Sunday, June 5, 2005
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Photo © Jerrianne Lowther
Young robin -- all dressed up and ready to go!
Click here to see Miss Kitty's Mama Robin Web Log, Fourth Week.
The little robins left the nest sometime on June 2, shortly after this picture was taken, exactly one month, to the day, after Mama Robin built her nest in the birch tree outside my bedroom window.
Updates -
UPDATE
by Kristi Indermark
Parrish, FL
Tyler is now 8 pounds 3 ounces and has grown to 20 1/2 inches. He is doing great! Jordan is adjusting to her little brother! He is now her baby. We are all enjoying the new baby.
Jim, Kristi, Jordan and Tyler Indermark
Tyler Indermark, left; Jordan Indermark, right.
UPDATE
by Carol Printz
Sidney, NE
Just thought I'd send a picture from last weekend at Justin and Melody's. One of the infrequent occasions when the entire family was together. Eric was able to come up from Chugwater preps after work Saturday ... and Austin was up from Denver.
Harold and Carol Printz family (see Bulletin 125).
back row: Eric, Justin, Harold, Cody
center: Austin, Melody holding Amy, Carol
front: Callie, Wade
STUDENT UPDATE -- Summer and Fall Activity
by Kimberly Johnson
Long Lake, MN
I will be working at Flash Photography this summer, starting out as a receptionist/ studio help. Before Christmas time she would have me working as a photographer on my own. This coming fall I plan to be going to Hennepin Tech in Eden Prairie for Photography ... mainly courses dealing with Wedding Photography. So there you have it. :)
The Matriarch Speaks W
by Dorothy (Dake) Anderson
Alexandria, MN
Let's Play a Guessing Game: Whenever it is handy to do so we will run a picture of someone of the subscribers or staff members of our e-magazine. Tell us who you think it is -- we will let you know who was the first to guess it right -- and the correct guess -- in the following week's Bulletin.
(Send us some to run; we will line them up in our staging area to take their turn.)
How many can you identify?
Answers to last week's mystery pictures (click here to review them):
It is Earl and Elaine Wold and her two girls and Steve [Rodriguez] and Donnie [Anderson] Jr. Muriel Rodriguez (Steve is her son) and Melinda Miranowski.
Mavis Morgan
Hope, ND
That's the Wold clan on the left and my wonderful big brother on the right. I was always so proud to tell the kids in school that he was my brother. I don't think that they believed me because he was way cooler than I was.
Marlene Johnson
Long Lake, MN
I know who all those people are -- the first picture is Earl and Elaine, Muriel, Mindy, and Steve taken a LOOOONG time ago. (But not quite as long as it looks!) The second picture is Donnie -- also taken a LOOOONG time ago! :) It's his high school graduation picture, as I remember.
The second picture from last week, who nobody seemed to quite identify correctly, I think is Heidi.
Janie Anderson
Dwight, ND
You're right! That was Heidi.
At Greenville, Texas, I picked up a load of products from the Rubber Maid™ warehouse. The Rubber Maid™ company is the largest employer in Greenville, a town of about 25,000.
It was a light load and my spirits were lifted! I was headed North! My destination was Minneapolis! I would be within one hundred and fifty miles of home! This would be my lucky break!
In Minneapolis I unloaded at the delivery address and called my dispatcher. I needed to get an "all clear" from her, to take time off at home.
She answered the phone in her upstairs office, downtown South St. Paul, with a cheery "Oh, Hi Larry! I'm so glad you called! There's a load of cardboard boxes at a printing place south of the cities -- Apple Valley. They need it in Grand Forks right away! It's a place that makes French fries and they are nearly out of boxes."
"Okay."
On the way to Grand Forks I passed within thirty miles of home. After the boxes were unloaded, I would return to spend a few days with Sherry and the kids.
When I called the dispatcher, again, from Grand Forks, she said I needed to swing by the American Crystal Sugar Company." There's a load of powdered sugar waiting for you there."
The beet processing plant was more or less on the way home, so, as instructed, I stopped to pick up the powdered sugar. While my truck was being loaded, I watched a big, center-articulating, Caterpillar loader, pushing and carrying huge buckets of sugar around, as though it were just so much sand or gravel. Inside the large dome-topped room there was a huge mountain of sugar. Enough to sweeten more than a few cups of coffee!
After about eight days on the road, I was thoroughly saturated with greasy truck stop fare. I was tired of my own company, and I badly needed shaving, bathing, and laundering.
