Mist Trail Redux, Sadly

I didn’t expect to be writing about the Mist Trail again so soon. But recent news has caught the eye. Before, I was writing about water and the mistakes tourists make. Really, mistakes can cost you more than a little dehydration. People regularly die in the wilderness and in Yosemite, as with other great parks, and even on our day hiking back from the wilderness to the Valley, we saw to medevac helicoptors airlifting the injured.

As an interesting by-point, if you are treatable at the park’s medical clinic, your helicopter ride is wonderfully free, part of the benefits of paying national park fees, but if you need outside treatment, it’s another story. We got that from a ranger talking about the man who had the misfortune of having a heart attack on one of the domes. Fortunately for him, they got him on a helicopter in time.

Unfortunately, this last week two boys, aged 10 and 6, were swept into the Merced River and drowned. Visitors pulled out the older child and started resuscitation attempts before the rangers arrived, but it was ultimately unsuccessful. The little one went under and has not yet been found.

As sad as it is, the majority of deaths in Yosemite are from accidents, and historically, from drowning. Many start from places that look placid, but the current is deceptive in the rivers. We’ve seen people swimming in the famous Emerald Pool – as tranquil looking as it’s name – at the top of Vernal Fall. It’s at the top of a waterfall that plungers hundreds of feet. Logic would say “Danger! Danger, Will Robinson!” but no, there will always be someone who thinks it’s fine, or thinks they are strong enough. The current down at the bottom is visible as it tumbles over the rocks, but that’s were the family who lost the children went.

From the NPS report (emphasis mine):

A family group, from southern California, were in the Merced River near the Vernal Fall Footbridge yesterday afternoon around 3:00 p.m. They had begun their hike at the Happy Isles Trailhead and hiked approximately one mile, where they stopped at the footbridge. The group was in the river and the two boys were swept away by the current.

The L.A. Times says they were “cooling off with their mother.” The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the boys were wading in about 7 inches of water when they “apparently waded too far and got caught in the rapids.” (SFGate) Their mother and elder brother jumped in to try to save them but suffered injuries themselves.

I can’t know what the family was doing, if they thought that was the place to swim or were being good parents and monitoring their children. There’s no information and I would respect their loss and privacy to much to question what led to the horrible situation. Want I want the readers to know is that this happens all the time. Yosemite is one of my favorite places, and this happens all the time. 

Let’s say it again. This happens all the time.

Michael P. Ghiglieri has written books about death in the Grand Canyon and in Yosemite. He said, “There are incredible benefits to our life of modern luxury. But we pay for it by domesticating ourselves. When we set out in a park like Yosemite, we enter a world for which we are not very well trained.” (NY Times) His books are interesting because they document, through our demise, the conflict between our personal expectations, confidence, and societal values and a world many of us are no longer familiar with, conflict that led a Japanese teen to bound over rocks to impress his classmates in 1978, and to let go of the rescuers’ rope, likely to save face, after he fell into the torrent. (same article – good read if you haven’t run across his books)

Karen Klein of the L.A. Times pointed out that much is a matter of personal judgement, making the choice to cross a wet footbridge, wade into water, take risky rock climbs, or bound over wet rocks like the Japanese teen. She asks for more literature in varying languages to be handed out upon entry with emphasis to read to warn about the dangers near waterfalls. She has a point: the entry gates where tourists pay their entry fee is the one guaranteed point where you have their attention (unless they drive in by night, whereupon you pay to exit). I waxed on about distance and danger signs, which are plentiful, but she’s got a good point here:

Each time Yosemite or another wilderness area is the site of an avoidable death, the question inevitably arises of whether the park is doing enough to keep visitors safe. Does it need more railings, more signs? The Times editorial board has repeatedly said no. Yosemite has a lot of signs; in fact, part of the problem could be that there are so many signs, tourists don’t bother looking at them. Wilderness is wilderness for a reason; people need some respite from man-made boundaries.

Just like my complaints and whinging on about carrying potable water, again tourists aren’t reading the signs, but the stakes are a little higher in this gamble. Perhaps a warning card in multiple tongues would help here, or at least catch a few people. The sad cynic in me though wonders, if they don’t read the signs, how many also don’t read the brochure and map that gives warning? How many still don’t read the newsletter that the ranger hands them? Would an extra piece of paper help when they don’t prepare for their hike enough to look it up in what’s handed them or read the sign at the trailhead? 

Maybe I was lucky and it was my time in the Girl Scouts from even Kindergarten that gave me a sense of the danger but brilliance of the outdoors. Maybe it was some common sense inherited or practiced by my parents. I think, more now, that these deaths are more of a reason why we should expose children and have outdoor education and scouting and whatnot, not keep them away. If there’s a respect for nature, not just an appreciation or a love, but a good respect, might it not follow that those kids will be less likely to risk things beyond their abilities when they grow up, or put their own children in those positions? Might they be more familiar with the natural world and have enough knowledge to fuel their own judgement. Yet, Ghiglieri also has stories of pros who went against what should be their better judgement and died from their mistakes.

This happens all the time.

Mist Trail and Tourists

I realized that In my waterfall post, I didn’t really have the space to explain/show the Mist Trail properly. This is a wonderful, yet moderately strenuous trail (if you do the whole thing). It is also a source of frustration for me as a hiker because it is so popular that you see All The Mistakes Tourists Make.

Mostly this means not being prepared. I’m not talking a Boy Scout level of preparedness, I mean simple things like shoes, or water.

