October 1

You go to a Japanese restaurant and have a wonderful dish, and the thing to do is take a picture with your phone, put it on Facebook, and see how many likes you get. If you don’t share your experiences, they don’t become part of the data processing system, and they have no meaning. ~ Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens author

Japan is a unique country, one that is both very modern and also very traditional. In the heart of Tokyo, there is a shrine dedicated to one of the most important Japanese Emperors and his wife. This Shinto Shrine is one of the most popular in Japan, and is an oasis of Zen, set in a vast forest at the heart of the hectic metropolis of Tokyo. ~ ancient-origins.net

[Continuing from Part 1 in the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo. Our group gathers for the tour . . . ]

[This is the inner courtyard facing the Honden (main hall) which enshrines the Emperor Meiji and his consort. According to “Sacred Space in The Modern City”, the shrine’s architect was Ito Chuta, also a Tokyo University professor and the architect of Yasukuni Shrine, Heian Shrine and Tsukiji Honganji Shrine. He sought to establish the architecture of Meiji Shrine as the standard for all Japanese shrines (flickr.com).]

[Offering Hall (haiden) – the place of worship at the Meiji Shrine . . . ]

[The National Diet Building is the building where both houses of the National Diet of Japan meet. Sessions of the House of Representatives take place in the left wing and sessions of the House of Councillors in the right wing. The Diet Building was completed in 1936 and is constructed out of purely Japanese materials, with the exception of the stained glass, door locks, and pneumatic tube system (Wikipedia).]

[The Tokyo Imperial Palace (Kōkyo, literally ‘Imperial Residence’) is the usual residence of the Emperor of Japan. It is a large park-like area located in the Chiyoda district of the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo and contains several buildings including the main palace (Kyūden), some residences of the Imperial Family, an archive, museums and administrative offices. It is built on the site of the old Edo Castle. The total area including the gardens is 1.15 square kilometres (0.44 sq mi).  During the height of the 1980’s Japanese property bubble, the palace grounds were valued by some to be more than the value of all of the real estate in the state of California (Wikipedia).]

[Roy, somewhere in Tokyo. I remember the gentleman on the far left – not his name, but I believe he was retired military . . . ]

[Edo Castle was enormous. Historians debate whether it encompassed six or up to ten miles. It was divided into a labyrinth of six wards defended by 60 foot stone ramparts (walls), wide moats and 38 gates. The Imperial Palace is considerably smaller. This is Sakashita-mon Gate leading to the former castle’s West Citadel. It is now the entrance to the Imperial Household Agency. As its name implies, Kunai-chō is responsible for managing the state activities of the Emperor and the Imperial Family (encirclephotos.com).]

[Tokyo Station (Tōkyō-eki) is a railway station in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The original station is located in Chiyoda’s Marunouchi business district near the Imperial Palace grounds. The newer eastern extension is not far from the Ginza commercial district. Due to the large area covered by the station, it is divided into the Marunouchi (west) and Yaesu (east) sides in its directional signage. Served by the high-speed rail lines of the Shinkasen network, Tokyo Station is the main inter-city rail terminal in Tokyo. It is the busiest station in Japan, with more than 4,000 trains arriving and departing daily, and the fifth-busiest in Eastern Japan in terms of passenger throughput; on average, more than 500,000 people use Tokyo Station every day.  The station is also served by many regional commuter lines of Japan Railways, as well as the Tokyo Metro network (Wikipedia).]

[During the Edo period, Sensoji Temple was used as the main temple of prayer for the Tokugawa shogunate and resultantly, Sensoji Temple flourished in the city of Edo. Asakusa as a whole is representative of this shitamachi (downtown-style) culture during the Edo Period, and Sensoji Temple is the sightseeing spot that represents this history and culture of Asakusa largely due to the number of visitors it receives on a yearly basis. There are over a staggering 30 million worshippers whom visit the temple yearly and of this total, many are visitors from abroad. The main outer gate of Sensoji Temple, Kaminarimon, is the most famous landmark for this attraction and the large lantern connected to this gate is the top ranking photo opportunity location for visitors to the temple. This sizable lantern is 4 meters in height and weighs a whopping 640 kilograms. To the left and right hand side of the gate are images of the wind god and thunder gods. Derived from these images, the gate formerly was called the wind-thunder gate but eventually was abbreviated to the shorter thunder gate. The temple was destroyed in the great fire in the first year of the Keiou era (1865- 1868) but in 1955, the world-famous company Panasonic donated funds to rebuild this landmark of Asakusa (triplelights.com).]

[After entering from the outer gate, there is a street heading to the main temple called Nakamise-dori lined with stores that sell various traditional local foods and merchandise. The local specialties of Aasakusa that you can find here are ningyo yaki, which are bean jam cakes formed in the shape of dolls, as well as sweet rice snacks. Since there are many options to try local specialties on this street, you should certainly attempt to sample a few different foods. As you proceed further down this street, you will eventually approach Hozomon gate which has been preserved as an Important Cultural Property. Also, you will encounter the main temple and the surrounding 5-story pagoda as well as Asakusa Shrine. The architecture of this five-story pagoda can withstand the intense pressures of the earthquake-ridden Japan and accordingly, the newly constructed Skytree has been constructed with the architecture of the five-story pagoda in mind. From Senosoji Temple, it is possible to also catch sight of the Skytree and compare the similarities and differences between the two towers.

Admission: Free (triplelights.com)]

[We were now free to wander the wonders of Sensoji Temple . . . ]

[Always a nice place to visit with thousands of your close personal friends . . . ]

[So, let’s talk tiered pagodas. The Sensoji Temple is a five-storied pagoda, one of the most famous in Japan. Its height is 53.32 meters, which is about the height of an 18-story building . . . ]

[Five tiered stupas represent the five natural elements of the universe, earth, water, fire, wind and metal. A lotus flower, the symbol for Buddha, crowns the top of the pagoda. Contrary to local legend, Roy does not represent any part of a stupa . . . ]

[As we re-gather, Roy is out front, our tour guide center in the coat and tie, and we cliqued up with Randy and Marsha Moorey (far right of our group), from the Bay Area as I recall . . . ]

[We’re still in the Asakusa Shinto Shrine here; Marsha on the far right . . . ]

[Asakusa Shinto Shrine incense sticks with messages . . . ]

[Our guide in the middle, trying to round up his flock . . . ]

[The hustle and bustle of Tokyo . . . ]

In Japanese, sushi does not mean raw fish. It means seasoned rice. ~ Guy Fieri

[A tree . . . in Japan . . . ]

[A view that will always remind me of Japan . . . ]

[Wooden tasōtō are pagodas with an odd number of stories. Some may appear to have an even number because of the presence between stories of purely decorative enclosed pent roofs called mokoshi.  There existed specimen with seven or nine stories, but all extant ones have either three (and are therefore called sanjū-no-tō (three-storied pagoda)) or five (and are called gojū-no-tō (five-storied pagoda). Tanzan Jinja in Sakurai, Nara, has a pagoda having thirteen, which however for structural reasons is classified separately, and is not considered a tasōtō.)  The oldest three-storied pagoda stands at Nara’s Hokki-ji and was built between 685 and 706.  The oldest extant five-storied pagoda belongs to Horyu-ji and was built some time during the Asuka period (538 -710). The tallest wooden tasōtō belongs to To-ji, Kyoto. It has five stories and is 54 m tall (Wikipedia).]

There are some ghost stories in Japan where – when you are sitting in the bathroom in the traditional style of the Japanese toilet – a hand is actually starting to grab you from beneath. It’s a very scary story. ~ Shigeru Miyamoto

Japanese culture? I kind of love everything about it. I love the food. Everyone’s really nice. There’s just a lot about Japan that’s really cool. ~ Naomi Osaka

[Of course the best part of any trip is the fine cultural dining. I love the pomp and circumstance of it in Japan. And here’s where I developed an unnatural relationship with Sapporo dark beer. Marsha and Randy sitting on the far side, Roy on the right . . . ]

[Downtown Tokyo, the 2nd richest city in the world after New York . . . ]

[Like NYC, it would have been a fun place to live for a couple years in one’s misspent youth . . . ]

[Marsha, Roy, and Randy trying to figure out where we were. The locals would occasionally try explain things for us through Marsha (obviously of Japanese heritage) – but she was just an English-speaking American like the rest of us so all she could do was shrug her shoulders . . . ]

[The Ginza, almost as famous in international lore as the Fat Boys Walking Club, gave me an opportunity to try out my limited Japanese. “The clique” took the subway from the hotel to the Ginza. Once you come up out a subway stop however, you can’t find your bearings. So I stopped a young man on the street and asked, in Japanese, which way to the Ginza. He told us, we thanked him, and the following Ginza photos are as a result. Marsha at the entrance . . . ]

Japanese women have always loved my films, even when no one else did. Ever since I made ‘Maurice’ in the 1980s, I’ve been getting hundreds of letter from Japanese girls. They definitely have a special place in my heart. ~ Hugh Jackman

[Randy and Roy trying to keep their heads above water . . . ]

[Back at the New Otani. We obviously weren’t on the 2nd floor . . . ]

[Roy in the observation deck . . . ]

[I can’t recall if this was just the weather creating all of limited visibility we have had so far – or if it’s just the smog that was prevalent in all major cities in the early 80’s . . . ]

Japanese architecture is traditionally based on wooden structures that need renovating on a regular basis. ~ Tadao Ando

I wouldn’t mind a little bow. In Japan, they bow. I love it. Only thing I love about Japan. ~ Donald Trump

Up Next: Part 3 . . .

Editor’s note: I made my annual contribution to Wikipedia today. One can’t do this without them. And b), I found the Europe 2000 trip. I know many have been worried about it. The Super had all the photos and negatives in her archives because she had scrapbooked that trip . . .

September 28

Ohayō gozaimasu! The set up: 50 years ago, give or take, Uncle Sam decided I could best serve my country – by leaving it. So, he sent me away to Okinawa for two years (which I have already extensively blogged). Okinawa is the largest of the Ryukyu Islands, about 400 miles south of the main island of Kyushu and the rest of Japan. The United States had governed the Ryukyus since the end of WWII. “On November 21, 1969, U.S. President Richard Nixon and Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato signed the Okinawa Reversion Agreement in Washington, D.C. on June 17, 1971. The U.S. reverted the islands to Japan on May 15, 1972 (I left Okinawa (and the Army) in February of that year, not realizing what an impact my leaving was destined to have), setting back a Ryukyu independence movement that had emerged. Under terms of the agreement, the U.S. retained its rights to bases on the island as part of the 1952 Treaty to protect Japan, but those bases were to be nuclear-free. The United States military still controls about 19% of the island, making the 30,000 American servicemen a dominant feature in island life. While the Americans provide jobs to the locals on base, and in tourist venues, and pay rent on the land, widespread personal relationships between U.S. servicemen and Okinawan women remain controversial in Okinawan society. Okinawa remains Japan’s poorest prefecture.” (Wikipedia) But I digress . . . While on Okinawa I met a GI, Roy Gorena, from Edinburg, Texas. As fate would have it (or something like that), we both ended up working for the Department of Labor in Washington, D.C., after our distinguished military careers. We both totally enjoyed our time spent on Okinawa, so in 1983 we decided to visit Japan as part of a tour group (it was before I met the Super and I needed a date). Doing the math, this trip took place 37 years ago (or about the same length of time, at that time, since the end of WWII). I have moved three times since then (and Roy has retired to Hawaii), and I can’t find any records (brochures, etc.) of our itinerary or places visited. Nevertheless, even absent a personal dare gene, I’m going to hold my nose and take a flying leap . . .

[The aforementioned Roy Gorena departing Okinawa, December 1971 . . . ]

[Yes, oh attentive one, this is not Japan. This was April 1983, the Japan trip did not begin until November of that year. This is like free bonus coverage . . . ]

[The above was our arrival for “the boys” semi-annual fishing trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina; the below is us actually doing it. If you are familiar with the area (and even if you’re not), that is the famous Oregon Inlet bridge in the background that one year was badly damaged by a hurricane shortly before we arrived . . . ]

[Surf fishermen not damaged by a hurricane. The major attraction of ocean surf fishing is to walk into the water, cast out as far as you can, walk back and put your rod in a sand spike, sit down in a lawn chair, have a beer, take a nap, and hope the fish don’t bite . . . ]

[There’s a little flexibility in those 9 – 12′ rods!]

[Another good reason to go bald (yes, it’s me) . . . ]

[Seems to be some unnecessary activity here . . . ]

[If you’re standing and holding a rod, you think you may have something on the other end . . . ]

[Makes me “home” sick . . . ]

[I made an enlargement of this shot, framed it, and it has been hanging on my bedroom wall for 37 years. Just love the light reflections in it . . . ]

Japan

[As you have previously been advised, it’s now November and we have arrived in Tokyo after a likely a one-hour ride in from Narita International Airport (40 miles east of downtown Tokyo) . . . ]

[Roy (pictured) and I both somehow remember that we stayed at the New Otani Hotel . . . ]

[The New Otani Hotel is still alive and kicking (unlike these koi) 37 years later . . . ]

[This is the New Otani today. The history of Hotel New Otani began in 1962, when the Japanese government faced the daunting challenge of completing a massive construction effort to host an estimated 30,000 international visitors for the Tokyo Olympic Games in just two years. Yonetaro Otani, Hotel New Otani founder, agreed to build the finest hotel in the Orient on land he owned in Kioicho near the Imperial Palace, and thereby contribute to the national strategy for advancing Japan’s tourism industry. His design concept was to preserve the beautiful landscape and stone wall of an Edo (the original named for Tokyo) era daimyo mansion, while providing world-class accommodation for more than 1,000 guests, large meeting spaces and a lobby, using then-state-of-the-art building techniques. The hotel opened in September 1964. After a major renovation, “The Main” reopened in 2007 as a “hybrid hotel” featuring higher seismic performance, reduced environmental impact and enhanced hospitality, incorporating a hotel-in-a-hotel EXECUTIVE HOUSE ZEN on floors 11 and 12. Now a well-established Japanese luxury hotel, we marked our 50th anniversary in 2014. In 2020, EXECUTIVE HOUSE ZEN was awarded the prestigious honor of a Five-Star rating from Forbes Travel Guide (newotani.co.jp).]

