Vacation 2016, #1 - Spicer/New London MN

Since I cannot ever seem to finish one years vaca photos before getting into the next, I suppose I may as well continue the tradition. 

Here we are in Spicer Minnesota after a very rainy drive up.  It was heavy rains at times, light at others, and mostly just annoying.

But once we got there, it was good weather throughout, good peeps and good conversation!

Down at the dock, my brother Vince in his walking boot after being in a motorcycle accident not 6 weeks before.

That's me and Calebber on the bench, Robby and Mattison in the water.

Caleb on his fishing trip with Uncle Vince.

Uncle Vince making a "bad" choice to allow the chinaman to drive!!!  Yikes!!

He caught a fish!!!

Swimming off of the dock:  Robby, Matty, Michael and Caleb.

I sleep like crap.  I woke up one morning and it was STUPID early.   After a brief bathroom break, some coffee and other careful considerations, I decided to walk down to the dock (with coffee) and watch the sunrise over Green Lake.  This was the first photo from up at the road, prior to going down to the dock.

After the sun came up a enough to warrant an attempt down to the dock, I managed a successful descent, and watched a crazy amount of hungry fish jumping at about 50ft in.  Amazing activity along with the mosquitos...

And so it went...

More Random Molly Pictures

As time passes, some days, MUCH slower than others, other days faster than I care to deal with, I find myself dealing with the electronic/digital side of Molly's affairs. Meaning, the cd's, dvd's, cameras, flash drives and so on. 

The joy of that is finding pictures that I've either never seen or that I have completely forgotten about.

And so it is that this post came to be.  There will be another shortly within the same theme.

I believe this dates back to 2004.  Molly was graduating from Upper Iowa University.  Her Mom, Marlene, Lesley and myself went NE for the ceremony.

And so did Kerby!  I have no clue as to where his "stomping grounds" were at the time.   I would think though, we were probably doing our 4-times-a-year birthday dinners at this time, so I SHOULD know what he was up too...

Mom and the graduatee...  I'm pretty sure that's not a word, but perhaps it should be.

A fuzzy pic of Molly walking down the aisle.

Totally shifting gears, here is these three trouble makers!

Grandma with the Larger American Boy.

Grandma with the Smaller Chinese Boy.

Robby at the science center green wall doing the weather forecast. I'm sure he was as accurate as the "experts"...

The spaceman.

And so it goes...  went...

Caleb for Gub'na!

Calebber's field trip to the Capitol.  Photo credit goes to:whoever took the picture!  Thank you!!!

Out Of The Ordinary

This is a random collection of mostly nonsense pictures that don't fit with any specific theme to do a post for.  In the past, I would have just thrown these up as individual posts but I'm way, way way behind and I don't have time for that many.  So I'll do a goofy post and group them together and we'll move along as if nothing ever happened?  

Deal?

Deal!

Little Calebber watching the new version of The Jungle Book.  If I laid on the floor like that for more than 30 seconds, I would not be able to move for at least a week!

Nearly two weeks ago, I got a chance to play pool against this guy again!  We have had some epic battles in the past; kicked each others butts up one side and down the other, laughed ourselves silly, argued like 10 year olds, listened to HOURS of excellent tunes, drank too many "squeaky doors" and on the rare occasion, made "donkeys" out of ourselves.  I wouldn't change or trade a minute of those times and cherish each and every minute we get around the silly little table!

Gotta love the fuel saver card from Hy Vee grocery stores, so long as you're disciplined enough to still only buy the things you would have normally bought, had there not been a fuel saver.  Twenty five cents per gallon and not quite $5 to fill up my truck!

This was stinky...  I took a day off of work to deal with Molly paperwork, make phone calls and other stuff trying to get her "estate" closed and finalized.  The photo can't possibly capture the papers and folders that were behind me too.  We getting close to being done but there are several more headaches to be had yet...

Another oddity.  A photo of a beautiful sunrise that nearly captures the beauty of the real thing that morning!

And last, a new way to watch NFL football.  That's not me but I'm guessing it's much easier to understand the rules and excessive flags during the games from this vantage point!

The First Fall Swim Meet

This is a shot of the "close" end of the pool during warm-ups.  Note that there are roughly 3 additional swimming organizations who are not in here at the time, including the Rams Swim Club, in which, Robby is a card carrying member.  It's going to be a long day...

The lad, about a half hour after the shot above was taken, warming up.  Finally...  It's going to be a long day...

There he is!  Lane 6!  Getting up onto the, uh... jumping-off-of-apparatus.

Not bad!  I'm not sure where he came in when all "4 of 4" heats were graded, but in his group, he took second.  The scores of the top 4 never posted on the board, but they were a ways behind these others.

One might wonder where Rob spent most of the time in between heats.  The answer to that is over by his coaches, Todd and Hannah, where he talked their ears off and at one point, I saw coach Hannah give him the "zip your lip" motion.

Here we are again with Robby in second place again.  And again, I have no idea where he placed when both races of Heat 22 were completed.

Here's Robby at the starting gate for his first 200m Backstroke.  He's the one without a swim cap.  How did he do?

Looks pretty good doesn't it?!?  Well, the reality of the situation is that he lost track of counting his laps and swam a 150, instead of a 200.  Henceforth, he was disqualified and made fun of heartily.  He said, "I just have to own it...".  So later on that night, I had mowed the dangerous stuff with the tractor and was ready for him to take over.  He got on the machine and just prior to starting the motor, I hollered over, "make sure you finish all of the laps!".  I giggled. 

As the inimitable Bugs Bunny would say, "Ain't I a Stinker?".

Vacation 2015, #20 - Redwoods

One post so far in the month of October and it's nearly 3/4's over... 

I don't know what to say.  I HAVE nothing to say...  I'm tired and when I get home from work after staring at a screen all day, I don't really want to stare at another one.  That being said, I haven't exactly been busting out the outside jobs that are needing my attention lately either.

So what does all of that mean?  It means I'm getting old, fat and lazy!!

Regardless, we're now on to the 20th post from last years 5500 mile vacation in a mini-van.  This time we find ourselves in Northern California somewhere where there are redwood trees.  I really can't remember where we were at during this visit...  so maybe, I'm old, fat and forgetful?

At the base of a fallen redwood tree.  That's Aunt Molly and Robby in the pic.

I think this was the same tree that had been felled, this time with two cuties who look WAY younger and smaller than they do these 15 months later!  Yikes!!

Daddy and the boys at the base of a tree.

And to get an idea of how big these buggers are, check that out!!  My "wingspan" has got to be around 7 ft, so I would guess the four of us together is somewhere near 22 - 24 ft.  This poor tree has got us by probably another 4 or 5 ft across!!!

Amazing, to say the least...

He's "on a roll"!

Caleb got the class character award.  Why?   Because he is awesome and, at school, he has a crazy-never-give-up attitude that makes him a classroom favorite!