The Thesis of Henrietta (yes, that Henrietta)

Sister Kathleen found Grandma Ryall's master's thesis, on Google Books.  Is that cool or what?

If you want to read it, click here.


Do you suppose this could be a photograph of Grandpa?  Seems doubtful to me (wasn't he in France at this time?) but that nose looks sharp enough.

Note (added later): We have found no evidence that Grandma actually got a master's. This paper may have been a thesis paper, but we don't believe anymore that it was her master's thesis.

Blog Roll Call

It has been suggested that the extended Ryall family has a number of blogs in its lists.  If you'd like me to post your blog here, please write me and let me know the URL.  I'd love to see the photo sites mentioned by cousins, so there's some self-interest in this request.

You may not have my email address, and I am reluctant to post it out here in the world.  Here instead is a "junk" account I own, which I do check but which -- if it gets spammed -- is easily jettisoned.  Try writing me at: bettschwere(at)yahoo.com.  

Photograph Call

(The three sisters.  I didn't get one of the four Ryall siblings.)

Some of us are back at home already; others are still traveling.  I will be updating the blog (I've got a bunch of topics to cover) but I'm aiming for one post a day for a while (if that much).

In the meantime, I need photos!  We had many cameras snapping, but I used mine mostly for those interviews (which will be forthcoming, I promise!).  Would you look through your photos and send me the best five.  Send photos of events (fireworks?) and people (candids or posed) and places (4020-7th? the gravesite? Other special places) or just plain good photos (I happen to know at least one great one of the moon on July 3rd). (And Lillie and I will have to figure out how to get me copies of the portraits she took.)

If you only have 4 to share, or have 7 - that's fine, too.

Also, I'm open to suggestions as to how to transmit the photos.  An email will only accept about 3MBs of attachments -- so you could send one email for each photo.  If you have a flickr account, I can download from there.

I can also set up a Dropbox (basically, a place in the etherweb where you secret your photos, and I come in later and pick them up, like a knothole in an ivy tree where lovers in cheap romances leave their billet doux). (Not that you might get any idea that I read cheap romances.)  But it would be easier (and less spam) to set up a Dropbox one-on-one (that is, not just a link from this blog, but through email with me) -- so let me know if you want that option.

See You All at the Hotel

Our carload is just about to leave the Twin Cities, en route to Kenosha, of course, stopping at -- among other places -- the Mars Cheese Castle along the way. I've always wanted to stop there, and now I have an excuse!

See you at Bombay Louie's tonight.

See you at the hotel, perhaps before then, but definitely after, for fireworks.

Sitting

(photos courtesy of Amazon.com, search for "lawn chair")

This thought comes a bit late in the day because many of us are already on the road, but having a few lawn chairs to sit on at the picnic would be nice.  There will be a table and benches, but when people stop eating, it's nice to have a movable, more comfortable, chair -- with a back-- to take where you might want to sit. For instance, to watch the soccer game I'm sure will happen.

That is, if someone brings a soccer ball.

I'll see if we have any to bring from the Cities. If you're still at home, and have room for a couple of chairs, could you bring them?  We wouldn't need many. There are lots of us who are still of an age to sit on the ground when they need to.

In the interests of nostalgic posterity...

I am planning to take a portrait photograph of everyone at the reunion, and ask each person the same two questions (probably at the picnic).  I don't know what the questions will be yet.  If you think of something (and this goes for those blog-followers who won't be at the reunion, too) please let me know.  I'd like the questions to be fun, but also illuminate who the person is, now, in July 2010.

Road Construction Warning

There is road construction on Wisconsin 142, northwest of Kenosha (apparently where it meets I-94 coming down from Milwaukee).  Your guess is as good as mine whether this will affect anyone driving in from the north or west - the webpage description of the work doesn't illuminate a lot for me.

Wisconsin Department of Transportation Road Construction

More Dope from Patty

The Picnic Plans have been finalized, but there is too much to blog. Patty asks that all relevant parties (I suppose that means you) check their email.

Thanks for the feedback

I was wondering if anyone was following the blog, so it was an immense pleasure to receive the various emails in response to my post about arrival times. Thank you for all the information!

I've added a couple of information-intense posts below, and updated the Role Call down on the right to what I believe are the current attendees and their arrival times.  Of course, let me know if I've goofed.

I've added what's called a "weather widget" -- showing current weather in Kenosha -- on the right.  Sometimes it seems to work and sometimes it seems to be a black hole sucking the loading time so you can't scroll or see everything on the blog.  Let me know if it's more trouble than it's worth.

Note about Saturday night!

We are planned to eat dinner at Bombay Louie's of course, but the evening will be topped off with fireworks over the harbor.  There should be plenty of time for both -- the fireworks don't begin until 9:30 p.m., and since they are shot from HarborPark, it's an easy walk from the hotel.

For those who won't want the full 8-ish block walk, the streetcar will be running (for free) the whole evening (through until the park is cleared out after the fireworks).  That would be kind of fun in any case.

