The Journey Begins
Thanks for joining me! This is the follow-up to the original, “alexandriacardinals.wordpress.com,” which overwhelmed the system’s ability to handle it any more. Thus, this is “Part 2.” As the original was initially described:
10-26-07-4
“It all began in a 5,000 watt radio station in Fresno, California” . . . wait a minute, that was Ted Baxter on the Mary Tyler Moore Show! Let’s see . . . oh yeah, it all began in 2003 when retirees, i.e., old people, in Alexandria, Minnesota, who had no desire to become snow birds, went looking for mid-winter entertainment here in the frozen tundra of West Central Minnesota. We discovered girls’ high school hockey, fell in love immediately, and it remains our favorite spectator sport to this day. Initially, and for several years, reports on these games were e-mailed to those who were actually snowbirds but wanted to keep abreast of things “back home.” It was ultimately decided a blog would be more efficient, and it evolved into a personal diary of many things that attracts tens of readers on occasion. It remains a source of personal mental therapy and has yet to elicit any lawsuits.
~ The Editor, May 9, 2014
p.s. The photo border around the blog is the Cardinal girls’ hockey team after just beating Breck for the state championship in 2008. It’s of the all-tournament team. The visible Breck player on the left is Milica McMillen, then an 8th-grader – she is now an All-American for the Gophers. The Roseau player in the stocking cap I believe is Mary Loken, who went on to play for UND; and the Cardinal player on the right, No. 3, is Abby Williams, the player we blame most for making us girls’ hockey fans who went on to play for Bemidji State.
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Photos contained herein are available for personal use. All you have to do is double click on any of the photos and they will become full screen size. You can then save them into your personal “My Pictures” file. They make lovely parting or hostess gifts, or holiday gifts for such as Uncle Ernie who wants to see how his grand niece is doing on the hockey team. If any are sold for personal profit, however, to, for example, the Audubon Society, National Geographic, Sven’s Home Workshop Monthly, Curling By The Numbers, or the World Wrestling Federation, I only request that you make a donation to the charitable organization of your choice. You have two hours and fifteen minutes. Pencils ready? Begin!
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[As is now custom, Homecoming weekend begins with the Education Foundation Hall of Fame luncheon at Broadway Ballroom . . . ]
[Assembled diners looking for a table with a view . . . ]
[EFoundation Executive Director Christine Reilly . . . ]
[The high school carolers entertained . . . ]
[On to the football game, beginning with the Homecoming Royalty . . . ]
[I admit I skipped the parade this year. The weather was what I would call iffy. Iffy is what people my age call it when I wouldn’t have gone to the game either except we have a good team that’s fun to watch . . . ]
[The band was on hand to greet the team out of its . . . tunnel?]
[And here they are . . . ]
[We kicked off; Brainerd a 3 and out . . . ]
[We marched down the field. Here QB Matthew Carlsen (7) handed off to Nolan Morical (5) who appears to have a nice opening . . . ]
[If not on this play, the Cards scored on a pass from Carlsen to Krisen Hoskins (13). Cards were up 7 – 0 and it appeared to be easy . . . ]
[But the Warriors scored on a long drive, and then kicked off to Hoskins . . . ]
[Kristen headed cross field . . . ]
[And found a lane up the left sideline . . . ]
[A long return to near midfield . . . ]
[The Cards held a 20 – 7 lead at the half, though Brainerd controlled the ball for much of the time . . . ]
[Homecoming Royalty was introduced at the half . . . ]
[The young ones appeared in awe of their elders . . . ]
[I missed photographing the 2nd half kickoff. I have been to two home games, and both times we returned the 2nd half kickoff for a touchdown. This time on a reverse, with Morical pitching to Hoskins who took it all the way . . . ]
[Some times you just have a feeling. I started shooting this play in an expectation that Morical might break it . . . ]
[And he did, almost all the way . . . ]
[Of course, we continued on for another touchdown . . . ]
[A Morical run . . . ]
[Followed by another Morical run . . . ]
[And Will Heydt (38) finished the TD drive . . . ]
[I thought this was going to be the final score . . . ]
[But Colton Schabel intercepted a pass and returned it 4 yards for the final score. Another big win for the now 4 – 1 Cards . . . ]
September 28
[The next day we voted in the morning . . . ]
[Then joined Karin & Dave at the winery on beautifully chilly September day . . . ]
[For the musical stylings of Elsa Lee . . . ]
[She said her fingers thawed out by the next morning . . . ]
[We dropped by Mom’s old neighborhood, lushly green from a wet summer . . . ]
[Then to the Lure Lakebar for music with Greg Donahue and Erik Schultz . . . ]
[They drew a good crowd, some going next to the Buddy Holly concert at the high school auditorium, while the Super and I matriculated to . . . ]
[Where the Homecoming weekend began the day before . . . ]
[The Super came home with six bottles of adult beverages . . . ]
[And we were joined for a while by the school’s professional photographer, Mark Ripley. See you again next year!]
As truth be told, homecoming never gets old. ~ Hlovate
So what does one do when at sea all day. Let’s find out. Oh, we crossed the Arctic Circle . . .
[For the Super, why not begin the day in the spa . . . ]
[Then up top for fun in the sun . . . ]
[Why yes, I am having a delightful read. I just can’t remember what it was?]
[I can’t remember what the Super was reading either . . . ]
[Then on to the pool where Arctic Circle celebrations were about to begin . . . ]
[The buffet line under the big screen . . . ]
[Bags of ice in the pool – cold water for crossing the “Arctic Circle,” don’cha know . . . ]
[The Super, with Ole in hand, ready for her “Arctic Circle” crossing . . . ]
[We’re ready!]
[Cruise Director Corinne lays out the plan . . . ]
[The assembled masses assembled . . . ]
[Corinne led the way, the first to cross the “Arctic Circle” . . . ]
[Some began with a belly flop . . . ]
[The Super is assisted into the pool . . . ]
[Don’t get Ole wet!]
[She appreciates a helping hand . . . ]
[And made it . . . ]
[Woo-woo!]
[A dollop of blue whipped cream indicates she made it with a frozen nose . . . ]
[With a glass of champagne for warmth . . . ]
[The Arctic Circle? Well, actually we didn’t really cross until later in the evening . . . ]
[Well, Ole got to celebrate too . . . ]
[Mmmmmm!]
