November 26

La Verkin

And now the trip to our ultimate destination for celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday . . .

[The trip from Las Vegas to Utah takes a more than scenic route on Interstate 15 . . . ]

[Unfortunately, this route is under assault by orange construction barrels and will apparently will continue to be so for several more years . . . ]

[La Verkin, population 4,060, is attached at the city limits to Hurricane (pronounced her-eh-cun), population 13,748, and are 18 miles NE of St. George, population 87,178 . . . ]

[Approaching Utah . . . ]

[And St. George . . . ]

[There’s St. George . . . ]

[We’ll stop here for breakfast . . . ]

[At a place where we had eaten on a previous trip . . . ]

[But the Painted Pony is not a breakfast place . . . ]

[So, we went to another place we had also previously darkened for food, George’s . . . ]

[And then we were welcomed to La Verkin . . . ]

[The Super, having been here before, knew to turn left at the car wash airplane . . . ]

[We arrived first at Beth and Chris’s.  And when Rita and Dave subequently arrived Rita took the established position of someone who had just completed a long trip . . . ]

November 27

Zion National Park

[La Verkin is a mere 20 miles west of Zion National Park.  So, let’s go again – I believe I had been there four times previously . . . ]

[And there is some nice scenery before you get there . . . ]

[Is that Hogwarts ahead?]

[Sure looks like it . . . ]

[Comes with a heliport?]

[The entry way to Zion . . . ]

[We have arrived . . . ]

[And have parked, in the park, impossible in peak season . . . ]

[The scorecard indicates we have, from l – r: Rita, Ruthie, Beth . . . ]

[And a close-up version for easy identification . . . ]

[Beth’s brother Dave joins her on our shuttle bus ride to the end of the park . . . ]

[And The Biddies are excited too . . . ]

[Oh boy, this is fun!!]

[And ungulates too (OK, this one is no longer among the living) . . . ]

[The high red cliffs that define the park . . . ]

[“You are here!”  Which is good since here was our destination . . . ]

[And “here” was the end of the line – the Temple of Sinawava . . . ]

[We began walking back from whence we came, just for the hike of it . . . ]

[The absence of greenery is what we find so striking about this part of the country.  So we reacted with glee upon discovery of a green cactus . . . ]

[The Super and Dave posed with their find . . . ]

[And, whoa, there’s an evergreen tree . . . ]

[Along the trail we occasional ran across a few obstacles . . . ]

[A tree that at one time, supposedly, was green . . . ]

[Perfect weather for outdoor walking . . . ]

[Occasionally a flash of sunlight would strike a cliff . . . ]

[A rock peak in the background; a green cactus in the foreground . . . ]

[A glimpse of sun . . . ]

[The Virgin River, which eventually flows into the Colorado . . . ]

[An artsy gnarly tree backed by sunny cliffs . . . ]

[I eventually reported this as a violation of the ADD – there should be an escalator for older people to breach the fallen log . . . ]

[A virtual plethora of green cacti . . . ]

[A plethora of red rock . . . ]

[Some times you just have to walk on the road . . . ]

[As the sign says . . . ]

[Followed by a not so big bend . . . ]

[Since only shuttle buses can use this road, we were relatively safe here as we neared a shuttle bus stop where we got on again . . . ]

[These were actually real live ungulates photographed through the bus windows . . . ]

[And here we are at the Angels Landing stop . . . ]

[You may recall that I noted in past blogs that I did climb this one time – OK, it was back in the 80’s when I was still a youngster in my mid-30’s . . . ]

[There it is – we could see people up there but without my telephoto lens I couldn’t get any shots of them . . . ]

[Wow, more cacti . . . ]

[See?  Up there?  I think it’s an elephant . . . ]

[And now busing back to the visitors center . . . ]

[Where we had lunch . . . ]

[Finally, after a lovely day, good-bye to Zion . . . ]

You know that just before the first Thanksgiving there was one wise old Native American woman saying, Don’t feed them. If you feed them, they’ll never leave.    ~  Dylan Brody

Up Next:  Maybe Part 4

 

November 25

Death Valley

Continuing in Death Valley – yes, we went “there” anyway . . . 

[When last we left you (OK, “yesterday”), we were at the Furnace Creek Information Center in Death Valley National Park . . . ]

[It was lunch time, so we went in search of a dining facility.  We initially found a golf course but no food . . . ]

[If we had food we could have used the picnic tables in the shade of the palm trees . . . ]

[And thank goodness these palm trees provide ample shade for the hottest place on the continent . . . ]

[This looked nice . . . ]

[We found food but not to our satisfaction – not their fault, we caught them in a changeover between breakfast and lunch.  Then back the visitor center . . . ]

[We’re 190 feet below sea level – almost as deep as Lake Carlos!  When you leave the valley, you have to drive very slowly so you don’t get the bends . . . ]

[I know I’ll never find another ewe . . . ]

[The rocks had wandered out of our sight lines when we were there . . . ]

[Now time for a movie on Death Valley.  Who’da thunk?]

[We’ve risen 90 feet since Furnace Creek . . . ]

[Not on the first pass, but we’ll be back . . . ]

[The traffic, such as it was, had come to an unknown standstill.  Then we saw the source – Wiley Coyote . . . ]

[Yet another golf course?]

[We passed on this – it looked like a dirt road . . . ]

[Our destination, before retreating back . . . ]

[Millions of tourists, in late November?]

