Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Congratulations!

William Mason Goble
Born: October 30, 2007
4:14 PM
7 Pounds 10 Ounces
20.7 Inches






Sunday, October 14, 2007

Cycling In the Sun

Mary, Stew, Kate and I had a wonderful 35 mile bike ride around the Twin Cities yesterday. It had been cloudy and cool all week, but Saturday was sunny and crisp. We explored the Mississippi, Fort Snelling, Minnehaha Creek, Lakes Harriet and Calhoun, and the Midtown Greenway. Just a great city tour - made easy by the great bike paths we have in the Twin Cities.



Barny's creative use of the camera - trying different angles and approaches - inspired me to try a couple of photos while riding along the river in Saint Paul. Here are Mary and Kate powering down the road.



and an over the shoulder shot of Stew, who was holding the final position in our draft line:



There were stops for wine and cheese along the way - and our speed and cadence would not have been adequate for Peter or Barny. But it was a truly great day with great friends.

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Molly and Andrew

A few images from Molly and Andrew's wedding.

First, the happy couple:



To those of us who have been married 25 years (on Tuesday) this looks more accurate (though photos can lie, and this one almost certainly does):



The halls were crowded with tough women:



And even tougher bands of brothers:



If you look carefully, you can see that "Barbie" Lack made an appearance:



No one has challenged the legitimacy of the ceremony. This photo of the presiding officiant was taken AFTER the ceremony:



On Friday night, dem chefs were in action:



And the BarnCam struck:



and struck again:



Even the family of the groom were not immune:



Sometimes during the "night of the living Art" the effects of the BarnCam can be quite startling:



An amazingly great time was had by all!

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Brynn Isabelle Miller

Here are the photos of Brynn which Tom and Jason have shared:





























. . . .

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Fish and Whistle, Whistle and Fish

It's my opinion that there is little to compare with the joys of lazily fishing from a canoe in a lake in the Boundary Waters. Periods of quiet paddling in an incredibly scenic and peaceful place, interrupted by the explosion of a fish attacking whatever lure you have gently placed in the water. From previous trips together it was clear that our esteemed mayor Crown Rudolf enjoys the same thing. We pledged this year to take a trip north to enjoy the woods and especially, to test our fishing skills in such a lovely setting.


We took it upon ourselves to recruit another boat of outdoorsmen for our trip - the experienced and wily angler C. Walter Lack, and the relatively inexperienced Cherry Boy, J. Thomas Seymour. Even his name caused problems with the Minnesota fish licensing authorities. Perhaps they were reluctant to license the owner of the "Fighting Bullwhip" fishing rod. And what kind of a first name is "J."? Whatever the reason, it took all of my lawyering skills and $30 of Tom's money to enable Mr. Seymour to ply the waters of Minnesota. But on a Thursday a few weeks ago - off we went to the woods.

This is a Train Party group, so it goes without saying that a contest was established. Actually, three contests. A team contest, with the winning team being the twosome with the most credited inches of fish - based on a scientific, complex and sometimes changing formula. A second contest utilizing the same formula was established to determine the MOST VALUABLE FISHERMAN AND GREATEST FISHERMAN IN THE UPPER MIDWEST. And finally a more subjective contest - the contest to boat the "Most Impressive Fish, All Things Considered." This is the contest which Harry and I have on our fall trips - so I felt duty bound to make every effort to score well in this event.

Our plan to fish in East Pike - in the area where Wein's grandfather, the venerable Doc Johnson, built his cabin decades ago - was thwarted by a large fire. So we diverted to the very west end of the park to Trout Lake. That allowed us to spend a night enjoying the hospitality of my friends the Remicks on Black Duck Island.


And then it was off to Trout Lake - a large lake and one of the few in the BWCA on which motors are allowed. That wasn't a plus - but it worked out fine. Oddly, on Friday when we put in boats with motors were everywhere. But the frequency of hearing motors decreased throughout the rest of the trip. I don't think that was due to any alcoholic haze. Perhaps the changing weather. Who knows.

The highlights of the first day's fishing was the lovely six pound Lake Trout conjured from the waters by Tom "the Snake Charmer" Seymour (so named because of his amazing ability to entice small to medium sized northern's to his lures). Mr. Green added a nice though somewhat smaller laker to the larder, and dinner was secured.


Sunday dawned with snow falling gently - a first for me in the Boundary Waters. I think the variability of the weather is illustrated pretty well by this photo:


When your sandals are snowy, you know the weather is changing. And on Sunday my fishing luck changed in a big way when I hooked a very large northern. Tom Seymour and I had quite a time getting the fish in the boat - but it was really fun to try to land a 40" fish. Unlike the smaller fish I've caught in the past, there was no way to get this one in the boat until she was tired out. So, oddly enough, once in the boat there was little of the thrashing around that I associate with northerns.

After this photo and a couple of others, the northern was returned to the water. I hope that by now she is the proud mother of another brood of fish. Wein followed up my northern with a nice bass, an even nicer walleye and we had the makings of yet another fish dinner. Curt's skills as a fillet master were a wonder to me - and his cooking skills were almost as developed.

When all was said and done, Wein was officially named the MOST VALUABLE FISHERMAN AND GREATEST FISHERMAN IN THE UPPER MIDWEST. There was a small amount of grousing about the fact that his paddle remained a bit on the dry side while he fished. But my man fished for the cycle, catching all four species of fish. The Snake Charmer came in second, closely followed by Curt (who rallied at the end after a pitiful start as his experience and skill began to show). I brought up the rear - too far behind for Wein to carry us to the team championship. But I did win the "Most Impressive Fish, All Things Considered" contest.

Of course everyone was a winner. The fact that you are able to go to a great place with great friends is a victory in itself. Some of life's best moments - a most impressive trip, all things considered.

Sunday, April 08, 2007

Suckfish Tours Rides Again!!

Madeline, Kate and I have just returned from a great trip to Seattle. Of course, Seattle is a wonderful city, and Washington is a wonderful state. But the thing that put the trip over the top was the gracious hosting provided to us by Torch and Mary.



As you all know, I am something of an expert at the art of Suckfish Touring. But honestly, you don't need advanced suckfishing skills with Fred and Mary as your hosts. I can't imagine that any sponging skills at all are required to have an amazing amount of fun in Seattle with these two.



Thank you Torch and Mary. As Arnold said, "We'll be back!"

Monday, January 01, 2007

Congratulations Kirsten and Brandon!!!!



and also Stew and Mary!!!



Stew leads the train:



Some dancing couples: