Patterns

 I have heard that Gaudi's icon church Sagrada Familia is finished. I think one could only make such an assertion now that Gaudi has been dead for a hundred years. For, I believe, when he was alive he would never condone such a claim. Go ahead and google the structure - I cannot find an image I can "borrow" for you. But take a look. Does that look finished to you? Me either. Gaudi was a bit of a mad architect, ensnared by his love of patterns. Every "finished" piece would suggest another, a little higher, with a few more curves.

At least that is what I choose to believe because it serves as a plausible explanation of the drawing I have just completed which I choose to call "Patterns." Here is is:

Or at least most of it. A bit got trimmed off along the top but you wouldn't notice unless you were standing in front of the original which is about 24x20 inches. OK, it started out with a different name - "Loggias" - for the two wooden structures in the center. These, actually two versions of the same loggia::

And then I decided to add some lamp posts from a bridge in Budapest:

And as you can see, started to draw in a bit of the night sky and changed the name to "Lighting the Loggias." And that is when the patterns started to take over:

At that point I just admitted that I had lost control of the image, and let the patterns go wherever they wanted. And they did, until they handed the image off to the markers, who - as I watched my hands move across the paper - ended where we started:

Which brings me to an interesting conclusion. I think I have gone about as far as I want with this particular genre. My drawing table surrounds me with some earlier, very different images:

I'm not sure if I will m ove in the direction of any of those pix, but I will move somewhere 🙂

Watch this space!

Whatever Happened to Rest Homes?

 It doesn't seem to be a heretical question. Seems like there used to be a lot of them. Places with names like Shady Rest, or Restful Oaks, Seaside Rest, Sailor's Rest. Stuff like that. Of course the problem was that those names quickly became seen as code for "old people's homes." Places where "old people" went to die.

So now we have "retirement communities," and "independent living communities." And forget about the notion of dying. Peruse the websites for these places and you see lithe and tanned folks with perfect teeth dining al fresco around golf courses and pickleball courts, dancing the tango, albeit with obligatory grey hair - actually more silver than grey.

Mind you, I have nothing against staying fit once you pass a few score years. I should put more effort in there. But I think there is a question of degree. My brother-in-law functioned as my father's "trainer" when my father was a resident in one of those "independent-living-graduated-care" facilities called Paradise Park about 5 or ten miles from my sister's home in Barrington. [I can't help thinking of a parking lot outside paradise] Anyhow, he would take Dad to the "gym" and encourage him to use the "reclining bicycle" and other fitness machines. And I have no doubt that routine contributed to Dad making it past his 100th birthday. I'm not sure when he stopped playing golf, apparently he was still whacking the ball around into his mid-90s. Not all that surprising considering the longevity of his siblings - good genes there.

However, pickleball and water calisthenics were still distant gleams in some phys-ed teacher's eye. And I'm not sure that we should be pushing our "super-seniors" like 80, 90 year-olds - to be among those folks we see on the news, running marathons on their 85th birthday, etc. Those folks are exceptional, and don't need much external motivation. Secretly, I think there are some genetic links to the Energizer Bunny at play.

But for the rest of us, there are mental health issues involved - not just physical ones. The problem is that while the mind may retain the muscle memories of one's youth, the body may not retain the actual muscle necessary to make good on the memory. 

 I have had a couple such issues recently. First, I went to the driving range with a family member up here. He is only a handful of years younger than I, and plays golf quite regularly. So I figured why not. I used to play rather often myself - back in Raleigh. Flirted with a handicap in the mid-teens. Yet embarrassing would be a polite way to describe the outing, unless preparing a flower bed had been the objective. I was the ultimate divot dandy.

The second event was even worse. I grew up around YMCA basketball courts. All through high school I was a "Junior Leader" at one of the local YMCAs. Every Saturday we led gym classes, played pick-up basketball games, stuff like that. Then for one summer I was the "program director" at the "black" YMCA - remember, this was several decades ago. There I got to play basketball with guys who hadn't made their way into high school, but could have played on any team in the city. So for awhile there I "had game," or what would hav e passed as such for most 5' 9ish" white kids in the 1960s. OK, so the other night we were having a family dinner and my buddy from the golfing fiasco was out shooting baskets with his young grandson. I sauntered out to join them. What transpired made my driving range display seem PGA worthy. The point is that my brain was completely confident that I could perform at my middle-age level. The muscle memory was there, the muscles - and to a certain extent the hand-eye coordination - was not.

