Angela, Adriana, Becky (Aaron's girlfriend), & Aaron in Race for the Cure.

UPDATE -- Stahlecker update from Central Texas
by Earl Stahlecker
Gatesville, TX

It seems there is a continuous stir of activity around here and I do not take time to update everyone very often. As our daughters post updates on their families fairly regularly, you are aware that we have seven grandchildren, five boys and two girls. We are not different from others, but I am telling you that there is always a birthday, anniversary, or other event taking place and I am "too busy" to sit and write about it!

We are grandchildren sitters and cheerleaders as we support various sporting events and our children's half marathons, 10K's, 5K's, triathlons, and other fitness events. As some of you have seen on Facebook, we and our kids participated in a Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure®. Kathleen has been dealing with a lot of knee issues and had surgery on an Achilles tendon, but decided at the last minute to participate in the 5K (3 mile) event. We took a wheelchair to use, as necessary. She pushed it the first mile, rested until the rest of us made the turn around, and as the picture indicates, I enjoyed pushing her the last mile. She was not real pleased when the front wheels started to shimmy. I was only trying to get to the front of the pack!

Earl pushing Kathleen. The "whipping stick" is a CB antenna I found along the way.

I retired from the City of Temple at the end of January, after nearly 26 years of service. They gave me a very nice departing celebration. You would think that I have an abundance of spare time ... not so ... as it seems I have less time than when I had a full time job.

We purchased a travel trailer and have enjoyed a few campouts in it already. Most recently, we vacationed to Colorado, Nebraska, and a few sites here. We had a real enjoyable time. We attended a Stahlecker family reunion, spent time with the Printzes, two of my sisters, and with Stanley and Janice as they were in Colorado also. We do talk about plans of a trip to Minnesota, but we have not set any dates. Kathleen is back to work for another school year. We are leaving out this evening to camp at a buffalo ranch in north Texas so we can watch kids and support Michael and Adriana as they participate in a triathlon.

We did enjoy visits from Charlie and Ardis Quick, Eric Printz, and as posted earlier, Steve and Marian Miller this year.

Earl "PePaw" with Trinidy, Angela's daughter, & Lelan, Adriana's daughter.

"Taquito" & "Sister" on the table at our campsite in South Fork, Colorado.

Photo © Donna Johnson
Donna, Caity, Liz & Jan at Just Like Grandma's Bed & Breakfast.

UPDATE -- catching up with a friend
by Donna Anderson Johnson
Ashby, MN

Caity and I met a longtime friend of mine, Jan Mellgren, and her daughter, Liz. We chose to meet them at an Osakis bed and breakfast place, Just Like Grandma's.

We had a leisurely lunch and caught up on old times, bringing each other up to current times, in a rather condensed version.

We then explored the other buildings: an old schoolhouse, summer kitchen and barn, that now house gift shops. They even have an old outhouse (with modern, working plumbing).

The day proved to be an exceptionally lovely summer day and within minutes we all felt as though we'd landed in a lovely "mini-vacation." Truly, a fun time!

Photo © Donna Johnson
Just Like Grandma's Bed & Breakfast, Osakis, Minnesota.

 
Photos © Donna Johnson
Caity at B&B with "outhouse" with working plumbing.

Cleaning up storm damage to trees in Ashby, Minnesota.

Ben was at our place early Wednesday morning when a call came in from the fire hall for all emergency personnel to report to the Ashby fire hall. They were being called in to clean up downed trees, from the high winds that had gone through just a short time earlier. Ben had heard winds could have been as high as 75 mph.

These are pictures from the Ashby web page on Facebook, as well as a comment posted there:

This community is unbelievable. After a nasty storm yesterday morning that caused some heavy-duty straight line winds, we had many downed trees and branches all over town. Between the fire department, city workers, basketball camp kids, several businesses within and outside the city, and many other people just showing up -- the city was cleaned up by day's end.

Cleaning up storm damage to trees in Ashby, Minnesota.

Cleaning up storm damage to trees in Ashby, Minnesota.

Photo © Heather Dewey
A beautiful evening for a surprise party at the lake.