[And they kept coming . . . ]
[And coming . . . ]
[And coming . . . ]
[And everybody had a cub reporter . . . ]
[The Super gave me her aquavit . . . ]
[Akvavit or aquavit (also akevitt in Norwegian) is a distilled spirit that is principally produced in Scandinavia, where it has been produced since the 15th century. Akvavit is distilled from grain and potatoes, and is flavoured with a variety of herbs. Akvavit is also popular in Germany. Akvavit gets its distinctive flavour from spices and herbs, and the dominant flavour must (according to the EU) come from a distillate of caraway and/or dill seed. It typically contains 40% alcohol by volume or 80 proof (U.S.) The EU has established a minimum of 37.5% ABV for akvavit to be named as such (Wikipedia).]
[Here is a primer on how to drink, and respond to, aquavit . . . ]
[Uff da fy da!]
[Meanwhile, the cruise continues . . . ]
[After hours of research, I now believe this is the Gjemnessund Bridge in the distance.]
[As we meander through a bit of an island-crusted inland waterway . . . ]
[The Gjemnessund Bridge (Gjemnessundbrua) crosses the Gjemnessundet strait between the mainland and the island of Bergsoya in the municipality of Gjemnes. The 1,257-metre-long (4,124 ft) bridge was the longest suspension bridge in Norway until the opening of the Hardanger Bridge in 2013, although it did not have the longest span (623 metres or 2,044 feet), being eclipsed by the Askoy Bridge. Gjemnessund Bridge was opened in 1992, and has 21 spans with a maximum clearance to the sea of 43 metres (141 ft). It was built as part of the Krifast project, the mainland road connection of the city of Kristiansund (Wikipedia).]
[Of course, I may be totally wrong about this bridge . . . ]
[And this is Torghatten, a granite mountain on the island of Torget in Bronney Municipality in Nordland county. It is known for its characteristic hole, or natural tunnel, through its center. It is possible to walk up to the tunnel on a well-prepared path, and through it on a natural path (Wikipedia).]
[This has to have been used in a sci-fi movie?]
[While at sea, it’s fun to go to lectures. Here are two . . . ]
[Then you may as well just keep partying . . . ]
[This was the Explorers’ Society party for the guests who have previously sailed with Viking . . . ]
[Then joining Anne and Bill as we enjoy a pre-dinner beverage . . . ]
[As we await . . . ]
[The evening’s entertainment . . . ]
[A rather unique island formation here as I lean over fellow diners for the shot . . . ]
[I searched for a “nipple-topped” island but couldn’t find a name . . . ]
[Then nighttime entertainment, the Viking Vocalists performed the ABBA Songbook . . . ]
[They were really, really good in their cover. As I recall, two of them were from London, one of the guys was from Hesinki, and one of the gals was from Belfast (?) . . . ]
[The ABBA show started at 9:15. After it was over, we went out when an announcement came were nearing the Arctic Circle . . . ]
[The rest of the photos are of that event, marking the farthest north I have even been.]
[That globey looking thing is the marker . . . ]
[From the bedroom . . . ]
[On the next day, we would arrive in Leknes . . . ]
[The proof!]
The colors live a remarkable life of their own after they have been applied to the canvas. ~ Edvard Munch
Always remember to support your local orchestra for it is only with musicians in that configuration can true justice be done to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony . . .
[Literally (as opposed to unliterally) as I was donning my finery for the gala, a hummingbird was enjoying happy hour on the Super’s petunias . . . ]
* Another 5 game match! Bradey and I are 72. We can’t take this much longer. We were almost comatose!
** Also the birthday of the Super’s brother Dan and sister Faith, though Dan is two years younger . . .
[We arrived in time for our usual seats, whose sightlines become partially obscured with the arrival of the student fans. Well, it’s their gig . . . ]
[Here’s the loyal opposition, the dreaded Moorhead Spuds. Based on the records coming into the game, the Spuds would have to be considered the favorites . . . ]
[The home standing Cardinals were coming off a tough 1-3 weekend against Twin Cities teams . . . ]
[Nevertheless, they seemed to be in fine spirits. I didn’t notice until I processed this photo that high school classmate Gary Ekdahl is in the background (red shirt) – I understand he has a history with the Alexandria volleyball program?]
[Number 2 for the Spuds is Claire Howell. She is the state champion in the 400-meter dash. Her grandparents are Alexandrians . . . ]
[The Cardinals engage in high five practice as a prelude to match commencement . . . ]
[It must condition the hands prior to swatting the ball around?]
[Game 1 begins with the Cards in the standard ‘I’ formation . . . ]
[Since that formation generally leaves wide portions of the court undefended, the players generally fan out from here. The McGrane sisters (sophomore libero Tessa (1) and senior Mia (5)) at the end of the line discus where they are going to go next . . . ]
[The game begins. The aforementioned Howell grandparents are in the upper left – Ken in a black Spuds tee shirt, Jeanne in a red shirt (reflecting torn loyalties since their kids were Cardinals?) . . . ]
[Cardinals Mia and fellow senior Meg Shercliffe (7) decide it’s time for a visit with teammates on the bench. Meg is also a hockey forward . . . ]
[Mia serves. She’s also a starting guard on the basketball team . . . ]
[Sitting in the background is Alayna Strand (in shorts), who I believe is a student manager and likely also will be a starter on the basketball team . . . ]
[Senior Erika Roderick (2) serves. Erika is the team’s setter, and as I recall is also a sprinter on the track team . . . ]
[The Grandparents Howell engrossed in the action . . . ]
[Keeping an eye on granddaughter Claire . . . ]
[By evening’s end, I will have seen the Cardinals play 10 games. This first game was by far the best I have seen . . . ]
[A switch of sides, the high five hand warm-up . . . ]
[OK, it was likely after having scored a point . . . ]
[Tessa prepares to receive a serve. Mia and junior Lexi Cole (4) prepare for the set . . . ]
[Mia rises for the shot . . . ]
[And then serves again . . . ]
[Mia again rises to the occasion . . . ]
[Sophomores Maggie Anderson (16) and Madi Heid (6) at the net with Mia in the background . . . ]
[At 6′ tall, Maggie figures to be a force in the coming years. She will be on the basketball team as well . . . ]
[She has an all-around game . . . ]
[Time for a team meet-and-greet . . . ]
[And maybe a spot ‘o tea . . . ]
[Meanwhile, back at the game, here’s Mia again . . . ]
[She draws your attention with her all-around game . . . ]
[But her athletic ability holds your attention. She’s ‘only’ 5’6″ but she has a great vertical (meaning she jumps high). So, she gets a lot of sets for kill opportunities, and I believe she was the leader in such in this game . . . ]
[Our point – but the Spuds won games 2 & 3 . . . ]
[And Maggie again . . . ]
[The dreaded ‘conga line’ formation . . . ]
[Split! I’m not sure how good this team will be by the end of the season, but I think they could be a tough out . . . ]
[I believe this is sophomore Lilly Thul (15) and Erika up for the block . . . ]
[Celebrate . . . ]
[Celebrate . . . ]
[Dance to the music . . . ]
[Game 4, every bit as close as the score indicates (now that’s profound). The Spuds went on to win Game 5, 15 – 12, and the match, but it was a good match from a fan’s perspective. . . ]
[The current and future stars . . . ]
My coach tells me to give about 75% to volleyball. If I give 100%, my serve will kill someone, and my coach doesn’t want to deal with the paperwork. ~ Unknown
* Meaning 5 sets against Willmar. If you’re 70+ year old fans sitting in a high school gymnasium, you seriously, seriously prefer 3-set matches. So why did this match go to 5 sets? Because they were mirror-image teams – they are both Cardinals, after all . . .
