November 19

Dogs smoke in France. ~ Ozzy Osbourne

Money doesn’t talk, it swears. ~ Bob Dylan

Saturday we got an email from friends that Elsa Lee would be at the winery that afternoon. That was nice to hear – we did not have a scheduling conflict so were delighted to appear for one of our favorite performers . . .

Remember: Always walk in the light. And if you feel like you’re not walking in it, go find it. Love the light. ~ Roberta Flack

[I had concerns about backlit photographs . . . ]

Music makes one feel so romantic – at least it always gets on one’s nerves – which is the same thing nowadays. ~ Oscar Wilde

[But those backlighting windows really added an artsy touch . . . ]

My music is my expression of what I feel in a moment. ~ Roberta Flack

[We have made light of John’s (on the left) continuing request for Elsa to learn some Roberta Flack songs. Some day, perhaps. Elsa already has a fabulous repertoire of songs from our era . . .]

Walking in the dark, seeing lovers do their thing. That’s the time, I feel like making love to you. ~ Roberta Flack

Strumming my pain with his fingers, singing my life with his words, killing me softly with his song. ~ Roberta Flack

I couldn’t believe Clint Eastwood was calling me (re: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face). I almost passed out! ~ Roberta Flack

It was unexpected and breathtaking. The transition from my life in Washington as a teacher into this kind of attention was surreal. ~ Roberta Flack

I didn’t try to be a soul singer, a jazz singer, a blues singer – no category. ~ Roberta Flack

I hope that one day we will be seen for the people we are, not for our race, gender, age or nationality. ~ Roberta Flack

I sang it about soldiers, then, later, about gay men. It touches me deeply every time. I used to perform this song at Mr Henry’s and people would be totally silent. I knew it moved them. ~ Roberta Flack

The first time ever I saw your face I thought the sun rose in your eyes. ~ Roberta Flack

Aging can be fun if you lay back and enjoy it. ~ Clint Eastwood

[All 75+ and still kickin’ it!!]

I didn’t want to let women down. One of the stereotypes I see breaking is the idea of aging and older women not being beautiful. ~ Annie Leibovitz

[Are released on their own recognizance for a couple hours every other Sunday. During such time, they must not attempt casting fraudulent votes, attend any religious services contrary to their beliefs, and never drink white wine with fontina cheese . . . ]

November 20

Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths pure theatre. ~ Gail Godwin

A high school production that came under assault by the local morality police. Fortunately each of the four performances drew wonderful crowds. I’d like to express my appreciation to the local denizens for doing such. And as usual the kids did not disappoint – they were terrific! ~ Me

There’s no real theatre without taking risks. ~ Haris Pasovic

A good film is when the price of the dinner, the theatre admission and the babysitter were worth it. ~

Alfred Hitchcock

Theatre is immediate gratification. ~ Chita Rivera

You need three things in the theatre – the play, the actors and the audience, and each must give something. ~ Kenneth Haigh

The theatre, when all is said and done, is not life in miniature, but life enormously magnified, life hideously exaggerated. ~ H. L. Mencken

All the best performers bring to their role something more, something different than what the author put on paper. That’s what makes theatre live. That’s why it persists. ~ Stephen Sondheim

The word theatre comes from the Greeks. It means the seeing place. It is the place people come to see the truth about life and the social situation. ~ Stella Adler

Make them laugh, make them cry, and hack to laughter. What do people go to the theatre for? An emotional exercise. I am a servant of the people. I have never forgotten that. ~ Mary Pickford

Primarily, I am a prose writer with axes to grind, and the theatre is a good place to do the grinding in. I prefer comedy to ‘serious’ drama because I believe one can get the ax sharper on the comedic stone. ~ Gore Vidal

I want my audience to be constantly captivated, bewitched, so that it leaves the theatre dazed, stunned to be back on the pavement. ~ Francois Truffaut

I have the terrible feeling that, because I am wearing a white beard and am sitting in the back of the theatre, you expect me to tell you the truth about something. These are the cheap seats, not Mount Sinai. ~ Orson Welles

There are two golden rules for an orchestra: start together and finish together. The public doesn’t give a damn what goes on in between. ~ Thomas Beecham

[A major selling point for the production was how well the orchestra, down in this pit, synced with the acting, singing, and dancing on stage. Amazing.]

I can take any empty space and call it a bare stage. A man walks across this empty space whilst someone else is watching him, and this is all that is needed for an act of theatre to be engaged. ~ Peter Brook

[What was apparently the crowd size for each performance . . . ]

Free speech means the right to shout ‘theatre’ in a crowded fire. ~ Abbie Hoffman

For the theatre one needs long arms… an artiste with short arms can never make a fine gesture. ~ Sarah Berhhardt

Rock ‘n’ roll will never die. There’ll always be some arrogant little brat who wants to make music with a guitar. ~ Dave Edmunds

The musician is perhaps the most modest of animals, but he is also the proudest. It is he who invented the sublime art of ruining poetry. ~ Erik Satie

Up Next: Looks like girls hockey as we head into Thanksgiving . . .

November 18

School is a lot like toilet paper. You only miss it when it’s gone. ~ Unknown

Game 3 of the Cardinals girls hockey 2022-23 season. The Cards were hosting the Roseau Rams, a traditional hockey power that somehow is just inside Minnesota on the Canadian border. In the time since these teams moved up to class AA, the big school class (Alex because of size, Roseau to not always having to compete in the same single A class as neighboring Warroad), they have had very competitive games. On this night it would be no different . . .

Private schools have diversity, mum. There are millionaires, billionaires. ~ Tom Leopold

Getting to know your Cardinals . . .

There are three good reasons to be a teacher – June, July and August. ~ Unknown

[A highlight of this evening was running into some old hockey friends. After missing a couple of COVID years, I had lost contact with the hockey community. But Abby Williams (middle) dropped by for a chat with the first of her two daughters. The photo below was taken in 2010, the subjects were all stars on the 2008 state championship team: Kat DelZoppo (left) and Abby formed two-thirds of “the best line in the state” and Danielle Justice (right) was the star goalie. I also learned from fans that senior Ella Westlund, injured in the state soccer tournament, hopes to be playing in a couple weeks; and two swimmers from the state tournament will be changing into skates soon as regular shift defensemen . . . ]

My dad could always find the bright side. Whenever I brought my report card home from school, he’d say, “Well, at least I know you didn’t cheat.” ~ Greg Tamblyn

[And because I had no place else to stick it (“I heard that”), here’s the “Alexandria” trail tunnel under Nokomis Street where the Fat Boys walk. I believe high school students did this to cover graffiti . . . ]

His lack of education is more than compensated for by his keenly developed moral bankruptcy. ~ Woody Allen

[Cub Reporter on the job at the Runestone Community Center (RCC), a/k/a, the hockey rink . . . ]

In California, some high schools are requiring students to wear uniforms. They say uniforms create a safe, stable environment. Like the post office. ~ Jay Leno

[Heights and weights for the players are generically 5’3″, 120 pounds . . . ]

[I arrived in time to see the final period of the JV game . . . ]

[Player down in aisle 3!]

[Junior Kaija Niblett (39) . . . ]

[The bench skate by and fist bump . . . ]

[Following a Cardinal goal . . . ]

[Room with a view . . . ]

[Yay! We won!]

My kid drives me nuts. For three years now he goes to a private school. He won’t tell me where it is. ~ Rodney Dangerfield

[The scoreboard says they did good . . . ]

I never did very well in math—I could never seem to persuade the teacher that I hadn’t meant my answers literally. ~ Calvin Trillin

[The captains/refs meeting prior to the varsity game. Card captains are junior Kylie Latimer (11) and senior Lauren Maras (9) . . . ]

To the uneducated, an A is just three sticks. ~ A. A. Milne

[The starters have been introduced (see roster) and the rest of the team are joining them . . . ]

America believes in education: the average professor earns more money in a year than a professional athlete earns in a whole week. ~ Evan Esar

[The national anthem – current instructions call for placing your hand over your heart. I’ve been standing for the anthem for 70 years – this hand over the heart thing is a recent addition that I, as a veteran, choose not to follow . . . ]

[The white uniform version of “The Long Gray Line” . . . ]

[Middle of photo with hat – the father of the aforementioned 2008 state champion goalie . . . ]

Take your risks now. As you grow older, you become more fearful and less flexible. And I mean that literally. I hurt my knee this week on the treadmill, and it wasn’t even on. ~ Amy Poehler

[And play begins . . . ]

Be so good they can’t ignore you. ~ Steve Martin

[Up close and personal with Lauren Maras in the background . . . ]

[Lauren faces off . . . ]

[Freshman Lillian Dutton (26) does the same . . . ]

Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good. ~ Malcolm Gladwell

I have never been jealous. Not even when my dad finished fifth grade a year before I did. ~ Jeff Foxworthy

Education is when you read the find print; experience is what you get when you don’t. ~ Pete Seeger

[A legacy: Sophomore Julia Doherty (7) wearing her older sister Anna’s number . . . ]

[Another legacy: Sophomore Morgan Aure (17) wearing her older sister MaKenna’s number . . . ]

I find television very educational. The minute somebody turns it on, I go to the library and read a good book. ~ Groucho Marx

The United States of America has more monolingual experts on bilingual education than any other country in the world. ~  Roberto Bahruth

[Ms. Doherty again . . . ]

[Cards trying to keep the puck in the offensive zone . . . ]

We spend the first twelve months of our children’s lives teaching them to walk and talk, and the next twelve years telling them to sit down and shut up. ~ Phyllis Diller

Ever wonder if illiterate people get the full effect of alphabet soup? ~ John Mendosa

The advantage of a classical education is that it enables you to despise the wealth that it prevents you from achieving. ~ Russell Green

[Fun, speedy game so far with the Cards holding a shot advantahe after two periods . . . ]

[But it all depends on the bounce of the puck! The Cards lost the game and are now 1 – 3 to start the season. But they have played three very good teams, outshot them all, and have held them all to under 15 shots per game. It holds them in good stead as the season rolls on . . . ]

Catch you next time! ~ Kat and Abby

Curiosity is the very basis of education and if you tell me that curiosity killed the cat, I say only that the cat died nobly. ~ Arnold Edinborough

The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread. ~ Steven Wright

Up Next: Let me entertain you . . .

