Day 133, "Every picture has a story"

Town and Country Golf in Fargo

It was August 27th of 1966.  Dave and I had worked in the agronomy department at NDSU all summer.  We had not really worked together all the time but for harvest we had.  Last week we had traveled to Cavalier ND and harvested the experimental plots there.  It had been a treat for me as they paid for our hotel and our meals.  Yesterday, Friday, had been our last day of summer work.  We had planned for some time that today, the 27th would be a day to celebrate the end of summer work and do it while playing golf.  We had played golf several times during the summer, mostly at the Ponderosa course east of Moorhead or on the executive  course El Zagal which has 9 holes in range of 80-175 yards long.  The Ponderosa was our favorite course as it was longer and was along the Buffalo River which made it a beautiful setting.  There my favorite hole was a par 3 with a shot that was DOWN DOWN to the green.  The 500 yard hole, not so fun!!!

El Zagal in Fargo

Anyway, our plan was to play 36 holes of golf in on Saturday the 27th.  We would start out at the Town and Country course on the north side of Fargo.  Now that was a REAL course and it should be a lot of fun. Then after we played 18 holes there were would drive to the Ponderosa and play it twice as it was only 9 holes.  We did it and it was so fun.  A super way to end the summer work and then get into the frame of mind to start a new college year.  I do not remember if Dave had any courses left for his degree but I had 2+ years in and was kind of excited to get in to year 3.  A funny side issue was I finally had signed up for a major.  I wanted to be a radio announcer so I signed up for speech.  What I actually signed up for was speech therapy!!!  Oh my "the innocent days of a North Dakota farm boy"!

Ponderosa Golf course on the Buffalo River

Yesterday was tennis and it was OK but not great for me.  Our team won one of three matches against the top team but I and my partner lost in a match tie breaker 7-10.  I felt we should have won but that is tennis I guess.  I think, at this time, I am over it as we play a make up tomorrow at 1:30.  

I played this morning with some of the better players and it was so so much fun.  I need to be careful to not become a tennis snob and only want to play with the better players.  After our make up tomorrow we will have 3 matches left for the winter.  I drove Terry to her PT today and then went to ProAm and ordered a new racquet.  I used a demo of the racquet this morning and liked it a lot.  I will pick it up before our match tomorrow.   

Our weather continues to be wonderful.  A BIG contrast to ND and MN.  

Of course my FP was drank this morning before tennis so that is history.

One down, two to go for league tennis

Day 132, "Every picture(s) has a story"

It was Saturday, March 6, 1966.  The storm had abated and what was left was how to get out and about.  Pretty much any adult at the time can, today, tell you a story of what they did during the days of the storm.  

for me

I was a freshman at NDSU and on Sunday, February 27th, I was going from Reed Hall to the dining room to the library.  Finals were lurking the coming week.  I had an ROTC final which I knew would be a breeze.  The English would be a paper for sure so that was difficult to study for.  The math and science were the ones that had me worried.  I had squeaked by the first quarter but I was confident that this time things would be better.  My math was on Thursday and science on Friday.  I had hoped they would be early in the week as I had plans to visit Mom and Dad after finals.  

Monday and Tuesday were uneventful as it was study and more study.  Then Tuesday night the word came out that a BIG snow storm was coming and word was out that finals may have to be canceled.  I woke up Wednesday morning and looked north out of our dorm window.  I loudly told Larry, "That car on the street is almost covered!"  When I walked to the dining room, which was a short ways, I could hardly stand against the wind.  ALL day the storm raged and the more snow that came the wilder the dorm became.  By Wednesday morning the news was out, NO final tests and the professors would be grading on weekly class work.  The activity in the dorm was WILD.  It ranged from Steve who begin selling some of his clothes for beer money to Dave who went room to room inviting guys to allow Jesus into their heart!  Freshmen boys--I think Steve got more business than Dave!  I decided that there was NO need to study so I would get some work study hours of work in at Churchhill hall.  By this time, Thursday, the snow had almost stopped and the wind was down a bit.  As I walked to work I actually walked over several parked cars as the snow had covered them up to the roof.  I had hopes of  improving my grades with my final tests but of course that did not happen.  When grades came out the following week I was happy.  I had improved from quarter 1 BUT "for sure" there was no honor roll in sight!  A side note is I did pay Steve $5 for a sweater!  Not sure how much beer he could buy with that!