UPDATE -- surprise party interrupted by surprise storm
by Donna Anderson Johnson
Ashby, MN

Last Saturday evening we headed over to a friend's lake cabin, for a surprise birthday party for Barb and Russ Dewey (which ended up being no surprise).

It appeared so beautiful! Jayce was in swimming, and having a lovely time, when I heard the first thunder. The storm rolled up very quickly, along with tornado warnings for the area.

Photo © Heather Dewey
Jayce was enjoying the swimming.

The large group of people attending had very little choice in where to seek shelter -- the only thing available was a neighbor's garage! Within minutes, there had been two rounds of hail and just short of two inches of rain!

 
Photos © Heather Dewey
Rain (two inches!) falls in torrents, left; hefty hailstones, right, fell twice.

Their mobile home looked as though it was located on an island, with the water surrounding it completely! It did go rather well with their "palm tree" made up of lights!

Photo © Heather Dewey
After the storm, floodwaters took time to subside, but no tornado appeared.

We were all served lovely appetizers the entire time, with our hostess, Judy Stierlen, getting soaked in the delivery process!

We were also very glad that the tornado did not make an appearance! And, that the neighbor's car didn't get damaged while sitting out in the storm ... we would have felt terrible if that had happened, considering he was nice enough to move it out for all of us to take cover.

It was a nice party in spite of the weather, although many people ended up leaving after the storm. Those of us left there had a terrific meal!

Photo © Heather Dewey
Russ & Barb Dewey with birthday cake -- all's well that ends well.

Photo © Donna Johnson
Jayce with friends Ella & Tiko.

UPDATE -- new subscriber introduction
by Jayce Chap
Ashby, MN

This is Jayce; I would like to start getting my own copy of The Bulletin.

I am Becky Chap's son. My Grandpa and Grandma are Beaver and Donna. I have two dogs. Their names are Ella and Tiko. My sister is Caity; she is 14 and I am 11.

I am learning to play the flute. I have one to practice with this summer. I went to Rylie Johnson's place yesterday and we played at the park and she sold cookies for their garage sale, too. I am having fun, with lots of swimming, so far this summer.

Photo © Caity Chap
Jayce & Rylie playing at the Ashby farm last summer.

Photo illustration © Virginia McCorkell
Click here to see what's up on Ginny McCorkell's Bitzidoodles blog.

Photo © Sarah Steinhauer
Levi & Kira Steinhauer went for an oxcart ride with Grandpa Larry Dake.
Click here for the latest on Sarah's blog, Where The Wild Ferns Grow.

Photo © Sarah Steinhauer
Larry Dake and his young ox, Scout, go for a practice drive.

Click here for the latest videos of ox cart rides on LTD's Storybrooke Ripples blog.

Photo © Jayce Chap
Storm fells a tree at the Ashby farm.

We had some trees and branches down, and litter all over, from the storm this week. Jayce took the camera out and got a couple shots around our place. We are very protected by the hills, so we fared far better than they did in town!

He got a picture of the linemen cutting up the tree that helped keep our power out much of the day. We had power on again at 1:55 p.m. Amazing how spoiled we are and how much we missed it!

Photo © Jayce Chap
Linemen cut up a tree that caused a power outage at the farm.

Let's play a guessing game: 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.

Editors' Note: Correct guesses appear in bold face type and incorrect guesses in normal type ... generally in the order we receive them, so the first guess received is on top.

HEY! I know those Guess pictures! That's me, Wyatt Johnson, then Brooklynn and Rylie in the other one!

Wyatt Johnson
Moorhead, MN

For the past several weeks, I've been shut out when it comes to recognizing the "Guess Who?" picture in The Bulletin, but I'm sure I recognize this week's subjects! On the left is my brother Wyatt (many, many years ago), and on the right are his daughters, Brooklynn and Rylie (only a few years ago).

Weston Johnson
Maple Grove, MN

Just sending in a Guess answer, although it is not a guess on my part. That would be Wyatt Johnson as a young man and the two young girls are his two older daughters, Brooklynn and Rylie.