[No parking available in the parking lot . . . ]

[So we drove on till we found parking on the road miles and miles past the entrance . . . ]

[We’re looking for a way to get to the “walking area” (where the distant people are) without going all the way back to the entrance . . . ]

[One can almost walk out of sight . . . ]

[Again looking back at the entrance parking lot . . . ]

[Now we found the going tricky because one foot was always above the other . . . ]

[We made it!]

[Several hundred yards back to the true entrance . . . ]

[And a long way out to the salt flats . . . ]

[The sign well up on the cliff marks sea level . . . ]

[A constant parade in both directions . . . ]

[In my Minnesota garments, I was getting quite uncomfortable.  It was 75 degrees down here, for Pete’s sake!  I already had Minnesota cold weather antifreeze flowing through my veins.  I was just too hot to wander any further out into the valley . . . ]

[So I walked back toward the entrance for photo ops; the Super took the route back through the moonscape to get the car and pick me up . . . ]

[All alone . . . ]

[More all aloner . . . ]

[Look up to see sea level . . . ]

[Briny water where there actually are living things . . . ]

[Out on the road hitchhiking and hoping the Super would pick me up . . . ]

[And now back to Artist Drive . . . ]

[A little background.  We (Ruthie, Rita, and me) were first in Death Valley several years ago.  The day we were going to “tour” Artist Drive, my camera battery died.  So Rita let me use her camera to take pictures on that day.  And then the next day Rita’s camera “went missing”?  So, all the good pictures I had taken on the day were gone.  We knew we had to go back some day – so we did . . . ]

[An uphill walk to an overlook . . . ]

[We went up this far.  Walking out to the end seemed a trip too far . . . ]

[But we could see the “palette” from where we were . . . ]

[The arrays of color in the rock seem to indicate a differentiation of wave lengths in the light reflected back . . . ]

[Makes it pretty . . . ]

[And so I blessed them . . . ]

[And tried to act fast before my troublesome pants fell down . . . ]

[Wow?]

[Back on the one-way road through Artist Drive.  It’s really, I think the scientific term is, nifty . . . ]

[Sometimes you wonder how some of those boulders hanging over the roadway manage to stay in their place . . . ]

[And here’s a real palette . . . ]

[Some people just have to go up and experience it all first hand . . . ]

[Just going for a ride . . . ]

[That was a special drive . . . ]

[Now we’re back on the Valley’s main thoroughfare . . . ]

[And here’s our turnoff to leave the national park . . . ]

[A mini-natural Stonehenge . . . ]

[On the drive back to Las Vegas there were occasional radio cut-ins warning of dust storms in the area.  And here’s one of them . . . ]

[And even a permanent sign in that regard . . . ]

[At one time we were attacked by a tumbling tumbleweed, one much larger than the one that just crossed in front of us on the right side of this picture . . . ]

[More dust . . . ]

[We’re back at Creech Air Force Base . . . ]

[I had no idea I was closer than I appeared . . . ]

[Likely good advice . . . ]

[And there it is . . . ]

[If you’re going to escape from that prison, you probably need one of these . . . ]

[Back in our hotel room . . . ]

[I, with my booty from the day . . . ]

[Good night from Las Vegas.  Off to La Verkin on the morrow . . . ]

Most turkeys taste better the day after; my mother’s tasted better the day before.  ~  Rita Rudner

Up Next:  Part 3

November 24

Las Vegas

Well, we hadn’t been away from home for at least several days so it was time for another road trip.  This time our niece and nephew, Beth and Chris, from San Diego, invited us to their getaway place in La Verkin, Utah, for Thanksgiving.  We would be joined by Beth’s mom, Rita, and her brother, Dave, both coming from Indiana . . .

[Our flight to Las Vegas was generally uneventful.  Well, except for the usual standing in line at the airport for two hours before being crammed like sardines into the plane for a 2 1/2 hour flight.  I was at least entertained during the flight by Gorbachev, the movie – I’m a fan . . . ]

[Ahhh, Las Vegas.  What can I say other than it’s a good place to fly into to go to other places . . . ]

[We immediately raced to the far reaches of the city for our two-night hotel stay . . . ]

[There appears to be a decent chance that the Oakland Raiders will be playing here next year . . . ]

[Home to the NHL’s Golden Knights (I had to look it up – forgot they had a team) . . . ]

[On my first trip to Vegas in the early 70’s, the original Caesar’s Palace marked the end of The Strip . . . ]

[Sorry, couldn’t help myself . . . ]

[Our destination at the edge of the city . . . ]

[The view from our hotel room . . . ]

November 25

Death Valley

[We arrived a day earlier than Rita and Dave because we wanted to pay another visit to Death Valley . . . ]

[So the next morning we drove off on the 2-hour trip NW to get there . . . ]

[It’s stark and brown and interesting to see as a tourist, but I could never be a desert person . . . ]

[Joshua trees in the foreground . . . ]

[Somebody’s tracking us?]

[As the sign says, and it’s home to Creech Air Force.  It must be super top secret or something – The Super worked 31 years for the Air Force but had never heard of it . . . ]

[Onward . . . ]

[Getting further and further away from civilization  . . . and water . . . ]

[Like a 4-lane highway on the moon . . . ]

[Death Valley appears on the GPS screen . . . ]

[And another Area 51?]

[Go left here . . . ]

[Strange red hill that seems to be a work site . . . ]

[We didn’t stop.  Maybe it wasn’t big enough?]

