Exciting Times

Unusual Winter, No?

2012-01-17T07:58:00.003-07:00

Our snow-shoes are hanging on the garage walls, waiting as are we. A couple light dustings of snow with a drizzle of ice under it.. that's about it.

We will soon experience sub-zero temps.. forecast anyway.. pretty much the scenery driving around Minnesota is the same as it was in October.

This picture shows what our cozy home looked like at this time last year...

Besides going for walks, there is really not a lot of outside activities for us so far this Winter.. It is too cold to comfortably work-out in the garage, soooo, I brought the old Solo Flex machine into the basement to provide some motivation and exercise.. not too bad, even going through the motions, with light resistance to stay flexible.

Finally got an ACCORDION that is of reasonable quality for the price... I am amazed at how playing Christmas carols came back to me after receiving a copy of my original music book from Amazon.

A little searching on the web and I found a book of Beatles Hits for accordion and the wonderful tune "Bella Notte" from Lady and the Tramp. Practicing and playing "Michelle", "Yesterday" and "All my lovin' " seems like these tunes were made for playing on the accordion with the progressive chording and fun. I am trying to perfect "Bella Notte" by Valentine's day, when I will be CHEF Marty, preparing a romantic Italian Style feast for about 40.. hopefully I will come out of the kitchen and play the song.. However, no meatballs will be provided for couples to roll with their noses.

Life and Love is great, Blessings are many, Time with Family (Grand-kids) and Friends is wonderful.. the roads have been good for travel... oh yeah!

Peace!

New Year and New Posts Coming Soon

2011-12-30T06:51:00.002-07:00

This has been and incredible Holiday Season. We have had wonderful times visiting with Family and Friends. 2012 will be a great time to begin posting frequently, highlighting the Exciting Times of our lives!

Peace!

I REALLY do not like, yet, this new blogger format!

2011-11-04T08:11:00.000-06:00

A Vacation From Blogging

2011-11-04T08:06:00.002-06:00

As daytime get shorter and the temperature drops I will be finishing up our vacation from this blog and see what flows........

Duluth... all to ourselves!

2011-07-11T08:37:00.004-06:00

A couple of days, the need for a road-trip and get away and let our minds open and breathe.. that's what we were thinking.

Peggy and I love going to Lake Superior, the scenery, the air and the food... and of course the people we encounter.

We let Scooter and Charlie stay at the "dog hotel" in Brainerd and headed out Weds morning, anxious to get to our favorite bakery in McGregor.

We fueled up, big-time, with scones, fresh berry danish, a pecan bar and a loaf of honey/corn bread.

We drove east past 35w and took the snaky back way into Duluth, through Jay Cooke state park. There was a sidewalk days type event going on downtown Duluth, but the rest of the city was open for our dibs.

We walked along the boardwalk, got a smoked trout sandwich to split and picnic at the aerial bridge and just relaxed...

We decided to keep going north and stay at Two Harbors.. what a treat that ended up being!

We explored the town and headed towards the lake, for all the times we've been through Two Harbors, I didn't know there was an old lighthouse and museum on the point.. can't see it from the roads.
We cooled our feet in the lake, it was very sunny and warm.. perfect day.

On a hiking trail heading north, away from the lighthouse, we came upon a grove of weirdly mutated trees... burls or bunions? Pretty cool looking though.

Two Harbors also has a railroad station museum and a display of the largest steam locomotive ever used on the iron range.. #229, a huge piece of machinery indeed! The town and area organizations are raising funds to do some needed restoration work on it. I would have loved to climb around on it and peek inside... but the signs said "NO"

Also displayed is the last steam powered tug-boat used in the harbor.. the Edna G. It was not open for tours, but I was able to climb around near it and practice our "trick photography".

As usual, Peggy and I found a very friendly coffee shop. It was already getting pretty warm outside as the town readied itself for Heritage Days. We timed this visit perfectly.. lots of fun displays and booths setting up around town.

Great to have an early start to our day, we watched Two Harbors waking up and getting ready to celebrate.

Touring the lighthouse and keepers quarters, we were surprised to find this high-chair.. EXACTLY like the one my Mother had coveted for years and is now being used by Granddaughter Lydia Grace! We knew we were where we were supposed to be for sure.

Years ago, an ore ship was caught by strong winds and turned into the rocks and wrecked here. The pilot-house of the ship was brought up to the lighthouse location as part of the historic displays... pretty cool. In it are the hand written logs of the ships engineer as he tried to reverse the engine thrust and pull off the rocks, with no success... great stuff to explore. Peggy looks magnificent on deck and would make an excellent Captain to anything I would want to sail for sure!

We wanted some smoked fish for lunch and headed to the shop we bought teriyaki trout on our recent honeymoon.. "Louie's"

The woman working there was excited when we came in, telling us how lucky we were in our timing... they had JUST TAKEN HONEY SMOKED SALMON OUT OF THE SMOKER!... it was still hot!

Lucky indeed, we bought a huge chunk along with some cheese curds... we headed south to a remote area where we could park, and climbed out on the rocky shoreline for a real lunch.. there was even a large flat rock for our table. We had our honey-corn bread, tearing off pieces, smooshing warm trout on and eating rustic sammiches... awesome good...

The camera has begun acting up, getting out of focus and hazy, fuzzy pictures sometimes.. we'll need to think of replacing it soon..

We love placing the camera on rocks or perches and, using the timer, run into place for our romantic shots... like this!

On our way, meandering as we drove, back home, we came upon a great view of the St. Louis river flowing north and eventually into Lake Superior.

We always get a little screwed up, compass-wise, when rivers are flowing anything but south...

We had an incredible adventure, even assisted in the rescue of a tiny skunk that had its front paw stuck in a waste basket at the hotel. Beautiful scenery, a fabulous dinner at the Rustic Inn, north of Two Harbors, and lots of time to talk, share and celebrate our Love and Life!

Peace!

Doin the Minnesota Summer Thing...

2011-06-30T09:34:00.005-06:00

Peggy and I are making Summer happen.. taking time to do the things we talk about, and hoped would happen in our great north Summer season!

Last Sunday was rough for me.. I miss my friend Chip. We went to a nearby park and sat at a picnic table over-looking the Mississippi and Rice Lake.. some quiet time, some gentle talking and I felt much better.. it is calming. I know Pastor Chip would not want us to be sad, but rejoicing at where he is now...

We loaded the bicycles on the rack and drove up to Nisswa to ride another stretch of the Paul
Bunyan Trail... We peddled north, excited to see new sights and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. We may have overdone it a tad...(imagine that), but rode to Pine River. Over a couple nice bridges, through the woods and along lakes. We found a coffee shop in Pine River and enjoyed some refreshment and walked around a little before heading back. Pequot Lakes was our next stop on the way back.. Lakes Latte for something to drink and a fabulous Monster Cookie. Our legs got a little heavy as we got back.. about 38 miles total for the day though! I was looking forward to getting home and grilling big chicken breasts for supper! (and they was awesome)

Yesterday we needed to cool off and enjoy a lake. We left the dogs at home and found this great beach.. I remember being here about 50 years ago! One of the greatest beaches in Minnesota, I think.. The water was very cold.. the recent heavy rains have not helped that, but it was wonderful to see the lake level way up from the past couple years.. we waded out
over 200 yards and I took the plunge and swam around some before we waded back in the clean soft sand.. notice how clear the water is!

Dipping our tootsies in the lake and sitting on the sand beach.. a great way to relax and catch some rays.

The beach was busy, but not crowded. We stayed until about 5:30 or so, which was a good choice.

As we were leaving we noticed many others were picking up quickly and heading to their cars.. sand flies were coming out and they was a bitin'

We are really enjoying these times.. camping, hiking, biking and such... maybe a little more "quiet time" as we are with each other, comforting and supporting, as we continue to absorb the reality of losing a best friend...

May all that we do, bring Honor and Glory to His name!

Peace!

In Honor of a True Disciple

2011-06-20T10:19:00.007-06:00

This man was the real deal, he IS the real deal.. Pastor Chip I love you,

I am a part of the "fellowship of the unashamed". I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by Presence, learn by Faith, love by Patience, lift by Prayer and labor by Power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, let up or burn up 'til I've preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up and stayed up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go 'til He comes, give 'til I drop and preach 'til everyone knows.

And when He comes to get His own, He'll have no problem recognizing me.... my colors will be clear.

Peace!

After 2 Aprils, is it finally May and Spring?

2011-05-30T08:25:00.007-06:00

At last, sitting down to post with pictures of our exciting May...

I don't remember any Spring that has dragged on so cold, not just cool, cold, rainy and gray.. 40's in the morning, warming up to maybe 50's by noon, windy, rainy and drizzling days but great sleeping weather for nights.

There have been some Sunny warm days scattered in the month, and we have taken advantage of them for sure!

In spite of all the "inside" and "down" time,
May has been an incredible month, physically, mentally and spiritually...

With our hitch mounted bike-rack, Peggy and I can quickly and easily load up and head out for bicycling adventures.. the wheels "quick-release" from the dog-hauling trailer, it folds flat, and easily fits in the back of Bella.

We took Sunday afternoon and went to the Cuyuna Lakes and Iron Mine bicycle trails near Ironton... 6.6 miles end to end, so far and we peddled back and forth twice, really enjoying the new (for us) views and all the singing birds.

Many scenic places to stop along the ride, the deep flooded mines were calm and surreal with the gray skies.

Alert and excited, Scooter and Charlie watched everything and barked "hello" to other bikers, fishermen and kids along the way..

Good parking with access to the trail, passing DNR officers stopped and took pictures of our trailer and set-up with the dogs.. very cool.

Orioles, rose-breasted grossbeaks, finches, and many other birds serenaded us on our ride... we will be coming back here to do this again and it is great to see that there is more construction on the north end of this trail to expand it.

In this area also is a brand new mountain bicycle trail, rated in the top 10 in the entire country. There were many riders checking that out too.

Taking a little chance with rainy weather, I could not take it any longer, not seeing my grand-daughter Lydia Grace, Daughter Katie and Charlie.

I packed up the Kingpin and headed south.. gray and very breezy, I got a bit wind-burned riding, but it was sooo worth it!

8 months old, beautiful, curious and bright, we had a fabulous 3 day visit...

Lydia is teething, growing and very in motion.. when she is still, she loves being read to. Just like when I read to her mother, pointing to pictures and making little noises while reading is still just as much fun.

What an appetite! Lydia loves to eat and the social part of mealtime.

It was a hoot to watch her devour an entire avocado.. BEFORE her jar of infant sweet potato stuff and some little cracker thingys.

Healthy and beautiful! She is a charmer and loves to giggle...

Our motorcycle ride, the "Run For the Cross" was a rain-0ut!

About 1/2 the bikers showed up to ride with the weather report predicting heavy rains.. that did not stop some of us though!

My hands were still kind of black after scrubbing, my soaked gloves bled black into my skin. My boots had a couple inches of water IN THEM and we were pretty soaked through and through.

After about 35 miles, the decision was made to return to our Chapel for fellowship and our meal.

Great food, great visiting and dry-off time through the afternoon. Drawings for prizes and lots of laughs.

Again this year, Peggy and I rode the only Victory in the group. Awesome, we roared with authority in the pack with our Stage-One performance pipes.

We went camping near Mankato at Minneopa State Park. We barely got situated after having to change our campsite location due to flooding in the area, and it started to rain heavily again.

We did go for a nice long hike anyway, after all, the doggies and us can only get so wet. We went to the waterfall area. A wedding was taking place at the falls pavilion and was a wash-out.. that should be good luck?

The remnants of an old grain mill is up on a hill in the park and was a really cool place to visit.

Not letting the rain get us down, we playfully walked the old trails and enjoyed the rushing waterfall.. it looks an awful lot like Minnehaha falls in Minneapolis.

Note the old structures.. some updating and care is needed. The sides of the bridge over the falls are deteriorating and the sides are very low, by today's safety standards... this park was like going back in time...

This park was used many years ago by hard working families, arriving by train at the nearby station and spend Sundays here having picnics to relax,
according to the signs and information in the interpretive center.

Peggy is standing on the bridge with an umbrella. I have driven by this park and it's entrance many times through the years and never explored inside. It was surprising to see such a waterfall in this part of Minnesota, and it was really flowing with all the recent rains.... very cool!

Just right for Peggy and me with Scooter and Charlie at our feet, the Hubba-Hubba tent held up to it's reputation and kept us dry and cozy through the stormy night.. easy to break down, we went into town for breakfast rather than cook in the rain.. still a really fun time.

We snacked on hearty bread and hummus.

Saturday we went on a Benefit Walk to raise funds and awareness for Heart Defects in Newborn Babies.. "Lasting Imprint" is the organization and Peggy's daughter organized the event... that's us in the first picture of the post, glad the rain was stopping at noon, just in time for the walk and event!

We are stoked and getting in gear for Summer, drying out from an extra cool and soggy Spring..

Grateful this Memorial Day for all Americans that have served our Country With Honor!

Blessed beyond belief, living in true love....
Peace!

Our SUV "Bella"

2011-05-06T15:46:00.004-06:00

Peggy and I have lots of fun with the word "Bella". It's been going on for quite some time. Our Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs are Bella brand... I think the word had been in a few movies we've watched.

In time it has come to mean "excellent" or "beautiful" to us... our own word. How's the soup?.. itsa Bella! how was your day? it was a Bella day!

Peggy wanted to name our new vehicle... Chevrolet Equinox had too many syllables.. Red was a consideration, after all it is Cardinal Red Metal Flake... oh well.

We decided to call it Bella.

We're still breaking it in, keeping it switched to the "eco" mode of driving, which is still plenty fun. All wheel drive.

The dogs love riding in the back in their bed. We'll be packing it tomorrow morning with all sorts of stuff for a weekend get-away of work and play... oh yeah!

The dealer installed our "Rigid" hitch so now we can mount a bike rack that way for those adventures! We also had roof rack cross beams installed so we can load kayaks or a canoe up there too... Peggy and Marty's Adventure-mobile, "Bella".

State Park Sticker for Bella and a good days hike

2011-05-05T07:16:00.005-06:00

A perfect day for hiking through Crow Wing State Park..

Memory-foam beds for dogs?... oh yeah! Now with our new SUV, we want to be set to bring Scooter and Charlie along with us on our adventures even more... first thing is getting the rear set so they can be comfortable and want to stay secure in the back. Although it takes up a little more room than we thought it would, we got the dogs a nice doggie bed, and WOW, I wish they made loungers like these my size! It is a fuzzy dish stuffed with memory-foam scraps and they love it.

Nice compartments for the leashes, water and other necessities, we'll soon have milk crate type boxes pre-packed to load in the back, depending on the type and duration of adventure we may be off on.. awesome! And the ride is sublime!

I bought a "memory stick" device to store music on. I dragged over 350 songs from iTunes onto it and USB'd into our Bella's sound system, it even automatically alphabetized them.. we hit "random play" though, and off we went.

We got a State Park Sticker and had the entire park to ourselves this fine day. The Mississippi looks calm, but it is moving very fast and is high on the banks. We visited the campsite we had used 2 nights a couple years ago, hiked along the river and enjoyed all the singing birds and frogs. We were lucky and only found one wood tick later, they are not out yet in force. Beautiful day in the park.

We had a backyard picnic later and relaxed in the Sun, getting rosy cheeks we found out later...

I built, out of threaded pipe sections and fittings, a nice rack for our deck and attached it to the top of the east rail. We will get a couple hanging pots of flowers and a bird feeder, after I paint it... pictures soon.

Lilies pushing up and out, we have some purple cone type blossoms already on some tiny bulb plants we put in last year. Now the yard-work-fun starts.. soon dry enough to rake up the thousands of small pine cones in the back.. We got the dirt turned over a couple times, nice and fluffy loose outside the back fence now for planting cannas bulbs and other fun stuff.. wee-hoo!

It's been a late Spring here in Brainerd, teaser days of Sun and warm, followed by icy breezes and sleet.. We are all getting excited for the "Run for the Cross" coming up on May 22.. great people, great motorcycles and a really great time.

This weekend will be in Grand Rapids helping the kids move and maybe some painting too!

Life and Love continues to be blessed beyond all hopes...

Peace!

Mixin' it up for Spring

2011-04-15T09:11:00.003-06:00

Summa this, summa that... it's been great fun for Peggy and me to be really flexible so far this Spring. With the weather here going between extremes, indoor and outside activities have been both possible and enjoyable..

Taking care of our 4 year old grandson last week was awesome inside and out. Playing board-games and reading stories, to outside (using my best Elmer Fudd voice) "be vewwy quiet, I'm hunting dog poop" adventures in the back yard. The quick thaw in the yard made all kinds of mischief possible... after cleaning it up some. Swinging in the park, slide scooting and other fun stuff filled our days and put a huge smile on our faces.... the house seems "vewwy quiet" now.

The Sun has melted off the bike trail through town, and after pumping up tires and oiling chains, Peggy and I kicked off our riding season in very nice weather. We are planning on doing a lot more bicycling adventures this year... I'll be soon looking at a "hitch-mounted" bike carrier system for "Bella". We'll be able to bring our bikes camping and to trail-heads. Oh Yeah!

With cooler, cloudy and misty days, we've had a hoot redoing our bedroom. Painting the ceiling and walls was fun, now the ceiling is WHITE and the walls are "Terra Bella", a warm, reddish tan. Yesterday I hung the new mini-light system, a double curved, polished bronze 3 light fixture that just seems to bring the shape of the room all together. We also got new fabric "Roman shades" for the upstairs windows. Next will be the room at the top of the stairs (also Terra Bella) and one outside wall and down the steps, a nice blue.. an identical light fixture will go in that room also.... busy, busy....

I've done some sub-40 rides on the Kingpin, yesterday going to the dealer for the Spring oil change.... I might have to get a windproof face mask bandanna type thing and insulated gloves.
Nice to have the King serviced now as the "Run for the Cross" is coming up... over 100 big bikes, over 100 fun miles all for a great cause.

Putzing in the yard, garden plans coming together, seeds arrived from Gurneys... and today it is 35 with some snow expected tonight... what a mix!

My accordion may show up today or Monday, I'm looking forward to "diddling around", practicing and seeing how quickly it comes back to me, if at all... I've been falling asleep at night with accordion ideas and music drifting through my mind, it must be time...

Warm enough for "garage work-outs", boxing and weights, physical therapy helping to keep the core strengthened and less painful, just not feeling my age at all!

Peggy and I will probably buy a State Park Sticker this weekend, all kinds of adventure ideas rattling around between the 2 of us.