This is not a call for becoming sedentary once you reach your "golden years." Not at all. But as the ancient Greek poet Hesiod stated: [and dozens of others have since cribbed] "Observe due measure; moderation is best in all things." Which brings me back to the notion of rest homes. Hopefully we spend the lion's share of our life "doing stuff." We have a job, outside or within the house, which pays the bills and allows us to create a meaningful life. But once we retire from that "day-to-day" it might be time to consider devoting more time to resting, thinking, to considering more mindful activities.

As usual I can speak best to my own activities. And here a picture may be worth a thousand words:

It is fitting that my picture of my primary restful, mindful activity shows the place where I make pictures. The picture is actually taken with a couple of computers next to and behind me, which is where I compose these Schrag Walls. And there you have my dominant activities. And yes, I am aware that I have sloughed off on the activities that would allow greater synergy between my muscle memory and my muscles. I will try harder.

But there is infinite value in just sitting outside watching the wind in the trees, and being amazed by how the clouds move in synchrony with the breeze. Listening to the sounds outside, birds, squirrels, even the varying echos of traffic. And attending to those sounds we can capture inside, as we select from the seemingly limitless online options. Visiting the wild and ancient places of the world as they unfold on our various screens. And, of course, making marks on paper and, outside, throwing tennis balls for puppies.

These are restful, mindful activities. And while often readily available to us, in today's youth and fitness obsessed world, they seem neglected, if not actually disparaged, while the contemporary, polished versions of "tote that barge, lift that bale" are lionized.

Hmm. All things in moderation.

My Plan and God's Laughter

I suppose it is because I spend so much time making little marks on paper that I wonder what the famous great artists of history thought about when they worked. I mean were they always focused on color, shading, pressure on the brush and all that? I mean consider Vermeer. [And I really recommend a video called Tim's Vermeer, Google it and give it a look.]

Anyway, look at that drapery in the lower right-hand corner. Got to be a lot of "dot, dot, dot" going on there. What's going through his mind while doing all those dots? Sure, he had to get the colors right - but he did that on his palette before dotting. What was he thinking while dotting?

I suppose I think about this issue because I spend so much time, as I said, making marks on paper. And my mind wanders into many different places when drawing. Some are stranger than others. Sometimes it has to do with the music that I always listen to while drawing. We all have a soundtrack to our lives, and if I am listening to music from a particular era of my soundtrack I find myself wandering around in those places with those spaces and faces. However, when I listen to classical music which is not firmly embedded in any specific part of the soundtrack - things get different. I suppose it harkens back to my lifelong history of doodling. Sort of letting the marking device - pencil, pen, whatever - wander around wherever it wanted.

Let's look at a contemporary example from the Loggia and Lights piece I am working on now. This is from the background - which has a lot of real estate to cover since the whole image is about 36x48:

Those little guys are somewhere between a quarter and a half an inch long and are - in my mind - randomly spaced around the paper. So that image is maybe 2x3 inches of the whole drawing. But when I begin to add color to the little rectangle-ish spaces something very different starts to appear. So this image is maybe 3x4:

Those little random spaces begin to take on a life of their own. Here's another look:

It is sort of like looking at an ocean with currents, and swirls, and whirlpools - that I don't really plan. I do create a palette, with a range of colors that I think would be appropriate for that area of the image. This is part of the background sky - I'll share the whole image in a few days? weeks? when it's done. But once the palette is selected the colors pretty much take over. I'll pick a starting point, but then the colors seem to take on their own weight, mobility, momentum and they move along.

Being so fond of metaphors I had to come up with one to explain this ouija board kind of artistic phenomenon. And it struck me that the old saw "we plan and god laughs" might apply. The "plan" is the monochrome version of the little squiggles version that I decide is "finished" - when it is right.  My plan. God's laughter echoes in the application of color.

