In 1902, four men decided to form a life insurance company to serve the Lutheran population. Today the result is a Fortune 500 company that has over three million members. One of the founders is our ancestor Gottlieb Ziegler. 
We visited the AAL (now called Thrivent) complex just off of N. Ballard and Apple Creek Roads to re-learn the history of the institution....
The main office building used to be in downtown Appleton. In 1977, AAL moved out to the country and built a new complex. In fact, some of the Ziegler descendants sold part of their land to help form the Thrivent compound.
The chapel from the downtown office, built in 1967 was moved in total out to the new building. In 2002, AAL merged with a similar service from Minnesota, Lutheran Brothers.
The cornerstones of the non-profit organization are that you must be Lutheran to join and they must sell life insurance. They give away millions of dollars per year to support charities, typically to the tune of $150M per year.
A Trip to the Aid Association for Lutherans in Appleton Monday, August 31, 2009
La Canada-Flintridge Fire - Eye Witness Report Saturday, August 29, 2009
The forecast for Marina Del Rey today is 89 degrees and smokey ... amazing, its never that hot at the beach and the smoke might be from the Rancho Palos Verdes Fire or the La Canada-Flintridge Fire.
I had to make a trip to Burbank today --- for a DNA seminar. As I drove up the 405 to the 101, I looked out to the East and North and couldn't believe what I saw..... [UPDATED Sept. 1 with photo]
There was a smoke plume as big as something from an atomic bomb or a volcano eruption! Really incredible. One of those experiences that remind you how small and helpless humans are in comparison to Mother Nature.
Fire days always make for a weird feeling in the air ... as I drove over the crest of the Sepulveda Pass, I could see that the San Fernando Valley was completely filled with smoke!
There were so many cars with flat tires or over heated on the side of the highway today ... Then at one point, a couple of big streams of water were falling from an overpass onto the 101 -- there were a few small signs posted "Flooded". Good day to have chosen to keep the top up on the convertible.
As I exited the 101 at Buena Vista, I could see that the air was much more smokey ... the thermometer in the car read 97 degrees. Wow, imagine being a fire fighter with all that gear on ... They are amazing!
When I got out of the car in Burbank, the air smelled pretty bad! So I hurried into the library. I hope the fire gets under some containment today.
Later when I maneuvered the car onto the 5 S, the Mercury hit 109! I had a view of the whole back part of the LA Basin ... and a good 1/3 of it seemed to be engulfed in smoke.
Genealogy Research Trip to Northeastern Wisconsin Summer 2009 Friday, August 28, 2009
In the second to last week of August, I had the luck to travel to Northeastern Wisconsin, specifically the Lower Fox River Valley, or the area from Lake Winnebago to Green Bay, to meet up with living relatives and view the general area in which ancestors from both my maternal and paternal sides settled in the mid to late 1800s. I tried to do as much research ahead of time on salient addresses. I really had no idea what I was in for.... dairy farms, paper mills, lake flies, and ancestors, oh my!
From LAX, I changed planes at ORD (with a walk from one end of the airport to the other), I hopped a small plane to ATW. There was a big storm front in Wisconsin and Michigan; when I arrived at ATW, I learned that my dad's flight had been canceled and he would arrive the next evening instead .... bummer. At least my Bostonian cousins had arrived safely!
Christian Frederich Ziegler and Anna Maria Koehler Ziegler Descendant Reunion Thursday, August 27, 2009
Had a fantastic time in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, at the Descendant Reunion. Not only did we meet up with contemporary relatives, we also toured the old homestead and neighborhood, churches and cemeteries around Center and Freedom. Met 17 blood relatives that are all descendants. We also toured Black Creek, Bay Settlement, and Green Bay -- lots was accomplished in this first of many visits! I'll be detailing what we did in a series of upcoming posts. This post is a special welcome to all of Christian's and Anna Maria's descendants to this blog!!
Get the scoop - read on!Earthquake -- Small One Monday, August 17, 2009
Had another earthquake this evening just West of the 5 and 14 interchange or Newhall Pass.
View Larger Map It was a 2.6. I didn't exactly feel it ... but had a weird sense that an earthquake just happened.
