When Pigs Fly?

The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to catch up. –Anonymous

Well, it's a busy week for me and I had this picture on my computer of some Johnson relatives from long ago, standing in a wagon in the feed lot with pigs surrounding them. I think I see my Grandpa Joe with the tie on and his sister Emma Long over on the far right and I wonder what made them think to have their picture taken this way? Your guess is as good as mine.
You've all heard the saying "It'll happen when pigs fly!" I have good intentions but this week is full of UNI art students observing in my classroom, sick kids out of class, a few kids with attitude, helping kids plan for homecoming, student reviews, trying to make care packages for art teachers whose art rooms were caught in the IA tornados and/or floods from this summer, working with tech support at school, the constant grading that needs to be done and top my work world with housework and preparing for a garage sale this weekend (possibility of rain!) I don't know where to turn first, so am ignoring the list for a bit to write here. Well with all the things on my "to-do list" I'm thinking it'll all get done when pigs fly!
Maybe I'm trying to spread too many seeds this week. :-)

On-Line Art Gallery

This fall I've started another blog. It's an on-line art gallery of my student's work. I require my high school students to post at least one work this first 9 weeks of school and open the option for my middle school students to take photos of their work and I post for them. (It's tough for them to get access to my computer with our limited time in class.)
The kids are enjoying seeing their work on line and like most kids love using technology. Take a look at the Denver 6-12 Art Gallery and see a little of what's happening in my classes.

Stand Up 2 Cancer

I just watched the Stand Up 2 Cancer special. It was moving and emotional, made me think of my brother Steve. He was diagnosed with gastric cancer August 8, 2005, after a courageous battle he lost his fight December 19, 2007.
Since Steve was diagnosed, my eyes opened to how many other people have been affected by cancer, just on my little street the four houses around me have someone with a mother who is a breast cancer survivor, a son in law who died of lung cancer, a daughter fighting colon cancer, a survivor of bladder cancer and me with Steve who died of stomach cancer. This touched my little neighborhood since 2005 when Steve was diagnosed.
Click on the colored Stand Up 2 Cancer above to go to their link, donate if you can. Hopefully some research funded by this event will help turn the corner on this fight for everyone.
Right: Steve diving in Hawaii in 2005, at Yosemite and white water rafting in 2006. Below: A video talk on the computer in 2007.

Piedras Blancas Rookery

Northern Elephant Seals (Mirounga angustirostris)
Protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, they are expanding their range outward from remote islands and are now colonizing selected mainland beaches such as The Piedras Blancas rookery on Highway 1, seven miles north of San Simeon on the California Central Coast.






Home to about 15,000 animals, the area is open for viewing every day of the year.






Hunted nearly to extinction for their oil-rich blubber, elephant seals have made a remarkable comeback.
Elephant seals come ashore and form colonies for only a few months of each year to give birth, breed and molt. The rest of the year the colonies disperse and individuals spend most of their time in pursuit of food, a quest which involves swimming thousands of miles and diving to great depths.













Elephant seals move by pulling with their foreflippers and heaving their bodies forward. Flipping sand onto it’s back is a common habitual behavior which helps to keep the animal cool and protected from direct sunlight. There is a tremendous difference in size and appearance between males and females.


I took these photos on a cool afternoon in June of 2006.
We enjoyed watching the seals interact and move across the sand and were amazed at the speed they could move.







There were a few young males sparring with each other in the waves of the beach while we were there but my camera’s telephoto lens wouldn’t capture them at that distance. There was a constant moan, bark or “chatter” from some of them, one can only wonder what they were talking about.

A Visit to Hearst Castle

Memory feeds imagination. -Amy Tan


Back in 2006, I visited my brother Steve in California. We enjoyed taking photos together whether it was at the National Parks, Montery Bay Aquarium, along the Pacific Ocean, or at the Hearst Castle.
A designated State Park and State Historical Monument, Hearst Castle is located near San Simeon, CA, about 165 miles from Fresno, where Steve lived.

Left: A view of the Pacific Ocean from the Terrace off Casa del Mar.






Right: The Three Graces.

Although there are many tours to choose from going to various locations on the huge estate, we chose the tour that included Casa del Mar where Hearst himself spent his final years of residence on the hilltop overlooking the ocean, the swimming pools, wine cellar, hidden terrace and an overview of the gardens and grounds. The views were breathtaking and the flowers, balconies, sculptures and décor awe-inspiring.




Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Whether it was cracked plaster with gold leaf over wood or smooth marble sculptures, we were met with engaging scenes in our viewfinders at every turn. I hope you enjoy some of the photos of sculptures that I took while there.

Pedigree Charts

Humor me as I experiment with trying to show pedigree charts from my genealogy program on the blog. I'm wondering if they will show up big enough to read. This will maybe help some of the relatives follow my lines of family history that I post stories about. If any relative wants a pedigree chart for your family, I can make one easily for you. Click on the chart to see an enlarged version.Dad's Family Lines

Mom's Birth Family Lines

Mom's Adoptive Family Lines

More Early Swanson Farm

I found a couple more early photos of Charley and Anna Swanson's house. The kitchen/pantry were on the right side of this photo and the parlor was on the left with the smaller step entrance. I wonder why the steps were different widths on each side?
The top photo shows three children, so from their appeared ages I would guess this was taken in 1901/02. The youngest child would be my Grandmother Phoebe Carolina born, Jan. 19, 1900.The bottom photo was taken in the winter of 1903/04 because Grandma Anna is holding baby Elmer, born May 10, 1903. On the far right is Aunt Tilda Swanson, I believe holding Lawrence, who was born Nov. 24, 1903. Uncle August is standing behind Aunt Tilda. I wish I could identify everyone in the photos, here's an attempt. Front row: ? Mable, Emil, Charley, Phoebe, Anna, Elmer Swanson, ?, ?, ?, Tilda Swanson, Lawrence. Row two: ?, ?, ?, ?, Adolph Swanson, August Swanson. I don't know anyone for sure behind the front two rows, I imagine lots of Swedes! Great-great Grandmas Greta and Carolina Swanson are probably two of the older women in the front row. Remember you can click on the photo to see an enlarged version.