Makes sense to me 😁

HiTech, HiTouch and Hybrid

My wife recently sent me a link from Business Week addressing the notion that this year's college graduating class will be the first that has had access to ChatGPT for their entire college career. {https://apple.news/Azz8OMPJ6Q2abt8DWCUpAyA} 

 It is an interesting read, especially for folks like me who spent their entire professional life in the halls of academe. It certainly increases my empathy for those in that world who have to deal with discerning the source of various exams, articles, etc. Empathy stems from memories of a far different reality: watching my father grading "blue books" after dinner at the dining room table. "Blue books" were small, blue-covered paper booklets used by students to write essay exams. They usually consisted of dozen or so sheets of lined white paper. And that memory suggests one solution to the crisis in the classroom: bring back written work. Pencil to paper. Phones and smart watches, etc., deposited at the door. Sure, a lot of work to grade, but at least you knew you were seeing the student's actual thoughts - or lack thereof. 

 I addressed my thoughts on the impact of ChatGPT in general in this previous post: https://schragwall.blogspot.com/2026/04/artificial-intelligence.html, 

 But I wanted to suggest a few other thoughts. In the world outside the classroom "bring back written work" will rarely be a feasible reaction to AI - which is obviously here to stay, and will only increase its presence in our lives. Instead it strikes me that it might be helpful to acknowledge to ourselves, and perhaps to those with whom we share our work, the extent to which our artifacts [anything we create, words, images, music, etc.] employ digital agents. I am currently leaning towards the three categories that are the title of this post: HiTech, HiTouch and Hybrid. Let me unpack my thinking on each. 

HiTech. These are artifacts that lean heavily on digital tools. Of concern in the Business Week article are student papers that are essentially "cut and paste" compositions cribbed from various online sources. Academic and professional journals are facing similar problems. However, I should point out that there is space for such endeavors. Annotated bibliographies are quite important works in many areas of research. It is common place for the creators of various artifacts to declare: "My work stands upon the shoulders of those giants who have gone before." Annotated bibliographies gather those giants in an easily accessible space. 

 In the sciences those "giants" are, in some cases, bits of technology that allow for the gathering, inspection, and expansion of various data sets that allow for insights that would be impossible without those technologies. Additionally, HiTech can flourish in some unexpected places. In the ARTificial Intelligence piece referenced above I discuss how I used Photoshop to assemble pieces of several disparate previously created images in to a new composition. 

More intriguing was a video I saw about the HiTech production of The Great Animal Orchestra: Symphony for Orchestra and Wild Soundscapes, created in 2014 by soundscape ecologist and musician Bernie Krause, and composer Richard Blackford.

https://youtu.be/btrinTDDjnQ?si=rxiHWG7stRg70fcN

Krause had gathered, over the years, thousands of recordings of animal calls in the wild. Blackford composed a symphony based on those digital pieces, recorded the symphony, and together they digitally blended those two complex audio sources into a creation that became the symphony. Definitely HiTech. 

In the final analysis the artifacts deemed HiTech are those in which the major elements of the artifact are digital. Less easy to define, but still important is the amount of "hands on time" as opposed to "screen time" that you, or other creators, spent in making the artifact. This aspect is kind of slippery, and remains secondary to the necessary dominance of digital elements. 

HiTouch. This one is less complex, easier to define. The primary defining element is the amount of effort to create the artifact that was spent with the "hands of the creator" in physical contact with the artifact. The clearest examples are painting - the creator of the artifact actually applying something to a surface; and sculpture when the creator of the artifact assembles or shapes a physical artifact. While it is easy to cite classical examples - Michelangelo's David or his work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel - modern examples require a softer definition. Hence the important aspect of the definition depends upon the extent to which the artifact was actually physically created by human hands, free of digital assistance. These "pure touch" artifacts are not as dominant as they once were which leads us to the final category - Hybrid. 

Hybrid. These artifacts are ubiquitous in modern life. In fact, it takes significant effort to not be complicit in their creation. You write a text or an email and "suggestions" pop up as to what your next word might be, allowing you to simply click on the word, avoiding the mundane necessity of actually typing the word - or you can simply click on the microphone and create your message verbally. You can disable these helpful? Intrusive? little gnomes but that sometimes requires venturing into the world of HiTech. 