November 12

In a land so inescapably and inhospitably cold, hockey is the chance of life and an affirmation that despite the deathly chill of winter, we are alive. ~ Stephen Leacock

And so it’s begun. The winter sports season. Alex girls hockey hosted the Trojans from Wayzata. If you’re unfamiliar with Wayzata, its a Twin Cities suburban high school whose campus dwarfs those of many major universities. Last year the Trojans were the host team and handled our Cards, 5 – 1. This year the game went down to the final 7.6 seconds when the Trojans took advantage of a Cardinal siege on their goal to get a breakaway goal for a 3 – 2 victory. Very entertaining game between two evenly-matched teams, with the Cards holding a 25 – 17 edge in shots-on-goal. We look forward to a fun season with a schedule loaded with teams that would give the Wild pause . . .

Hockey belongs to the Cartoon Network, where a person can be pancaked by an ACME anvil, then expanded – accordion-style – back to full stature, without any lasting side effect. ~ Steve Rushin

Getting to know your Cardinals . . .

[This is senior Lauren Maras (9). She’s a team captain who at the team captains/referees meeting at center ice before the start of the game stood a head shorter than the others. Nevertheless, she has been a player of substance since her freshman year (I remember the boys-on-the-rail talking about her when she was in middle school) and was a key contributor in our state tournament run two years ago. As this was a close, highly-contested game throughout, it seemed like she was on the ice for every other shift in the final period . . . ]

People don’t know how fantastic women’s ice hockey is. People don’t know how fantastic hockey is in general. ~ Hilary Knight

[Classmate fans . . . ]

[The goalie cheer since . . . forever!]

Long intros are cool because there’s a little bit of anticipation, you know? ~ Miranda Lambert

[The 2022-23 Alexandria Cardinals girls hockey team . . . ]

In any other context, ‘icing’ is a great and exciting word: The proverbial icing on the cake, for instance, is a bonus – a wonderful thing on top of another wonderful thing. But in hockey, icing merely results in the referee’s raising his right hand, as if swearing an oath to the deity of downtime. ~ Steve Rushin

[A jersey number was missing in this line up. Senior Ella Westland, Number 19, a key member of this team was hurt in the state tournement soccer game a couple of weeks ago. I have no idea what her prognosis is but hope she is able to play soon . . . ]

[The team discussion concerning post game dining . . . ]

[The student fans attempt to listen in . . . ]

Whenever we skated my dad would not let us on the ice without hockey sticks, because of this insane fear we would become figure skaters! ~  Norm MacDonald

[It’s decided then – Papa Murphy’s Pizza!]

Field hockey is my strongest sport, and if I lose a game, I take a long, hot bath and moan about it. ~ Emma Watson

[The opening face-off, involving the aforementioned Lauren Maras (9) at center . . . ]

[And away we go!]

[Less than two minutes in, the Cards lit the lamp . . . ]

[A goal by sophomore Julia Doherty (7), a legacy whose older sister Anna (also No. 7) was a past Cardinal star . . . ]

[Proof it took less than two minutes to score . . . ]

[Two more future stars, sophomores Morgan Aure (17), same number once worn by her older sister MaKenna (now playing for Wisconsin-River Falls as is last year’s Cardinal goalie Jordan O’Kane), and Emma Ramstorf (10), who also saw plenty of ice time last year as a freshman . . . ]

You watch a hockey game, and the hand-eye coordination and the speed is really miraculous; how those [girls] track the puck alone, just following it with their eyes. ~ Liev Schreiber

[Face-off in the Cardinals’ zone . . . ]

[After the 1st period, the Cardinal were looking good . . . ]

I am addicted to hockey now. I’ve seen it on TV, but to be there? I had no idea that white people were having so much fun without me. ~ J. B. Smoove

[Ms. Maras charges after the 2nd period face-off . . . ]

[Cardinals in the offensive zone with sophomore forward Tayler Treat (8) and sophomore Kennedy Ellingson (3) . . . ]

To me, a hockey player has to be every sport rolled into one: ice skater, baseball player, football player, etc. It’s just incredible to watch! ~ Vinnie Paul

[Offensive zone face-off with junior Sophia Korynta (22) and sophomore Cadence Ellingson (14) . . . ]

[Again with Morgan Aure (17). She seems pretty speedy. Coach Arola once described her sister MaKenna as having insane speed . . . ]

I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to play hockey, especially when there weren’t equal opportunities as there are now. But at times, it was challenging. ~  Hilary Knight

[Lauren Maras readies for an offensive zone face-off . . . ]

Hockey should have some appeal. It’s a good game in that is full of action, very quick, and it can be high-scoring. ~ Casey Eastham

To win the game is great. To play the game is greater. To love the game is greatest of all. ~ Bob O’Connor

Women are playing [hockey] because they love it, not because they’re trying to be a woman in a man’s game. ~ Cammi Granato

People would say, ‘Girls don’t play hockey. Girls don’t skate.’ I would say, ‘Watch this’. ~ Hayley Wickenheiser 

[This was the period the Cards let the game get away from them with bad penalties. Once they killed off a power play only to take another penalty immediately after. Twice they had power plays but then took penalties to negate those player advantages . . . ]

So that’s why I played pro men’s hockey, that’s why I played softball and hockey at the same time, that’s why I’m not afraid to speak up – that’s just who I am. ~ Hayley Wickenheiser

[But to start the 3rd period, like the 1st period, the Cards scored early on to tie the game at 2 . . . ]

[The first varsity goal for Morgan Aure (17) . . . ]

This is your moment. You’re meant to be here. ~ Herb Brooks

[Just a bad break. Looking forward to the rest of the season. The Cards are a fun team to watch, still with a lot of youth. Two freshmen played regular shifts and showed well: Jersey Severson (21) and Lillian Dutton (26). Next up long-time rival Fergus Falls who have won their first two games by a combined score of 19 – 1 . . . ]

The most important thing you learn as a sports photographer is anticipation – not where the action is taking place, but where it’s going to take place. Not where the subject is now, but where they’re going to be. ~ Lawrence Schiller

An intense anticipation itself transforms possibility into reality; our desires being often but precursors of the things which we are capable of performing. ~ Samuel Smiles

Up Next: Likely girls hockey . . .

October 24

Food is not rational. Food is culture, habit, craving and identity. ~ Jonathan Safran Foer

[This is Krewe, the restaurant in St. Joseph, that we somehow didn’t find open in three separate visits in one week . . . ]

Still, he thought, it’s an adult’s body we got here, no question about that. There’s the pot belly that comes with a few too many good steaks, a few too many bottles of Kirin beer, a few too many poolside lunches where you had the Reuben or the French dip instead of the diet plate. ~ Stephen King

October 17

Great food is like great sex. The more you have the more you want. ~ Gael Greene

[Every other Monday we go to a Community Ed movie. After the movie we have a discussion and then go to dinner at Longtrees. On this day, Ruthie & I ate lightly – I had the meatloaf dinner (on the left) and Ruthie had the carnivore special, ribs and chicken (on the right), which yielded one more meal for me and three more meals for her . . . ]

October 18

Wait. Why am I thinking about Krispy Kremes? We’re supposed to be exercising. ~ Meg Cabot

[Ruthie had to take her car to St. Cloud for servicing. I went along so we could have lunch at Krewe in St. Joseph. Well, guess what? Krewe is closed on Tuesdays? So, here we are again at Bello Cucina, just around the corner from Krewe . . . ]

I have made a lot of mistakes falling in love, and regretted most of them, but never the potatoes that went with them. ~ Nora Ephron

[The day’s special was a pasta buffet – with a deal on Bloody Marys . . . ]

Spaghetti can be eaten most successfully if you inhale it like a vacuum cleaner. ~ Sophia Loren

I love you like a fat kid loves cake! ~ Scott Adams

Humor keeps us alive. Humor and food. Don’t forget food. You can go a week without laughing. ~ Joss Whedon

[Church of St. Joseph viewed through the window . . . ]

What I say is that, if a man really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow. ~ A.A. Milne

[A smile on the way home from the Freeport water tower

October 19

[The first layer of ice appears on Lake H2Obert . . . ]

Bachelor’s fare: bread and cheese, and kisses. ~ Jonathan Swift

[What could be more fun than a trip to St. Cloud Hospital for an angiogram? We arrived the evening before the “procedure” and dined at White Horse on St. Germain Street . . . ]

In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in the water there is bacteria. ~ David Auerbach

We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie. ~ David Mamet

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. ~ Luciano Pavarotti

October 20

I don’t share blame. I don’t share credit. And I don’t share desserts. ~ Beverly Sills

[The hospital event – bypass surgery is in my future . . . ]

First, we eat then we do everything else. ~ M.F.K. Fisher

[And after we packed up and headed for home, we once again missed the 2:00 lunch closing time for Krewe. Uff da!!]

