November 11

In school one learns to ask stupid questions of life. ~ Marty Rubin

As the fall sports programs wrap up their state championships, the winter sports seasons begin. First up, girls hockey with our Cardinals coming off last year’s state tournament appearance. A home game at the RCC against the St. Cloud Crush (a combination team of Tech and Apollo). The Cards lost some key seniors but introduced a new group of freshmen and sophomores . . .

Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail. What you gain at one end you lose at the other. It’s like feeding a dog on his own tail. It won’t fatten the dog. ~ Mark Twain

St. Cloud – 5, Alexandria – 3

[First up, the JV team (in home white) looking good in their opening game . . . ]

[Another new addition this year is assistant coach McKenzie Revering (center), a former Cardinal all-stater and last year’s captain of the University of Minnesota, Duluth, Huskies . . . ]

[As the JV game winds down, the varsity is anxious to hit the ice . . . ]

A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad. ~ Theodore Roosevelt.

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

[Post-game handshakes, a 1 – 0 win, with 46 shots-on-goal vs. 13?]

The science fair has long been a favorite educational tool in the American school system, and for a good reason: Your teachers hate you. ~ Dave Barry

[The varsity warms up . . . ]

[Returnees from last year, Ella Westlund (19), junior forward, and Jordan O’Kane (1), senior goalie, and Youth Hockey Hub Goalie of the Year for the 2020-2021 season . . . ]

Are you looking forward to the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, too?

[McKenzie Revering, Jeff Doherty, and Head Coach Molly Arola . . . ]

Every class is drama class when you’re in high school. ~ Timothy Bird

[Alexandria won the toss and elected to take the wind in the 3rd period . . . ]

[Ron Rebrovich at the PA mic, with daughter Lauren on the team and also a member of the state champion girls golf team . . . ]

Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing worth knowing can be taught. ~ Oscar Wilde

I had a terrible education. I attended a school for emotionally disturbed teachers. ~ Woody Allen.

[Hanley Block (28), senior, takes the opening face-off with Peyton Boesl (6), senior, and Kennedy Ellingson (3), freshman . . . ]

It’s easier to floss with barbed wire than admit you like someone in middle school. ~ Laurie Halse Anderson.

[Game 1 of the season was a learning process. We were way to sloppy in our own end leading to easy goals for the Crush . . . ]

November 19

Mound Westonka – 4, Alexandria – 2

[The JV had another stellar performance. Here Cadence Ellingson (14), freshman, rushes by . . . ]

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

[Aubrie Porter (23), junior . . . ]

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

[An oncoming rush by the Cards . . . ]

[Led to a goal . . . ]

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

[Coach Revering advises the team on the best taco salad and queso place in town . . . ]

If you think your teachers are tough, wait ‘til you get a boss. ~ Bill Gates

I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework. ~ Lily Tomlin

[Great game by the JV . . . ]

. . . if you want to know what society’s going to be like in 20 years, ask a kindergarten teacher. ~ Clifford Stoll

[The varsity game captains meet at center ice to find out where exactly is Mound Westonka?]

[Roger Riley reprises his longtime role singing the National Anthem at girls hockey games . . . ]

There are three things to remember when teaching: know your stuff; know whom you are stuffing; and then stuff them elegantly. ~ Lola May

All for one and one for all . . .

[And away we go . . . ]

A teacher’s job is to take a bunch of live wires and see that they are well-grounded. ~ Darwin D. Martin

November 23

Alexandria – 2, Moorhead – 1

[DMac (left) on the air for KXRA radio . . . ]

[The Amazing Mark Ripley back at his post as the official Cardinal photographer . . . ]

[The pre-game captains’ meeting but everybody already knew the way to Moorhead . . . ]

[The long white line . . . ]

[It was get a photo with your parents night. Here Makenna Aure (17), senior, with Hunter Sellnow (31), freshman, on deck . . . ]

[Ron, Lauren (15), senior, and Jana Rebrovich . . . ]

[The Anthem line up, played on this evening by the high school band . . . ]

Sunday is a teacher’s day of rest: the rest of the laundry, the rest of the housework, and grade the rest of the papers. ~ Heidi McDonald

As long as teachers give tests, there will always be prayer in schools. ~ Anonymous

In the school I went to, they asked a kid to prove the law of gravity and he threw the teacher out of the window. ~ Rodney Dangerfield

Teaching is the greatest act of optimism. ~ Colleen Wilcox

[The Cub Reporter, on the job (photo taken by the Amazing Mr. Ripley) . . . ]

[GOOOAAAALLLL! I believe this was the 2nd of the game for the Cards . . . ]

Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils. ~ Hector Berlioz

[The view from the Cub Reporter seat. Kaci Trosvig (25), senior, is back after missing all of last year with an injury . . . ]

[Makenna Aure (17), senior, was one of 28 players in Minnesota’s CCM High Performance program . . . ]

Teachers are the only professionals who have to respond to bells every forty-five minutes and come out fighting. ~ Frank McCourt

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

[Coach Arola gave advice to inspire . . . ]

[At first glance, a goal by Ella Westlund (19) . . . ]

[But the refs didn’t think so . . . ]

[We (the fans) didn’t receive an explanation . . . ]

[The Cards had questions . . . ]

[Ms. Trosvig all by herself . . . ]

[A Spud break out . . . ]

Clean-up on Aisle 3 . . .

[Kennedy Ellingson (3) is a blur . . . ]

Smartness runs in my family. When I went to school I was so smart my teacher was in my class for five years. ~  Gracie Allen

She used to be a teacher but she has no class now. ~ Fred Allen

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

If there were no schools to take the children away from home part of the time, the insane asylums would be filled with mothers. ~ Edgar W. Howe

[And we’re in the win column . . . ]

[Something to do with events of today . . . ]

No school without spectacular eccentrics and crazy hearts is worth attending. ~ Saul Bellow

School means work and work means death. Let’s all go take a nap. ~ Emma Shannon

Up Next: Stuff(ing?) . . .

November 17

A boy’s life playing ball . . .

When we played softball, I’d steal second base, feel guilty and go back. ~ Woody Allen

If softball was any easier, they’d call it baseball. ~ Jennie Finch

Regarding the title, there is obviously nothing of current demeanor requiring immediate blog reportage. So, what better time to bring up the Mavericks. A slow pitch softball team generally manned by federal employees of the Employment Standards Administration within the Department of Labor. I played on this team beginning in the mid-70’s to the mid-90’s. The team management and core players remained consistent for most of that era. And we developed into a rather successful group at it. Here we were hosted by the then Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich, who was the Department’s head honcho from 1992 – 1996, meaning this photo was taken some time in that four-year span. The scorecard (without which one cannot tell the players): l-r: Orlando (Tito), Hampton (mostly hidden), Harry, Tim, Terry (the forever team manager), James, Joe, Eddie G, Richard, me, Jim, Vicente, and the Secretary in front.

