Stories of family, creativity, and diverse distractions.

Month: November 2022

Prep time for a traveling game master

Every game master does their preparations for a game in the style that suits them. I have run a few games and have developed a system that works well for me. Especially when I am taking my adventure on the road (not playing at home!), I want to be sure everything is organized and easy to follow. There’s nothing worse than realizing you forgot an important character sheet or your tokens.

Happy anniversary, Erasmus and Maria Straub

Erasmus Straub was the brother of Walt’s 4th great grandfather. He was born in June of 1870 in Bieringen, Baden-Württemburg, Germany to Josephus Carl and Anna Maria Truffner Straub. We don’t know a lot of his story in Germany, but we do know he married Maria Sauter on the 25th of November, 1807 in Bieringen. They had 9 children, two of whom died in infancy. Maria died in 1824. Erasmus and his children immigrated to the United States in the 1840’s.

Warm baking treats: Quick Cherry Cobbler

In the fall, I like to do warm desserts such as pies and cobblers and crisps. Since it is almost Thanksgiving, I wanted to make a small batch of cherry cobbler so that we could finish it off before I make mincemeat pie.

Happy Birthday Great-uncle John Link

John H. Link, Senior, was born on November 18, 1885 to Isadore and Teresa Kempker Link in West Point, Iowa. His brother, William J. (W.J.), was Walt’s grandfather.

How much is a smidgen? or a dash?

Good measuring tools are important for many different projects. Whether you are in the workshop, the studio, or the kitchen, being accurate can mean the difference between success or not the best results. Cooking is very forgiving, but I like to measure all the ingredients the first time I try a recipe. Having the right tools at hand can make it easier to enjoy the process.

Kathryn and Helen: Kempker cousins

I have been scanning in photos and adding to the family history. When I found this picture of two cousins, I spent some time finding out more about them. Kathryn Link is Walt’s great-aunt, and Helen Brockman Hummert was her cousin on the Kempker side of the family. I browsed through the pictures and found a couple more photos with them.

Helen Brockman Hummert and Kathryn Link

Making pie with fresh berries

I’ve done a couple of posts on pies, but I was making one this weekend and decided to show making filling from fresh berries. I used fresh blueberries for this one, but you can use can use any combination of blueberries, strawberries, gooseberries, and raspberries.

Image shows a pie with four crescent moon cutouts.
Fresh from the oven.

Happy birthday Great Grandpa Hole!

Walt’s great grandfather John Swisher Hole was born on November 4, 1840 in Darke County Ohio. His parents were James Anderson and Mary Ann Swisher Hole.

More meal prep: turkey breast on the grill

I like to do large batch cooking when I have time to make it easier during the week. This past weekend, I cooked bacon (covered in this post with meatballs) and smoked 5 pounds of salmon (this post). I also cooked a turkey breast on the grill for sandwich meat.

Image shows a turkey breast on a plate, several slices have been cut and are laying next to them.
This one came out perfectly.

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