It would be sweet to get home!
When the sugar was loaded, I picked up the shipping documents. The delivery address was Amboy, Illinois. I called my dispatcher.
"There's a short delivery date on the powdered sugar" she said, "If you need to stop at home, you'll have to do it on your eight-hour break."
Oh, really!
"They're forecasting snow, so don't dillydally around," she added.
"Okay." I see!
I hung up the phone, and called Sherry.
"I'm coming home!" I said, "but I can't stay long."
My time at home was a flurry of shaving, bathing, laundering, and eating. Sherry was busy baking and cooking food for the road. There were a few things I needed to do around the house, and some business to take care of. I even found time to sleep a bit. I was a couple hours late getting started, but before I knew it, I was back on the road to Amboy, Illinois.
I was tired and disappointed, and it was beginning to snow. I was pushing the limits, trying to get back on schedule. By the time I was south of the Twin Cities, on Highway #61, it was dark and snowing hard.
The highway there follows the Mississippi River. The snow flakes were large and wet and sticking together in clumps. They hung to the wipers, and clung to the windows, making visibility even worse than it already was.
Traffic was heavy. By the time I was south of Redwing, the snow was a foot deep on the roadway, and the traffic was following two sets of sloppy ruts, one track going south, one north. Visibility was down to 100 feet at times.
The thermos of coffee Sherry sent with was nearing empty. And my bladder was nearing full! Urgently full!
I was looking for a place to make a pit stop. But as soon as I'd see a gas station, or a side road, or even a turn lane, large enough to accommodate my eighteen wheeler, I was already going past. With the whiteout conditions it was impossible to tell where the shoulder of the road ended and where the ditch began. All I could do was follow the taillights ahead of me, and hope I wasn't following a Gremlin!
The mirrors were rendered useless from the sticky wet snow. There was no way I could turn off the slippery road without risking getting the back set of duals, on my 56-foot trailer, stuck in a ditch or hung up on a barrier. My truck may as well have been a box car in a train of boxcars; I was being railroaded by the cars ahead and behind. The slippery conditions and poor visibility made breaking ranks with the traffic almost certain to cause a pile up.
Come on! There's got to be a place here somewhere! I was beginning to squirm in my seat like a little boy waiting for his dad to stop at the next gas station. Hurry, Dad!
But the gas station came and went and Dad didn't stop!
In my frustration, I pounded on the steering wheel with my fist.
I'm only six hours from home and I already need a bath and a laundromat!
I'll
NEVER tell!
When the sun rose, I was rolling across Illinois countryside. The snow, and the humiliation of the past night, seemed like a bad dream.
There was no snow here in Illinois, and the sunlight was warming a mostly green landscape. The countryside was dotted by quaint little towns and brick houses. It seemed spring had miraculously sprung.
While the powdered sugar was being unloaded at Amboy, I toured the confectionary factory. Everyone was dressed in white. I saw a man in a chef's hat mixing chocolate cake batter in a large tub that was eight feet across. I was doing my part to satisfy America's sweet tooth. The trailer was soon emptied of powdered sugar, and refilled with sweet goodies. And the truck and I were rolling west with the sun.
Travelogue t
The Bolivian Beat
By Kjirsten Swenson
Editor's Note: Kjirsten returned to Bolivia for a second year of independent study, prior to entering medical school at Baylor University in Houston this fall. She is now trekking in Peru.
Volcán Misti
At 17,000 ft above sea level, I gulped another breath of thin air, took another labored step, and contemplated. Every night while sane people sleep, others climb mountains.
I recalled a conversation I had with trekkers and a couple of mountaineers in Torres Del Paine a few months ago. They convinced me that people don't climb mountains for the views, but rather for the rush of endorphins and adrenaline coupled with the personal satisfaction of having overcome a great challenge.
At this moment, I was feeling most deficient in adrenaline and endorphins alike. I would have liked nothing more that to have curled up on the steep volcanic slope and to join the sane people of central time zone in peaceful slumber. But then I wouldn't have a story to tell. And my oxygen deprived mind formed the only conclusion of the high-altitude climb: people climb mountains so they can tell everyone about it.
Shortness of breath, pounding headache, and icy cold make the personal satisfaction idea moot as far as I'm concerned, but I'll feel better about my adventure after telling you about it so you can respect my pain and accomplishment. :) So please humor me!