Yesterday I had the first of my 3 tennis league matches for the week.  It was the 70+ league.   Charlie and I played together for the third time and yes, for the third time came out the winners.  First set was 6-3 and then in the second set we fell behind 2-4 but came on to win 7-5.  The winning shot was a lop by Charlie over their heads.  As we greeted each other after the match one of them said he thought he could get to the lob but he just ran out of gas.  It was hot and humid.  Our court 3 also won but court 1 lost.  Still, as a team, we won the match.

Today it is my team at home against the league leaders.  I am playing court 2 with Rich who has memory issues.  I have not played with him this season in league so it should be interesting.  Maybe we can win 1 OR 2 as a team.  I think my court 1 has a chance to win and court 3??  We will see.  We were concerned about rain but it looks like a sunny day and we play at 10:30 when the temp is supposed to be 76--ideal.

Enough for today.  I am on my last cup of FP and then I will wander over to the courts to talk to the Pro.  I need to know if I have to clean the lines or if he will have someone else to that before our match.  There will be play right up until match time.

Day 131, "Every picture(3) has a story"

Churchhill dorm where I was a janitor my freshman year

Reed-Johnson Halls  Larry and I lived in Reed our freshman year

The building on the right is where Larry and I lived our sophomore year.  We had the basement apartment.  It was just across the street from the field house.

It was the fall of 1965.  I was excited and nervous to get to North Dakota State University.  My senior year of high school and the summer of 1965 had been difficult. Ronald had died during my senior year and his death hung over the farm like an old spider web not allowing anything to escape.  Mom was often in tears and Dad was silent Sam.  There would be some relief when Janet/John would come home but it looked like John was being sent to Vietnam and of course that also hung over my parents.  Joan/Ron also came home and that would help. Football had been a disaster.  I had been captain of the team and felt like I was helpless as we were hapless.  Basketball likewise ended in disappointment as we lost our first game in the district tournament.  We did rebound to take 5th and get a trophy.  We beat Lidgerwood and I scored 25 points.  Dad had cut out the paper clipping on it and saved it BUT never said anything to me.  

Anyway I had decided I did not want to go to college.  Mr. Newman encouraged me to talk to Jamestown College as he felt I could play football there but I thought I did not want to be a teacher!   I enrolled at NDSU mainly because at that time young men were being drafted out of high school if they did not enroll in college.  I was lukewarm about college but I was stone cold about being drafted!!!  I had no idea what I wanted to do so I was just in general college.  Dad had driven me to Fargo mid summer to enroll and take entrance tests.  When I arrived in early September I found out that due to my entrance tests I was enrolled in advance algebra and chemistry 2.  Oh my they were almost the death of me.  I passed but grades, not so great.  I also was put in an English class where the teacher was notorious for being mean to freshmen.  I found that out early on as I told the teacher that I would miss a Friday class as I was going to my brothers wedding.  Oh my she thought there was NO reason to miss class and gave me a hard time.  

The good, well not so good.  I was on the eating plan and morning, noon and night you could eat and drink as much as you wanted.  Fifteen pounds later Christmas came!  The weight came off quickly when I returned after Christmas break.

It took me about a month to settle in.  By that time I had a "work-study" job and I was into my classes.  Dad had paid me $500 for the summer and I had a loan so I was not worried about money but of course I did not spend any.  Joan/Ron, Dave/Marlys and Janet lived in Fargo so I wanted some transportation to see them.  I found a bike for $10 and I was good to go.  As winter came I just let a little air out of the tires so they would not slip so much on the icy roads.  It worked fine.  My job in "Work/Study" was working as a janitor mostly on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.  Churchhill was where many of the men athletes stayed and ALWAYS Sunday morning was a time to get out the bucket and mop and take care of vomit that was in many places!  

One morning I lost my wallet.  I was sure I lost it in the dorm but after looking everywhere I had been I did not find it.  About 3 days later I got a call from the police in Moorhead MN.  They wanted me to come to the station.  I was afraid but jumped on my bike after classes on a Thursday and headed there.  When I arrived they ushered me into a room and an officer came in by shutting the door behind him.  I was totally clueless as to what was happening.  It turned out someone had found my wallet and used my drivers license by changing the birthdate.  He had used it to purchase liquor.  He had changed the 7 to a 4 so it looked like he was 21.  Well the officer questioned me and I told him I had never been in the bar.  In fact I said I have never tasted beer!  He lectured me on the fact that I should have reported it which I did not know.  It ended well but was not a fun experience.

