Jessica & Mike Graduate!

Last week, we traveled to Providence, RI, to attend graduation exercises at Johnson & Wales University. Both Jessica and her friend Mike received their BS degrees. Here they are prior to the event and posed with parents:





We had a great time, both prior to and after the commencement exercises, including a final celebration dinner at a Japanese restaurant.







Finally, Mike wounded himself on a broken glass while washing dishes just prior to graduation. When he couldn't get the bleeding to stop to his satisfaction, he resorted to that "guy thing" called duct tape. I thought this photo of his proudly displaying his graduation medal would be quite appropriate.

SPAM!

No doubt about it. I really know how to treat a girl. Mother's Day, right? Kathie and I have just enjoyed a breakfast outing with members of our family in Minneapolis (see blog posting following this one), and we are driving back to Iowa City. Heading south on I35, there is a billboard saying "SPAM Museum, Austin, Minnesota, Exit 178B on I90." What a great idea! Celebrate Mother's Day with your favorite gal at the SPAM Museum! We have seen this before but always passed it up. So, when we reached I90, we exited I35 and headed east toward Austin, home of Hormel Foods and Hormel's SPAM Museum.

Here is the Mother's Day honoree at the entrance to the museum:


Turns out, this is really a fun and well-done place. The company is clearly able to capitalize on a product that has worldwide brand recognition while at the same time playing along with all the fun and ribbing that tends to surround the product. (I'd like to have just one day's revenue from their museum store!!)

Here is the Wall of SPAM that greets you upon entry to the museum. This consists of 3,500 cans of SPAM. As the company says, "At one can per day, this wall could feed you for almost 10 years. Dreamy!"


The facts about SPAM are endless. I strongly encourage you to visit their fun web site, for which I provided a link above. Over 6 billion cans of the stuff have been produced in the lifetime of Hormel. As the lady who greeted us said, "That is enough, if stacked end to end, to go to the moon and back 20+ times." (I asked where all those cans are now. She didn't provide an answer.)

We began with a movie about SPAM. While we waited, Kathie filled her head with volumes of details and trivia about SPAM.



Inside, we learned about the important role SPAM played in feeding the troops in WWII. We saw movies of the Hormel Girls, a 40s-style singing group whose songs all seem to involve SPAM in some way. We learned about the many variations on the original product, with low salt versions, turkey versions, etc. Then there were the dozens of recipes with SPAM as an ingredient. The "SPAM exam" (trivia contest) and a feature on the Monty Python "SPAM moment" were part of the tour, and let's not forget the SPAMMOBILE!

At the end, a visit to the museum store is mandatory--much cool wearing apparel and other must-have stuff. Like I said, I really know how to treat a girl. If you are in the vicinity, you should go. Really! Or maybe you should make time to go. Really!

Baseball and Graduates

We chose to travel home from WI through Minneapolis. One standing motivation for doing that is the chance it gives us to spend a little bit of time with Will and Sandy. The other standing motivation is that it breaks up the seven hour trip, at least a little bit.

A third motivation this time was the chance to see my sister, Paula, and brother-in-law, Ron, who were in Minneapolis to join daughter Sarah (our niece, of course) for her graduation as an MBA from the University of Minnesota. In addition, Sandy is graduating with her MBA from St. Thomas University, so in fact there was the fourth motivation of celebrating the graduations and accomplishments of these two new MBAs.

On Saturday afternoon, I invited Will to join me for a baseball game between the Twins and the Tigers. Both of us like baseball very much, although a game between the Twins and the Yankees is always preferred. Nevertheless, a chance to see the winners of last year's World Series (Detroit) was a draw, and the chance to have some one-on-one time with my son is never to be passed up. So, here is proof that we were at the 8-to-2 thrashing of the Twins by the Tigers:



While we were at the game, Sandy was finishing up her final meeting of MBA classes (she graduates next weekend), and Kathie was visiting with Paula, Ron, and Sarah, including seeing Sarah's new condo. This morning, all of us went out for breakfast together. This gave us a chance to observe the graduations of these two fine young women. It also gave all of us a chance to be together. I don't get to see my sweet sister nearly enough, and so this was a great opportunity.

Birds and Fish

Before reporting on our fishing experiences, let me comment on the many bird sightings we have recently enjoyed. A pair of loons has been around our little bay for weeks. We have seen and heard these wonderful birds daily, and when we have been fishing, we have seen others all around our boat. At our bird feeders, our friends, the evening grosbeaks, are back, as are purple finches, chickadees, nuthatches, goldfinches, hairy woodpeckers, and others. In the last two or three days, rose-breasted grosbeaks and baltimore orioles have appeared. We are trying to temp the latter with grape jelly and oranges. When we were fishing yesterday, a pileated woodpecker landed in some nearby trees. They have good size and are quite colorful, but they aren't numerous or tend to stay hidden, so seeing one was lucky. You might have seen the photos Will took of one in his back yard some time ago. We have been seeing bald eagles quite frequently, and while fishing yesterday, we once saw three together and several times heard them chirping to each other as they flew. In fact, when we got home, there was another on the ground on the island across from us eating a fish and drinking from the lake. Kathie got the following amazing shot (given the distance and low lighting conditions).


