My roots are from the United Kingdom
April 25, 2009
My Roots Map
I’ve finally been able to track my roots back on both my mother’s and father’s side of the family. On my father’s side, my lineage tracks back to Peter Gaunt who migrated from Lincolnshire, England in 1632. Although he didn’t arrive on the Mayflower, he was part of the Pilgrims when he arrived in Lynn, MA and settled into Sandwich, MA. There are a number of historical papers from the town of Sandwich where Peter is mentioned. On my mother’s side, I am a descendant from Robert Griffith of Anglesey, Wales. He migrated to America between 1722 and 1750 and settled into Allegheny, PA. While he is from Wales, most of his ancestors are from Ireland. He married a McDowell from Ireland so I’m most definitely a good blend of English and Irish. One of the interesting stories I found was that I had a Griffith grandfather who was a corporal in the Continental Army and met his wife in Pennsylvania while he was serving.
Leander defeats Cedar Park for playoff berth
April 25, 2009
The stakes were high when the Cedar Park Lady Timberwolves hosted the Leander Lady Lions friday night in a district battle to see who would qualify for the UIL softball playoffs. It was a very well-played game that turned into a pitches duel until the late innings. Neither team mounted a serious offensive threat until the top of the 7th when Leander had base runners on 2nd and 3rd and failed to score. The game went into extra innings with Leander again putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. But this time, they capitalized by bringing in the game-winning run. Congratulations Leander and Cedar Park both!
Be sure to click the picture to see all the photos from the game.
Scubaland launches new dive club
April 17, 2009
More information can be found on Scubaland’s dive club website.
Scubaland Adventures is dedicated to delivering some of the best dive club events possible. If you would like to join one of the most active dive groups in Austin, subscribe to the Yahoo news group. You will receive the latest information on dive club events and other relevant topics to Austin divers.
Win a $100 gift certificate!
Design our 2009 dive club t-shirt.Send submissions to mlutz@scubaland.com by March 31st.
1 Year Memberships
Individual $45 Couple $75 Family $99Membership Benefits
Free Club T-Shirt
15% Discount on all equipment purchases
Reduced entry fees to events
Early notification of special offers
Some of the events we have planned for 2009…
Check out some of the activities that we have planned for this year. If you see something interesting, let us know. If you would like to make some suggestions for group activities, contact Mike Lutz at mlutz@scubaland.com. We’d like to have your help and suggestions.
In cooperation with the dive club Scubaland is also supporting Dive Around Texas, a statewide effort to organize Texas divers to take advantage of all the great local diving that Texas has to offer. Checkout the Dive Around Texas website to learn about local dive destinations and all the great prizes you can win. Sign up at any Scubaland location!
Dive Around Texas
April 17, 2009
DiveAroundTexas.com challenges Texas divers to get out and explore some of the great diving that Texas has to offer. Texas is blessed with over 30 different incredible dive spots including rivers, quarries, lakes, and the Gulf of Mexico. DiveAroundTexas.com is about divers going diving in Texas and receiving the chance to win prizes and awards based on the number of verified dives you have in your Logbook. The more times you dive in Texas, the better your chance to win valuable prizes and trips.
The Program launches Saturday, February 14th, 2009. Any certified diver is invited to sign up. Sign up is simple. Stop by a Scubaland Adventures and get signed up. For a $25.00 registration fee you will receive an Event T shirt. Upon your completion of the Challenge you will receive one ticket to the lunch at the Awards Recognition Day in San Marcos on Saturday, September 26th, 2009.
The rules are simple. Get with your dive buddies and dive a minimum of 12 times in at least 4 different dive locations in Texas. See the Texas Parks and Wildlife brochure: ‘Scuba Diving in Texas’ for ideas on where to go. After each dive around Texas, stop by Scubaland and have them verify your dive in your personal logbook with the special ‘Dive Around Texas’ stamp. Continue to dive in Texas as often as you like, the more times you dive the more ‘stickers’ you receive for a chance to win Prizes and Trips at the Awards Recognition Day on September 26th.
