June 19

Oslo

When last we left you, we were heading back down the mountain from Holmenkollen . . .

[And this is our next destination, Frogner Park, which will be the focus of the rest of this blog . . . ]

[Frogner Park is a public park located in the borough of Frogner and is historically part of Frogner Manor.  The manor house is located in the south of the park, and houses the Oslo City Museum.  Both the park, the entire borough of Frogner as well as Frognerseteren derive their names from Frogner Manor (Wikipedia).]

[Frogner Park contains, in its present centre, the well-known ‘Vigeland installation’ (‘Vigelandsanlegget’),  a permanent sculpture installation created by Gustav Vigeland between 1924 and 1943.  Although sometimes incorrectly referred to in English as the “Vigeland (Sculpture) Park,” the Vigeland installation is not a separate park, but the name of the sculptures within Frogner Park.  The sculpture park consists of sculptures as well as larger structures such as bridges and fountains (Wikipedia).]

[Helen organizes her troops for the assault on the park . . . ]

[Frogner Park is the largest park in the city and covers 45 hectares; the sculpture installation is the world’s largest sculpture park made by a single artist. Frogner Park is the most popular tourist attraction of Norway, with between 1 and 2 million visitors each year, and is open to the public at all times.  ‘Frogner Park and the Vigeland installation’ (‘Frognerparken og Vigelandsanlegget’) was protected under the Heritage Act on 13 February 2009 as the first park in Norway (Wikipedia).]

[The sculpture area in Frogner Park covers 80 acres and features 212 bronze and granite sculptures, all designed by Gustav Vigeland.  The Bridge was the first part to be opened to the public, in 1940.  The Bridge forms a 100 metre (328 ft)-long, 15 metre (49 ft)-wide connection between the Main Gate and the Fountain, lined with 58 sculptures, including one of the park’s more popular statues, Angry Boy (Sinnataggen).  Visitors could enjoy the sculptures while most of the park was still under construction.  At the end of the bridge lies the Children’s Playground, a collection of eight bronze statues showing children at play (Wikipedia).]

[The Monolith is the above photo and the background of the below photo . . . ]

[Time for the cutesy-touristy photo . . . ]

[The Vigeland installation’s granite and wrought iron Main Gate also serves as the eastern entrance to Frogner Park from Kirkeveien.  From there an 850 m (2,790 ft) long axis leads west through the Bridge to the Fountain and the Monolith, and ends with the Wheel of Life.  The Main Gate consists of five large gates, two small pedestrian gates and two copper-roofed gate houses, both adorned with weather vanes.  The Monolith Plateau is a platform in the north of Frogner Park made of steps that houses the Monolith totem itself.  36 figure groups reside on the elevation, representing a “circle of life” theme. Access to the Plateau is via eight wrought iron gates depicting human figures. The gates were designed between 1933 and 1937 and erected shortly after Vigeland died in 1943.  At the highest point in Frogner Park lies the park’s most popular attraction, the Monolith (‘Monolitten’).  The name derives from the Latin word monolithus, from the Greek μονόλιθος (monolithos), μόνος meaning “one” or “single” and λίθος “stone”, and in this case is a genuine monolith, being fabricated from one piece of solid stone.  Construction of the massive monument began in 1924 when Gustav Vigeland modelled it in clay in his studio in Frogner.  The design process took ten months, and it is supposed that Vigeland used sketches drafted in 1919.  A model was then cast in plaster.  In the autumn of 1927 a block of granite weighing several hundred tons was delivered to the park from a quarry in Halden.  It was erected a year later and a wooden shed was built around it to keep out the elements.  Vigeland’s plaster model was erected next to it for reference.  Transferring the design began in 1929 and took three masons 14 years to accomplish.  The Monolith was first shown to the public at Christmas 1944, and 180,000 people crowded into the wooden shed to get a close look at the creation.  The shed was demolished shortly afterwards.  The Monolith towers 14.12 metres (46.32 ft) high and is composed of 121 human figures rising towards the sky (Wikipedia).]

[The 850-meter axis from the Iron Main Gate through the Bridge to the Fountain and the Monolith, ending with the Wheel of Life . . . ]

[Smooth as a baby’s bottom . . . ]

[The Circle of Life beginning above and circling around . . . ]

[The Wheel of Life . . . ]

[Am I intruding?]

[Moving from the Monolith to the fountain . . . ]

[Helen checks to see who’s missing.  Old people tend to wander away . . . ]

[And what the Super shot . . . ]

[And photo-bombed by tour guide Helen.]

[Around the fountain base . . . ]

[The struggle between good and evil . . . ]

[Rear view to the fountain . . . ]

[Moving forward onto the bridge . . . ]

[Angry Boy . . . ]

[(Or why I never had kids) . . . ]

[Gustav Vigeland (11 April 1869 – 12 March 1943), born as Adolf Gustav Thorsen, was a Norwegian sculptor.  Gustav Vigeland occupies a special position among Norwegian sculptors, both in the power of his creative imagination and in his productivity.  He is most associated with the Vigeland installation in Frogner Park.  He was also the designer of the Nobel Peace Prize medal (Wikipedia).]

[Leaving the park, exiting stage center to the bus . . . ]

[Ha det!]

[Next, same day, we’re going to catch up with Edvard Munch . . . ]

I gained a sense of why Grieg was so touched by the wistful, elegiac folk music of Norway, and what he meant when he said self-effacingly that his music had a ‘taste of cod’ about it.
~  Anthony Tommasini

Up Next: Finishing up Day 2

June 19

Oslo

Reminder, where we were in the world . . .

[So you don’t have to refer back to day 1, here’s the schedule for day 2 . . . ]

[We walked to meet our sightseeing tour.  But before we left the hotel, the Super wanted to be “throned” . . . ]

[And here was our sculpture in the lobby.  In fact, as far as I could find, it is known as the sculpture in the lobby . . . ]

[It’s rather unique, but somehow I missed it when we first entered the place?]

[I mean, the guy doesn’t even have any legs?]

