* CHANGING E-MAIL ADDRESSES? * PHOTOGRAPHING TOMBSTONES * SHOPS * KUDOS * IN APPRECIATION * CURRENT STATS CHANGING E-MAIL ADDRESSES? If you are changing your e-mail address, do not rely on automated notification systems to get your address changed on RAOGK. You need to manually do this yourself by going to http://www.raogk.org/change.html If you are subscribed to one of the mailing lists, you can go to the list pages to change your address. RAOGK-L: http://lists.raogk.org/mailman/listinfo/raogk-l RAOGK-Chat: http://lists.raogk.org/mailman/listinfo/raogk-chat ***************** PHOTOGRAPHING TOMBSTONES Does your act of kindness include going to cemeteries? Do you go to get inscriptions off the tombstones and/or to take photos of the grave site? Below are some tips to make your trips more successful. If you have your own tip/trick when going to cemeteries please feel free to drop us a note at feedback@raogk.org with the subject "Cemeteries". Taking cemetery photos is usually a simple thing to do. Receiving a nice, unobstructed, legible photo of an ancestor's tombstone is everyone's hope. However, sometimes you will find a tombstone that is too dark, overgrown with plant life or just plain dirty to achieve such a snapshot. To help you get those good photos, try these ideas. Assemble a 'cemetery kit'. To carry everything in the kit you can use a backpack or one of our RAOGK Genealogy bags we sell in our shops (http://www.cafepress.com/raogk.21095888). The genealogy bag is large enough to hold all you need, and the color is bright enough that you'll spot it easily enough if you happen to lay it down and walk away from it. Some items to include in your kit would be: 1. Camera (of course). But make sure your batteries are fully charged and your memory card is installed (or film in your camera). 2. A one-gallon pump sprayer (the type for weeds) filled with clean water 3. A soft bristled brush with a long handle. A dish brush works well. 4. An old towel or several rags. 5. Wooden Popsicle-type sticks 6. Hand-held grass shears 7. Garden gloves 8. A silver reflective auto windshield screen 9. Sun screen and bug repellent 10. A blanket, towel or piece of plastic to put down on damp ground 11. Cell phone Upon arrival at the cemetery why not take a photo of the entrance or an overall shot of the cemetery. We've been told how appreciative people are when they receive these 'extras.' Once you locate the grave site, give it a good once over to see what you might have to do to 'prep' it for a great snapshot. Trim any stray grass or overgrown weeds with your grass sheers. If the stone is an older stone, you may need to do some things with it. While using your garden gloves gently rub the surface, many times this is all that is necessary to clean it off a bit. It is probably best, especially if you are using a digital camera, to take a photo after each step to see if you need to continue. If the stone still doesn't look very good, more work needs to be done. Please remember when prepping tombstones to photograph to do no harm to them. Do not use anything on the stone that contains chemicals (remember the large water-filled spray bottle) or abrasive material (remember the soft bristled brush and/or soft rags). Spraying the lettering with water and letting it set for a bit may bring out the inscription enough for a good shot. If that doesn't work you may want to go over it with your soft bristled brush. If a lot of dirt is embedded in the lettering use a wooden stick to trace the letters to make them easier to see. Then another spray and brush, with a final rinse to get all the dirty water removed from the stone. Blot gently with a towel and then get a final photo. If the location is on the shady side of the cemetery using the reflective windshield screen will help to direct the light onto the marker. As a final step you may want to get a photo of the stone and the surrounding area, especially if it appears to be a family plot. ***************** SHOPS RAOGK Logo Shop: http://www.cafepress.com/raogk/ Genealogy For You: http://www.cafepress.com/genealogyforyou In an above paragraph I mentioned we had a RAOGK shop. The shop sells items from t-shirts to coffee mugs, from Genealogy (aka Messenger) Bags to Tote bags, from caps/hats to baby bibs. A few new items have become available this month to add to the shops. I have added most of them to the RAOGK Logo, but am not completely finished. Available now are Greeting Cards available as a single card, 10 pack or 20 packs. Two types of stock are available for these cards: acid free matte, and one sided glossy. Also new are smaller sized note cards in 10 or 20 pk. These cards are also available in the choice of finishes. RAOGK also has a 'sister' shop called Genealogy For You, and this shop has general genealogy designs. Sad to say none of the new cards are yet available on that site, but will be soon. The Genealogy (aka Messenger) Bag is also available with various designs, check them out if you'd like: http://www.cafepress.com/genealogyforyou?s=genealogyforyou&type=18 For a limited time only (and hopefully still on by the time this newsletter is sent), Cafepress.com is having a sale on t-shirts: by 3 get one free. Some restrictions do reply and the dark shirts are not available in this sale. Limited to one free shirt per order, free shirt must be of equal or lesser value as purchased shirts and cannot exceed a retail price of USD $30.00. Promotion cannot be combined with any other offers. Shirt sales subject to this promotion are not eligible for refunds, exchange only. ***************** KUDOS: http://www.raogk.org/thankyou/ The month of July saw kudos written about: Diane Kropp (Texas), Karen Stopp (Pennsylvania), Jackie Summers (Utah), Odette Franssen (Netherlands), Rich Boyer (Pennsylvania), Linda Swalin (Minnesota), Carl Smith (California), Kim Marie Fischer (Florida), Smiley Scott (Oklahoma), Robert Cress [2](Colorado), Nancy Clack (Florida), Bill Caldwell (Tennessee), Cindy Blandine (Washington), Caron Tait (Oregon), Cathy Wentz-Eisenstadt (Pennsylvania), Minerva Osborne (Kentucky), David Minton (New Mexico), Peggy Smith (Oklahoma), Pete Nocks (Indiana), Tim Robinson (Maryland), Deb Holden (North Carolina), Wanda Ridge (Arkansas), Maryann Martel (Massachusetts), Paul Kannowski (Texas), Linda Medford (New York) ***************** IN APPRECIATION Every month we received contributions from researchers and volunteers alike. We are most appreciative of these donation. Some contributions, however contain notes which will name a specific volunteer who has been such a great help. The month of July saw Anne Sears (Illinois), Barbara Sansob (Connecticut), Barry, Judy and Cherilyn (New South Wales), Mike (Manchester), Cindy Blandine (Washington) mentioned on contributions. Our hats go off to those volunteers and all the unnamed wonders we have on our site as well. A great big THANK YOU goes out to one and all who have helped RAOGK to continue to be a presence online. Your purchases through one of our stores or by sending a contribution via PayPal or check are very much appreciated. http://www.raogk.org/support.html ***************** CURRENT STATS Last month: 4066 This month: 4055 New: 69 Left: 39 Staff removals*: 42 June Requests (through July 29, 2007): USA volunteers received: 5,205 NON-USA volunteers received: 548 *Staff removals are those folks whose e-mail address has been reported bouncing and confirmed or volunteers who, over the course of trying many times, did not respond back to requesters or staff. The STAFF thanks you for volunteering and until next month. . . . . . THE STAFF Bridgett, Michele, Bill, Anja, Terri, Nancy, Jo, Bonnie, Melissa, Brenda, Dennis, Kathy, Jeniann and Doc, the Tech Guru