Drysuit diving - I loved it!
April 14, 2009
I got a chance to dive dry for my 1st time yesterday when John Linsdsey from Scubaland taught me about drysuits. I’ve got to admit, when I got into the pool for the 1st time, I was longing for my trusty wetsuit that I was so used to. I found the drysuit very bulky and the buoyancy control just plain awful. Think about it - you’re essentially wearing a balloon and you’re riding an air bubble. For those of you that remember your openwater classes - remember how strange the hover felt? Well, just imagine riding an air bubble that moves on you - from your legs to you neck just with changing positions.
Well, I completed all the required skills but still felt aprehensive about going to the lake. What a difference a few more gallons of water make and actually getting some depth make. The water was 59. I dove the lake last year in a 5M with a 5M hooded vest. I lasted 35 minutes and refused to do another dive I was so cold. Yesterday, I did 2 dives with the last one being an hour and came up plenty warm. I learned to love that little bubble of air and got more comfortable doing some strange moves to get the air where I needed it. Any major change in swimming position alters the bubble so moves have to be slower - which is good because of the bulk of the suit itself. The coolest part is hanging upside down where you can feel yourself suspended by your feet.
So….. I liked it. I need to dive it more (which I’ll do this weekend helping out an advanced class) to get more comfortable with it. I liked the fact I came out of the water and wasn’t cold. It wasn’t cold getting in. And best of all, I got to dive Windy Point where John and I were the only 2 divers in the water. The viz was pretty good in most spots and I got to see the biggest catfish ever. I was tempted to put a hook and line in his mouth but he could of eaten me alive. He was a good 4 1/2 foot long and had a head 1 foot wide. He was inside a sailboat.
Who Pays Taxes - from Washington Post
April 10, 2009
Who Pays Taxes
The super-rich can’t plug the budget gap on their own.
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Friday, April 10, 2009; Page A16
THE CONGRESSIONAL Budget Office recently released some details of U.S. tax liabilities that should dispel myths on both sides of the budget debate. The numbers will be particularly useful in informing the discussion when tax increases for households other than the super-rich are finally on the table — and like it or not, once the economy has recovered, they will be.
In 2006, the top 20 percent of earners paid 70 percent of all federal taxes. On average, they paid 26 percent of their income to the government. The very richest — the top 1 percent of taxpayers, with household incomes of over $332,000 — paid 28 percent of all taxes, with an effective tax rate of 31 percent. The middle three quintiles paid rates of 10, 14 and 18 percent. The lowest 20 percent of households paid only 0.8 percent of all federal taxes — and the bottom 90 percent of households paid only 45 percent.
Based on these numbers, it would be hard to argue that the country doesn’t already have a significantly progressive tax system. Taxes aren’t just for suckers, with cashiers paying more of their income than corporate chief executives. Nor is the system egregiously stacked against the wealthy — who, after all, receive the bulk of the income. The top quintile earned over 55 percent of the income, and the top 1 percent earned a full 19 percent of all income.
This matters because the simple truth is that in the coming years, taxes will have to go up to help close the government’s gaping fiscal hole. Much of the budget gap should be covered by spending cuts, but judging from recent budget proposals by both parties, neither has an appetite for reductions anywhere near what will be needed.
When taxes go up, they should be increased in a way that makes the tax code more progressive. Income inequality has widened for the past three decades, and it only makes sense for those who have benefited to pay more. But there is a limit to how much the tippy top should bear. President Obama has promised that taxes will not be increased for families making under $250,000. That is a promise that will probably have to be dropped down the road. There just isn’t enough revenue to be found above that figure unless we create a system so lopsided that voters would always want more government spending because it would come at such a low price.
The commonly used political definition of “rich” has crept up in recent years from $100,000 to $250,000. Either that definition is going to have to change again, or we will have to come to terms with the fact that the middle class will have to face higher tax burdens, too.