[During warm-ups, I recognized this official as the guy (Ted) who checks The Fat Boys Walking Club in at the Y every morning . . . ]
[The usual hit-and-catch . . . ]
[If the Amazing Mr. Ripley is there, it’s a big time event . . . ]
[This was our first game in physical attendance. The Cards are now 5 – 5 after this win (oh, by the way, we won). So, I wanted to see who I could recognize from last year or from other sports. Usually now seniors, such as Erika Roderick (2) and Ella Grove (11).]
[And Mia McGrane (5), like Ella also a starter on last year’s basketball team . . . ]
[Maggie Anderson (16) is a newbie, i.e., a sophomore . . . ]
[Mia, though I was already aware of this, has some serious hang time. I mentioned that to Brad, sitting next to me, and the guy on the other said, “Yup.” As fate would have it, the next morning I ran into girls’ basketball coach Wendy Kohler at the Y. I asked her what Mia’s vertical was – she just noted that she’s a terrific athlete . . . ]
[Pre-game high 5’s all around . . .]
[It’s the volleyball equivalent of football players banging their heads against the wall . . . ]
[Our libero is sophomore Tessa McGrane (1). An educated guess indicates Mia’s sister?]
[Ella and company in defensive position at the net. Either that or they’re covering Marcel Marceau trapped locked in a room . . . ]
[Erika serving . . . ]
[Though not exactly following the play at this time, at least the other 4 people in the photo are not looking at smart phones. In fact, the one appears to have a bottle of wine?]
[I suspect this is sophomore Lilly Thul (15) going up for the block. In a totally unrelated matter, the gentleman sitting directly above the tip of her ponytail is Will, a fellow volleyball and basketball superfan. The next morning I just happened to run into him at Glacial Ridge Health System in Glenwood. I was getting all my skin tags frozen off; I have no idea what Will was doing . . . ]
[Ted monitors the action as Lilly looks for the ball . . . ]
[Tough!]
[Mia elevates for a kill. At 5’6″, I believe she was the kill leader with 18 . . . ]
[Lilly and Maggie reset for defense . . . ]
[There’s a ball up there somewhere . . . ]
[Still looking for it . . . ]
[Oh no, it’s behind us . . . ]
[Get it back up to us!]
[The linebackers . . . ]
[Tessa, I believe that’s senior Meg Shercliffe (7) in the middle (also a hockey player), and Mia . . . ]
[Lilly and Mia, again . . . ]
[Looks like The Power I formation . . . ]
[You go forward, I’ll go back, the others go left and right . . . ]
[The McGranes . . . ]
[There’s nothing in sports comparable to the joy and celebration of a single point in volleyball (OK, soccer and hockey, but there a point is a rarity) . . . ]
[OK, go to formation X231 . . . ]
[Now set up . . . ]
[Pssst, I’ve stolen their signs. It’s going to be a low and away slider . . . ]
[As the Pointer Sisters would say, “JUMP!”]
[Bring it on, you other Cardinals!]
[Lilly serves . . . ]
[Mia serves . . . ]
[Erika covers another Marcel Marceau move . . . ]
[While Mia keeps serving . . . ]
[The first 4 games went 15-25, 25-19, 25-18, 23-25. Our Cards had a 13-6 lead in game 5. I took off my telephone lens secure that victory was assured. But the other Cards made a run, so the last shots were with the standard lens. The last game score is in the final photo.]
[Finally, we won . . . ]
[WE WON!]
Volleyball: Invented by men, perfected by women. ~ Unknown
When last we left you we were wending our way back down the hill to the village of Geiranger. Once there, we had lunch and prepared for an afternoon bus tour . . .
[Geiranger Church (Geiranger kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Stranda Municipality. It is located in the village of Geiranger, and the end of the famous Geirangerfjorden. The white, wooden church was built in a octagonal style in 1842 by the architect Hans Klipe. The church seats about 165 people (Wikipedia).]
[And its adjacent cemetery . . . ]
[I can best describe this as pleasingly pleasant . . . ]
[And a photo op of the Super at a bend in the road . . . ]
[Hi! Isn’t this cool?]
[Our destination is in sight. The number of tourists who arrived in those buses far exceeds the population of the village . . . ]
[Looking back up, there’s not a lot of flat grazing ground around here . . . ]
[Back to Cafe Ole for lunch – the local brown ale and a sandwich . . . ]
[Quite tasty . . . ]
[Waiting for our tour . . . ]
[There were lots of people leading to some confusion, of course, as to where one should be standing . . . ]
[Eventually were we off on the Eagles Bend Overlook & Panoramic Tour . . . ]
[Driving up through 11 breathtaking hairpin turns . . . ]
[Where we are, Eagle Bend Overlook . . . ]
[Where we were . . . ]
[Quite the view – notice the little runabout at the bottom of the picture?]
[As the boats come and go, the Seven Sisters just around the bend . . . ]
[The overlook . . . ]
[The overlook views . . . ]
[Little teenie boats . . . ]
[And the classic tourist shot of the tourist shot . . . ]
[One wonders just how this can handle a million tourists a year?]
[But I can certainly understand why a million tourists would want to come here . . . ]
[The Super checks to make sure our ship is still there . . . ]
[Ladies and gentemen, allow me to present the wonders of Geiranger . . . ]
[These appear to be Moss Campion, a native wildflower . . . ]
[These appear to be shots through the bus window as we’re heading down . . . ]
[We’re on the way to a higher view behind the village . . . ]
[And now we’re going back up again . . . ]
[Still rising . . . ]
[To the Flydalsjuvet viewpoint . . . ]
[Decent view, I would propose . . . ]
[Bill inched forward for a closer look . . . ]
[Looking at these photos, I was pretty close to the edge . . . ]
[So I don’t understand why the Super kept asking me to back up a couple more steps?]