[We recently lost James (in the middle in the photo above), which is what provoked this trip down memory lane. The photo below (and the photo at the end) are from the funeral home website. It is so James – his gesture after a good play. The team became championship caliber when he joined the team. He was only 65 . . . ]

[Tito, Hampton, Todd, Tim, Harry, Terry, James Joe, Eddie, Richard, Jim, me, Vicente, and the Secretary in front . . . ]

[James, Eddie G, me, the Secretary, and Hamp . . . ]

[Where we all worked. It was a brand new building when I started work here in 1975. I’ve seen reports the Department wants a new building . . . ]

[We played along the Potomac River, here on the Tidal Basin Ellipse (Potomac River and 14th Street Bridge in the background). This first batch of photos are from 1979 (though I took many such photos over the years that were never translated to digital) – Craig is at bat, Bill on deck. These fields subsequently succumbed to the FDR Memorial . . . ]

Softball, it’s more than just a game! ~ Coach Dave (Bill at bat, John on deck.)

I have no idea why it’s called “softball,” that thing hurts! ~ Jim Stewart (Bob on 2nd, Craig on 1st, Jim coaching.)

Hit the ball, head right, take three lefts and you’re home. ~ Mike O’Halloran

Softball is what old men play to try to feel young again. ~ Wallace Patrick (Bob at bat, the other Bob coaching 3rd.)

Everyone thinks softball is a girl’s game. But you only think that until you get hit with it on a line drive. ~ Jerry Smith (Arlen at bat, Bob and Vic coaching 3rd.)

I never taught my girls to play golf; they all played softball. ~ Nancy Lopez (Craig on deck, Bob at bat, Vic coaching 3rd.)

Sometimes the only thing fair in life is a ball hit between first and third. ~ Unknown (Bill on deck, Craig at bat, Vic coaching 3rd.)

What I love about the game is that the game doesn’t know who is supposed to win. ~ Sue Enquist (Craig on 1st, Jim coaching.)

If winning isn’t everything, why do they keep score? ~ Vince Lombardi (Bill at bat.)

He’s 20 years old. That’s what stands out. Most people are 21 at that age. ~ Harold Reynolds (Bob on 1st, Jim coaching.)

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

[Beer after the game was SOP (a different teammate brought a cooler for each game). It was not a lawful activity on these government properties. The Park Police were aware of such activities but generally left the league alone as long as we otherwise behaved . . . ]

Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It is already tomorrow in Australia. ~ Charles Shulz (Chris pitching.)

Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. ~ Dale Carnegie (Batting practice, Terry leaving, Craig entering.)

Education is learning what you didn’t even know you didn’t know. ~ Daniel J. Boorstin (Vic batting.)

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

Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died. ~ Erma Bombeck (Bill batting.)

The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us. ~ Bill Waterson (Jim coaching.)

Whoever said money can’t buy happiness didn’t know where to shop. ~ Gertrude Stein (Terry coaching.)

All men are equal before fish. ~ Herbert Hoover

When you go into court you are putting your fate into the hands of twelve people who weren’t smart enough to get out of jury duty. ~ Norm Crosby

I am only human, although I regret it. ~ Mark Twain (Chris batting.)

What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left. ~ Oscar Levant (Dennis batting.)

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

I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson (Gary batting.)

I know that there are people who do not love their fellow man, and I hate people like that! ~ Tom Lehrer (Terry pitching, Chris shortstop, Tom leftfield.)

A rich man is nothing but a poor man with money. ~ W. C. Fields

Insanity is hereditary; you get it from your children. ~ Sam Levenson (Arlen batting.)

He knows nothing; he thinks he knows everything – that clearly points to a political career. ~ George Bernard Shaw (Vic again, otherwise also known as being in the opening scene of the 1979 move The Seduction of Joe Tynan. The movie opens with a distant shot of the Washington Memorial, then a sole jogger crosses the screen. Sitting in the theater, I immediately recognized it was Vic . . . ]

Everything is funny, as long as it’s happening to somebody else. ~ Will Rogers (Dennis outfield, Bill 2nd base.)

It is a scientific fact that your body will not absorb cholesterol if you take it from another person’s plate. ~ Dave Barry (Terry pitching, Tom leftfield.)

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

If you think you have it tough, read history books. ~ Bill Maher (Bill batting.)

I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific. ~ Lily Tomlin (Chris batting.)

Every time something pops in my head, I think twice about it and I do it anyway. ~ Gilbert Gottfried

Let Canada have hockey. If they beat us in obesity, then I’ll start to worry. ~ Jimmy Kimmel

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

Confidence is 10% work and 90% delusion. ~ Tina Fey (Bill scores.)

I’m not for everyone. I’m barely for me. ~ Marc Maron (Tom on bases.)

A day without sunshine is like, you know, night. ~ Steve Martin (Tom scores.)

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

I didn’t give you the finger, you earned it. ~ Bill Murray (Dennis & Bill.)

I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying. ~ Woody Allen (Arlen & Gary.)

Sports are the reason I am out of shape. I watch them all on TV. ~ Thomas Sowell (Craig catching.)

If your parents never had children, chances are… neither will you. ~ Dick Cavett (Bill & Vic)

A bargain is something you don’t need at a price you can’t resist. ~ Franklin Jones (Terry, Tom & Chris.)

Love conquers all things except poverty and toothache. ~ Mae West

[This was pretty much the end of the purple and yellow uniforms era . . . ]

[About half of this group moved on to the next stage . . . ]

[This was in era when playground tennis was at its peak. These courts were right next to our softball fields, so we occasionally participated here after a game. I seem to recall that monolith in the distant background . . . ]

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

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

[The “new” uniforms for the pre-1985 Champs . . . ]

[And then the 1985 Champs. It was becoming a regularity . . . ]

I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact. ~ Elon Musk

[Scorecard: front, l-r: Lowell, Eddie G, Tito, Penny, Jim, Fitz; back, l-r: Uncle Dick (sitting), Craig, James, Ed Kaz (league commissioner), Hamp, Bob, Don, Terry, Tom, me, Bill . . . ]

[1986 Champs]

[Jim and Ruth Anne]

[Uncle Dick]

[A cheerleader]

[Alex and Brigette]

[Bill – and in our respective retirements have joined our respective “supervisors” on tours of the world . . . ]

[Lowell]

[1988 Champs]

[1992 Champs, still with access to the Ellipse fields . . . ]

A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt (Lowell in the outfield.)

A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing. ~ Emo Philips (Hamp, Richard, and James visit with a member of the loyal opposition.)

Friends are people who know you really well and like you anyway. ~ Greg Tamblyn (Game over, time to par-tay.)

[1994 Champions]

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

[Front, l-r: Lowell, Tito, Eddie G, Todd, me, Hamp, Vicente; back, l-r: Edgar, Jerry, Tim, Terry, James.]

People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do. ~ Isaac Asimov (My Brother’s Place was across the street from the Department – occasional socializing took place there.)