[The most common photo op example for the whole trip . . . ]

[Death Valley is somewhere down this road . . . ]

[Leaving Nevada, entering California . . . ]

[Yup, the sign says we’re there . . . ]

[And we’re in . . . ]

[The information stop . . . ]

[We were here, entering the park from the East . . . ]

[Fortunately at this time of year we were experiencing temperatures in the 50’s . . . ]

[When you come to the fork in the road, take it.  OK, we went left to the East . . . ]

[On a haze free day (I don’t know how often that happens), this would be a spectacular view down the length of the valley . . . ]

[One last check of the map with fellow visitors (we had the silver rental) . . . ]

[A long winding road to the valley floor . . . ]

[We’re at the bottom . . . ]

[This is it – DEATH VALLEY . . . ]

[Furnace Creek Visitors Center (oh, you can read that) . . . ]

[We’ll check in here, take a break from this blog posting, and pick up Part 2 next.]

You can tell you ate too much for Thanksgiving when you have to let your bathrobe out.  ~  Jay Leno

Up Next:  Part 2

December 5

The once-defeated Willmar Cardinals came to town to take on our undefeated Cardinals.  It turned out to be a tough night in Alexandria for Willmar teams as our girls and boys hockey teams and boys basketball team all won . . . 

[It was a hockey fundraiser of pulled pork sandwiches in the Warming House.  Never made it there through the throngs . . . ]

[Our Cards are introduced beginning with junior forward Maci Tillesjkor (29) . . . ]

[Then senior forward Micah Summer (8) . . . ]

[Junior forward Ella Johnston (11) . . . ]

[Sophomore defense Riley Nyberg (21) . . . ]

[Sophomore defense Makenna Aure (17) . . . ]

[Sophomore goalie Hailee Bailey (35).  Again, I think Coach Arola uses the pre-game introductions as a chance for the all players to get recognition . . . ]

[OK, let’s go out and show them we can be really good hosts . . . ]

[And we’re off and skating.  Junior defense Ali Castle (22) with a shot from the point with junior forward Anna Doherty (7) along the boards . . . ]

[Sophomore forward Kaci Trosvig (25) and freshman forward Lauren Maras (27) peel off in opposite directions in the offensive zone . . . ]

[And continue circling . . . ]

[Anna and Kaci cross the blue line with speed . . . ]

[Anna (7) circles with the puck with junior forward Marki Oberg (10) and Ali (22) . . . ]

[Kaci’s in on goal . . . ]

[This line of Anna, Kaci, and Marki would strike terror in the hearts of the Wild.  Though still just 2 juniors and a sophomore, all have been regulars since they were in the 8th grade.  They are all talented and now with plenty of experience . . . ]

[And here is a member of what would ordinarly be called the “diaper line” for their youth.  It consists of freshman Ella Westlund (19), freshman Lauren, and sophomore Hanley Block (28).  They are already making their mark . . . ]

[Makenna (17) is an offensive defenseman who will often be in on goal . . . ]

[Our Cards received an early bench penalty (too many players on the ice).  Though Willmar didn’t score on the power play, it set the tone of play in the period.  The first period was even, though I had no concerns . . . ]

[The diaper line tees off the 2nd period . . . ]

[Maci’s line continues as our Cards established their usual swarming tempo . . . ]

[Makenna chases in to keep the puck in Willmar’s zone . . . ]

[We’re on a power play here as Kaci is back on point . . . ]

[Marki and Anna chase down the draw . . . ]

[Senior defense Mayson Toft (14) fires from the point . . . ]

[The main idea on the power play is to get Mayson the puck, have her shoot, and everybody else scramble for the rebound . . . ]

[Here’s the scramble . . . ]

[Then Makenna steps into one for my favorite photo of the night as the puck whizzes by Willmar’s No. 19 . . . ]

[Riley’s looking for loose change around the net . . . ]

[The puck escapes exit left . . . ]

[But here we come again . . . ]

[Then, GOOOAAAALLLL!  Shorthanded by Hanley . . . ]

[Hugs all around . . . ]

[The game was now tied, but our Cards were now fully in control . . . ]

[Anna . . . ]

[Ella on a 1-on-6 situation . . . ]

[And the Cards score again following continuous pressure, Kaci from Marki . . . ]

[The diaper line makes a move . . . ]

[Then Makenna, who is not averse to making end to end rushes . . . ]

[She carried it deep and has a teammate at the goal . . . ]

[The Trosvig line, but the puck has slipped behind Kaci . . . ]

[Oh, there it is . . . ]

[The Ellas (Johnston (11) and Westlund (19)) are in together . . . ]

[And Ella Johnston gets the goal unassisted (she’s hidden behind the two Willmar players on the left) . . . ]

[Ali and Riley on this defensive pairing.  Coach tries different combinations . . . ]

[And Ali gets a goal, assisted by Anna and Kaci (the scoring showed assisted by Meg Shercliffe (5), but I don’t think Meg was suited for this game) . . . ]

[The game was well in hand after the 2nd period.  Willmar brought a pretty good fan base who were quite excited after the 1st period, but the 2nd left no doubt . . . ]

[The Trosvig line starts period 3 . . . ]

[The diaper dandies here . . . ]

[Riley faces down the Willmar star, junior Bailey Olson (7).  She must be good because I remember her from previous years . . . ]

[Lauren and Hanley make annoyances of themselves . . . ]

[Makenna patrol the far reaches . . . ]

[Hanley’s out with Anna and Kaci . . . ]

[And here was the prettiest goal of the game.  Hanley circled around out front, beat the defense to the edge, and fired a one-timer, her 2nd goal of the game . . . ]

[If unable to see a number, Lauren is easy to pick out because her helmet sits high on her head, you can see her forehead.  I don’t know if that’s by design?]