[And the hotel on our 1983 trip . . . ]

Here in Tokyo they’re not just hard working but almost violently cheerful. ~ David Sedaris

The whole of Japan is a pure invention. There is not such country, there are no such people . . . the Japanese people are . . . simply a mode of style, an exquisite fancy of art. ~ Oscar Wilde

Japanese is sort of a hobby of mine, and I can get around Japan with ease. ~ Dick Cavett

I’ve never really wanted to go to Japan. Simply because I don’t like eating fish. And I know that’s very popular out there in Africa. ~ Britney Spears (I mean, like, who knew, and isn’t she from Louisiana?)

[The last shot from or about the New Otani . . . ]

[Here’s where absence of memory and a trip itinerary are going to create problems with identification. This is a torii gate, usually associated with a shinto shrine (but which one here?). In Japan, Buddhist temples co-exist with Shinto shrines, and both share the basic features of Japanese traditional architecture.  Similarities between temples and shrines are also functional. Like a shrine, a Buddhist temple is not primarily a place of worship: its most important buildings are used for the safekeeping of sacred objects (the honzon, equivalent to a shrine’s shintai), and are not accessible to worshipers. Unlike a Christian church, a temple is also a monastery. The reason for the great structural resemblances between the Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines lies in their common history. When Shintoism first encountered Buddhism it became more interpretive as it did not try to explain the universe as Buddhism sometimes tried to.  It is in fact normal for a temple to have been also a shrine, and in architectural terms, obvious differences between the two are therefore few, so much so that often only a specialist can see them.  Many visitors visit Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines for similar reasons such as prayer and for luck.  The two religions coexist due to increased popularity of religions and the birth of new religions (Wikipedia). . . . ]

[This is our tour group. We would remain together the entire 17-day (as I recall) adventure. The gentleman with the gray hair and glasses was our tour guide throughout. Very capable, but of course I no longer remember his name . . . ]

[This is the entrance to the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo (likely as was the torii gate above). We’ll see more of this magnificent place in Part 2. Meiji Shrine, is a Shinto shrine in Shibuya, Tokyo, that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken. It was formally dedicated on November 3, 1920, completed in 1921, and its grounds officially finished by 1926. The interior volume of the shrine complex when originally built was 650 tsubo (35.5 square feet, the equivalent of two tatami mats).  Until 1946, the Meiji Shrine was officially designated one of the Kanpei-taisha, meaning that it stood in the first rank of government supported shrines. The original building was destroyed during the Tokyo air raids of World War II. The present iteration of the shrine was funded through a public fund raising effort and completed in October 1958. Meiji Shrine is located in a forest that covers an area of 70 hectares (170 acres). This area is covered by an evergreen forest that consists of 120,000 trees of 365 different species, which were donated by people from all parts of Japan when the shrine was established. The forest is visited by many as a recreation and relaxation area in the center of Tokyo.  The entrance to the shrine complex leads through the Jingu Bashi bridge. Meiji Shrine is adjacent to Yoyogi Park which together is a large forested area. The entrances open at sunrise and close at sunset (Wikipedia).]

The Japanese see self-assertion as immoral and self-sacrifice as the sensible course to take in life. ~ Akira Kurosawa

Up Next: Part 2 . . .

September 25

When the white missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land.  They said ‘Let us pray.’  We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land. ~ Desmond Tutu

[Another wonderful evening with Terry, Bill, and Jim providing ‘music in the alley’ at the Garden Bar on 6th . . . ]

America is the only country where a significant proportion of the population believes that professional wrestling is real but the moon landing was faked. ~ David Letterman

[Joined again at our table by Karin and Dave; with Erika and Jeanne first inside the tent . . . ]

[A portion of my ramen ending up on my shirt, of course . . . ]

[The Super and her California flatbread . . . ]

Heavenly shades of night are falling, it’s twilight time. ~ The Platters

[The neighboring table of Deb and Paul and Paulette and Ralph, with Barbara and Bob in the distance. Why yes, it is like a regular family gathering . . . ]

Having more money doesn’t make you happier.  I have 50 million dollars but I’m just as happy as when I had 48 million. ~ Arnold Schwarzenegger.

[Officially on loan from someone else’s Facebook posting . . . ]

September 26

[Saturday morning, the Fat Boys Walking Club generally just consists of “Weakie” and me. This day was no exception. We enjoyed the colors of autumn along our route on the east side of Lake Agnes. But the trail is now getting heavily laden with fallen leaves . . . ]

We are here on earth to do good unto others. What the others are here for, I have no idea. ~  W. H. Auden

If life were fair Elvis would still be alive today and all the impersonators would be dead. ~  Johnny Carson

I’m not a paranoid, deranged millionaire. I’m a billionaire.  ~ Howard Hughes

The only reason they say ‘Women and children first’ is to test the strength of the lifeboats. ~ Jean Kerr

I’ve been married to a communist and a fascist, and neither would takeout the garbage. ~ Zsa Zsa Gabor

When a man opens a car door for his wife, it’s either a new car or a new wife. ~ Prince Philip

If God had intended us to fly he would have made it easier to get to the airport. ~ Jonathan Winters

Kill one man and you’re a murderer, kill a million and you’re a conqueror. ~ Jean Rostand.

As I sat, strapped in my seat waiting during the countdown, one thought kept crossing my mind …   every part of this rocket was supplied by the lowest bidder. ~ John Glenn

[The owner of this house once worked for a NASA contractor in California – but I don’t think he had anything to do with the John Glenn quote above . . . ]

[The Fat Boys, food always being a major subject of discussion, agree that the place would make a fine setting for a Mediterranean-style restaurant . . . ]

[Another bottle of rioja, por favor . . . ]

[That afternoon the same people from the Garden Bar the previous night appeared at Carlos Creek Winery for a performance by Anthony Miltich . . . ]

[Karin said, “No, no, no . . . “]

[But my camera said, “Yes, yes, yes . . . “]

[So she exited, stage left . . . ]

[This was my last shot before my camera battery went dead. My camera bag was in the car but I had forgotten to put a recharged battery in it. Such is the life of an older person. (I subsequently went to buy a couple of brews only to discover I didn’t have any money with me.) So, it was back to using my phone camera – as I had used the previous evening and on the morning walk . . . ]

[Pretty much the same group, exactly 6 years ago . . . ]

[Usual winery denizens, Anne and Warren visit with Anthony . . . ]

[Gas can jack-o’-lantern . . . ]

[Joined also on this day by Helen and John from Ashby . . . ]

After the game, the King and the Pawn go into the same box.  ~ Italian proverb

Lawyers believe a man is innocent until proven broke. ~ Robin Hall

The first piece of luggage on the carousel never belongs to anyone. ~ George Roberts

[Karin taking a short video . . . ]

September 27

[By the dawn’s early light, Lake H2Obert . . . ]

[Panorama . . . ]

The best cure for sea sickness, is to sit under a tree.  ~ Spike Milligan

Home cooking. Where many a man thinks his wife is.  ~ Jimmy Durante

[Until next time (thanks to Doug for the quotes du jour) . . . ]

I have kleptomania, but when it gets bad, I take something for it. ~ Robert Benchley

Up Next: Maybe old Japan . . .