Water is chief in the mistakes, but it is sometimes baffling. Did you not have a bottle? Did you not have the ability to buy a bottle? Why is only one of you in a group of five people carrying a half liter nalgene for a hike that lasts all day? Did you not read the mileage sign? Or a map to know that the Yosemite Falls Trail gains 2,700 thousand feet (823 m)?

Seeing day hiking tourists carrying nothing in the way of water, sometimes in the dead heat of August, is incredibly common. I’ve seen this on trails that *should* be obviously strenuous if you can read the mileage/kilometers and hours roundtrip next to their name on the guide maps and the lack of amenities symbols like restrooms and water at the end points of these trails. There are even those who are clearly wearing good gear and clothing who still take no water, like a French family we saw just a week ago climbing their way towards the top of Nevada Fall. So many, many tourists (rather than day hikers, I don’t think they should be termed that) get to a point on the trail where there is an incredible view and they realize the sheer magnitude, that this is a day hike, that there are no convenient American water fountains on the trail, that they are only half way through. They look around in despair, mutter a few words, admire the view, and turn around.

Please, if you are going on a hike, take water with you. Your body needs it, and it won’t be springing out. Despite the amazing quality of water from springs and the cleanliness of water in the backcountry, many waterfalls are along horse/mule trails as well, so don’t rely on them as a clean water source. Just don’t. Giardia is not fun.

So if you happen to take the Famous Mist Trail, understand a few things from the pictures: going to the top of Nevada Fall, and back, is about 5-6 hours over 5.4 mi/8.6 km with an elevation gain of 2,000 ft (and loss to come back down!). The path is short because the granite steps are tall, and in spring they are slick with water. The rocks below are sharp and the current unforgiving. But the payout is wonderful. But please, for a trail comprised of this (see below) bring water and snacks to keep you going. Be smart.

This is an easy portion of the Mist Trail that has provided railing. The name is deserved!2

There is enough water in the air here for rainbows, the volume of water is intense.

Yosemite Valley Waterfalls

I’ve posted a few photographs of various waterfalls in Yosemite before, Yosemite is a favorite locale here,  but even for those familiar with the park, y’all might not be familiar with the ephemeral seasonal falls that  fall into the Valley famous for it’s falls. I realized that I have photos of all but four that I know of, and a photo that I cannot place what falls it is. Clearly, an excuse to go back. What I will try to do here is provide a short reference for the various falls that go into Yosemite Valley that might orient a first time visitor, one who hasn’t been in springtime when the ephemeral falls are, well, falling, or one who noticed that “There are waterfalls, like, everywhere!” but might not know what ones those are. I was definitely in that camp for quite some time.

I’ll go in roughly the order you might see them in on a visit, all the way down the list and make a brief mention of the ones not included here. There are also some websites out there that do a fantastic job for waterfall hunters in finding and locating all the ones in Yosemite, but I wanted to put together the “quick guide” rather than pages and pages of falls. Many of these are only available to see when the snow pack is properly melting, so gear up, here comes Spring!

1. Cascade Falls (not shown)

If you are coming into the park on Hwy 120, or Big Oak Flat Road, before getting down into the Valley, straight ahead, is a set of Cascades. As you approach, there is a pull out for Tamarack Creek and a bridge over Tamarack and Cascade Creeks. It’s a very pretty fall, and if you are coming in on 140 instead of 120, there is a small parking lot so you can see the fall proper. I haven’t gone that way in a while, so, no photo.

2. Bridalveil Fall

Bridalveil from Tunnel View, Sunset

Bridalveil was the first fall John Muir saw when he entered the Valley, and it is easily seen on entry into the park, from Tunnel View on 140, the road in panorama from 120, and 41 (the third and southernmost highway into the Valley) goes directly past the parking lot to walk to the base of the fall.

John Muir thought it no bigger than 50 ft, and from far away it does look quite petite, but in reality it is over 650 ft in plunge. In spring it is a wild misting poncho inspiring site at the base, in summer it is refreshing to cool off in, but in fall, there is only a trickle, and you can scramble over the rocks to get to the pools left behind. Unlike many, this one usually runs year-round.

Early Summer conditions near the base!

3. Silver Strand

Silver Strand Fall. Look carefully.

While you’re at Tunnel View, Look up and to the right. There, on the side of the Valley Wall, while everyone is looking down the Valley at Bridalveil and Half Dome and whatnot, is a lovely little fall called Silver Strand.

4. Widow’s Tears

Sometimes, sometimes, you can see the fall nicknamed “Widow’s Tears” from Tunnel View if it has a lot of snowmelt, but it’s best seen from the Valley View pullout on the Valley floor on Northside Drive 120/140 W. No photo yet.

5. Fern Spring

Fern Spring with Fall leaves

Fern Spring is jokingly referred to as “the shortest waterfall in Yosemite,” though it’s not really a fall at all. It’s a spring tucked into Southside Drive after the highways join up on the way into the Valley. It is so very overlooked that I had to include it. The water is quite clear, clean (it’s a spring), and delicious.

6. Yosemite Falls

Upper Yosemite Falls can be seen clearly over the Merced River.

The next one you’ll see on the way to your camp or tent or cabin or room is the Big Obvious: Yosemite Falls, one of the tallest Falls in the world (like third or fourth or fifth depending on who is counting). There are too many views of this to count, but the first one you’ll see is on Southside Drive as you pass the Chapel and a meadow. Earlier views at Sentinel Beach or Swinging Bridge are choice, as well as later at Stoneman bridge and meadow and, of course, the walk to the base of the falls that frames the falls magnificently.

Though this view is in the fall and the water is low, you can see the path of Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls and the Cascade in between them.