[Outside, the Oslo Opera House is right across the street.  The Norwegians are known for being descriptively basic in naming things – this is an opera house, it’s in Oslo, hence it is the Oslo Opera House . . . ]

[Now because this is art (in the water outside the opera house), a basic descriptive name doesn’t necessarily follow.  She Lies is a public sculpture by Monica Bonvicini of stainless steel and glass panels measuring approximately 12 metres (39 ft) by 17 metres (56 ft) by 16 metres (52 ft).

[The opera house . . . ]

[The Nomadic art project where 1000s of shirts hang outside on gigantic wooden poles at the SALT venue (that brings together art, music, food and architecture with spectacular wooden constructions inspired by the traditional Norwegian racks for drying fish) . . . ]

[We left early enough to take a non-direct route to our sightseeing bus . . . ]

[By all appearances, definitely Norwegian . . . ]

[We’re getting a little military bent here in the neighborhood of . . . ]

[Akershus Fortress (or Akershus Castle) is a medieval castle that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for Oslo, the capital of Norway.  The castle has also been used as a military base, and is today a museum, open for public (Wikipedia).]

[It is not known exactly when the construction of the castle started but it is believed that it took place around the late 1290s, by King Haakon V.  It was constructed [when] it became clear city’s existing defences weren’t effective and therefore, a stronger defensive centre was needed.  The fortress has successfully survived all sieges, primarily by Swedish forces (Wikipedia).]

[This large 1970 sculpture is located just inside the entrance to the Akershus Fortress and is by Gunnar Janson. It depicts a huge towering nude woman standing next to a much smaller man who stands naked on a raised block. The pair are in front of an abstract blob-like object.  It is called “Nasjonalmonumentet for ofrene fra andre verdenskrig” or “National monument for victims of World War II” (www.waymarking.com).]

[Within the fortress . . . ]

[Shooting from the pedestrian crossover in the following photo . . . ]

[Anne and Bill on said pedestrian crossover . . . ]

[Inside the fortress . . . ]

[A horse’s . . . well, you know . . . ]

[Barnacle geese . . . ]

[Anne on the trail to the top of the fortress . . . ]

[Getting high enough for some views . . . ]

[Kinda looks like our neighborhood . . . ]

[The double towers (the right one with a clock) center right is City Hall, our destination for catching our tour . . . ]

[There must be guards . . . ]

[And there he is, in all his spiffiness . . . ]

[Not the same horse as previously exposed . . . ]

[We’ve wandered back onto the streets again – with Sculpture of the Hand of King Christian IV . . . ]

[This statue is titled “Piperen in Pipervika” (English: Piper in Pipervika), and it was created by Norwegian artist Dyre Vaa in 1972. The statue is located between the Oslo City Hall and the Akershus Fortress. Although this area of Oslo is called Vika, Pipervika was formerly the name given to the area where this statue is located because the military pipers (flutists) from the Akershus Fortress lived here (www.waymarking.com).]

[Six sculptures elevate common tradesmen to works of art at Oslo City Hall . . . ]

[Women and children by artist Emil Lie at City Hall Square (Norwegian: Rådhusplassen) with Oslo City Hall in background . . . ]

[Exterior sculpture and fountain (built in 1931 by Arneberg and Poulsson) outside the City Hall . . . ]

[Memorial plaque to Fridtjof Nansen and the Nansen passport on an exterior wall of Oslo City Hall . . . ]

[And now on the front side (?) of City Hall . . . ]

[And now we have begun the bus tour.  Stuff is happening here . . . ]

[Henrik Ibsen, playwright, National Theatre, through the bus window . . . ]

[Grand Hotel, and indeed, it looks pretty grand . . . ]

[Parliament building drive-by . . . ]

[And a drive-by of The Hand . . . ]

[A ferry, likely to Denmark . . . ]

[And a “shirt” drive-by . . . ]

[A busy time at the Opera House as the crowds move about on the exterior “ramps” . . . ]

[And She Lies, again . . . ]

[And the entry area to the Opera House with She Lies in the background . . . ]

[Seem to waiting for permanent placement in the vicinity of the Opera House?]

[The train station (didn’t even have to look it up) . . . ]

[In Roman mythology, Fortuna was a goddess of good or bad luck. Her statue mounted at the wall of Rica Oslo Hotel pictures her with two of her traditional attributes: a sail and a globe, symbolizing the fate and the chance. The statue has been placed there in 2005 (www.waymarking.com).]

[The original hang glider?]

[King Christian IV, known for making a “bird-on-the-hat” fashion statement . . . ]

[The 2nd photo ever taken of this fountain statue.  The 1st didn’t identify it either . . . ]

[But it was in this neighborhood . . . ]

[Construction and re-construction – the nature of the beast everywhere we’ve been the last few years . . . ]

[Either a famous Norwegian or a character in a “Harry Potter” novel . . . ]

[As the sign says, the Norwegian Nobel Institute . . . ]

[And now we’re going up to the Hollmenkollen . . . ]

[We’re on the switchbacks going up the mountain . . . ]

[Our tour guide told us that the physical activities-crazed Norwegians attempt to bike to the top of this mountain without ever letting their feet hit the ground . . . ]

[Holmenkollbakken is a large ski jumping hill.  It has a hill size of HS134, a construction point of K-120, and a capacity for 70,000 spectators.  Holmenkollen has hosted the Holmenkollen Ski Festival since 1892, which since 1980 have been part of the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup and 1983 the FIS Nordic Combined World Cup.  It has also hosted the 1952 Winter Olympics and the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in 1930, 1966, 1982, and 2011.  The hill is the most popular tourist attraction in Norway, and has roughly one million visitors each year (Wikipedia).]

[This is a pretty awesome piece of construction, so I gave it a few shots . . . ]

[View from there . . . ]

[Boy, doesn’t this look like it would be fun . . . NOT!!!!!   A little gust of wind and you end up in grandma’s lap in seat 4, aisle 12!]

[The Troll Sculpture Kollentrollet . . . ]

[You should see all the ones I didn’t post . . . ]

[Say, WHAAAAA????]