The adventure began the previous morning, when a Peruvian guide collected two Frenchmen, a Belgian, and me in a jeep for the hour drive to the trail-head at the foot of Volcán Misti. Misti is a lovely volcano with a perfect cone, 19,120 ft high. We started to hike around 10,000 ft. above sea level, and after nearly five hours of relentless uphill walking, reached camp at about 14,800 feet. There we set up tents and ate chicken soup before watching a gorgeous sunset over distant peaks.
And the other peaks were distant, indeed; Misti is located in the center of a wide valley that is also home to Arequipa, the beautiful colonial city of one million that I had been visiting before the climb. The views of the city and the valley below were like those from an airplane window! And once it was dark, the city lights were beautiful. But we didn't linger to watch ... it was wicked cold. And wake-up time would be 1 a.m., so we were anxious to sleep.
I dozed and even dreamed a little until then, when our guide invited us to drink a cup of coca tea and eat some bread before starting the slog to the summit. That would be the last food we would eat before returning to camp; at high altitudes, digestion is not a priority.
Headlamps in place, and dressed as if prepared for a polar expedition, we began the climb. At first I was excited to be hiking under the stars, but soon the switchbacks seemed endless, and as the peak never seemed any nearer, I wondered if we'd ever make it. It wasn't encouraging to see three very sick Brits stumble back down the trail towards camp. Of their group of eight, none made it to the top.
I felt remarkably good until we reached around 17,000 feet. But at that point, I began to feel weak, headachy, and simply tired. I would have liked nothing more than to have curled up and taken a long nap right there on the side of the volcano. But pride prevailed, and so we continued.
As the first morning rays of light appeared, we had reached the volcano's crater. By then I felt downright awful, even with our slow, baby-step pace. We were so close. I felt dazed and woozy, but couldn't turn back then! So I tried to play the animal game, wondering how well my brain was functioning. I made it to the letter G and then gave up.
And then we were there, on top of the world! I could see forever, really felt like a bird. But mostly I felt tired; we smiled and looked and then really did collapse in the scree and dozed for half an hour before our guide suggested we descend.
The descent was really easy as we "skiied" down sand chutes for 8,000 vertical feet. Back at camp, we collected our gear and met the jeep at the trailhead. After showering off layers of volcanic dirt, I treated myself to a lovely seafood lunch in central Arequipa. :)
I'm glad I did it, but must say I felt rather cheated, not having experienced the mountain-top "rush" I was hoping for. The views were spectacular, and it's nice to know I can handle altitude ... next stop, Kilimanjaro!
Love, Kjirsten
Queen Victoria Memorial, Buckingham Palace.
Monday in London
by Weston Johnson
Maple Grove, MN
After our first weekend in London, Ben's wife Mandy had to go back to work on Monday, but Ben was on break from school, allowing him to continue to serve as our unofficial tour guide.
Ben, Kristie and I set out that morning without much of a plan. We all agreed that since we would be spending most of the week in London, we didn't have to rush or follow a meticulous schedule in order to see the things we wanted to see. The biggest benefit of this plan (or lack thereof) was it allowed me extra time for one of my favorite pastimes: sleeping!
Fortunately, we did get up in time to watch the changing of the guard, although I don't know if the phrase "get up in time" applies when the event doesn't start until 11:00!
Anyway, we arrived in time to watch the Changing of the Queen's Guard at Horse Guards Parade, a very long name for a relatively short ceremony. Several guards on horseback rode in to the grounds, which consisted of a large, roped-off circle, allowing spectators to watch the proceedings. The outgoing guards lined up to await their replacements, as shown in one of the pictures. After a short ceremony, including a great deal of choreography by the well-disciplined horses and their riders, the retiring guards rode off as the new guards manned their posts.
Following this demonstration, we walked down The Mall, a tree- and flag-lined avenue leading to the Queen Victoria Memorial, which is located in front of Buckingham Palace, as shown in the picture. By the time we reached the Palace, which was built in 1702 and currently serves as the home of Queen Elizabeth and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, a large crowd had assembled to watch the main event: the Changing of the Guard.
Despite the crowd, we were able to get quite close to the gate surrounding the Palace and could see members of the Guard playing marching band songs. This went on for several minutes, until the departing Guardsmen lined up and marched through the front gate, as shown in the picture, which was taken by yours truly with my camera held as high above my head as I could hold it. I was able to take a few decent pictures using this technique, but also ended up with several pictures of the backs of people's heads.
Soon, the Guards had departed and the crowd began to disperse. We then proceeded to our next activity of the day, the nearby National Gallery, where we were able to view the works of Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Monet and even Leonardo Da Vinci, who was always my favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.