[Wrapping up the close-ups with Lauren and Ella . . . ]

[Micah comes in on a solo . . . ]

[But fires just left . . . ]

[Lauren wrapped up the scoring . . . ]

[With assists from Marki and Ella Westlund . . . ]

[Some final shots sans telephoto lens . . . ]

[A very nice win to move to 6 – 0 on the season . . . ]

[But now we’re on the road for the rest of December.  Six straight games away from home.]

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

Up Next:  It will be multiple choice . . .

November 23

The lead-in: By consensus of the aged attendees, Turkeyfest at Basketball Dan’s was either the 49th or 50th annual!  It all began, and has continued, as a way for old friends from our kerosene-lighted days at the ‘U’ to celebrate Thanksgiving together a week or two preceding the actual date.  For years the idea was to have it to coincide with the Ohio State-Michigan football game, with at least a couple more TVs simultaneously covering other games.  While health is now an obvious consideration as to who can or who can’t attend, yesterday’s attendees were once again greeted at the door by almost 100-year old “Sid-on-a-stick.”  By pure happenstance, this regularly scheduled event was augmented by the Cardinals girls first basketball game of the season against New Prague at 10:30 in the morning at Hopkins High School.  A nice prelude to the day . . .

[Since we are on the road, I have not been able to scan a roster for easy reference.  This is Jaya Hatlestad (3), 5’5″ junior guard . . . ]

[Mia McGrane (5), 5’7″ senior guard . . . ]

[Alayna Strand (25), 5’11” junior forward . . . ]

[Mataya Hoelscher (23), 5’5″ junior guard; and Lilly Horn (33), 5’10” junior forward . . . ]

[I was taken aback in warm ups.  Our senior leader and likely leading scorer, Ella Grove (11), 6′ senior forward, was sidelined with a sprained ankle.  And a further review seemed to show a large swath of the team in what appear to be ACL braces or other knee supports?  And New Prague was a team with good size and shooting abilities.  Here at the opening tap, you can see Alayna “measures” up.  But you will notice in all other photos that the one on one match ups show decided height advantages for the Trojans . . . ]

[The Trojans were fast out of the blocks and got off to a substantial early lead.  The Cards had trouble getting shots off against their height and were not connecting on contested attempts . . . ]

[I think Alayna made these, but we missed free throws that could have kept it competitive . . . ]

[Mia takes her shot at it.  Also it’s fair to note this was our first game, and New Prague already had a blow out win under their belts . . . ]

[Cate Bloom (21), 5’7″ junior guard, has made an appearance in the last 3 photos.  Cate’s a very good defensive player, but she’s one of our ACL bracers . . . ]

[Coach Kohler rousing her forces, but on the bench with her are, r-l:  Emma (in civvies); Summer Gerhardt (35), 5’10” senior forward (arguably our best athlete who also plays soccer and competitively throws the shot and discus in track) with an ACL brace; Mia, our volleyball MVP; and Cate, in ACL brace . . . ]

[Myah Kremer (15), 5’8″ junior guard . . . ]

[This is still the strength of the team and what makes us competitive – the full court in your face pressing defense.  New Prague did not have our depth so the goal was to wear them out . . . ]

[So at the half we had closed it to 7.  There was a time I wasn’t sure we were going to hit double digits in the half . . . ]

[Myah inbounding in the 2nd half . . . ]

[Lilly makes a center cut (kinda like a preference for prime rib eaters) . . . ]

[Lilly launces a 3 . . . ]

[If it doesn’t drop the Trojans likely have the rebound . . . ]

[When you see 5’8″ Myah trying to sneak in from the right, you’ll notice she’s shorter than all 5 New Prague starters . . . ]

[Mataya on the free throw line.  New Prague won 55 – 48, which means we played them even in the 2nd half.  They have a good team and deserved the win.  A couple times we had an opportunity to close within 2, but when we fouled a lot with our necessary pressure defense, they, particulary their center, made all their free throws down the stretch . . . ]

[Then it was on to Woodbury from Hopkins, a straight shot east from the west side of Minneapolis to the east side of St. Paul for the Turkeyfest.  Custom in recent years has been to have Sid Hartman greet us on the door (if you do not know, Sid has been a sports columnist at the Minneapolis StarTribune for something like 75 years, as still is) . . . ]

[Dan always has a ginormous turkey with all the fixun’s, to include such as three different kinds of stuffin’ and four pies.  Key on this day was that the Gophers beat Northwestern to go 10 – 1 on the season . . . ]

[Three games were on the tubes . . . ]

[It’s unfortunate now when anybody has to sit on the floor, because three other people have to help him up . . . ]

[It must be time to bring out the pies . . . ]

[Despite the appearance of pie, most seem absorbed in the games . . . ]

[In most years the Super rescues the turkey corpse.  But this year we were continuing on to a further destination . . . ]

[OK, guys, time for pie . . . ]

[It’s all here for the taking . . . ]

[Because this will be the FB photo, I believe this was from the summer when the team was relatively healthy . . . ]

The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.  ~  Mark Twain

Up Next:  Somewhere in Utah?

November 11

The next two days, the business of CCL.  “Preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.”  ~  Carl Sagan . . .

[At the Omni Shoreham, the 800 volunteers are greeted by CCL Executive Director, Mark Reynolds . . . ]

[When local chapters meet on a monthly basis, Mr. Reynolds hosts programs that each chapter joins by computer hook up . . . ]

[Then other members of CCL staff addressed the assembled masses . . . ]

[Possibly including Lady Gaga?]