[Beginning coverage by the Cub Reporter . . . ]

[Or about the Cub Reporter in the early years . . . ]

[And the somewhat later college yearrs . . . ]

[Hitting the Big Time, on Sunday, August 27, 1995, the Mavericks made the front page (not the sports page) of the Washington Post . . . ]

[After one wraps up their athletic careers in softball and golf, one . . . ]

[See the group above . . . ]

RIP James, it was a pleasure to have known you . . .

Ah, the Princeton-Harvard game. Today’s winner earns the right to create disastrous foreign policy. ~ @OldHossRadbourn

The Kentucky Derby is coming up. This year, the horses may be subjected to a surprise drug test. Isn’t everything a surprise to a horse, though? ~ David Letterman

You forgive people. We built Nixon a library. ~ Doc Rivers

I’d like to apologize Jazz fans that were offended by my tweets. If I knew you guys had internet in Utah I would’ve never made those tweets. ~ Vernon Maxwell

Up Next: Winter sports . . .

November 6

I ask people why they have deer heads on their walls. They always say it’s such a beautiful animal. There you go. I think my mother is attractive, but I have photographs of her. ~ Ellen DeGeneres

Deer season opened. For the time being, I would not recommend long, slow walks in the woods. Hunting season produces hunting widows. They can be seen around and about at such venues as Carlos Creek Winery. We forgot all about that as we arrived to a large crowd of folks on the premises on Saturday – we were there for our second consecutive weekend as audience for Elsa Lee . . .

Marriage is a hunting permit that entitles you to only one dear at a time. ~ Vikrant Parsai

[But first, our football Cardinals beat Bemidji, 43 – 35, on Friday night to win the section title and a trip to the state tournement . . . ]

[And Ruthie’s “Missing U at . . . ” FB photo of Elsa on Saturday . . . ]

[And the Super’s usual “tip” for playing Elton John’s “Border Song” . . . ]

Men should think twice before making widow hood woman’s only path to power. ~ Gloria Steinem

Vegetarian – that’s an old Indian word meaning ‘lousy hunter’. ~ Andy Rooney

[As you may recall, we were here the previous weekend with a whole bunch of folks, most Class of ’65ers. We thought that would be the last weekend for outdoor music – we left after 2 hours of Elsa’s 3-hour session. She moved inside for her last hour. (Photo looking at the grape vines on the other side of Co. Rd. 34.)

[Well, this weekend was even lovelier. The temperature was in the low 60’s, people were out and about in short sleeves, and we stayed with Elsa outside for the full 3 hours . . . ]

[Grapes looking to get a head start on next season?]

[The leaves are mostly gone but the grass is still green . . . ]

[Just a beautiful autumn afternoon . . . ]

Since I’ve got on the internet, it’s opened a whole world of wasted time for me. My wife says she’s an internet widow. ~ Mick Ralphs

A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle. ~ Gloria Steinem

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

[Because it was Hunting Widows weekend, there were several drawings for door pizes . . . ]

[I won a door, proof of which is at the bottom of this missive . . . ]

We must plant the sea and herd its animals using the sea as farmers instead of hunters. That is what civilization is all about – farming replacing hunting. ~ Jacques Yves Cousteau

Making fun of born-again Christians is like hunting dairy cows with a high powered rifle and scope. ~ P. J. O’Rourke

If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun. ~ Beyonce

[We were subsequently joined by friends from the previous weekend. We had advised then that John (in photo) and Helen were both Class of ’65ers from other schools – John was Minnetonka, and Helen was Class of ’66 from Golden Valley High School, which in a 1980 merger became Hopkins. Lest you were keeping score at home . . . ]

Behind every great man, there is a surprised woman. ~ Maryon Pearson

The way humans hunt for parking and the way animals hunt for food are not as different as you might think. ~ Tom Vanderbilt

The truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off. ~ Gloria Steinem

Go girl, seek happy nights to happy days. ~ William Shakespeare

I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bi**h. You’ve got to go out and kick ass. ~ Mae West

Parting is such sweet sorrow. ~ Shakespeare

[I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a line of trees . . . ]

[The long Minnesota good-bye . . . ]

[Oh yeah, about that door prize . . . ]

[Thank you, CCW!]

Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale. ~ Lauren DeStefano

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

Up Next: The aforementioned girls hockey game?

November 4

At the time we’re stuck in it, like hostages locked in a Turkish bath, high school seems the most serious business in the world to just about all of us. It’s not until the second or third class reunion that we start realizing how absurd the whole thing was. ~ Stephen King

[This was the second week of Merill’s 100th birthday celebration. Here the Boys of ’65, with spouses, went to lunch in what was obviously a lovely late October day in Minnesota. (Photo by Tom’s (far right) wife Pam at Lure Lakebar.)]

This dress exacerbates the genetic betrayal that is my legacy. ~ Janeane Garofalo

October 30

[OK, let’s let everyone in on the picture, with Mayo & Linda, Bradley, me & Ruthie, Merill & Tom (also by Pam) . . . ]

[Waiting for food at Lure Lakebar . . . ]

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

[Why yes, we all did a big kick out of Mayo’s big weenie . . . ]

[Looking good at 100! (Well his birthday was actually a couple days later on November 2.)]

Without a reunion, the Eagles are forever young, like James Dean. ~ Glenn Frey

We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be. ~ Kurt Vonnegut

[Pam gets to be in the photo . . . ]

People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day. ~ A. A. Milne

Stand firm in your refusal to remain conscious during algebra. In real life, I assure you, there is no such thing as algebra. ~ Fran Lebowitz

[And then the tour group moved on to Carlos Creek Winery . . . ]

[We were there for a little outdoor music with Elsa Lee. I told everyone to dress for a football game. Although the temperature was actually in the low 50’s, it grew cloudy with a stiff wind out of the northwest . . . ]

[Nevertheless, smiles were coaxed . . . ]

[With the aforementioned Elsa Lee, Ruthie always puts bread in her jar when she sings Elton John’s “Border Song”. We were joined in the foreground by fellow music aficionado Deb . . .]

If at first you don’t succeed then skydiving definitely isn’t for you. ~ Steven Wright

[Mayo was perfectly positioned to be asked to shoot group photos . . . ]

[So, I may as well shoot them . . . ]

I had a terrible education. I attended a school for emotionally disturbed teachers. ~ Woody Allen

[Then the coven arrived . . . ]

[I believe they had already tapped into a watch’s brew . . . ]

[And Mayo was once again called in to perform photographic duties . . . ]

The trouble with class reunions is that old flames have become even older. ~ Doug Larson

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

[“How would you like to buy this 1954 low-mileage Studebaker from me?”]

[And upclose with Elsa . . . ]

[The “bandstand” had heaters and windbreaks which a piano player appreciates . . . ]

Many people have asked me why there are three pedals in these grand pianos. Well the pedal in the middle is there to separate the two other pedals. ~  Victor Borge

Over the piano was printed a notice: ‘Please do not shoot the pianist. He is doing his best’. ~  Oscar Wilde

[More people have joined the party; Ruthie positions them accordingly . . . ]

Musical compositions, it should be remembered, do not inhabit certain countries, certain museums, like paintings and statues. The Mozart Quintet is not shut up in Salzburg: I have it in my pocket. ~  Henri Rabaud

The piano ain’t got no wrong notes. ~  Thelonious Monk

I always make sure that the lid over the keyboard is open before I start to play. ~  Artur Schnabel

[No, really, 50 degrees can be quite chilly . . . ]

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

Ruthie was also having a full day behind the camera. The next series is hers . . .