After spending a couple of hours at the Gallery, we took a double-decker bus to the Hard Rock Café for a late lunch, walked through Hyde Park, and spent the rest of the afternoon shopping for souvenirs at several shops on the streets near the Park before meeting up with Mandy at the end of her work day. All in all, just another Monday in London!
Mounted Guards at Horse Guards Parade.
Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.
Shawn Ostendorf & Lori Chap.
A Visit To Minnesota's North Shore
by Shawn Ostendorf
Rogers, MN
Lori and I decided to get away for a long relaxing weekend and to see what the great state of Minnesota has to offer. My job was simple ... locate and book a place that would allow us to have some peace and serenity in conjunction with promoting simplicity. Even as easy as this task may sound to some, most would agree I was overmatched from the beginning. Anyone who knows us knows that Lori is excellent at organizing and I'm just her troubled delegate in missions such as these.
I believe there are two kinds of people in the world. The first group is the organized and efficient, while the second class is the discombobulated and erratic. I, like many other unorganized males, unfortunately fall in the later category. So, what does a person in distress do? Well ... rely on your friends and family to see where they have had good fortune in situations such as these.
Lo and behold, my good friends Derek and Tammy Johnson told me about a place (Superior Ridge Resort in Schroeder, Minnesota) that not only fit the above criteria but also came in at a reasonable rate. I think Lori came away impressed with the beautiful sights, majestic sounds and central location of our resort. I came away impressed with the price tag! :)
In all seriousness, the Minnesota North Shore has unmatched elegance, historical perspectives and unbridled natural beauty that would take anyone's breath away. In our short stay, we were able to take in a couple self directed tours in Duluth, rock climb some amazing landscapes, and take in as much fresh air as humanly possible. We also were able to eat at some of the finer eclectic cafes and coffee shops as we trekked our way through the cool spring air.
We had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful people in our journey. One particularly strange yet amazing fishing "tale" came from an individual fishing on the famous pier in Duluth. He said that he will catch his fish at any cost, including going down a 50 foot ladder to catch his dinner. Needless to say this ladder leads to a very chilling experience, as with one slip, a person could fall in a very chilly 30 to 50 foot deep bath in Lake Superior.
As the story goes, he at one time even had the Coast Guard try to stop him. That didn't faze this gentleman, as he couldn't bear the thought of not having a shore lunch that day. As he went down to water level to scoop up his latest catch, he simply yelled back to the Coast Guard that he had everything under control and went on his merry way. I salute this man, as he is quite the brave little fishing mastermind.
This is just a sampling of some of the experiences Lori and I encountered on our extended weekend. While I would like to share more at this time, I would rather tell more in person as I'm hoping to meet more Bulletin readers in the near future. Thanks for letting me share a little about our trip. I would recommend this area of Minnesota to anyone.
Lori, left; Shawn, right.
This and That
6
by Elaine Wold
Wahpeton, ND
We have often heard mentioned how difficult it is to learn the English language. How about this little teaser?
THE CRAZIEST LANGUAGE
We'll begin with a box and the plural is boxes;
But the plural of ox should be oxen, not oxes,
Then one fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,
Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice,
If the plural of man is always called men,
Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
If I speak of my foot and show you my feet,
And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?
Then one may be that and three would be those,
Yet hat in the plural would never be hose.
(And the plural of cat is cats, not cose.)
We speak of a brother and also of brethern,
But though we say mother, we never say methern.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his, and him,
But imagine the feminine, she, shis, and shim.
So English, I fancy, you will agree,
Is the craziest language you ever did see.
Celebrations & Observances
From the Files of 5
Hetty Hooper
This Week's Birthdays:
June 5---Rian de Been
June 7---Shane Swenson
June 8---Ashley Huseby (2 years)
Happy Birthday!
This Week's Anniversaries:
June 6---Wyatt and Jolene Johnson (7 years)
June 7---Clark and Susan Miller Smith (14 years)
June 10---Jim and Kristi Larson Indermark (5 years)
Congratulations!
This Week's Graduations:
June 9---Kim Johnson, at Orono High School Stadium
June 11---Graduation Reception (afternoon) for Rachel Henderson and Kim Johnson
at Curt & Patty Henderson's home
Congratulations!
More June Birthdays:
'
June 1---Jeremiah Dake
June 4---Merna Hellevang
June 16---Gina Henderson
June 18---Caitlynn Mae Chap (9 years)
June 19---Doris Anderson
June 19---Ashley Meyers
June 20---Spencer Aydelotte (11 years)
June 20---Roy Droel
June 20---Julian Montford
June 21---Ary Ommert Jr.