[Brett Cease joined us at the regional CCL conference in Bemidji earlier this year . . . ]

[The Super enjoying lunch at the Omni . . . ]

[Selfie at the Omni . . . ]

[For the afternoon sessions, small groups assigned to individual congressmen and senators met to determine the roles of each member . . . ]

[The hardest part was to find your group because the individual meetings were held in “the lobby” . . . ]

[We broke away in mid-afternoon for a nosh and a beverage with the Howells at a restaurant across the street . . . ]

[Then back to the Omni for late afternoon programming . . . ]

[Jeanne and Ken found their meeting . . . ]

[And our last meeting with the group that would visit Congressman Collin Peterson’s office . . . ]

November 12

On our way to the first of four congressional meetings.  The four of us from Alex were only all together for our last meeting at Congressman Peterson’s office . . . 

[From the Capitol South metro stop, I’m on the way across the capitol grounds to the Senate office buildings on the north side of the capitol.  I had the earliest meeting, with Senator Kevin Cramer (R), North Dakota, in the Russell Building.  To do so, I passed by the Library of Congress . . . ]

[Then the Capitol . . . ]

[Then the DACA demonstrations in front of the Supreme Court . . . ]

[Then the United Methodist Building . . . ]

[Finally to the Senate Office Buildings . . . ]

[A CCLer admiring the art display in the . . . Hart Building.  That’s right!  I went to the wrong building, an accident consistent with my chronological age . . . ]

[I subsequently found the Senator Cramer’s office in the Russell Building.  Photo, l-r:  Glenn Rogers (Bedford, PA), Danielle Hess (Forest Hill, MD), Mindy Ahler (Edina), Micah Chambers (Cramer’s Legislative Director), Brett Cease (Duluth), Sharon Planer (Annandale), (Photographer: Tom Obert, Alexandria) . . . ]

[Then it was on to Senator Amy Klobuchar’s (D), Minnesota, office in the Dirksen Building . . . ]

[OK, this shot was from 13 years ago . . . ]

[Photo, l-r:  Peter Jarka-Sellers (St.Paul), Bobbie Scott (St. Paul), Brian Werner (Klobuchar’s Senior Legislative Assistant), Kawai Washburn (Minneapolis), Sharon Planer (Annandale), Howard White (Northfield), (Photographer: Tom Obert, Alexandria)]

[Then back across to the House Office buildings, past the Supreme Court . . . ]

[OK, I thought she was a movie star, or something . . . ]

[Past the Capitol . . . ]

[To Congressman Tom Emmer’s (R), Minnesota, office in the Cannon Building.  Photo, l-r: Lee Morgan (Annandale), Peter Jarka-Sellers (St. Paul), Sharon Planer (Annandale), Catherine Lenz (Emmer’s Legislative Assistant), Joseph Robertson (Minneapolis), Jeanne and Ken Howell (Alexandria), (Photographer: Tom Obert, Alexandria) . . . ]

[Then to Congressman Collin Peterson’s (D), Minnesota, office in the Rayburn Building.]

[The Super under the Congressman’s congressional district . . . ]

[With his seniority, he has a “room with a view” . . . ]

[Photo, l-r:  Tom Obert (Alexandria), Jeanne and Ken Howell (Alexandria), Sharon Planer (Annandale), Howard White (Northfield), Ruth Obert (Alexandria), Zach Martin (Peterson’s Senior Legislative Assistant)]

[Home on the metro with, l-r:  The Super, Jeanne, and Ken . . . ]

[Then up to the Vantage Point restaurant in our hotel for dinner.  Good night!]

Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.  ~  George Bernard Shaw

Up Next:  D.C.?

November 10

Sunday, a free day to spend sightseeing, to reacquaint ourselves with where we lived for so many years, and to relearn the subway system . . . 

[Our Rosslyn subway stop was just a couple of blocks from our hotel.  We wanted to take a trial run, determine that we could get a one-week pass, and be prepared to show Jeanne and Ken “the ropes” when they arrived.  Here we’re taking the escalator deep into the bowels of the system . . . ]

[We started on the blue line in Rosslyn, transferred to the red line, and here we’re coming out of the system at the Woodley Park/Zoo metro stop . . . ]

[This is the Omni Shoreham Hotel where our CCL training would begin the following day.  We walked about inside this ginormous place to get our bearings.  This was about two blocks from the Woodley Park metro stop . . . ]

[Back on the subway . . . ]

[Taking the red line to Gallery Place . . . ]

[And just around the corner from the Gallery Place metro stop is the National Portrait Gallery . . . ]

[At the end of the block is Capital One Arena where the Washington Capitals play hockey, where the Washington Wizards play basketball, and where the Georgetown Hoyas play basketball . . . ]

[Meanwhile, back at the National Portrait Gallery . . . ]

[Straight down 8th street from the gallery front steps, the Calvary Baptist Church is on the right side . . . ]

[Vaquero, by Luis Jiménez . . . ]

[We’re now inside the gallery . . . ]

[The Super begins the tour . . . ]

[Hall and atrium sculpture and art . . . ]

[If you were a senior college student in Alexandria last semester you will recognize Albert Bierstadt’s “Among the Sierra Nevada, California.” I was so amazed a whole “room” had been dedicated to an individual painting that I had to see it . . . ]

[The Super takes over the room . . . ]

[Then I took over the room . . . ]

[It’s impressive, if not just by the presentation alone . . . ]

[Looking out from Bierstadt room . . . ]

[And this is similar to the photo as presented at senior college . . . ]

[Certainly one of the highlights of wandering through the National Portrait Gallery was running across this bust of John C. Bde Maka Ska . . . ]

[Something to do with nation building and cherry trees . . . ]

[Never pass up a selfie op . . . ]

[I never believed in such a thing, but oil paintings don’t lie!]