You can get close to the base of Lower Yosemite Falls where there is a bridge. Enjoy the spray in the spring, but stay clear of the rocks.

7. Lehamite Falls

See that shadowy granite on the right? You’ll see Lehamite as a silver-white jagged line in its depths.

Once you’re done looking at Yosemite Falls, you want to look around it. There’s one, directly to the right, in a spot called Indian Canyon (for Indian Canyon Creek) that is oft shaded and overlooked next to it’s awesome neighbor. Still, the thin crash of water is quite pretty from several views in the park, now you know it’s there.

8-10. “El Capitan Falls,” Ribbon Fall, and Horsetail Fall

Looking back down valley, towards El Capitan, the monumental single hunk of granite on the north side of the Valley that makes good climber watching, there are actually three waterfalls, one on either side of the edifice and one coming down part of the sheer. They really need to be treated as a group so you can spot them easily.

The first, and most rare, is El Capitan Falls, an unofficial name for a series of falls over the cliffs that land near Camp 4, the only walk-in first come, first served campground in the Valley, popular with climbers. I do not have a picture for it.

The second is Horsetail fall, which is on the East side of El Cap.  Back In The Day, people used to todd firey embers off the cliff above Camp Curry that was called the Firefall. This was stupid, and stopped. Horsetail Fall is called the Natural Firefall. It has a special ability to turn into a firey glow during sunsets vaguely in late January to early March so long as the water from the snowpack is actually melting and running. Unfortunately, I don’t have a good photo of this one, but it’s very clear what one it is if you are looking at the right side of El Capitan.

The third is Ribbon Fall, which is on the Western or left hand side of El Capitan, thus you must see it from a point at the mouth of the Valley, like Valley View.

Ribbon Falls and El Capitan

11. Sentinel Fall

Sentinel Fall. Sentinel Dome is behind the pretty jagged rocks.

I put this one after the El Cap Trio because it is often missed. Looking at El Cap, this Fall, as well as Sentinel dome and some lovely rocks, is behind you on the south side of the Valley.

A closer view of Sentinel

12. Staircase Falls

Staircase Falls tumbles into the valley

Staircase runs behind Curry Village and always presents a dramatic sweeping set of falls into the Valley. There is a very good view from Stoneman Meadow or, alternately, the Ahwahnee meadow.

13. Royal Arch Cascade

Perspective for Royal Arches Cascade, on the left hand side.

Royal Arch Creek plunges downward at a very gradual angle along the granite face above the Ahwahnee Hotel. It is so gradual, that, with a quick climb up the trail on the north side of the Ahwahnee, you can get right up to a lovely cascade across the trail and look up to see the water spilling over the granite towering above you.

Royal Arches as seen from the Ahwahnee Meadow

At the base of Royal Arches

Looking UP Royal Arches

14 – 16. Illilouette, Vernal, and Nevada Falls

A look down from Glacier Point puts Vernal and Nevada in perspective

These two falls are a dynamic duo, always flowing as the waters of the mighty Merced River flow over them. A short walk uphill on the Mist Trail will take you to a viewpoint from which you can see Illilouette Fall. This fall is really best seen from the Panorama trail from Glacier Point to the top of Nevada Fall, a hike I hope to do sometime.

Illouette from the Mist Trail

The walk takes you to a bridge view of Vernal Falls, a restroom and running water, and then you have a choice to make:

1. Climb up granite steps to the top of Vernal on the Mist Trail, getting soaked if it is springtime,

or

2. Take the longer, switchbacked, John Muir Trail up to Clark Point and then down to the top of Vernal Fall

…and the same of both to the top of Nevada Fall.

The John Muir Trail provides the best view of Nevada Fall, in my opinion, but for going to the top of Vernal, the Mist Trail is worth the experience – you don’t get the view nor the soak from the JMT.

Vernal Falls from the Mist Trail

Nevada as seen from the JMT up from Clarks Point.

There you have it, some sixteen waterfalls that come into Yosemite Valley. With all these surrounding you, the Valley is an awe inducing and uncanny place. While you can certainly go to see everything and be a tourist, take a moment to reflect on the fact that you’re in a World Heritage Site that is very special. If you stand in the meadows in springtime, say at Swinging Bridge or Sentinel Beach, and look around, take a moment to be swept up in the grandeur and majesty and magic of your surroundings. John Muir and other early visitors called the Valley a temple or cathedral carved by God, a consecrated space. See her in all her glory with the waters flowing all around, and you get in touch with your spiritual side pretty easily under the overwhelming and sublime beauty of nature.

Olympics: Medals Per Capita

Okay so I’ve seen a lot about the medal count this year at the Olympics, partly because Americans are always down for a competition like that, and partly because the British did very very well. On the NBC coverage, they said that a host country can expect a quarter to a half more medals than they would average otherwise – a clear home field advantage.

One thing I haven’t seen is medals per capita. How do we actually fare when you take out the massive amounts of people that countries like the US, China, and Russia, typically in the top five, have to draw from? Could the British, with their high medal count, do better than the US if per capita?

Another question would be funding, too. Unlike many countries, the US provides no government sponsorship for the Olympic team or training athletes while in others have huge state run programs to develop athletes. Many of the feel good stories told about the olympians provide a contrast that is in part because of this. For example, facilities in Ethiopia and Kenya are notably poor when existant, but their Olympians are treated like royalty (unless you happen to be Tigist Aregawi), and athletics brings in much needed money. On the other hand, in the US, our facilities are top notch – even a high school rubber track does pretty well – but NBC reports the average Olympian makes only $15,000 USD a year, and most athletics do not provide a route out of poverty but rather one that, unless you can get a scholarship in your sport, leads into it.