It's been a great Combo-Spring so far, keeping in mind some of what was recently heard in one of our sermons...
We're so quick and likely to talk to our family and friends about such a variety of things in our lives: the great, funny, can't miss movie we watched, the news stories or small talk, BUT, why not share too how much better our lives are, letting our Lord God direct with His wisdom and care, blessing and giving direction, how prayers are being answered and the daily miracles in our lives?

Peggy's and my life are being blessed daily, we are thankful for His strength and grace.....

Peace...

Encouraging Signs of Spring

2011-03-29T12:38:00.002-06:00

We've got Spring Fever, we've HAD Spring fever for weeks... Now it is official!

This morning, as the Sunshine was beginning to really warm up and melt the snow, 2 beautiful Robins were pecking around by our back-yard fence. Bold as ever, they did not fly away as I approached with the camera, I think they were pecking for bugs or food, not nesting material, but that will change soon. It was really fun to see them!

Another indication of our changing seasons appeared in the front yard this time. Mr. Bunny has been busy and decorated our lil maple tree with eggs for Easter celebration... awesome!

Peggy and I, to celebrate our 5th month Wedding Anniversary, went to Famous Dave's BBQ last night for Nacho's Grande~ One of our favorite dine out treats.. tasty and a great combination of textures and flavors.. yeah! And then, and then... we shared a luscious bread pudding...

Continuing to Honeymoon, that's the life...

We had an incredible Saturday, going to the cities for my Aunt Margaret's memorial service... a reunion and celebration of life. It was awesome to look through many albums and pictures from long-ago.. many with a young Marty in them. It was a good day for a long drive, weather and traffic-wise. I had not seen most of the relatives and friends for many years, and it was especially great to introduce Peggy to them all. Oh Yeah.. life is very, very good!

Peace!

Early Spring Minnesota Blizzard May Be My Fault

2011-03-25T08:08:00.002-06:00

Yup, I just might have to take responsibility for this last Winter Blizzard-like Storm.

I got anxious

I got excited

I was happy

I pushed our luck....

When, even with lots of snow still on the ground and frozen lakes, I fired up the Kingpin and on 2 separate days and occasions, took it out on the roads for a ride.... I couldn't help it.

As soon as the back-yard was fairly clear of snow, the temperature went over 40, and the Sun was out, I put Sta-bil in the gas tank of our snow blower and rolled it into the back shed.. I knew I was pressing our luck...

When the Sun was out brightly enough to feel the warming rays, I took out from storage, 2 Adirondack style chairs and placed them on our deck.. so optimistic....

I have been rearranging the garage and doing my "work-outs" in the warm afternoons with the big door open for fresh air....

I knew it was wrong and did it all anyway....

We were reminded what late Winter/early Spring weather can be like as Monday night and into Tuesday morning we got about 12 inches of sugary, heavy, wet snow... the LARGEST SINGLE SNOWFALL we've had to dig out from.

The temperatures are still low, but the Sun's rays are very warm and intense, doing some melting on the streets... plowed piles are high in intersections.

Oh well, we tried for Spring and got blasted... I would do it all over again though and probably will next year too!

Peace!

Don't have to be nutz, but it helps!

2011-03-18T17:11:00.004-06:00

Spring is in the air. It did not get as warm today as yesterday, about 38 compared to 50, but inspiration is inspiration.

Peggy and I have gone for walks, getting some fresh air and Sun on our cheeks. Yesterday we harnessed the dogs and took them for a long walk around the neighborhood. Very nice way to spend an afternoon.

It is supposed to be much warmer here the next few days, 47+ tomorrow, and in the 50's on Sunday. I wanted to start, warm-up and ride the Kingpin around some to "get back in shape".

It was BRISK... only my hands got cold, I wore my full shield helmet, longies, biking pants, boots and a hoodie under my leather jacket... perfect for a short ride around town.

I even met up with 2 of my biker buddies. and we had a cup of coffee at Caribou.

This is the earliest I've been out riding in the Spring. This is Lum Park and Rice Lake of the Mississippi. Cars are out on the ice and there are portable fishing houses out there. I could not go any further down this driveway to the access, as the shaded road still had a couple inches of ice.

The Kingpin fired right up, ran strong in the cold air and I'm ready to go riding with Peggy on the back as soon as it feels more like Spring... in the meantime, I will continue to get "back in shape" with some short rides... oh yeah!

Peace!

Florida Frolics and Falling Figs

2011-03-09T08:29:00.004-07:00

Flying far from frozen feet for fun, Florida forewarned "Falling Figs".

Edison planted many tropical trees, shrubs and flowers from around the world at his summer estate in Fort Myers. He did experiments with them, looking at ways to make latex and other compounds...

I found no fallen figs, hoping to make a Newton if I had.

Spending time in an airport between flights can be fun if you know where and how to look. Peggy made friends with this frisky fellow, so excited to see her, he bolted through a gift shop window. We had fabulous big burgers at a Chili's in the Minneapolis airport.. delicious, and they actually had pretty good coffee too.

Not sure of exact spelling, these gorgeous shrubs are borders and hedges around the Edison/Ford estates... bougavelia pronounced boo-gah-vale-e-ah. They are common in yards around town too, like lilacs in Minnesota. The pink is actually not the blossom, more like the colored leaves of a poinsettia, the flower is a tiny white blossom hiding in the clusters of pink... people were drawn to the shrubs all over to take pictures and investigate the color.

It was easy to find stumps and posts to set our camera for self-portraits... we had a few offers for help, but declined."we are good at this", and it's fun to run back and get into position... hah!

Behind us it Edison's Summer home, nice and relaxing style, not a mansion but very cool. Way ahead of it's time for design and function.

This is a stand of big bamboo... one of the reasons Edison was drawn to this area, wanting to research uses for the fibers.

The entire estates of Ford and Edison are very comfortable and lovely, we did not want to leave... everywhere is something of interest or beauty. It was warm but not hot, a hint of breeze and light cloud cover to keep the Sun off our skin, it was a perfect day together.

Near the Fort Myers beach area, this is typical architecture style... tropical and whimsical.. really fun.

We spent the better part of the morning one day, walking in the soft sand, getting Sunshine and watching the beach fill up with vacationers.. more on that some other post.

Sister Paula's backyard is fun to explore also, for us from Brainerd...

Climbing, night blooming cactus', vines, mangoes, palms, orange trees and other great vegetation all over.

This is an OLD stone cistern used, many years ago to collect rain water from a gutter system... it has been engulfed totally by vines and tree roots, no longer accessible, but very cool to look at, a real head-scratcher.... and it was loaded with those funny little jumping lizards.

It was great to have a taste of Summer before our Spring even begins here at home... Peggy and I counted it as another extension of our Honeymoon!

Peace!

Fort Myers back to Brainerd, only an 80 degree difference!

2011-03-03T15:21:00.006-07:00

Peggy and I love living in Brainerd, so much to do for fun and great scenery, lakes and people.

But... we wanted to go from this:

To this:

Air travel is not glamorous or wonderful, the way the advertisements portray. Flights were oversold, there were weird delays and a missed connection in Atlanta.... but we did get a free upgrade at Budget Car Rental.

We reserved a compact, and after long lines, more delays and crashed computers at the rental agency, Peggy and I kept smiling and calm, telling the attendant that pretty much our whole day had gone that way, so don't worry about it... we were not in any hurry. The guy smiled and said "I'm gonna give you our new 5 liter Mustang GT for no additional charge." It was a hoot to drive and amazingly powerful with a nice growling exhaust. There is so much heavy traffic in the Fort Myers area, that it was not really that much more fun to drive around, but if we had been on a road trip.. whoopee! This must be Ford's new high performance engine, returning to a 302 cu.

It didn't take me long to get into trouble though, I thought this alligator was dead and crawled close to touch it. It quickly spun around and grabbed my arm and rolled. Glad I had my Martial Arts training, I rolled on top and using leverage and a few blows between its eyes, it released my arm and scurried off... I did chase it a few yards, kicking at its tail and rear end, shaming it. "Bad Alligator, You Go Home!"

More our size, these little lizards or "gizzies" are EVERYWHERE. Literally hundreds of them scurry around the yards making little rustling noises on the dry leaves. They jump about 3-4 feet from tree to tree or rock, and are hard to follow.. nervous little things, this one did pose in the Sun for a picture.

We went out to eat at Sonny's BBQ, just down the road from my sister Paula's house. Paula had a meeting at church so Peggy and I had a lil' romantic meal.

Peggy had the pulled pork with mac and cheese.. Sonny's Sweet Ice Tea is delicious and comes in a huge glass...

I had the pulled brisket of beef with mac and cheese... tender and delicious! We had been on the beach and were starting to feel the Sun on our skin as we sat, so the ice tea really hit the spot!

I'll be posting more about our adventures and fun in Florida with many more pictures, I just needed to give a teaser of our travels... we did have fun!

It is nice to be back home though, we picked up Scooter and Charlie from the Doggie Hotel on the way home from the airport and we got no new snow while we were gone... BUT it was 7 degrees here, it was 87 in Fort Myers.

Life and Love are Blessed as our seasons slowly begin to change here in Brainerd!

Peace!

Scenic Winter Fun and a Great Dessert

2011-02-25T07:31:00.003-07:00

These 2 things really do go together..

This is the beautiful dessert and treat bowl that I got as a Valentine's Day gift from Sweet Peggy. I was inspired to create a delicious dessert to inaugurate it. I baked an almond pound cake, sliced and layered it in the bowl with almond custard, strawberries, pineapple and toasted almond slices... a "Taste of the Tropics Triffle".

So delicious, it smooshed together as it sat and was actually better the next day and day after that!

Feeling just a tad guilty from such indulgences, we figured it was time to try out our new snow shoes. We first drove east to a new trail system through the woods, but it is SO new, that the small area for parking was not plowed out.... not discouraged, we turned around and went near the airport to an area called French Rapids.... it was perfect.

The Sun was shining, it about 18 degrees was just right for our activity, not crispy cold or warm enough to be sweatin'

The frozen Mississippi behind Peggy, forms pond areas and back-waters. We stayed near the shore and walked the curvy shoreline. Woodpeckers were high overhead tapping and chirping for us in the tall birches and pines.

As we climbed up off the frozen ponds, we found an old fencepost that was perfect for setting our camera and grabbing a cozy photo shot.

This picture does not truly illustrate the length or steepness of this hill.. There was just a little breeze, the views were gorgeous and we liked the traction of the metal cleats under our feet.

I am near the top of the hill, with the ponds of the Mississippi behind me... clear air and just beautiful... the Sun felt warming and I think we got a little burn on our faces... felt good!

Heading away from the river for about 1/4 mile before hooking back up to the trail, we followed 3 big deer, keeping just ahead of us, spinning around to see where we were and then disappearing, as we got to an old back woods road. Their footprints just vanished, that is one of the things we love about the deer.. almost magical behavior.

Getting home and warming up with a cup of coffee, we were amazed by the continuing big blossoms on this plant we keep in the kitchen window.

We've had it a long time, and it has decided, perhaps because of the fertilizer in the water we've given it, and the Sunny window, that it is time to show-off. Peggy carried into our "Sun room" for this. Our other house plants are doing okay, but this one is thriving.

We are almost finished packing, Scooter and Charlie will check into their "Hotel" this evening, and we are about off to Sunny Florida.

Fun in the Sun, no matter where we go, really living and enjoying the Blessings in our life!

Peace!

More than Valentine's Day, it was Valentine's Season!

2011-02-18T06:39:00.004-07:00

Another perfect cure for the Winter doldrums.

Our Chapel hosted a wonderful, romantic Valentine's dinner. I was asked to be the Chef for this affair. It was held in a beautiful, elegant social hall in Baxter.

After a couple meetings with the "crew" to decide on menu, grocery getting and plans, we were set to dazzle our guests.

With thick ice on the roads here, temperatures below freezing, and just basic Winter boredom setting in, this was a really fun activity.

After my epidural injection, I've been going to physical therapy a couple times a week to loosen up some muscle groups affected by the pain, stuck in a kind of defensive reflex. This Valentine's dinner activity made moving around more fun... oh yeah! Gettin' loose!

Here I am putting the finishing touches on the Cornish Game Hens... one of the 2 main choices.

The other menu choice, shown here is a Beef Wellington in puff pastry.

Served with garnishes and a creamy cheesy vegetable medley, this looked good enough to eat!

We served my now famous Waldorf Salad with toasted walnuts, and I made some heart shaped croutons for the top... very romantic (for a salad).

The Seafood Bisque was divine! Rich, creamy, velvety and topped with a grilled shrimp and garlic bread stick, this was a soup for the books!

It was truly a "roll your eyes back and Mmmm" flavor...
I had many requests for the recipe.

Peggy came to visit in the kitchen as we were serving the meal... She can stand the heat in the kitchen just fine!

Our Valentine's Day was the best one ever!

Fun and romantic gifts, lots of time together and relaxation made it all extra special.

I grilled us big rib-eyes for our romantic dinner, and it was a perfect couple day affair.

Cute and wonderful gifts, I got a "triffle bowl" to make and serve wonderful desserts, Peggy got some creamy chocolates from our hometown candy shop, and lots of other fun dittys were exchanged.

My big surprise was this beautiful frame job on an old print I was keeping. I love the whimsical picture of bears raiding some fisherman's picnic basket, but it was pretty rickity. Peggy had it backed and framed.. now it is my masterpiece.. perfect for our northern Minnesota home.

We are excited to be soon leaving for Florida, full of ideas for hikes and exploring in the Sun. We'll be visiting my sister, Paula and "just hanging out" for a few days.... oh yeah!

Life and Love continue to be Blessed as we get through the rest of the Winter here, the melting snow this week making us feel ready for riding the Kingpin too!

Peace!

A break in the Winter with the boys

2011-02-07T10:38:00.005-07:00

What could be a better way to break out of the Winter doldrums than an auditorium full of motorcycles and good people?

6 a.m. Saturday morning, 10 of us left Brainerd in the Chapel Bus and headed south to downtown Minneapolis. Destination? The Progressive International Motorcycle Show.

We stopped in Saint Cloud for coffee and a snack then back on the foggy road south...

We parked the bus and entered the arena.. we beat the crowd and I got to take a little trip down the road on a customized Harley with Flo the Progressive Insurance gal. No bugs on this run, the weather was perfect and we rode a few miles through the woods... oh yeah!

After a couple hours of wandering, slack-jawed at all the beautiful machines, the Convention Center really started to fill up. Our group, with different favorites and interests split up with a spot to meet 4 hours later, it was fun to bump into each other through the day and see what was going on with them.

This beast is the definition of "OVER KILL". A Boss Hoss, customized with a 502 ci engine and nitrous injection boosters giving it up to 700+ horsepower! I'm not certain how one would control all that power and the machine weighs 1100 lbs or more.. at $50,000+ I didn't even check my account balance before deciding this one wasn't for me. Yup, over kill.

Now THIS ONE however, hmmmmm.

This is the new Victory Cross Roads in red. It has a newly designed aluminum frame incorporating the engine air intake... it is a bit lower than our Kingpin, and has a lower center of gravity... very comfortable, and with the Freedom 106 engine would be awesome to ride. Great back rests available for Peggy too!

It was fun to meet up with the dealers that we bought our Kingpin from in Brainerd at the booth, easily the best display booth of any make at the show.

If I rode alone, or money was absolutely no object, this would be the Victory for me. The HammerS. I love the mat-finish retro-red and black paint scheme. With the Stage One performance kit on it (the one we also have now on our Kingpin) would roar down the road with authority... this is what I think a motorcycle should look like!

We all loaded up with "freebies" and entered lots of contests. The bus ride back was great as we compared information and what was in our "goodie bags".

Peggy and I have been working on our Wedding Pictures, still arranging and getting our album "just right" and having fun looking at them all. We also got a great DVD of our wedding last week, after it had been "tweaked" and had titles put on. Wow, was that an experience to watch, the music was fabulous and the experience was very romantic.

I'm getting primed to be Chef again. Our Chapel, as a romantic fundraiser, is hosting a big Valentines Dinner for couples. We've got the menu planned and the crew will meet later this week to buy the groceries and then prep on Saturday for the Sunday evening affair! Oh Yeah!

Life is overflowing with Love and Blessings as we get through this Winter, looking forward to Spring and another season of fun adventures!

Peace!

The ol Suzy is getting "factory fresh"

2011-01-25T10:15:00.004-07:00

I got a few emails this last weekend from the fellow I sold my '79 Suzuki to. I'm glad he is staying in touch and showing me some of his restoring work on this classic.

Looks like he has a great shop to do his work.

Up on the elevated table for the frame-stripping.

The bike has never been in any crash, so was a perfect candidate for restoring.

Years back, never thinking I'd ever sell it, had it painted British Racing Green to match our 2003 MiniCooperS.. they went together well!

Like the colors of new! I will be happy to see the completed and reassembled bike.. it was the cover bike and motorcycle of the year in 2 publications in 1979.. These are the original factory racing colors that were on this limited production bike.

Unable to get certain original parts, this restoration will be completed with "time appropriate" improvement accessories like header exhaust and oil cooler... awesome!

Of the 200 made and imported to the USA, I am proud to have bought one new, rode it off and on for 31 years and sold it to this guy! I wonder how many are left, on the road, in museums or what.... This will certainly be a classic collector bike.

I'm laying low, taking it easy for a few days, letting a lumbar epidural of cortizone settle in. Guided by "real time" x-ray imaging, the needle placement and injections were precision...

The relief will be most welcome!

Peace!

Van-Go

2011-01-14T08:14:00.002-07:00

Truly the "End of an Era"... bought brand new in 1993 by Mom and Dad, the ol' Astro is sold and will be "parted out".

As a Minnesota Winter vehicle, it would be hard to beat this one... all wheel drive and anti-lock disc brakes. With decent tires, this van would "tank" through any slush or snow with ease!

With only about 120,000 miles, it was past it's prime and has been having some system failures for the last year.... one thing or another. It was time to let go...

Worth more used as parts than it would be repaired and sold, the recyclers came and lifted it away and paid us well for it. Awesome service!

We've had more snow, fluffy flakes, fierce cold, powdery snow, bright Sun, and more snow than any Winter I've been in Brainerd. oh yeah, lots of snow!

The roads, intersections and side streets are in terrible driving condition... hard-pack slush and glare ice coated. No excuses necessary to stay in and hibernate, the less driving around possible, the better.

Peggy and I have watched a few movies, enjoyed good soups and food and kind of kicked back and relaxed the last couple weeks.. we watched "Dinner for Schmucks" last night and it is hilarious! It reminded me of the madcap comedies of the sixties and early seventies like Peter Sellers and others, a real hoot!

