Sunday, August 28, 2016

Hardscrabble Road Bike Crash

Wednesday, August 24, 2016.

I was riding to meet Linda on the way to see Saul's family in Andover, VT.
From Thursday's note:
I am writing from the ICU at UVMMC. I'm recovering from a crash on my way to Bristol.

There was a power line down on the Bristol Roan so traffic  was rerouted to Hardscrabble Road.
The road turned dirt and that's the last I remember until I was in the Ambulance.
Dan Cogswell sat with me me in the road. I had a concussion even with the helmet.
Broken scapula, clavicle an ribs. I can type one finger.

I hope to be discharged today.

=== Here is an update. Sunday at home after a visit by Hazel, Saul and Laura.

I talked to Dan Cogswell, who had brought my bike to my house.
Bristol Rescue was on the scene in about 20 minutes and took me to UVMMC.

Dan told me that a young man was first on the scene and called 911.
There was no evidence that I had been run off the road or been hit by a car.
But there was a garter snake with a bike tire mark in the road next to me.
The current hypothesis is that I spilled after hitting the snake or trying to avoid it.
I have no memory of anything after a short stop to have half a sandwich.
Dan said the road was flat and I was on the right side.

The xrays confirm cracks in my scapula, clavicle and three ribs. You can see the pieces of my clavicle and the gaping fissure in my scapula. But that does not seem to be at an important junction of forces. I continue to improve. I can lift my left arm high with support.


The concussion continues to have effects. I'm napping a lot and slowly checking in  with friends and family. Thanks for all your good wishes.

Monday, August 8, 2016

Beth WRIGHT and Ted Bloch

I had a delightful couple of conversations with my third cousin Ted Bloch and his mother Beth née Wright.  Beth was given the name Beulah, but she changed it to Beth when she got married.

Beth is in an assisted living arrangement in New Orleans. She will celebrate her 90th birthday soon with a trip to Europe on a cruise which will pass near Colmar and Wintzenheim in the Alsace region where Emile Bloch, Ted's great-grandfather was born in 1824. Ted asked if I could help him use JewishGen to find more of the Bloch family there.

I found was the town page for Wintzenheim/Winzenheim, which is close to Colmar.

There are links on that page to other resources; JewishGen French SIG and JewishGen Ger SIG which may be helpful. (Nearby is the town of Turkheim, where Sally Steinhardt's husband David Turkheimer's family is from.)


While looking at FamilySearch I found a Louisiana Naturalization record for Emile Bloch which Ted may not have seen.

Hannah Banks is another researcher on Ancestry who has a record for Emile Bloch, but she does not show any ancestors. She does show his brother Leon Bloch and a link to his grave. Ted already his a photo of his gravestone.