Now I can’t really analyze the economics of it all, or look at how much countries spend to host and whether or not it actually helps the economy or drains them, or the rewards for an athlete in our own country, but I can indulge in some traditional recession nationalistic competition and see how we stack up per capita. That’s doable! (Population provided by, who else? Wikipedia.) I’ve been tossing this question around for a few days, so I might as well do it myself!

Starting with the US, we won 46 gold medals and 104 overall. That makes about one gold medal per 6.83 million people, or one medal per 3.02 million people. There is our measuring stick. So how did we do?

China, in second place with 38 gold and 88 overall has a much higher population, so they have one gold medal per 35.46 million people or one medal per 15.31 million people. Russia is fourth in the gold count with 24 gold and 82 in total, doing a good gold per 5.96 million people or a medal for every 1.75 million people, definitely more medaling per person than the US. Korea is in fifth in the gold count with 13 gold and 28 total, making a gold for every 3.85 million people or a medal for every 1.79 million. Depending on whether you are looking at gold or overall, Russia and Korea are in the same bracket.

For our darling host country (leaving out the Commonwealth here!) Great Britain came in third in the gold count with 29 gold, and 65 medals overall. The United Kingdom has an estimated population that is just less than 20% of the US, a bit less than the amount in our two most populous states, California and Texas, combined. The Brits earned one gold for every 2.15 million people, or a medal for every .958 million people. Out of the top five, Great Britain definitely wins the per capita count! That is mighty deserving of congratulations.

But what of everyone else? Do any of us top fivers make the cut? Almost:

Top Ten Gold Medals Per Capita

1. Grenada: 1 per 105,000  (1 gold, total population)

2. Bahamas: 1 per 353658 (1 gold, total population)

3. Jamaica: 1 per 676,456 (4 gold)

4. New Zealand: 1 per 739,103 (6 gold)

5. Hungary: 1 per 1.25 million (8 gold)

6. Trinidad and Tobago: 1 per 1.32 million (1 gold, total population)

7. Croatia: 1 per 1.43 million (3 gold)

8. Lithuania: 1 per 1.59 million (2 gold)

9. Slovenia: 1 per 2.06 million (1 gold, total population)

10. Latvia: 1 per 2.07 million (1 gold, total population)

The United Kingdom places at 10th with 1 per 2.15 million. Russia is 26th, Korea is 27th, and the US places at 28th in gold medals per capita.

In contrast, the ones at the bottom (but still have gold medals) are:

Bottom Ten Gold Medals Per Capita

45. Uzbekistan

46. Uganda

47. Canada

48. China

49. Algeria

50. Turkey

51. Argentina

52. Colombia

53. Brasil

54. Mexico

Don’t worry, Canada! You do well in Winter! In short, less populous countries that can field olympians can do well, and I suspect the way the country and population support the olympians plays a role in their success. China has a lot of success, yet is in the bottom ten in terms of population. On one hand, China is just that darn big, but you could probably make an argument for the ability to draw on the complete population that a little country like Grenada can do (there’s gotta be someone here who can do something!) that even a tightly controlled state like China cannot accomplish. Dead center is Russia, and you could look at countries like Russia and other “middleweights” like Ireland, France, Azerbaijan, Korea, the US, and Serbia, as some sort of balance between ability to draw olympians and ability to successfully train those Olympians to win. At least, that’s my initial impression.

Now for the All Around Competition:

Top Ten Medals (Any) Per Capita

1. Grenada: 1 per 105,000  (1 medal, total population)

2. Jamaica: 1 per 225,485 (12 medals)

3. New Zealand: 1 per 341,124 (13 medals)

4. Bahamas: 1 per 353,658 (1 medal, total population)

5. Slovenia: 1 per 514,495 (4 medals)

6. Mongolia: 1 per 568,000 (5 medals

5. Hungary: 1 per 586,000 (17 medals)

6. Montenegro: 1 per 620,029 (1 medal, total population)

7. Denmark: 1 per 620,528 (9 medals)

8. Lithuania: 1 per 637,540 (5 medals)

10. Georgia: 1 per 642,514 (7 medals)

Bottom Ten Medals (Any) Per Capita

77. Mexico

78. Thailand

79. Afghanistan

79. Saudi Arabia

80. Venezuela

81. Morocco

82. Algeria

83. Egypt

84. Indonesia

85. India

The UK is 22rd, Russia is 33rd, Korea is 36th, and the US is 50st. Dead center are Australia, France, and Canada.

Initially, I’d make the same argument about the golds, but it seems from the numbers that the sheer ability to medal, to finish in the top three of any event, is a major accomplishment in of itself and is, in a way, a different beast. These are the countries that can pull serious finishers out of their population rather than, say, find a unique individual to train to win. It’s the difference of having just Chen Ruolin of China, or just Michael Phelps instead of Michael Phelps AND Ryan Lochte of the US, or Usain Bolt AND Yohan Blake of Jamaica, in their respective events. Et cetera. Training a core rather than energy into an individual, perhaps? Luck of the draw? Again, small countries can draw a core to train, even if it is a small core with a small amount of medals to show for it. How that plays out in real life, I really don’t know, but that’s a first glance at the numbers.

Miniatures Painting

One thing that I don’t think I’ve gotten to share yet, at all, on this blog is miniatures painting. My fiancé and many many of our friends play Warhammer 40,000 and other table top war games. I enjoy Battle Fleet Gothic, but so few people play that version, and I enjoy painting the minis for my friends’ games, as well as minis used for run of the mill table top role playing games. Keep in mind that most of these are only one and a half inches tall, max. So if you are looking at the high-res images, you’ll be looking at them LARGER THAN LIFE.

