2014: Excitement Awaits

It's that time. 

You see it everywhere, in various formats. Resolutions, goals, changing direction, adapting, thinking "outside the box," etc., etc., etc. Most small business owners, corporate employees and entrepreneurs go through some sort of directional process at the end of one year, the beginning of the next. I believe its an important ritual for many of us; determining where we've been, where we want to be, what we see for ourselves. Giving yourself a direction to move in gives the minuscule tasks of daily life a bigger purpose, right?


I am no different, and have been pondering my options for a few weeks now. Last year, I did decide to follow the example set by Chris Brogan, and created my vision of 2013 around three words (read about my 2013 selection here). It worked. I was able to maintain focus on those three words, and what I had created around them, for the entire year, and I was successful in many of the goals I had created for myself.


This year, another three words have been chosen to reflect what I want to see for myself and my business in 2014.

Coaching: I see coaching in a lot of what I do already, and I really, really enjoy it. I love helping people learn, whether it is through a one-on-one session on Skype, using a tool like #genchat, or speaking to a live audience. One thing 2013 proved to me is that my future is not dependent on doing traditional client work in order to function in the professional realm of genealogy; I can branch into a variety of different area's to engage an audience and create a viable income stream. The enjoyment I get from brainstorming sessions, developing new ideas, and just allowing my creative nature to help me in exploring this very academic world is hard to duplicate any where else in my business life. Coaching - in all its various forms - allows me to continue to do all of those things I enjoy so much. I spent a great deal of time in 2013 developing the platforms that I plan on expanding on in 2014 to continue to coach, both other people as well as myself.


Adventure: There are so many opportunities for adventure in the genealogy industry. Consider that every time you volunteer for a new project, develop a new personal interest, engage in some sort of self-education... that is an adventure! I have two significant volunteer projects lined up for 2014, which I am very excited about: Co-Chair of The NextGen Genealogy Network, which started in 2013, of course; and I will be assisting an already amazing team with the social media for the Preserve the Pensions Project on behalf of the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS).  Other adventures await, I know, such as continuing the ProGen study group, attending conferences, and developing my personal research interests in fraternal societies and mining records.


Innovate: I used the word "innovate" a lot already in the later half of 2013, and I think its important enough to continue the theme. In looking ahead to 2014, I see a lot of opportunity, some that is not fully taken advantage of from a business perspective, in this industry as a whole. Those ideas are good, they just need follow through (for me, this includes some of the projects I have started already as well as those I see others' doing). The concept of "innovate" in the new year means not only to create new concepts, but also to take what is already there and bring it forward. To keep the momentum rolling behind an already proven concept.


There it is. My plan, concept and outline of 2014. There are many sub-categories and bulleted lists behind it all (I'm way too type A to not have those), but I love the idea of three concepts I can stand behind for the year. It allows for a more streamlined focus as I move through daily life, becomes more realistic in general to maintain, and to be honest, three words are way easier to remember than a two page list of goals!

Going Adventuring!

There are fewer things in this world that my husband and I enjoy together than "going adventuring!"  Generally speaking, we pick a road, an area, an interest we have not explored yet and just go. Pack a few snacks, the camera, and the rain gear, and we hit the road. Of course, now we're taking the little one, too, which adds a whole new element.

On Mother's Day, 2012, we went adventuring. I loved every minute of it; snow, rain, wind, sun and all.

Since we're still fairly new to Breckenridge, Colorado, we stayed local. Hoping to find "old stuff", we turned onto Tiger Road and just kept going. Thanks to the Atlas of Colorado Ghost Towns, Volume II by Leanne C. Boyd and H. Glenn Carson, (Cache Press, 1985) and The New Summit Hiker and Ski Touring Guide by Mary Ellen Gilliland (Alpenrose Press, 2002), we had a vague idea that there was something out there to see. Old mining camps and towns such as Swanville, Parkville, Preston and Royal Tiger awaited us. We just had to find them.

The map in the Atlas we brought along wasn't excellent, but it gave us a rough idea. We stopped at a few places, walked into the woods a bit. Found a washed out bridge and for our daughter, some very cool rocks. We kept going.

Eventually, we had to turn back for home. On the way in, however, we had seen some leftover mining features that we wanted to explore, so we had those to check off the list first. Our first stop, we hit the jack pot. It was such a great little alcove of history!

(All images are Copyright Jen Baldwin, Ancestral Journeys, 2012. 

Thank you for asking permission before use.)

There was a wooden structure on top of the tailing pile you could see from the road. It looked to us like an entrance to a mine, but we did not climb up to explore further.

Immediately adjacent to the tailing pile, were these pieces. Appears to be an old water wheel and possibly some structure that was put in place to keep everything together. Hard to tell, and I'm certainly no expert.

About 100 yards down the trail, was this, just off in the trees, very close to the stream. 

And right next to that... a sluice? Also, someone had come along before us and collected all these nearby artifacts and laid them out for all to see. Pieces of porcelain, metal, old shoes and glass. Interesting to look through. 

One of the pieces still had identifying marks on it. 

We kept walking. Very quickly came upon this "dump" of tin cans and broken dishes. It went on forever! The pics below are the "more interesting" items we stumbled upon. 

Broken pieces, some with marks, and some with existing color. The blue piece was some kind of rough pottery. 

There were piles of these little guys. They looked like the bottoms of bottles, broken apart. We had no idea what they were... best guess was possibly some kind of explosive used in the mine?  One side was flat, obviously, the outside of the container, and they were all broken in the same way and the same rough size.

One of the more distinct pieces of porcelain with its pattern still very clear and the colors distinct. 

This can was interesting because you can still make out some of the lettering on it... two words, the second of which is "ALBERT"

More walking led to this gem; a small cabin or mine opening in the woods. Sat right alongside the road we were walking on. 

Two rooms, and a very intentional flat roof, which made us think it was a cabin intended for human shelter. It was very low, however, so perhaps it was an entrance to a mine? 

Square tin can, versus the round ones that were certainly more prominent. 

Two pieces that my husband was able to fit back together. You can tell which side was exposed and which was laying against the ground. Notice one piece has a small gold 8 stamped on it. 

Another piece with good color. Not sure what the metal next to it is. 

Two pieces laying nearby each other, obviously from the same pattern/dish. 

On the way home, finally, we saw a moose munching in the bushes. Do you see him? 

Neither my husband nor I are incredibly knowledgeable about the lives of miners in the late 1800's in Summit County, Colorado, however, we are working towards learning more. According to one of our area trail maps, this could be a "mine dump" area, which would indicate to me that this is where various people brought their garbage - it certainly looks that way - and I've read about these sites before. What a fascinating journey into the daily lives of the predominant culture in this area! 

If you have knowledge of any of these items, or expertise in this time frame, we would certainly love to hear from you. Please feel free to comment below or send an email/message. 

All in all, we had a fantastic day. I invite you to "go adventuring" and get lost exploring your own regional history.