Some students drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle. ~ E.C. McKenzie

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

The four most beautiful words in our common language: I told you so. ~ Gore Vidal

[Dave and Karin were also Class of ’65ers, but not in Alex. Dave was in Alex from 7th – 9th grades, and remembers a guy named Deleski . . . ]

[Flush with cash from the sale of the Studebaker, they were ready to par-tay . . . ]

[Joined by two more Class of 65ers, John & Helen on the left (like Karin, Twin Cities grads), and Paul & Deb . . . ]

Figures tell us there are already more people on earth than we need to move even the heaviest piano. ~ Woody Allen

When you play, never mind who listens to you. ~ Robert Schumann

The music is not in the notes, but in the silence in between. ~ Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

A football team is like a piano. You need eight men to carry it and three who can play the damn thing. ~ Bill Shankly

Opera is when a guy gets stabbed in the back and, instead of bleeding, he sings. ~ Robert Benchley

Playing the trumpet and piano took practice. I thought that was a waste of time. I’d go out on the street corner and be funny. In a minute. ~ George Carlin

OK, I’ll finish up with Elsa . . .

Maybe one day I can have a reunion with myself. ~ Sebastian Bach

Life would be tragic if it weren’t funny. ~ Stephen Hawking

I can win an argument on any topic, against any opponent. People know this and steer clear of me at parties. Often, as a sign of their great respect, they don’t even invite me. ~ Dave Barry

Up Next: Elsa’s at the winery again this weekend . . .

October 23

Aging can be fun if you lay back and enjoy it. ~ Clint Eastwood, age 91

Wrinkles only show where smiles have been. ~ Mark Twain, ageless

Merill is the one remaining parental unit of the four guys who hung out together during our Alexandria school years. His life story is told herein by his family. Through the years we have had a lot of fun with him – the four of us usually get together with him on his continuing run of birthdays. His next goal is 110 . . .

Get the damn vaccine! ~ Me, age 74

[As a result of a misunderstanding occasioned regularly by our forgetfulness of detail, we appeared an hour early for the birthday party. We were told to just go take a ride. So, Ruthie, Bradley, and I hied out to Theatre L’Homme Dieu to check on the goings-on there. In less than 2 weeks many trees (many dead or dying) have been felled to make way for the future . . . ]

[Then we drove north on Co. Rd. 11, which was absolutely flush with color. The narrow tree lined road made stopping for photos difficult. We continued on to Co. Rd. 5, turned west to Co. Rd. 34 where we headed south toward town, past the winery where an Oktobest Festival was in full swing, and then as we approached the Lakes Darling and Carlos bridge, we came across the red maple driveway we’ve been waiting to burst out . . . ]

Is not this a true autumn day? Just the still melancholy that I love—that makes life and nature harmonize. ~ George Eliot

The story of Merill . . .

[At Big Daddy’s party venue, classmate Brad is on the left, while Ruthie visits with Merill and his oldest son, Jerry (Alex class of ’63) . . . ]

[Classmate Tom (Merill’s younger son), with his sons Thomas, on the left, and Steven . . . ]

The Boys of the Class of ’65 then . . .

And now (well, 6 years ago) . . .

[Meanwhile, back at the party site guests are beginning to file in . . . ]

[The buffet table – the posters on the wall appear toward the bottom of this missive . . . ]

[Class of ’65er Mayo arrives and shakes hands with Tom’s son Steven . . . ]

Ruthie, you moved . . .

That’s better!

[Well, if I temporarily have to give up my throne, I will do it for Merill . . . ]

The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes. ~ Frank Lloyd Wright, ageless

[The King for a Century on his throne . . . ]

[Long live the king!]

[Son Tom reads a congratulatory letter to Merill from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz . . . ]

[Eldest son Jerry reads a proclamation from Alexandria Mayor Bobbie Osterberg naming November 2 officially Merill Kiehne Day . . . ]

Aging seems to be the only available way to live a long life. ~ Kitty O’Neill Collins, age 121(?)

What has happened in Merill’s lifetime (compiled by spouses Pam and Tom) . . .

Pizza is going to support a whole generation of cardiologists! ~ Dr. Leila Denmark, age 114

I try not to make a big fuss over things. I always said, ‘This too shall pass.’ ~ Barbara Brody, age102

You have to be lucky, but I made the best of things when bad things happened. I also ate prunes every single day. ~ Morris Lensky, age 101

If it can be fixed, fix it! ~ Anne Lomedico, age 104

Sleep well and have a Bailey’s Irish Cream before bed if you have a cold. ~ Helen Mulligan, age 101

It is very important to have a widespread curiosity about life. ~ Irving Kahn, 106

Do not grow old no matter how long you live. Never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we were born. ~ Albert Einstein, ageless

One of the few advantages to not being beautiful is that one usually gets better-looking as one gets older. I am, in fact, at this very moment gaining my looks. ~ Nora Ephron, ageless

How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? ~ Satchel Paige, ageless

You show me anyone who’s lived to over seventy and you show me a fighter—someone who’s got the will to live. ~ Agatha Christie, ageless (Editor’s note: But in my case, I can only blame pure dumb luck.)

The best part of the art of living is to know how to grow old gracefully. ~ Eric Hoffer, ageless

One, you gotta have good genes; two, you gotta be god damned lucky for 100 years. And three: Try not to eat anything that’s healthy. It’s true. I eat whatever I want. The secret to longevity is ice cream. ~ Paul Marcus, age 103

Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been. ~ David Bowie, age 74

WTF? ~ Me, age, same as Bowie

Up Next: The Boys of ’65 and attendant coterie will party up next weekend . . .

October 18

. . . and those words would be “Elsa” and “CLSO” on a beautiful mid-October weekend in Minnesota . . .

Summer makes me drowsy. Autumn makes me sing. Winter’s pretty lousy, but I hate Spring. ~ Dorothy Parker.

October, the extravagant sister, has ordered an immense amount of the most gorgeous forest tapestry for her grand reception. ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes.