These are a few recent minis I’ve gotten to ply my hand at:

1. Tim the Enchanter (or, that’s what we’re calling him)

This was for a dear friend who is the perfect Dr. Watson to my beau’s Holmes. He asked for a firey look, so even the base coat of paint for this guy is a deep lava red. That gives the ruddy look behind his tanned skin. Inspiration for the flow of different reds in his wardrobe came from Adria in Stargate (hallowed be the Ori).

Tim the Enchanter!

Fire wizard, full length.

Rear view of Timmy.

2. “Jack”

This is another for Dr. Watson. He asked for a grittier space hero, so I based the model in a soft dirt color, like a khaki, but khaki sounds to clean like pressed slacks. I do not paint in a style like the ‘Eavy Metal boys in England or anything of the sort – I use a lot of blending, zillions of layers, and a ton of stroke work to get the minis to look the way I want them too. Jack is scruffy, unshaved, and probably unwashed, but his eyes shine and his guns are ready. He has leather pants, for Pete’s sake!

Jack in action!

Jack from behind.

3. The Tau army

My fiancé has a themed Tau army for Wahrammer 40K that is themed around the Covenant army from Halo: Combat Evolved. If you are unfamiliar, Tau are like Roswell grey aliens who all have animé mecha suits and ships and are all communists For the Greater Good. He started the theme after noticing some parallels in the types of units in the army while playing the first Halo video game. Since then, both the army and the theme has grown as new units – and new versions of units – have come out in the subsequent Halo games. Colors and styles vary between the games as grunts and elites and so on are re-rendered. So as the army has grown, new units have been painted in the newer schemes from the Halo series so there is variety but there is still a cohesive army. If you’re a fan of Halo, see if you can match the schemes in the Tau army to the Covenant. We’ll start with the top, the character Shadowsun, whose armor is based on the Arbiter.

Shadowsun had to have some beaten and worn armor of an intriguing color that is neither silvered nor bronze. I am quite happy with her hair, such a contrast to her blue-grey skin and metallic armor.

Shadowsun, from the front.

Close up of Shadowsun

Shadowsun is at a very forward leaning, dynamic angle. It took a nickle under her base to weigh her down.

Now for some stealth suits:

Getting the purple one to look that neon was a challenge.

Stealth Suit version 1 – there’s a whole squad this scheme.

Stealth Suit Version 2 – the oldest scheme, of which there is a whole squad.

Stealth Suit version 3 – I think this is the newest render, from Reach or ODST.

Drone:

A Tau drone. The hard flash was the only way to get the ice blue to pop.

Kroot:

Since there are so many Kroot, I designed the pattern for them and the method of painting and let Adam copy it. There are two Kroot color schemes.

Kroot get their colors from the things they eat, including their enemies. Delicious!

Tau infantry:

Like the Kroot, I’ve only painted a handful of the Tau infantry, designing a method for the scheme and letting the boy have at. This is one I did paint.

Now the infantry squad here is a funny story. He modeled one to originally be in a crouch, holding a grenade, but it very much looked like hamlet doing the “Alas, poor Yorick!” scene so he replaced the grenade with a head. Unlike his peers, the Tau dubbed Hamlet has a stage for his base (with thin grey lines painted for the boards) and Around his base reads “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him well, Horatio!” Tau Hamlet, with all his drama holding poor Tau Yorick’s head, has become a lucky model, slaying much larger foes in service to the game. He is one of the oldest models in the army

Hamlet, front and center. Don’t upstage him, boys!

Medieval Textiles in Pisa

When we were in Pisa we had the unexpected fortune of poking into a textiles exhibit in Pisa. While everyone was taking that famous picture of the Torre – you know the one where they pretend to hold it up – we popped into the surrounding crypts with dirt from the Holy Land, art displays, odes to the Maritime Republic’s former glory, and a surprise textile exhibit.

There were two parts to this exhibit that I want to share for all my costuming friends out there. The first part is recreating clothes from the frescoes and murals in Pisa. The second was a display of costumes from the Franco Zeffirelli 1968 Romeo and Juliet. You can argue about the take on Shakespeare, or authenticity, but the costumes are quite sumptuous. To date the most historically accurate R&J I’ve seen out of supposedly “historically accurate” R&Js is a graphic novel that actually depicts Verona in the background to the point where the city is recognizable and the costumes are period for when the tale was set rather than written. But I digress. I think I’ve posted the costumes before, so this will focus on the historic recreations from Pisa’s murals.

The Museo also had a bevy of sketches and saved wall art and downright gorgeous line drawings. I recommend popping in if you go to Pisa. Buy a ticket that lets you into the other areas besides the leaning tower. The Torre is a marvel and fun to gawk over and climb up, but the real deal surrounds the area and fewer tourists go into the buildings surrounding the Piazza.

1. The Musician and the Lady with the Dog

This panel shows the original painted image. The Lady sits on the Left with a Dog on her lap wearing a painted pattern loose fitting garment, while a man with a viol wears one in blue. Both have layers underneath with long fitted sleeves. It’s sort of a loose giornea or overdress/robe, probably over a gamurra, which is like the Italian version of a kirtle. The musician’s under-robe has a loose turtleneck and no laces. The recreations are minimalist in adornment, and this is a good example – the musician’s clearly has trim and the painted pattern on the donna is more frequent in the original, but they are excellently done.

la donna con il cane e il musicista

Front views of the Lady and the Musician

Back views of the Lady and the Musician. The Musician’s robe has an interesting swallowtail train in the rear.