Donna Anderson Johnson
Ashby, MN

I was glad to learn who those cute children were in last week's mystery photo. It was beyond me, that is for sure. This week's GUESS pictures are equally a mystery to me.

Betty Weiland Droel
MoundsView, MN

Regarding the previous week's Guess photo: We and Stan's have both been vacationing and have not had responsive type access to e-mail very much of the time. I had intended to let Kathleen help me sort those youngsters out, but did not get the opportunity and she now tells me she would not have been a lot of help. I do appreciate reading the mystery answers today and most especially that this is one of your favorite photos. Sorry I did not send a guess.

Earl Stahlecker
Gatesville, TX

This week's Guess pictures

 
How many can you identify? What's going on?

A series of recollections, of the five years when Bill and Lois Dake and their family lived in Minnesota, began with the episode in Bulletin 343. It's too soon to tell just how many parts there will be in this series, just after World War II. In Bulletin 349, I told more about polio (once called Infantile Paralysis) via two links, Polio and Sister Kenny, to minimize disruption of the narrative flow. Both documents are posted as a series of scanned images. We can't edit them or correct typos and they will not respond to font changes or printer settings as regular Bulletin pages do.

Dorothy Dake, 20, hand tinted portrait, 1946.

Summer 1949 -- Amusement Comes in Many Forms
by Dorothy Dake
Howard Lake (and Dassel), MN

A Sunday Drive:

One of our favorite drives was over to Waverly to visit Grandma and Grandpa Mellon, but last Sunday, Coy Nell and I were invited to go with Lois, Bill, and Carol to visit some buddies of theirs who live in southern Minnesota. Coy Nell knows them, too, but I don't. My reason for going was I had the day off and I would have a chance to visit (gossip) with Coy Nell.

So we got ourselves all dolled up and set off for an afternoon drive. As I climbed in with them, I heard Lois say to Bill:

"Hadn't you better fill the car with gas, before we leave town?"

"Oh, we're OK. I'll get gas when we need it."

It was a nice, pretty drive and with Carol asleep on the seat between us, we girls got in some good "getting caught up." I had to find out who was doing what with my friends in Texas. Just wondering about all of the ones I met three summers ago. Seems everybody is settled into doing what they planned to (except me).

We spent an hour or so at the Moyers and then, right before we headed out of town, I heard:

"Bill, I think the gas gauge looks like we need gas!"

"Lois, don't be such a worrier ... there is lots left in there ... that gauge isn't really accurate!"

We drove back toward home, taking a scenic route. We were driving on nice, flat land and then we hit the Minnesota River area. We started down a grade going into town and all of a sudden the car began to sputter...

"There, I told you we should have bought gas!" Lois sputtered, along with the engine.

Bill put the car in neutral; we picked up speed with the downward grade and coasted into town. There, in the corner of the first block, stood a Shell Station. He steered the car into the lot, coasted up to the pump and stopped there.

"I told you, Lois, I will get gas when I need it!"

And then we all let out our breaths and "laughed up a storm." But it wouldn't have been so funny, Billy, if you had been forced to walk all that way to get the gas you should have bought when you were reminded to. MEN!

Games and such that we have enjoyed this summer:

For one thing, Gert has bought some sheet music. There are two pieces that are so weird ... but so catchy, especially when you hear them on the radio with sound effects. Frankie Lane's Mule Train has some great sound effects ... that whip almost sounds too real ... and then there is one by Vaughn Monroe that is called Ghost Riders in the Sky that sounds pretty mournful, too. I think they are disappointing to play on the piano with no sound effects.

Then, for a second thing, somebody (probably Les or Tom) brought some stuff called Silly Putty. It is weird, too. All droopy and nasty looking and the guys like to make scary snakes and such to make us yell. Of course, we have to keep them entertained by shrieking.

Speaking of which, we are certainly giving our Pit game a workout. We buy and sell all kinds of crops and get corners on the market, but it takes lots of shouting and bidding against one another to win a round.