October 16

[Elsa Lee’s “Missing U at Carlos Creek Winery” photo by the Supervisor . . . ]

[She created some new fans this weekend which is great because she’ll be at the winery pretty much every other Saturday for the rest of the year . . . ]

There’s nothing remarkable about it. All one has to do is hit the right keys at the right time and the instrument plays itself. ~ Johann Sebastian Bach

I’m an interpreter of stories. When I perform it’s like sitting down at my piano and telling fairy tales. ~ Nat King Cole

When I had nothing else, I had my mother and the piano. And you know what? They were all I needed. ~ Alicia Keys

Life is like a piano. What you get out of it depends on how you play it. ~ Tom Lehrer

[Suffering fans in the 50-degree weather . . . ]

There are eighty-eight keys on a piano and within that, an entire universe. ~ James Rhodes

[Still suffering . . . ]

I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music. ~ Albert Einstein 

Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. ~ Plato

I believe in using the entire piano as a single instrument capable of expressing every possible musical idea. ~ Oscar Peterson

The piano’s world encompasses glass-nerved virtuosi and stomping barrel-housers in fedoras; it is a world of pasture and storm, of perfumed smoke, of liquid mathematics. ~ Kenneth Miller

Without a piano I don’t know how to stand, don’t know what to do with my hands. ~ Norah Jones

When you play, never mind who listens to you. ~ Robert Schumann

The best players are on the bench. ~ Anonymous Unknown

[The flames on the left were at the request of her audience . . . ]

As for the piano, the faster her fingers flew over it, the more he marveled. She struck the keys with aplomb and ran from one end of the keyboard to the other without a stop. ~ Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary

A woman sings at the piano, and the poet is carried back to his childhood. ~ DH Lawrence

October 17

And we were back at the winery the very next day for . . .

No technology comes close to the effect of a live symphony orchestra. ~ John de Lancie

[An affair to remember . . . ]

[With fine linens and things . . . ]

I am sure my music has a taste of codfish in it. ~ Edvard Grieg

The sound of the orchestra is one of the most magnificent musical sounds that has ever existed. ~ Chick Corea

[OK, it’s also a fundraiser – this year needing new chairs for the orchestra and a projector for the high school’s Performing Arts Center . . . ]

[With such as these auction items . . . ]

[Where large stringed instruments go to die?]

[Maestro Brad Lambrecht and the Central Lakes Symphony Orchestra . . . ]

A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd. ~ Max Lucado

How could you have a soccer team if all were goalkeepers? How would it be an orchestra if all were French horns? ~ Desmond Tutu

[CLSO board member Jim in the foreground; Echo Press Editor “you can call me Al” in the background . . . ]

Say, “CLSO” . . .

Orchestras are like people. They’re the sonic embodiment of their community. ~ Simon Rattle

When I was growing up, there were no women in orchestras. Auditioners thought they could tell the difference between a woman playing and a man. Some intelligent person devised a simple solution: Drop a curtain between the auditioners and the people trying out. And, lo and behold, women began to get jobs in symphony orchestras. ~ Ruth Bader Ginsburg

[All energetically engaged in the Alexandria entertainment scene . . . ]

[Jim and the Maestro cutting it up during intermission . . . ]

The role of an orchestra in the 21st century isn’t just playing, it’s about developing future audiences and performers. ~ Leonard Slatkin

Sometimes there is a 36-piece orchestra going off in my stomach. ~ Willie Nelson

One time I introduced my orchestra as the Shampoo Music Makers instead of the Champagne Music Makers. ~ Lawrence Welk

With an orchestra you are building citizens, better citizens for the community. ~ Gustavo Dudamel

[One-half of the noted Donahue family of violinists . . . ]

[“Slide,” noted CLSO trombonist, also known to have shared a locker room with members of the Fat Boys Walking Club . . . ]

[Appears to have been a crash landing . . . ]

It’s like a whole orchestra, the piano for me. ~ Dave Brubeck

I can’t stand going out to one more dinner with some Mrs. So-and-So who might leave a million dollars to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra when she dies. ~ Daniel Barenboim (Editor’s note: Please advise Mrs. So-and-So I’m available for dinner on behalf of the CLSO.)

Up Next: Bunch o’ stuff coming up . . .

October 13

. . . since the last time I was in the high school gymnasiums for sporting events. Inspired this time by the Cardinal volleyball team which has a 13 – 1 record and is ranked 7th in the state. The generic ‘we’ were hosting the Spuds from Moorhead. It drew the largest crowd for a match I can recall in a long time – some of the Fat Boys even showed up . . .

October 9

OK, now that I’ve drawn you in with a bit of sleight of hand, first we’re going share an afternoon with Erik Schultz at Carlos Creek Winery. He drew a big crowd of regulars and even some folks we ain’t seen for a while. It was lovely autumn day – we all stayed till they ‘turned out the lights.’ This is the Super’s “Missing U at . . . ” photo for FB . . .

[On the road to the winery, we keep waiting for these red maples to completely turn . . . ]

[An apparition appeared at the winery – it appeared to be the ghost of John Muir . . . ]

I never saw a discontented tree. They grip the ground as though they liked it, and though fast rooted they travel about as far as we do. ~ John Muir

It requires wisdom to understand wisdom: the music is nothing if the audience is deaf. ~ Walter Lippmann

Always make the audience suffer as much as possible. ~ Alfred Hitchcock

If I can go from burglar for the government to talk show host, you can go from entertainer to congressman. ~ G. Gordon Liddy

I’m a performer, comedian, entertainer, writer and director. ~ William Shatner (Editor’s note: . . . and now astronaut.)

Nearly everything I do is part of a master plan to make me the most important entertainer in the world. ~ Bobby Darin

[Andy’s folks!]

[Occasionally considered acceptable in public if they’ve taken their meds . . . ]

October 12

OK, now the volleyball part . . .

[The lineup. I generally remember the players from year-to-year, but it’s been 2 1/2 years . . . ]

[For the first time in recent memory, the team has several players of significant altitude above the gym floor . . . ]

[This is what I would call a significant crowd . . . ]

[These Cardinals are 5’11”, 6′, 6′, 6’1″, 6’2″, and 6’5″, which makes them significantly taller than the boys basketball team my senior year . . . ]

[Addie Boesl (9), 5’11” senior, who had relatives sitting next me (Nancy and Rich, if you’re keeping score at home) . . . ]

In ninth grade, I came up with a new form of rebellion. I hadn’t been getting good grades, but I decided to get all A’s without taking a book home. I didn’t go to math class, because I knew enough and had read ahead, and I placed within the top 10 people in the nation on an aptitude exam. ~ Bill Gates

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

I think we should bring up our children with much less pressure to compete and get ahead: no comparing one child with another, at home or in school; no grades. Let athletics be primarily for fun, and let them be organized by children and youths themselves. ~ Benjamin Spock

[We all thought Maddi Buysse (10), 6′ sophomore, was a very impressive spiker . . . ]

Girls are more academically powerful. They make the grades, they run the student activities, they are the valedictorians. ~ Christina Hoff Sommers

I was told that I had to give grades to the students, which I wasn’t particularly interested in doing. ~ Merce Cunningham

[This is the start of a series, a spike by the Spuds through an attempted block by the Cardinals:]

[The spiker for the Spuds is Annie Horan (2), a 6’1″ freshman . . . ]

[On the Cardinal side, we have a virtual clone in Hadley Thul (4), also a 6’1″ freshman . . . ]

I’d rather regret the risks that didn’t work out than the chances I didn’t take at all. ~ Simone Biles

Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back… play for her. ~  Mia Hamm

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

Being nervous is not something you should be ashamed of. Nervous means you care, you really want to do well. ~ Paula Creamer

The ultimate goal should be doing your best and enjoying it. ~ Peggy Fleming

Being a woman . . . is merely a good excuse not to play football. ~ Fran Lebowitz

I don’t believe for a second that weightlifting is a sport. They pick a thing up and put it back down. To me, that’s indecision. ~ Paula Poundstone

[Is it . . . ]

[OUT?]