[A work of art from France . . . ]

[There’s our Bierstadt from further down the hall . . . ]

[The current occupant’s favorite president . . . ]

[And here’s why . . . ]

[Seen previously herein, also famous as a crosser of the Delaware River . . . ]

[And now a brief history through the presidencies . . . ]

[You will note throughout that some of the explanatory notes herein are not exactly “on the level.”  That’s because when I squat to take a photo, I can lose plumb . . . ]

[The Super posing with a recent president . . . ]

[I have always been a Baldwin fan, and his likeness is portrayed by slightly different sized “bottle caps” . . . ]

[Betty Friedan, author of the “Feminine Mystique” (a mystique I have never been able to solve) . . . ]

[A room of large landscapes (the sitting model is unknown to me) . . . ]

[The “S” in GODS would flicker on and off.  I could never catch it off . . . ]

[Thought this exceedingly cool . . . ]

[“&” . . . ]

[Also exceedingly cool . . . ]

[Girls like horsies . . . ]

[Of interest in our family . . . ]

[Seen his island in Okinawa, seen his sculpture at Indiana University . . . ]

[I remember hearing about Dr. Drew at some level of schooling in Alexandria and was deeply disturbed by it . . . ]

[A recent FLOTUS . . . ]

[Well, Paul Arneson was Mom’s neighbor in Alexandria . . . ]

[Sculptures by Paul Manship . . . ]

[“Bather” by Joseph Renier . . . ]

[The courtyard atrium . . . ]

[There will be further mention of this place at the end of the week . . . ]

[And that evening the Howell’s arrived . . . ]

[We walked up Wilson Boulevard looking for fine dining . . . ]

[This was a relatively new place called “Barley Mac.”  We enjoyed!]

Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.  ~  Mark Twain

Up Next:  More D.C.?

November 8

We went back to our old stomping grounds on behalf of the Citizens Climate Lobby.  It was CCL’s semi-annual “visit” to Congress to remind them global climate change is a serious issue and it’s time to do something about it.  With 429 chapters around the U.S. (over 500 worldwide), Alexandria was among the very first local chapters thanks to Jeanne  Johnson.  (Jeanne and Ken Howell would join us from Alex two days later.)  1,600 nationwide volunteers from CCL educate Congress every June; 800 volunteers every November – in one day, in groups of 5 or so, we visit all 535 congressional and senate offices.  The Super & I have been members of CCL for several years now, but this was our first trip to educate Congress. 

[The cab ride from the airport to our hotel passed by the Super’s old office building.  It’s the place with lots of generals and admirals.  The first two days we gave over to sightseeing . . . ]

[Now we’re in our old neighborhood.  I lived in Arlington, Virginia, from 1974 to 2001 and worked in the Department of Labor in Washington, D.C.  The Super and I lived in the same condominium from 1987 to 2001 just about a half mile up Lee Highway from our current viewpoint here on the 15th floor of the Rosslyn Holiday Inn.  Upon arrival, we were in a “boil water” situation – a main water main broke the day before we arrived affecting a wide swath of Arlington.  We were on bottled water our first two days . . . ]

[Our view across the Potomac River features the Key Bridge Marriott in the foreground, the bridge is on the right, Georgetown University and the Washington National Cathedral in the background, all above, and Key Bridge on the left and Washington Harbor on the right,  below.  The Key Bridge Marriott and the Rosslyn Holiday Inn were old when we lived here and both will be razed and replaced next year . . . ]

[The connecting elevated roadway across the photo is the Whitehurst Freeway . . . ]

[Key Bridge, connecting Arlington to Georgetown, was relatively traffic free on a Friday afternoon . . . ]

[The spire of Healy Hall on the Georgetown University campus in the foreground; the National Cathedral in the background . . . ]

[This is the view southeast from the Vantage Point restaurant on the 17th floor . . . ]

[The view west to Georgetown . . . ]

[12 Degrees of Kevin and his Bacon: We didn’t know Sue Justice was going to be in D.C.  Her 2nd visit ever since she was a small child.  She was visiting her niece, Erin, who grew up in Villard.  Erin now lives between where the Howells are staying when they come on Sunday and where Ruthie and I lived for 14 years.  Sue and Erin came to join us for happy hour.  Kathleen Hintzen of Victoria Heights in Alexandria was once the liquor manager at Key Bridge Marriott.  Our bar tender has a brother who lives in Hopkins and has visited there and Plymouth several times.  I forgot to get a photo of Sue and Erin, which explains why I have never been able to lose the “cub” part of cub reporter.  The Super staked out seating for Sue’s arrival . . . ]

[More window views from the Vantage Point . . . ]

[The view east and the infamous Watergate Hotel . . . ]

[Closer upper of Watergate . . . ]

[Best estimate – a sunset?]