We've not yet tried our new snow shoes, with long hours at work and treacherous roads, we've been content knowing that we'll "get to it" when the time is right. Right now it is a game to just keep the driveway clear and the street end clear after plows come by.

Hooked on "Crunchy Jumbles" cookies, I'll be baking another batch soon. Chili is on the agenda now, we finished up the yellow pea and ham chowder, and the spicy chicken barley stew with vegies... good food to keep the glow going with this awesome Winter we're having.

I've had blood-work done and a new MRI this week, an appointment with an Orthopedic Specialist will see how to "tune-up" my lower back coming soon..... geesh!

We are enjoying Life and Love this Winter as the snow continues to fall, content to hibernate and "just be" for a while.

Peace!

Icy rain then lotsa snow for New Year's Eve

2011-01-01T11:26:00.004-07:00

Nice hobby, keeping ahead of the snow and icy stuff on the driveway and walks. I like to keep it all cleared and "good to go" for Peggy, she's got to be able to get to and from work.

Lots of good fresh air, crisp cold and a little sunshine makes the work fun, and it does look good when it is all tidy.

We bought a pint of big fresh oysters and I made a pot of stew to celebrate last night. Scallion greens and a bit of finely chopped sweet onion, cream and a pinch of cayenne, then thickened with some Yukon Gold Potato.... oh yeah!

The grove behind our back yard really got frosted with the heavy rain.. slushy, then snow sticking to that, then a big drop in temperature is making the branches heavy and saggy.

The entire town is like a holiday postcard for views... and Christmas lights really shine at night with the frosting!

A big rabbit was under the bird feeder this morning looking for dropped treats and a bold squirrel was on the deck pulling down sunflower seeds from a hanger.

The chickadees are not afraid of the dogs and come right up and use the feeders... nice to have them so close to the house now.

Scooter and Charlie enjoy the backyard paths I blow off for them. It got very cold last night and Charlie got scared after a few minutes outside and ran, 3 legged back to the deck, poor fellow.

I'm waiting for delivery of my snow shoes, Peggy's came already... With our trekking poles, we should really have fun on the snow trails now!
That's my new experience/adventure plan for the new year.

Nothing major for 2011, more of the same will be fine with me... Living, Loving, Learning, Exploring and Sharing Life!

Peace!

Spreading Christmas Cheer

2010-12-27T08:36:00.003-07:00

All the "Christmas Cheer" is spreading to my waist! Cookie baking and tasting, extra goodies, fun meals and food... whew!

Peggy and I recently got Trekking Poles, kind of like a cross between a walking staff and cross-country ski poles, for hiking. Nice grips, collapsible, they even have spring shock-absorbers in a section. We went to our Arboretum yesterday to do some hiking and try them out. Perfect conditions for it, about 2 inches of packed snow on the bike trail and fluff on top of that.... a perfect test for the added stabilization they are to provide, along with
upper-body and core strength benefits. As I was getting dressed in my "longies" and insulated hiking pants, I realized that my waist has grown a couple inches in the last week or so.... oops! So I had a snug-bottomed hike... good thing we enjoy doing stuff like this so much.. I'll wear off the cookies and treats in no time. We ordered 2 pair of "Powder-ridge Crest" snow shoes. 25 inchers, one pair with a "women specific" design" This will be a great year to try out that activity.. we've really got the snow for it and we can use our trekking poles doing it.

Peggy (Mrs. Claus), was granted a wish. She
could request any meal she desired for Christmas Eve. She had to work extra long holiday hours and deserved extra benefits from me (Mr. Claus).

Of all the foods, all the wonderful Chef inspired delights I am certified and qualified to prepare, she chose..... TAH DAH!... a Muffaletta!

I had made one for her a long time ago and she remembered well how succulent it is.

Pastrami, Salami, Spiced Dried Sausage, Provolone, Swiss, Tomatoes, Peppers, Onions, Black Olives, Garlic all compressed, layered and
arranged in a hollowed out loaf of crusty bread, before wrapping in foil and roasting into a gooey, juicy, crisp outside, steamy, delicious sammich!

It was AWESOME, and we put away almost the whole thing listening to Carols and feeling very cozy and grateful on Christmas Eve.

We traveled West to visit family, early enough for a Holiday Breakfast with ham... lots of good reminiscing with everyone. And of course, more cookies and treats!

We will be continuing our "Holiday Tour" this
week, heading both North and South for more family visits... (weather permitting). I will have to keep busy and moving around, doing lots of that "putzing" I'm famous for, to burn off all the celebration treats.

Peggy and I hope that the Love and Light of Christmas continues for everyone now and through the coming New Year!

Peace!

Deer in the driveway and Sleeping Woodpecker

2010-12-22T16:01:00.004-07:00

We've got to keep our cameras more handy... As we "deck our halls" and "make merry", animals in our neighborhood seem to be getting in the spirit also.

As I blew the snow off the driveway and did some shoveling, I wondered what made deep narrow holes near the shrub-trees along our driveway. I was surprised to find deer tracks right up to our back steps under the new fallen fluffy snow... they led to the holes. The deer must have stood up to their chests in the snow with their front legs, to stick their faces in the shrubs. It did not appear that they chewed, it looks like they just nuzzled faces into the bush.... maybe the fragrance attracted them or maybe they did nibble some small shoots from inside?

Then this morning as I was heading to the garage, I saw a downy woodpecker on the suet block hanging on our back deck. I went back to the house and told Peggy that our new feeders had been discovered. I went back out and the bird had not moved... I approached it and it didn't move, so I tapped on the kitchen window to get Peggy's attention. She watched as I walked up to the feeder... I thought perhaps the bird was scared and had caught it's foot in the wire feeder cage. I softly whistled and said "hi there", thinking I would gently free it. It turned it's head to me, chirped a loud scold and flew away. I had caught it napping... must be great suet!

We did some shopping, running around, got hairs cut and other fun stuff today. I am baking another batch of one of my favorite all-time cookies, the original 1956 Betty Crocker recipe, Molasses Crinkles. The whole house smells wonderful with cinnamon, cloves and ginger as they bake.

Making our lists and checking them twice, feeling very blessed this Christmas Season....

Peace!

Oh Fudge!.... it's Cookie Time Again!

2010-12-13T16:31:00.002-07:00

There's nothing like the aroma throughout the house of baking cookies to bring on the "holiday spirit".

Our wonderful Chapel had a group come up with the idea for a "cookie exchange". Each participant would bake 13 bakers dozen cookies or treats to bring. One bakers doz. would go to the Boy Scouts, the rest were distributed among the 12 others. We even brought groceries for the "food shelf".

A couple of good silly games passed time while things got in order...

I had baked some Swedish Butter Cookies with almond or maple flavors, madeleines, and Peggy baked some of those famous "peanut blossoms" (peanut butter drop cookies with a big Hershey's Kiss pressed into the middle).

We have a folding camp table set up in the kitchen for additional counter top space for all this Christmas baking... hmmm, I could get used to an island in the kitchen.

At least Peggy and I are drinking more milk lately as we sample the crispy and chewy delights.

The snow completely missed Brainerd, all falling well south of us... but we did have cold temperatures and stiff breezes. Scooter and Charlie wanted their hoodies on.

The great smells and all the activity in the kitchen gets them excited. Once in a while, they do luck out and find a crumb on the floor.... what a prize!

Charlie seems to be smiling about it all.

Not always good at "taking turns", there are a few little arguments over who gets to go into the kitchen next... Scooter may have budged in line here.

We've addressed and mailed some cards, decorated the house real nice and cozy, play Christmas carols, and now are pretty caught up in the spirit of things.

I went out this morning and found one of the presents I had in mind for grand daughter Lydia!
(makes good noises too!)

May the Holiday Blessings we enjoy in life be shared and felt by all!

A friend sent me a great saying this morning "Live your life in such a way, that each morning when your feet hit the floor, Satan shudders and says "oh no! they're awake!"

Peace!

A Night of Christmas Delight

2010-12-06T12:11:00.003-07:00

It's now a tradition for us. The Arboretum Winter Wonderland. Sponsored light displays of Christmas scenes are set up on the trails and in the woods. Opening Thanksgiving weekend, this is a drive-thru exhibit except for 1 or 2 nights. On those nights, for a small fee, the entire trail is open for foot-traffic only. How cool!

We met some of our kayaking friends inside the main lodge and then buttoned up for the hike.

Awesome new displays this year along with the familiar ones.

One of our favorite paths leads to the chapel in the woods... so realistic, it seems we would be able to walk right inside.

We had fueled up real good with ciambatta rolls filled with spicy chicken and cheese, baked beans and hot coffee with cocoa mix in it... oh yeah!

The air seemed to get more brisk every couple minutes... very energizing!

The aroma of bonfires, the woods and the crisp snowy air made the hike even more wonderful.
Peggy liked the beaver gnawing through this tree, which topples to the ground every 10 seconds or so. We were imagining how huge and great this all would look to little kids snuggled in the back seats of their parents cars, slowly driving through this.

I can relate to these elves on ladders fixing something on the house in the Winter.. hee hee.

Not a large crowd on the trails but it was romantic and made us get "into the spirit".

A new display this year was Bethlehem. The largest scene of the trail, about 50 feet long and 20 feet tall.. the Angels and Star are nicely detailed. We were humming carols and having a real good time!

Back to reality Monday morning, I've got bread baking, steaks ready for supper and a small list of things to keep me busy. Feathery snow came down this early morning, so some sweeping outside was due, and the plows came by, filling in the end of the driveway for a bit of exercise too.

We're getting a bit more used to the early darkness of this season... feels like bedtime around 6, but with decorations to get up, cookies to bake, cards to address and other fun things, we are having a ball.

This is a great time of year to feel like a big kid, remembering the "reason for the season", and all our blessings!

Peace!

Christmas Decorations on the way up!

2010-12-03T11:01:00.002-07:00

It has been such a nice week. It looks like Winter is here to stay in Brainerd, so time to "batten down the hatches", so to speak, and get in the mood for the Holidays!

We went to St. Cloud yesterday. Great day for a little road trip... we don't need much of an excuse to explore.

We drove back on a different road, on the east side of the Mississippi this time. Up north through Sartell. Nice to have different views, enjoy some new scenery, such as it was, and just go with it.

Getting home, we unloaded the stuff we bought at Sam's Club. That in itself is a hoot... "let's see, where do we put 6 cases of olives and 400 rolls of toilet paper?" Actually, not that bad, but it is fun to joke about some of the quantity buys we find.

Peggy got some good Christmas music going as I putzed in the kitchen, soon the decorations were coming up out of the basement and we had the Magic come over us... lights went up, tinsel was hung, all sorts of good Christmas memories and delights in our home now!

Jezzie thought the tinsel was inviting and rolled around in it before napping.

The dogs love watching us do these things, staying just out of the way.

I cooked up some basamati rice, made a cream custard with vanilla, added tart dried cherries and steamed it in our Wasserbadform for an hour. It is incredibly delicious! Sweet and with the fruity tartness of the cherries, a great Holiday Pudding. Yup, gonna be fun using this gizmo all season long.

Brainerd is in another "winter weather advisory", up to 5 more inches of snow perhaps, beginning late this afternoon. Awesome... I do miss taking the Kingpin for rides, but there's no chance now as Winter weather has come to stay. We are going to have a great weekend, Christmas cards, decorating, baking and other fun Holiday Stuff to keep us busy and feeling So Blessed, as our Lives and Love grow together.

Peace!

No longer looking like Autumn here!

2010-11-30T10:40:00.002-07:00

It's hard to believe that there is almost a month left in Autumn here in Brainerd. Last night, in a Winter Advisory, we got up to 6 inches of snow, some places got half a foot, and nearby reports of .167 yards of heavy, powdery snow fell.

After having some good hearty toast and peanut butter, it was time to fire up the sno-blower for the first time of the season. I'm glad I brought it into Friendly Ace for a complete "going over" and tune-up. It runs like new!

The air smelled fresh and felt crisp. Underlayers and coveralls kept the drafts out while I blew off
the walks, driveway and backyard "potty paths" for Scooter and Charlie.

The dogs seem excited by the changing seasons, watching out the windows and extra alert.

As strong and frisky as they are, they are not equipped for real cold weather and deep snow.

They enjoy watching the chickadees and nuthatches come and eat at our feeders.

I like making the back yard paths. It gives Peggy and me a way to walk around and enjoy the scenery out back too.

This colorful fat squirrel is a regular in our back yard. Looks like some kind of "hybrid", blackish tail, gray back, white tummy, brown ears and white eye rings, I believe squirrels are cross breeding... this one hangs by his hind toes and eats seed.... drives the dogs nuts!

Quite a difference outside today, this was only 10 days ago. It is 20 degrees out, the winds may pick up through the evening... who knows?

I'll probably be starting up the snowmobile one of these days if this snow stays. It seems like it will.

December soon, Peggy and I will be decorating our home for Christmas in the next week or so.

I made a big pot of chili last night and a steamed chocolate fudge pudding in my Wasserbadform.
I am going to look at more recipes for this unique piece of equipment and will make a Christmas Pudding. Great time of year for hearty soups, great baking smells and fun in the kitchen for sure.

Married life continues to Bless, Strengthen and Encourage, (good things for good girls and boys)

Peace!

Thanksgiving Recovery Day

2010-11-26T10:48:00.003-07:00

Early start yesterday... I got to our Chapel Kitchen a little after 5 am, ready to roast and prepare goodies for about 80 people.

It was near zero outside, making it a perfect morning to spend in a kitchen. Unwrapping the turkeys, rinsing and seasoning, getting the roasters all set-up, the 20 pounders were all going by 6 am.

The place started really coming alive about 9 when others began showing up with their treats and to help. There is nothing like the aroma of 100 pounds of turkey roasting, and these were special, filled with apple, onion and orange slices.

It was an awesome meal, lots of great people and visiting, and a wonderful day to give thanks!

In the teens and Sunny today, I'm starting some soup, I kept the 5 huge turkey necks to make the soup stock... parsnips and other goodies will go in later and it ought to be fantastic by dinner.

Not jumping seasons, not being conned by the "black friday" hoopla, we are Celebrating Thanksgiving and our Blessings. This might be a good day for a short hiking adventure too.

Hanging out with leftover pie and good coffee, soup simmering, there is nothing black about our Friday here in Brainerd today!

Peace!

One Month Anniversary and What a Turkey!

2010-11-24T09:59:00.004-07:00

Winter weather on the way, Brainerd is right on the line, north 3-5 inches of snow, south 1-3 inches of snow with freezing rain and sleet... it's a "can't lose" situation... Oh Yeah!

I'm getting my Chef-Gear ready, ideas and energy all set. Tomorrow, I'll be at church at 6 am to begin cooking and roasting 5 turkeys for our community dinner. A few groceries to pick up today, bring to the kitchen along with some of my cookware and we'll be ready for action!

In Duluth near the end of our Honeymoon adventure "up-north", we posed at the end of the pier Sunday morning. A large ship had just entered the harbor, and the welcoming crowd just dispersed, leaving the little lighthouse pier to us.

It's been a wonderful first month of marriage. Our lives are truly blessed! Great memories already, good stuff on the way, the changing of seasons and Holidays are almost here.... awesome.

Change of seasons? Yup, this picture was taken last Friday, November 19th. The Sunshine made me want to get a last ride in. I rode 30 miles in 30 degrees, that was enough.. The Sta-bil is run through the fuel system.

The Kingpin is tucked into the back corner of our garage, under a blanket with the "battery minder" plugged in.

Lots to be thankful for, this Thanksgiving is going to be nothing short of GRAND!

Peace!

Great Day for Great Honeymoon Memories and Photos

2010-11-18T08:16:00.004-07:00

The power of Lake Superior...

It was like sleeping in a thunderstorm, the roar and pounding of waves, just across the highway from our room. A beach and gradual rise to hwy 61, it would have been even louder if we had been near shear rock walls on the lake.

We took pictures in the cold mist Wednesday morning in Grand Marais, the talk of the town was the weather and storm, fallen trees and the Lake.

This section of hwy 61 in front of our motel was strewn with lake debris. I was anxious to bundle up and take some pictures, this is pretty dark for 8:30 in the morning!

We hiked to Devil's Kettle, down 177 steps on the trail. They were just a little slick with mist and frost, but very sturdy. The views from atop and at the landings were fantastic.

The Kettle River is surging, high and pushed hard by the runoff and rain.

And then 177 steps back UP to the trail. The air smelled great, we stopped a couple times on the way up to rest and enjoy the view, thinking of how hungry we would be later.

The waves kept coming for 2 days. We were getting anxious to walk along the shore and look for rocks. Prime "rock pickin time" after these strong waves as fresh stuff is thrown up to shore.

We found many cool rocks, romantic souvenirs, including 1 agate. Just fun to dodge the waves and graze.

Countless thousands of trees were blown and knocked down by the storm. The wind was from a non-typical direction and dropped trees that had been safe from other storms. Some trails were difficult to hike because of the trees, and the one at Pigeon River was totally unpassable, although we gave it a good try.

We had to crawl under a few fallen trees, it would have been more difficult to try and go around.

Weirder than weird! We were talking as we hiked about the fungus shelves growing in some of the trees. Larger ones can be dried and varnished, and make decent little curio shelves for the home.

I spotted a large one laying at the base of a birch, bent down to pick it up and was startled by the words appearing to be growing out of it!

"piptoporus betulinus" How can this be? It is not stamped into the fungus, it appears to be the way it grew... of course not, but what the....? It must have been formed by some kind of design for instruction and was left near the trail... we left it for others to enjoy. Curious!

Finally, the BEST sunset picture I've ever taken.

Just luck and being in the right place... Peggy and I had just got back to the trailhead on Park Point after hiking to the old canal... about 6 miles round trip. Hungry and ready to be back, the view to the west got better and better as we neared the car. I took a couple camera shots, and don't remember the view being quite this wonderful... I was very surprised when I got the photos back.

3 1/2 weeks ago we were Wed. An awesome 2 week honeymoon, a few days of deer hunting, a week of easing back into the good life in Brainerd, continuing to feel blessed beyond belief!

Peace!

Ain't Gonna Acknowledge Winter Weather Yet!

2010-11-13T08:20:00.006-07:00

In Duluth, we window shopped and went into a few stores downtown. I found this frisky fellow, Nipper, vacationing from his RCA ads. We bought a great blues cd, "The Nighthawks" and shopped around in the place while they burned and packaged it for us... cool new process. Nice to smell the incense and fragrant essential oils while we strolled around.

Peggy is sitting high atop Oberg Mountain overlooking Lake Superior, actually several miles away... great view!

It was cool and crisp, not uncomfortable at all for hiking.