Now, let me turn to fishing! We are making good progress in terms of learning how to fish this massive body of water called the Chippewa Flowage. Last year, Kathie did quite well for bass and a few northern pike by using artificial baits and casts along the shores of the upper parts of the river, but we haven't felt very sure of ourselves with regard to walleye and crappie (or other panfish) through the various parts of the season. Yesterday, we hired a guide, not so much to catch lots of fish as to learn more about rigging, technique, location, time of day, weather conditions, and the myriad of other issues that can affect fishing and results. The bottom line was that we learned much, saw some amazing things, and even caught quite a few fish--this on a day when fishing conditions were pretty poor (little or no wind to "chop" the surface, very bright conditions). We fished on both the east and west "halves" of the flowage and learned about the different water conditions and underwater structures in each part. If you go out with us sometime or if you want to hear some interesting stories, we can tell you, for example, about the floating bogs and the trees that will wave goodbye to you. There are also stories about river channels, integrated lakes, sunken bogs, and other things.

Our guide, Ron Bergman, was a 41-year veteran of guiding and fishing in the Flowage. We really enjoyed his stories and information, certainly about the fishing, but also about the region, wildlife, and history of the Flowage. We highly recommend him and will likely hire him again to learn more about fishing for other species (e.g. muskie) and in other times of the fishing season. He has a great boat, that is configured well for guiding. Heeeeere's Ron....


We spent most of the day fishing for walleye, but as I said earlier, conditions were not ideal. Still we caught five that were eating size and that we kept and a few others that we returned to fight another day. Kathie also caught a monster perch. Ron taught us to use jigs and minnows, and he showed us how to locate underwater structures in which the walleye tend to hide out. When the walleye fishing quieted down due to glassy water surfaces and bright conditions, we switched to panfishing. The action in this case was fast and fun. Each of us probably caught ten or more bluegill in a short time period, and some of them were keepers. We caught at least one true sunfish and some small, hungry bass as well, all of which we returned to the water. Here are Kathie and Ron working the panfish:


At the end of the day, we had the following "mess" of fish for our efforts. Ron cleaned them all, teaching us some filleting techniques along the way, and we have enough for at least two good meals, one of which will occur today.


Now, when we venture out, we can work on improving our technique as well as our ability to locate good spots.

First Visitor of the Season

We very much enjoyed hosting our first visitor of the season. Polly, an investment club friend of Kathie's, came to spend some time with us the past several days. Any of you who have visited know that our only rule for a visit is that a guest is obligated to prepare one meal. Well, we really hit the jackpot this time! Polly really treated us. Yesterday began with mint juleps prepared in true Kentucky Derby fashion. We sipped these delights throughout the pre-derby shows and then the race itself. Following this, we were treated to some outstanding lamb chops, mixed rice, and vegetables. Here are Polly and Kathie at the grill as the chops get underway. Thanks, Polly!! The food was outstanding!!


A few days ago, we tried our hands at golf at Teal Wing Golf Course, one of the most challenging of the local courses. (Will, Rob, and Pete may remember playing there with me some years ago.) The course is heavily wooded, and many of the fairways are quite narrow. There is lots of water too, and so between the woods and the water, a golfer like me has to count on losing a number of golf balls. On the other hand, when searching for lost balls, one frequently finds replacements. So, in the end, you can sometimes end up with more balls than when you began.

Here we are at the tee for hole #1. The pro was not busy and agreed to take this shot. Note the narrow fairway directly behind us, which is bordered by ball-eating trees.


Polly and Kathie show good form on the fairway. (Note: That is not Kathie's ball being left behind by her swing! That is my ball awaiting my turn at the approach to the green. You can see her ball in a blur, flying away from the club head!)



Finally, here I am lining up a putt. I know, I'm not quite on the green yet, but I figured a putt was as good as a short chip at this point. I've got the genuine golfers glove thing going. You've gotta look the part, even if you ain't the real thing!!


Following this outing (we are not reporting scores!!), we traveled to the Happy Hooker bait and tackle shop for some souvenirs and then to Schultz's Restaurant for a Friday night fish fry.

Trees

Stories about trees falling on our property and structures here in WI have appeared here before. Since those incidents, I have tried to be prudent about the removal of trees that might threaten the house, the garage, parked vehicles, or guests. Yesterday, I had a crew over to remove several dead trees and a couple of additional popples that were aimed squarely at the house and the parking area. The company I use is a very professional one. I watched the entire process and marveled at their professional, careful approach with each tree. They have amazing skill with riggings to pull trees, with sawing so as to drop trees exactly where desired, and with cutting trees down to size once dropped. They also do an excellent job with cleanup. As you might imagine, a dead tree makes something like a small explosion when it hits the ground, since its dry branches shatter and fly everywhere.