But games and music are just part of the amusement. We have enjoyed all kinds of picnics -- with all kinds of excuses. We did the 4th of July picnic at Lake Ripley in Litchfield, then stayed for the evening fireworks. That is a great place, as it has playgrounds for the little kids and areas where you can get in a ball game or even find a net for volley ball.

Now summer is almost over and I do have an invitation to a wedding reception. Yes, that is right ... just me to attend. But that hasn't happened yet, so it will have to wait for now. I have another week of work left and then will be the end of the summer activities. We shall see how they all go. And then it is back to a different type of work. "Going to school" doesn't sound half bad after this hectic summer!

Grandma & Grandpa Mellon, about the time we watched Crusade In Europe.

Travelogue t

 
Photo © Kjirsten Swenson
Silk weavers, Ban Xang Kong, Laos.

Southeast Asia Extravaganza 2009
by Kjirsten Swenson
Albuquerque, NM

Epilogue

I lost my camera in Luang Prabang toward the end of my stay there. After a full day of exploring, that included the stop to the weaving village Ban Xang Kong, I reached for my camera as the sun was sinking. But it wasn't there.... I was pretty frantic. Retracing the afternoon, I stopped at the restaurant where I had eaten lunch and the Internet café where I had spent hours catching-up on e-mail sorts of things. It was nowhere to be found. I figured someone had snatched it out of my backpack while I was distracted by the computer.

At this point, I had not backed up ANY of my photos from the entire trip. I would never be so complacent in Latin America, but everything was so peaceful and zen in Southeast Asia, and I hadn't heard any backpacker tales of theft. So my guard was low. I was devastated, thinking that I had lost all 1,000+ photos that Jeff and I had shot.

A few days later, I was mentally retracing the steps of the day yet again and realized that the last photo I had taken was in Ban Xang Kong, at the weaving shop, as the girl was finishing a silk weaving for me. She had attached a business card with her e-mail address to my bag of purchases.

Usually I toss bags, but I'd kept this one to protect the weavings. So a week after leaving Luan Prabang, I e-mailed her from a very distant location, explaining I'd lost my camera and wondered if she'd found it in the shop. There was no reply for two weeks, and then as I checked my e-mail in the Bangkok airport while I waited for my flight home, I found this reply in my inbox:

Regarding for your camera, after you left from our shop since evening before we will close our shop and then we found the camera but we didn't know it belong to whom, any way we try to open the camera and than we noticed that it belong to some girl but we didn't know which hotel or guest house that they stay that why we don't have idea to send back to owner, if this is your camera please tell us how can we send you back or do you still live in Laos or Luang Prabang?

A long and complicated e-mail dialogue ensued in which we tried to figure out how to get the camera from rural Laos to me in New Mexico. Backpackers I'd met during The Gibbon Experience, who were traveling south, tried to pick it up for me but weren't successful, due to communication errors.

I'd offered to pay shipping charges and to give them a monetary reward, but arranging for that to happen turned out to be an enormous challenge. We spent several very frustrating and disheartening weeks trying to figure this out. Eventually, I was put into contact with an American working in Thailand who is a minister in my parents' church group. A Lao friend of hers called the weaving shop directly. Later, a different friend traveled to Luang Prabang on business and collected my camera and gave the family the reward.

So, ultimately, the person who collected the camera was a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of my mom. Hooray, connections!

She then shipped the camera from Thailand to my parents' house. Ironically, the camera was lost in the mail between North Dakota and Albuquerque. About a week after I gave up on ever seeing my camera or the photos again, a mangled package appeared on my doorstep. It had clearly been opened, but the camera and digital photo card were still inside.

This Week's Birthdays
July 18---Callie Printz (9 years old)
July 19---Patricia Dake Meyer
July 19---Marlee Morgan Freesemann
July 19---Devon S. Stewart
July 20---Michael Miller
July 20---Susie Miller Smith
July 24---Donna Jacobson Anderson
July 24---Chuck Anderson
July 24---Jeni Larson
Happy Birthday!

This Week's Anniversaries
July 19---Dan and Nancy Mellon (41 years)
July 21---Capt. Jack and Ginny Adair (48 years)
Congratulations!