[The view behind us . . . ]
[The view in front of us . . . ]
[The view of us. We did have a beautiful day here. I noted our guide a couple times in Part 1, but somehow never got a photo of her. She grew up in Geiranger, but the school system only goes to 8th grade. She had to go “over the fjords and through the mountains” to high school – so not close to home. She’s a college student now and tour guides as a summer job . . . ]
[Self explanatory . . . ]
[Then through green Flydal Valley to the high mountain plateau at Djupvatn Lake . . . ]
[All out to see the lake . . . ]
[No, really?]
[Don’cha just love snow and ice in late June?]
[But it was calm and the temperature comfortable – Bill’s in short sleeves . . . ]
[And the Super’s lovin’ it!]
[Oh, and I’m in short sleeves too. Obviously someone outside our group took this . . . ]
[These were storage huts – but I can’t remember if they were for winter feed or winter sand . . . ]
[Your basic isolated farmstead . . . ]
[If you can find a flat piece of land, use it . . . ]
[Back down in Geiranger port, a car ferry . . . ]
[And we begin to leave stunningly beautiful Geiranger behind . . . ]
[Passing the waterfalls we passed coming in in the morning . . . ]
[Passed the Seven Sisters . . . ]
[Then we must eat . . . ]
[In the specialty restaurant, The Chef’s Table, on Deck 1 . . . ]
[On this night, Xiang cuisine – multi-courses with separate wines . . . ]
[We liked it all . . . ]
[And as the sun set we were on our way to Lofoten . . . ]
[Which required a full day at sea before we got there . . . ]
I gained a sense of why Grieg was so touched by the wistful, elegiac folk music of Norway, and what he meant when he said self-effacingly that his music had a ‘taste of cod’ about it. ~ Anthony Tommasini
* A place heretofore totally unknown to me. And now it is totally incredible to me.
[As you will note, the journey to get there is the adventure . . . ]
[Arriving by the dawn’s early light . . . ]
[You get the feel from here and the maps above, this is a long narrow fjord that over the centuries has been subject to tsunamis . . . ]
[Tsunamis are created when rockslides from the fjord side cliffs fall into the water – the displaced water has no place to expand in the narrow water ways, so the subsequent tsunamis can reach 300-feet high. A 2015 movie titled “The Wave” is about such a tsunami hitting Geiranger (I have yet to see it) . . . ]
[Cliffsides are all about waterfalls . . . ]
[The first major waterfall on the way in is Bridle Veil . . . ]
[A ship’s advisory alerts all to grab your cameras and head deck side . . . ]
[Now approaching the Seven Sisters waterfall . . . ]
[But first, a look aft . . . ]
[And a parting shot of Bridal Veil . . . ]
[And the Seven Sisters, famed in song and story (or so I’m told) . . . ]
[Can you count 7 falls?]
[You just keep shooting in hopes of the magical one. Got a rainbow here . . . ]
[And here . . . ]
[This was a spectacular entry into a tiny village . . . ]
[And here we’re arriving at Geiranger . . . ]
[From our bow vantage point in the Explorers’ Bar . . . ]
[First sighting Geiranger at the end of the fjord . . . ]
[Geiranger is a small tourist village in Sunnmore region of More og Romsdal county in the western part of Norway. It lies in the municipality of Stranda at the head of the Geirangerfjorden, which is a branch of the large Storfjorden. The nearest city is Alesund. Geiranger is home to some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, and has been named the best travel destination in Scandinavia by Lonely Planet. Since 2005, the Geirangerfjord area has been listed as a UNESCO World Hertiage Site. The Seven Sisters waterfall is located just west of Geiranger, directly across another waterfall called “The Suitor.” Norwegian County Road 63 passes through the village. Geiranger Church is the main church for the village and surrounding area. Geiranger is under constant threat from landslides from the mountain Akerneset into the fjord. A collapse could cause a tsunami that could destroy downtown Geiranger. This third biggest cruise ship port in Norway receives 140 to 180 ships during the four-month tourist season. In 2012 some 300,000 cruise passengers visited Geiranger during the summer season. The Geiranger Port has a cruise terminal, a Seawalk, and 3–4 anchor positions depending on the size of the ships. Constructed in 2013, the Seawalk is a three-segment articulated floating pier. It is 236 metres (774 ft) long and 4.5 metres (15 ft) wide on 10 pontoons, which moves (like a floatable jetwalk) to accommodate up to 4,000 passengers per hour disembarking from a single ship. Several hundred thousand people pass through the village every summer, and tourism is the main business for the 250 people who live there permanently. There are five hotels and over ten camping sites. The tourist season stretches from May to early September (Wikipedia).]
[So serene and isolated . . . ]
[It is from the following two shots that I can almost understand the Super’s desire to live on a cruise ship . . . ]
[As the ship readies to anchor . . . ]
[We went back to room to round up whatever we needed for our shore excursion . . . ]
[Then did an outside wander of the ship to see what we could see . . . ]
[The first tenders began taking passengers to the village . . . ]
[Another cruise ship was already here . . . ]
[Our tender speeds toward land . . . ]
[We had an afternoon tour, but you could go to shore whenever you wanted and could explore the local environs on your own – so we did . . . ]
[It’s all about tourism here . . . ]
[Bill, Anne, and the Super lead the way into “town.” The Skywalk would be part of our afternoon tour . . . ]
[How appropriate – we would stop back here for lunch . . . ]
[Another cruise ship was making it a party of three. Our young tour guide in the afternoon said Geiranger was expecting 1 million tourists this year!]
[We’re walking behind the village toward the waterfalls . . . ]
[There’s a campground here (as you can see), with the 3 cruise ships in the background. Our ship is on the left . . . ]
[Another native grass roof . . . ]
[We’re starting up the stairway to heaven . . . ]
[Better known as the Storseterfossen waterfall walk . . . ]
[Looks like the same photo, but not quite . . . ]
[I cannot identify the mountain peak in the distance; I can identify the Super in the foreground. We’re on the steps going up along the waterfall . . . ]
[The Super points out the warning lest I was thinking such . . . ]
[A photo op on the way up – Bill in the foreground; our ship in the background . . . ]
[Idyllic . . . ]
[A tender alongside for a passenger pick up . . . ]
[Continuing our climb. At no point could you gauge how far it was to the top . . . ]
[So we just kept climbing, stopping for rests and photo ops . . . ]
[It looks like we’re getting close – my legs were feeling it . . . ]
[After the jut out, we must be there, huh?]