At one of the overlooks on the trail, we got a real perspective of just high up we had hiked... far below us, there were 2 Bald Eagles soaring. We had never seen an eagle from above before.

Clear air, fragrant with pine and cedar, rosy cheeks from the hike, a perfect morning for our Honeymoon Adventure!

This portion of the Gunflint Trail showed us why many vehicles in Grand Marais had inches of snow on them. A narrow belt of snow showers had fallen north and west of the town.

We both thought this scene was surreal, almost looking like white sand and palms in Florida.

Very bright sunlight at times, it was jaw-dropping gorgeous for most of our ride to Honeymoon Bluff.

Not as high as Oberg Mountain, Honeymoon Bluff still had great views of the region.

Lakes were shimmering bright blue, the sunlight and crisp air made this an excellent journey.

Always scanning the shores and low marshy areas for moose, we kept hoping that we would spot one... they are around here, but usually travel and more visible in the early morning hours.

The Pigeon River was churning after the rainfall. The thunderous sound and fine mist in the air was at all rivers and waterfalls we visited.

The left bank of this river is Canada looking towards Superior.

This is below the High Falls, usually only a trickle this time of year. More pictures and story to come!

It is hard to believe that this was about 2 weeks ago, our Honeymoon Adventure is still so fresh in our minds. We are glad we took so many pictures.

I've had no luck deer hunting, but have enjoyed the good time with friends and long days of hiking and sitting in the woods, easing me back to reality after being so far up north.

Back in our cozy home this week, I've made pumpkin wild rice soup and baked bread. We've relaxed and watched a couple movies, went for a very long hike around our Arboretum and are still amazed by our recent memories of Minnesota Beauty.

As our seasons seem to be prematurely changing once again, Life and Love are truly Blessed!

Peace!

Wedding and Honeymoon for an Autumn Adventure

2010-11-08T09:24:00.004-07:00

I do, She do, We do, and then we went and did!

Like a Fantasy Musical, we were wed Sunday, October 24th at 4pm. In the company of God, friends and loved ones, the ceremony was just that... A Ceremony!

We wanted an adventure for our Honeymoon, and we got one. Knowing full well that there was some awesome weather coming to our destination, we headed north Tuesday morning.

There will be more pictures posted later of sites, sightings, hiking and fun.

By the time the storm was over on Lake Superior and the North, it had been classified as an Inland Hurricane!

We had always wanted to see a real Lake Superior storm, showing her power and might, and our wish came true.

From 17 foot waves reported near Grand Marais, where we were staying, to 27 foot waves reported by Canadian officials farther north, the lake thundered and pounded the eastern shore.

We listened to the pounding all Tuesday night, and the roar, like being next to a waterfall. It was still very cloudy dark Wednesday morning as we awakened anxious to look outside and see what was happening with nature.

As we explored and hiked trails, we were amazed by the flow of water in all streams, creeks and rivers... waterfalls that would have been slowly flowing or a trickle this time of year were thunderously roaring over their full top rim.
Awe inspiring!

Peggy is standing near the bottom of Devil's Kettle falls... the kettle is not even visible with the deep pond and river flowing below. She got soaked with mist in the moments she posed for this picture.

There were rocks and debris thrown on the road from the lake, countless thousands of trees toppled, making many back trails covered, and emergency road crews were clearing Hwy 61.

In Grand Marais on Wednesday, there were many cars pulling into town covered with 3-4 inches of snow from a belt of snow that fell near the Gunflint trail.

We hiked the Oberg Mountain Loop, Honeymoon Bluff, parts of the Lake Superior Hiking Trail and many other side adventures.... way too much put in one or 5 posts!

We are Married! Mr. and Mrs. Martin Freeman, Peggy and Marty Freeman and it feels wonderful!

Yesterday, after church and a snack, we took the Kingpin out for a nice long ride for coffee and treats in the 56 degree sunshine. Peggy thinks it is her last ride for the season, I'm in denial, hoping for many more days of riding... warm, late Autumn days. Deer hunting season is here, no luck on Saturday in my tree in the woods (just a nosy porcupine visited)... heading back out on Tues or Weds for Mr. Big Buck.

Back in our cozy home, looking through wedding and honeymoon pictures many times a day, visiting with family and friends... Life and Love continue to be Blessed beyond dreams here in Brainerd!

Peace!

Heading out on Honeymoon, Phase II & Fazed Too

2010-11-02T08:46:00.002-06:00

Almost too much fun surviving the "gales of November come early". Like nothing either of us have seen before!

Peggy and Marty Freeman! has a wonderful ring to it as we adventure out again for more Honeymoon!

Heading Out On Honeymoon

2010-10-26T09:01:00.002-06:00

We are a headin' out, Honeymooning, Honeymoon!

Oh Yeah! Married!

Life and Love have been Blessed beyond all hopes!

Birthday Fun, Lazy Cats and a "What is it" Boat!

2010-09-16T08:16:00.003-06:00

Whoa, what a cake!, what a Birthday, What A Gal!

Devil's Food (appropriate), chocolate chips and hot fudge infused with cream cheese frosting... That's what I baked for Peggy's birthday party.

We stretched the celebration out as long as we could.... oh yeah! Like me, she's getting younger with each passing year.

Mr Kitty sets the trends, here showing Tanners how to properly pose while sleeping. Mr Kitty is the MOST unusual cat... He seems to be everywhere in the house at once. Go upstairs to a closet, he's inside waiting, go back down and into the bathroom, he's sitting on the john waiting... how does he do it?

Electrician came a few days ago to do some work hooking up a ground to the box. A few minutes downstairs and I hear a holler "We've got Mr Curious down here".... while other cats run from commotion, Mr Kitty runs to it and dives right in, he was playing with an end of a spool of wire and
looking into his tool box.

Warm sunshine in our plant room after a cool morning attracted Mr Kitty to sprawl out and sun himself... no up, no down, no cares... just a funny cat.

The past couple months a boat has caught my eye. Not to buy or desire to own a boat, I just was smitten by the graceful lines, overall look of the design and streamlined look.

Well, I do have an eye, come to find out.

This boat is on hwy 371, just south of Rice in an old wooden boatyard/graveyard.

Thinking it would be someday gone, and I'd regret not taking a picture, I stopped along the shoulder, walked over and started snapping pictures. A fellow was working to jack up another
old decrepit boat and I asked him a few questions about this beast.

First thing, this looks like a much larger boat than it is... only a 19 footer.... it looks like a small ship from the road.

The man said that it was an IOTA boat.. I called the next day and they checked the papers on it... confirming it is an IOTA. Nothing anywhere, no internet site I searched revealed anything about a boat company or design called IOTA.

They told me that only 6 were
made, and this is the only one still in existence.
It has a fiberglass hull and wooden deck and top. The original 4 cylinder Gray Marine engine is in it as is the Eaton transmission. Wow!

This is truly a hole in the water into which one would pour money, but WOW, would it be awesome in an antique boat parade!... I even see the lines of a submarine in the design.

Very cool mornings, great days for a pot of homemade soup.. vegies coming out of the garden as we enjoy the end of Summer.

Making plans, get-aways ahead, romance in the air.... what a Fall it will be for us!

Getting ready to ride the Kingpin south as Daughter Katie is about due to bring my first grandchild into the world! Prayers surrounding, warm thoughts comforting, God watching over them, as the time approaches....

Life and Love, Blessed beyond hopes, continue to amaze!

Peace!

Phall Fenomenon

2010-09-10T07:40:00.004-06:00

It is still Summer here in Brainerd, but there are some Fall-like things happening.

Peggy is standing behind the fence and one side of our Passion Flower Vine. Now established, it is opening many beautiful blossoms every day...

Cucumber vines are browning, tomato plants are wilting, but they continue to make fruits...

Pepper plants?... well, not much to post about those.... a couple jalapenos on the way and we've had one really nice big green pepper, a few coming later... overall, a bad pepper year here.

Our butternut squash vine is going nutz! Late but better than nuttin'

This is one of about 12-15 squashies growing on the vine.. still blossoming and sprawling... a very cool plant.

This picture was taken yesterday afternoon... hard to count all the blossoms that opened... the vine is thick, grabbing and climbing all over the fence and LOADED with buds!

Other Phun Phall Fenomenon we've experienced: Peggy noticed the other evening, a neighbors big treetop was filled with goldfinch, a couple dozen little yellow birds chirping and flitting around. Neighborhood squirrels are busy stashing. One big multi-colored squirrel is driving Scooter and Charlie crazy tightrope walking the power lines carrying big walnuts... back and forth, over and over... what does he know? We have had lots of geese flying very low over our house too... honking and yodeling. Robins are MIA, gathering somewhere else we assume.

Peggy and I refuse to give up on our Summer. We're gardening, motorcycling, hiking around and enjoying the Suns rays when we can.... lots of good Summer weather still to come here in Brainerd... oh yeah!

With the feel of changing seasons, our Blessings become even more apparent to us in Life and Love...

Peace

How Can Summer Be Winding Down?

2010-09-02T10:09:00.003-06:00

Great sleeping weather... cool or breezy nights, very warm and a bit muggy days for getting stuff done... Dog Days return!

Our Passion Flower Vine is massive, thick and sprawling along and over the fence. The fertilizer and good rain must have kicked in real good, we're getting 6 or more beautiful blossoms every day now. A real nice way to dress up a fence corner, we keep our eyes open for tree frogs and toads now when we handle the vines and look at the flowers... The wild flower mix in the corner area is vibrant, especially in the evening with bright purples and reds... not sure what all is in
there, but it is beautiful.

These big blossoms open from a thumb sized bud in a couple minutes, stay open for a day and then close in the evening hours... quite a novelty.

This cucumber plant really likes climbing up the pine tree. I reached into the branches and picked 3 huge cucumbers day before yesterday for a creamy salad. The vines continue to grow and blossom, they must have really hit some good nutrients along with the rain, I've not had a plant like this in a long time.

The cool moist evenings are tough on the tomato vines, but the tomatoes themselves are ripening and delicious, still getting green beans too. Peppers on the way, perhaps, not a great year for them. Usually by now the pepper plants are splitting from the weight of the fruits, but we will be lucky to get a couple peppers from each plant this year for some reason. Delicious creamy tasting zuchinnis are coming almost every day too, and I'm letting a big dark one grow a little more into "stuffing size".. oh yeah!

Peggy stuck a chunk of her Dad's calla lily root near the fence and it has grown this plant about 5 feet tall... no blossoms yet, maybe they'll come. We'll dig the root up and store it until next Spring, and getting it in earlier, it should blossom for the hummingbirds.

We LOVE Butternut squash. Our vines are finally fruiting. Maybe 10 little squashies nestled in, growing larger every day along the outside of the fence.

I baked 2 medium sized butternuts that we got from Peggy's Dad. Scooped out the innards, put it in the blender with butter, milk, salt, pepper, a few sprigs of rosemary, thyme, a touch of garlic and a pinch of cayenne. Then I lightly simmered it for our delicious soup supper... topped with crisp bacon bits and chunks of baquette for scooping, we had an awesome meal!

Putzing in the yard, being a little lazy this time of year, we did go kayaking on Crooked Lake east of Brainerd on Sunday evening for a wonderful dusky adventure. A few little walks, bike rides and relaxing as the Summer reluctantly winds down. I'm packing my "Grandpa Bag" to have ready with essentials for when I head south... Hoping the weather will be wonderful for taking the Kingpin, it will be an exciting time indeed for us all as Lydia Grace comes into our world.

Love, Blessings and Guidance are Strong and Surrounding, as we make Romantic Plans and enjoy the rest of Summer.... It's gonna be a Great Autumn!

Peace!

Really Feeling Like Summer Now!

2010-08-25T08:38:00.004-06:00

Katie called after her Dr. appointment and sounded so excited with how things were progressing, I wanted to ride down and visit.

The weather was perfect Monday, cool and sunny, as I rode the Kingpin south. Just stopping for gas once and some espresso at Dunn, I rolled into Slayton in the early afternoon. Good times!

It was nice to have a "list" of things she wanted to try and get done while I was there, and we did accomplish a few things... yeah! Also nice to just visit and have her cook for me. Son Charlie called
and invited us all up to Marshall for supper..
perfect, and I got to see Charlie and Kaylee's new house.... very nice. Great dinner and fun later, talking and playing Nintendo. Time went quickly, Katie and I went for walks around town and visited the County Fair Grounds (still setting up), and did some painting and stuff. I rode back home to Brainerd on Tuesday afternoon, and again the weather was perfect, sunny and breezy, and I got back to our cozy home early evening. So good to be home with Peggy!

This last Monday was a Mission Ride with the Minnesota Patriot Guard. A battalion of National Guard Engineers from Brainerd is being deployed
to Afghanistan, and we were to escort and provide a "flag-line" for the events. Very touching ceremonies, a lot of hand-shaking, great people and a good day. We stood in our flag-line at the "Drill Center" as the soldiers boarded the motor coaches, escorted them to the college for the ceremony and their family time, stood in our flag-line as they again boarded the coaches, and then rode escort as far as Saint Cloud... rolling thunder indeed! Very appropriate that their motto is "Clear the Way!"

After pulling off the highway and saluting as the soldiers rolled past, we went for lunch in St. Cloud. Good times and a nice ride back to
Brainerd with good things to think and pray about.

Our vegie gardens are thriving, a little late, but thriving now! Cucumbers climbing up trees, tomato plants as tall as us and lots of beans.

We planted some extra stuff, squash and cukes along with tomatoes along our new back fence line... it must be magic soil and sunshine back their because some of the plants are monsterous.

Like ornaments hanging from a tree, cucumbers are dangling inside this pine... pretty cool, but we cannot eat them all.

Slicers and "burpless" varieties, more every day and they continue to grow and blossom.

Squash and cukes spill out beyond the fence, our calla lily is really sprouting too.

I'll post more pictures of our now Massive Passion Flower Vine!... it is huge and Peggy is getting about 5-6 blossoms a day with more buds on the way.

Peggy loves her string beans and we have lots to play with. Last night we stir-fried them with slivers of ham, water chestnuts, onions, ginger and garlic and then glazed with a hot pepper sauce... we sat on our deck and ate our supper in the cool breeze and sunshine.. what Summer nights should be!

Scooter and Charlie love being in the yard with us. Scooter is guarding the green beans that Peggy picked.

Peggy was fiddling with the passion flower vine yesterday morning, jumped and screamed... seems a "bud" she held in her hand was a small, bright green 3-toed tree frog... what a cutie, climbing around in the plant... after being startled, we put it back into the plant.

Just as it should be, I was down on my hands and knees painting under the deck while Peggy sunned in a lounge, and I jerked and went "Whoa"! as a much larger brown toad jumped from nowhere onto my hand...
We must have 5 or 6 different kinds of frogs and toads hopping around our yard, trees and gardens... I always "mow slow" and watch for them, returning them to the gardens if they are in the grass.

Romantic plans for us, Katie's baby (Lydia Grace) on the way, hot summer days and cool summer nights, Blessings and Guidance filling our lives.........

Peace!

Great BBQ real close by

2010-08-11T11:29:00.004-06:00

A while back, I bought an issue of Minnesota Monthly magazine to read on an air flight. The cover and feature story was on the best BBQ places to eat in Minnesota. Imagine how surprised I was to find that #5 was Louie's Bucket of Bones in Ironton, just 16 miles east of Brainerd!

Well, Peggy and I put this adventure on our list of things to do....

After our day at the beach of Lake Mille Lacs, walking around Aitkin, enjoying coffee and great scenery, we was a hungering.

We decided to head back home to Brainerd on 210 and go through Ironton to this little gem.

It is small in size, but not in attitude!

We were greeted by the owner, and she explained, since this was our first visit, her preparation techniques, let us smell the rub blend used on the meats and then explained the different styles of ribs and bbq offered.

It smelled fabulous in the place!... we had Scooter and Charlie along, and they were happy to seat us on the patio with them, gave them water and turned up the blues so we could hear the music outside.

I had 1/2 rack of St Louis style ribs, sweet and sticky with spice, the best Texas Toast ever, Jo Jo's and baked beans. Peggy had a similar platter with their special Catfish.... it was all beyond delicious.

The owner soon came out and gave me a lesson and demo "Jo Jo's 101" on how to cut, fluff and fill the potato delights with sour cream and her "bistro sauce".

We had a messy ball eating and watching the traffic go through this small town... we were brought big moist towels to wipe ourselves as we ate... awesome.

As we prepared to leave, I went inside, hugged the owner and said "we'll be back", to which she replied "everyone comes back"....

I've got bread baking, the AC is keeping the house comfortable, and just finished hooking up and installing our printer. I'll be picking green beans too, a quick check in the garden this morning revealed LOTS ready.

I made pulled pork, a Waldorf salad and blueberry bread puddin' to share at Oak St Chapel last night, and we'll be enjoying leftovers tonight!

I went outside a few times this morning, the grass with the heat and rain we've had, needs mowing again, and it is like a pressure cooker out there... moist heavy heat with no breeze... whew, we'll be drinking lots of cool water today! I've got some work and putzing to do in the garage, then a work-out... a cool shower later is gonna feel great!

Life and our Love continue to be blessed as we grow together in our Faith......

Peace!

A Day at the Beach and Other Adventuring

2010-08-09T07:30:00.007-06:00

The picture of our Stuffed Zucchini almost does it justice. With a hint of lemon and clove, the combination of textures and flavors made this a Mediterranean themed delight! A little putzy to make, but a great, healthy meal.

We got up early Thursday and Peggy had a great idea. Spend the day on the north shore of Mille Lacs, picnic and see where we ended up. Nice Summer plan!

We had seen this area while cruising around Mille Lacs on the Kingpin. It was busy that day with swimmers and boaters but was deserted this day, we had it just about all to ourselves.

Peggy packed food, blankets, towels and other picnicky things, we grabbed the dogs, (actually just asked them quietly if they wanted to come with and they flew into the car), and headed east to the lake.

Before we got to the beach area we decided to head north into the State Forest area and take in some scenery. Not really a recreational area, a few miles of gravel roads, a few great views, and we were ready to walk in the sand with Scooter and Charlie.

Breezy and bright weather, we leashed the dogs in their harness' and headed east along the sand... the sound of the waves, water spraying and the sunshine was awesome.

We had some great dried Italian salami from Duluth, good crackers, marinaded cucumbers and other little treats after our long walk. It had been a while since we just relaxed on a blanket on a beach!

Another family came to swim and parked about 1/4 mile away, we were amazed how far they walked out into the lake on a sandbar, swimming when they slipped off... must have been a good half-mile into the lake.