More July Birthdays
'
July 1---Suzanne McCorkell
July 1---Jim Smith
July 1---Zachary Elliot Smith (6 years old)
July 4---Brian Lehtola
July 5---Jennifer Dake Horne
July 6---James Miller
July 7---Kimberly Johnson
July 8---Trenton Loredo Roberson (7 years old)
July 13---Zach Bratten
July 13---Ginny Adair
July 15---Brienna Lyn Henderson (1 year)
July 15---Tom Morgan
July 15---William Earl Dake
July 15---Sherry Dake

July 26---Tytus Joshua Myron
July 27---Wyatt Timothy Mellon
July 29---Heather Henderson
July 29---Colleen Mellon Scott
July 30---Justin Printz
July 31---Tim Myron

More July Anniversaries
Z
July 2---Ken and Amy Dake Harrison (3 years)
July 8---Shawn and Lori Chap Ostendorf (4 years)

July 27---Larry and Sherry Dake (32 years)
July 29---Charles and Ardis Sigman Quick (38 years)

July Special Days
O
July 4---Independence Day

Miss Hetty's Mailbox

Photo © Eric Anderson
Eric Anderson sent a really cute picture of his new kitten, Jeffrey.

Dear Miss Hetty:

Sorry to say it's been almost two weeks since my birthday, and I still haven't sent a thank you for the thoughtful and delightful e-card, I really did enjoy it. I even shared it with some of my family members.

As usual, we did a low key party at our house with our son Joel and wife Brenda, our daughter Joan and husband Dana, and their two sons, Bradley and Mark.

It's a rare occasion that we can get our six grandchildren together at the same time so we will settle for just the two of them, this time.

I must not forget, we enjoyed a delicious strawberry shortcake and whipped cream and enough left over for the next day.

Jim Smith
Brooklyn Park, MN

Thank you for the nice, interesting card. Always fun to be remembered on one's special day. I will be celebrating the cake and song with my family in a few days at the lake at Shore Lake, Minnesota, and I am looking forward to that.

Thanks again,
Mavis Anderson Morgan
Hope, ND

Click here to review last week's Bulletin

I REALLY enjoyed your Memory Lane segment this week. It was interesting to hear about former soldiers and their reactions to a film about the war. It also never hurts to have a little comic relief in there, which Carol provided in spades. All in all, very crisp and concise and completely engaging.

I urge anyone who didn't visit Larry's Storybrooke Ripples blog to do so ... it is HILARIOUS!

On a more somber note, I was truly saddened to hear of the passing of Merna's youth ... I'm sure it will live on in her memory.

It sure has been educational to follow Kjirsten's travels as well ... kind of curious to find out what happened to her camera ... didn't she have one stolen before?

Keep up the good work!

Douglas Anderson
Impressed in St. Cloud, MN

I sure enjoyed The Bulletin. Read it from start on.

Your brother Bill sure hit the top when he saw some of their company's men getting ready for the invasion.

Our company loaded on the big LST (stands for large floating target) on May 23 for the ride in to shore on June 5th. The whole U.S. Army knew the invasion was coming but NO one but IKE knew the date. What a trip! Not for weak stomachs.

Jim Miller
Bradenton, FL

The Bulletin is sure a place to get up to date news and to bring back old memories.

I enjoyed the photo of the Swenson family reunion; I was able to identify those in the front row only. It's been some years since I've seen most of them.

There are other items I could comment on, but I'll leave that to Betty Droel; she does a much better job than I could ever do.

Jim Smith
Brooklyn Park, MN

Though we had two guesses, no one figured out where The Little Beeps ended up last week.

Is it Minneapolis-St. Paul?

Betty Weiland Droel
MoundsView, MN

Sorry, close, but not correct. Don't feel bad, I made this one ESPECIALLY difficult ... because people kept gettting them right away! You were very WARM! Thanks for playing! --Douglas

I think it's the Minneapolis skyline ... or maybe that is too simple? Anyway, it's a guess ... you know I am not a traveler to get around. I would get lost, too.