[Serious issues with head alignment with the opening . . . ]

[The famous Norwegian arctic explorer – we’ll see more of him along the way . . . ]

[Where we were in relation to where we weren’t . . . ]

[Wow!!!  They’re flying!]

[Our wheels . . . ]

[Our guide Helen directing back on the bus . . . ]

[A final good-bye to the jump – we’ll continue the day in the next post . . . ]

Even without the fence this story had an element of farce.  Thousands of migrants crossed Norway’s Arctic border by bike last year, because by law they could not go over by foot.  ~  Howard Johnson, BBC  [Apparently Norwegians are mocking efforts to build a fence between Norway and Russia.]

Up Next:  The day continues . . . [An aside: as I was just typing a clap of thunder just about bounced me off my stability ball!]

June 18

Oslo

OK, here was the idea.  Finally making a visit to the Motherland.  Mom’s family is from Norway, but I had never been there.  In fact, I had never been to her hometown of Worthington, MN, until recently.  Ruthie’s dad’s family is from Norway.  She has been there several times.  Mostly on business.  As you may recall, she sold fighter jets to our allies.  She was particularly happy to do so for Norway.  Norway needs a strong defense lest others seek revenge on the Vikings.  Oh, and Ole was with us for the whole trip – Ole is available for purchase from the Runestone Museum, then he must travel with you . . .

The plan:

But first:

[The Super and Ole at MSP, ready to board for the first leg of the trip to Keflavik on Icelandair . . . ]

[And yes, these first four photos were actually taken on June 17 . . . ]

[Ole was pretty excited about his first trip, don’cha know . . . ]

[And now he’s on the plane . . . ]

[And now he’s in Oslo!]

[Because of his heritage, he did not need a passport . . . ]

[At the airport, Bill, Ole, and the Super in line to buy our train tickets to downtown . . . ]

Oslo has one airport – Gardermoen (45 km from the city centre). The fastest way to downtown Oslo is by Flytoget, the shuttle train, which takes you to the city center in 20 minutes. A one-way ticket costs NOK 160. Trains run from 5.35 am to 12.35 am every 10 minutes.

[Train ride selfie (OK, not totally a selfie with Bill and Anne in the background) . . . ]

[Our destination was Oslo Central Station . . . ]

[A shout out to our longtime trip planners, Skads Travel, who set up our first four days before the start of the cruise . . . ]

[Above and below, Ole approved of our hotel room . . . ]

[Our first two nights here.  From the plaza below, you could hit the train station off to the right with a Hail Mary pass.  Nice to be able to schlep the suitcases less than a block!]

[Though, as usual, I didn’t sleep on the plane, the day was young and we were about to hit the streets . . . ]

[This is Oslo Central Station square, a/k/a, Jernbanetorget . . . ]

[We’re on the street, heading to the square, shooting back at our hotel . . . ]

[And there’s from whence we walked.  Tres convenient!]

[In the square, with the station, and with an unidentified and apparently non-functioning fountain?]

[Since this is a major feature of the square, I was surprised I could find no information about it.  One Google-machine photo just labeled it as “a man and woman”?]

[They may be Ingemar Stenmark and Sonja Henie?]

[Our hotel, in all its glory . . . ]

[Looking opposite our hotel from the square.  On the right is where we lunched . . . ]

[Our view from the square of:  In the city centre around the main street Karl Johans gate you find night clubs, bars, jazz clubs and cafés in between stores, shopping centres and hotels. Downtown Oslo has a little bit of everything.  Kvadraturen is the name of the historical centre in Oslo. The area between Akershus Fortress and Karl Johans gate, Jernbanetorget and Egertorget got its name because of the rectangular street pattern. This is where king Christian IV founded Christiania after the big fire in 1624. Some of Oslo’s oldest buildings are located in Kvadraturen, and and now the area can boast a number of fine art galleries and museums (www.visitoslo.com).]

[After a long flight, let’s eat!]

[Skol!]

[The Super and Anne . . . ]

[Discussing the finer points . . . ]

[Of Anne’s cider . . . ]

[Dig in!  Bill and I shared an appetizer-sized charcuterie board.  I can’t recall what the ladies had . . . ]

[Back to our walkabout . . . ]

[The tiger in front of Oslo Central Station is one of Oslo’s most photographed “inhabitants” and one of the first things that meet a visitor arriving at Oslo Central Station.  When Oslo celebrated its 1000-year anniversary in 2000, Eiendomsspar wanted to give the city a gift. Oslo wanted a tiger, and that’s what they got: a 4.5-metre bronze tiger made by Elena Engelsen.  Why a tiger?  The reason Oslo wanted a tiger, is the city’s nickname  Tigerstaden (“The Tiger City”), which most Norwegians are familiar with.  The name was probably first used by Norwegian poet Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson.  His poem “Sidste Sang” from 1870 describes a fight between a horse and a tiger; the tiger representing the dangerous city and the horse the safe countryside.  Since then Oslo has been known as “The Tiger City”, but these days it’s not necessarily meant as a negative thing. “The Tiger City” can be an excitingand happening place rather than dangerous (www.visitoslo.com).]

[This sculpture is a monument to the Osvald-gruppen (English: Osvald Group) for its resistance efforts during World War II. The monument was unveiled on May 1, 2015, in front of Oslo’s central train station (www.waymarking.com).]

[The “no name” sculpture fountain from the other side . . . ]

[And from this side . . . ]

[They appear to be Grete Waitz and Henrik Ibsen?]

[This is our hotel bar.  We never partook.  Never enough time . . . ]

[Outside our hotel bar, the Super found a friend . . . ]

[Sculpture of man with suitcases.  That’s it . . . ]

[Ambling down Karl Johans gate (street) . . . ]

[The Super found some of my distant relatives . . . ]

[Still ambling . . . ]

[The Royal Palace at the end of Karl Johans gate . . . ]

[Christian Krohg (13 August 1852 – 16 October 1925) was a Norwegian naturalist painter, illustrator, author and journalist.  Krohg was inspired by the realism art movement and often chose motives from everyday life.  He was the director and served as the first professor at the Norwegia Academy of Arts from 1909 to 1925 (Wikipedia).]

