Actually, ocotillos are not cacti and I publish a photo like this every year, but just in case you were wondering what people here have to rake and kids to run through in the autumn, this is it.

Maybe 99% of you are Russian bots (I doubt it) but my thanks to all of you who visit this web site and click around in search of ancestors or information (and hopefully some ads.) This site has been online for nearly six-and-a-half years and in that time readership has grown steadily from a handful per week to a few hundred, to many hundreds, and as of last week, 1,678 "unique viewers" in a 7-day period. I hope you find what you are looking for here. A happy Thanksgiving to all of you.

I am reposting this link from the NEHGS' weekly newsletter for subscribers. It's about someone using facial recognition software with the goal of identifying 100% of the soldiers (some day) in old Civil War photos. I don't know how feasible that is if you do not have another photo of the soldier in which he is positively identified, but I applaud the goal. Check out the story at: ​https://slate.com/technology/2018/11/civil-war-photo-sleuth-facial-recognition.html

Today is the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. If you are reading this, thank a teacher - if you are reading this in English, thank a veteran. The picture below is cropped from a photo of my late mother's elderly cousin pointing at family names on the plaque erected by their Massachusetts town. The inscription reads "Somerset remembers these sons and daughters who served their country and humanity in the World War." (Back when there was only one "world war.") There are no ranks or branches of service noted, and the names are in alphabetical order. There are 150 names - in a town with about 3,000 residents in 1917. That means 5% of the total population served. In the Phoenix metro area, it would take 250,000 men and women to equal that.

One name is my grandfather Lynch. Three of the other Lynches are ALL of his brothers. The fifth Lynch is their cousin, who would lose 2 of his 3 sons in WWII. (The VFW post in town is named in their honor.) To the left of the Lynches are the Donahues, Mom's cousin's father and uncle. The female Donahue may also be a relative. Our thanks to all of you. Reader: ask yourself if you are doing enough for today's service men, women, and veterans.

The latest electronic newsletter says that access to all databases is free through November 13th. This is your chance to check out the NEHGS site (americanancestors.org) and see what it can offer. It's an excellent opportunity to check out some of the names on your family tree in the Mayflower Families Fifth Generation database and look for a pilgrim at no cost.