[Key Bridge at night . . . ]

[This is more like it, a virtual parking lot in both directions . . . ]

November 9

[Our window view in the morning . . . ]

[Time for a morning stroll between Rosslyn and Courthouse (our old neighborhood).  We’re walking uphill on Wilson Boulevard, in our day famous for its stretch of Little Vietnam because of all the Vietnamese restaurants . . . ]

[Looking back down the hill to Rosslyn . . . ]

[More outdoor art . . . ]

[The little malls in our neighborhood have not yet succumbed to the wrecking ball . . . ]

[On Rhode Street, the street adjacent to where we used to live . . . ]

[A post WWII complex, I believe saved for historical purposes (though interior renovations have been turned into condos) . . . ]

[This is obviously new since our era . . . ]

[This was the closest such mall to where we lived (down the hill to the right between the two large background buildings).  Ireland’s Four Courts was there before we left (and Ken and Jean Howell, also from Alex for CCL, dined there one night) . . . ]

[Summers, still there, across the street from our mini-mall . . . ]

[This was our walk home from the Metro every night.  That’s our condominium building, the Astoria, on the left . . . ]

[Our backyard – swimming pool and clubhouse on the left, tennis court on the right . . . ]

[The towering apartments in the background are new.  That corner was occupied by a 2-story dry cleaner.  The views of the city must be spectacular up there . . . ]

[The Super’s condo was a patio unit (fenced) at the far end . . . ]

[The association garden overlooking the Super’s place . . . ]

[The Astoria from street side, fronting Lee Highway . . . ]

[The new apartments with the city views . . . ]

[Looking back down Lee Highway towards Rosslyn, there’s the Homewood Suites where the Howells stayed.  Our hotel was about three blocks further down the hill from the Howells . . . ]

[Key Bridge Marriott from street level . . . ]

[Arlington Gateway Park, constructed when we lived there . . . ]

[Our Holiday Inn from street level . . . ]

[It was quite cold, but the hotel roses were still alive . . . ]

[Still in the morning, sister Gretchen and brother-in-law Mohamed drove over from D.C. and picked us up for a 55-mile drive south on the infamous I-95 to brother Chris’s place in Stafford, Virginia, on the Potomac River.  And here most of us are in Chris’s yard on obviously the river side . . . ]

[Now an over exploitation of family photos . . . ]

[We had not been to D.C. in six years (we had to look it up), and by coincidence at that time Mohamed had just received his United States citizenship after about 30 years of trying (it ain’t easy, folks) . . . ]

[Papa Hemingway?]

[The Super with Chris’s neighbors . . . ]

[His house – it’s for sale!]

[But it’s a raw cold!]

[Modeling a birthday present from his sister . . . ]

[And then we drove back to the city and had dinner at Hops in Alexandria . . . ]

It’s almost impossible to be funnier than the people in Washington.  ~  Carol Burnett

Up Next:  More D.C.?

November 16

Immediately before the Gopher game Saturday, I went to see another pretty good team play. Our Cardinal girls hockey team, new to class AA (the BIGGEST schools) this year, has started the season 2 – 0 after beating Red Wing on this day, 9 – 0 (and Moorhead earlier in the week, 8 – 1). Granted the Wingers were way overmatched and were playing their 3rd game in 3 days, but both Red Wing and Moorhead have great girl hockey traditions so they were impressive wins.  I stayed to the end because we are so fun to watch with speed throughout the line up.

[The day began, as all Saturday mornings must begin, with a plain old fashion doughnut from Roer’s Family Bakery . . . ]

[I usually try to catch at least half of the JV games prior to the varsity match ups.  It’s nice to walk into the arena and see a score like this . . . ]

[So, a couple shots of the JV in action . . . ]

[And the final score . . . ]

[Then, the post game handshakes.  Good game, good game, nice game, good game . . . ]

[Then the varsity comes out for pre-game warm ups where they skate in circles at high rates of speed . . . ]

[The captains meet with the referees to discuss the niceties of the game.  Our captains are junior Anna Doherty (7), junior Marki Oberg (10), and senior Mayson Toft (14) . . . ]

[This was parents’ afternoon.  The gentleman in the middle looking a bit lost is Ron Rebrovich, former pro at the Alexandria Golf Club . . . ]

[Where’d your dad get that goofy looking cap?]

[Moms and dads . . . ]

[The Rebroviches receive a lovely parting gift from their daughter, sophomore Lauren (15), who scored a goal in the JV game . . . ]

[The long white line . . . ]

[Starting line up introductions:  sophomore goalie Hailee Bailey (35) . . . ]

[Sophomore defense Makenna Aure (17) . . . ]

[I think the current lines and defense pairings are pretty much interchangeable at this time.  There likely will be different “starters” frequently in the early season . . . ]

[Sophomore defense Riley Nyberg (21) . . . ]

[Freshman forward Ella Westlund (19) . . . ]

[Freshman forward Lauren Maras (27) . . . ]

[Sophomore forward Hanley Block (28) . . . ]

[I wonder if Coach Molly Arola was just showing off by starting 4 sophomores and 2 freshmen?  But they can all play!]

[Super Fan Roger Riley returned for yet another year to sing the National Anthem . . . ]

[And away we go, a video from the start of the game . . . ]

[Mayson (14), an offensive defenseman, often makes pilgrimages into the opposition side of the ice . . . ]

[It looks like her 1-on-5 rush just dribbled wide . . . ]

[This is the line of senior Micah Summer (8), sophomore Peyton Boesl (6), and I believe junior Ella Johnston (11) . . . ]

[And on defense junior Ali Castle (22) . . . ]

[Now the line of sophomore Kaci Trosvig (25), junior Marki Oberg (10), and junior Anna Doherty (7) . . . ]

[Then Marki suddenly finds herself all alone . . . ]

[Makenna and Kaci on the attack . . . ]

[Then Lauren, a freshman who scored her first varsity goal in this game and who appears to already be a key player . . . ]

[Mayson chases back after the puck in the defensive zone . . . ]

[Lauren has developed a knack for being in front of the goal . . . ]

[Makenna made a beautiful end to end rush in the game and finished it with a goal . . . ]

[I don’t think this is the goal, but she has the ability to do this often . . . ]

[Ella and Micah trying to score from in front . . . ]

[Kaci’s in on goal here . . . ]

[And here comes Lauren again . . . ]