September 22

The summer ended. Day by day, and taking its time, the summer ended. The noises in the street began to change, diminish, voices became fewer, the music sparse. Daily, blocks and blocks of children were spirited away. Grownups retreated from the streets, into the houses. Adolescents moved from the sidewalk to the stoop to the hallway to the stairs, and rooftops were abandoned. Such trees as there were allowed their leaves to fall – they fell unnoticed – seeming to promise, not without bitterness, to endure another year. ~ James Baldwin

[Our occasional tenant returned for a visit . . . ]

[These were shot through the window, lest we created a disturbance . . . ]

[Nevertheless, there seemed to be an awareness of the camera . . . ]

[I’ve got my eye on you . . . ]

The queen was settling on the edge of the bed, ungainly with hesitation and at the same time exquisite in her grace, like a heron landing in a treetop. ~ Megan Whelan Turner

[Gil Scott-Heron?]

September 23

[Looking out my bedroom window . . . ]

A brunette would have stood out like a turd in a salad bar in this bunch. ~ Jess Lourey

The fog comes on little cat feet. ~ Carl Sandburg

September 24

Our annual “goodbye till next year” dinner with Mary and Crazy Dave on Big Darling. It’s on evenings like this when we do miss being on the big lake . . .

[Crazy Dave, master of all he surveys . . . ]

We interrupt this broadcast to give you a brief history of Crazy Dave, because to know him is to love him . . .

The Camp Ballentine Owens returned to the shores of beautiful Lake Darling at a time when we were absent from the shores of beautiful Lake Darling.  To her everlasting credit, Mary came to the symphony all by herself, as in alone.  “Crazy Dave” stayed home to watch some baseball team named the Indians on TV. Knowing this was a very weak excuse, he further posited that classical music exacerbates his GI tract distress.  This made absolutely no sense to me . . . but then, why should it?  Oh, and the symphony was wonderful – these folks play their instruments with the same pizzazz and elan with which I butter my artisan bread toast!  

Friday night was a Let’s Celebrate Golf Season shindig at the golf club with chicken, ribs, and fixin’s, with Mary and Crazy Dave fresh from Sarasota . . . and with BAT.  BAT sang for both of them for their recent birthdays.  Mary said, “Pass the ribs, please.” Crazy said, “I only have a beer and a half in front of me?”

Alexandria braced itself today (July 16) for what annually has become the largest eating fest ever this side of Stearns County. Shalom Lutheran Church sponsors a pork chop and chicken bar-b-q, with all the fixin’s, that usually takes place in 95-degree temps with 75-degree dewpoints. We have a weather reprieve this year. Possibly because of that, turnout seemed larger than ever this year. Several 747’s full of Japanese tourists landed at Chandler Field this afternoon, creating parking mayhem from Villard to Urbank. The super and I had pre-paid tickets, but nevertheless we had to stand in a line that stretched all the way to Elden’s. Once inside the church we were given a number and told to wait in the sanctuary. Once inside the sanctuary, we were told it would be a two-month wait in the SRO crowd before our number would be called. Fearing a panic attack, or even worse a hunger pang, the supervisor bolted forward asking if we had to wait if we wanted take-out? We did not – we were saved! Here Crazy Dave supervises the hordes of volunteer grill operators – to which all I can say is, better him than me! 

Oh, you!!

Known accomplices of Whitey Bulger (as I recall captioning at the time) . . .

Meanwhile, back to our original story line . . .

[The view north in Camp Ballentine on Lake Darling . . . ]

[And the view to the southwest . . . ]

[And the view west . . . ]

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.  Teach him how to fish and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day. ~  Anonymous

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~  Henry David Thoreau

I would remember that once I saw the dragons aloft on the wind at sunset above the western isles; and I would be content. ~  Ursula K. Le Guin

Meanwhile the sunsets are mad orange fools raging in the gloom. ~ Jack Kerouac

[Meanwhile, back at the ranchero . . . ]

And all at once, summer collapsed into fall. ~ Oscar Wilde

[Known local fauna . . . ]

[Apparently in search of a place to bed for the night . . . ]

[Say goodnight, Mary; say goodnight, Super . . . ]

Good night, sweet princess, wherever thou art . . .

It’s like going back to school. You know, autumn! Time for ‘Harry Potter’. ~ Robbie Coltrane

I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion. ~
Henry David Thoreau

Up Next: Depends . . .

September 19

Saturday, Sept 19, 2020, 2:00 matinee

This was the final show of Theatre L’Homme Dieu’s COVID-shortened 2020 season. And executive director Nicole Mulder outdid herself with this blockbuster finale. So, buckle your seat belts, we’re about to begin . . .

Featuring: Patty Peterson, Lori Dokken, Debbie Duncan, Judi Vinar, Rachel Holder

Lori Dokken Presents: I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar
FEAT: Lori Dokken – Piano and Vocals, Patty Peterson – Vocals, Debbie Duncan – Vocals, Rachel Holder – Vocals, Judi Vinar – Vocals

Location: TLHD Outdoor Stage Watch from the comfort of your car or reserve a spot in our designated seating area.

The Music • The Show Join us for an afternoon celebrating some of the greatest women singers and songwriters ever! With Lori Dokken at the piano and vocals and Twin Cities’ vocalists Judi Vinar, Debbie Duncan, Patty Peterson and Rachel Holder turn the Theatre L’Homme Dieu’s outdoor stage into a celebration of some of the matriarchs of music.
Sit back and enjoy the vibrant vocal harmonies these musicians put to tunes made famous by such divas as: Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Annie Lennox, Carole King, Tina Turner, Judy Garland, Christina Aguilera and many more.
It promises to be a fantastic afternoon of hearing these women “roar” as only they can!

The set up: Crooners

[Why yes, it was going to be an RBG kinda day!]

[Still a couple days from autumn, a little color along the road to the theatre . . . ]

Life is very busy now. I find that in today’s cities, the public is very tired after working the whole day. When concerts start at eight o’clock, the wife pushes the husband to go to the concert, where some promptly fall asleep! ~ Vladimir Horowitz

[Our route to the theatre is a designated scenic highway. And then we turned into the campus . . . ]

[We were so shocked to see the Boy Tenor (a/k/a, the Emperor of TLHD) directing traffic that I didn’t have the camera ready . . . ]

[So, a couple tree shots in the driveway . . . ]

To me, in life, if there’s, like, a rule, and I think it’s ridiculous, then of course I’ll circumvent that but also point out how ridiculous the rule is. Other than that, if I go to a concert, and my seat is Row G, Seat 12, I’m sitting in Row G, Seat 12. I don’t care if I’m with five other friends, I’m supposed to be in Seat 12, that’s my seat. ~ Wanda Sykes

[Janet and Jan ran a season first adult beverage stand – we partook of a bottle of cab . . . ]

[We were greeted at the entrance by Joe, as usual. But this time he was ably assisted by the Empress of TLHD . . . ]

[At our designated rows and seats, everyone began stripping. The surrounding woods protected us from the wind making it almost too hot . . . ]

[People were still arriving when I pitoned onto the stage for the panorama shot . . . ]

My first concert makes me sound like a real old man. My very first concert was Jackie Wilson. ~ Eddie Murphy

[A non-fat member of the Fat Boys Walking Club, Ken sitting with Jean on the left. In the center distance, our hosts for the afternoon, Nicole and John Mulder . . . ]

I have stage fright every single concert I’ve ever done. I have at least four or five minutes of it. It’s absolute living hell. ~ Brian Wilson

[The performers take the stage . . . ]

[From our vantage – later photos will show the advantage of the 400mm lens . . . ]

[Nicole readies for the welcoming introductions . . . ]

[Whatta crowd, whatta crowd!!]