Golf is an exercise in Scottish pointlessness for people who are no longer able to throw telephone poles at each other. ~ Florence King

[Miss Boesl, again . . . ]

[This is Cora Larson (8), 5’7″ senior, who in her spare time . . . ]

[Plays on the state champion Cardinal golf team . . .. ]

[Science, and spy agencies, have been baffled through the ages over what actually happens in a huddle?]

[Kiya Issendorf (2), 5’11” junior, started game 2 serving for 7 straight points . . . ]

[The aforementioned Hadley Thul. Hate to put this on anyone, but I suspect she is going to be a very good basketball player . . . ]

Somewhere in the contract of the male columnist it is written that once a year he must wax poetic and philosophic about baseball, making it sound like a cross between the Kirov and Zen Buddhism. ~ Anna Quindlen

[Ms. Larson, again . . . ]

‘Strictly Come Dancing‘ is proper, serious, intelligent sport. Unlike football, which is some petty form of light entertainment. ~ Viv Groskop (Editor’s note: Yes, that is Senator Bill in the background in the red t-shirt.)

Ferries have stopped transporting live animals  to the Continent. This has made it very difficult for England football fans to get to away matches. ~ Jo Brand

[Game 2 is completed . . . ]

[The Cards were up 2 – 0 in games, but the Spuds threw a scare by winning game 3 . . . ]

Never limit yourself, never be satisfied, and smile… It’s free! ~ Jennie Finch 

[The game, and match, point . . . ]

[Meet you at the top . . . ]

[It drops in for the Cards . . . ]

[The Cards played their best in this final game and won the match 3 – 1.]

Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future. ~ Niels Bohr

Let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children. ~ Sitting Bull

Up Next: More volleyball?

October 3

Wild is the music of the autumnal winds amongst the faded woods. ~ William Wordsworth

We’re into the first week of October now. The temperature was in the mid-70’s under a bright blue sky making one wonder why would anyone want to live any where else? The trees are still a week or so away from full color, but it was pretty enough today. Seemed like a perfect day to drive eight miles straight north to our local state park . . .

If I were a bird, I would fly about the Earth seeking the successive autumns. ~ George Eliot.

[We drove into Lakeview Group Camp, where we spent an overnight with a group of friends a few years ago. We wandered around a bit, then walked the Hidden Lake Trail. The Super registered over 10,000 steps, so we got our walk in . . . ]

[On the way to the park, we took our usual route toward Carlos Creek Winery. This is a driveway along the way that is lined with red maples on both sides. Still waiting for full colors . . . ]

[Sights along Co. Rd. 34 . . . ]

[Co. Rd. 34 now heading north of the winery . . . ]

[The Super arrives at our parking spot with semi-Hidden Lake in the background . . . ]

[The cottage where we once overnighted . . . ]

[A Lake Carlos overlook . . . ]

[Looking south on Lake Carlos . . . ]

[The Carlos Marina on the NE side of the lake . . . ]

[Still in the Lakeview Group Camp . . . ]

[Baby bass basking in the clear water morning sun . . . ]

[And now hitting the trail . . . ]

[This tree surprisingly was still alive and full of “fun guys” . . . ]

[A fine example of modern art . . . ]

[Ditto . . . ]

[Where corn dogs are grown . . . ]

[On Co. Rd. 42, heading home . . . ]

[And that’s what it’s all about!]

Summer makes me drowsy. Autumn makes me sing. Winter’s pretty lousy, but I hate Spring. ~ Dorothy Parker

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

Up Next: New toilets?

September 26

Football teams represent cities and colleges and schools. The people have built great stadiums, and the game is culturally intertwined with our calendar. We don’t go back to college for the college. We go back for a football game, and, yes, we even call that ‘homecoming.’ ~ Frank Deford

This was our (the Super joined me) our first appearance at a live Cardinal athletic event since March 2019 with our girls basketball team at the state tournament in Williams Arena. We remember walking out of the arena, with our friend and Alex 1965 homecoming queen Kathy Skadsberg (we first watched the Hopkins girls team because her granddaughter started for them), thinking that all further games would be shut down that night. They were . . .

Before the Colts arrived 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

September 24

So, the Super and I tried to get the booster vaccine this day at our clinic. We were told “no” (we’re still too young?). So, we checked with a local drug store and got an appointment for Monday. Apparently the medical underground leapt into action for our clinic called back and said they could give us the booster that afternoon! The whole city was so excited about that, they staged a big parade! Yes, this very afternoon!

[We missed the start of the parade, and thus the homecoming royalty, because we were getting the booster. For as some wag said when asked why he was wearing a mask, “It’s an IQ test” . . . ]

People crown kings and queens at homecoming parades all the time. We do a lot of things in our society that are simply symbolic. ~ Danny K. Davis

[“Da band” . . . ]

[Having a great season and just came off beating a previously unbeaten team . . . ]

[It’s become the parade of choice in Alexandria . . . ]

They say the neon (stop) lights are bright on Broadway . . . ~ Barry Mann / Cynthia Weil / Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller

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

I’m still passionately interested in what my fellow humans are up to. For me, a day spent monitoring the passing parade is a day well-spent. ~ Garry Trudeau

Campaign behavior for wives: Always be on time. Do as little talking as humanly possible. Lean back in the parade car so everybody can see the president. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

[Well known man-about-town, bon vivant, retired teacher, retired bartender, retired B&B owner . . . ]

I tell you, if you’re in the front row of the parade and you stop walking, pretty soon you’re back in the tuba section. And if you want to lead the parade you’ve got to keep moving. ~ Phil McGraw

[Girls swim and dive team (I read their sign) . . . ]

[The other side of their sign . . . ]

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

[It’s nice to see “the kids” come back . . . ]

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

[Wrestling team (I read their sign) . . . ]

[Nice float, cool signs, but I don’t know who there are?]

[Boys soccer – I seem to recall they “won” best float . . . ]

[They are having a terrific season as well . . . ]

We will always have STEM with us. Some things will drop out of the public eye and will go away, but there will always be science, engineering, and technology. And there will always, always be mathematics. ~ Katherine Johnson

Today’s advanced STEM graduate could be tomorrow’s world-class, world-changing scientist. ~ Todd Park

[Deserving extended coverage – Mu Alpha Theta, anyone?]

[The girls cross country team is always highly ranked in the state . . . ]

[Of course, the parents have issues . . . ]

[New shoes are needed constantly!]