[Then Hanley in front.  She was terrific as a freshman last year . . . ]

[After the 1st period, the game was never in doubt . . . ]

[This video was taken at the beginning of the 2nd period (Kaci (25), stickhandling in the corner, had a hat trick).  About halfway through, I was visited by an old friend I hadn’t seen for a while.  Martha Williams was a hockey mom back at the beginning of the Super Fans (of girls hockey) – her daughter Abby was the captain of our 2008 state champion- ship team and Abby now has a 5 1/2 month old daughter. Keep the legacy going . . . ]

[That appears to be Ali with the shot . . . ]

[Then I don’t know who takes a whack at it . . . ]

[Mayson’s on the point . . . ]

[This appears to be Kaci with a shot . . . ]

[Mayson and Kaci keeping the puck in the zone . . . ]

[With Micah trailing . . . ]

[Peyton takes a backhander . . . ]

[GOOOOAAAALLLLLLLLLLL!]

[Celebrate!]

[Up close and personal . . . ]

[With Anna . . . ]

[Marki and Anna on the chase . . . ]

[And they have it . . . ]

[Hailee in goal in the background spent most of the game as a spectator . . . ]

[GOOOAAAAALLLLLLL!]

[Hugs all around . . . ]

[After 2 periods, the only issue would be the final score . . . ]

[Across the rink, Cardinal broadcasters on KXRA . . . ]

[DMac and BCun . . . ]

[Makenna . . . ]

[Because of the score differential, the 3rd period was played on running time.  Here Kaci and Marki swoop in again . . . ]

[Makenna stickhandling while Peyton searches for an exit . . . ]

[And Makenna carries into the zone . . . ]

[All the way to the goal . . . ]

[GOOOAAAAALLLLLL!]

[Celebrate!]

[GOOOAAAALLLLL!]

[Mayson with Riley on top . . . ]

[Judging from the alignment, GOOOOAAAAALLLLL!]

[The Cardinal bench . . . ]

[With coach Jeff Doherty and head coach Molly Arola . . . ]

[We’re off to a great start . . . ]

I’ve never lost a game. I just ran out of time.  ~  Michael Jordan

Up Next:  Well, we were in D.C. last week?

November 2

The opening play at Theatre L’Homme Dieu (TLHD) last summer was “Bright Star,” a production by Minnetonka Theater.  It received resounding reviews from all attendees.  The Super and I were on our Norway cruise then (which, of course, I am still blogging) so we missed it.  Minnetonka invited those connected to TLHD down for the opening night of “Chaplin.”  These kids are amazing, again a performance worthy of professional theater.  I present the theater program for those who saw “Bright Star” and may recognize some of the performers . . . 

[I will not bore you with all of the details of the Super and I trying to find our way around in the big city, at night, where we didn’t know where we were going, even with the help of Siri, but we had a very enjoyable meal at Christos, a Greek restaurant in Minnetonka, and thanks again to the Mulders for finding my phone which apparently slipped out of my coat pocket at the play.  But I digress.  We mostly prefer now to not leave the friendly confines of Alexandria – because we always find plenty to do here.  On this night the Concordia (Moorhead) choir came to Alex and performed with the Central Lakes Symphony Orchestra strings at the high school’s Performing Arts Center . . . ]

[And on the other side of the high school, Moorhead beat Sartell in volleyball for the section title and right to go to the state tournament.  These are happy Spuds . . . ]

November 3

[The previous day was brother Cam’s 65th birthday.  With the aid now of Medicare he is going to have both knees replaced as soon as possible.  And likely many other body parts as well.  Since both parties were previously engaged on his birthday, we decided we would celebrate together with Sunday breakfast at Hell’s Kitchen.  When the Super and I left our hotel in the morning, Ben Franklin’s choice for our national bird were fattening themselves up for Thanksgiving . . . ]

[Siri guided us out of the complex maze of our hotel area to the interstate leading into downtown Minneapolis . . . ]

[Exit 9A to downtown . . . ]

[To Hennepin Avenue, undergoing yet another attempt at urban renewal . . . ]

[Past the Minneapolis campus of St. Thomas University . . . ]

[Past The News Room restaurant . . . ]

[To our final destination . . . ]

[We didn’t get lost!]

[Hell?]

[And here come Karen and Cam . . . ]

[Hi, Karen!]

[I forgot to photo my Bison Benedict before it became partially engorged.  In the background, Cam ordered the daily special, a veggie omelet . . . ]

[An order of lemon pancakes as dessert for all . . . ]

[I’m so happy to be officially old . . . ]

[A look Karen has to often rightfully deploy . . . ]

[We had a Happy Birthday together . . . ]

[November 3rd was officially Uncle Tom’s birthday, the original Thomas J. Obert . . . ]

[And November 3, 1954 marked the debut of “Godzilla” . . . ]

[Exactly one day after Cam’s birth.  A coincidence?  I think not!]

[I wanted to stay for the afternoon hockey game between our Gopher women (ranked #2) and Wisconsin (ranked #1).  But the weather forecast was for rain in the late afternoon and growing darker by night.  We cannot drive at night in the rain.  So, I missed this . . . ]

[OK, this was on the previous night at “Chaplin.”  A group selfie by Joe (right foreground) of Theatre L’Homme Dieu staff (Joe, Spencer and Sarah on the lower right), Nicole (TLHD executive director, above Joe), and assorted board members and groupies.  Saved this for last as the weekend highlight so it will be featured on the Facebook posting.]

Some problems are so complex that you have to be highly intelligent and well informed just to be undecided about them.  ~  Laurence J. Peter

Up Next:  Scotland or D.C.