We drove to Aitkin for coffee and hanging out with their "Riverboat Days" celebration and stopped for supper at a fantastic little restaurant... more on that later, it was featured in Minnesota Monthly magazine!

On Friday, after Peggy got home from work, we headed to the Crow Wing County Fair... we had a huge gyro sandwich for supper, jalapeno cheese curds, good refreshments and fun as we walked around looking at the familiar displays.
Peggy enjoys the Rabbits on display as she used to raise them with her daughters for 4-H. The French Lops were huge and I am appreciating all the varieties... really cute.

Saturday, after a busy morning putzing and catching up on some household stuff, we thought we should bicycle north.

We biked through town this time, as the town was not busy at all because of the Fair and other things going on. Getting on the Paul Bunyan Trail right at the start, we went through a the tunnel under old 371, on the new high bike bridge over the busy road, and then onto the smooth trail into the woods.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw this huge owl
perched low on the fallen tree. I tried to be quiet as I called for Peggy to stop, turn around and we would slowly bike back passed the owl.... It sat there staring at us with it's huge eyes as I clumsily tried to get the camera ready... It stayed still until I snapped the picture, flying silently back into the brush. It was about 18 inches tall we guess, brown and gray, with the big eyes and eye rings... a truly amazing sight!

We continued north to Merrifield, the SA being our goal for a refreshment stop. A cool breeze made the ride comfortable even though it was very warm and humid.. I stopped to lower my
seat a tiny bit... I replaced my stock saddle with a more cushioned custom seat... amazing what a fraction of an inch will do for overall comfort.

Getting to Merrifield, we made a potty stop and had something to drink before pedaling home as the Sun slowly went down.

There was a beautiful variety of wild flowers along the trail and wild plums popping out in the brush. We were talking as we rode about the deer, and how they should soon come out in the dusk, and 3 beautiful small whitetails were standing to our left as we went by...
About 1/2 mile further and a huge buck with a nice fuzzy rack was leaping from our right to go over the trail, saw us and jumped back into the woods.

Big pink and yellow daisy-like flowers were blossoming along this stretch as we approached Brainerd from the north. A very good 22 mile ride.

We saw clouds rolling in, heard some distant thunder and felt a cooler wind come just as we got home and it began to rain as we put the bicycles in the garage.... perfect timing! The lightning later Saturday night to the south was the most amazing display I've ever seen... constant flashes and bolts across the sky... great sleeping weather, the storms all went around Brainerd, this time.

Great Church service Sunday morning, a little shopping and running around, grilled hot-dogs for a simple supper, and a good movie made a great relaxing end to our adventurous week and weekend.... oh yeah!

We are making wonderful, romantic plans..... our Lives and Love continue to be blessed and amazing!

Peace!

Big Zuchinni's and Tall Ships

2010-08-04T11:53:00.005-06:00

The answer to the age old question: "what to do with those big zuchinni's?" well, stuff them of course! We got a few of these fresh beauties from Peggy's Dad when we visited. I cooked some white rice with cloves, olive oil and spice, then browned up some lean beef, toasted some slivered almonds and diced ripe olives.. After hollowing out the squash, I stuffed it firmly with the clove and spiced mixture, wrapped it in foil and baked it for about 1 1/2 hour at 375. The cool part is serving... sliced into attractive rings and topped with a luscious white sauce with spice, herbs and clove. Picture of that later!

To celebrate my Birthday, Sweet Peggy my Love decided that we go to Duluth, hang out, eat treats, drink good coffee and for a surprise, take a harbor cruise on the Vista!

A beautiful day for a road-trip, we headed east to McGregor
for the WONDEROUS baked goods in the Bake Shop there.
Stomachs gurgling as we approached, ready to order.... I love good baked goods and these are the finest I can remember having, certainly in Minnesota or these parts. We had a cream cheese filled maple croisant with toasted walnuts, fresh blueberry Danish, chocolate fudge topped cream bismark and carrot cake. We also got a loaf of "honey corn bread" for lunchtime snacking.

We nibbled as we traveled to the Tourist info station on 35w. We were told basically, that we had picked a very bad time to hang out in Duluth, if we could even get there... 35 is completely tore up, gone, and there were over 100,000 extra people down at the canal for the "Tall Ships".

Bravely, we decided to forage on and just see what could happen, and ready to accept whatever. Slow driving for sure through the 1 lane construction barricaded gravely area, we got to our exit in about 20 minutes, pulled off to Canal Park and FOUND A SPOT in the lot to park... Whallah! it was meant to be! Right in the middle of the crowd and all the tall ships, there we were, blessed and lucky to experience this little miracle.

We walked around to loosen up after the drive, bought some cheese, pepper jelly and sausage for our bread lunch and poked our heads into a few shops while watching the fun crowd, a tall ship sailing in the harbor and enjoying the day.

These pictures are on the Vista cruise boat, again lucky to get on, Peggy had made online reservations but we were literally the last 2 to board.... the crowd we had to pass through to get to the gang-plank was awesome!

Cooling off, breezy and wonderful, we got incredible views of the Tall Ship extravaganza and then back into the harbor to see some history and where the bigger freighters are loaded and unloaded..... Way Cool!

It sure didn't look like we picked the wrong day to go to Duluth as we situated ourselves in this perfect, prime parking spot in the heart of the action!

Incredible lunch as we tore into the loaf, opened the jelly and smeared the delice de bourgogne cheese onto the honey corn bread. We selected this cheese as it was ripe and soft and was supposed to have a honey-like taste... some of the best cheese I've ever had and it went perfectly with our spicy jam picnic lunch as we sat on the ledge under the Aerial Lift Bridge!

Peggy got right up to the Bounty, the actual tall ship from the "Mutiny on the Bounty" and was also Capt. Jack Sparow's ship in Pirates.

Like perfect timing, everywhere we went, just being together in Duluth to celebrate was wonderful enough, and all this other stuff was a bonus.

2 of the ships were taking lucky passengers out into the harbor... out on the lake, there were strong breezes and waves on top of surges... must have been quiet a ride. Hard to imagine these boats out on the oceans, one from the
Netherlands, one from Baltimore, a world traveling research ship, a sailor training vessel and others, only one was confined to just the great lakes.

I'm standing at the stern of the Vista, a few drops of refreshing rain as we chugged out for a look at Duluth from the greatest of all lakes. A tall ship is behind us, and there was a freighter waiting to come in and load 9000 tons of wheat. Always something fun to learn in Duluth.

Peggy and I threaded through to the bow as we reentered the port to go under the little draw bridge at the end of our little cruise. What an incredible view of the Tall Ships, Duluth and the fun crowd of people. The cloud cover kept things just a tiny bit chilled and refreshing, way better than the searing heat and humidity that could have taken over the day.

Candy Apples next, we went into the candy shop to get a treat to munch as we strolled through stores featuring local artworks. I had a Tiger Stripe Apple, caramel, peanut butter and chocolate thick dipped over a granny smith, and Peggy had a Caramel Toasted Cashew dipped granny smith.... juicy and wonderful, they started a few conversations and comments from passer's by as we strolled.. ah, twas a lovely sight indeed!

Not wanting to get back too late, we drove north a bit, walked around Glensheen a few minutes to get a feel for what we may do next trip, and then headed back towards Brainerd... traffic was briefly a bit worse than when arrived, but soon we were heading west on 210 through Aitkin county.

I felt then and still do, younger than before my birthday, still celebrating too, all that life has to offer. Peggy really outdid herself with these surprises and ideas for me! Yippee!

Peace!

Summertime in the Brainerd Area... Nothing Better!

2010-07-27T08:51:00.010-06:00

We've been doing so much, having so much fun,
hanging out, moving around enjoying our Summer that coming here to blog has not attracted me much. Sorry, but trust me, this is an incredible Summer.

Kayaking last week, enjoying the Sun and scenery, this very small, abandoned (?) log cabin called to me. What story does it hold? Looks like no one has been there or used it in years. Where is the road that leads to it? Fun stuff to think about while listening to the birds and paddling in the clear water.

Daughter Katie came to visit and we had fun doing a bunch of stuff. We went for a ride and explored an abandoned nature learning center, hung out for a while with some Biker Buddies, and lots of other good things.

Scooter and Charlie were due for a Summertime rinse with insect repelling shampoo and Katie helped dry the critters... Scooter is good at looking pathetic, needing some luvin' up.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree and Katie is great in the kitchen. She wanted to share a recipe for cornmeal pancakes with blueberries so whipped up a batch.

Tender, fluffy and delicious.... some of the best pancakes I've ever had!

Peggy and I held our big rummage sale 2 weeks ago with outstanding results. Part of the fun was picking through the items ourselves, thinking of whether Katie would like them. We had a box of assorted stuff set aside for her to go through and that was fun too.

Lookin' so healthy, due in September, full of Love and just glowing! Oh Yeah!

Sunday, after church and a "birthday pot-luck" (I was an honored recipient), we decided to take the Kingpin around Lake Mille Lacs. Absolutely perfect day for it.. Sunny and real warm, nice breeze, there were more boats out on the east side of the lake than I've seen out on Mille Lacs in years. The sandy north shore had lots of swimming parties going on too! Great to see families out enjoying a real Minnesota Summer.

We pulled into a "Scenic Overlook" on the east side to walk around and view the lake. So bright, it was hard to adjust the camera for our pictures.

There were many motorcycles on the road, also riding around the lake, and a few rolled into this rest-stop too. In fact, there may have been more bikers out than cars.

The north side of the lake is a nice strolling road, lots of cabins and lots of fun going on.

We stopped at a Biker's Trading Post and got a vest for Peggy... laced sides for cool.

Mowing the yard, watering the gardens, cukes and zukes coming in, green beans soon.. lots of green tomatoes on the vines... the gardens are looking good.

An off and on again "rainy, stormy day" here in Brainerd today... maybe I'll catch up on inside stuff?

A Summer-full of Blessings, Life and Love, Grateful and Guided, we enjoy each day! Making Plans!

Peace!

Some Simmering Summer Selebrating

2010-07-12T07:14:00.007-06:00

Outstanding, nothing less.... that's how this late Spring and early Summer has been rolling.

Too busy lately to blog here, we've been excited by how the gardens are bolting and growing in the heat and rain. We're getting Passion Flower blossoms now as the vines grow and weave in the fence corner. Not seeing any buds for a while, Peggy and I thought perhaps we got a mutant plant... then one afternoon, there were 2 big blossoms, more the next day and lots of buds on the way... great plant! I had to string extensions on top of the fence for the new growth.

Great adventure on Nokay Lake kayaking too... another new lake to us, we thought we would try it out for paddling. Very little development, lots of weed growth and interesting shoreline made the afternoon interesting. Loons were calling and we got between a loon and it's echo. A steep walled bank to our left, a loon doing the tremelo about 200 yards out and the call went back and forth constantly for about 20 minutes.
We've never experienced anything like that before.

Great calm evenings for backyard bonfires. Peggy got a couple of high output solar lamps for the gardens, fun to see looking out the windows at night... might help keep critters out of the gardens too.

We burned a couple of citronella candles in pails while we enjoyed the cool evening, chatting and listening to the birds.

Nice to relax like this after our busy days.. the yards are looking real good, and we are glad to have most big projects done or nearly done.

Settling in and watching a little tv (food network usually) sure makes the pets happy. They pile together in front of us and play, wrestle and chew their toys. Looks like Mr. Kitty is about to start some mischief, that's what he does.

Bicycle rides, evening walks, motorcycle rides and other fun Summer stuff keeping smiles on our faces... soon we will be "eating out of our garden"
Last night I made a whole grain pasta dish with freshly picked herbs.

Some trips planned, preparing for a Garage Sale, family visits, yup, keeping busy with fun Minnesota stuff here in Brainerd.

Life and Love continue to be Blessed, miracles happening every day as the Promises come true!

Peace!

Wuddafaddazday!

2010-06-22T07:54:00.011-06:00

Keeping busy in many ways this last week, the Sun and rain made yard work and recreation all better. After our surprise finding of passion flower vines and planting ours, we figured for Father's Day, we would get one for an Ultimate Gardener, Peggy's Dad.

The vine we picked for him had buds and a blossom on it, he'd not seen anything like it before. After loosely explaining the significance of the blossom parts going with the story of the Passion of Christ, we found a great corner in his main garden to plant it.

We decided we should find the accurate story, print up some copies to share when people see and admire this vine.

We got a nice piece of fencing to arch over the plant so it can climb. Ours is in a corner of fence and will use that to send out the little twisty tendrils... pretty cool!

Like Wilson on "Home Improvement", Peggy's Dad always seems to have his face hidden a bit in photos.....

He also always seems to have "one more branch" that needs cutting down or trimming to improve his views of the weather and sky...

here we're cleaning up the leaves and twigs after cutting down a big one. Good family fun!

Our Father's Day celebration on Sunday started early with a wake up cup of coffee as I opened my eyes. I had tried to spoil Peggy on her Mother's Day, I guess it was pay-back time and I was not going to complain!

We were of course in the mood for church and had talked about trying the little neighborhood church that hosted the motorcycle Run for the Cross we enjoyed so much.

It was a great experience, very welcoming and cool. A long message and sermon about Love and Fatherhood, laced with humor and touching
insight we could relate to, we'll definitely go back to this little Chapel.

After coffee and rolls, we went home and got the kayaking gear ready for a paddling adventure.
Nearby Lake Gilbert had our interest, we had not explored it yet. Just north of town and off the river by a short distance, we thought it might be a different type of scenic lake, thinking perhaps at some time it may have been connected to the Mississippi.

It was full of surprises. For one, it was much bigger than we expected, even after looking at it
on the Brainerd Lakes Area Map.

The water was crystal clear, alternating between shallow and dark deep water, lots of curvy shoreline, visible fish activity, muskrats, loons and many other birds. Small family cabins, some large McMansions, and great paddling fun!

We actually got into the paddle so much, we got a little disoriented in a bay and asked for directions... the lake did not seem big enough to get lost on, but we were having such a good time, we did! Peggy loved the white water lilies.

What says Father's Day more than a great meal?
Going back and forth between meal destinations, we decided on one of our favorites, of course Famous Dave's. Very hungry and filled with sunshine, we decided on Nacho's for 2 and a sampler platter.... oh yeah!

Iced tea with cola and lemonade was refreshing as we waited patiently (?) for our munchies.

Lots of families in the restaurant, generations obvious... laughing and eating.

We finished off with a bread pudding, a great dessert. All fathers got a big bottle of Famous Dave's BBQ sauce for a present... Very nice indeed!

Full, rosy from the Sun, content, we wanted to head home and relax with a movie... we got Leap Year, a romantic comedy. A great way to end a Father's Day of celebration with my Love.

More tomato plants in, more flowers planted, our yard is taking great shape. We got a small swimming pool for the dogs and company.... what a hoot. Wrens twittering and teasing Scooter and Charlie, it finally feels like the beginning of Summer.

We hope everyone enjoyed their Father's Day celebrations with family and friends.....

Peace!

Getting stuff done in the cool rainy weather... still fun!

2010-06-15T11:16:00.006-06:00

Can't fool a turtle, there's got to be a lot of water around here somewhere...

Yesterday afternoon, this cute little turtle was coming our way across the street. We put it in a pail of water for a while to let it rest and we took a couple pictures. It had been walking a while, there were abrasion rubs on the shell belly.

We took it to the back of our yard and let it go into the wet woods... there is a culvert and little creek back there.

We finally found a Passion Flower Vine. I had given up on locating this interesting plant, couldn't even find one in seed catalogs. Browsing through Fleet's garden center, there were a few little trellis vines sitting near the front... we grabbed a healthy looking one and got it into our corner garden with ornamental grass. Our neighbors let us thin their Tiger Lilies and we stuck a few of these in the corners... excellent color.

We got a couple new pepper plants in, a paprika plant and more beans and a row of beets planted.

Not enough heat to help the plants and seeds take off, but there sure is enough gentle rain!

Another project, we have an herb garden on the far side starting, and a the beginnings of a garden with perennials at the garage side. We are planning on circling these 2 gardens with patio stones. The yard is coming along fabulous with our ideas!

Another drizzly day, I've got bread baking, we had hearty oatmeal with fresh blueberries for breakfast. I'm planning on baking banana bread later while I putz around the house... can't do much outside. A workout in the garage later, some running around, and today this day will be another fun, productive day in Brainerd.

We're waiting for the Sunshine, but making our own good Spring without it for now, feeling blessed and guided in our lives and hearts!

Peace!

Pictures of June Fun

2010-06-10T09:48:00.007-06:00

So far, this has been the coldest, wettest, hottest and driest Spring I ever remember.... not many just average days. Seems it is either dusty and very hot and Sunny, or very cold and raining steadily. One extreme to another... am I tan or rusty?

Yesterday I went to the bike shop and had different handlebars installed. A little bit higher and 2 inches back, I think they will be more comfortable for long rides and with Peggy on the back, make it easier to lean back on her a bit... very cool.

This is the ring around a little tree in the front yard. Peggy planted some nice hosta's last week and they seem to be recovering very nicely now. They have had to survive in a short time, high heat and dry conditions and 40s with lots of soaking rain... gotta be tough to garden in Brainerd.

Our new "rock garden" style area in the front. A sedum is in the middle with a couple flowering perennials behind, a row of some kind of little bulby things in front... we'll see how this evolves.

The deck, drizzled on this morning, low 50's for temps, was not inviting me for coffee THIS morning, but has been most mornings. A great place to sit, chat, bird and dog watch and snack.

We're very happy with how it turned out.

Peggy's big petunia in the corner, the lawn chairs we had match the colors perfectly. Built very sturdy, the composite materials will need no maintenance, other than a hosing off once in a while.

The corner in the back yard fence was just asking to be decorated with some sort of garden. I tilled it up and put in 3 bunches of ornamental grass so far. I may sprinkle the area with a flower seed mix and just let it go.... fun stuff.

Our double-size vegie garden has peppers, tomatoes, zukes and other good stuff in it... a row of beans has been planted in the near side.

Basil in the corner, thriving so far, will go in with some of the tomato dishes.

Beets next....

Bread baking, smelling real good, a rainy and chilly morning to putz around the house, we'll watch the weather and see what else we can get into today.

Peace!

Another Great Week of Weather, Work and Fun!

2010-06-07T16:43:00.005-06:00

With garden work, eating well and just plain Spring Silliness and Fun, this has been another wonderful week!

More pictures on the way of our FINISHED DECK soon, it turned out better than we imagined. We really enjoy sitting outside and having our supper, morning coffee and just listening to the birds and watching the dogs. Fleet had an incredible sale and we bought a huge petunia planter... hopefully it will attract more humming birds and pretty moths.