[I think that was Beetlejuice . . . ]

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

It’s a good day when a goddess gets on the school-bus with you. ~ Barry Lyga

[The volleyball team has been outstanding . . . ]

Volleyball is not like a formula so we must give players some freedom. ~ Karch Kiraly

Every volleyball player is a little bit psychopath, there are no normal people who would want to voluntarily dedicate their life to this sport. ~ Plamen Konstantinov, Bulgarian Coach

Football combines two of the worst things in American life. It is violence punctuated by committee meetings. ~  George Will

[Check out the size of these players . . . ]

[Versus the size of these players . . . ]

[Having arrived at the game, purchased our $5.00 dinner of a pulled pork sandwich, bag o’ chips, and bottle of water, we prepared for the arrival of the football team. It was beautiful, mid-50’s, strong wind – the Super was frozen by game’s end . . . ]

Our Cards were physically over-matched (check the weight charts on the rosters) but gave it a great run. The Spuds were undefeated Class 5A state champs last year and are undefeated this year. I think the Spuds running backs were bigger than our linemen, and that size mismatch really wore us down in the 2nd half. I came away with a new appreciation for Cardinal quarterback, Carter Steffensmeier . . .

[The Cards take the field . . . ]

You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time. ~ Donald Rumsfeld

In football, everything is complicated by the presence of the opposite team. ~ Jean-Paul Satre

[The kickoff. If there was one area where the Cardinals had a clear advantage over the Spuds, it was in the kicking game. The Cards have two good place kickers – Daniel Jackson on kickoffs, and Miles Sansted for field goals and PAT’s (he warmed up during the half kicking 50-yard FG’s). For punting, the Spuds always did pooch kicks, not wanting to give Kristen Hoskins a chance to return . . . ]

If a man watches three football games in a row, he should be declared legally dead. ~ Erma Bombeck

[The Cards scored first after a Spuds turnover . . . ]

We can’t run. We can’t pass. We can’t stop the run. We can’t stop the pass. We can’t kick. Other than that, we’re just not a very good football team right now. ~ Bruce Coslet

[The Cards could not run inside all game – our 200-pound linemen trying to block their 300-pound linemen . . . ]

You never lose a game if the opponent doesn’t score. ~ Darrell Royal

Football practice – – where men are men and necks are nothing. ~ Sam Taylor

It’s a no-win game for us. Although I suppose we can win by winning. ~ Gary Doherty

[Brain trust and players from the 2001 Cardinal team. Head coach Denny Kalpin on the left; Roger Johnson, member of the Fat Boys Walking Club, next to Kalpin . . . ]

I like football. I find its an exciting strategic game. Its a great way to avoid conversation with your family at Thanksgiving. ~ Craig Ferguson

[Yup, a wild and exciting 1st quarter . . . ]

[The 2001 team awaiting halftime ceremonies . . . ]

[The wild game continued . . . ]

[Kristen Hoskins had two long TD receptions in the half . . . ]

[The Spuds never kicked to him. Next year he’ll be a Gopher. They appear to need him immediately . . . ]

The beautiful moments of football might be rare, but it is not surprising that they get a disproportionately large share of the attention. ~ Stephen Mumford

[Although it was a halfback handoff on this play, the only way to Cards could martriculate the ball down the field on the ground was when QB Carter Steffensmeier ran keepers or if Hoskins ran sweeps (generally turning them back to go the opposite direction) . . . ]

Football: A sport that bears the same relation to education that bullfighting does to agriculture. ~ Elbert Hubbard

You have to play this game like somebody just hit your mother with a two-by-four. ~ Dan Birdwell

Football is, after all, a wonderful way to get rid of your aggressions without going to jail for it. ~ Heywood Hale Braun

I’m the football coach around here and don’t you remember it. ~ Bill Peterson.

[The hardest pass to complete is the receiver running parallel to and behind the line of scrimmage . . . ]

[Steffensmeier and Hoskins prove . . . ]

[Such is true. But these two did all they could to keep the Cards in the game . . . ]

I may be dumb, but I’m not stupid. ~ Terry Bradshaw

It’s ridiculous for a country to get all worked up about a game—except the Super Bowl, of course. Now that’s important. ~ Andy Rooney

It’s an unprecedented precedent. ~ Clark Carlisle.

[This play is a keeper touchdown by QB Steffensmeier (11) . . . ]

This helicopter flies overhead, probably taking pictures, and McMahon just moons it. He mooned the helicopter from the field. ~ William Perry.

We didn’t tackle well today but we made up for it by not blocking. ~ John McKay

The qualifications for a lineman are to be big and dumb. To be a back, you only have to be dumb. ~ Knute Rockne

I give the same halftime speech over and over. It works best when my players are better than the other coach’s players. ~ Chuck Mills

[Touchdown!]

[The Cardinal offensive linemen on this play weigh, respectively from the left: 245, 175, 213, and 185. The guy they were trying to block all game, No. 74, weighs 300 and will be playing for the Vikings some day . . . ]

[At the half, a very exciting game – the Cards were hanging in with big plays. The Spuds had a kickoff return for a TD and a pick-6 interception return . . . ]

[This also marked the 20th anniversary of the Cardinals great 2001 team. That was our first year in retirement back to Alex, so I thought this team was quite a treat.  We had several game breakers, almost any play could go all the way.  We went down to the game against Cretin-Durham Hall in St. Paul (we beat them in the tournament again the next year in Alex – they always had about 8 D1 players on their team).]

[Our QB, Keith Eckhoff (2nd from right), had a good basketball career at Concordia; our halfback, Brandon Strouth (in the middle, red jacket), started as the running back for North Dakota all 4 years; and wide receiver, Kyle Gearman (red jacket far right), starred at St. John’s, was recruited by Michigan State, got a try out with the Steelers, and worked summers at the AGC when “Weakie” was club president.]

Because homecoming came first, and there was the homecoming court. The five guys on homecoming court were disqualified from being in the prom court. So being prom king was being sixth most popular. ~ Andy Richter

[The “court” . . . ]

Remember that 1st game against Cretin-Durham Hall?

Remember that 2nd game against Cretin-Durham Hall?

Whadya have for breakfast this morning?

[I think we blocked 3 extra points and they missed on a 2-point attempt. The Cards had 2 long plays to begin the 2nd half but lost a fumble after the 2nd one. Moorhead controlled the rest of the game from then. It would have been interesting if we had scored on that 1st series if anything would have changed. Moorhead just wore us down with a big ground game and won 37 – 31 . . . ]

I never graduated from Iowa, but I was only there for two terms: Truman’s and Eisenhower’s. ~ Alex Karras

If you’re mad at your kid, you can either raise him to be a nose tackle or send him out to go play on the freeway. It’s about the same. ~ Bob Golic

Up Next: Definitely not the Gophers . . .

September 22

The best kind of wine is that which is most pleasant to him who drinks it. ~ Pliny the Elder (Editor’s note: I’ve always preferred “the Elder” to “the Younger”)

The annual event at Carlos Creek Winery which marks the harvest season for grapes plucked to be stomped upon. This stomping action is the initial process of making wine because whole grapes do not fit in a wine bottle. If they were making quacamole, they would harvest avocados to be peeled, sliced and diced, and tread upon. But they don’t. They grow grapes. Thus a harvest season event entitled grape stomp seems appropriate. Further thus, I then should not have digressed . . .