[The Storting building (Norwegian: Stortingsbygningen) is the seat of the Storting, the parliament of Norway. The building is located at 22 Karl Johans gate in central Oslo.  It was taken into use on 5 March 1866 and was designed by the Swedish architect Emil Victor Langlet (Wikipedia).]

[Johan Sverdrup, the father of Norwegian parliamentarism . . . ]

[Parliament building garnished by three American tourists . . . ]

[Statue suffering from the usual avial abuse . . . ]

[Carl Joachim “C. J.” Hambro (5 January 1885 – 15 December 1964) was a Norwegian journalist, author and leading politician representing the Conservative Party.  A ten-term member of the Parliament of Norway, Hambro served as President of the Parliament for twenty of his thirty-eight years in the legislature (Wikipedia).]

[Grand Hotel . . . ]

[Olav Thon (born 29 June 1923) is a Norwegian real estate developer and listed in the Forbes list of billionaires as the 198th richest person in the world with a net worth of $6 billion as of March 2013.  He is Norway’s richest person and his Olav Thon Group is Norway’s largest private real estate company, with 450 properties, including 60 hotels (Wikipedia).]

[Time to head back to the hotel . . . ]

[As the sun begins to  . . . well, not set . . . ]

[Botanical growing things in a big pot adjacent to female feet . . . ]

[Reliving those high school skin years with a window selfie . . . ]

[You’ve been told!]

[Innovation begins with the right sign . . . ]

[Fred’s street . . . ]

[Warrants a “don’t walk” signal . . . ]

[The Opera House across the street from our hotel . . . ]

[I’m eating what??]

[Looks good, Anne!]

[Bill’s . . . ]

[Mine, all good, can’t remember where . . . ]

[Goodnight, Oslo!  Thanks for a fun first day!]

Norway is not a good country to have for the fatherland, especially not in the winter.  ~  Henrik Ibsen

Up Next:  More Oslo

June 13

‘Twas a beautiful morning . . . 

[Merill Kiehne, 97, of Alexandria (in fact, exactly one block from the Echo Press) won a reduced price newspaper subscription by holing a bean bag toss.  Merill (Alex class of 1942) was able to accomplish this feat by totally ignoring the advice of his two septuagenerian sons, Jerry (Alex class of 1963), from Florida, and Tom (Alex class of 1965), from Texas, in town to celebrate Father’s Day this weekend.  Al Edenloff, Echo Press editor, was on hand to referee said activities . . . ]

June 14

[A nice evening, so we decided to lead the Kiehne family’s first visit to Lure Lakebar for dinner.  In keep with current trends, we ordered our drinks with a front row view of Lake Le Homme Dieu only then to be chased inside by rain . . . ]

June 15

[Professor Doctor Colonel Kiehne was joined by fellow class of 65ers, Little Mayo from Burnsville, and Bradley, fresh off his latest bout of things injurious to his person, for a noontime repast at Interlachen.  The out-of-towners last recalled frequenting this place from 37 to 50+ years ago.  Here the professor is greeted by the maitre d’, the last and final replacement for Cindy Cupcake (R.I.P.) . . . ]

[The boys from the south complained about the refrigerator-like temperature in the restaurant, contemporaneous with their acquired need for  90-degree temperatures to be comfortable . . . ]

[The questionable weather and the anticipated crowds kept all except the Super and me from then going out to Carlos Creek Winery for the grand opening of 22 Northmen Brewing Company.  The crowds were the equivalent of Grape Stomp crowds as we had to park far out in the fields.  The lines for the 9 crafted beers and brick oven pizza detered us attempting such on this day . . . ]

[We were happy to pull our usual shift as fans of Josie, outside with a bottle of wine . . . ]

[But the weather drove her inside after set one . . . ]

[And inside the winery tasting facility it was as crowded as at the brewery . . . ]

[We were able to join a couple from Benson for a side view of Josie . . . ]

[Then Nicole Mulder, the executive director of the Theatre L’Homme Dieu, arrived with the theatre’s summer staff . . . ]

[And one with flash . . . ]

[Obviously not the photographer, above and below . . . ]

[We were interested in lining up Josie for a TLHD event . . . ]

[I think it’s going to work . . . ]

June 16

[Back to the winery the next day, Father’s Day, as Patchouli was in town . . . ]

[Truly the beginning of the summer season when Julie & Bruce return from Florida . . . ]

[Greg (Little Mayo) had expressed a strong desire to see them perform on the previous day, but he had to return home to Burnsville . . . ]

[I asked Julie to do a short “Miss you, Greg” video.  The first attempt at such yielded these two still photos . . . ]

Dear Dad, Happy Father’s Day.  Lo these many years later you’d probably be surprised to learn your writings are as relevant today as when you wrote them.  Nah . . . you wouldn’t be surprised . . .

[Dad with brother Cam at the “U,” c. 1971 . . . ]

Dad, You’ve done a lot of great things, but you’re a very old man, and old people are useless. ~ Homer Simpson

Up Next:  We’re outa here . . .

June 2

ALUMNI BROADWAY REVUE: We were joined by fellow music junkies, Karin and Dave Berg, for a pre-event repast only to discover the golf course closed its restaurant at 6:00 on Saturdays. So, on to the Garden Bar, where we all got flatbread pizzas. Then off to the high school . . . but wait, Karin said it was at DMS, whatever that was? Sure enough, it was at the middle school – I would have trundled on to the high school where confusion would have reigned. But we made it to DMS where, as totally anticipated, the kids put on a great show. The 300 seat auditorium was about 80 per cent full, a good sign.  And apparently all three performance drew such as well . . .

June 5

Fund raiser for the Alexandria track and field team . . .

Located at Alexandria, United Methodist Church, 2210 6th Ave East,  Alexandria, Mn

Summer 2019 Schedule June 5, 2019 – 4:00 PM

Musician: Mikko Cowdry and Friends

Partnered with  Alexandria Track

June 7

Killer Vees at Carlos Creek Winery . . . 