June 24---Aiden Montford (2 years)
June 25---Ben Henderson
June 26---Greg Wm. Dake
June 26---De Myers
June 27---Sam Mellon
June 29---Tim Huseby
More June Anniversaries
Z
June 3---Larry and Ginny McCorkell (33 years)
June 18---Jason and Tami Anderson Hunt (1 year)
June 19---Curt and Patty Anderson Henderson (23 years)
June 20---Rich and Marlene Anderson Johnson (24 years)
June 20---Steve and Marian Miller (35 years)
June Graduations
¨
More June graduations? Please send dates and details to Miss Hetty!
June Special Days
O
June 14---Flag Day
June 19---Father's Day
June 21---Summer begins
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Miss Hetty's Mailbox:
Hello Miss Hetty-
We have two other June birthdays in our family. Our son-in-law Julian Montford's birthday is June 20, and our son Sam's birthday is June 27.
Dan Mellon
Alta Loma, CA
Hi, Miss Hetty!
Thanks for the beautiful anniversary card! We spent the day in Fargo doing a little shopping, but mostly eating and just enjoying the day!
Janie and Dwight Anderson
Dwight, ND
Thank you for the cute birthday card! I had a nice Birthday. I got lots of mail, as well as cake and ice cream :-)
All for now
Amy Ellen Dake
Brooks-Oklee, MN
Jazmine Hill -- 2 years old
Wahpeton, ND
Keep Us Posted!
Please drop Miss Hetty a line and tell us who, and what, we've missed. And how about a report (photos welcome) of YOUR special celebration?
Everyone!
Miss Hetty
+ LETTERS TO THE EDITORS?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Larry's stories are so well written. We love when he has time to write. I don't know how he is able to put words together like that.
Great to see pictures of Kurt and Jeni and hear about his promotion.
I enjoy Betty's letters to the Editor so much. She's a talented writer, too.
Thanks so very much to you two editors and all who contribute so faithfully.
Oh yes, the Foto Funnies gave us a chuckle. And yes, sometimes when I'm sitting at the computer I feel like I have a cow looking over my shoulder?
Marlene Johnson
Long Lake, MN
What an interesting Bulletin! First off, I would like to compliment Jerrianne on the robin photo this week. I just love the slight motion blur of the baby robin's beak. I think it was very well done. I just wonder how many photos it took to get the good one. I often snap 15 pictures at a time hoping one will be a winner. That gets expensive with film; I'm so glad for digital.
Anyway, I really enjoyed Larry's story about Ennis, Montana, and Ennis, Texas. I'm familiar with Ennis, Montana, since I lived very near to there. He has made great use of the written word and developed fantastic imagery of the Montana landscape. I also really like his weaving a bit of history into his story.
I'd be willing to bet that if he skirted around the west side of Yellowstone National Park he would have been heading down US Highway 191 when his truck began to jack-knife. I'm willing to bet that the "creek" was the Gallatin river. That's where Doug and I went fishing last October. I could be way off, but it's fun to imagine him in my old stomping grounds.
I laughed at Weston's comment about White Castle and deep fry vats (welcome to America!)
Anyway, I hope you all have a great Memorial Day!.....
Brianna Anderson-Jordet
St. Cloud, MN
Another great newsletter! The content seems to continually expand. I suppose that is the result of growing your readership. Thanks for working so diligently at it.
Dan Mellon
Alta Loma, CA
CHUCKLES
To search a name in Who's Who or Who's Where: click on the link to open the page, then use CONTROL F on a PC or COMMAND F on a Mac. To search for a second occurrence of the name, use CONTROL G on a PC or COMMAND G on a Mac. (This works on ANY web page with text, unless the text is converted to an image. Chances are, it works in your e-mail, too.) HINT: Search by first name only, as most entries list the family name once but do not repeat the last name for each family member. In Who's Where you can search on state or city names, too.
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EDITOR'S POLICY: If you wish to subscribe to The Bulletin, simply send me a statement of that fact. If you wish to keep receiving it I hope you will contribute to one of the columns that are running in this family epistle (at least occasionally!). My e-mail address is dma49261@juno.com This Bulletin is copyright Dorothy M. Anderson; the contents are also copyrighted by the authors and photographers and used with their permission, and the contents are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the explicit consent of the creators.