Happy Holidays - Where we come from?

Happy Holidays! Yes, best wishes to you and yours, no matter what holiday(s) you do or do not celebrate. If not happy and joyous, at least tolerable and as non-sucky as possible. :) :)

Yes, my New Year's resolution is to post more frequently. I've kind of set a goal of one quality post per month, but things like real work, travel, and, uh, other priorities make that sometimes not happen.

How about this? Make ya a deal? You comment more, I'll post more.

Deal? :)

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One thing I would like to share with you is some commentary on where the readers of this blog come from, meaning where they heard about it, where they clicked on a link, etc. It's very interesting to go through the logs, as it's really a guestbook so to speak. :)

The most worldly of the visitors here seem to come from Rangefinder Forum, where I have a "My Blog" link in the footer of my posts. Looking at the log today I see hits from Croatia, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Latvia, Sweden, Aus-trail-ya (that's me trying to fake an Aussie accent), Malaysia, the list goes on and on.

I have a "My Blog" link on several other sites, and yes, they do generate hits. If you feel like leaving a comment as to where you came from, or where you reside, please do so. :)

Google does index the Blogspot blogs quite well, and it seems that about 1/3 of the non-regular visitors here get here by way of some kind of Google image or verbal search.

It's kind of interesting to see what people are searching for when they end up here.

By far, the most common Google search that seems to land here is a search for "Dido Albert Federowich", a name apparently used as a copyright trap in some maps. In doing a quickie Google search this morning for Dido Albert Federowich, this blog comes up as the first item on the first page. (Wow, and people pay thousands for so-called search engine optimization!)

The original article is HERE.

Of course Google asked me: Did you mean: dido albert fedorowich ? :) LOL! :)

And yes, I'm still in search of any reference at all to Dido Albert Federowich unrelated to an obscure street named in his memory. :)

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Another non-street which is occasionally searched for is Querulous Street, yes, another semi-obvious copyright trap.

A writer covering the annual Berkshire-Hathaway big too-doo really "bit" on this one!

In Pilgrimage to Warren Buffett's Omaha, Jeff Matthews refers to "A street called Querulous" and does describe the approximate location (but not the street itself) quite well. :)

It's very obvious that he never visited Querulous Street, or the blog entry. :)

You can read about it HERE, assuming the link still works. :)

You can see actual photos of Querulous Street HERE, just scroll down about half way to the "Where the names have no streets" heading. :)

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The surprising one is the number of hits I've received from queries along the line of how to pronounce "Schermerhorn" or "Joralemon", both streets in downtown Brooklyn, to which I made a passing remark.

Those who don't care can skip the next paragraph. :)

If you came here with such a search, Schermerhorn is usually pronounced "sker-mer-horn" with an infrequent "shure-mer-horn" heard occasionally. Joralemon isn't that simple, but if you pronounce it "jor-al-mon", close to the way it's spelled, you won't raise any eyebrows. To be more authentic, kind of blend that first "o" into somewhat of a mix between "o" and "e" and add a very weak unstressed "e" to the beginning of the last syllable. (So? Is it "van-wick" or is it "van-wike"?) :)

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I do get a number of people searching for what appears to be an old favorite restaurant here. Sorry, I really don't have any more information on any of those I've mentioned, although I would appreciate comments from anyone who does. :)

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Another semi-frequent search which lands here is a search for Jim Baldwin, the long-time hermit of Fontenelle Forest. My original blog entry which mentions Jim is HERE.

Sorry, I don't know any more about Jim, his family, or his homestead days. I would suggest contacting the Fontenelle Nature Association, as they will be the most likely ones to know more.

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Anyway, I do wish everyone Happy Holidays and I thank all for visiting. (I also thank those who commented. >>HINT<<) :) See ya in 2010! :)