[And there’s our unidentified mountain peak in the background again . . . ]
[The Super’s still looking chipper; not sure about me . . . ]
[But, hey, the views are worth it . . . ]
[Looks like there were a lot more people on the stairway than first thought . . . ]
[OK, there’s still a few more steps to go (there always is) . . . ]
[Everything you ever needed to know about the West Norwegian Fjords . . . ]
[Like, wow!]
[Looks like it’s all on the level from here . . . ]
[We’re as far up as the stairway will take us. It looks like our waterfall commences a way up the mountain yet. This is from the grounds of the information shop/museum that greets you up here . . . ]
[Hotel Union is a family-run hotel that is situated on a hill just above the centre of the tourist village of Geiranger, with a fantastic view of the fjords and mountains. The current hosts are the 3rd and 4th generation of the Melva family – the hotel has been in the family since 1897. Hotel Union has 197 rooms in several categories, from well-equipped standard rooms to luxury suites. T he hotel is ideal for courses and conferences and has a separate congress centre that was completed in the summer of 1997. The congress centre is fully equipped with ultra-modern AV and technical equipment. The garden that surrounds the hotel has a separate rooftop garden on top of the conference centre. The roof garden has its own dance area, barbecue area and outdoor swimming pool. Also nearby are minigolf and play areas for children. The garden also contains Mollaløa, a ‘typical Sunnmøre’ reception/banqueting room. In the rustic Mollaløa, we serve traditional food according to our own menu (www.visitnorway.com/listings/hotel-union-geiranger/187520/).]
[When you get to the top, you need a bad & spa! I asked our afternoon tour guide how many steps it was the top. She said a little under 400. If they had a sign indicating such at the bottom, I’m sure I wouldn’t have climbed. Maybe that’s why they don’t?]
[The hotel as we began our trek back down via a switchback road . . . ]
[Pretty much a two-way single lane road – keep alert if you’re walking . . . ]
[The Super stops at a little cemetery on the way down. We will continue from here in Part 2 with lunch in the village and then a bus tour . . . ]
A refugee is someone who survived and who can create the future. ~ Amela Koluder
In response to a momentary break in the local activities, it’s time to return to Norway. When last we left you we had completed our first structured tour of Bergen. Now we began the optional tour of The Best of Bergen & Mt. Floien . . .
[The Super exchanges pleasantries with our driver as we board the bus . . . ]
[Our first destination was the funicular ride to the top of Mt. Floien . . . ]
[And here comes the funicular . . . ]
[Those coming down dismount on the other side . . . ]
[Here we go . . . ]
[Let me take you higher . . . ]
[Wow, this is cool!]
[Almost to the top . . . ]
[The summit . . . ]
[With our guide, the Viking Sun 25 “lollipop” . . . ]
[The Super captured Joe Tourist and the Norwegian flag . . . ]
[What a great view. The summit is about 1,000 feet above sea level . . . ]
[But we had to wonder what it would have looked like on a sunny day. That’s our boat, the Viking Sun, in the middle of the photo . . . ]
[Hi! I’m Norwegian . . . ]
[And that’s the best of Norway behind me . . . ]
[ . . . and more . . . ]
[Lille Lungegaardsvannet or Smålungeren is a small 5 acres (0.020 km2) lake in the centre of the city. The octagonal lake is a natural lake that was historically connected to the nearby Store Lungegardsvannet bay via a short strait, but the strait was filled in 1926. Today the lake is located in a park in the city centre. There is a large decorative fountain located in the central part of the lake (Wikipedia).]
[We were bascially free to wander around on our own up here (it is a free country, after all), but our guide said she would lead us to a small lake if we wanted to follow her . . . ]
[The guide said it was only a couple of blocks – and the sign agreed. But it seemed to be about 20 miles, up and down steep hills . . . ]
[Stop and smell the roses (or Norwegian wild flowers, whichever occurs first) . . . ]
[So we walked very quietly . . . ]
[It’s just around the next bend (we heard about 20 times) . . . ]
[Stop here for a rest before tackling the next 10 miles . . . ]
[The lake!]
[Like the row boats in Central Park . . . ]
[And the Super is again photobombed by a troll . . . ]
[We’re back to the Bergen overlooks, and the Super has found some goats . . . ]
[Norway is nothing if not altitude changes . . . ]
[And it wasn’t even Halloween . . . ]
[This . . is . . MY . . country . . . ]
[Where we were in relation to . . . ]
[Couldn’t find a sign for Alex . . . ]
[Back to the funicular . . . ]
[For the trip back down (before we go into altitude oxygen debt) . . . ]
[Or you can always take the switchback roads and trails . . . ]
[The centerpoint by-pass . . . ]
[And we’re down where the next passengers are waiting to go up . . . ]
[Take a guess?]
[Next we visited the Schotstuene Museum . . . ]
[The main part of the Schotstuene Museum is located in Finnegården, one of the conserved wooden buildings on Bryggen. The museum covers the Hanseatic League period of time in Bergen. The German guild of merchants had created an overseas office at Bryggen by 1360. During the following four centuries, the site consisted of assembly halls for the Hanseatic merchants. It was forbidden to use fire in the other buildings on Bryggen, hence all cooking of food took place at Schøtstuene, for which the museum is also responsible (Wikipedia).]
[And some native Norwegian music for our dining and dancing pleasure . . . ]
[A furnace (?) in the room from 1703 . . . ]
[And we received more history lessons now beyond the realm of my recollections . . . ]
[A stick (or bone?) of some import . . . ]
[Back to “ART” . . . ]
[And Mt. Ulriken . . . ]
[The ever present Henrik Ibsen . . . ]
[I hope this is a caricature . . . ]
[The National Stage Theater . . . ]
[Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson (8 December 1832 – 26 April 1910) was a Norwegian writer who received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature “as a tribute to his noble, magnificent and versatile poetry, which has always been distinguished by both the freshness of its inspiration and the rare purity of its spirit”, becoming the first Norwegian Nobel laureate. Bjørnson is considered to be one of The Four Greats (De Fire Store) among Norwegian writers, the others being Henrik Ibsen, Jonas Lie, and Alexander Kielland. Bjørnson is also celebrated for his lyrics to the Norwegian National Anthem, “Ja, vi elsker dette landet“ (Wikipedia).]
[St. John’s Church is located in the Sydnes area of the city. The church is one of five churches in Bergen Cathedral parish in the Bergen arch-deanery in the Diocese of Bjorgvin. The red, brick cruciform church has 1250 seats, making it the largest church in Bergen. The church was built between 1891 and 1894 in the Gothic Revival style. It was consecrated on 15 March 1894 (Wikipedia).]