October 22

Work is the curse of the drinking classes. ~ Oscar Wilde

[Oktoberfest at Carlos Creek Winery. A lovely late October day, we spent over 4 hours outside enjoying the music of the Federales and the Cropdusters. The Federales were up first, from Minneapolis their first performance in Alexandria . . . ]

Whoever drinks beer, he is quick to sleep; whoever sleeps long, does not sin; whoever does not sin, enters Heaven! Thus, let us drink beer! ~ Martin Luther

You can’t be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline – it helps if you have some kind of football team, or some nuclear weapons, but in the very least you need a beer. ~ Frank Zappa

I’d tried to straighten him out, but there’s only so much you can do for a person who thinks Auschwitz is a brand of beer. ~ David Sedaris

Never underestimate how much assistance, how much satisfaction, how much comfort, how much soul and transcendence there might be in a well-made taco and a cold bottle of beer. ~ Tom Robbins

I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer. ~ Abraham Lincoln

[A native Alexandrian in the foregound . . . ]

I like my coffee black, my beer from Germany, wine from Burgundy, the darker, the better. I like my heroes complicated and brooding, James Dean in oiled leather, leaning on a motorcycle. You know the color. (“Ode to Chocolate”) ~ Barbara Crooker

[The “who can hold a full beer stein the longest” contest . . . ]

Beer’s intellectual. What a shame so many idiots drink it. ~ Ray Bradbury

There are more old drunks than there are old doctors. ~ Willie Nelson

All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast. ~ John Gunther

[Among the fare available from the food trucks, we opted for brats!]

A man who lies about beer makes enemies. ~ Stephen King

[This is part one of a panorama shot . . . ]

I want a beer. I want a giant, ice-cold bottle of beer and shower sex. ~ Nora Roberts

[This is part two . . . ]

Millions of deaths would not have happened if it weren’t for the consumption of alcohol. The same can be said about millions of births. ~ Mokokoma Mokhonoana

And … and what is civilisation if it isn’t people talking to each other over a goddamned beer? ~ James S.A. Corey

120 million of us place the big bang 2,500 years after the Babylonians and Sumerians learned to brew beer. ~ Sam Harris

Across the troubled maelstrom of time, people always need a beer. ~ Ellen Kushner

[And, I believe this was the full beer stein race . . . ]

Scientists are a friendly, atheistic, hard-working, beer-drinking lot whose minds are preoccupied with sex, chess and baseball when they are not preoccupied with science. ~ Yann Martel

[Where the food was . . . ]

I mulled over what he had told me as I savored the Scotch. Not bad, really — like a beer that’s been in a brawl. ~ David Justice

[The brat eating contest, emceed by Michael Right, the longtime voice of Alexandria . . . ]

Depth perception and beer obviously weren’t related. ~ Katie McGarry

It was never wise to challenge fate to a ‘Hold my beer’ contest. ~ Yasmine Galenorn

According to Chesterton, tea-drinking’ is ‘pagan’, while beer-drinking is ‘Christian’, and coffee is ‘the puritan’s opium’. ~ George Orwell

[Beginning the switchover from the Federales to the Cropdusters . . . ]

[We had a nice visit with the Federales (yes, named from the Townes Van Zandt song, “Pancho and Lefty”) after which they gave us these free “merch'”, a couple of CD’s . . . ]

To say that members of Congress have egos is like saying that I like cold beer. ~ Michael Fanone

[The Cropdusters setting up . . . ]

We conduct business meetings so much better on beer. ~ Rachel Bergsma

One more never ends. ~ Anthony T. Hincks

In this world, there are only a few things more available than gasoline: coffee, soda and beer. Oh, and bad advice. ~ Foster Kinn

A warm beer is still a good beer, despite what modern country singers say. ~ A.D. Aliwat

A flash of inspiration struck him with all the force and brilliance that ideas have when they’re traveling through beer. ~ Terry Pratchett

Most cultures made beer before they had an alphabet. ~ Matthew Weiner

Life is nothing but some bubbles in a pint. ~ Viraj J. Mahajan

Modern civilization owes its existence to beer. Hunter-gatherers individually lacked the time and resources to create a raspberry pilsner, so our nomadic ancestors were seduced into an agrarian lifestyle that might someday evolve into local microbrews. I am not sure if teetotalers minded the goats while others were busy getting plastered or if they were cast out of the tribe for being dull. ~ Thomm Quackenbush

[Last seen wandering the grounds at Oktoberfest muttering something about the attacks on democracy, public schools, and still and forever, Hillary Clinton . . . ]

Beer, brewed in cauldrons the size of houses by machines and then served cold. It has no soul. It isn’t worthy of the name. ~ Jim Butcher

[Kinda Halloweenie in mid-afternoon . . . ]

The refrigerator was one of the main things my mother prayed to. She said that a cold beer could make you love a refrigerator. ~ Jennifer Clement

I also liked they Belgian brewers are notoriously rebellious and mock Americans’ obsession with categorizing beers by style; I saw them as arrogant expressionists ensnared with creation, not categorization. ~ Lucy Burningham

American beer drinkers had been conditioned to believe they were choosing Anheuser-Busch’s beer, but that was only half true; Anheuser-Busch had left them few other options. ~ Josh Noel

Up Next: Surgery dependent . . .

October 23

Education should not be intended to make people comfortable, it is meant to make them think. ~ Hanna Holbom Gray

This was our last chance to spend some quality eating time with Ruthie’s sister Rita before we sent her packing back to Indiana . . .

Food for us comes from our relatives, whether they have wings or fins or roots. That is how we consider food. Food has a culture. It has a history. It has a story. It has relationships. ~ Winona LaDuke

October 13

After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations. ~ Oscar Wilde

[We decided to spend Rita’s last night eating at home before all the in-house food rotted from lack of attendance at home during meal times . . . ]

Popcorn is one of the only situations in which you eat the result of an explosion. ~ Demetri Martin

I get way too much happiness from good food. ~ Elizabeth Olsen

He was a bold man that first ate an oyster. ~ Jonathan Swift

[As we will note in later photos, this confirms that Rita did indeed go on-line to confirm her next day’s flight and pay for checking bag #2 . . . ]

October 14

The journey, not the arrival, matters. ~ T. S. Eliot

[Driving Rita to MSP down the usually dreary I-94 . . . ]

Once a year, go somewhere you’ve never been before. ~ The Dalai Lama

[Interesting cloud cover from come and go snow flurries . . . ]

Screw the caviar, I want to travel the world! ~ Hostelgeeks

A hotel room all to myself is my idea of a good time. ~ Chelsea Handler

Backpacking is the art of knowing what not to take. ~ Sheridan Anderson

Say yes, and you’ll figure it out afterwards. ~ Tina Fey

Eating is always a decision, nobody forces your hand to pick up food and put it into your mouth. ~ Albert Ellis

[The forever potty stop at Weaver Lake Road on the way to the Cities . . . ]

Adventure without risk is Disneyland. ~ Douglas Coupland 

[This is Rita at MSP airport. Happily engaged in the process of returning home to Indiana after a week with relatives in Vacationland USA. The happiness was short-lived, however, when she got to the outside check-in (that’s two hyphenated words in one sentence) which requested she pay for checking bag #2. Rita promptly advised she had checked bag #2 on-line (another hyphen) the day before and had paid for it by credit card. Naturally, the checker-inners could find no such record and told her she would have to pay (again). Well, harumpf, harumpf, harumpf, Rita and I entered the airport in hopes of finding resolution to the bag #2 situation. By then I had to leave since Ruthie had already been parked on the curb for 15 minutes. Ruthie & I were staying in the Cities for a visit to the Como Park Conservatory before heading back to Alex. We called Rita from Como Park – now they weren’t going to let her on the plane because it was overbooked. Ruthie shouted into the phone, which Rita had on speaker, that they better get her on the plane because they’d “eff’ed her over enough already” (which the airport staff heard). Now we couldn’t leave the Cities lest we’d have to pick up Rita again. Rita later called to say they were going to get her on the plane – maybe in 1st class – and she did get an aisle seat in coach (which also usually costs extra), if not 1st class. She made it home, some the worse for wear . . . ]

What a lovely thing a rose is! ~ Arthur Conan Doyle

[And then it was on to the Como Park Conservatory in St. Paul . . . ]

If you really screw up, send roses. ~ Letitia Baldrige

It is the food which you furnish to your mind that determines the whole character of your life. ~ Emmet Fox

[The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory . . . ]

No matter how chaotic it is, wildflowers will still spring up in the middle of nowhere. ~ Sheryl Crow

A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it. It just blooms. ~ Zen Shin

The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size. ~ Gertrude S. Wister

I think people need to be educated to the fact that marijuana is not a drug. Marijuana is an herb and a flower. God put it here. If He put it here and He wants it to grow, what gives the government the right to say that God is wrong? ~ Willie Nelson

A woman should be like a single flower, not a whole bouquet. ~ Anna Held

Earth laughs in flowers. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful. ~ Luther Burbank

Flowers don’t tell, they show. ~ Stephanie Skeem

Don’t hurry, don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way. ~ Walter Hagen