I got the new ceiling light fixture installed in our
Sun room... the color is perfect and the tinted glass shade gives just the right hue to the room now.

We've got a new rock garden in the front yard!... we just had to find homes for the big rocks in the yard, so a kidney shaped free style garden was in order. A sedum, and some other bulbs, and 2 flowering perennials were put in on Saturday... I'll post pictures of it when it all comes out of shock. Very Nice!

Sweet Peggy planted tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and zucchini... I put the cages around them to keep them safe... we doubled the size of our vegie garden and I planted a row of green beans, beets next.

Having a friends roto-tiller to use was great! We turned up a row garden along both sides of the back fence, put in a corner garden for ornamental grasses and did some other
work before returning it... cool, and we'll have to post pictures of those projects soon.

Peggy's new bike rides like a charm! After a couple weeks around town, we went Sunday to Nisswa for coffee and back... about 38 miles round trip. We were lucky and "just missed" a few rain showers and enjoyed all the scenery, saw a deer leap over the trail and an elusive black squirrel.

Stopping for trail mix and water at Merrifield, 8 adults and about 22 baby geese swam by... what a beautiful sight for a Sunday morning!

We talked, rode and thoroughly enjoyed our ride coming home to make hearty chili for supper.

It will be great to have some of these big projects done so we can do more recreational activities now... the kayaks are beckoning along with the canoe. Hot or warm Sunny days, cool nights for sleeping has made this Spring about the best ever!

Doing so many fun things, it is hard to remember to take pictures of everything and post about it all... how good is that?

Reservations made for air travel from Brainerd to Las Vegas and the hotel for Son Charlies wedding.... oh yeah!

A Spring of Love, Blessings and Fun Growth of all kinds....

Peace!

Fun and Busy Springtime... weather cooperating!

2010-06-02T10:25:00.008-06:00

I took off on the Kingpin last week and rode down to visit daughter Katie and her fiance~ Charlie. What a great time!
Katie is about 30 weeks along with Lydia, and back from Alaska is moved into her beautiful home. The weather made the ride down fabulous, stopping for coffee and treats a couple times on the way.

We 3 went for a hike around Smith Lake Weds night and the flying gnats were amazing, the woods were screaming with them. At least the bugs weren't biting, and we had a great time looking at deer and birds, one wild turkey even.

Katie and I strolled around town, talked and had a fabulous visit. So nice to see her "blossom" with pregnancy, feeling good and looking even better!

Rub a tummy for good luck!

Peggy and I have been pretty busy with the yard. We've made all gardens bigger, transplanted some things and getting a nice feel to the layout of the yard.

Peggy transplanted the Kentucky Bluebells to the fence along with some other little surprises.

The rhubarb is not huge, but is holding it's own so far this Spring.

We moved some hostas, and have other perennials and plants to put in for borders.

We are going to double the size of our vegie garden, getting timbers nailed for the frame and ready to till.

The new deck is about finished and we've enjoyed a few meals on it, with hummingbird visitors. Nice to sit and enjoy coffee and peruse the work we're doing in the back yard. Excellent!

We've circled the lilacs and tree with rocks, Peggy is putting in some marigolds and we've got a funky flower box going in the front. I've got a roto-tiller for a while and might put in a free style garden in the front too, rock garden type of course!

We've been blessed with so much energy and good ideas this Spring, having a ball making our front and back yards special for us.

We took Sunday off and after church, rode the Kingpin up to Grand Rapids to visit.... a cool trip and lots of fun. This week we'll be doing more with garden additions, along the back fence, herb garden by the garage and other fun stuff, heading out maybe this afternoon to pick up our tomatoes and peppers... oh yeah!

Life and Love continue to be Blessed and Guided, lots of smiles, hugs and fun here in Brainerd....

Peace

Getting Decked, then the Run for the Cross

2010-05-24T11:38:00.010-06:00

We took a nice Kingpin ride on Wednesday for a "build it yourself" burger bar. Awesome deal, huge good burger and over 20 items to pile on top. Peggy and I had been working hard and deserved a break. After our meal we headed to the Gull Dam Recreational Area. We hiked around, looked at the big fish swimming in the spawning area and then rode a ways to the beach and access area there. Beautiful evening, warm with a breeze, middle of the week quiet. Oh Yeah!

We worked this week on getting the frame for the new deck completed. The weather cooperated, things fit, and by Friday we had our inspection and were ready to begin this new week putting on the actual deck boards.

Excitement was building as well as the deck for our ride on Sunday... the 3rd annual Ride for the Cross. 100 motorcycles, 100 miles, fun, food and fellowship.

As we lined up and enjoyed coffee at the starting point, an old 650 Yamaha, pretty stripped, came along... this picture is for son Charlie. His project bike Triumph, might have a look like this when done, but not orange.

Of almost 100 bikes, Peggy and I rode the only Victory. We enjoyed a lot of conversation and good comments... (it is gorgeous).

After a prayer and a gal singing the National Anthem, we headed out east. Rider crew went ahead and blocked intersections so we could roll right through town.

Great sound and lots of smiles as we got on the back roads for our adventure.

Long lines of bikes, ready to "peel off" and head east.

2 rest stops were scheduled, treats and coffee and the reading of prize numbers for our tickets.

We knew some riders, recognized others and made friends all day long.

Peggy found the cookies right away and there were coolers of ice cold pop, and hot coffee along with "buddy poppies".

Nice crowd of fun loving people, for sure!

I'm in a sea of iron as we get ready to leave this rest stop and roll around some lakes and back roads.

A beautiful sight, the rolling ribbon of headlights and the thunderous sound of exhaust... we caused on small "stampede" of beef near one farm, funny how some other cows seemed to actually come closer to the fence to watch us all go by.

Back at the starting point, we enjoyed a huge picnic type buffet and had good music. Peggy and I won a nice gift certificate at a local auto parts store and another for coffees in Nisswa..... very nice it is a place we frequent anyway.

A great week of fun and accomplishment ending with a long walk around the neighborhood last night, we slept like logs!

We are finishing the deck this week, the stairs and top rails and posts are going on right now.

All kinds of plans for fun, visiting and Springtime yard projects are coming up this week....

Life and Love are Blessed More and More!

Peace!

Post Post Post... Really

2010-05-18T07:31:00.007-06:00

Should have had this on sooner and posted about the posts before they were set in concrete, but after the fact, this is indeed, a post post post.

Getting the building permit from the city for our new deck, we set up to have our holes inspected for the required 60 inch depth. Wow, that's deep. We drilled down the total 60 inches and got some water in the bottom of the holes... this was not an easy job. The second hole we did not lift out and spin-0ff dirt as we neared the bottom and bogged the machine down totally, literally screwed it into the ground and had to pry it up and out. Whew!

The day was so nice on Saturday, we decided to take off for a ride and late lunch. Zorbaz on Gull Lake was the destination. A fun Mexican Pizza spot on a channel, decks and Sun, good lemonade and raspberry iced tea. Not too big a crowd yet and it was great to watch the boats go by as we ate. Blossoming trees, an oriole calling and fun music made this a great place to spend time.. gotta admit, the Kingpin looked good out front too.

Lots of refills on the iced tea, our Mexican pizza was loaded with jalapenos and goodies... this place is known for very large portions.

We cruised back to Brainerd on back roads and enjoyed our time, after working on the sun-room in the morning. Peggy put a second coat of wall paint on, we conditioned the paneling and went to the store and picked up our new rug and lamp-table. Awesome results, pictures of the new room coming soon!

Sunday was a real trip! Literally! We got up early, ate and packed a few things for the motorcycle, and headed north. We went up north of Duluth and dropped in on "the boys". The fishing opener gang has been at this cabin for about 30 years for the opener, we thought we would surprise them.
They heard us coming, as I had new exhaust pipes installed earlier in the week, and we rolled down into the driveway to
the cabin. What fun, introducing Peggy to my brother Dan, and old friends Jerry, Bruce, Glen, John and Chris. Never a shortage of good food there, we enjoyed cheesecake, venison and assorted hot pickled things with our cokes. Beautiful weather for the ride home too, just a few yellow splatters on the windshield as we hit some sort of bugs. We stopped and took breaks, had coffee and really enjoyed being out on the road.

The posts for our deck are set in concrete, we will begin bolting on the beams and struts, screw the faceplate into the house and other things this week. We drove out to a friends house yesterday who has lots of garden plants for sale and picked up a few herbs and things for the yard, also getting ideas. We are really having a Hoot of a Summer here in Brainerd.

I am excited to see daughter Katie, coming home to Minnesota today from Alaska.... whoopee doopee!

Smiles and Sun on our faces, feeling Blessed and Guided this Spring in Brainerd!

Peace!

A Great Week with variable weather conditions

2010-05-10T07:06:00.005-06:00

Yikes, from a chilly last weekend to warm and Sunny, then crispy frost mornings, to a fair weekend again, this has been a great week of busy-ness and fun stuff.

Starting with yesterday, Mother's Day, I got a special breakfast going with Scottish oat waffles, thick bacon and good coffee. The Sun looked like it was going to warm things up outside as the winds diminished. I would put these waffles up against anybodies in the "hearty" category, tender and delicious! Peggy deserves to be "treated like a Queen" on her special day~ positively charming!

As much as we don't like a lot of work or being too busy on Sunday, especially Mother's Day,
we still thought it would be fun to get some things
done in our new Sun room. We got the new sheet rock wiped off and primed, and the second coat of varnish on the wood trim around the door, floor and ceiling... looks so nice, this is going to be a bright, Sunny, fun room for plants and relaxing too.

As it warmed up, we both started thinking of a ride on the Kingpin. We headed east to Matty's and had their special sandwiches. Peggy had sunfish and I had their steak... we split sweet potato fries and fresh cut fries and everything came with a special sauce for dipping.
After our meals, we headed east again to Lake Mille Lacs to visit the giant walleye. In just a short while, the wind shifted a bit and we felt the air chill some as we headed home. Great ride.
Earlier this week, we did a nice run up to Nisswa for coffee and berry scones. I had just waxed the bike with "Rain Dance" polish and sure as shooting, as we were handed our coffees, we heard thunder. It had been fairly Sunny a few moments earlier. We enjoyed our treats as the squall blew over, wiped off the Kingpin and meandered home on back roads... awesome.

Last weekend, visiting with Peggy's parents, we got this nice shot of Charlie in one of his favorite laps.

Peggy and I went for many nice long walks in the cool evenings, a good long bicycle ride and thought about tennis. Robins egg shells in the streets, plants poking up in the garden, even through the frost we've had.

This week will find us on our hands an knees some as we prepare the floor for paint in the Sun Room, wiping down and treating the paneling, and then painting the primed wall and ceiling.... oh yeah!
And tomorrow, we may dig the footing holes for the deck supports too, fun and excitement as this project nears completion. Pictures coming after the mess is cleaned up....

Life, Love and Springtime continue to be Blessed and Guided, almost beyond comprehension....

Peace!

Oh, Wasn't It A Party?

2010-05-03T15:36:00.004-06:00

It was like waking up this morning to a scene from the movie "Hangover".

Our week was a fun, busy one. Making good headway in the "Sun Room". The new door is about finished with installation, a bit of caulking now and that's done. I began filling screw-head holes in the flooring. I'll use a small electric sander to smooth it all out before we paint the floor "Lime Light", a very, very pale green. We went Saturday to our friendly Ace and picked out the floor paint to accent the new wall with the door.

With work, doing our thing at home, having fun and being busy, we were both ready for a road trip.

Sunday we went to Alexandria to visit with Peggy's Mom and Dad. We brought Scooter and Charlie, had a blast, enjoyed a great meal and talked. Peggy's Dad went outside and picked us some fresh catnip. We put it in a zip-loc bag and brought it home for the kittys.

Peggy had barely put it on a shelf with the plants and Mr. Kitty and Jezzie were standing on their hind legs looking for it. Peggy gave them a small branch to play with and hid the rest on a cupboard.

This morning, oh Wow!... the cats found the bag, shredded it open and partied all night long. Tanners woke up in the laundry basket, Mr. Kitty and Jezzie were sleeping in a ball together by the front door and there were pieces of catnip strewn all about!... it was hilarious!

It has been drizzling off and on a few days here, we've missed taking the Kingpin out for rides, but it is nice to have the fire-risk lowered. I did go for a short ride today and got some 1/2 and 1/2 to make oyster stew this evening for Peggy. She's been hungry for it a couple days and it is time to indulge.

Tomorrow we begin work on our 8x8 deck going outside the new back door! Awesome excitement here. The parts for it have all been delivered and we've got the plans all ready.

Pictures of that project and our near-finished door project soon.

Life continues to amaze us with Blessings and Guidance!

Peace!

Spring Week of Busy Fun

2010-04-26T10:48:00.002-06:00

The weather cooperated, in fact it's been Sunny and a bit too dry. Peggy and I were having so much fun and staying busy this last week, there wasn't really even time to post on here. Early bedtimes, catching up on sleep and great projects filled our week.

We did take the Kingpin out for a couple nice rides too, back roads, seeing the area turn green, beautiful blue lakes, very nice cruising.

After getting most of our bedroom moved upstairs, the "office" coming together, and some other organizing, it was time to get ready for the new back door.

Emptying the room out, sorting and imagining, we got set for the cutting and installation.

The wall was cut out, level flooring assured, and WHAM, in slides the door set.

Of course, there's always "something"... there were some flooring layers we had to pry up and get rid of. 5 layers in fact.... I called and had a dumpster delivered Friday, and we spent Saturday prying and carrying out the old flooring.
Hard work, prying and being down on the floor, but Peggy baked unbelievable Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies for snacking!

We got the dumpster about 2/3 full, pictures later of that!

Now to finish the inside wall of the door-wall, get our paint and have more fun. The deck components are ordered and getting ready for delivery too.

This morning I brought the Kingpin to the dealer and had the 500 mile "going over". Oil change and a top to bottom, front to back, adjustment and check-out. Cool, now just easy break-in driving and nothing needs to be done for 3000 miles. Even got a new license plate!

Keeping busy, feeling great and enjoying the Blessings of a wonderful Spring in Brainerd!

Peace!

It was a Springy Week and Weekend!

2010-04-19T07:26:00.011-06:00

There was Spring in the air, and a Spring in our stride all last week and through the weekend. From picking up the new Victory Kingpin, going for rides, (one to Little Falls to pick up some INCREDIBLE coffee beans), yard work, fun shopping and moving the bedroom upstairs, rearranging the home, we had a good time working and playing together!

Of course, there's always a sale going on, and dog beds were a big bonus. Peggy picked out this fluffy one with doggy bone decorations. Scooter, and especially Charlie, jumped onto it and settled in. They must love the way it feels, they are on it just about every chance they get.

Peggy's big ideas of rearranging the home are really happening and working out better than we hoped. Clearing out our downstairs bedroom, we've made that into our "office". Now paperwork, the desk with computer, plus other schedule/calender and things we need to keep track of will
have a home. Because of the narrow doorway and stairway turn going up to our new bedroom, we went and got a "split-queen" box foundation. Easy to haul upstairs, next went the mattress. Peggy had a plan, and I trusted her notions. Some things were brought downstairs, some to the basement and some to the garage, as we sorted and arranged. It came out fabulous. We now have ideas for painting, lighting and other touches.

We took some good time off yesterday after early church service, and went for a long ride on the Kingpin. The Sun was out, it was fairly calm and we had a great trip up through Nisswa, east with
back roads to Brainerd, ending up at Caribou for a big coffee treat.

I bought some big salmon filets and we wanted to use the Weber to grill them. Simple, with fresh lemon juice, olive oil and a sprinkle of dill and black pepper, I grilled them between two bins of lump coal and mesquite.
Unreal how delicious they were with crispy fried yams and a big salad for supper. Peggy had to get close and see how I arranged the salmon between the coal holders. We'll be doing this more and more, as we both loved the way the fish turned out.

We did take some time off from our rearranging and watched, Saturday night, "The Bad Lieutenant" starring Nicolas Cage, a pretty twisted and weird detective thriller. We gave it mixed reviews, but it was entertaining enough to keep us awake after our busy day.

We feel a month ahead, weather-wise, compared to last year. We got a call that our new back door and window are in, and are anxious to get going on that room project, the deck and some yard ideas... oh yeah!

The Springtime Blessings in Life and Love are incredible!

Peace!

After 31 Years, the ol' Suzuki gets replaced!

2010-04-14T17:30:00.005-06:00

Got lucky on Craigslist, sold the '79 Suzuki GS1000S with no trouble.

We are for many reasons, partial to Polaris products and went to look at new Victory Motorcycles.

Wanting comfort for long rides, storage for our gear and lots of power for fun, we decided on the Kingpin Tour with the 100 c.i. engine (1634 cc), 6 speed overdrive transmission and bags.

Lots of comfort, low drivers seat, and a nice windshield to keep the elements (bugs) away, this was a perfect fit.
We had the shop install a "highway bar" system with foot pegs for me, and some nice chrome grab rails for Peggy's seat..

We just got back from a great ride of about 60 miles, going to Lake MilleLacs, up through Deerwood and back to Brainerd.... what a HOOT!

We're looking forward to a road trip up to Duluth soon on this baby.... What a ride!

Aww, go fly a kite!

2010-04-12T08:56:00.006-06:00

Great weather was an extra bonus this last weekend.

Peggy and I had so much fun at our dance lessons last Wednesday evening.... learning some swing-moves, spins and turns, one song was a little too fast and we both laughed so hard trying to keep up that we almost fell over.

Work, arranging the house, and lots of good relaxing ended the week, with a BIG surprise.

Peggy got a new bicycle. I picked it up after work
on Friday after the shop had finished putting on
her cool "rrring rrring" bell and bottle cage. I brought it home and found Peggy sunning in a lawn chair. Kind of sneaking up on her to surprise her, I heard a feint mewing from next door direction. It was Mr. Kitty. He had somehow snuck outside and disappeared. Searching, calling and more searching for 8 days, we figured he had gone into another home. He had lost a little weight, but was REALLY glad to be back in the house, hardly stopped purring long enough to eat.

I'll have a picture later of Peggy's new Giant Dash bike... beautiful, and with me towing the dogs in
their trailer, went for a nice long ride Friday evening.

Saturday, son Charlie came to visit. I had the coals all hot, steaks marinading, and other good food ready for the night. We visited, ate a real Minnesota Spring meal and had a real good time hanging out.

Sunday, after church, we all headed up to Grand Rapids to visit and fly kites. The wind died down, teasing us with occasional breezes, and made it difficult so show off our flying skills to Gage. Peggy got 2 different kinds of kites, a dragon and
"Lightning McQueen" kite for Gage to chase and watch. We did get one up for a short while before in true Charlie Brown fashion, came down into the only little tree in the area.