[The Music Pavilion, again . . . ]
[The royal crest on this building would seem to indicate a royal connection . . . ]
[Bergen Station is the main railway station in the city. It is located on the east side of the city centre and has four platforms. The station was opened in 1913, four years after the Bergen Line itself opened (Wikipedia). As previously noted, where we arrived in the city . . . ]
[Another look at Mt. Ulriken as weather appears to be bearing down . . . ]
[Though Gamlehaugen is not officially a castle, it is known as such to many locals, and the royal family have confused this status even more by using this elegant building as their West Norway residence. Gamlehaugen was modelled on a Scottish – you guessed it – castle but only built in 1900, though similarly grand manor houses stood in its place at Gamlehaugen for centuries before then. The fjord view and park, which was also remodelled in 1900, make for beautiful surroundings even on a rainy Bergen day. Tours of the interior are available during the summer. Gamlehaugen is roughly an hour’s walk from the city centre or easily reachable by car (https://theculturetrip.com/europe/norway/articles/the-most-beautiful-buildings-in-bergen/).]
[And now returning to the ship and the cruise will finally begin!]
[We’re sailing! After six days ashore! Woo-woo!]
[And enjoying the views pre-dinner . . . ]
[And finally, fine dining at its finest!]
[Then past the piano player in the atrium on the way to our rooms. See you in Geiranger next!]
What business has science and capitalism got, bringing all these new inventions into the works, before society has produced a generation educated up to using them! ~ Henrik Ibsen
[Always a multi-day affair, it began with a trip to brother Cam’s and sister-in-law Karen’s homestead in Mounds View . . . ]
[Our evening repast was at the iconic Moe’s in their neighborhood. The Super and I shared a “commercial” that would have fed us all for the next five days . . . ]
September 2 – Labor Day
[And a mini-family reunion day. Our Uncle Tom and Aunt Mary Kay were in town from Scottsdale, Arizona, and Mary Kay’s brother Bob and sister-in-law Ginger joined us for fine dining designed, fashioned, and grilled up by Karen with help from son Michael John . . . ]
[Their front yard – Cam removed 28 trees from here several years ago. Still heavily shaded . . . ]
[In today’s America, everyone has their own car, and then some . . . ]
[Needless to say, a unique sign in their neighborhood . . . ]
[After the Great Recession destroyed the jobs of both brothers, Cam went to Century College and tacked on a landscaping associates degree to his geography BA long ago obtained from the University of South Carolina. He provided all the brains and brawn in landscaping his yard . . .
[And now in his backyard as he prepares for company . . . ]
[The Super helped with all the outdoor furniture . . . ]
[No, I don’t slide – but Karen has 81 first cousins so this pool gets a lot of use . . . ]
[I believe these are all annuals, requiring a total re-do next year . . . ]
[Their yard shed on the left . . . ]
[The back of the house from . . . ]
[And the Super from . . . ]
[The backyard cabana . . . ]
[The Super’s pool towel; the Obert boys were all Cardinal fans in our youth . . . ]
[Looks ready for company . . . ]
[The pelican stands guard over the pool . . . ]
[Beautiful day!]
[Michael, Cam, and Karen fired up both grills . . . ]
[Seriously, it’s going to be very good . . . ]
[The guests have arrived . . . ]
[Bob, Cam, Ginger, Mary Kay, and the original Tom Obert . . . ]
[A serious discussion about . . . kabobs?]
[No more than 20 different spices . . . ]
[Why yes, I will be 72 in two days. Why yes, this is bizarre. Thanks again to our hosts, collectively known as the Mounds View Oberts . . . ]
September 3
[Cam’s hanging baskets early in the morning . . . ]
[The holiday was over. Karen and Cam both work. The Super and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather to visit downtown Minneapolis . . . ]
[Here we are on St. Anthony Main, along the west bank of the Mississippi River . . . ]
[And on the other side is the Minneapolis skyline . . . ]
[And that’s the 3rd Avenue Bridge, so named because it’s on 3rd Avenue (though it was originally known as the St. Anthony Falls Bridge, but that didn’t fit on the identifying plaque) . . . ]
[The area at night as taken by our niece Katy, Michael’s older sister, some time ago . . . ]
[An attractive bridge with arches (and Dr. Scholl’s inserts for support) . . . ]
[Pillsbury’s Best Flour, or how it came to be named the Mill City . . . ]
[The St. Anthony Main sign and area construction . . . ]
[Infrastructure of water power . . . ]
[Looking back while trending toward the river . . . ]
[First glimpse of St. Anthony Falls (notice it wasn’t renamed 3rd Avenue Falls) . . . ]
[From whence we came . . . ]
[First glimpse of the renowned Stone Arch Bridge and the equally renowned Tyrone Guthrie Theater (black building, right center) . . . ]
[Guthrie on the left, Gold Medal Flour on the right (again, that Mill City thing) . . . ]
[The Guthrie (oh, you knew that already?) . . . ]
[We’re trending toward the Stone Arch Bridge with every intention of crossing it . . . ]
[And this guy was along the way . . . ]
[Small band shell or place for a photo op?]
[On the Stone Arch Bridge. Badly posed by me – should have been farther out on the bridge to avoid the photo bombing by the electrical wires . . . ]
[Walk left or right, bikes in the middle . . . ]
[Looking downstream on the Mississippi . . . ]
[Upstream to St. Anthony Falls, or as I noted on FB, why Minneapolis is where Minneapolis is . . . ]
[The Super from our vantage point on the Stone Arch Bridge . . . ]
[I believe this is still an ongoing park project on the riverfront . . . ]
[As you probably guessed from the initial photo, this was a railway bridge. I’ve always said you can never go wrong with a “graceful curvature” . . . ]
[And now just to further extol the virtues of this bridge, some night shots from the Google machine . . . ]
[Now some telephoto shots of “the other side” from the bridge . . . ]
[And no so telephotoish . . . ]
[Looking back on the bridge, catching some of the “graceful curvature” . . . ]
[Where we were on “the other side” . . . ]
[Self-explanatory below . . . ]
[Arggghhh, photo bombed by a bicyclist . . . ]
[The shot I was trying to get . . . ]
[I had a visit with her coming and going. I really liked what she was working on – she said it’s been taking months because of the weather. On our way back, she was packing up because it was getting too windy . . . ]
[Looking back at the bridge . . . ]
[We have to come back – heard nice things . . . ]
[Remember when we were over by the construction crane?]