[A school boy said this statue was “inappropriate.” Ruthie wanted to have a discussion with his parents . . . ]

Gardens and flowers have a way of bringing people together, drawing them from their homes. ~ Clare Ansberry

If I had a flower for every time I thought of you… I could walk through my garden forever. ~ Alfred Tennyson

We’re all golden sunflowers inside. ~ Allen Ginsberg

Destiny may ride with us today, but there is no reason for it to interfere with lunch. ~ Peter the Great

[The following nine photos courtesy of Ruthie . . . ]

Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them. ~ A.A. Milne

Let us dance in the sun, wearing wildflowers in our hair. ~ Susan Polis Schutz

When the flower blossoms, the bee will come. ~ Srikumar Rao

The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life. ~ Jean Giraudoux

It’s so clear that you have to cherish everyone. I think that’s what I get from these older black women, that every soul is to be cherished, that every flower Is to bloom. ~ Alice Walker

A weed is but an unloved flower. ~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox

I don’t want to be stinky poo poo girl, I want to be happy flower child. ~ Drew Barrymore

[George Clooney’s Facebook profile photo . . . ]

The intellectual is a middle-class product; if he is not born into the class he must soon insert himself into it, in order to exist. He is the fine nervous flower of the bourgeoisie. ~ Louise Bogan

Life is fair. ~ Stephen King

[Heading for home, the Minnesota State Fairgrounds was appropriately nearby . . . ]

Fair is whatever God wants to do. ~ Leif Enger

Our national flower is the concrete cloverleaf. ~ Lewis Mumford

[We weren’t on the road home yet, but this was the sky all day. We had several hard downpours on the way home . . . ]

Ice cream is exquisite. What a pity it isn’t illegal. ~ Voltaire

[We had hoped to lunch at Krewe, the cajun/creole restaurant in St. Joseph, but it closes at 2:00 (re-opens at 4:00 for dinner) and we got there at 2:01! If Krewe is closed when you get there, there’s always Bello Cucina! The one in St. Joe is the last one standing. We have been to the ones in Glenwood, Alex, Fergus, Morris, and Marshall, all now closed. The owner said he can’t find chefs or staff . . . ]

Large, naked, raw carrots are acceptable as food only to those who live in hutches eagerly awaiting Easter. ~ Fran Lebowitz

I don’t eat lobsters, shrimp, or crawfish because I don’t eat anything that looks like I should step on it. ~ George Carlin

[The daily special was beef stew soup . . . ]

A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand. ~ Barbara Johnson

[Ruthie thought these may have been nuns from St. Ben’s college across the street . . . ]

Give me liberty or … a jelly donut! ~ Homer Simpson

[The next five are Ruthie’s ambience photos . . . ]

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if not has not dined well. ~ Virginia Woolf

Food is not rational. Food is culture, habit, craving and identity. ~ Jonathan Safran Foer

I’m at the age where food has taken the place of sex. In fact, I just had a mirror put over my kitchen table. ~ Rodney Dangerfield

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people. ~ Orson Welles

He who does not mind his belly, will hardly mind anything else. ~ Samuel Johnson

My mom made me two dishes: take it or leave it. ~ Stephen Wright

[Outdoor dining (weather dependent) at Bello Cucina . . . ]

How can a nation be great if its bread tastes like Kleenex. ~ Julia Child

I will not eat oysters. I want my food dead. Not sick, not wounded: dead. ~ Woody Allen

I don’t always wear underwear. When I’m in the heat, especially, I can’t wear it. Like, if I’m wearing a flower dress, why do I have to wear underwear? ~ Naomi Campbell

Up Next: Still eating . . .

October 17

The title of this missive was my mother’s description of what her children did . . .

Unless you are a pizza, the answer is yes, I can live without you. ~ Bill Murray

Pizza is like the entire food pyramid! ~ Madeline Oles

Ruthie’s sister Rita came to town last week, a week built around where to go to eat . . .

October 8

There’s no better feeling in the world than a warm pizza box in your lap. ~ Kevin James

[Rita flew to Minneapolis from Indiana. Ruthie picked her up at the airport and the two of them drove to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, to help clean up and close out Camp Brosius for the season. The following five photos are from her of Elkhart Lake . . . ]

Those pizzas I ate were for medicinal purposes. ~ Amy Neftzger

I’d rather have leftover pizza than leftover feelings. ~ Sarah Burgess

Time is money, money is power, power is pizza, and pizza is knowledge, let’s go! ~ Aubrey Plaza

There’s no “we” in ice cream. ~ Unknown

If we shake out all of the crumbs from all of the keyboards in the world, we can end world hunger. ~ Matthew Dolkart

[While the ladies were off at camp, I prepared the house for its first ever carpet cleaning. We put the babies in the basement while the cleaners and their noisy machinery were here. Afterwards I couldn’t find Laddie for a whole day – we finally discovered that he had been hiding in the basement the whole time . . . ]

October 9

The only thing I like better than talking about food is eating. ~ John Walters

[The day they drove home from camp, stopping for lunch at what they claimed was the highly acclaimed Thorpedo, a restaurant on Thorp, Wisconsin. Rita exhibits the sweatshirt she and Ruthie got for cleaning the camp . . . ]

October 10

In Italy, food is an expression of love. It is how you show those around you that you care for them. Having a love for food means you also have a love for those you are preparing it for and for yourself. ~ Joe Bastianich

[They no longer arrived in Alex, and it was off again to The Harn to visit Jami and Danny. And to get to The Harn one logically drives through Itasca State Park at a lovely time of year . . . ]

Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate. ~ Aland D. Wolfelt

[And a stop at the Mississippi Headwaters Inn, previously a hostel where we enjoyed a couple of Thanksgivings . . . ]

My weaknesses have always been food & men- in that order. ~ Dolly Parton

[The Inn has been upgraded since its hostel days . . . ]

Cooking is like love: it should be entered into with abandon or not at all. ~ Harriet Van Horne

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well if one has not dined well. ~ Virginia Woolf

[Then fun at The Harn . . . ]

Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly. ~ M.F.K. Fisher

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt. ~ Charles M. Schulz

October 11

Always serve too much hot fudge sauce on hot fudge sundaes. It makes people overjoyed and puts them in your debt. ~ Judith Olney

[Then it was off to the Garden Bar on Tuesday for Tuesday Nightclub. The group gave notice they weren’t able to performed that night, but we had to share with Rita. The restaurant is undergoing some interior renovations, including this lovely room that comes complete with a model for photo ops . . . ]

There is no sight on earth more appealing than the sight of a woman making dinner for someone she loves. ~ Thomas Wolfe

[Does anybody recognize these people?]

You don’t need a silver fork to eat good food. ~ Paul Prudhomme

It’s okay to play with your food. ~ Emeril Lagasse

Cooking is all about people. Food is maybe the only universal thing that really has the power to bring everyone together. No matter what culture, everywhere around the world, people eat together. ~ Guy Fieri

[Our server who puts up with our shenanigans every two weeks . . . ]

October 12

I believe it’s a cook’s moral obligation to add more butter given the chance. ~ Michael Ruhlman

[Our first snow . . . ]

What you feel like eating at any given moment is what you should have. ~ Ferran Adria

Initially let your food do the talking. You’ll be surprised how far you go in a short period of time. ~ Gordon Ramsey

[It was Wednesday Fine Dining night. With the closure of the Alex golf clubhouse for the season, we opted for Boulder Tap House where I committed the unpardonable sin of ordering a chocolate malt . . . ]

A party without a cake is really just a meeting. ~ Julia Child

Love, love, and cherish life. Also, just eat the cake. ~ Aaron Paul

Let them eat cake. ~ Marie Antoinette

Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what’s for lunch. ~ Orson Welles

Give me all the bacon and eggs you have. ~ Ron Swanson

Life’s too short. Start with Dessert! ~ Barbra Streisand

The most powerful social media… it is not the internet, it is not Facebook – it is food. This connects all human beings. ~ Alex Atala

Up Next: More eating . . .

October 7

Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance. ~ Will Durant

September 30

And then it was on to the football game – it was homecoming after all. Our Cardinals were hosting the dreaded Brainerd Warriors. The Cardinals played their best game of the season and held a 14 – 0 lead in the 4th quarter, but Warriors came back and won their 4th straight game, 15 – 14 . . .

Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously. ~ G.K. Chesterton

[Friday night lights (which I have now made my computer desktop background) . . . ]

To the uneducated, an A is just three sticks. ~ A. A. Milne

I went to the 30th reunion of my preschool. I didn’t want to go because I’ve put on, like, a hundred pounds. ~ Wendy Liebman

[Once seated, we noted a continuous stream of cars still coming to the game through the entire first quarter, wending beyond the far side of the stadium to the overflow parking in a grass field. It was like watching the stream of headlights at the end of “Field of Dreams” . . . ]

The highest result of education is tolerance. ~ Hellen Keller

[Fans! Tom wanted to enjoy the whole experience of Hall of Fame day: On the radio in the morning, the luncheon, the parade, and the homecoming game. We only stayed for the first half, he and Pam were leaving early the next morning. We sat on the Brainerd side to have our backs to the wind . . . ]

In high school my sister went out with the captain of the chess team. My parents loved him. The figured any guy that took hours to make a move was okay with them. ~ Brian Kiley

[The Cards first play of the game was a run up the middle for little or no yards . . . ]

A lot of things go on when you’re a kid that you don’t figure out until you’re an adult. Like, I think my kindergarten teacher had a drinking problem, because nap time was every day from 9:00 to 2:30. ~ Janine DiTullio

[And then our quarterback got sacked – an indication it was not going to be a shoot out . . . ]

[Another run . . . ]

[But this one broke past the line of scrimmage . . . ]

[Junior running back, Andrew Flaten (28), did it . . . ]

Nothing I learned in school prepared me for life on any level. My first book should have read, “See Dick balance his checkbook. See Jane leave an unhealthy relationship. Run, Jane, run!” ~ Kate Mason

Don’t go to a school reunion. There’ll be a lot of old people there claiming to be your classmates. ~ Tom Dreesen

People want to take sex education out of the schools. They think sex education causes promiscuity. Hey, I took algebra. I never do math. ~ Elayne Boosler

[Then because the game did develop into a defensive struggle, I thought I should “cover” a defensive play by the Cards. Isaiah Brown (16) is a senior newcomer this year but had to wait a few games for eligibility (moving here from Roseville?). He is the running quarterback but now we know he is also a heckuva defensive end. He can’t be the only reason, obviously, but the Cardinals had not done well against the run this year – until this game. The Brainerd running back, No. 28, ran for over 230 yards the pevious week against Bemidji. The Cards held him to 33 yards on 22 carries . . . ]

In California, some high schools are requiring students to wear uniforms. They say uniforms create a safe, stable environment. Like the post office. ~ Jay Leno

My dad could always find the bright side. Whenever I brought my report card home from school, he’d say, “Well, at least I know you didn’t cheat.” ~ Greg Tamblyn

If it hadn’t been for detention, I would have never done any homework. ~ Melanie White

When I was growing up, my parents told me, ‘Finish your dinner. People in China and India are starving.’ I tell my daughters, ‘Finish your homework. People in India and China are starving for your job.’ ~ Thomas Friedman

When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life. ~ John Lennon

The real winner at prom isn’t the king or the queen. It’s everyone who didn’t peak in high school. ~ Mizgin

When my son, James, was doing homework for school, he would have five or six windows open on his computer, Instant Messenger was flashing continuously, his cell phone was constantly ringing, and he was downloading music and watching the TV over his shoulder. I don’t know if he was doing any homework, but he was running an empire as far as I could see, so I didn’t really care. ~ Ken Robinson

The first day of school is always a fashion show. The rest of the school year? A pajama party. ~ Unknown

[Our star kicker Daniel Jackson kicked a 25-yard field goal and the Cards had a 3 – 0 lead at the half . . . ]

The unfortunate, yet truly exciting thing about your life, is that there is no core curriculum. The entire place is an elective. ~ Jon Stewart

[The Homecoming Royalty took the field at halftime . . . ]

If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere. ~ Frank A. Clark

Every year, many, many stupid people graduate from college. And if they can do it, so can you. ~ John Green

Be wise, because the world needs wisdom. If you cannot be wise, pretend to be someone who is wise, and then just behave like they would. ~ Neil Gaiman

You are graduating from college. That means that this is the first day of the last day of your life. No, that’s wrong. This is the last day of the first day of school. Nope, that’s worse. This is a day. ~ Andy Samburg

Commencement speeches were invented largely in the belief that outgoing college students should never be released into the world until they have been properly sedated. ~ Gary Trudeau

[The dance team . . . ]

I want my mom. ~ Me (entering kindergarten, high school, and college)

My dear terrified graduates, you are about to enter the most uncertain and thrilling period of your lives. ~ Lin-Manuel Miranda

October 1

The best advice I can give anybody about going out into the world is this: Don’t do it. I have been out there. It is a mess. ~ Russell Baker

[Parting is such sweet sorrow. After a week in town to enjoy Homecoming activities and Tom’s induction into the Education Foundation Hall of Fame, we said goodbye to Tom and Pam this morning as they head back to Texas . . . ]

October 2

And then, the very next day . . .

Anyone who tries to make a distinction between education and entertainment doesn’t know the first thing about either. ~ Marshall McLuhan

When I grew up, what was interesting for me was that music was color and life was gray. So music for me has always been more than entertainment. ~ Pete Townshend

[The theme this year was the 1950’s. Accordingly, Jim Pence, president of the Theatre L’Homme Dieu board and a member of the symphony board, did a Marty Robbins with a white sport coat and a pink carnation . . . ]

I didn’t choose a word or anything. I just wrote the song until it stopped. ~ Marty Robbins

What do you actually need? Food, clothing and shelter. Everything else is entertainment. ~ Aloe Blacc

[Jim’s wife Jan peruses the items up for auction . . . ]

Culture relates to objects and is a phenomenon of the world; entertainment relates to people and is a phenomenon of life. ~ Hannah Arendt

[The Grand Hall of Carlos Creek Winery was the venue . . . ]

It’s funny how a chubby kid can just be having fun, and people call it entertainment! ~ Garth Brooks

[And it comes with food . . . ]

Paris is a place where, for me, just walking down a street that I’ve never been down before is like going to a movie or something. Just wandering the city is entertainment. ~ Wes Anderson

To me, music is entertainment – what else can it be? In fact, it’s the only language I know of that’s universal. ~ Ray Charles

I was one of the first generations to watch television. TV exposes people to news, to information, to knowledge, to entertainment. How is it bad? ~ Tom Clancy

We joke about it in the entertainment industry: Every actor wants to be a musician, and every musician wants to be an actor. ~ Lance Bass

[Meanwhile, back on the auction line . . . ]

Nobody with an IQ higher than emergency-room temperature could ever believe that ‘death panels’ would be appointed to nudge the elderly toward euthanasia. Yet for idle entertainment, it’s hard to beat Sarah Palin’s ignorant nattering on the subject. ~ Carl Hiaasen

[And then the music began . . . ]

There’s a difference between art and entertainment. Entertainment is really about forgetting about your life, and art is about remembering your life. ~ Josh Tillman

Although popular entertainment can, over the long run, shape public perceptions, it becomes popular in the first place only if it addresses preexisting hopes, fears, and fascinations. ~ Virginia Postrel

We’re making this as entertainment. But God willing, if this show stays on and people see a woman in that office for a while, I think it will help people become more used to it. It’s certainly about time that we had a few female presidents. ~ Geena Davis

[Just checking on the house . . . ]

I’ve actually gotten so I don’t associate television with entertainment very much. ~ Dick Cavett

Entertainment is needed, and so I do think escapism is needed. ~ Ving Rhames

[Concertmaster Greg Donahue . . . ]

In entertainment, whether it’s movies or television or whatever, I’m a great audience, but I don’t remember the names of the people I’ve seen or the groups that I’ve heard. ~ William Shatner

Maybe entertainment is not supposed to be reality. ~ Victoria Jackson

[Greg concertmastering . . . ]

I believe entertainment can aspire to be art, and can become art, but if you set out to make art you’re an idiot. ~ Steve Martin

[Maestro Brad Lambrecht . . . ]

Entertainment is about having a blast. ~ Ant McPartlin

Art and mass entertainment and propaganda, they can all be plotted on the same graph, but there is a difference. ~ David Mamet

[Concertmaster Greg with his wife Lesley sitting directly behind him. As the Super is prone to advise, both are IU alums . . . ]

I grew up in the age of radio. That was my main boyhood form of entertainment: lying on the living room floor with my ears affixed to the radio. I loved shows like ‘The Phantom,’ ‘Cisco Kid,’ and even ‘Happy Theater’ when I was younger. ~ George Takei

I figured, ‘Why not go into entertainment?’ I love entertaining people. I always loved being extra loud. ~ Becky G

[Intermission – live auction . . . ]

Well, you know, in this crazy world of entertainment, I would say if you have a dream, you have to pursue it. ~ Caprice Bourret

Others may prefer mindless entertainment, but on Sunday nights, you’ll find me parked right in front of my television, munching popcorn and improving my intellect by watching ‘Masterpiece Classic.’ ~ Teresa Medeiros

[Sandy Susag, who as far as I can tell is involved in every cultural and educational activity in the greater Alexandria metropolitan statistical area. So, super good on her . . . ]

I don’t think people are fools, and I think they deserve a good attitude and smart entertainment. ~ Tatyana Tolstaya

[A poodle skirt and a white sport coat with a pink crustacean . . . ]

I don’t need to do only one thing, you know? Even in the entertainment industry, nobody’s ‘just a singer.’ ~ Jessica Jung

[I thought the orchestra really nailed the second half . . . ]

I think everyone knows the news has become ridiculous. It’s entertainment driven. ~ Adam McKay

It is frustrating to be a Black woman in the entertainment industry. ~ Dionne Warwick

[A fan enjoying her fandom . . . ]

There’s a thin line between narcissism, even if it’s a healthy narcissism, and entertainment. ~ Richard Lewis

It’s important to remember that, first and foremost, if not only, this is entertainment. ‘The West Wing’ isn’t meant to be good for you. ~ Aaron Sorkin

The entertainment industry is terrified of silence. ~ Laura Linney

[We were taking odds as to whether or not Greg’s bow was going to make to the end of the concert . . . ]

That’s entertainment! ~ Judy Garland

[Nicole and John . . . ]

October 4 & 5

And then autumn set in . . .