Just Wide Shoes - DC Chelsea Skate Shoes
I'm always desperate to find good quality and fun shoes that support my wide feet but don't make me look like I have one foot in the grave. I had been wanting to get some of those Rocket Dog shoes that they have at DSW but they are too narrow. Today I found some more fun shoes that come in Women's Wide!
They come in many colors! What's your favorite? I had trouble deciding between the crazy pink/white and the ocean. Usually I go for blue ... but today I didn't! I found them at Dick's Sporting Goods and they were on sale! Almost 1/2 the price listed here. I show the red/black shoes because I remember Dick's having some of the fancier colors - but I don't know if they come in wide or not.
If you have other ideas on good places to locate wide shoes, please let the readers and writers of "From a Sandy Beach ..." know.
Gettin' th' Blues On at Club 705 Sunday, August 16, 2009
It was the last Doug MacLeod appearance in the South Bay for 2009... it was supposed to be in someone's back yard - our good friend's annual Blues BBQ - but we found ourselves at Club 705 on Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach instead. No matter; we hadn't been to Club 705 in quite awhile ... if ever, and found it to be quite comfy - almost like having a party in your own home. It was clean, had a nice ambiance, and made you feel like settling in to listen to the artist of the night. The cover was only $10 per person.
The night's show was Doug on guitar/vocals/stories, Denny on base, and Jack on drums. As usual, all were entertaining. The first song of the night was "Brand New Day" an upbeat song letting folks know that if they are lucky enough to wake up again the next day "in the same bed in which they went to sleep", they should remember to make the most of it. Besides the blues-y chords and melodies, I love to hear the stories that go with each song (see the MP3 widget in the upper left sidebar to hear some snippets). I guess that's part of Doug's success and why he is called the "Storytelling Bluesman". We were lucky to come away with an autographed CD - "The Utrecht Sessions" -
and some good times with friends too. I found out that Doug has a DVD and a Blues 101 book too. Here's a link to Doug's tour schedule We'll catch up with him again when he returns to the area. We wish him and his crew safe travels and also a speedy recovery for our Blues BBQ host and hope to be outside again in 2010. More on Doug MacLeod here.
Helpful Definitions for "Cousins" and "Removed" Tuesday, August 11, 2009
In meeting many distant relatives over the past year ... there are a few terms that are still a bit confusing! I continue to use the relationship calculator in my family tree database software for confirmation. I have yet to meet anyone who was beyond a 4th cousin relationship ... maybe I'll get lucky in 2009! This may be partly because for most of my family tree branches, I only know the names of my 3rd great-grand parents right now and none beyond that.
The definition of cousins
Two people who share at least one common ancestor older than your parents. Because you only need to share one common ancestor, there is no official term "half cousin"
- Your 1st cousins share at least one grand parent with you
- Your 2nd cousins share at least one great-grand parent with you
- ..... 3rd cousins ............. one great-great-grand parent .....
- ..... 4th cousins ........... one GGG-grand parent
Two people who are cousins but are in different generations with respect to the common ancestor
- Your 1st cousin's child is your "1st cousin once removed"
- Your 1st cousin's grand child is your "1st cousin twice removed"
Reference:
http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2009/07/what-is-second-cousin-once-removed.html Get the scoop - read on!
Baked Donuts and Hash Sunday, August 9, 2009
We sampled a couple of trendy new breakfast places this weekend. The first was Beach Cities Baked Donuts in Redondo Beach and the second was the Hash restaurant at Hotel Erwin in Venice. Both were interesting and worth the visit.
Beach Cities Baked Donuts is located at the corner of PCH and Beryl in Redondo Beach, California. This store location was a gelato/espresso bar and Baskin Robins before that. Stepping inside, we were pleasantly surprised to find we had left LA and arrived in Japan. The store was neat and clean with inviting seating both inside and out. The baked donuts come in a variety of flavors. We sampled a cinnamon sugar and a honey. Both reminded us of the dense cakes we have eaten in Japan. The flavor of each was pleasant and very mild. As suggested by other reviewers, these cakes go down best with hot tea or coffee. I am a huge donut fan, so while I will undoubtedly visit Baked Donuts again, I won't give up my Krispy Kreme and Randy's visits! Related Articles Yelp
Is it ironic that there's a new restaurant called "Hash" in Venice? The menu states the definition of hash is finely chopped vegetables and meats. Hash is an indoor/outdoor restaurant at Windward and Pacific in Venice, California. Both breakfast and dinner are served here. We sat at the outdoor patio, adorned with silver tables, and a circular bench with orange, yellow and gray stripped pillows all about. We sampled the buckwheat pancakes and the corn beef hash. Both were great! Its hard to find good eggs these days and the bowl of fruit was not only large, the fruit was fresh too. We'll invite our friend who won't miss a Bloody Mary next time to try out the "make your own drink". Hash is located in the Hotel Erwin, a boutique hotel that's part of the Joie de Vivre group.
