Stories of family, creativity, and diverse distractions.

Month: August 2024

Happy Birthday Great Uncle Charles Helmer

Charles Helmer was born on August 30, 1880. He married Lydia Ellen Hole, the sister of Walt’s grandfather William Henry Hoel.

Pocket Items for Survival

Today we’re going to keep exploring survival kits for private pilots heading to Alaska. As I mentioned last week, it’s possible you might not be able to grab your big survival kit in the midst of whatever disaster left you stranded. You might have nothing but the clothes on your back and whatever is in your pockets or otherwise on your person. So what might you carry?

Happy birthday Great Uncle George Aloysius Link

George Aloysius (Al) Link was born on August 23, 1863 in New Vienna, Iowa. Al is Walt’s 2nd Great Uncle. His brother Isadore is Walt’s Great Grandfather.

Dress for Survival!

Last week we looked at Alaska’s and Canada’s rules for survival kits in private aircraft. Both places legally require pilots to carry certain gear. But the rules are pretty general. So let’s go down the rabbit hole a bit and look at the details. This will take several posts to cover completely, but we’re going to start today with clothing. You can really help your odds if you dress for survival before you get on the plane.

Happy birthday Great Grandpa Gerhard Wellman!

Gerhard Wellman was born on August 16, 1857 in Besten by Ankum, Germany. Gerhard is Walt’s great grandfather.

Gerhard’s parents were Johann and Catharina Heil Wellman. He was the fifth child born to the union.

What’s In Your Survival Kit – Alaska Version!

Did you know that private pilots flying in Alaska must carry a survival kit? It’s actually a state law. Canada requires one as well. Let’s take a look at what they require, compared to what you see in a typical survival kit.

Happy birthday Katherina Delker Spexarth!

Katherina Delker Spexarth was born on August 9, 1824 in Varensell, Germany. Her parents were Johannes and Maria Delker. Katherina is related to the Wellman side of Walt’s family. So today is her 200th birthday.

We went to Gen Con!

We had an amazing long weekend at Gen Con 2024. We ran games, played games and attended seminars and workshops. Trekking the halls and the dealer hall we walked for miles every day. We are exhausted but excited with how the weekend went.

Happy anniversary WJ and Lizzie Link!

William J Link and Elizabeth Wellman were married on August 2, 1916 at St. Mary’s Church in West Point, Iowa. WJ and Lizzie are Walt’s grandparents.

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