 But my concern here is not so much defeating HiTech intrusions into the creation of artifacts. Rather I am interested in how Tech and Touch can merge in the creation of unique artifacts. It might be best - and certainly easiest for me - to talk about the process I use in my own Hybrid works. Most commonly I use one of my photographs to create a template for the eventual artifact. That is not as simple as it sounds. For example I wanted to use this model of a carriage in an image: 

 The first step was to put that image into Photoshop and remove everything that wasn't carriage. A rather laborious process that gave me this: 

But I wanted a bunch of carriages crisscrossing each other in the final artifact, so back to Photoshop which eventually gave me this: [I don't have the completely blank image so pretend the color isn't there ;-)] 

And that was when I realized I had over-stepped. The Carriages had somehow blossomed into a piece that was about 4x3 feet. But that was the end of the HiTech part of the artifact. Everything over the next few weeks was my hand to the paper - drawing on the bedroom floor as the image was far too big for my drafting table. HiTouch for each different carriage as you can see above and below. 

 And then I began to obsess over the blank spaces along each side of the image. And condemned my self to another few weeks filling in those spaces HiTouch [Final time "hands on the artifact" approximately 5 weeks - several hours a day]: 

So that's one example of HyBrid. 

 Additionally, one of the grand kids up here does some interesting work with 3D printing. Right now, for him, the thing - a dragon or alligator - is the finished product. However, I can easily imagine a sculptor using 3D printing to create the maquette for a larger piece that is then rendered full size in HiTouch - carving wood or marble, sculpting clay, whatever. No doubt this is one area in which AI may have an impact. 

 So, AI and other digital tools will undoubtedly continue to impact the way in which we create artifacts for tomorrows museums, galleries and exhibitions. But I would encourage you to keep your hand in with HiTouch as well. There is something uniquely satisfying in the creation of artifacts "from the hand of . . ."

 So why consider these categories? There are external and internal reasons. Externally it makes sense that for us, as receivers, evaluators or purchasers of contemporary artifacts, knowing the "category provenance" of the artifact is important in determining its "credibility" and/or "value." The "category provenance" of an artifact is not the sole determinant of credibility or value, but it is an element in the equation. 

 Internally, as creators, we need to consider the options presented by each category, and how each resonates with our creative intent and sensibilities. How does creating in each category feel? Each has its strengths and drawbacks. I seem to be in a Hybrid phase right now, but have spent time in HiTouch - drawing and sculpting, and in HiTech - some early classes in coding and some time in photography darkrooms messing with chemicals, exposure, dodging, etc., and some physical editing of film - cutting and splicing. 

 Each felt quite satisfying at the moment. I encourage you to play with all of them.

Schrag Family History

 Hi There -

When we were at Schmeckfest ["Taste Festival"] in South Dakota last month, my cousin Dean [your uncle - once removed] tried to find a cassette tape deck to play the recording of the interview his brother Delbert [father of Katherine, Megan, Barbara, Janet and John] did with their father - your great-grandfather referred to as PJ - Preacher John. When you see PJ refer to "grandfather," they are talking about your great-great-grandfather.

Dean never could get the tape to play, but this transcript was eventually made. I'm going to clean it up and add clarification where I can. Some will remain a mystery for us all, but I felt you needed to have a copy.

My "clarifications" may themselves seem confusing, but since the tape didn't play I can't hear the various voices and the transcript and original recordings were undoubtedly a bit strained given my grandfathers age when the recording was made. I welcome any corrections!

Location: You may have to pull up a map of South Dakota and Kansas to find the specific places mentioned.

Definitions:

A "section of land" was a square mile - 640 acres. So 1/4 section was 160 acres. For comparison: The national median for new single-family homes is roughly 8,456 square feet (about 0.2 acres)

The names Allen, Delbert, Paul and Silas refer to your grand uncles - the brothers of my father - your grandfather.

Abbreviations;

g-gf = great grandfather

g-gm = great grandmother

g-g-gf = great-great grandfather

g-g-gm = great-great-grandmother

Here we go:

This tape was made in the summer of 1962, in Marion SD., in the home of our parents, Rev. JohnJ. A. Schrag, and our mother Katrine (Miller) by son Delbert. In 2019, son Allen put the swiss-German used at times into the English language.

First question asked.

Delbert: Did the Schrag's come from Russia?

PJ: Yes we did. Some also came from Germany and Switzerland. Did not know from what city.

Their group went direct to Yankton SD. Lived in Gayville for two years. I (dad) was born there and my brother Pete. From there we moved to where Allen lives. That was open to file claims.