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. ~ George Eliot

The leaves fall, the wind blows, and the farm country slowly changes from the summer cottons into its winter wools. ~ Henry Beston

Around and around the house the leaves fall thick, but never fast, for they come circling down with a dead lightness that is somber and slow. ~ Charles Dickens

Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall. ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

Autumn! The greatest show of all times! ~ Mehmet Murat Ildan

Autumn…the year’s last, loveliest smile. ~ William Cullen Bryant

Autumn passes and one remembers one’s reverence. ~ Yoko Ono

But now it’s time for me to go, the autumn moon lights my way. ~ Led Zeppelin

But I miss you most of all, my darling, when autumn leaves start to fall. ~ Frank Sinatra

Designers want me to dress like spring, in billowing things. I don’t feel like spring. I feel like a warm red autumn. ~ Marilyn Monroe

Student: Can I borrow a pencil?

Teacher: I don’t know, can you?

Student: Yes. I might add that colloquial irregularities occur frequently in any language, and since you and the rest of our present company understand perfectly my intended meaning, being particular about the distinctions between “can“ and “may“ is purely pedantic and arguably pretentious.

Teacher: True, colloquialism and the judicious interpretation of context help us communicate with nuance, range, and efficiency. And yet, as your teacher, my job is to teach you to think about language with care and rigor. Understanding the shades of difference between one word and another and to think carefully about what you want to say will give you greater power and versatility in your speech and writing.

Student: Point taken. May I have a pencil?

Teacher: No, you may not. We do not have pencils since the state cut funding for education again this year.

We’ll meet again. Don’t know where, don’t know when. But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day. ~ Vera Lynn

Up Next: ?

October 5

And pictures are there to remind us so we never forget. ~ Unknown

High school classmate and long time friend Tom Kiehne of Austin, Texas came to town with his wife Pam for induction into the Alexandria Education Foundation Hall of Fame. While they were here we reintroduced them to the fun and excitement that is Vacationland USA . . .

October 3

[This had nothing to do with Homecoming or the Hall of Fame, simply the day after the hoopla of previous days events – Community Education movies at the Grand Arbor theater. I had the pleasure of hosting these lovely people, here under the auspices of their various parole officers, for “Capital in the 21st Century.” We met after the movie to discuss what we have just seen, or thought we had seen, and then went to dinner together at Longtrees . . . ]

September 27

Children want the same things we want. To laugh, to be challenged, to be entertained, and delighted. ~ Dr. Seuss

[First night in town we took Tom & Pam to the Garden Bar for an evening with Tuesday Nightclub. They have been here, and when it was Sixth Avenue Wine & Ale, many times over the years . . . ]

[The usual suspects: Terry, Jim, and Bill . . . ]

The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you. ~ B.B. King

[And a surprise guest performer – Annie O’Flynn came to join the boys . . . ]

You’re off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way! ~ Dr. Seuss

[Annie helped the give the scene the feel and sound of a Paris sidewalk cafe . . . ]

What I remember most about high school are the memories I created with my friends. ~ J.J. Watt

But there are advantages to being elected President. The day after I was elected, I had my high school grades classified Top Secret. ~ Ronald Reagan

No wonder the teacher knows so much; she has the book. ~ Edgar Watson Howe

[Tom with Anne Riggs, our high school French teacher and spouse to the evening’s trumpet player . . . ]

September 28

I have never been jealous. Not even when my dad finished fifth grade a year before I did. ~ Jeff Foxworthy

[An effort to keep the chronology going. Tom and Pam ate with us and the group at the golf club this night. But I forgot to take any photos. This photo from May 2022, including Tom & Pam, generally reflects the same idea . . . ]

September 29

Take your risks now. As you grow older, you become more fearful and less flexible. And I mean that literally. I hurt my knee this week on the treadmill, and it wasn’t even on. ~ Amy Poehler

[I’m 75. I wanted a stress test. It worked. I got stressed.]

I look nothing like this in real life. ~ Unknown

[Rancho Viejo was the venue for outside meal #3 with our guests . . . ]

[Tricolor burrito, good for several meals!]

I went to a high school reunion a couple years ago and realized that the kids who were the most unusual in high school are the ones who are the most interesting now and the ones who were popular are dull and boring. ~ Anderson Cooper

[Grin and bare it . . . ]

It’s not where you are in life, it’s who you have by your side that matters. ~ Unknown

[Oh, and we had breakfast at Trav’s. (I think it’s a city ordinance if you grew up here.)]

September 30

Education costs money, but then so does ignorance. ~ Claus Moser

In high school I got voted most likely to get voted for something. Even though I was the only one who voted, it still felt terrific being nominated. ~ Jarod Kintz

[OK, I will admit to nominating Lisa and Tom and would have proudly seconded Terry . . . ]

Most schools have a loud system of loud bells, which startle the students and teachers at regular intervals and remind them that time is passing even more slowly than it seems. ~ Lemony Snicket

Who dat?

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere. ~ Chinese proverb

[Pam shows off “the room”!]

You can never be overdressed or overeducated. ~ Oscar Wilde

[Lookin’ good, Corliss and Dennis . . . ]

We learn 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we see and hear, 70% of what we discuss, 80% of what we experience, 95% of what we teach others. ~ William Glasser

[An honoree with a fellow Hall of Famer, our senior year high school principal Wayne Elton . . . ]

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. ~ Albert Einstein

[A fellow Boy of ’65, Greg, with his wife Linda visiting with Tom’s sister Jill . . . ]

You have to stay in school. You have to. You have to go to college. You have to get your degree. Because that’s the one thing people can’t take away from you is your education. And it is worth the investment. ~ Michelle Obama

If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people. ~ Chinese proverb

[Kelli Minnerath, Executive Director, Alexandria Education Foundation . . . ]

Sign on a high school bulletin board in Dallas: Free every Monday through Friday: knowledge. Bring your own containers. ~ E.C. McKenzie

[The ATeam206 High School Pop Group . . . ]

Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born in another time. ~ Chinese proverb

If you’re on FB this is the video (I have no idea if it will work): https://www.facebook.com/100063756411760/videos/543205490905047/

If the Romans had been obliged to learn Latin, they would never have found time to conquer the world. ~ Heinrich Heine

[Kelli introduces Lisa . . . ]

Sometimes you just have to throw on a crown and remind them who they’re dealing with. ~ Marilyn Monroe

I was homecoming queen. I was star of my basketball team. ~ Marla Maples

[In her senior year, Alex’s girls golf team won the state tournament – by 40 strokes!]

[The swing that made Alexandria famous . . . ]

A well-educated mind will always have more questions than answers. ~ Helen Keller

[As superintendent Terry oversaw the construction of Woodland Elementary School and Alexandria Area High School . . . ]

Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen. ~ Conan O’Brien

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. ~ Nelson Mandela

The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows. ~ Sydney J. Harris

[Pam reporting on behalf of the Kiehne table . . . ]

Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known. ~ Carl Sagan

[Kelli introduces Tom . . . ]

You know what they call the fellow who finishes last in his medical school graduating class? They call him ‘Doctor.’ ~ Abe Lemons

If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you. ~ Zig Ziglar

The only thing that could stop me from taking selfies is a photo of what I look like taking selfies. ~ Unknown

When people call you photogenic, they’re actually trying to tell you that you look uglier than your pics. ~ Ritu Ghatourey

What I remember most about junior homecoming was my date getting sick afterwards. That kinda sucked. Then, senior year, someone got gum in her hair when we were dancing. She had to get one of the chaperones to take her to the office and cut up her hair. I felt really bad for her, but it worked out fine. ~ James Lafferty

You are the dancing queen. ~ ABBA, “Dancing Queen”

[Class of ’71ers, Perry Dyke and Jim Hafdal . . . ]

I went to public school, elementary through high school. I went to homecoming, to football games, pep rallies, I got detention, I got an F. I’ve done it all. ~ Raven-Symone

We all learn by experience but some of us have to go to summer school. ~ Peter De Vries

[The Boys of ’65 . . . ]

First day of school! Wake up! Come on. First day of school. ~ Nemo from Finding Nemo

[Magically inducted into the HOF the same year as Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat . . . ]

[Photo by school photographer Jill Johnson . . . ]

And the Lord said unto John, “Come forth and you will receive eternal life.”

[Ruthie shares a joke with Linda and Greg . . . ]

But John came fifth, and won a toaster.