Jeff, Tommy and Matt Vee, national music scene veterans and sons and nephew respectively of the legendary Bobby Vee, join forces with their family and friends as The KILLER VEES to celebrate timeless music classics from a wide variety of eras. Known as the “rhythm section to the stars” The KILLER VEES have toured and performed with a virtual who’s who in the music business: Chuck Berry, Roy Orbison, Paul McCartney, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Ronnie Wood just to name a few! Coming from a musical family of the late Bobby Vee, the KILLER VEES are joined by Matt’s wife Julie Velline on vocals, Mark Levandowski and Frank Plachecki on keys, and guitar king Kurt “Lightning” Rodman. It’s going to be a high-energy rockin’ night! (from their Facebook page) . . . 

[And away we go . . . ]

[Julie, Matt, and Tommy . . . ]

[The Super shimmies (I think) through the crowd . . . ]

[Septuagenerians hitting the dance floor to Bobby Vee’s extended family . . . ]

[A fun evening of great music . . . ]

[The next day Julie posted this shocking news:  Today I am at a loss for words. Last night we lost a man who was a BIG part of our lives and family. We all loved him like a brother and was one the THE best guitar players I’ve ever heard! Our guitar player in our Celebration of Neil Diamond and Killer Kountry show, Kurt “lightening” Rodman, passed away of a heart attack last night. We are still in total shock and will miss him beyond words. My eyes are overrunning with tears….It just will not be the same! ]

[Our sincerest condolences to the Rodman and Velline families . . . ]

June 7 & 8

The state track meet to which our boys and girls teams qualified 17 competitors after both teams won section titles.  We’ve got to do better about getting our school song on YouTube as this is one I posted 9 years ago by Doc’s All Stars . . .  

Why yes, we did do very well!

[Our 4 x 100 relay team won the state title; Drew Olson on the far right won the 100 individual (it appears he was the first outstate runner to do so in over 30 years) . . . ]

[Mya Lesnar & McKenzie Duwenhoegger finished 1 – 2 in shot put and were 2 – 3 in discuss. A better tandem than Batman and Robin!]

[It also appears Alex (1200 students) finished 3rd in total points (boys & girls) behind Rosemount (2200 students) and Wayzata (3500) students.  Congratulations to both teams for a great year!]

June 9 

A beautiful Sunday afternoon for our first visit to Lure Lakebar (it’s been packed daily since its opening).  It’s a renovated version of Bug-A-Boo Bay and under new ownership, still with the background view of Lake Le Homme Dieu . . .

[We were there for a snack and to listen to Anthony Miltich . . . ]

[The new look . . . ]

[Very nice . . . ]

[Joined by usual music partners, Karin and Dave . . . ]

[Are you taking our picture?]

[Yes I am!]

[A look inside from outside . . . ]

[Further inside . . . ]

[A look outside from inside . . . ]

[Furtherer inside . . . ]

[The bar . . . ]

[The lake . . . hence Lakebar . . . ]

[The menu – not as scary as we were led to believe (and they know who they are) . . . ]

[The previously acknowledged Bergs . . . ]

[We were shortly joined by Deb and Paul Trumm (see video) as we would be going to their place for bookclub next . . . ]

[And Anthony keeps going . . . ]

[And going . . . ]

[And going . . . ]

[The walleye sub – catch you again next time!]

And a panorama video!

My sole inspiration is a telephone call from a producer.  ~  Cole Porter

Up Next:  A lull in the storm?

June 2

An afternoon at Carlos Creek Winery . . .

[But first, a visit from our Canada goose families . . . ]

[Then out to the winery for a beautiful Sunday afternoon with the Salty Dogs . . . ]

[A quick visit to the Northmen Brewing Co., scheduled for a June 15 opening . . . ]

[Then back to the performance area where the Super was holding fort . . . ]

[‘Twas such a lovely day we spent the whole afternoon there for the 4-hour gig . . . ]

[And afterwards, joined the half the band w/spouses at Interlachen for dinner . . . ]

For your dining and dancing pleasure . . . 

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

[The hats were in memory of Leon Redbone . . . at least that’s what we told them . . . ]

Until we meet again . . . 

It’s easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself.  ~  Johann Sebatian Bach

Up Next:  Dunno

June 2

Going home . . . 

[There ultimately comes a time when it’s time to go home.  Surprisingly, it’s an event met with mixed emotions.  These are peope with whom you have spent the past 18 months – at a place that’s been pretty darn nice.  But after that much time, island (or in our case, “rock”) fever also sets in.  I know it’s happened to people who have lived in Hawaii.  You ultimately feel isolated and trapped in a small space.  Here the boys are gathered at Kadena AFB to say good-bye to Lu Scronce (from North Carolina, in dress greens on the far right) and, I assume, me . . . ]

[And on the way home I get to pay my first visit to Alaska . . . ]

[And at the Anchorage airport – it felt great to step out into cold air for the first time in a year and a half . . . ]

[Looks like a famous Alaska bush plane . . . ]

[The snow-capped mountains were beautiful . . . ]

[The cars really date the picture . . . ]

[In 1955 the ‘San Francisco Port of Embarkation’ became the ‘U.S. Army Transportation Terminal Command Pacific’, and the Oakland Army Base became the Oakland Army Terminal. In 1964 the headquarters of the command moved from Fort Mason to the Oakland Army Terminal, and in 1966 the terminal was renamed back to the Oakland Army Base. During the Vietnam War, Oakland Army Base served as a major transit station for U.S. soldiers en route to and returning from all deployment locations in East Asia—such as Vietnam and Korea. The base decommissioned on September 30, 1999 (Wikipedia).  And this is how we were greeted there when we were honorably discharged from the service.  Separation happens when you reach your ETS (Expiration of Term of Service) date . . . ]

[And now leaving the Bay Area for . . . ]

[Las Vegas?  Yes!  Remember Vegas from the early ’70’s?]

[Hard to believe all these casinos, famed in song and story, no longer exist . . . ]

[And all the stars from 50 years ago – makes one feel really old . . . ]

[At this time Ceasar’s Palace was the numero uno at the end of the Strip . . . ]

[What was the “biggest” then would be dwarfed by what’s there now . . . ]

[And, of course, the desert.  Hey, you’re gonna run out of water!!]