[Putting This together, gave me(Allen) some off my own ideas. They must have had 4 people that could apply]

[This is my Uncle Allen talking]Their were no roads. A wagon trail was even visible when I worked the land. Dad [PJ] said that was the trail that led to Yankton. When roads and sections were made, I think this is the way claims were recorded. Grandpa: [g-gf] NE ¼ of Sec 30, Marion Township; Joe: NW ¼ of Sec. 30 Marion Township; Andrew: NE ¼ of Sec. 29 Marion Township. And Anna: SW ¼ of Sec. 20. This puts allthe land 3 miles south of Marion, split 3 ways.

The first house grandpa [g-gf]  built was a. sod house,built close to what we called the old granary. That could have been the house dad's [g-gf] older brother, Andrew, built. Dad [g-gf] was 10 years old when he plowed with the oxen. He also broke sod for some of the sod houses. Next was a stone house. That was located where Dean's garage is now. Our folks [My grandparents - Dad] were married in 1905 and built the house where we younger ones were born in 1907. Now Dean and Lori live there. [On that land.]

This seems to repeat information from above.

This tape was made in the Summer of 1962. Delbert Schrag interviews his father, Preacher John (P) and his mother.

Delbert: Did your dad [g-g-gf] come from Russia?

PJ: Oh sure, from Russia.

Delbert: Where from before Russia?

PJ: I don't know from Switzerland...Pennsylvania; those that were in PA were from Germany. His [Here he is talking about your great-great-grandfather] group came to SD.

Delbert: Did he come to SD direct?

PJ: In two years in Gayville. I am born there and Peter also. Those were the two that were born in America. The others were all born in Russia. [Here again he is talking about your great-great-ancestors]

Delbert: Did he [Your g-gf] build the stone house? Was that stone house on the home place where Allen now lives [This is a little confusing. Dean and Lori now live on the land that was "the home place." I think Delbert was mixed up here.] or across the road?

PJ: The stone house was exactly where the summer kitchen is standing now. [Knocked down to make way for Dean and Lori's home]

Delbert: Grossvater [Literally "grandfather" Your g-gf, I think] the land that is the old home. Before the stone house.

Mother and Dad [Your g-grandparents] don't agree.[I think Delbert is saying] That across the road, that is where Andrew, one of the older brothers built.

Mother: [Your great-grandmother]They broke the sod with the oxen to built the sod shanty, the other house was built across the fence. (Delbert: which we now think is the south Marion "Road)

Your Granduncle - once removed Allen says that there was no road there yet. He remembers when it was threshing time they had a big prairie there. There were wagon tracks that the folks said went to Yankton.

Dad's [Your g-gf, but I have no idea who the folks being discussed are.] sister, Bulger's wife, [I'm guessing this is still your g-uncle Allen talking. He stayed in SD farming, so might have a better knowledge of the history.] Anna, her quarter would have been directly north of Andrew's quarter, that is why those trees were there - you had to plants so many trees, to make a claim. Andrew built a house there and put in the trees. There were 3 quarters there, close by.

She [Perhaps your g-gf's sister]. was on her dying bed and she told her family, that she has a brother in SD by the name of Joe. So they wrote a letter to Joe Schrag, Freeman, SD. It ended up by the other Joe Schrag. They brought it over to Ben [Perhaps the author of a small orange paperback I have on the Schrag family] and Mildred Schrag. They said, we have a letter [from?] her [Mildred?] and we don't know who it is.

The Juckleys' [No idea] figured it out they talked to My dad (Preacher John) [your g-gf] and he said of course. He said, [Your g-gf speaking] I wanted to go. Uncle Pete [Your g-gf's brother] refused to go along. So I don't know, there could have been some bad blood,. I was still in school, so I drove them there. I know what work means. Day after day I plowed with oxen at the age of 10.

Allen: I remember in those days you could not move the blower He (Dad) [Your g-gf] worked on the pile, spreading the pile out, he worked for 50 cents a day. the Well-driller, welder and jack of all trades. His Dad,[Your g-g-gf] Joe, Ben Juckley continued the trade.

D: Wasn't he older? Mother [Your g-gm] Susan was born here too. (We question that as PJ always said it was just he - PJ b. 1877 and Peter b. 1875 born here She was the one that stayed over to Peter and Marie.) Daniel and Katerina were born in Russia.

[Not sure who made this comment] 160 acres was the government grant for homesteading.