Standing on the corner watching all the girls go by . . . ~ Frank Loesser (The Four Lads)

[The Homecoming Parade begins at the fairgrounds, goes up 5th Avenue, and turns right onto Broadway (this photo), continues to 17th where it turns left to the college parking lot – I followed every step of the way, pausing along the way for air and candy . . . ]

As truth be told, homecoming never gets old. ~ Hlovate

If you’re not in the parade, you watch the parade. That’s life. ~ Mike Ditka

[Known to occasionally chaperone the Fat Boys Walking Club . . . ]

Leadership involves finding a parade and getting in front of it. ~ John Naisbitt

[The Hall of Fame inductees were the parade grand marshals, with Lisa leading the way . . . ]

I parade in next to no clothes every day. It’s hard not to compare yourself to other people, but I think everyone is different, and that is something we should be celebrating. ~ Cate Campbell

[Driver Colleen Boesen . . . ]

I guess I was one of the popular kids. I played soccer, I was class president – I even dated the homecoming queen. ~ Matthew Morrison

[Tom & Pam . . . ]

There is no answer to the Pythagorean theorem. Well, there is an answer, but by the time you figure it out, I got 40 points, 10 rebounds and then we’re planning for the parade. ~ Shaquille O’Neal

[Driver John Heydt . . . ]

You have brains in your head. you have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. ~ Dr. Seuss

[Terry . . . ]

Personality-wise, I like to avoid putting my pride on parade. ~ Hidetaka Miyazaki

[Driver Sandy Susag . . . ]

Usually, homecoming themes are like, ‘A Night Under the Stars’ or ‘An Evening to Remember.’ Ours was simply, ‘Batman.’ ~ Mikey Day

[The Alexandria Cardinals varsity football team . . . ]

Before the Colts arrived in 1947 [I remind you the Boys of ’65 were born in 1947], the best athlete in town was a woman duckpin bowler named Toots Barger. Football? The biggest games in Baltimore had been when Johns Hopkins took on Susquehanna or Franklin & Marshall at homecoming. ~ Frank DeFord

Respect your parents. They passed school without Google. ~ Anonymous

Some of us are like a shovel brigade that follow a parade down Main Street cleaning up. ~ Donald T. Regan

Education can get you the only thing that really matters in today’s world—an assigned parking space. ~ Gene Perret

School is a building which has four walls with tomorrow inside. ~ Lon Watters

School bells are ringing loud and clear; vacation’s over, school is here. ~ Winifred C. Marshal

[The high school band . . . ]

School is a lot like toilet paper. You only miss it when it’s gone. ~ Anonymous

I never thought that I would share a hit parade with the Beatles. ~ Vera Lynn

I would enjoy school more if I was allowed to bring a pillow. ~ Unknown

[Boys soccer . . . ]

If you wait for inspiration you’ll be standing on the corner after the parade is a mile down the street. ~ Ben Nicholas

In my house, the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl Game have always been a grand tradition for ringing in the New Year. To serve as Grand Marshal is a dream come true and I look forward to sharing the celebration with all of the fans and viewers worldwide. ~ Paula Deen

Cinderella never asked for a prince. She asked for a night off and a dress. ~ Kiera Cass

[Notice I crossed the street . . . ]

My vision is one of celebrations and banquets, diplomas and banners, rings and parades. ~ John Calipari

[Volleyball team (taller than the boys basketball team of ’65) . . . ]

Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously. ~ G.K. Chesterton

In 1985 I graduated from Deshler High School in Tuscumbia, Alabama, and I was their first African American homecoming queen. You would have thought I won Miss America or Miss U.S.A. (wink), because of my excitement. ~ Cynthia Bailey

[The cross country team . . . ]

In 300 BC Euclid invented geometry, and the grade F. ~ Unknown

[Despite what the background sign says, this did not required a 10-minute change . . . ]

Actors do like watching girls parade down the runway for some reason. ~ Kate Moss

Owning a popular sports team is very different than any other type of business. They don’t throw parades when Apple has the biggest quarter in corporate history. ~ Mark Cuban

Lots of times you have to pretend to join a parade in which you’re not really interested in order to get where you’re going. ~ Christopher Morley

[The trail of worn out running shoes symbolizes the cross country team . . . ]

I can’t stop being in parades. I just love dancing on floats that move really slowly on the city streets in the early morning. ~ Chris Kattan

[The girls soccer team – their record is currently 12 – 1 with 10 shut outs . . . ]

Raining on parades requires no skill or effort on the part of a politician. ~ P. J. O’Rourke

In the subprime mortgage industry, bankers handed out iffy loans like candy at a parade because such loans meant revenue and, hence, bonuses for executives in the here-and-now. ~ Thomas Frank

[You may have wondered, or not, what people are picking up on the street – CANDY. Tossed by the various parade participants. I got one Tootsie Roll . . . ]

The library was one more essential in the parade of rooms in a big 18th-century house – and part of the required kit ever afterwards. The important thing was to have the books, not actually read them. ~ Peter York

[Swim & dive team . . . ]

It’s a nice town, but it’s aggressively quaint. They’ve got a popcorn shop above a waterfall and parades that come through town. It’s all-American. ~ Nick Robinson

[Girls tennis . . . ]

You really do have the license during fashion week to wear the things that you wouldn’t necessarily wear to dinner, because it really is a fashion parade. ~ Brad Goreski

[HOCKEY!!]

On the first day of school, you got to be real careful where you sit. You walk into the classroom and just plunk your stuff down on any old desk, and the next thing you know the teacher is saying, ‘I hope you all like where you’re sitting, because these are your permanent seats.’ ~ Jeff Kinney

An English teacher announced to the class: “There are two words I don’t allow in my class. One is gross and the other is cool.”
From the back of the room a voice called out, “Okay, so what are the words?”

Up Next: Part 2, the football game, the symphony, and other stuff!

September 26

Well, stuff happens . . .

America is my country and Paris is my hometown. ~ Gertrude Stein

Place is so important to me. The Midwest is like a ghost in my life. It’s present as I look out the window now. I see Texas, but if I close my eyes and look out the same window, I’m back in my hometown in Worthington, Minnesota, and I cherish those values and that diction. ~ Tim O’Brien

It’s not necessary to go far and wide. I mean, you can really find exciting and inspiring things within your hometown. ~ Daryl Hannah

September 15

An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

[This was a first time effort. All involved were more than happy at the result . . . ]

This (America) is a land of rich diversity, from the towering skyscrapers of Manhatan all the way to the towering mounds of garbage piled up next to the towering skyscrapers of Manhattan. ~ Dave Barry

[This overhead shot was posted by someone else whose name has fled from my memory . . . ]

Where each man claims his freedom as a matter of right, the freedom he accords to other men is a matter of toleration. ~ Walter Lippmann

[OK, the rest are mine . . . ]

Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it. ~ George Bernard Shaw

The true value of a human being can be found to the degree to which he has attained liberation from the self. ~ Albert Einstein

Look within yourself. After self-reflection, one’s eyes may open and see things in an honest light, and view people and things with appreciation for all their natural beauty. ~ Tao Principle

Where do we come from? Who are we? Where are we going? ~ Gauguin

Because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart. ~ Anne Frank

We have it all. We have great diversity of people, we have a wonderful land, and we have great possibilities. So all those things combined there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. ~ Bob Rae

When you’ve got too much religion that you can’t mingle with people, that you’re afraid of certain people, you’ve got too much religion. ~ C. L. Franklin

Since my daughter is only half-Jewish, could she go in the water up to her knees? ~ Groucho Marx

When they say come and sing, that’s the medicine. ~ Ella Fitzgerald

Honor diversity in all seasons. ~ Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I’m actually starting to like more and more people who have convictions that are unpopular. ~ Bono

It doesn’t matter how long my hair is or what color my skin is or whether I’m a woman or a man. ~ John Lennon

It’s funny how heterosexuals have lives and the rest of us have “lifestyles.” ~ Sonia Johnson

September 16

Some people, through luck and skill, end up with a lot of assets. If you’re good at kicking a ball, writing software, investing in stocks, it pays extremely well. ~ Bill Gates

[If there can be such a thing as a rebuilding year in high school football, our Cardinals are experiencing it. Our star is a 150 pound sophomore place kicker, Daniel Jackson, whose kickoffs routinely end in touchbacks . . . ]

An ardent supporter of the hometown team should go to a game prepared to take offense, no matter what happens. ~ Robert Benchley

Daniel looks really good and is still the only Class of 2025 kicker on the KW Hot Prospect List. He’s already getting looks from colleges and if he can string together a good volume of kicks in-game this year I think he might snag an early college offer in his sophomore year. He transitioned to a 1″ FG block and 1″ KO tee and should be ready to roll by the start of his HS freshman season. Young prospect with lots of potential. (kickingworld. com)

Tennis was a game invented by a woman named Samantha Tennis in 1839, in the village of Lobsworth, County of Kent, as a diversion for the wealthy and titled Englishmen of the region, who had nothing better to do at the time but drink, belch and wear funny clothes. ~ Dan Jenkins

I would compare kicking to being a closer in baseball. This whole game gets played, or the cake is made in front of you, so to speak, and you have to turn around and put the icing on the cake. ~ Adam Vinatieri

Everything that moved, I was kicking it. You can ask my mum and dad. A stone, a can, whatever. ~ Ashley Young

Field goal kicking is wildly exciting for all the wrong reasons. We regularly interrupt games to go for a ride on the equivalent of Disney’s stomach-in-throat Tower of Terror. ~ Skip Bayless

[His last kickoff in the game looked like it almost split the uprights – a 70-yard field goal?]

September 23

I just received the following wire from my generous Daddy; “Dear Jack, Don’t buy a single vote more than is necessary. I’ll be damned if I’m going to pay for a landslide.” ~ John F. Kennedy

[WE VOTED!]

[Voted on sister-in-law Carolyn’s 70th birthday (legally acquainted with Ruthie’s brother Dan) . . . ]

September 24

TLHD Year End Patio Party!

Saturday, September 24, 2022

3:00 – 4:00 Reception

4:00 Awards / Recognition

4:10 – 6:00 Live Music – Bruce Archer

Complimentary snacks, wine & beer

This party is not open to the public.

People invited have volunteered with us, held 2022 season passes, or donated $250+ in the 2022 calendar year. We have made our best attempt to include everyone. If you hear of someone who was missed on this invitation please let us know asap. 

Dear Volunteers, Sponsors, Pass Holders and Donors,

Thanks to you, our 2022 Season was a great success!