Elaine Anderson Wold
Wahpeton, ND

Very close ... just what Betty said. --Douglas

Last Week's Bulletin Review JKL
by Betty Droel
MoundsView, MN

As that first picture appeared on my screen, it filled up the whole screen with its colorful, sharp, vivid beauty in both the buds and blossoms. Such a magnificent color! I immediately looked to see who the photographer was, and of course it was our Photo Editor, Jerrianne. That must be an extremely professional camera to catch all the details and shades of pink/rose as was in the flowers.

However, the next picture that appeared was threatening to overshadow even that beautiful flower study with it being a family welcoming a brand new little brother. How perfect to have a sister and a brother -- one of each now. I don't know Eric and Melanie Shockey in person, but to be a part of The Bulletin family makes us all friends. Porter Alexander is a unique name.

The family will treasure that precious picture of Greta kissing her baby brother so carefully.

A baby does not stay a baby for very long. Brand new Harlie Mae Harrison is already one month old. Daddy's lap looks like a peaceful retreat, even to the doggy friend.

Grandpa Larry should be getting used to holding a grandchild. He has three now if I didn't miss someone here.

The Swenson reunion was a very valuable picture, and I am wondering just how I can enlarge that to see the features and person of every single person there. Earl and Bergit have had a most unusual family of stable, hearty, successful individuals. Then all the spouses and children came along, just increasing the joys.

If you look back in the Archives of The Bulletin, you will be shocked, just as I was, to see the Roberson’s children having grown so big so fast. I was so impressed that a family of four children could open their hearts even wider to include the young man who was having a difficult time in his life. "Going home with teacher" would be quite an experience in the first place, but oh, the privileges and the happiness he will know as he enjoys time with Robersons. To feel and observe and be a part of a loving family would be an unforgettable remembrance to influence him all his life.

I just admired that the mom could call it a cheerful chaos. With that attitude I can see things will bend and blend with no serious problems.

Then there was the Bitzidoodles blog ... I guess after spending too much time researching that one, I came up with a favorite:

Kira and Levi don't need any special props. Just an umbrella in the rain will do nicely to keep us up to date with their growing up. Sophia putting on the dog was a cute video in the blog.

The Lobster Lake event, and the garage sale picture was perfect Bulletin material. We needed that visit to a lake in this weather.

Memory Lane was entirely different this time. No more winter in Bemidji, no more getting used to being "home" again, no more working at the canning factory, but now it looks like a Summer 1949 story flowed from the imagination and details of our Editor, Dorothy.

I can imagine the beginning of TV was very funny. I remember my dad saying that if they ever got TV he would be the first one to buy one, but then we never have owned one so that did not materialize.

The Travelogue picture looked familiar. When we realize Kjirsten had lost her camera, we can easily tolerate seeing the same pictures over again from Laos. What a sickening experience to lose your camera when you had so many great shots planned just for The Bulletin. At least we have the stories. Sounds like soon the flights will be bringing her back to the US ... and to us.

What a memorable birthday party! Funny to have the theme of "youth laid to rest." When our youth has got up and left us, it is only downhill from there. Tell me about it.

The Little Beeps is getting more detailed and complicated every week. Wow, this time it is a real brain teaser! Now, just where is that picture taken? Not Minneapolis, as I don't see the Foshay Tower, or wait, is that it there, almost hidden beside those huge, high rise buildings? But all the water? Poor Beeps, I hope someone can help them find their way.

The Quotation for the day is stepping on my toes. I know some things I could do if I would, and some things I would do if I could. Somehow they are interfering with each other.

Our ride will be here in a few minutes, but I see I have this finished, which is my goal for this afternoon. So, now to send it to the Editors to see if it passes inspections.

Thank you for our Bulletin, right on time again. Can we continue to be so fortunate as to be heading into the Bulletin number four hundreds? Looks like it.

THANK YOU,

Betty Droel

© Douglas Anderson-Jordet
The Little Beeps form a band.

Quotation for the day: The hum of bees is the voice of the garden. --Elizabeth Lawrence