fun to experiment with. First off I made creamed spinach which was out of this world good, I've made it twice since. I did use my own green onions for it but it was pretty much just a steak house recipe.
 |
| Growing Horseradish |
 |
| Dug Up |
I could have probably dug it last year but I waited just to be sure that I now have an established patch. I do now! All that green is not Horseradish. Just the flowering stuff in the front. In the back is garlic.
There were some dandelions growing by the horseradish that I told my husband to leave right where they were when he was popping the rest out of the lawn a few weeks ago.
He answered with a resigned shrug, "We're eating these aren't we?"
Yup! (Note, in the Shaker Garden at the Museum, they actually PLANT dandelions in a row in the garden.)
 |
| Mixed Greens/Weeds From The Yard |
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
May 22-25, 1910
May 22, 1910
Besses Birthday. She got many gifts. I went to S.S. and the Witham family came up. & Art & Pearce to supper and we all saw the comet in the west with out its tail.
W. ---- some rain & ---
R. 11
Happy Birthday Bess. I would have really liked to have posted this on the actual day. Darn. I should read ahead more.
May 23, 1910
After supper I spaded till dark. Saw the comet in the west but it was very dim. Clara and some school teachers came over front yard after we were in bed.
W. warm. windy
R. 11
This makes me wonder a little. Is he writing this in bed? The next morning? Are the teachers out there on his porch RIGHT NOW? I'm assuming they were looking for the comet perhaps.
I often wonder when he refers to something that happened after he is in bed, like the night Bess was locked out or the time she got mad over the shoes and stayed at his parent's house. When does he do his writing? I imagine him in bed, recoding the R time and then turning off the light and going to sleep. I wonder if it happened like that.
May 24, 1910
Arose at 5:20 and spaded before breakfast. Went up home to supper and it rained in the afternoon and hard all night. Grass in the back yard up.
W. Rain
R. 11
The fact that he is planting grass is another clue that he is living in a new house.
May 25, 1910
Barnum and Bailey Circus. Amy fired for not shaping up. Dave, Ray & I & De---- played hand ball at 7pm till 8:45. Bess up home.
W. Rained all day.
R. 11
Note to Adam-Get to work on time!
Besses Birthday. She got many gifts. I went to S.S. and the Witham family came up. & Art & Pearce to supper and we all saw the comet in the west with out its tail.
W. ---- some rain & ---
R. 11
Happy Birthday Bess. I would have really liked to have posted this on the actual day. Darn. I should read ahead more.
May 23, 1910
After supper I spaded till dark. Saw the comet in the west but it was very dim. Clara and some school teachers came over front yard after we were in bed.
W. warm. windy
R. 11
This makes me wonder a little. Is he writing this in bed? The next morning? Are the teachers out there on his porch RIGHT NOW? I'm assuming they were looking for the comet perhaps.
I often wonder when he refers to something that happened after he is in bed, like the night Bess was locked out or the time she got mad over the shoes and stayed at his parent's house. When does he do his writing? I imagine him in bed, recoding the R time and then turning off the light and going to sleep. I wonder if it happened like that.
May 24, 1910
Arose at 5:20 and spaded before breakfast. Went up home to supper and it rained in the afternoon and hard all night. Grass in the back yard up.
W. Rain
R. 11
The fact that he is planting grass is another clue that he is living in a new house.
May 25, 1910Barnum and Bailey Circus. Amy fired for not shaping up. Dave, Ray & I & De---- played hand ball at 7pm till 8:45. Bess up home.
W. Rained all day.
R. 11
Note to Adam-Get to work on time!
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