2.  The mischievous Green Musician

Well, at least I think there’s a mischievous glint in her eye! The artist has put a lot of character into the various people he depicts, and this female musician is no exception:

Tell me she’s not planning a key change on everyone while moving into 7/8 time?

Like the Lady and Musician in blue, this gal has a loose giornea with accented sleeves and side part and a painted pattern. She also has a tight sleeve (or at least half sleeve, like my Venetian gown).

One thing that stands out, already, is the drape and weight of the woolens used in this exhibit.

3. The Ministry of Funny Hats

These astride gentlemen have some sporting hats that they are showing off to their lady. First, notice how bright of color they are. Second, yes, they are very odd hats. (Aren’t a lot of hats just odd?)

All those hats just makes the lady blush with modesty!

Who says you can’t wear a sombrero in the Middle Ages! Become Pisan!

The one on the right is a chaperone, I don’t know what the one on the left should be called, but it looks like a crowned duck to me.

4. The Red Scalloped Pleated Dress(es)

There were a couple reproductions of this dress, slightly different and from what I could gather, made by separate students  helping on the project. You can see the variations in opinion, but not skill. The scalloped pleating is quite pretty and ingenious and quite thick on the brightly colored dress.

Love that fanned scalloped pleat!

A close up of the fan scalloped pleat and waistband.

Rear view of the red dresses. Yard of fabric in those for a beautiful drape.

Close up of the lacing and rear pleats.

The sky blue makes a gorgeous contrast to the red of the dresses and lighter, more pink robe or giornea.

The giornea’s sleeves are pocketed and belled and the embroidery is fine and just delicious.

5. Pleated Grey Menswear

Many of the outer robes depicted on both men and women are very similar in style, length, and draping, though the neckline gives this one away as menswear (as did the associated painting, which, I apologize, was too blurry to include). Pay no attention to the obviously feminine dummy underneath! (What, did they run out?)

Though I’m sure it would work perfectly well on a lady too if you got rid of the mens’ collar.

5. Rear of a Drab Dress

Last, a close up of a pretty drab dress. It feels too early to call it a gamurra, but I’ve seen the word applied. It was plain, like several of the dresses, to show what might be work under the more spectacular overdresses, robes, or giornea. They all have a long line of lacing with even longer laces – I got the impression that it could easily be pulled when wearing and would have enough length to slip the dress on overhead without assistance.

This one, unlike other underdresses, had a pleasant wide sleeve. All the gamurre were fitted but not cinched tight like Renaissance gamurre; they were figure flattering.

Long Time No Type

Once again I took a hiatus, this time partially due to illness, so there’s a legitimate excuse twice over. Besides a really noxious bout of pneumonia that struck during my masters’ graduation ceremony, I’ve taken a turn in my spondyloarthropathy which made it hard to type, sew, paint, and do any fine work at all. So very uncivilized! Spondyloarthropathies are joint diseases that affect the vertebral column but do not have a rheumatoid factor, like rheumatoid arthritis. Mine is undifferentiated spondylitis, which, without medical speak, means it hasn’t picked a particular area to target yet, so I get swelling and pain in my hands and ankles and other joints as though I were arthritic. I had a flare up that was particularly bad, and annoyingly, I was allergic to my new medicine, but my rheumatologist got me onto something a bit gentler and I even went backpacking two weeks ago! Success!

That means I have a lot of typing and posting to catch up on, and lots of photos to upload. I have even made a short list of things to put up: including:

Progress on the Genovese dress. I could not sew the coat, but the velvet dress turned out quite nicely.

A few backpacking trips I have not loaded, including this last one.

Seattle!

A bunch of other little surprises!

So, I leave you with a relic while I get my photos in order, a pic of my first self-made costume, a very simple Spanish soya in green. I think it was just after my high school graduation in 2002. Either way it was the year the Faire got booted out of Black Point and there was a short-lived move to Nicassio. Other than the open treeless heat, it was pretty to be by the reservoir. The fabric was a very pretty green, but totally synthetic. The cinching on it worked perfectly though. The fellas with me are my now fiancé Adam in thrown together peasant garb, and Marc, ever the samurai. The black belt is his own and well earned.

Flashback: High School Nor Cal Ren Faire trip!

The Genovese Dress has begun!

Ooh! A post!

I’m happy to report that I’ve started work on my mother in law’s Renaissance Genovese dress, which I’ve posted research for in months past. Last night I made my first cuts on a chemise blouse for her. She wanted one that is short as she often gets hot in garb, but something that will still be functional and look pretty on top. I had a great piece of cotton-linen blend left over that was soft and airy that, at just two yards, would not be enough for a full length chemise but would still make a great blouse.

I took some photos this morning of my progress. They’re pretty crappy, and I’m sorry about that.

A lot of my research showed traces of a high gathered neck, so I divided my fabric into four even rectangles: 2 for sleeves, one for the back, and one for the front of the chemise. Because the fabric was not originally cut evenly, I have some scraps that I can cut for underarm gores to give a bit more freedom of movement. I measured the height for the neck and length of the shoulder from neck to edge and sewed the body panels together that length. It looked a bit like a bad tube. I should have taken pictures of this part, but I forgot. I cut a slit down the middle of the front that will later have buttons, and then turned the hem around the sewn edge of the tube. I pleated that edge and pinned each pleat down to make – voila! – a neckline!

It takes lot of pins to turn 44 inches into 17 plus allowance.