And for those who don't want to walk the 2-3 blocks to the streetcar, it looks like eastward windows at the hotel will look out over the fireworks as well.

Notes about the Picnic at PETS

There is no electricity at Shelter #5 at PETS, so we won't be able to plug in a crockpot or such.

Here is a map (I believe if you click on it, it will automatically download to your computer so you can print it out). If it doesn't work, click here.

We are at Shelter #5 (near the upper left corner of the map).

A concessions stand is not shown on the map, but apparently is located between parking lots 3 and 4 (lower left). One is shown on the map at the Golf Clubhouse (top right).

Bring mosquito repellent and sun screen!

Can anyone who is driving bring a soccer ball?  We could stage our own Wisconsin Cup.

Arrival times?

As soon as the "Swimming" poll expires (about an hour from when I'm writing this) I will post a new poll on the right hand side of the blog, asking for a rough estimate of when people are arriving. Please answer!

I can share what I know already:

A contingent of about 4 Briggses will arrive by car July 3rd. Another 2 on July 4th.
A Krueger contingent is driving in, but I don't know when.
A Gallagher contingent is flying to Milwaukee, but I don't know when, or if they need a pick-up.
A Flood contingent is driving up from Houston, but I don't know when they'll arrive.
A Ryall contingent is flying in from Houston...

... Actually, it's safe to say I really don't know much at all. :)

Here's the Dope (from Patty)

Saturday, July 3.  6:30 p.m.
Dinner at Bombay Louie's.  (Ordered off the menu; separate checks by family.)

Sunday, July 4. 11:00 a.m.
Picnic Shelter #5 at PETS. (For the uninitiated, that's Petrifying Springs Park)
This is a large shelter, but by reserving it, we know it's ours.  No beer allowed.
Directions to Shelter to follow.
Food yet to be determined. Check back here for more info.

There are lots of beautiful trails at PETS. Bring your walking boots!

Some links about PETS:  Where To Go Wisconsin    Trailville Wiki

How this will work -- ?

Several people have written in complimenting me on the beauty of the blog. Thank you!

You might notice, it's changed. I'm just fiddling. I thought the columns were too narrow in the last version. Much of the credit goes to a standard template provided by blogger (i.e., google) who hosts this site, making it very easy to find and fiddle with the look.

I did actually my very own self take the photo of the lakeshore, when I was last in Kenosha in 2005, and that I can be proud of.

I've also gotten questions about how the blog will work. Imagine me shrugging -- I don't know, either.  Let's just make it work together.

For one thing, I'll update the sidebars with information I've gotten recently (where we'll be staying, a better idea who is coming, etc.) (Today is coincidentally the first truly busy day I've had in weeks, so I may not get to those changes until tomorrow.)

If you think of something in particular you'd like to add, let me know in the comments.  I've tried to make the comments as open as possible so it's not hard to leave them -- but if you still have troubles (and don't feel bad if you do -- what seems obvious and clear to google is often arcane and Greek to most other people) -- just email me.

Who doesn't love a parade?

For anyone in Kenosha on July 3rd, there will be music in the park at the Harborpark, and fireworks following, at 9:30 p.m. The electric street car will be free that night, so people won't have to walk to the end of the pier (or back).

On July 4th, there will be a Veterans parade from 22nd and 60th all the way to the Southport Marina, closing many streets from 1:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

 Route here (larger image).

Genealogy note

I don't have many digital photos of Kenosha, so I'll demonstrate photo capabilities with two of my grandparents.

Anyone know who is standing with Henrietta Ryall in the sailor dress?  When these photos were taken?

Hi There!

I'm Amy Briggs. I'll be coming from Portland, Oregon to meet Billie, and to see any other Ryall (whether or not that's your name) who shows up. I've been wanting some kind of reunion for a few years -- something other than getting together for a funeral, which is the sad way one usually meets extended family. So I'm thrilled that this shindig is coming together.

Given the relaxed nature of the gathering, a few of us thought it might be a good thing to set up a central communications post.  When one has a hammer, all problems look like nails: my hammer is blogging, so I've set this blog up as an easy, centrally-located (so to speak), way to let everybody know what may or may not be happening over the July 4th weekend in Kenosha.

I'm not entirely sure how it will work, but trust that it will. At the most low-tech, just tell me what you would like to have posted, and I'll see to it.  I've thrown some stuff up on the blog off the top of my head to show capabilities.

If you'd like to add a post yourself, we can have as many as 10 people write directly to the blog. Let me know and I'll make you an author.

Photos. It would be nice, perhaps, later, to share the best photos -- people always take home photos of other people, and not themselves.  Also, there will be some better and worse cameras, and I always appreciate seeing snaps from better cameras than mine.  We can obviously post photos direct to the blog, or link to people's smugmug or flickr or other pages elsewhere on the internet.

Communications are now open. Roger and out.