[Behind her, l-r: Lori, Patty, Debbie, Rachel, and Judi . . . ]

[A breath . . . ]

[Major kudos to Nicole for pulling off what season we had . . . ]

[It was emotional, to come up with anything in the year of the pandemic was amazing . . . ]

[She was a trendsetter. Similar venues later adopted the outdoor approach. I’m sure it was a major relief for her, for the theatre, to make it through this season . . . ]

[Nicole came up with this stage from a business in Brainerd. We used it all summer. And as she noted, the crew that erected it were 66% women. So what an ending theme . . . ]

[And away we go with Judi taking the early lead . . . ]

[The panoramic view from our seats . . . ]

[Patty and Debbie . . . ]

[Patty . . . ]

[I found an individual YouTube for each of the performers. But it created issues, so I beg your indulgence – and support? WordPress recently changed its whole format on how to create and post a blog. Any change at my age throws me for a loop. Absent any understanding of their explanations on how to use the new format, I mostly figured it out by trial and error (mostly error). But the video posting I still can’t figure out. As you will notice with each one, they bleed into the following photo? It does not show that way in either the edit or preview stages, only in the final?]

Patty ~

To wear a floral shirt is an experience. ~ Brian Wilson

[Lori and Patty . . . ]

In my career I have never felt that my being a woman was an obstacle or an advantage. I guess I’ve been oblivious. ~ Carole King

[Lori (from Benson, where it swings) reminds me of Megan Rapinoe, the look and the demeanor – loved it . . . ]

Lori, at the piano ~

[She was a hoot – Benson soul . . . ]

[Rachel joins in with Patty and Debbie . . . ]

[They each had leads, and solos, sometime in groups of 2 or 3, sometime all 5 . . . ]

[It was all quite perfect . . . ]

[With all due deference to the telephoto lens . . . ]

Debbie ~

My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue, an everlasting vision of the ever changing view. ~ Carole King

[Rachel and Judi . . . ]

It should be a firmly established part of the curriculum that children should visit theatres and concert halls. ~ Philip Pullman

I love pulling people into concert halls who might not otherwise go and getting their ears tuned. ~ David Ogden Stiers

My audience are the same people who bought my albums years ago. These people are now married, with their own homes, their own families. If I’m in concert, I get people now who bring their kids. ~ Helen Reddy

Something in the way you move. ~ Ellie Goulding

To achieve style, begin by affecting none. ~ E.B. White

[I think it’s so nice that in this day and age a mother can take her twin retired-doctor daughters out for an afternoon of entertainment . . . ]

God, I’m just a fat bald guy, 60 years old, singing the blues, you know? ~ Joe Cocker

[For Rachel’s big song, her fellow performers moved to the rear of the stage . . . ]

[It was a powerful song, her voice showing more range than Byron Buxton . . . ]

Rachel ~

[And it is extremely unfortunate that her video cuts off the top half of her body in the following photo?]

[And then Judi took off – all of them had great individual voices . . . ]

[The problem was that from my angle I could not avoid the stage support for her photos . . . ]

Judi ~

My idols are Janis Joplin and Annie Lennox, who are neither of them from the typical pop culture. ~ Natalie Cole

[We didn’t want it to end . . . ]

It’s such a rush doing a concert and seeing people actually mouthing the lyrics. ~ Carnie Wilson

[Everybody was having fun . . . ]

[Bringing it on home . . . ]

To come to a concert and hear a lot of songs from a female perspective should not make men say, ‘Oh well, that’s for women’. ~ Holly Near [Editor’s note: I saw Holly Near in concert on Okinawa in 1970.]

We have pink hair and purple hair. We have tattoos and dreadlocks. We’ve got white girls and black girls, and everything in between. Straight girls and gay girls. ~ Megan Rapinoe

I don’t want to be the next big anything. I just want to play for people and that’s it. ~ Norah Jones

[It was a way too fast 90 minutes . . . ]

[And then, a much deserved standing ovation from the assembled masses . . . ]

[And then they were gone . . . ]

I have no idea why a guy would bring a jar of peanut butter to a concert. ~ Iggy Pop [Editor’s note: I have no idea who Iggy Pop is?]

Up Next: I thought it was going to be girls basketball – and then the gale winds began . . .

Editor’s note: I subsequently discovered that if you click on “AMP” on the upper left side it relieves the image problem created by the videos. 🙂

September 11

As you know from reading Part 2, it’s merely coincidental that this happened on 9/11. Part 2 was the evening addition, this is the morning addition. It all began with a ride with the Super to St. Cloud to have her car serviced – I went along for the ride and an opportunity for a road trip . . .

[Upon arrival in the Granite City, I first noticed what to my eye seemed to be a bit of political commentary . . . ]

Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal. ~ Albert Camus

[We have been to St. Cloud many, many times over the years, of course. But always with a specific destination in mind. We had never just wandered the city. So, we asked the desk guy at the Super’s dealership where we could go for an hour’s walk. I said I’d never been to the Lake George area – he said just down the road a bit on the other side of the street from the library. Well, on the other side of the street was also the old St. Cloud Tech high school, which I’d never seen before – they opened a new high school within the last year or so . . . ]

[Also at the old high school was this . . . ]

[A monument to James J. Hill . . . ]

[I do not know what his connection was to the city or the high school . . . ]

[Lake George . . . Yes, St. Cloud has its own lake! This urban lake is an oasis, just steps from the hustle and bustle of downtown St. Cloud. Surrounded by gorgeous walking paths, water features, bench and picnic areas, and even a beach, this is the ideal location in St. Cloud for a morning stroll, a bag lunch to go, or some scenic relaxation (visitstcloud.com).]

[The neighborhood has a population of about 1,800 . . . ]

All the things I really like to do are either immoral, illegal or fattening. ~ Alexander Woollcott

[Lake George in all its splendor . . . ]

[The Super, in all her splendor, in the Lake George Municipal Park . . . ]

[And the old high school is just across the street from the park . . . ]

[And here’s where they hold the outdoor concerts . . . ]

Education is learning what you didn’t even know you didn’t know. ~ Daniel J. Boorstin

[Nice park . . . ]

Biologically speaking, if something bites you it’s more likely to be female. ~ Desmond Morris

[The Super going to school . . . ]

I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that I don’t know the answer. ~ Douglas Adams

[HQ for the Lake George Municipal Complex . . . ]

[“Tiger Country” (oh, you can see that too) . . . ]

[And now the scary St. Cloud Tech Tigers and the St. Cloud Apollo Eagles team up in some sports in an attempt to beat up on our little Alexandria Cardinals . . . ]

[The old high school is kitty-corner from the old football stadium . . . ]

[The park from said kitty-corner . . . ]

Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it. ~ E. B. White

[Tech taught winemaking???]

Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive. ~ Elbert Hubbard

[The ‘neighborhood’ reminds me of my grandparents’ neighborhood in north Minneapolis . . . ]

You’re only as good as your last haircut. ~ Fran Lebowitz

[Would you buy CBD from these dummies?]