Allen: Daniel ended up in Yankton. He was trying to understand scripture and lost it! I wonder if they did not have the whole half mile going to the school house because she says 160 acres.

Mother: [your g-gm] Andrew never got married. She talks about moving a barn.

Allen: Andrew died before dad and mom got married. Daniel died young. I took that barn down. There was an old barn to the north -a lean to, that was probably the one they moved. That is a good possibility, that makes sense. That was really an old one.

Delbert: did you remember when granddad died? [your g-g-gf] 1906?

Mother: [Your g-gm] 1908. Edna and Emma [my aunts] were small when Dad died. She talks about Felix [My father, your grandfather] is first born in the Stone house.

Allen: The house Dean [my cousin] took down, was built in 1907. The folks got married in 1905. Delbert says he does not remember Grandfather Schrag, [Your g-g-gf] (d, 1915) | remember Grandfather [g-g-gf] coming over with a team of horses. But Dad's parents [g-g-grandparents] must have died before us. Paul and Silas [My uncles] must have remembered something. Paul was born in Kansas. That was when Dad [g-gf] went to Bethel College after he was appointed minister of North Church.

Delbert: Do you know how old granddad [g-g-gf] was when he died?

PJ: 82

Mother [g-gm]: 85

PJ: No, it was 82

Mother [g-gm]: two years in he was a helper with the hogs.

Delbert: Dad [g-gf?] was on the farm all his life then?

PJ: yah

Delbert: They were a higher class. It wasn't right for you to marry?

Allen: the Millers were considered upper class. They had a little extra money. He donated the land for the North Church and the Cemetery. The Schrag family were of a lower class. There was a question as to whether mom and dad should get married. There was 9 years difference between mom and dad. Her Dad gave permission when Dad was going to be a minister - that helped.

Delbert: Isn't that right dad? Didn't they used to think they were better? Didn't grandfather [I think this must refer to your g-gm's father] object?

Mother: Age was probably the biggest concern,

Allen: She was around 18 which was one of the concerns.

Delbert: Did not they come from the old country? A different section?

Mother: [Your g-gm] I really don't know.

PJ: My dad had 900 dollars, and Mary only came no Freni ( Delbert: the two families are getting intermixed in this discussion)

Allen: It seems to cover both mom and Dad's families. [The families of your great-great-grandparents.]

Allen says PJ preached in high German. Some of these words are in high German,

Mother: the grandfather 84? [g-g-gf] My father? [g-gf] 84-85?

Delbert: who were some of the first people to come to this community? Was your dad [g-g-gf] one of those?

PJ: Yes, he was some of the first. But some went to KS

Allen: Some of Dad's first cousins were in KS. I remember Chris Gerhing; we knew his as "Kleine chris" he was kinda small.

Delbert: Dad had some brothers that came with him too.

PJ: They landed in NY and then from there they went to SD. Jacob Vetter is mentioned. (so we think he was naming the honorable men who came with him.)

Allen: Vetter is a distinguished way of saying some one's name. More of an upgrade to their name. Jacob Vetter, It is used among the ladies too.

Stella: [My Aunt Stella, Delbert's wife.] Was great-grandpa married when they came across?

PJ: Oh, yes.

Delbert: Dad and Uncle Pete were born

Mother: [g-g-gm] and Susan

Delbert: your grandfather did not come over? Did he stay in Russia

PJ: no, no, he was dead already. Gross vater and Grossmater.[g-g-gparents].. Jake Albrecht. He could write a book

Allen: Dad and Menno Albrecht [not sure:-)]- when they first went to Bethel, they went by bicycle. The roads were dirt and gravel. After dad [g-g-gf] married they went by car. It was just Emma and Edna stayed here. Dad and Menno went to Bethel for the school term. Paul was born in KS. The girls stayed with mom's relation.

Pete Albrecht was Menno's Dad. Once dad [g-g-gf - "elected" means received the pastorship of the North Church] got elected, he wanted to get more education. He served 'til 1908 until 1934's. Early on, the community recognized his leadership in the church.

Delbert: a family tree

PJ: Yes, a family tree.

Allen: I heard dad [g-g-gf] preach many times. One Sunday in German, one Sunday in English. Dad preferred to read the scripture in German because he said it was so much clearer, then he would translate the meaning to the congregation.

Mother: [g-g-gm I don't know what this date refers to.] 1899.