Heriatge Scrapbook Album ThemesWritten by Your Family Legacy
Creating heritage scrapbook albums, or telling your family story, can seem impossible. Often difficulty may be in thinking that you have to start at beginning, and methodically tell whole chronology of your family. Instead, try thinking of your heritage from a theme standpoint. You can create many albums, with each centered around a specific theme as it pertains to your family. What do we mean by themes? Here are some examples.Military: Create a tribute album of all men & women in your family who served in armed forces. This can be especially moving if you have ancestors who served in early wars and family who have served in recent times. Tell a brief history of their military career with copies of service records and photos. Of great interest would be tidbits from regimental or unit histories. If available, be sure to include recollections or stories about their service. Grandpa always told about his dad living off of sweet potatoes in farm fields during Civil War. This will personalize individual to all who see your album. Family Recipes: How many great recipes are in your family? How many have been handed down? Preserve these wonderful dishes from past and present in a special recipe album. Besides actual recipe, things you can also include are a picture of dish and person attributed with it, any traditions associated with recipe, and peoples favorite memories surrounding it. Just as important though, be sure to leave room for your descendants to add their future favorites. Occupations: Create an album of many ways your ancestors earned their living. What were their occupations? How did events of day impact them in their work? Include their picture and any memorabilia or documents. Try to describe a typical day for them based on history of time, for example, what did a shoemaker, like my 2nd great grandfather, do. If your family has a business that has been around for more than one generation, this would be a wonderful history to have.
| | 4 Steps to an Enjoyable HikeWritten by Kathy Burns-Millyard
Some people have fought many years of their lives to preserve rich heritage of outdoors and nature we now enjoy. That dedication and effort has been rewarded by fantastic hiking opportunities in our local, state, and national park systems. In honor of their efforts, let's break out of our winter hibernation and venture into crisp, clean outdoor air and hit some of those dirt trails. Let's Go Hiking!Here are 4 steps to having an enjoyable hike, no matter where your feet decide to take you. 1. Know area you will be hiking in to. Although many states, like California, Colorado, or Wyoming have exceptional hiking hot spots, even your local park will have some kind of useful information. Whether it's a website with information and trail details, or a map at park office, trailhead, or visitor center, always check before you head out on your hike so you know what to expect. 2. Know conditions you will be facing, wherever you go. Nothing is worse than traveling to a hiking destination only to miss hike, because it was raining or freezing and you weren't prepared. If trail is flooded out, or snowy conditions have shut it down for an extended period, you should be able to find this out as well. It is also good to know if there are any plants or animals to watch out for at your hiking location. Wiping with poison ivy won't feel good in morning. 3. Wear clothing that works and fits terrain and hike conditions. There are many options in your clothing arsenal, to keep yourself comfortable, here are a couple of pointers: - Try and stay away from cotton. Instead, look for synthetic and natural fibers that pull moisture away from your body, or at least stay warm when wet. - Also, go for layers to keep yourself warm, versus carrying around a huge parka, in case you are hit by a freak snowstorm. - The two most important pieces of clothing for any hiker, are good socks and good shoes. Don't underestimate pain a hike can cause with uncomfortable shoes and socks. - Finally, a hat in cold weather is a great addition, since your body loses over half its heat through your head.
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