[On the way home, though we also passed it on the way in, is the town of St. Joseph, population 6,500, about 6 miles from St. Cloud . . . ]

[We wanted to check out what may be the hottest new restaurant in the state . . . ]

[But, despite the sign, it wasn’t (open, that is). I don’t know if its just a COVID schedule, but they’re only open at night from Wednesday – Saturday (as I recall) – reservations strongly suggested . . . ]

[A look inside, though they appeared to have plenty of outdoor tables . . . ]

[How you know you’re adjacent to a college campus . . . ]

[Though we have been through St. Joe’s hundreds (?) of times, we had never visited the St. Ben’s campus (though Ruthie later recalled our niece was once in a gymnastics meet here 12 years or so ago) . . . ]

[And here we are . . . ]

[A campus of 1,800 students on a lovely 300 acres . . . ]

Good advice is something a man gives when he is too old to set a bad example. ~ Francois de La Rochefoucauld

[As I understand it St. Ben’s and St. John’s (5 miles away) basically share students and professors . . . ]

[Love those Bennies!]

We learn from experience that men never learn anything from experience. ~ George Bernard Shaw

Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city. ~ George Burns

[Lest you didn’t know, a campus building . . . ]

[Arts center and auditorium – the staff of life . . . ]

[Why Saint is in the college name . . . ]

The only mystery in life is why the kamikaze pilots wore helmets. ~ Al McGuire

[Birthdays on this day: Angie Annen, daughter of Vivian and Fat Boys Walking Club’s Weakie Annen. Angie works for the state health department and is personally responsible for tracking COVID19 statewide numbers . . . ]

[Louis Johnston, Economics Professor, St. Ben’s-St. John’s, born in 1960, thus now 60 years old. A longtime favorite of the local Senior College attendees, he gave the semester’s first virtual session last week . . . ]

Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all others because you were born in it. ~George Bernard Shaw

Up Next: ?

September 11

Yes, it was 9/11. That was the merely coincidental part. And yes, there has been no (Part 1) yet. Part 2 is going first because it is more time sensitive. And remember, all this is happening under the new norm . . .

Shining a Light on MN Musicians

Support Minnesota musicians + enjoy a unique concert experience! Friday Night Lights will feature 3 Minnesota bands live on TLHD’s Outdoor stage. Two ticket options allow you to watch from the comfort of your car or BYO chair to sit beside your car or in a designated seating area.
Join us for an eclectic mix of folk, acoustic, and synthetic sounds – a perfect mix for a Friday night this fall. And perfect for people who love all kinds of music! Each of the following groups will play a set.
• Her Crooked Heart
• King Pari
• James Case feat. Jimmy Peterson + Casey Gooby ~ Nicole Mulder, TLHD Executive Director

The set-up: It appeared it was going to be a “dark and stormy night.” As I noted on FB the next morning, “[T]hat was quite a feat Nicole, Joe, Jorge and friends pulled off at Theatre L’Homme Dieu last night! One of the performers, James Case, even called Nicole during the day and said, ‘You’re cancelling, right?’ In keeping with the ole showbiz tradition of the show must go on, Nicole said, ‘Nope!'”

[It seemed to be more a mid-November rather then mid-September evening. The weather forecast was rain for sure during the performance. We met Deb & Paul Trumm at Lure Lakebar for a pre-performance nosh and beverage. The fishermen on Lake Le Homme Dieu looked dressed for a nor’easter . . . ]

[We still insist on eating outside, of course. Fortunately, such were few and far between so we got the table by the fireplace . . . ]

When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President. I’m beginning to believe it. ~ Clarence Darrow

[When we arrived at the theatre, they were undergoing sound checks . . . ]

[Once we were all in our places with bright shining faces, Nicole addressed the assembled masses regarding the protocols under the new norm . . . ]

[Our neighbors to our right, close personal relatives of Nicole, were our only contact during the evening. We phoned each other between sets . . . ]

Her Crooked Heart

[Rachel Ries and Hilary James]

HER CROOKED HEART

With ‘To Love To Leave To Live’, Minneapolis-based Her Crooked Heart presents a debut record unique in form, made up of cyclical narratives and intertwining histories, each informing the next. The result is a transformative song cycle, led by a charismatic personality, wholly indifferent to expectations of genre and instrumentation. Rachel Ries, the writer, multi-instrumentalist and producer behind Her Crooked Heart, demonstrates immense vulnerability and multifaceted musical craftsmanship to deliver a personal and profound musical soliloquy on love, leaving and the life that follows after burning it all down.

In 2013, after two and a half years of marriage, Ries found herself touring a record around the world, accompanied by a stack of divorce papers in a pocket of her suitcase. She had left her marriage and a good man in New York City and leapt into the untethered unknown. What transpired was in turns euphoria and despondence; old lessons learned in new ways.

To bring these songs and this record to the stage, Ries has enlisted a powerful group of women; women who can, in their way, take on the feminine, humanist mantle of Her Crooked Heart and make it their own. The quartet blends classical and electric guitar; piano and vintage synths; cello, woodwinds and drum triggers. This merging of acoustic and synthetic sounds is all in service of the voice: four part vocal harmonies that shift from ethereal to an elemental wail, but always tell a story of transformation.

Rachel is a 2018 Rauschenberg 3Arts Fellow and a recipient of two 2019 Minnesota State Arts Board Grants: Arts Initiative and Arts on Tour.  ~ tlhd.org

[Now I can have some fun as I will be shooting through a rain covered windshield for the entire performance, allowing for some poetic license in the artsy-fartsy area . . . ]

[Obtained through the marvels of modern technology . . . ]

[We found Hilary and Rachel to be quite enjoyable . . . ]

[Rachel noted she grew up Mennonite in South Dakota and felt guilty about not going the full Amish by giving up the pleasures of electricity . . . ]

It would be nice to spend billions on schools and roads, but right now that money is desperately needed for political ads. ~ Andy Borowitz

The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. ~ Albert Einstein

I don’t believe in astrology; I’m a Sagittarius and we’re skeptical. ~ Arthur C. Clarke

War is God’s way of teaching Americans geography. ~ Ambrose Bierce

You may have noticed that the quotations have nothing whatever to do with the following photos. It’s just my way of providing filler when I can’t think of anything to say . . .

My opinions may have changed, but not the fact that I’m right. ~ Ashleigh Brilliant

[I tried to capture them playing their variety of instruments. Rachel was lead singer and often soloed on vocals . . . ]

[I recognized one of the stage organizers. He is the father of . . . ]

[Cardinal basketball player Alayna Strand, who will be going into her senior season if there is one to go into . . . ]

James Case

JAMES CASE

Jimmy Peterson and Casey Gooby.

This country-folk acoustic duo just finished recording another album and will debut some of their new work on the TLHD stage! Soulful and insightful. Sophisticated music yet a laid back vibe. ~ tlhd.org

[Nicole introduced the next performers . . . ]

[Who you already know from reading their introduction . . . ]

[Jimmy & James]

[Nice acoustic stuff . . . ]

Trouble knocked at the door, but, hearing laughter, hurried away. ~ Benjamin Franklin

Facebook just sounds like a drag, in my day seeing pictures of peoples vacations was considered a punishment. ~ Betty White

Money won’t buy happiness, but it will pay the salaries of a large research staff to study the problem. ~ Bill Vaughan

[Casey]

The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us. ~ Bill Watterson

But primarily, the drummer’s supposed to sit back there and swing the band. ~ Buddy Rich

[Just let the camera go . . . ]

[And again . . . ]

If you’re going to tell people the truth, be funny or they’ll kill you. ~ Billy Wilder

King Pari

KING PARI

King Pari is an almost accidental project. Cameron Kinghorn and DJ Stepmom didn’t even set out to start a band. When Joe (DJ Stepmom) texted Cameron some jams whipped up on his tape machine, Cameron hit him back with “what is this? I want in”. Ten minutes before they first linked up, Joe built the loop for their first single, ‘Sunshine,’ which they then wrote on the spot in a flurry on collective inspiration. The rest of their forthcoming ‘MARY EP’ grew from recording sessions in Joe’s Northeast Minneapolis bedroom, a guest house in New Orleans and a cabin in rural Wisconsin. Minneapolis left an obvious mark — the influence of Prince and the Minneapolis Sound, approached from a fresh psychedelic angle. It’s been called stonersoul, lo-fi R&B, dub meets 80’s electro with a heavy dose of funk.