I drove Charlie back to Brainerd so he could head home and we chatted about his upcoming wedding and other good stuff.

This should be a great week for getting a few things done outside, finishing with our bedroom move to the upstairs and other good things. We did get the cable tv box moved on the side of the house where the new deck is going, and we got a call from Home Depot that our doors are in!.... whoopee!

Grateful for all the Blessings and Guidance in our Love and Lives!

Peace!

Monster Truck Rally and Easter Feast

2010-04-07T08:07:00.005-06:00

More birthday presents showed up for Easter. After charging up the battery pack, it was time for racing up and down the driveway. Gage learned how the controls worked immediately and had a blast. Soon there was a ramp and jumps and other "boy stuff" going on with the monster truck.... great Springtime fun!

What a day, the Sun came out and it got warm enough for just shirtsleeves. It was also really nice to be out getting fresh air and running around after the big meal. We all rummaged around in the garage, sorting through some stuff, trying to find homes for some of it all... lots of laughs and good times.

Peggy's grandson Gage had a ball searching for Easter eggs and ran around with his basket searching the bushes and grass for the prizes.

He held still long enough for this picture though...

Glad we had rearranged for the meal, we all fit around the table after putting the leaf in. The food was fantastic, and we dug in heartily after our Easter Grace.

Peggy's sister brought Swedish Limpa bread and some finger rolls..... fantastic!

Waldorf salad with toasted walnuts, deviled eggs, smoked beef roast, smoked ham, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole with water chestnuts and bacon, and all sorts of other good treats were passed around for the feast.

A few moans and groans after dessert, then we went out in the yard for the egg hunt and just hung out visiting.

So thankful for family get-togethers, sharing and enjoying all the visiting. A 3 year old boy running around makes it all even more fun! Wow!

More grateful than ever for Love, Life and Blessings in Brainerd.......

Peace!

Getting ready for and having a Great Easter

2010-04-05T08:12:00.005-06:00

Last week was a hoot to say the least. Arranging the house for company, outside fun with the dogs and going for walks, menu idea fun and great weather all came together.

We took the dogs again to the park for "tuggy-ball" fetch. A bit overcast, but it was warm and the air smelled like Springtime. Mooshy ground made running fun and Scooter loved having this toy back for his games.

We are going to move our bedroom upstairs and do some shifting around in our home. This weekend was a perfect try-out with company
using the downstairs while Peggy and I "camped" upstairs.. this is going to be a fun change.

Company started coming Friday night, more on Saturday and the whole crew was here for dinner on Easter.... 4 generations of family, ham and beef roasts smoking on the Weber, oven and fridge full of great Easter Feaster, including homemade frozen custard ice cream.

We hid eggs and a basket outside for the hunt, snacked and had coffee in the perfect weather.
Sidewalk chalk art on the driveway, blowing bubbles, great conversations and food made a great family get-together. It was really nice to have 7 of us sitting together in church too... we took up the whole pew!

Done completely at the old house now, sold, signed, done, done, done... nice relief. Now with the backdoor and deck project, new garden ideas and other activities can be all done with more fun and energy.

Son Charlie will be visiting next weekend, we're looking forward to that. We'll have to think of something great to do on the Weber. Lots of fun things to do and talk about, we love company.

Life and Love are Blessed more and more this Spring in Brainerd....

Peace!

Arranging, Rearranging, Hauling and Fun

2010-03-29T07:28:00.002-06:00

The entire weekend was an incredible combination of activity. The temperatures were all over the place, frosty cold in the mornings, and warmer Sunshine by afternoon. We've just about got everything out of the old house, a few unrelated items and some cleaning stuff is all that is left. Excitement is building as the closing approaches.... Friday it will all be done!

We went out for a late supper Saturday night to Giovanni's special Italian buffet. Good relaxing time, talking and munching all the treats, the meatballs were garlicky and extra good. The place was busy with a fun crowd.

The Palm Sunday service was very nice, special music and messages for us. We did some "stuff hauling" and then went out for coffee at Caribou. We then were fired up for rearranging our home. Moving our bedroom upstairs, clearing out stuff, and making room for Easter company. Peggy is hosting the family Easter dinner and we're opening up the floor for dining and fun. It will be nice too, when we get the bedroom moved... we'll have way more space downstairs and be more organized.

It was so nice out, we couldn't waste the weather. After pumping up tires and oiling chains, we went for a nice bicycle ride around town and up and down the in-city trail. The Sun sure felt good and the air was fresh... lots of cardinals whooping it up in the treetops along the trail.

This week will be another combination of fun activities, finishing at the old house for good, getting ready for Easter dinner (ham on the Weber), rearranging and generally making Springtime plans. We've got a really good start on our back-door, deck project.... oh yeah!

No end to the Blessings in our Life and Love here in Brainerd this Spring!

Peace!

Chill today but a hot week of dancin' and fun

2010-03-25T14:15:00.003-06:00

Until today, it has been unseasonably warm... sunshine, doggies out playing, garden and yard plans.... oh yeah!

I got good help from a couple buddies, and got the huge, heavy table out of the basement at the old house and into our garage where it belongs. We also got my "Virtual Knockout" machine out of the basement and set up for my 3 minute rounds.... a little sore today, but the soar-ness makes up for it.

Almost everything is out of the old place, soon no need to ever go back. Fantastic!

Last night was dance lessons, we learned some advanced two-step moves and turns, practiced our spins, butterfly, cuddles (we love the cuddles) and promenade. Lots of fun at the Eagles Lodge.

Today I got up and started a huge pork roast. Rubbed with brown sugar and spice, it will slow go until tonight when Peggy and I just can't take the aroma anymore. We'll pull it and have it on big wheat buns.. delicious. I also baked a beautiful yellow bundt cake and will top it with caramel, coconut glaze~ for snack-time at work tomorrow. I've made this one before and it is the best homemade yellow cake I've ever had.

Road trip today to Little Falls, brought the dogs and they ran in the park while Peggy took care of some business. Then we strolled around a bit and found a local coffee roaster. We had a nice conversation with him as he brewed a pot of Kenya for us to sample... good times and good stuff!

Almost the weekend, we've got lots of fun ideas... it is supposed to warm up back to Springtime again here in Brainerd!

Peace!

Great Times as the weather WARMS

2010-03-22T10:07:00.003-06:00

Good times and great things happening as the weather warms up here in Brainerd. It is so nice to be outside, taking the doggies out to play and not have it be biting or painful with chill.

Yesterday, I made a wonderful big pot of White Chili. Diced chicken breasts, green and red sweet peppers, onions, butter and great northern beans, onion and lots of cumin, cayenne and chili powder.... we had it scooped over rice and it was an incredible supper.

I had gone for a long bicycle ride yesterday, all around town, then feeling really good and energetic, went north, to the Paul Bunyan trail, across the new bridge and then back through town.... good sunshine and fresh air, and was I hungry when done!

Today and this week will be finishing the clearing out of the old house and Spring fun.

We got a new "Lodge Look" shower curtain with moose, bear and pine trees on it, looks real good with the red bathroom rug. I got a hearty loaf of bread baked and the house smells terrific.

After getting a load of "stuff" from the old garage, I got the solar yard lights out and have them charging in the overcast Sun. And CHARGING also is the old Suzuki battery.... it won't be long and I'll have to get that baby out for a spin... it is feeling that warm outside, and there are a lot of motorcycles on the road already here.

Peggy and I went to Home Depot and with some awesome help, got the initial plans going for our new backdoor deck project. C A D is so cool, just give the dimensions and whallah!... a drawing and bill of materials. Recycled composite deck materials will never need staining or waterproofing and look great too!

A hopefully quick trip to the phone store today, we've got some questions about our new cell-phones, a little shopping and then home for some good old fashioned relaxation.

Mr. Kitty has got a new funny habit, he climbs into bed with us and snuggles into my chest, under my chin... what's with that?... he surely is a funny cat.

Life and Love are GREAT, Springtime dreams and blessings coming true every day.

Peace!

Fun Springy Week of Work and Play

2010-03-18T17:20:00.006-06:00

Nice view of our "lake" behind the backyard. Peggy is relaxing after our romp in the park with the dogs. Feet up in the wooden rocker, it is great to see the water level recede.

After putzing around this morning, we both felt like BBQ for lunch.... Famous Dave's! Thursday is "senior discount" day, so we got a great deal on some incredible lunches, coffee and split a bread-puddin'

The sky was clouding up a bit, and we had promised to take the dogs to the park.

I showed them the ball-toy and explained the rules.

They were anxious to chase the ball.

So much fun watching them run as fast as they can. Scooter knows the game, Charlie just runs and tags along, nipping at Scooter.

Scooter has put on a bit of weight this last Winter, so it is good to get him out now for some good running and walks.

The ball field is fenced in and a perfect place for long-distance fetch. Funny how there were lots of deer tracks right in the ball field. Large and small, this is probably the pair that we see crossing the street right down from our house.
We were wondering what they could possibly want in the infield.

Good exercise for us all.

This has been a busy week of clearing out the last clutter and cleaning up at the old house. It will be fantastic to have that business all done!

We may have to have a backyard bonfire soon and really kick off our Spring activities and fun. Peggy and I are always thinking of fun things to do here in Brainerd.

Life and Love are Blessed with Springtime weather and now longer daylight........

Peace!

And Away Goes Winter!

2010-03-13T06:47:00.004-07:00

Foggy moist morning here today! With the rain and warmer temperatures, 39 already this morning, the snow is melting FAST!

The woods back of our yard is a small lake now. Walking in the back yard is like walking on a sponge, and the doggies do not like it. They kind of prance, high legged, do their thing and want to come back inside.... can't blame them.

We are hoping that all this water, somehow, will find it's way downhill, into the streets and sewers, the culverts and creeks and to the Mississippi to flow away before it soaks into the ground too
much and may get into basements.

The birds are sure singing about it though. Cardinals, chickadees, blue jays and crows all in the trees making noise.... all anxious for nesting and Spring.

Coffee sure tastes good this morning, taking the chill off and starting the day. We had a real Minnesota supper last night, Scottish oatcakes and bacon... perfect for cozying in.

Some of today will be spent at the "old place", taking out most of the last things, clearing out
and organizing. I'll need help with a few big things, but it's amazing how little is left, finally.

We've got some really fun plans for Spring projects here at home. Peggy is excited for a new back door, back entrance, steps and small deck, and painting the kitchen. Awesome cool! When done, it will be great to use a new back entrance to let the dogs out, right into the fenced back yard, and a place to sit and have our coffee and treats. It's great to have ideas and be able to talk about and picture what it is going to be like.... I'm thinking about a bay window for the living room too.

New season, new life always, new ideas and new fun here in foggy Brainerd today.

New Blessings and Guidance too, as we grow in Love.

Peace!

April Showers in March

2010-03-10T08:15:00.003-07:00

Nice to have the warmer temperatures, but geesh, the yard is soggy. It began drizzling last evening and we will have showers or rain off and on for the next few days.

Mr. Kitty curled up by my arm this morning for a snooze with me and then stayed in bed. He is so cute. I think he is feeling lazy today.

Scooter and Charlie are feeling the same way. They didn't want to stay out long with the slushy, mushy yard and quickly came in for their treats then piled back into their quilt. Charlie flips up the quilt and nuzzles underneath. He is in there somewhere. Scooter likes to lay against him on top. I think they are anxious to run around the yard in the Sun when it dries out there. Makes me feel lazy just to watch them.

We had a great supper last night, big salads and chicken parmesan over rice. Healthy and light, it had just enough spice to make us glow.

Some running around today, fun stuff, clearing out and organizing at the old house, and then..... Dance Lessons tonight. Peggy and I are excited for this evening.... swing dancing at the Eagles Lodge! So much fun, a nice night out in the middle of the week.

I'll be baking bread today and may start a pot of soup too.. good things to do on a rainy day.

We are feeling so Blessed, Life and Love continue to grow here in Brainerd!

Peace!

Taking advantage of the early Spring feeling weather

2010-03-08T10:33:00.005-07:00

Another wonderful weekend with unexpectedly warm sunny weather! Peggy and I had fun all day Saturday, straightening the basement, doing some cleaning and lots of fun running-around.
We finished the evening with a long walk in the starlight and Moon, all around the neighborhood. Very relaxing and nice.

After early church yesterday, we picked up the house and got ready for company. A few groceries were picked up for the affair. It was our Birthday celebration for Peggy's soon-to-be 3 year old grandson Gage.

I marinaded the steaks for a few hours in a light teriyaki, tamari, and olive oil blend. We planned our salad and were ready to show off the beautiful Red Wing bowl Peggy got from Katie for Christmas. It all fit together perfect and with a whipped concoction of sweet potato, white potato and rutabega with butter, salt and pepper (rutamoose), we had a great feast! Gage thought it was funny that we had a big muffin with 3 candles BEFORE his actual birthday.

All of us had been out shopping earlier, and it was fun to browse the toys with him while the "girls" looked at shoes! Gage had to show me how a few toys worked.

Gray today, heavy fog earlier, but anything is better than the minus 20's we've had. This should be a grand week combination of work, play, relaxing and coziness.

Life and Love are Blessed and Good..... guided and learning something new everyday!

Peace!

Thought I Saw A Thaw!

2010-03-06T18:42:00.002-07:00

Wow, what a day! Beautiful bright sunny morning. Fairly clear and warmed up through the afternoon. I used the scraper and got most of the ice coating off the driveway. We went to work after a light breakfast in the basement and cleared out stuff and organized shelves. Up and down the stairs and out to the garage, we built up a nice appetite. Just for fun we went to the China Buffet right at noon, the best time to hit one of these style restaurants. Good time!

I had to take a picture of the thermometer on the garage... 45 degrees. March certainly is coming in like a lamb! Some old timers in the area are sticking to the "gonna go out like a lion" prediction, and we may get more snow and Winter, we'll see.

I made a delicious wild rice soup and after a nice hot bowl for supper last night, we went for a walk in the crisp evening air. The sky was lit from the 1/2 Moon and stars, romantic and beautiful.

We are having fun and feel like we've got a head start on our Spring cleaning/organizing/purge thing as we think of the rummage sale we'll be having in a couple months. Oh Yeah! Bring on the projects! Peggy and I have lots of good ideas for around the home.

It has gone quickly from talks of snowmobile rides to talks of bicycle rides and camping... now that's Minnesota living!

Grateful and Blessed in our Love and Life with extra warmth from the Sun!

Peace!

We're Not Wasting Sunshine

2010-03-03T07:35:00.003-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, temperature about 35, not a cloud in the sky.... let's go hiking! After I got off work, Peggy was done shopping and doing some running, it was a beautiful day outside.

Peggy was still excited about her new Merrel shoes, and had been wearing them all day!.... I know what that's like, I've had Merrels myself.

We decided to see what the Paul Bunyan Trail was like. Parking at the Arboratum, we ventured through the wooded path and out to the trail. It was perfect, we headed north.

Staying to the right, a couple of snowmobiles navigated past us, waving. Chickadees were chirping and there were lots of deer tracks crossing the trail. The sunshine felt great on our faces.

We've bicycled this stretch of the trail many times, going up to Nisswa for coffee. It was nice today to just hike, going slower and taking in a different perspective of the area.

Wonderful to have longer days of sunlight and feeling so good. We trudged north to the 2 mile marker before turning around. 4 miles total, we were getting hungry as we got back to the car.

Nice surprise, Peggy had bought a big, thick sirloin steak just in case we wanted to grill outside... oh yeah, perfect. As soon as we got home, I fired up the Weber. I rubbed the steak lightly with olive oil, a very light dusting of Old Bay seasoning and a few twists of the pepper grinder and we were drooling waiting for the coals to get completely ready.

The steak came out perfectly, and we had baked white and sweet potatoes, topped with fresh avocado with it. Our first grilled steak dinner of the year! Very cool....

We'll see what we get into this afternoon, we've got dance lessons tonight. I hope that we review some of what we learned last lessons, and then maybe get into waltzing.

We really appreciate the area we live in, there's always a fun choice of things to do together!

Maybe leaning more towards the Springtime than more Winter weather now, we'll keep flexible... it would still be fun to get in some more snowmobiling.

Life and Love are Blessed Indeed...

Peace!

Not a "Sign" of Spring This Fun Day In Brainerd

2010-03-01T06:52:00.013-07:00

Kind of a pun, we've not seen a sign like it before, and was not what we expected when I told Peggy I had a great idea for a place to hike. We had heard of some trail restrictions, this must be part of that. Oh well, after a good laugh, we decided to hike the frozen road we drove to get into French Rapids on the Mississippi. French Rapids has quite an extensive trail system that I've hiked with the kayak club before. Following the hills along the river and back into the woods near the airport, it is a beautiful area. Many years ago, before the dam was constructed in Brainerd for the paper mill, this was an area of rapids on the river. Now with deeper water, it is just a fabulous recreational area of the Mississippi.

Bright Sun, not a cloud in the sky, fresh snow made it all very white and very beautiful. It was great to have the temperature hanging in the low 30's, we dressed warm, but not bundled in heavy layers like we have been earlier this month.

Some trees still had leaves and the slight breeze made a nice rustling sound from the woods.

Peggy was wearing brand new Merrell mid-height hikers and had very happy feet!

The high banks of the river are gorgeous any time of year, they were especially lovely today, in our mood for sunshine and fresh air.

A great view of a backwater area of the river, Peggy and I have kayaked the river just down stream from here.

Warming up with our brisk walking, Peggy shed a layer. The road, with it's hard pack snow and ice, gentle curves and downhill slopes to the river, made me think of a "Flexible Flyer" and what a great ride it would be to slide down the entire length...

Walking and talking, small airplanes were taking off and landing over and over at the nearby airport. Maybe flying lessons were going on.

We had eaten earlier at one of our favorite places, Matty's. Old blues playing, nice atmosphere, fresh coffee, I had a great cheeseburger and Peggy had a grilled chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries and their "secret" sauce. Good fuel for a great hike.

From the parking area, looking down stream, we've kayaked almost to this point from Lum Park in Brainerd last Summer and Fall. The water must be fairly deep here, I've seen the emergency departments practicing underwater scuba rescues in this area... pretty cool.

Saturday was a hoot at work, Community Day, a huge sale and lots of activity. When I was done with my shift, Peggy came, and we had to cruise through the store and find some good deals. Lots of fun, as usual, shopping, visiting, and getting a few things. There was a company "pot-luck" because of the busy sale, and I brought a Thai Curry Beef and Fried Rice dish. Lots of good food and treats for that....

All in all, a very good weekend, weather cooperating with activities, thoughts of Spring coming to mind, great food, good relaxation and fun!