[We’re at the theater. The Super is leery of trying to cross an urban street with all the cars, bikers, and scooterers . . . ]
[But we made it – this is the “Endless Bridge” appendage to the building . . . ]
[The original Guthrie lasted from 1963 – 2006 – it moved into this new theater and opened with “The Great Gatsby” on July 15, 2006 . . . ]
[Playwrite murals abound on the building exterior . . . ]
[I tried to get them all, but I’m not sure . . . ]
[Cam performed in “The Seagull” when he was at Century College . . . ]
[The place is open, so just walk in . . . ]
[Then up a DC Metro equivalent escalator . . . ]
[On the next level, the Endless Bridge at the far end . . . ]
[And now, the views from the Endless Bridge . . . ]
[The rare triple play: The Super, the 3rd Avenue Bridge, and the Stone Arch Bridge all in a single shot . . . ]
[Happy Birthday weekend to me!]
[And then out the opposite side of the theater. Yes, that’s Vikings stadium, a place I’ve said I’m not going to enter until our Alexandria Cardinals make the state championship game . . . ]
[The theater’s namesake is on this side . . . ]
[I.e., you might hurt the ruins!]
[The Pillsbury A-Mill is a former flour mill located on the east bank of the Mississippi River. It held the distinction of being the world’s largest flour mill for 40 years. Completed in 1881, it was owned by the Pillsbury Company and operated two of the most powerful direct-drive waterwheels ever built, each capable of generating 1,200 horsepower (895 kW). The mill was named a National Historic Landmark in 1966 and has since been converted into resident artist lofts (Wikipedia).]
[Where we parked is where Karen works – Cuningham Group, designer of Alexandria Area High School and provider of the window for my selfie . . . ]
[We lunched right next door . . . ]
[At the Aster Cafe. From their website: The Aster Cafe is located under the trees on the prettiest street in Minneapolis. Overlooking the mighty Mississippi river and the skyline of the city, the Aster is a candle-lit restaurant-bar with a sweet European patio. Live music, great brunches, craft beers and cocktails, and a thoughtful wine list add up to City Pages calling us the “best place to go on a first date”. Under Executive Chef Drew Ledo, our menu is fresh (no deep fryers!) and inventive. We also have lovely spaces for events and weddings, which you can check out by contacting our Event Goddess. So get down here! . . . ]
[That evening we went to see Michael John’s group, Mill Street Caravan, at Ambi Wine Bar in Anoka – and since that’s on the way, we drove home to Alex from there . . . ]
[Never pass up a selfie opportunity . . . ]
[And here they are . . . ]
[From their FB page: Band Members: Sophia – Violin/Vocals; Nick – Guitar; Mike -Cello; Kyle – Percussion Hometown Minneapolis, MN Mill City Caravan is a group of Minneapolis musicians playing in the traditional stylings of early jazz artists and specializing in cafe music from around the world including tango, swing, blues, and bossa nova.]
[You can find Ambi right across the street from Johnny Junk & Co. in downtown Anoka.]
[Love their tip jar . . . ]
[Place had the look and feel of our Garden Bar, but it’s smaller . . . ]
[We had a little vino and a nosh . . . ]
[Nephew Michael . . . ]
[Sophia, Michael, and I believe one of the other guys are music teachers . . . ]
[Stolen from the group’s FB page . . . ]
[And the live video taken at that very evening . . . ]
September 4 – The Birthday
[Our usual Wednesday night fine dining at the AGC, opting for a birthday pizza . . . ]
[Fries with those cupcakes?]
[Birthday cupcakes all around . . . ]
[The natural enemy of the smart phone – cupcake frosting!]
[And thanks to the Super for . . . ]
Age is something that doesn’t matter, unless you are a cheese. ~ Billie Burke
Up Next: Will I ever get the chance to finish Norway?
Brought to you, previously recorded, from the frozen tundra of Vikings Savings Bank Field at Alexandria Area High School in Alexandria, Minnesota . . .
[OK, it was actually quite the perfect evening for the Cardinals opening game of the 2019 season . . . ]
[And now, the particulars . . . ]
[This game attracted statewide interest because we were playing the Buffalo Bison, with their star quarterback, Aidan Bouman (whose father once played quarterback for the Vikings). Here he is pictured on the right, along with Jalen Suggs of Minnehaha Academy, as the best pair of senior quarterbacks to come out of the state (Strib, 8-26-19). He is now listed at 235 pounds on their current roster . . . ]
Quarterback Aidan Bouman, Buffalo: 6-6, 210. A lifetime at the knee of father Todd, a longtime NFL quarterback, coupled with a strong, accurate arm. The best pro-style QB in the state. Passed for 3,474 yards and 41 TDs in 2018. Iowa State-bound. (Strib, 8-27-19)
[But I digress, back to the game . . . ]
[Further proof it was a perfect evening as the regular crowd shuffles in . . . ]
[It was parents’ night, so likely the only parents of high schoolers who knew where their kids were on a Friday night . . . ]
[The team captains met at field center for the coin toss and other related matters. The Bison student section was in the background, though I was surprised at the small crowd on the visitors’ side . . . ]
[I laughed when over the PA system it was announced that one of the teams would be on “this side.” Huh? Unless the ref in the huddle was mic’d and said that . . . ]
[Mark Ripley and Mike Kluver have been covering the Cards from a photographic and video perspective since the Great Depression . . . ]
[Now do we understand where everybody is going? The Cards won the toss but elected to defer . . . ]
[Senior Sean Haak (4) handled the kicking duties . . . ]
[Following him through on his appointed task . . . ]
[NASA, we have liftoff (can you the ball against the bleachers, about half way up in the middle of the picture?) . . .
[Now, truly airborne . . . ]
[Spotting it on radar . . . ]
[As the ball almost escaped Earth’s gravity, the Cards rocketed down the field in pursuit. I got an idea of our overall team speed here as we tackled the Bison ball carrier on about their own 10-yard line . . . ]
[The first play for QB Bouman (8) from the shotgun, which almost all teams use all the time now . . . ]
[He’s looking . . . ]
[But Cardinal right defensive end, senior Derek Pasta (85), decided a sack sounded like a good play . . . ]
[So he pounced upon his prey . . . ]
[Derek is not big for a defensive end, 6’2″, 216 pounds, but he has speed . . . ]
[He’s also a hockey player . . . ]
[Down goes Bouman! (And spoiler alert, Pesta was defensive player of the game . . . ]
[Since he was almost tackled for a safety, Bouman rolled out on the next play . . . ]
[He moved well for a big guy and seemed comfortable doing it . . . ]
[Nevertheless, it was a 3-and-out for the Bison and they had to punt . . . ]
[The Cards got the ball on our own 48-yard line . . . ]
[On the first play, senior quarterback Matthew Carlsen (7) handed off to junior running back Nolan Morical (5) . . . ]
[Nolan saw a hole he liked and cut for it . . . ]
[He’s in the hole . . . ]
[And the next thing you knew, he was in the end zone. A 52-yard touchdown run! Exactly 42 seconds from the start of the game, the Cards had a 7 – 0 lead . . . ]
[Hooray for our team!]