With these new songs in hand, the group played their first public show on the historic First Avenue Mainroom stage in Minneapolis, opening for the incomparable Kamasi Washington in August 2019, and charming the full house that night.

The music is dancey and funky, but often dreamy. It’s a distillation of every group and side project they’ve played in before – even a 90s R&B cover band. Nothing is forced; it all just falls into place like a Rube Goldberg machine of chill-ass vibes. More than anything, King Pari is having a good time, and they want you to get on their level. ~ tlhd.org

[Cameron & Joe]

[Their music was not exactly our cup of malbec . . . ]

[But Cameron is very charismatic . . . ]

[And extremely comfortable with himself on stage . . . ]

[Joe put down the music . . . ]

But the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright Brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown. ~ Carl Sagan

[And we’re still weathering . . . ]

[Until magic cleans it up . . . ]

[The charisma shining through . . . ]

All right everyone, line up alphabetically according to your height. ~ Casey Stengel

He who laughs last didn’t get the joke. ~ Charles de Gaulle

[And, the wrap up . . . ]

[The following morning’s rain gauge . . . ]

The play was a great success, but the audience was a disaster. ~  Oscar Wilde

Up Next: Part 1

September 8

Now famed in song and story . . .

My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She’s ninety-seven now, and we don’t know where the heck she is. ~ Ellen DeGeneres

All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Click here:

https://www.echopress.com/community/people/6647301-Alexandrias-Fat-Boys-Walking-Club-puts-on-the-miles-shares-smiles

Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time. ~  Steven Wright

I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me. ~  Noel Coward

They walked through the rainy dark like gaunt ghosts, and Garraty didn’t like to look at them. They were the walking dead. ~  Stephen King, The Long Walk

This made her remember why people take up walking: It is because they no longer have anywhere to go. ~ Chuck Klosterman, Downtown Owl

If you walk the path less taken, you will discover why it is thus so. ~ Some Local Bard

Addendum: What “click here” shows . . .

Alexandria’s ‘Fat Boys Walking Club’ puts on the miles, shares smiles

Group gathers on Central Lakes Trail for camaraderie and exercise.Written By: Celeste Edenloff | Sep 8th 2020 – 6am

A group of men, who dubbed themselves “The Fat Boys Walking Club,” walk six days a week along the Central Lakes Trail. The members are , from left, Roger Johnson, Rich Beltz, Tom Obert, Harvey Kranzler, Bob Annen and Mike Bump. (Celeste Edenloff / Echo Press) 

If you were to station yourself down at Big Ole Park about 7:30 every morning – except Sundays – you would see what looks like a bunch of old guys trying to get some exercise by going for a little walk.

And you would be mostly right.

Except those old guys aren’t just going for a little walk. They walk at least an hour, if not more, and usually end up walking more than three miles each time. They like to get the miles in, despite the fact that a couple of them use walking sticks for assistance and one even carries his oxygen with him.

Exercise is one of the key reasons they walk, but it is also about the camaraderie and possibly the harmless heckling, joking and interesting conversations. Or perhaps it’s about having time away from their better halves, although none of them would deny or confirm that reason.

The group of mostly retirees have happily dubbed themselves “The Fat Boys Walking Club.”

The club has a total of nine members, although you will most likely never see all nine walking at the same time. There might be two and there might be seven, but at least one member will always show up six days a week.

At about 7:30 a.m. six days a week, a group of guys, who all live in the Alexandria Lakes Area, meet at Big Ole and walk the Central Lakes Trail. Pictured, from left, are Tom Obert, Roger Johnson, Mike Bump, Rich Beltz, Harvey Kranzler and Bob Annen. (Celeste Edenloff / Echo Press) 

Ranging in age from 68 to 82, with all of them living in the Alexandria lakes area, The Fat Boys Walking Club includes:

• Bob Annen, 82, worked as vice president at Honeywell.
• Mike Bump, 81, worked in meat sales and also former owner of Bump’s Restaurant in Glencoe.
• Paul Fieldhammer, 77, worked in medical supplies.
• Ken Howell, 75, worked in medical supplies (but not with Fieldhammer).
• Tom Obert, 73, worked for the Department of Labor in Washington, D.C.
• Harvey Kranzler,72, worked as a social studies/history teacher, retiring from Alexandria District 206.
• Roger Johnson, 71, worked as a public school educator, retiring from Alexandria District 206.
• Tom Mulder, 70, is an investment advisor.
• Rich Beltz, 68, works in farm management as a farm broker.

Interestingly, none of them go by their real names. Each of them has been given a nickname.

Annen is known as Weakie because he once said his golf swing was weak. Bump is fittingly called The Bumpster, while Kranzler is called The Harvster. Johnson is known as Coach, because well, he was a coach. Howell, who is on the tall side, is referred to as The Crane, while Mulder, who sings, goes by The Boy Tenor. Obert is Cub Reporter, Beltz goes by Sleepy Eye and Fieldhammer is known as Rock.

If you were to tag along with the group, you would hear conversations ranging from food to politics or sports to weather or health and everything in between. Regardless of the topic, the one thing you will always hear is laughter.

So, just how did this group get started walking, Obert, the cub reporter, explained.

He said his mom lived next to Annen and that the two of them met back in 2001. At first, it was just the two of them walking. They would meet at Big Ole and walk for two or so hours at a time. Obert further explained, however, that walking outside for that long of time became a challenge because they are old men with weak bladders. And most often if they had to relieve themselves, it was always when a group of “old ladies on bikes” would go whizzing by.

A couple of the guys standing around Obert tossed out some jokes about binoculars and magnifying glasses as the rest erupted with laughter. Obert then explained that the YMCA opened in Alexandria and an indoor facility with restrooms seemed to be a better fit. He also mentioned that mall walking was the way to go once the weather forced them inside before the Y opened.

As the sun was rising over Lake Agnes near Big Ole Park, six of the nine members of “The Fat Boys Walking Club” walk along the Central Lakes Trail. Some members of the group have been walking together for more than 15 years. (Celeste Edenloff / Echo Press) 

Back in 2005, before the full Fat Boys Walking Club, Obert and Annen were inspired by a story about a woman who walked Minneapolis. They decided to walk all the streets within the city limits of Alexandria. By the way, Obert quipped that Annen doesn’t really fit the “fat boy” title anymore as all the walking he’s done paid off and he’s lost 60 pounds.

During that walk, they found out that Alexandria, at that time, had 94 miles of streets. They started their quest April 13, 2005, and finished on May 5, 2005, by walking for an hour and a half to three hours each day. This equaled about five to 10 miles each day. They walked a total of 19 days with a day or two off for what Obert said was “good behavior.”

In all, they guesstimated that they actually walked more than 130 miles as by necessity, they often had to cover the same street more than once to get to the next unwalked street or for return trips on dead end streets.