[Circus Circus was pretty new at this time . . . ]

[Fortunately, as a returning GI, I had no money for gambling, or for seeing shows . . . ]

[Now the real reason I stopped here on the way home.  This is where Grandma and Grandpa Obert wintered for many years . . . ]

[The end of Vegas in daylight . . . ]

[To the more famous Vegas by night . . . ]

[And then after all that excitement, I arrived back home.  Home then was with Mom and Dad Obert in Arlington, Virginia.  After gathering my resources, I was soon back to Mpls. to finish my degree at the ‘U’ under the GI bill.  Little did I realize at this time that I would later be back in the D.C. area for my extinguished career as federal bureaucrat and who would some day retire back to dear ole Alex . . . ]

[Must have been March 7, Mom’s 49th birthday . . . ]

[And with her favorite son, Baron . . . ]

[A Happy Birthday toast!  Baron thinking, “Where’s mine?”]

[Brother Chris, then 19, sporting his Manson look . . . ]

[Brother Cam, then 17, helps Mom read her birthday cards . . . ]

[Then photo bombs their smooch . . . ]

[Dad always bought Mom’s clothes – she was never much interested in shopping . . . ]

[Dad sporting some rather exotic sideburns . . . ]

[OK, Natalia, get cracking on these scrap books!]

[All worn out from the day’s excitement, Dad usurps my papasan chair . . . ]

[A final tour of the nation’s capital before returning to Minnesota.  Beginning with the Smithsonian Castle on the mall . . . ]

[The Washington Monument . . . ]

[The Capitol . . . ]

[The Capitol dome . . . ]

[Looking down the Mall from the Capitol steps . . . ]

[And again, a classic scene . . . ]

[Ending in the National Gallery of Art, which amazingly turned out to be kitty-corner from my long time place of employment, the Department of Labor.]

[This wraps up our two-year exposition of the life and times of soldier Obert.  Hope you enjoyed, or at least endured, the tour.  Say goodnight, Dick!]

I can resist everything except temptation.  ~  Oscar Wilde

Up Next:  Only the devil knows

 

 

May 31

Saying good-bye . . . 

[Of course, in the military people are moved all the time.  Okinawa was an 18 month tour of duty.  After 18 months you moved on to a different duty station . . . or you were discharged and went home.  Whenever somebody left, friends would see them off at the airport, which you now know from your readings was Kadena AFB.  Here I’m saying good-bye to my first hang-around-with buddy, Wayne Coleman . . . ]

[April 1971 . . . ]

[And, unfortunately, as often happens – this was the last time I saw him . . . ]

[A Lockheed C-5A, virtually brand new at this time.  The first C-5A was delivered to the USAF on 17 December 1969.  The C-5’s first mission was on 9 July 1970, in Southeast Asia during the Vietnma War.  C-5s were used to transport equipment and troops, including Army tanks and even some small aircraft, throughout the later years of the US action in Vietnam.  In the final weeks of the war, prior to the Fall of Saigon, several C-5s were involved in evacuation efforts (Wikipedia).]

[A group of three going home.  I remember all 4 guys here, but Tom Morris on the right is the only name I remember . . . ]

[April 1971 . . . ]

[THE SIGN, everybody’s goal to be photographed here . . . ]

[The motorcycle guy, whose name of course I can’t remember, had just greeted some deplaned then known as stewardesses . . . ]

[Now we’re saying good-bye to the Billy Crystal look-alike guy.  I think both he and motorcycle guy were with from New York or Jersey . . . ]

[May 1971 . . . ]

[The bro hug long precedes modern times . . . ]

[Sayonara to you . . . ]

[The plane to take us home . . . ]

[The Vietnam transfers are going home . . . ]

[May 1971 . . . ]

[Bill Petronus, guy in the middle, and Terry Bess depart the barracks for the last time . . . ]

The above photo reminds it’s time for some editorial comments.  Lest you think duty on Okinawa was all peaches and cream – well, it was, most of the time.  But the above photo reminds of the times we went through water rationing.  In such times, after eating, you went outside and dunked your metal eating tray in a series of  garbage cans filled with heated water.  And in such times, there could go several days between showers (meaning no beaches, unless you enjoyed being covered in a salty crust).  We called Okinawa, “The Rock,” because literally that’s what it was.  There was no natural water other than what could be collected in rain water reservoirs.  So, during the dry season, water could become scarce.  There were also typhoon seasons.  I believe I previously reported that during a typhoon we would be stationed at our work site until it was over – some times a couple of days.  And finally, like all operations, we were always dependent on available personnel.  There were times when the number of people leaving exceeded the number of new people coming in.  During those times, which I recall happened several times, we worked 12-hours shifts, 7 days a week.  Now we return you to our story . . . 

[And sayonara to these guys . . . ]

[And then to my roommate, Webbo, lost forever in the sands of time . . . ]

[And then so long to my life-long buddy, Roy . . . ]

[I remember the other, but of course not his name . . . ]

[Webbo and Roy, December 1971 . . . ]

As long as we’re saying good-bye, we’ll wrap up this portion from where we started – the Free The Army show presented in Part I in black-and-white.  I don’t recall how I have identical photos in both color and black-and-white . . .

[I’m moving Donald Sutherland to the last photo – the photo that will be featured in the Facebook posting . . . ]

When you join another village, follow the rules.  ~  Japan idiom

Up Next:  Sayonara Okinawa

May 28

No matter where you live, sometimes you just have to go to town.  For the GI’s in Sukiran, “town” was either Koza (now Okinawa City), 6 miles north of where we were stationed in Futema, or Naha, the capital of the Ryukyu Islands, 7 1/2 miles south of Futema . . .

[Okinawa [nee Koza] is the second-largest city in Okinawa, following Naha, the capital city. It is located in the central part of the island, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Naha.  As of December 2012, the city has an estimated population of 138,431 and a total area of  49.00 km².  The city of Okinawa was the site of the Koza riot on the night of December 20, 1970 [yes, I was there then but all were confined to base].  Roughly 5,000 Okinawans came into violent contact with roughly 700 American MPs.  Approximately 60 Americans were injured and 75 cars were burned.  The Koza riot was considered a symbol of Okinawan anger after 25 years of US military occupation. The riot was unexpected, and strained the ongoing negotiations on the end of the United States administration of Okinawa.  The city of Okinawa was founded on April 1, 1974 with the merger of Koza and Misato (Wikipedia)].