Here are a few shots of the men at work. There were two trees that had fallen in a storm in 2005. In fact, they had only almost fallen. They were leaning at a 45 degree angle against two other trees, and they spanned a pathway that we use regularly. Walking under these two trees was always a little spooky, and with them down so far, I was sure they would fall sometime in the near future. To remove these trees from the woods when unable to take much equipment into the woods, the crew rigged up lines from a tree near our house and then used a skid loader to pull cut sections onto the drive where they could be cut and hauled away.





Here are a before and an after shot of the space previously occupied by those two leaning trees.



I also got one shot of another tree just as it began to fall.


Finally, lest anyone believe we are eradicating the trees near us, here are some shots of two of the nine trees we have planted so far. The first is a mountain ash. The second is a red pine that I relocated from a very crowded spot in the woods. I am finding lots of red pine seedlings that are in places where they will struggle. My goal is to relocate as many of these as I can find to create a grove of new trees in the area between our house and the garage. The one in the shot below is hardly a seedling. This particular red pine was uncovered when the "leaning trees" were removed. It had been growing adjacent to the stumps of these trees and was crowded together with a number of balsams and other growth. When the leaning trees fell, it was pushed over. I have high hopes for its survival. When we have planted, we mix a batch of new soil, based on recommendations from a local nursery, to included lots of peat moss, composted cow manure, local soil, and root stimulators. With some judicious watering and attention, I hope we can get all of these trees to thrive. As you can tell, the mountain ash is already leafing out.

Hot Tubbing in the Woods

Since we bought this retreat in the woods in Wisconsin, we have talked about the possibility of a hot tub and where we might put one. Well, to coin a phrase, we finally "took the plunge."

Tubs weigh a bunch when filled with water--about the same as a mid-size car. We couldn't just plop a tub down on any of our existing decks. So, we had an extra sturdy one built just for this purpose off the east end of our main deck. Here are a few shots of the work in process on Monday. For those of you interested in the engineering requirements for the filled tub weight (my boys, perhaps??), the deck is built with 2x12 joists on 12" centers. There is a cantilever as well, and pads at 6' intervals. The entire deck is 12'x12'.




On Tuesday, our contractor (same great guy who finished the lower level and who built our garage) returned to finish the railing. That afternoon, Kathie and I bit the bullet and stained the entire thing, thinking it was our only chance before the tub was put into place. Here are Tuesday's results.



Today, the tub arrived on a flatbed trailer.



This was followed by installation of required electrical service, initial filling, chemical treatments (and related orientations for us on regular water treatments), installation of a cover and cover lift, steps, and replacement of deck railing, which had been temporarily removed to allow placement of the tub.




After hours and hours of filtering and water heatup, we took this baby for a test drive. (Please! No comments about the "farmer tan.") All we can say is, "Wow!" As before, our door is always open, and now you can look forward to cool, dark nights, under the stars, piney woods all around, views of the lake, refreshment in hand, while stimulating jets of water massage your tired selves.

Getting Ready for May 5th

Fishing season reopens here in WI on May 5th. We are getting ready, along with everyone else. Recently, folks we hired to put our roll-in dock and boat lift back into the lake appeared. We were glad not to do this ourselves. These guys were wearing chest waders, and I know from other projects I've done around here recently that the water is still quite chilly.





In addition to getting the dock ready, we must have our boat ready. This year we decided to trade in our old boat for one with a slightly bigger and more environmentally friendly motor, a steering console instead of the tiller bar (that old tiller bar was giving my shoulder fits last year), and a better seating configuration. We have a new 16' Smokercraft boat (made in Indiana) with a new 40HP Suzuki motor (4 stroke; hydraulic lift and trim). It is rated for up to five passengers, and there are four comfortable seats in it. There is a livewell and some nice equipment storage compartments, a trolling motor, and a depth finder/fish locator. The whole package came with a new trailer too, which has a simpler loading system and a collapsible tongue for better space use in the garage.

The boat was delivered to us today, and we have already taken it for a test drive or two. It is much quieter and moves quite nicely with the 40HP motor. There is quite a story associated with our getting it. When we went to pick it up on the promised delivery date (April 28th), the dealer "couldn't find it." This was embarrassing for us, as we had taken neighbors up on their offer to pull our trade-in to Minong and pull the new one home. The bottom line is that the salesman had not followed through on insuring that it was ready. So, he delivered it today free of charge. Here are a few shots of it already in the water.




We have hired a guide to take us out on May 8th so that we can learn how to properly fish this lake. Walleye and crappie are supposed to be good this time of year. Bass will be good in June and July, and we should be able to catch panfish and muskie most anytime. We hope to learn the proper riggings, how to use our depth finder properly, and more about the various areas of the lake. With luck, we will have stories to tell and fish pictures to share in the future.

P.S. We have another "toy" in process as well. Tune in here for information on that acquisition in a day or so.