As time went on and the two of them continued their walking at the YMCA, other guys started joining in on their walks. Many times, they would walk at least 30 laps and some of them, Annen said, would work out on the machines.

One of the guys started laughing and said they most often would just lean on the machines and keep up the chit-chat. And then eventually, they would leave so they could go have coffee.

Obert, as well as the other guys, continued laughing, when he shared a story about their time at the fitness facility. He said the walking track is on the second level and parts of it open up into the lobby where everyone walks in. Well, with some of the guys hard of hearing, their voices weren’t always the quietest and so often people would note that they knew the “Fat Boys” were there as soon as they walked into the facility because they could hear them chatting and laughing up a storm.

Although the group is made up of all guys, Obert shared that they do have one honorary member, who they of course nicknamed. “The Professor,” otherwise known as Christine Hollermann, who teaches at the Alexandria Technical and Community College, used to walk with them at the Y.

Obert said, however, that due to COVID-19 and the closing of the YMCA earlier this year, the group no longer walks there. Even though the facility is reopened, the guys have continued their daily walks outside on the Central Lakes Trail.

As for when the weather gets too cold, the guys said they are leaning toward going back to being mall walkers. But added that they weren’t sure.

For now, they are enjoying their time on the trail – talking, laughing and ultimately, trying to stay healthy.

Six of the nine members of “The Fat Boys Walking Club” head out on the Central Lakes Trail near Big Ole around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2. The group, although not all the members, walk six days a week. (Celeste Edenloff / Echo Press) 

September 2

OK, it’s a wrap!  These are mostly the photos that found me on the business end of the camera.  Well, there’s no accounting for taste . . . 

I get pretty much all the exercise I need walking down airport concourses carrying bags.  ~  Guy Clark

Don’t worry about the world ending today, it’s already tomorrow in Australia.  ~  Charles M. Schulz

[As you may recall from just the previous post, the background is Smedenpoort, the historical gateway to Bruges . . . ]

[These photos, as with those throughout the travelogue, don’t appear to be in any particular order.  Here with Roy-san and the Ghent Belfry . . . ]

[The Belgium-Netherlands border . . . ]

[I, as usual, appear to be a bit out of focus . . . ]

[T Zand Square Fountain in Bruges, with a lovely display of PDA in the background . . . ]

[Still Bruging . . . ]

[In Bruges, Guido Pieter Theodorus Josephus Gezelle (1 May 1830 – 27 November 1899) was an influential writer and poet and a Roman Catholic priest.  He is famous for the use of the West Flemish dialect (Wikipedia).]

[In Bruges, Simon Stevin (1548–1620), sometimes called Stevinus, was a Flemish mathematician, physicist, and military engineer. He made various contributions in many areas of science and engineering, both theoretical and practical (Wikipedia).]

[The ever-popular Atomium in Brussels . . . ]

[The occasionally-popular me in an airport (methinks Brussels) . . . ]

[Me on an airplane – we appear to be heading west, and thus home . . . ]

[Mark Spits at (I believe) La Chapelle-d’Abondance, a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in south-eastern France (near Geneva).  La Chapelle d’Abondance has accommodation ranging from Gites to Chambre d’Hotes.  Several independently run, fully catered ski chalets offering accommodation and meals (Wikipedia).]

[We dined under the tutelage of our hostess, the divine Madame Jeannette.  She was a hoot.  This may have been the day Carine arrived (thus, in Chatel), or it may have been in La Chapelle-d’Abondance.  The same may be said of the following photo . . .

[But I suspect that it was with Madame Jeannette that we experienced the marvel of a raclette dinner.  A raclette dinner party is a twist on fondue that can be a crowd-pleaser for birthdays, holidays, showers, and many other special occasions.  Raclette is a type of cheese from Switzerland that is prepared with vegetables on a special grill  (thespruce.com).]

[Walter and Roy-san demonstrate that Dave Barry was right – skiing is a fine way to introduce your face to a tree . . . ]

[Roy’s restaurant in Brussels . . . ]

[Two tourists and a resident in the Grand Place . . . ]

[Mannekin Pis, one more time . . . ]

[OK, two more times . . . ]

[Chatel, our home base . . . ]

[Diehard skiers behind Roy . . . ]

[But absent good skiing, a tour of our neighborhood . . . ]

[Hi!  Do you know us?  Why yes, we are tourists from Minnesota . . . ]

[(Hmmm, I’ll be retired in about 4 years . . . )]

[At the Mont Blanc tunnel . . . ]

[Geneva, I think . . . ]

[Parc des Bastions, Geneva, I think . . . ]

[Parc des Bastions is a lush park below the Old Town is situated in the heart of the city.  It is here that Geneva created its first botanical garden.  In and around the Parc des Bastions you will find the world-renowned Reformation Wall.  On its side, a giant checkers game and chessboard attract players and spectators alike (geneve.com).]

[Continuing the Geneva theme . . . ]

[The pollarded plane trees along Lake Geneva . . . ]

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau (28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer and composer.  His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolution and the development of modern political, economic and educational thought.  His ‘Discourse on Inequality’ and ‘The Social Contract’ are cornerstones in modern political and social thought (Wikipedia).].

This city of wealth by stealth.  ~  Robert Morley

I should like the window to open onto Lake of Geneva, and there I’d sit and read all day like the picture of somebody reading.  ~  John Keats

[The Prisoner of Chillon by Lord Byron . . . ]

[Double-dipping at the Evian source . . . ]

[With Carine in Yvoire . . . ]

[Yvoire . . . ]

[Yvoire . . . ]

[The Okinawan veterans in Yvoire . . . ]

[Yvoire . . . ]

[Yvoire . . . ]

[The sweatshirt says St. Olaf, I think not . . . ]

[Chateau La Tour de Marignan, Yvoire . . . ]

[And the owner of that 1,000-year old winery.  Carine came in really handy as an interpreter here . . . ]

[Back in our Chatel neighborhood . . . ]

[The snow covered mountains of the Jungfrau . . . ]

[In shorts, what’s not to like?]

[A rose and two thorns . . . ]

[Just little ole me and the Matterhorn . . . ]

[I shopped?  I shopped??  In Zermatt, I guess I did . . . ]

[In one of the previous “parts” I noted I’d get back to this.  So, here we are.   As you will note in the next visual, Obert still life plates originated here around 1900.  The Super and I have 10 of them; other family members have some as well.  We have found them in various states, from garage sales to antique shops, and have paid anywhere from $.25 to $25 for them.  Let me know if you run across any . . . ]

OBERT PLATES

Keller and Guerin (K&G) in Luneville, France, made antique plates.  They produced porcelain in Luneville, France, from 1788 to 1890. From 1812, and during the following century, Lunéville was the seat of “Keller and Guérin” (Société KG), father and son-in-law.

[So by pure coincidence, Luneville happened to be on our route back to Brussels.  It’s a small town, so we easily found K&G.  I wanted to find out who Obert was, if perchance we were related.  But alas, my French is tres weak and nobody in the place spoke English.  When I got home I tried to contact the company on-line, but any request for information required a down payment of an excessive amount of euros.  C’est la vie . . . ]

[The say au revoir photo.  Not to worry though – I’m sure I can find other trips from the previous century . . . ]

You got to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.  ~  Yogi Berra

Up Next:  Heading to the archives . . .