[Of course the above photo could be from Division Street in St. Cloud, but the sign below shows where we actually were in relation to the rest of the world . . . ]

[The strip through Koza.  On the left is the Mikimoto Pearls store.  Lest you did not know Mikimoto discovered the way to make consistent cultured pearls – as an irritant for the oysters, he inserted shell fragments from Mississippi River clams.  Amazing, eh?  I went back to Japan’s main islands about 10 years later and bought a Mikimoto single pearl necklace for the significant ladies of my life . . . ]

[“The Rievers” with Steve McQueen was a current flick at the time so Okinawa was getting first run movies.  This and following photos from on high are from the rooftop of the East & West Gift Shop . . . ]

[A neighborhood . . . ]

[When you come to the fork in the road, take it . . . ]

[Big city life, looking uptown . . . ]

[And downtown, or vice-versa . . . ]

[And under the bridge, or overpass . . . ]

[And down the side streets . . . ]

[And the mighty East & West Gift Shop, from whence all the overhead shots were taken in this and other postings . . . ]

[If you remember old Las Vegas, you should remember the Dunes Hotel marquee covered here mid-photo . . . ]

[Long before the bridge to nowhere, we had the highway to nowhere.  We are now in Naha. Naha, Naha-shi, is the capital city of the Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture in Japan.  As of December 2012, the city has an estimated population of 321,467 and a total area of 38.99 km².  The modern city was officially founded on May 20, 1921.  Before that, Naha had been for centuries one of the most important and populous sites in Okinawa.  Naha is the political, economic and education center of Okinawa Prefecture. In the medieval and early modern periods, it was the commercial center of the Ryukyu Kingdom (Wikipedia).]

[Where the nowhere highway came from . . . ]

[Pedestrian walkways over busy city streets . . . ]

[Now here’s some kinda rush hour traffic!  Probably why we seldom visited Naha . . . ]

[You know you’re in a big city when . . . ]

[If you’re looking to rekindle your passion for Major League Baseball, the answer may be 6,000 miles away in beautiful Japan, where Nippon Professional Baseball, the country’s highest level of pro ball, will have you viewing America’s pastime in a whole new light. I started my journey in Tokyo, setting out for Jingu Stadium, less than half an hour by train from Shinjuku Station. (English is used throughout Tokyo’s transit system, making travel a breeze.)  Perhaps most surprising: Japanese baseball fans did not stare at their smartphones during the game or mill about the stadium looking for distractions.  A particularly enthusiastic young boy next to me remained seated for all nine innings, cheering, singing and even offering me a few of his squid snacks. There was no booing or yelling at the umpires — even when a call was reversed against the home team — and the crowd roared in delight when a batter laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt.  ~  Gregory Leporati, LA Times, 2-14-19]

[The rain, the park, and other things . . . ]

[As the sign notes, obviously a destination site.  I don’t recall ever going in?]

[Major construction underway . . . ]

[The ever popular benjo ditch!  In case you’re not familiar with the term “benjo ditch,” it is a shallow, gently-sloping ‘ditch’ that was once used to funnel water and human waste from the cities in Okinawa (and Japan) out to the fields for use as fertilizer  (http://mickmc.tripod.com/benjoditches.html).]

[Meanwhile, back at the baseball game, we have a catcher without any protective equipment, as well as a coach or bystander in the direct line of fire?]

[City life, again reminiscent of St. Cloud’s Division Street . . . ]

[My car parked next to the barber shop, though I’m sure I wasn’t getting a haircut.  Come to think if it, I don’t remember where or when getting haircuts there?  And also on the street, a female gaijin.  Gaijin is a Japanese word for foreigners and non-Japanese. The word is composed of two kanji: gai (外, “outside”) and jin (人, “person”) (Wikipedia).]

[A blurred Tom Morris in the foreground, as I recall haggling over the price for a chess set?]

[And wrapping up here with the previously posted photo from the top of the East & West Gift Shop . . . ]

Eight-tenths full keeps the doctor away.  ~  Japanese idiom

Up Next: Just about done with Okinawa

 

 

 

May 27

Leave, a/k/a, R & R – when most stationed in the Far East would visit Japan, Thailand, South Korea, or Australia.  I, however, had not been home in 18 months, so in August 1971 that’s where I went . . . 

[When you traveled, best to go in uniform.  Sometimes you could “hitch” a ride on a military flight or you could fly commercial stand-by at half price . . . ]

[So, here I am, in my pushing the limits of an appropriate army haircut, in Kadena AFB waiting for my “ride” home . . . ]

[And we’re airborne . . . ]

[I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now . . . ]

[America!  Mt. Rainer, I believe . . . ]

[The Cascades . . . ]

[Wing clearance brings Rainier back into view . . . ]

[I hadn’t seen snow in a year and a half . . . ]

[Western Washington, the arid side . . . ]

[And here, I believe, Mt. Helens (9 years before the eruption) and Mt. Adams have joined Rainer for the photo . . . ]

[Somewhere in Minneapolis with high school classmates – Little Mayo on the left was already discharged from his army tour in Vietnam; Professor Doctor Colonel Tom graduated from West Point in 1969 so he may have been home on leave from Germany?]

[So, we went to a Twins game.  Remember Catfish Hunter for the Oakland A’s?]

[Decent seats, eh?  Well, it wasn’t exactly a full house at the old Met.  But weren’t both of these teams really good at the time?]