More important than the food pairing is the person with whom you drink the wine. ~  Christian Moueix

September 17

[This a visual representatition of severe emotional distress (have bear spray available in his presence) – either that or it’s just someone trying to clear his adenoids . . . ]

[We began the Stomp with Anthony Miltich outside at the Marquette Stage . . . ]

Age appears to be best in four things; old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read. ~ Francis Bacon

[Time for a stroll around the property – to see what’s up, what’s down, what’s hot, and what’s cold . . . ]

[Why yes, it is a bit of a fair . . . ]

I have even written a book about Wine called The Grapes of Ralph. ~ Ralph Steadman

I’ve been into the habit of freezing white grapes and using them as a snack. Instead of eating peanuts or popcorn or something like that or pretzels, I just eat the white grapes. ~ Mike Ditka

It’s true, some wine improves with age. But only if the grapes were good in the first place. ~ Abigail Van Buren

Nuts don’t come in bunches. Only grapes do. ~ John Sanford

Grilling grapes may sound crazy, but the smoky, blistered char they get from a few minutes on the fire gives them a deep, winelike character. ~ Jonathan Miles

A hangover is the wrath of grapes. ~ Dorothy Parker

Men are like a fine wine. They all start out like grapes, and it’s our job to stomp on them and keep them in the dark until they mature into something you’d like to have dinner with. ~ Jill Shalvis

[Where the grape stomping occurs . . . ]

The tartness of his face sours ripe grapes. ~ William Shakespeare

Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried with fewer tensions and more tolerance. ~ Benjamin Franklin

I never ate of the grapes nor feared of the eruptions. ~ David O. Selznick

[Ain’t we got fun?]

Always keep a bottle of Champagne in the fridge for special occasions. Sometimes, the special occasion is that you’ve got a bottle of Champagne in the fridge. ~ Hester Browne

[The Super and Karin, following the script, run up to “put bread in my jar” for Anthony . . . ]

The grape gains its purple tinge by looking at another grape. ~ Juvenal

Beulah, peel me a grape. ~ Mae West

[A photo destined to forever be in demand by MOMA, the Louvre, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! The five greatest guitar players of all time assembled on this date at the Grape Stomp at Carlos Creek Winery on the outskirts of Alexandria, Minnesota . . . ]

[From l-r: Erik Schultz, Jeff James, Robb Justice, Dave Berg, and Anthony Miltich. This rarity is forecast likely to not happen again until the next passing of Halley’s Comet . . . ]

I will drink milk when cows eat grapes. ~  Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Fresh grapes and wine are perhaps the most luscious foods we mortals encounter during our sojourn here. ~ Jeff Cox

You know, when I was a kid, I always thought I’d grow up to be a hero. ~ Butch Cassidy

[Music and table mate, Karin, sought and obtained photographic revenge . . . ]

[The Super working on her “Missing U @ . . . ” photo for Anthony . . . ]

[And here it is . . . ]

[After three hours with Anthony, we went inside for further entertainment from Robb Justice . . . ]

Bring me wine, but wine which never grew in the belly of the grape. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

He who loves not women, wine, and song remains a fool his whole life long. ~ Martin Luther

What I do and what I dream include thee, as the wine must taste of its own grapes. ~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning

My goodness, everyone is planting grapes, even a neighbor with only five acres. ~ Doc Severinsen

The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. It is always about people. ~ Cesar Chavez

[Have shown an increasing penchant for enjoying wine at live music events . . . ]

One of the disadvantages of wine is that it makes a man mistake words for thoughts. ~ Samuel Johnson

Wine … offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than possibly any other purely sensory thing which may be purchased. ~ Ernest Hemingway

I am certain that the good Lord never intended grapes to be made into grape jelly. ~ Fiorello H. La Guardia

[Going home after day one . . . ]

Good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used. ~ William Shakespeare

The best Chateauneuf-du-Papes are among the most natural expressions of grapes, place and vintage. Chateauneuf-du-Pape vineyards are farmed organically or biodynamically, and the region’s abundant sunshine and frequent wind (called ‘le mistral’) practically preclude the need for treating the fields with herbicides or pesticides. ~ Robert M. Parker, Jr. (Editor’s note: Been there . . . )

September 19

[The last of three days of grape stomping . . . ]

[The Super did the “Missing U @ . . . ” photo above for Donny Brang, who was new to us . . . ]

[We found him quite enjoyable . . . ]

[Up next, the Salty Dogs. Guitar player Erik was the sound technician for the entire Stomp . . . ]

[Annie, Greg, Erik, and Tom . . . ]

Wine rejoices the heart of man and joy is the mother of all virtues. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Editor’s note: Beware of those whose names are longer than their quotes.)

Oh, my fellow men, do not defile your bodies with sinful foods. We have corn, we have apples bending down the branches with their weight, and grapes swelling on the vines. ~ Pythagoras

I drink to make other people more interesting. ~  Ernest Hemmingway

Be careful to trust a person who does not like wine. ~  Karl Marx

Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever. ~ Aristophanes

For when the wine is in, the wit is out. ~  Thomas Becon

We are the Pros from Dover and we figure to crack this kid’s chest and get out to golf course before it gets dark. So you go find the gas-passer and you have him pre-medicate this patient. Then bring me the latest pictures on him. The ones we saw must be 48 hours old by now. Then call the kitchen and have them rustle us up some lunch. ~ Trapper John

Either give me more wine or leave me alone. ~ Rumi

[Doing her famous “Missing U @ . . . ” for Facebook . . . ]

[The result of the Super’s photo excursion above . . . ]

[After our usual table mates left to walk Gracie, we were joined by other Alexandria A-listers . . . ]

The discovery of a wine is of greater moment than the discovery of a constellation. The universe is too full of stars. ~ Benjamin Franklin

[We partied on until the end of the show . . . ]

She gets to keep the chalet and the Rolls, I want the Montrachet. ~ Forbes Magazine

[When retired elementary school teachers cut loose . . . ]

Men are like wine – some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age. ~ Pope John XXIII

Wine is the most healthful and most hygienic of beverages. ~ Louis Pasteur

A gourmet meal without a glass of wine just seems tragic to me somehow. ~ Kathy Mattea

Age is just a number. It’s totally irrelevant unless, of course, you happen to be a bottle of wine. ~ Joan Collins

I can certainly see that you know your wine. Most of the guests who stay here wouldn’t know the difference between Bordeaux and Claret. ~ Basil Fawlty

Give me wine to wash me clean of the weather-stains of cares. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Let us have wine and women, mirth and laughter, sermons and soda water the day after. ~ Lord Byron

In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage. ~ John Steinbeck

And Noah he often said to his wife when he sat down to dine, “I don’t care where the water goes if it doesn’t get into the wine. ~ Gilbert K. Chesterton

Up Next: Remains to be seen . . . or thought of . . .