Hash website
A Different Sort of Bus Saturday, August 8, 2009
Every summer from ~Memorial Day to Labor Day, the Marina del Rey Water Bus runs. For $1 you can take a one-way trip around the harbor. The bus stops at a number of locations around the harbor, including Fisherman's Village and Burton Chase Park (more details here). 
Riding the taxi around the harbor, one gets exposed to a wide variety of sights, from enormous yachts that cost untold millions to kayakers enjoying the calm waters to an ecounter with some native Californians (right) who have done well adapting to the onset of man.
Michigan Death Records 1897-1920 Thursday, August 6, 2009
A set of Michigan Death Records 1897-1920 is now on-line. I've been accessing them for the last couple of months .. and its wonderful to have them available. Not only do the records include the vital information, but each has an image of the associated death certificate as well.
What's available at the site:
Art, Sand and a Little French in Laguna Beach Monday, August 3, 2009
On a bright sunny Summer Sunday, we packed up the car and headed out South toward Laguna Beach. Our first destination was the Holiday Inn at Cleo and PCH just south of downtown. The hotel is at a great location, just a block from the beach and a half hour walk to the Festival of Arts campus at 650 Laguna Canyon Rd (hwy 133) and Laguna Bowl Rd. Our primary goal was to attend the Pageant of the Masters that evening - a show I had been trying to get tickets to see for many years .... Back in 9th or 10th grade, my World Civ teacher, Mrs. Burke, had us stage a living painting. It was clearly a memorable experience! When I moved to LA, and learned of the Pageant, I assumed she had been out to see it. (the Pageant has been staged since 1934).
With the warm day and ocean breeze calling us, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to put our feet in at a new beach. The beach wasn't wide - the scene reminded us of the beaches in Malibu, where houses are only about 20 feet from the water line and was it crowded! The light green water with gently breaking waves, was a great place for beach goers to both body surf and boogy board. Interestingly, it seemed that the Kelp and Turtle Grass grew right out of the sand at the water's edge in the tidal zone (just a few inches below the dry sand).
Forest Avenue is one of the main streets in downtown Laguna Beach. It is lined with art boutiques and a wide array of restaurants. We dined at the Brussels Bistro, located at number 222. The plate of grilled vegetables with balsamic vinegar was a fabulous meal on its own with the tomatoes, Italian squash, red, green, and yellow bell pepper and eggplant perfectly cooked. We sampled some Belgium beer - delicious as usual - and then on to entrees - mushroom and chicken in puff pastry and a combination of mushroom/chicken and ham crepes. Both highly recommended. Of course not to be missed was the coronet of French fries, hot and crispy. The atmosphere made us feel as if we in the midst of a mini-European getaway - without all the travel and time change hassle. We didn't have room for the Belgium chocolate lave cake and planned to return later that evening to indulge.
Entering through the turn style, the visitor is met by several acres of artists' stalls ... each neatly organized - a display of Italian oil landscapes here; striped glass-blown zebras there. We strolled along, listening to the live band, checking out the menus at the walk-up restaurants. Inside the theater, we found our seats, near the center of the last row in the main section. Perfect! With the aid of binoculars we zoomed in on the details of the actors' faces but also enjoyed the perspective from afar. "Would they move?", the audience silently asked themselves as the lights went up on each piece. "How was that effect created?" The mix of paintings, bronze and stone statues, and movie posters, highlighting "The Muses" throughout the ages, was entertaining -- along with the live symphonic music and interpretive narration. The first half, 45 minutes long, flew by as did the slightly shorter second half. Cushions and blankets were for rent; cameras were not allowed but a link to great backstage and on-stage photos is here (click on Pageant of the Masters). We lucked out -- it wasn't chilly at all due to the high humidity holding in the heat of the day.