It’s time for some further background. I went to the preseason scrimmage last year and came to the conclusion it was going to be a tough year for the Cards. It was . . . but they got better as the season progressed ending with a big win over Moorhead. I went to the preseason scrimmage again this year, and owing to my reputation as a talent scout of some repute (some would say ‘ill repute’), I saw a completely different team from the previous year. Now in his 2nd year as starter, Carlsen looked poised and comfortable at QB (he’s also a pitcher in baseball and defenseman in hockey, all-around athlete). On a very windy day, his passes were sharp and right on the money. And he has help. The Cards 4×100 relay team won the state meet last spring (the first outstate team to do so since 1847), and three of those guys are on this football team, including the aforementioned Morical. So, I figured we could score . . .
[But back to the game, the first series for each team set the tone for the entire game. The Cards were going to score; and despite Bouman’s considerable talents, the Bison were not. The biggest surprise for me was how well our defense played – we’re small but speedy and really attack the ball . . . ]
[Here Matthew picks out his favorite target, sophomore slot receiver Kristen Hoskins (13) who caught 12 balls for 3 TD’s and about 200 yards. Kristen was one of the 4×100 relay guys and also stars for the basketball team. He’s obviously a really good athlete – but I didn’t know he had such good hands as he never seems to drop passes . . . ]
[This time rolling and passing right . . . ]
[And in the duel of the lefthanded quarterbacks, it was Matthew’s night . . . ]
[Here’s another handoff to Nolan, looking for that right side hole . . . ]
[This time Matthew looked deep . . . ]
[Received a protective block from Nolan . . . ]
[A 13-yard TD pass to Kristen . . . ]
[Handoff or not?]
[What a job here by the O-line . . . ]
[2nd quarter now (see how I picked up on that?). The telephoto lens makes the Grand Arbor complex seem like it’s just outside the fence – it’s actually a few hundred yards away on the other side of the street . . . ]
[Matthew’s rolling right again with Nolan’s protection . . . ]
[Down close, the handoff goes to junior Aaron Jost (36) . . . ]
[Then Nolan took it in on the next play, Cards up 21 – 0 . . . ]
[The Bison tried a running play . . . ]
[But the Cards pretty much stuffed those attempts all game long . . . ]
[Derek again rushes in on another passing attempt. The Bison eventually started to doubleteam him . . . ]
[I think Bouman got this one off . . . ]
[Then a flair to the right . . . ]
[And this may have been the play where he really showed off his credentials. With Derek bearing down on him again, he hit a 76-yard TD pass to his speed receiver Michael Tweten (2). The ball must have gone 70 yards in the air and hit him in stride. That was their only TD against us when the score was still meaningful . . . ]
[But that TD only made us mad. We came back immediately with back-to-back passes to Kristen that covered 77 yards, with the TD pass good for 38 yards . . . ]
[And the cheers for it!]
[Bouman kept firing. His game stats ended up pretty good. He completed 21 – 44 (that percentage was good coverage by our guys), and threw 3 TD passes . . . ]
[Here’s a flair to Tweten who, like Kristen, caught 12 balls . . . ]
[But he only broke that one long one . . . ]
[And they still weren’t able to run. Noticing sophomore DE Wyatt Odland (28) here – he’s only 5-11 and 204 pounds, but if they were running to the opposite side he would run it down from behind . . . ]
[Early on it was obvious they always thought they could throw against us. Several times they went for it on 4th and long, and from deep in their own territory? They never did go back in a punt formation – every once in a while Bouman would actually pooch kick from his usual shotgun position. Never figured out what they were doing, but it didn’t work . . . ]
[We didn’t score from down here at the close of the 1st half . . . ]
[But prior to this Matthew hit another TD pass to Kristen for 45 yards . . . ]
[At the half (and some people left then hoping to avoid the game end traffic jam) . . . ]
[I brought out the Cardinals’ lucky charm for the season opener. Brad made his first game in a looonnngggg time. He’s been on the IR (Illness Reserve) but survived the entire game.]
[I call this, “The Call.” I predicted Nolan (5) was going to take the 2nd half kickoff all the way – and he did, 91 yards . . . ]
[Touchdown!! So, our first offensive touches at the start of both halves were touchdowns runs by Nolan . . . ]
[Time for a shout out to the other member of the 4×100 relay team. Senior WR/DB Cody Branson (15) played both ways, caught a couple passes, but he was really a big key defensively with his size (6’3″) and speed mostly covering Tweten and preventing the long pass . . . ]
[The hi-tech bench to review what happened “in real time” (I hate that phrase). I went down at halftime and watched a re-run of “Family Guy” . . . ]
[At the end of the 3rd quarter. They got their last touchdown after our only turnover of the game, deep in our end after making a first down . . . ]
[The “skill” position starters all came out in the final series of the 3rd quarter and didn’t play at all in the 4th. We never attempted a pass in the last period, just literally trying to run out the clock. Here junior quarterback Brady McCoy (1) hands off to Aaron (36), a starter who hadn’t had many carries . . . ]
[They scored again after we gave them a short field. Expecting an onside kickoff, they went deep and we downed it on our 12-yard line. But on the first play from there, sophomore Will Heydt (38) took it the distance for our last touchdown. Got to congratulate his proud granddad on the way out . . . ]
[Sidelines as the game wound down: Sophomore QB Carter Steffensmeier (11) with his classmate Kristen (13); senior WR Jaymeson Molesworth (9) who had a catch or two as I recall; senior LB Xavier Homelvig (35) had a terrific game hitting people all over the field; sophomore WR Matthew Olson (40) . . . ]
[Xavier (35), Matthew (7), senior tackle Isaac Siegel (54)
[And so, until the next game. This could be a really fun year if we can stay healthy. But isn’t that always the case? We’ve had a few very good teams over the last several years that were derailed by injury. Keeping my fingers crossed . . . ]
Remember that as a teenager you are at the last stage of your life when you will be happy to hear that the phone is for you. ~ Fran Lebowitz
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