Not sure if we want more Winter or are anxious for Spring, Life and Love continue to be Blessed!

Peace!

Gotta Go When There's The Snow!

2010-02-25T13:07:00.005-07:00

Can you tell I'm a little cold?... not too cold, but my nose was feeling chilled. Maybe about 12 degrees and bright sunlight, it was a great day on the trail. Careful running to get to the trail, narrow path on the shoulder of the road, but the trail, although not thick with snow, had been recently groomed. We headed south out of Brainerd and went in the direction of Crow Wing State Park.

Along the way we saw a bunch of deer hopping across in front of us, and a small flock (maybe 8) wild turkeys wandering in the woods.

The maps and signs kept us from getting lost, and the trail loop along the Mississippi was absolutely gorgeous and was where we had hiked a couple times last Summer and Fall.

We had a great time and took turns driving.... fun indeed!

The sunlight is strong here and is melting snow and ice even when the temperature is well below freezing... some shaded intersections and streets are pretty thick with black, perma-ice.

We'll probably go for a hike this afternoon and enjoy the late sunlight. Always something fun to do together....

Caught in between seasons again, hoping for more winter snow and weather to cozy in and hibernate, a few more snowmobile rides, and the thoughts of Spring and all the new things to do outside... It will be great to take Scooter and Charlie down the block to the park and let them run!

A good weekend coming up, a few plans and lots of time to relax... gonna be great!

So much Fun, so much Life, so much Love!

Peace!

Where is Winter Going?

2010-02-22T06:52:00.005-07:00

We were hoping for more than a few "flurries". We did not get even that last week. This has been an unusual Winter Weather season for sure. We've been going for walks, some short, a few nice and long to get fresh air and rosy cheeks. We hiked down to the snowmobile trail to see if we could navigate to it on the road shoulders and decided that it looked too bare for that. We may get a lot more snow in March, we do enjoy going for an occasional snowmobile ride.

We got a real good deal on big pork shoulders, sometimes called "Boston Butt". After scoring the top layer of white fat,I rubbed the roast well with spice, paprika, a hint of hickory and a light sprinkle of brown sugar. Into the oven for 1/2 hour at 450 then down to just under 250 until we just couldn't take it any longer. So tender and juicy, delicious, aromatic and wonderful, we piled in on our plates with fried rice and had a great Winter dinner. Still thinking about it in the morning, we had more for breakfast with our toast before church. I may cook some beans today and put some into the pot.... sounds good already.
Silly cats.... Jezzie and Mr. Kitty roll around batting at each other near their food dish in the morning, teasing and whining. Sometimes they just stop, like they forget what they are doing and nap on their backs.... cute.

We had a fun Saturday of walking, doing some shopping, library, cooking and a quick ride up to Nisswa for coffee. Beautiful day, sunny and warm enough to not be bundled in layers. We watched after dinner a touching documentary type movie called "Young @ Heart, you're never too old to rock". We didn't know it was a documentary until it started, but it was worth watching. Very senior citizens are in a semi-professional musical production, singing rock songs and having fun... imagine a 92 year old gal singing James Brown.... good Saturday night stuff.

We went on a nice road trip yesterday after church. Great scenery, clear roads, sunshine and a thermos of good coffee.... a very good day.

This week will be off and on busy, catching up on a few things around the house, going for walks, and enjoying life.... I'll be baking bread this morning too, whole grains and hearty.

We are feeling very blessed in Life and Love!

Peace!

A Plant Kit That Works!

2010-02-17T07:19:00.003-07:00

A couple weeks ago, Peggy got a small boxed plant bulb kit. We followed the instructions, putting the small bulbs in the medium, watering and so forth.... almost instantly, the bulbs began to sprout. Now too tall for a shelf, we are amazed by the growth. And Fragrant! Called "Paperwhites" they may be a lily of some kind, the box was not specific. Over 2 feet tall, blossoming with a sweet floral aroma, this was quite an inexpensive, fun project. We staked them so they won't tip, and may have to put them into a larger, deeper pot... the boxed instructions did not tell very much.

We road-tripped Sunday to visit Peggy's folks. Always a hoot to share a meal, visit and have fun. Scooter and Charlie love Harry, he keeps doggie treats in his pocket. Later in the afternoon, he and I went out and raked snow and busted ice off his roof while Peggy did her Mom's nails. There were a few flurries on the way home with snow blowing across the road, but about half-way back, it cleared up. Nice day, nice trip. I brought them a loaf of my hearty rye bread, and we stopped and got some salads too.

Brighter, longer days, loving the sunshine.... still hoping for some more snow to keep the snowmobile trails good for rides. Great times in Brainerd!

I may start a small pot of chili for our supper, catch up on a few things around home and just enjoy the day... The dogs are still under their comforter, I'll have to get them outside playing when it warms up too.

Life and Love keep getting better and better!

Peace!

Hard not to post about the weather

2010-02-11T07:39:00.007-07:00

The weather is a common topic on my post, and here is another example. It is -17 now, a very, very cold morning. The temperature is predicted to go up to 23 above this afternoon! A 40 degree or more difference in a day.... amazing. Perhaps we will decide to go for another snowmobile ride late this afternoon, before supper. Cardinals are high in the trees out back, yodeling and finishing with an unusual purr I've not heard before. Cool.

We went for a long ride Tuesday evening. We took off to the trail and headed another direction. South of Brainerd, following the trail back through a system of trails through the city and along the river, near my old house, then back. It took a little longer than we thought, glad we had filled the gas tank, and were real hungry when we got home. I had made a vegetable beef soup with elbow mac and lots of spice. It really hit the spot.

Yesterday afternoon we headed up to Grand Rapids. It was like driving through a "Winter Postcard" of beauty. The fresh pure white snow with bright sunlight, perfectly plowed and cleaned roads, a very nice road-trip. Visiting and looking at pictures of Hawaii, a nice hotdish supper with fresh (really fresh) pineapple, very nice indeed. Underwater pictures of snorkeling with sea turtles, coral reefs and whales were great.

We went Saturday night to the Herberger's Christmas Party and dinner at the American Legion. Peggy was beautiful in her new dress, all dollied up, and I wore a suit... an elegant evening of fun, games and great food. We know how to have good time!

The pets are all cozy this morning, anxious for the warming Sun. I'll have a hearty breakfast and see what the day brings. Probably start and warm up the snowmobile later for our ride. Putz around the house and have a good Winter day. Thoughts of Valentines Day are running through my mind, feeling so grateful and happy!

Life and Love are wonderful, and the blessings keep coming!

Peace!

Hibernating on Super Sunday and 3 in a Row!

2010-02-08T09:04:00.004-07:00

Not heavy snow, just powdery and steady.... We did go to the later church service, picked up some treats, a little fun shopping, then home to see what the weather would bring. We cozied in and watched "Kill Bill" just for yucks. We decided not to take our "road trip" because of the Winter Storm Warnings, so just checked the DOT map online once in a while and watched the states road conditions deteriorate, glad we stayed home.

It's like the pets sense the bad weather and keeping their eyes on us, just hang out. 3 cats in a row on the back of the loveseat while we made some good pasta sauce for later. We had gone to Morey's Fish Shop and got 3 kinds of pickled herring... fantastic with Herb Triskets. Good coffee, snuggling and peeking outside at the snow made for a fun day.

We got the boys a new nylon tooth cleaning chew bone and they love it... their paws are so agile, it is fun to watch them manipulate it in their mouths... We'll have to get another one so they won't have to share so much, there is another nylon bone, but not as fancy and they both want the new one.

We crashed on the loveseat and watched the Super Bowl game, more interested in our treats and the funny ads than the game but had fun with it all. 7-up and ice cream spritzers, cookies and other fun treats kept us going, nice not caring who won, just enjoying the Who Halftime Show and the great entertainment.

I just came in from blowing out the driveway and back yard paths for the dogs, Peggy and I will pick up the house some then venture out and see what Brainerd is like this Winter day... we always have fun at stores and may go out for lunch too.

Oh Yeah, Life and Love are Truly Blessed!

Peace!

Week of Fun, Snow, Fun and Winter Stuff

2010-02-06T15:15:00.003-07:00

Nice week of Winter stuff. From visiting with Peggy's grandson, to some good cookin', this week has been a fun one. Just enough flurries to cover the gray grimy snow that has iced over so much here, making it brighter and fresher. Now last night we had a good dusting of snow, and that was enough for us to run the road to the trail!

Peggy was hungry for some of my good homemade soup, so I made a simple chicken with rice stew. Celery, carrots, onion, thyme, garlic and a bit of pepper for seasoning and it was perfect. Warming us up real good for supper, we just had toast with it. Funny how sometimes
a soup is "just nailed", and this was it. So good, it was hard to stop eating.

We went out north of Brainerd on the trail today, then east and then south to Long Lake... new territory, open trails, fresh snow and lots of fun.
We did miss a turn, so Peggy got off and took a picture of me turning the machine around.

Tonight is a Christmas Dinner Party for work.... talk about stretching the season out, we will dress up fancy for this event. Pork loin and chicken with all the fixin's we've heard braggin' about how good this event will be at the American Legion downtown here... party on!

Road trip tomorrow, visiting family and maybe cross-country skiing or hiking is on the agenda for tomorrow... we may get more snow across the region, so weather permitting will be added to all plans!

Blessings and Promises happening more and more....

Peace!

More Cookies!

2010-02-01T12:36:00.003-07:00

Waking up to again below zero temperatures, I knew I'd be baking today.... always fun. A short trip to the grocery store to get the now needed peanut butter chips, dog treats and a few other things and back to the kitchen. The first batch of these babies I made had butterscotch chips and were awesome, rich and healthy. Peanut butter chips have got to be even better. This is the original recipe from under the lid of Quaker Oats and I only gently modified it. A touch of molasses, almond extract and chips were added. These are about perfect. Peggy and I believe that a happy home needs cookies available at all times!

As I let the dogs outside early this morning, there was clicking and snapping noises coming from the grove of trees out back. I put on my hat and gloves to see what it was. A pair of dark gray squirrels with whitish bellies were chasing each other tree to tree like a couple monkeys. Very entertaining! Maybe they are frisky, hoping for Spring? Maybe they were into each others food stash.

A good day to catch up on a few things, relax and hope for a bit more snow... flurries are predicted for today and tomorrow, we'll see. Peggy and I are looking forward to another good snowmobile trail ride soon.

Life and Love are Blessed, cozy home, aroma of cookies, and a cup of good coffee...

Peace!

Minus 16 outside, a touch of the Tropics inside

2010-01-30T07:57:00.008-07:00

Peggy got a kit for growing "paperwhites", probably a lily of some kind. Pushing the bulbs into the soaked medium, they were kept in the dark until green showed. Now sprouting nicely and showing green, they will go on the shelf, allowed some Sunshine, and we'll see what happens.

Can't photo brrrr.... but this morning would have been a good shot. Minus 16 earlier, crisp and clear. Warming to low teens is predicted this afternoon, hopefully we'll get a few more inches of snow this week so we can take the snowmobile more easily to the trails.

Busy week, coming and going with work and visiting family so it's nice to have the weekend, kick back, do a little shopping and "just be". I did bake some old fashioned oatmeal cookies with raisins and butterscotch chips and they turned out great.... we decided next time to try them with peanut butter chips....

The base layer of thick ice that fell last Friday night is still slick, under what flurries have fallen, and driving is slow here in Brainerd... perma-ice is a good term for this black, rock hard ice. Good exercise keeping balanced when going for a walk and in parking lots. I'm guessing it will be here through February at least..... slick!

We'll see what else happens this Sunny, cold weekend.... it will be fun whatever we decide to do.

Peace!

Ice and All, it was a great Holiday Visit!

2010-01-25T07:30:00.005-07:00

The weather warmed a bit, streets got slushy, intersections sanded and generally lightened up just in time. Charlie and Kaylee arrived early afternoon after the "skating rink" effect of drizzle had passed. Peggy and I did venture out to do a little shopping, picking up some last minute details, and it was slick, slick slick out.

Not having leftovers from "Girl's Night Out", we were still hungry for the Posole~. I cooked up a pot with Italian sausage and chicken.... fabulous warming, spicy stew for this kind of day and weather. We topped each bowl with lime infused
sour cream and grated cheese.. delicious!

Charlie and Scooter love to play, and it's fun to see the dogs actually smiling as they run around and play... both dogs chase each other around, wrestle and try to get the most attention and luvin'.

Snuggling in the kitchen, we got dressed for church Sunday morning. We went to the Journey North Ministries for the great music and experience.

I had made Scottish oatcakes for breakfast, and with peanut butter, syrup and some with jelly, a fabulous morning meal.

Of course we had to use the camera timer function, and get a "family shot" on the loveseat.
Always a hoot to push the button and race into place. The weather was hovering around the freezing mark, so it was a good time for company to leave and drive back to the southwest before roads iced up and the wind blew.

Good time, great visit, fun watching them open presents, and fabulous food made for a nice Holiday weekend.

Peggy and I watched off and on, the Jets lose to the Colts, and then with some frustrations, watched the Vikings beat themselves against the well officiated Saints. Painful finish to an exciting season, at least now other activities will be considered on Super Sunday... oh yeah!

Life and Love continue to be Blessed, Prayers answered and Feeling Great here in Brainerd...

Peace!

Really "Slip Slidin' Away" Today

2010-01-23T07:53:00.009-07:00

We were not sure what to expect outside when we woke up this morning.. It did appear to be a little glazed, but WOW, there is a thick ice coating over everything.

I talked to Scooter and Charlie and made certain they went out to do their thing slowly.. calmly... they are so powerful and excitable, that they could "fishtail" on the ice, go down and twist a hind leg... they must have sensed the conditions and were pretty careful. Charlie did go down flat on his butt when he tried to stop and turn, but that was all it took for him to learn to slow down.

Peggy and I will attempt to go and do a bit of shopping, explore the roads a bit, and have fun. I hope the roads are sanded and conditions improve so that our week-end company, son Charlie and his fiance~ Kaylee can safely get here.

We'll post more later on what mischief we get into, other news of the day.

So nice to semi-hibernate this morning, feeling Blessed in Life and Love!

Peace!

Wow, a huge "Girl's Night Out" Turnout!

2010-01-22T07:25:00.005-07:00

What a menu, what a turnout, what fun! The theme for the evening was "Warming up the Winter with food", and we did just that. A rich and spicy New Mexico stew, Posole~, spicy cheese quesadillas, bacon cauliflower salad, Mexican rice, and for dessert, Chocolate Fudge and Bavarian Creme Triffle. Done just in time, the event began at 5 p.m. A new process for entering the radio stations promotion contest evened out the flow of participants, getting their prize cards stamped at each participating business instead of flooding in to receive the card before they were all gone. A welcome change as wave after wave of happy "Girl's" on their night out, came in to have good snacks cooked in the NEW state of the art Jenn-air kitchen.

By the time it was over, we had well over 300 women came through and about 280 to 320 meals were served! We had a ball. We handed out recipes for the Posole~ and the Cajun spice blend, talked food and showed off the new convection oven, warming drawer and built in appliances...

Peggy came to join in the fun and took these pictures while we served up the treats. This was the largest turnout for this event ever. Today, I'll be recovering from the flurry, get my equipment put away, and get ready for weekend company.

Hopefully, weather permitting, son Charlie and his fiance~ will be coming for yet another Christmas celebration. What a Winter Peggy and I are having.

So grateful for Love and Life,

Peace!

An Incredible Week

2010-01-19T05:36:00.004-07:00

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Daughter Katie and her fiance~ Charlie came to visit Peggy and me Friday night. We had our Christmas! We got the inflatable bed made up for them (and the dogs thought it was for them too). Nice to spread the Holiday Season out longer. We opened presents, ate cookies and had a wonderful visit. Katie made for supper Saturday night, a fabulous curried beef with a peanut sauce over rice noodles. Spicy, but not hot, it was delicious and perfect for taking the chill off the raw weather. We had Scottish oatmeal pancakes for breakfast, enjoyed good coffee and played a little Mad Gab game. We had a very nice time. Peggy got a beautiful Red Wing Pottery salad bowl and tossers, and I got an piece of art, a unique Alaskan metal sculpture salmon to hang. I'll post a picture later, when we decide where it will be displayed. We went downtown and browsed in a few shops and relaxed, just what we needed. We are so proud of Katie, her accomplishments at school and in Alaska, and of what a great couple she and Charlie are. We also went over to neighbor Chell's house and showed pictures, on Katie's new Mac computer, of her adventures in Alaska.... good times.

Good Times.... Sad Times.....

Peggy and I left Sunday morning to head to Mankato... Peggy's grand daughter, Hazel Marie passed away Thursday morning. She was born New Year's Day, and was airlifted to Rochester for heart surgery the next night. 2 steps forward, 1 step back in recovery, over and over. She brought hundreds and hundreds of people together in Faith, Prayer and Hope, before she left to be in Heaven. The funeral was yesterday, and in bright sunshine with huge feathery snowflakes seeming to come out of nowhere, Hazel Marie was laid to rest in the Children's Garden of the cemetery in Mankato. She was a beautiful girl... the support of family and friends was amazing, and there was real Peace in the services.

Life and Love are so precious, we are unable understand the plan or "big picture" He has for us. We can live in faith, love with all our heart, and trust... amen.

Peace!

Wild Ones in the House!

2010-01-11T15:11:00.004-07:00

Amazing what a warmer day, being outside and fresh air will do.... stir things up is what. It is 22 outside, just a little breeze and the Sun is shining. Going out in the back yard with the dogs, they ran, played and sniffed around not in a hurry to get back in the house... it's been many days since it has been this nice out. After their treats and a drink, the play continued. Mr. Kitty sits in a chair like he had nothing to do with it, but I suspect he instigated the whole affair. It was like All Star Wrestling. Charlie really has a "game face" when it comes to this, usually he is very calm and gentle looking, but when the play gets rough, he looks like a monster.

Scooter has his techniques and runs under Charlie and flips him, spins around and gets his licks in too. A riot to watch!

Did a bit of running around today, the roads were very slippery with the Sunshine melting a bit of the black ice. Slow going, there was a pickup truck totally stuck in it's lane just trying to start up a very gentle slope after waiting for a train.

Bluejays were at the suet this morning, I've not seen them for a few days.... nice to see. Small
woodpeckers and chickadees have been the only customers for a few days.

This warm spell is forecast to stay a few days, really nice, maybe it is our "January thaw"? Peggy was even thinking of having a small bonfire out back... that would be nice.

Prayers and best thoughts of Recovery and Hope for growing strength continue to go to Baby Hazel.

Peace!