The pleating creates a natural circling effect, and I’ll add two ribbons to the neck soon to hold the pleats in formation. I put that on my dress form and got to work on the sleeve rectangles. I decided to do a double rolled seam, which actually dates back to the Middle Ages. It looks quite pretty and is, I think, easy to decorate with beads or embroidery later. I picked an easy stitch pattern and I plan to put a pearl bead on each “point.”

Double rolled seams! They do not look very even in the picture, but that's just the angle I am holding the fabric. Overall, they turned out pretty even. I was being very patient for a change.

This is how I pinned the double rolled seam. After sewing the fabric together, you lay it flat and turn the allowance in on itself. The original stitch line becomes the center of the seam. Because I want to decorate them, I made them a little large; each roll is just about a centimeter wide.

I pleated the sleeves to make a cuff as well and used a double wide version of the ribbon I will use on the neckline to go around the cuff. This could also potentially be decorated. It’s the same ribbon I used as a belt in my medieval Venetian gown. Sewed the pleats together twice at the two ends of the cuff, and basted it down the middle. I sewed the ribbon on by hand, which will hold the pleats down the middle of the cuff just fine.

The cuff. It will also have buttons and ribbon or cord loops.

I somehow managed to finish one of the sleeves and pinned it onto the two body pieces to see how it fit together and if I need a piece under the arm. Because my mother in law is very slender in the shoulder, and she needs some flexibility, I cut the sleeves on an angle, similar to a raglan. I will be adjusting this part a little higher on her shoulder, and will make the underarm gore more squat. The sleeve is extra long, so she will have plenty of freedom of movement – not including her other garments, of course!

Tonight I will attempt to finish the other sleeve and sew the body up – or at least baste it together for a final fitting.

Pinned on the dress form. The sleeve will need to be pinned up higher than shown in this picture.

Family Photographs

New printer/scanners bring delights! I’ve been wanting to scan a small collection of historic family photos that I have in my possession so I can work on them and clean them up, as well as post them into ancestry.com. This is the first pre-editing scan:

The Foster Family, Mexico, MO, circa 1909-10

My mother made a note that the photograph was taken in 1909? and left me a few notes from her cousin as to who everybody was. I used census data to fill in the gaps. This is what I know, accounting for all of the TEN children in the Missouri family:

Standing in the center by the porch column is the patriarch of the bunch, Joseph H Foster, aged about 68. He died 21 April 1910, so I know the photograph has to be taken before then. He was born in Cincinnati in 1841. Next to him is his wife, Martha Elizabeth Green Foster, who is about age 53. She was born in Calloway County, KY. The Fosters go back deep into colonial Virginia, and before that to England and the farthest I currently am reaching is a Sir Thomas Forster of Hertfordshire who served as a Chief Justice at Westminster in the court of James I in 1604.

Their eldest child, Charles Milton, called “Charlie,” lived and died in Mexico, MO in 1974, living to 100, and he’s standing with his second wife, Ella Sanford, right next to Joseph Foster (on his right, our left). They have two little boys who are in the photograph: Roy, born 1900, is standing with knickers and tie on right below his parents. Little Cave, born 1907, is the smaller of the two tykes in sailors suits on the left of the photograph. I have no idea why his name is Cave. Roy, however, was often called “Little Roy” to distinguish him from another Roy (see below) and was born “deaf and dumb.” Dumb in the older sense of the word, as not talking, understandable for a deaf child. If I recall correctly, several family members learned sign language for Little Roy.

Joe and Martha’s second eldest child, William Lester Foster, is standing next to his brother Charlie. William was born in 1875, but died in Mexico, MO in 1914. He’s standing with his younger wife Ossie Atha Crum, born 1892. Ossie is sporting some picture perfect Gibson Girl hair! They married in 1903 and have a little boy, the other tyke in a sailor suit, Arthur E., born 1905.

Joe and Martha had a third child, Dulcie Ethel, born in 1879, who married a man named Orion Ivan Wales. In my humble opinion, he has an excellent name. Unfortunately, Dulcie died in 1903, so she is not here unless in spirit.

Their fourth child, and my great grandfather, was Jefferson Campbell Foster, born 1881. He died in 1935 in Colorado. He’s here with his wife, my great grandmother, Loren Lucy Shipley, born 1886, who is looking particularly fine and fashionable. They are standing next to Martha. Jefferson is quite tall, as was my grandfather and uncle, all over 6 foot. Loren Lucy was also “tall” but that could be relative for the time. Jefferson is a giant next to her! I am in love with her lace dress though. Their eldest child is at their feet, my great uncle Orville. It is through Lauren Lucy that I can trace some ancestry back to French Huguenots in Virginia on her mother’s side, and on her father’s side to English and Welsh nobility. Its a long ways from the House of Plantagenet to the front porch of a family farm in Missouri, but it’s the footsteps we travel in.

Joe and Martha’s fifth child, Mary E., died as a baby, just a year and a half old. Their sixth and seventh children – twins – sit on the steps below Jefferson and Loren Lucy. Their names are Maude (pictured left, whose hair seems to be fascinating Orville) and Maggie May (on the right). They were born in 1885, and I do not know which one is “eldest.” Maggie died soon after Joe in May of 1910, and it makes me wonder if they shared an illness. The family lore says, though, that Maggie May was always the sickly child. Maude, however, married in 1914 at age 28 (a little old for the time!) to a William Battie Shay (just called Battie) and lived out her years in Santa Monica, a far cry from Missouri, but she was not the only one to leave the state! Jefferson and Loren would move to Colorado, and their children to California.