• Sold out shows
• Enhanced environment
• The popular new patio
• Indoor & outdoor programming
• Great shows and great experiences!

We’ve decided to host one last exclusive event for those of you who helped make it happen! 

Instead of being presented with stereotypes by age, sex, color, class, or religion, children must have the opportunity to learn that within each range, some people are loathsome and some are delightful. ~ Margaret Mead

Diversity doesn’t mean black and white only. ~ Henry Louis Gates

Minnesota’s diversity should be its greatest strength, but our neglect of nonwhite students has stifled our progress toward growth and equity. ~ Ilhan Omar

It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. ~ Thomas Jefferson

[The view from the stage – imagine 272 smiling faces!]

If we cannot now end our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. ~ John F. Kennedy

[Volunteer awards – thanks again to all of them . . . ]

Our diversity is our strength. What a dull and pointless life it would be if everyone was the same. ~ Angelina Jolie

[The theatre’s executive Director Nicole Mulder addressed the assembled masses . . . ]

All religions must be tolerated…for every man must get to heaven in his own way. ~ Epictetus

Pleasure disappoints, possibility never. ~ Soren Kierkegaard

Gentleness, self-sacrifice and generosity are the exclusive possession of no one race or religion. ~ Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

Today’s special guest: Bruce Archer Bruce Archer plays a rollicking combination of blues, bluegrass, country, and folk that doesn’t fit tidily into a single genre. His finger-picking and slide guitar display a level of talent and mastery that can only come from 40-plus years of sifting through musical styles and keeping the bits that resonate with him. He coaxes from his guitar an instrumental voice that is authentically his own.

[As the sign says, Bruce Archer (from Baxter, Minnesota) . . . ]

Statistics show that diversity in the media is pretty dismal. Critical voices from women and people of color are missing from many important conversations. ~ Cameron Russell

At the bottom of enmity between strangers lies indifference. ~ Soren Kierkegaard

There is nobody who is inferior and there is nobody who is superior – there are no distinctions. ~ Osho

Far from idleness being the root of all evil, it is rather the only true good. ~ Soren Kierkegaard

If it tastes funny, don’t eat it. If it looks funny, call a doctor. If it is funny, it must have been something I said. ~ Unknown

[Looking back to the staging area where the drinks and goodies were presented . . . ]

Share our similarities, celebrate our differences. ~ M. Scott Peck

[Hosts of the nonfiction book club and fans of blues music and looking angelic in the glow of the stage lights . . . ]

To be one, to be united is a great thing. But to respect the right to be different is maybe even greater. ~ Bono

Armageddon is not around the corner. This is only what the people of violence want us to believe. The complexity and diversity of the world is the hope for the future. ~ Michael Palin

[Discovered wandering the grounds looking for recyclables . . . ]

[Deb and Ruthie say, “Vote for Sandy Susag for school board!”]

We must be ready to learn from one another, not claiming that we alone possess all truth and that somehow we have a corner on God. ~ Archbishop Desmond Tutu

You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view. ~ Harper Lee

As we grow as unique persons, we learn to respect the uniqueness of others. ~ Robert H. Schuller

We are, at almost every point of our day, immersed in cultural diversity: faces, clothes, smells, attitudes, values, traditions, behaviours, beliefs, rituals. ~ Randa Abdel-Fattah

If giving points to some students to achieve greater diversity is a quota system in violation of the Constitution, how can the awarding of points to the children of a less diverse alumni be upheld? ~ Adam Schiff

The fact that societies are becoming increasingly multi-ethnic, multicultural, and multi-religious is good. Diversity is a strength, not a weakness. ~ Antonio Guterres

September 25

Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music. ~ Ronald Reagan

[A trip to Rolling Forks Vineyards for an afternoon with the Cheese Bots. There was a strong northerly wind that made the visit questionable. The usual performance area faces north – we did not know they had a set up in the winemaking room facing south . . . ]

Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without. ~ Confucius

I love to sing, and I love to drink scotch. Most people would rather hear me drink scotch. ~ George Burns

[Ruthie, inside door #1; the Cheese Bots inside door #2 . . . ]

When a piece gets difficult, make faces. ~ Artur Schnabel

[The Cheese Bots are Lindy (limburger), Jim (fromage du jour), and Marty (longhorn colby) . . . ]

Rock journalism is people who can’t write interviewing people who can’t talk in order to provide articles for people who can’t read. ~ Frank Zappa

Good music is good music, and everything else can go to hell. ~ Dave Matthews

No opera plot can be sensible, for in sensible situations people do not sing. ~ W.H. Auden

A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it is not open. ~ Frank Zappa

My music is best understood by children and animals. ~ Igor Stravinsky

Cause all of me loves all of you. Love your curves and all your edges, all your perfect imperfections. ~ John Legend

Baby it’s you. You’re the one I love, You’re the one I need, You’re the only one I see. ~ Beyoncé

There are two means of refuge from the misery of life — music and cats. ~ Albert Schweitzer

Music has healing power. It has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours. ~ Elton John

If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know. ~ Louis Armstrong

The best things in life are free. The second best are very expensive. ~ Coco Chanel

[We did not know upon arrival that Charlie Roth would be following the Bots on stage. We had already been there for 3 1/2 hours and needed to get home for a nap. Sorry, Charlie – catch you next time . . . ]

[Remember winds noted at the beginning that changed the venue? Well, we drove one-mile down hill from the winery and were surprised there weren’t surfers on Lake Minnewaska . . . ]

I’m surfing the giant life wave. ~ William Shatner

Just take your time – wave comes. Let the other guys go, catch another one. ~ Duke Kahanamoku

It’s a wonderful metaphor, catching a wave, for how you can look at other challenges in your life. ~ Jeff Bridges

You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf. ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn

There are no facts, only interpretations. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche 

We have to have a diversity of age represented in Congress, too. ~ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Up Next: More Alex stuff . . .

September 17

Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy. ~ Benjamin Franklin

When you’re in love it’s the most glorious two and a half days of your life. ~ Richard Lewis

An annual event every year (just checking to see if you caught the redundancy) in mid-September at Carlos Creek Winery during which the participants either swelter through a heat wave or wallow in the mud of the field parking lots. This year, everything was surprisingly fine. ~ Me

I am only human, although I regret it. ~ Mark Twain

Cleaning up with children around is like shoveling during a blizzard. ~ Margaret Culkin Banning

You have to remember one thing about the will of the people: it wasn’t that long ago we were swept away by the Macarena. ~ Jon Stewart

If you find it hard to laugh at yourself, I would be happy to do it for you. ~ Groucho Marx

[Saturday morning with Anthony Miltich. Gray skies that later gave way to yet another beautiful afternoon in Vacationland USA . . . ]

I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken. ~ H. Kyle Seale

[The Carlos Creek pickup truck is the backdrop for most group photos . . . ]

If you’re too open-minded; your brains will fall out. ~ Lawrence Ferlinghetti

[Here’s our main guy . . . ]

Anyone can be confident with a full head of hair. But a confident bald man – there’s your diamond in the rough. ~ Larry David

He knows nothing; he thinks he knows everything – that clearly points to a political career. ~ George Bernard Shaw

Confidence is 10% work and 90% delusion. ~ Tina Fey

[It’s always a fun time to practice your artwork, particularly since you have to empty the bottle first . . . ]

My favorite machine at the gym is the vending machine. ~ Caroline Rhea

I wish I were dumber so I could be more certain about my opinions. It looks fun. ~ Scott Adams

[Pretty much a one-eighty panorama shot . . . ]

A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don’t need it. ~ Bob Hope

This is the worst thing to happen to beaches since the Speedo. ~ Bill Maher

[We have run into these folks before who were again kind enough to save a couple seats for us . . . ]

I’m trying to elevate small talk to medium talk. ~ Larry David

I’m not for everyone. I’m barely for me. ~ Marc Maron

[I estimated the afternoon crowd at about 2.35 million. While we had planned to stay with Anthony through his whole program anyway, we didn’t dare leave our seats because vultures were lurking everywhere . . . ]

Everyone has a purpose in life. Perhaps yours is watching television. ~ David Letterman

Son, if you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now quiet! They’re about to announce the lottery numbers. ~ Matt Groening

[A good bullfighter knows how to avoid being gourd . . . ]

There is no such thing as fun for the whole family. ~ Jerry Seinfeld

Money is not the most important thing in the world. Love is. Fortunately, I love money. ~ Jackie Mason

[After Anthony was finished, we serpentined through the crowds to the Grand Hall . . . ]

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

A bargain is something you don’t need at a price you can’t resist. ~ Franklin Jones

[We moved into the Grand Hall to catch a bit of Robb Justice and his band . . . ]

I did not climb to the top of the food chain to eat carrots. ~ Ron White

A verbal contract isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. ~ Samuel Goldwyn

[In the way home, the view from the parking lot . . . ]

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

[Driving toward the exit . . . ]

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

I live by my own rules (reviewed, revised, and approved by my wife)… but still my own. ~ Si Robertson

[The Super bought a 7′-long Norwegian vimple at the Stomp and, throwing caution to wind, used it as a replacement for her Peace flag . . . ]

I was trying to daydream, but my mind kept wandering. ~ Steven Wright

Long may she wave . . . ~ Me

I know that there are people who do not love their fellow man, and I hate people like that! ~ Tom Lehrer

I am an early bird and a night owl… so I am wise and I have worms. ~ Michael Scott

Up Next: More excitement than I can stand . . .