[Sir Rodney Carew . . . ]

[Prince Tony Oliva, best hitter I’ve ever seen live . . . ]

[Jim Kaat hurling for the Twinks . . . ]

[And the baron, Harmon Killebrew . . . ]

[And I stop by the U of M campus . . . ]

[The view from the pedestrian bridge over Washington Avenue on the U’s mall.  We’re on the East Bank of the campus looking across the Mississippi to the West Bank.  The two buidings middle left are the Social Science Tower (SST), where I had most of my classes, and the Business Adminstration Tower (BAT) – they were almost brand new in my day.  The building on the right is the Foshay Tower in downtown Minneapolis . . . ]

[In front of Coffman Memorial Union, which would be just off the left side of the above photo.  The Mpls. skyline in the day was pretty much the IDS Building, on the left, and the Foshay Tower . . . ]

[Dad and little brother Cam in front of Coffman Union, whose name recently has come under review (how ’bout Wellstone Union?).  Dad was dressed for a meeting with some of his old journalism professors (as I recall?) . . . ]

[(Cam thinking, “Oh, to have that 16-year old waistline again?”)]

[We arrived in the folks mobile, the folks getting out of such mobile, at Grandma and Grandpa Obert’s house in north Minneapolis, on the grid on Humboldt Avenue, where Dad grew up . . . ]

[The grandparents’ back yard.  Gramps was a rose gardener, par excellence . . . ]

[Dad also was a rose gardener, Cam is a gardener, and I, at least, ignored those family DNA patterns!]

[A beauty!]

[In Minnesota, Gramps always had to bend his roses over and then cover them for the winters . . . ]

[That’s one tall rose bush!!]

[Gramps was retired, but he supplemented their social security as a part-time security guard at a nurses’ dormitory.  His employer told him he had to wear a gun.  Gramps would have none of that!  (We’re a multi-generation no guns family.)  They told him he couldn’t have the job if he didn’t.  The compromise was he would have the gun, but with no bullets – probably made it more dangerous for him . . . ]

[He had to monitor the dorm parking lot at night.  If saw some boy-girl activities going on inside a car, he’d go up and shine a flashlight in the window.  Then he’d walk away giggling.  That was Gramps . . . ]

[John, Cam, Natalia, Evelyn, and Chet in the front yard . . . ]

[Cam lovingly embracing his mother . . . ]

[We’re heading up . . . ]

[Along the Mississippi River to . . . ]

Alexandria

[Gee, but it’s great to be back home.  Home is where I wanna be . . . ]

[Above, Lake Geneva; below Donatelli’s Geneva Beach Resort where we stayed . . . ]

[Canoeing on the lake . . . ]

[College friends Libby and Steve Hansen (though I can’t remember if they were married yet) joined us for an overnight . . . ]

[Long time residents of South Minneapolis . . . ]

[The resort from the lake.  My guess – I’m in a boat . . . ]

[The landing, i.e., public access on Lake Victoria, in the neighborhood where we Obert kids grew up in Victoria Heights . . . ]

[The view from the landing toward the east side of the lake . . . ]

[Our neighborhood ball park and playground . . . ]

[When we first moved here, 1950, it was all dirt roads.  At this time, the pavement ended before it got to the lake landing . . . ]

[Heading past the landing . . . ]

[Up the big hill, which provided for long speedy sled rides in the winter . . . ]

[6th Avenue back in the day carried all way to the highway – then US 52, now MN 27. This is the duplicate Runestone, then on the busy side of the city – now it’s 4 miles from the interstate so it doesn’t get much action anymore . . . ]

[Victoria Heights from MN27 . . . ]

[The first entrance in Victoria Heights from MN27.  I don’t believe the streets were named yet . . . ]

[Our old house, the 2nd story was added in the early 60’s.  Laura and Larry McCoy bought the house from us in the 1967, and lived there until very recently when they downsized . . . ]

[Up a slight hill from our old house to a view of the lake landing and our ball park . . . ]

[Looking back from the where the previous photo was shot.  Every house seemed to have 3br’s, one bath, and an average of four kids.  Everybody literally knew everyone else . . . ]

[Down to the park . . . ]

[The railroad tracks across the highway from our neighborhood.  Parents didn’t want their kids to play on them – so, of course, we all did . . . ]

[From the railroads tracks looking into Victoria Heights . . . ]

[Jefferson Senior High School from which I graduated in 1965.  It no longer exists . . . ]

[Big Old, then at the intersection of 3rd and Broadway . . . ]

[Ole was later moved down by Lake Agnes (a block and a half to the left on this photo), as drivers wearied of swerving around tourists who would run out on the street for photo ops . . . ]

[Photo op night at the resort.  The folks do not appear to be dressed for a fish fry . . . ]

[Dad back playing at the Alexandria Golf Club.  He would get a month’s worth of  vacation time every year – every year he and Mom would go back to Alex from D.C. for the whole month of August.  His schedule had to pretty much coincide with that of Congress, and Congress always shuts down for August . . . ]

[With Dick Dyke, the general manager of the Park Region Echo when Dad was the editor, and Dick’s son Perry who was, and is, a very good golfer, and now a retired TV sportscaster from Mankato . . . ]

[Arrowwood almost 50 years ago.  In a way, it doesn’t seem like it could be that old?]

[Dad doing a little work while on vacation . . . ]

[He could see it better if I used the flash . . . ]

[Looks like it’s time to leave . . . ]

[Them to Arlington, VA, and me to . . . ]

Back to Okinawa

[Back again over the Rockies . . . ]

[Or Sierra Nevadas . . . ]

[Looks like into L.A.  Then the EPA was invented . . . ]

[Next stop, Honolulu . . . ]

[My first visit to the Aloha State . . . ]

[Hey!  There’s Diamond Head . . . ]

[I had an overnight in a Tokyo hotel before the final leg to Okinawa.  This night will also be remembered as the first time I saw naked people on TV.  No, not porn (unless naked people alone are considered porn), but there was a Japanese film maker at the time who would choose various spots to shoot hundreds of naked people.  On this night, on my TV, they showed hundreds of naked people running out into a baseball stadium . . . ]

[Looks like the final leg into Okinawa.  I thought I would have one more year of service when I landed – little did I know I would be leaving in six months (February) and eventually work in Washington, D.C. . . . ]

[Could this be all the Ryukyuan Islands?]

Tomorrow’s winds will blow tomorrow.  ~  Japanese idiom

Up Next:  More Japanese idioms