Hmmm..could I really be royalty?
April 7, 2009
I’ve been doing research on our family name starting with my dad’s side. I’ll post the lineage when I get everything mapped, but part of our family tree traces directly back to King Edward III of England. Turns out that the Gantt surname is really the English spelling of “Ghent”. All of our family is from Lincolnshire which as you can see was part of the land holdings of John. Anyway, I found it kind of interesting. I was so hoping that my family tree at least forked!
Prince John of Gaunt
(1340-1399)
Born: March 1340 at St. Baron, Ghent, Flanders
Duke of Lancaster
King of Castile & Leon
Died: 3rd February 1399
at Leicester Castle, Leicestershire
This prince, the fourth son of King Edward III and Queen Philippa, was born at Ghent (or Gaunt) in Flanders, in 1340. In his infancy, he was created Earl of Richmond and, by that title, admitted into the Order of the Garter upon the death of Thomas Holland, Earl of Kent, one of the original knights. In 1359, at Reading Abbey in Berkshire, he married Blanche, the younger of the two daughters and co-heirs of Henry, Duke of Lancaster, and upon the death of his father-in-law, in 1361, he was advanced to that Dukedom. He further held, in right of his wife, the Earldoms of Derby, Lincoln and Leicester, and the high office of Steward of England. Of less prestige perhaps, but of no less import to the people of Berkshire, he also became Lord of the Manor of Hungerford and to that people of that town he presented his hunting horn and a charter granting them the rich fishing rights on the River Kennet.
For those of you interested, here’s a picture of where Lincolnshire is located:
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Doing a little freelance work with Hill Country News
April 4, 2009
The Hill Country News is a local paper that covers mostly the Williamson country (Cedar Park and Leander) areas of Texas. It’s a great paper that has alot of articles that the larger Austin American Statesman doesn’t carry. It does a particularly nice job of cover the high school sports scenes. I had worked very closely with Robert Thomas taking soccer pictures. Well……I got a call this week to help take more sports shots to help out. It’s something I was interested in as I love doing photography and the chance to help out the paper too - well, that’s just fun.
So, my 1st assignment was today taking shots for the Vista Ridge boys baseball game against Westwood. I got there a little early and had a chance to watch and photograph a little bit of my 1st ever Lacrosse game. It was Vista Ridge -vs- Harker Heights. I didn’t have a clue of what was going on or the rules. But it looked like alot of fun. It was definitely alot higher scoring than baseball or soccer. After about 15 minutes of shooting, I got around to shooting the boys baseball. I stuck for the 1st 3 innings with the good guys up 4-1. You’ll have to visit the paper to see the final scores. They publish updates every Tuesday and Friday.
Had a nice time hanging w/the Gantt men
April 4, 2009
I don’t get to go back to Montgomery often, so when I had an opportunity to go there for work, I jumped at the chance to spend a little time with my dad, my brother Terry, and my newphew Lee. I hung out with my dad and Joy when I 1st got into town.
The picture of the restaurant in my pictures was where we went to eat. I never eat catfish, but definitely did that night. And some great crab claws too. The next day, dad and I went to Lake Martin where my brother has a lake house. We hooked up w/Lee who had just gotten in from a hunting trip. We packed up the boat and headed to Lake Martin for a little striper fishing. I mostly took pictures which was good cause the fish just weren’t biting until the end of the day. Got some great shots of pop wrestling those bad boys on the boat.
I stayed the night w/Terry before heading back into Montgomery. On my way back, I drove through Tallassee and took some shots of my dad’s old house and where my uncle Raymond still lives. The road is paved now, but wasn’t when I was growing up. It brought back alot of good memories of riding go-carts down the road and picking wild blackberries. I then went to the Gantt cemetery and took pictures of all the headstones. I intend to do a full geanology search. I’ve been able to partial track our lineage on dad’s side but wanted to get all the names I could so I could do a full search. And then it was onto work!
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