Joe and Martha’s eighth child, Marvin, was born in 1888 but did not survive the year. Two years later, however, their ninth child, Alice Mae, was born. She is seated next to Maude with her baby Martillus on her lap. Her husband, Leroy Staples, another tall man for the family, is seated next to her. My mother’s notes originally said that she and Maude were the twins, but this is unsubstantiated by the census records. Alice divorced Roy and married a man named Robert Armstrong. I do not know the reason behind the split, but she does look a little grumpy compared to Roy.

I promised you ten, and the tenth child of Joe and Martha also died young. He was born and died 22 September 1892, when Martha was almost 36 years old and Joe was 51. I do not have a name for him, he may not have ever had one, poor thing.

Now there are two children pictured whom I have not mentioned so far, the two girls on either side of our dapper Little Roy. They are marked as Gladys Foster (sitting with the pigtails and Mary Janes) and Marie (standing with the grumpy face and severe bangs). In the 1910 census, Gladys is listed as Joe’s granddaughter, but whose child is she? In my mother’s notes, she died in 1917, aged 11, of typhoid fever, so this is the only census she appears on. The household at the time is Joe, Martha, Maude and Maggie (both unmarried at age 23), little Gladys, and an Irish boarder named Frank Ellis. Is Gladys one of the twins’ daughter? If so, why isn’t she sitting with her mother? It’s a little mystery I’m working on. As for Marie, well, I don’t know whose child she is either. Could one of these girls belong to the deceased Dulcie, taken in by her mother’s family? Whatever happened to her husband Orion? I do not know. Yet.

Genealogy is great. It’s all about solving mysteries.

News and Clues

First and foremost, I have finished my master’s thesis. It has been accepted and approved and I will be working on publishing some material from it shortly. I have, as my friend Jon puts it, reached the light at the end of the tunnel. I hope to go more into that later. I figure if I write all my to-do posts here, I will invariably HAVE to do them and will succeed.

Second, the weather has turned to winter, our fog is rolling in and out and the sun shining through it in the morning is lovely. We took a lovely hike to the top of Mt. Tamalpais and watched the sunset as the fog rolled into the redwoods and hills below us. We’ve had a few drops of rain but not much, so this is a very lovely time of year.

Third, I have a kick-ass recipe for cock-a-leekie soup. It was my first time making it, and it was a hit. I think the prunes are key. Who said Scottish food can’t be good? The kitchen has been toasty from cooking.

Fourth, I will shortly post costume updates for my Adler pink bustle gown. The improvements were fantastic and it went over splendidly at the Dickens Fair!

The 'official' Halloween photo, from the castle ramparts.

Lastly, Halloween was a blast and my fiancé, myself, and two friends (another couple) went as the Three Musketeers + D’Artagnan. We brought our live steel and had a great time up at the castle drinking wine. We had so many photos taken of us that we felt like we should go again next year and choose another crowd pleasing winner. Our favorite idea so far (because thinking ahead is good) is to bring two more friends and be the suspects from the board game Clue (Cluedo to my non-American friends).

This has led to some humorous research on the many many iterations of the game, which is supposedly set  in 1926 in a Tudor Mansion, sometimes called Tudor Manor or sometimes Boddy Mansion/Manor after the deceased host, who has occaisionally been called Mr. or Dr. or even Sir Boddy rather than his color,as in Dr. Black. Naturally, when thinking of a new costume, image searches are key for idea gathering, so I started with trying to pull up images from the box covers. I was also trying to look for who was seen holding what weapons, so that we could bring them to the party too.

Since we’ve been playing since childhood, we’ve seen a few versions of the game go by, each with different images. The ones prior to the 1970’s are all cartoon-y, and the ones directly from the ’70’s were not of good quality, so I’m starting in the mid ’80’s:

1986 Version

1992 Version. I remember buying this one with my mother.

1998 Version

 

There’s been a few unique themed versions that have gone by, including one of my favorites, Hitchcock Clue, if only for the weapons:

Seagull should be plural. There were far more than just one bird!

This shot from the French Clue shows some of the other colors that have been used in later editions, video games, and expansions:

Finalement! Un jeune Colonel Moutarde!

The search went down a geeky road of hilarity when I ran across the D&D version of Clue. Yup. D&D. I include it here so you can laugh and, if you are a gamer, you will immediately recognize the characters from the Core Rulebook, now done Clue style:

It was Mialee with the vorpal sword in the wizard's tower!

Yes, character names are included to incriminate the guilty adventurers.

Now, clue has also traveled into the realm of video games, and this is one of the more recent ones, with nice clean animation, and some variation from the originals:

The suspects are now much hotter. Especially Mrs. White, who now thinks she is a super spy.

This is a CG version I found online, but I have no idea whose art it is or if its from a licensed version. No idea, and no offense meant if it's yours. It's just very cool.

And, last but not least, the character cards from the most modern board game:

Lavender looks so disaffected. This also provides options in case we get more folks, though odds are #7 would go to a Dr. Black. so we can throw the lights and kill him.

There are a couple of common threads throughout the images. For example, Scarlet is typically in a long strappy dress, showing a little skin. Though early versions set her as a blonde, she’s typically been dark haired, and in many versions, Asian. Mrs. White is usually older, buxom, and often a member of “the help.” Green has a nice sports jacket or suit, and Plum rocks glasses and, usually, a bow tie. Except for young French Mustard, Col. Mustard usually has some epic facial hair. Peacock has a lot of variation in age, shape, style, and hair, but if anyone is wearing a hat, she is – feather included.

We’ll see how our designs and ideas progress. We have agreed to keep the costumes period to the game (so circa 1926) but other than that, there hasn’t been much discussion. There’s plenty of time!