The third picture is the building Larry and I stayed in during our sophomore year.  I might add that 2 girls lived on the second floor of the building to the left!  BUT they never came to our apartment as that was forbidden as I said before.  The first year of college cost me $1100.  That was board, room, tuition  and spending money.  Actually the second year living off campus was less.  I do have to admit that I did eat a lot of cream corn with hot dogs mixed in!  Well there was Joan, Dave and Janet to help with meals a bit too!  Enough about NDSU for now.

70+ tennis at 11:30 today.  I am hoping it does not rain.  Then tomorrow my team has a very tough match at home and I will be excited if we could win 1 of 3.  If more than that it is off the chart.  Again on Friday a home match and I have hopes of 2 or 3 courts then.  

I started a book yesterday that is about the marines in WWII.  Oh my it is interesting and sad what went on.  I am finished with breakfast and the FP is gone.

Day 130, "Every picture has a story"

It was June 7, 1967.  My brother-in-law John had said I could live with him for the summer.  I thought I had the world by the tail.  I had a summer job, I had free living and I had my wheels.  I also had brother Dave who, with his wife Marlys, lived in Fargo and I knew they were good for some meals and Dave was good for some golf.  But this morning I was on my own.  I needed to be at the barley department at NDSU by 8:00.  It was going to be a fantastic day.  I was to load the tractor into the back of the pickup and then I would drive to just west of Castleton ND where there were MANY experiemental barley plots.  There I would spent the day cultivating between the 100s of rows of barley.  It was a fun time for me as I would be by myself and I could dream, sing and just be alone.  OK I admit I did have other interests but they were not important this day.
However my day would start way before 8:00.  I had looked at the paper and I knew that the sun came up at 6:34.  That meant one could actually see about 6:00.  I had my plan.  I would wake up to my alarm at 5:30.  I would then take out my black golf bag which had several Mike Souchak clubs.  I had spent $34 of my hard earned money to purchase them through the United Buying catalog.  I had a 3, 5, 7, 9, driver, 3 wood and putter.  Mike had won his last PGA tournament in 1964 but in my mind he was still a great player and his clubs were cheap!  At 5: 45 I strapped the bag on my back, kicked the Sprint to life and I was on I94 headed to Moorhead and MN Highway 75.  As I turned south on 75 I could almost smell the Town and Country Club.  It was an executive 9 hole course that was 1648 yards long.  I could arrive there by 6:00 and get in at least 6 holes before it opened at 7:00.  I had to be gone by 7:00 as they usually opened about that time and if I was still there I would have to pay which would drain my spending money for the week.  Two $s back then was big time as I could fill my Sprint for less than $.75.  If I could get in 6 holes and head out before they came I would be good to go.  As I sped towards the course I smiled because I loved my Sprint.  Life was good and I did get out in time so I did not have to pay and my game was OK.  I maybe should rethink my attitude as I don't believe I ever admitted that I should not have been doing that.  I wanted to practice my short game as Dave and I had a tee time at Elzagal Course on Friday after work.
Oh my, the golf clubs, my Sprint, the barley job, they all made me feel like King of the Road so to speak.  It seemed that Janet's death 15 months ago, the summer spent on the farm a year ago and perhaps some relationships, they all seemed so so far away on that day.  I was looking forward to the summer where I would earn money for the fall college expenses and also start a new living situation with friend Larry.  We had been room mates in Reed Hall on NDSU campus last year but the coming year we had an apartment off campus which would save us money.  The good life seemed to be in my favor!  Our landlord, an elderly man, gave us 2 things that must NEVER happen.  First, we had to be sure and pay the rent on time and second we could never have any girls there.  We were very good about both, I think!  With prices of a loaf of bread at $.19, eggs at $.45 a dozen, pork and beans at $.30 a can and the list goes on it was going to be a good year.  Coffee was at $.40 a pound but I had not yet starting drinking coffee.  I started coffee the next year as Steve, my boss in the barley department, insisted I take a coffee break with the other workers when I was there.  After all I was earning $1.25 an hour and in the summer I could work 45-50 hours a week.  Then when fall came I could work 20 hours a week in the green house with barley.  Life was indeed good!

A fun tennis match this morning with good players.  League is tomorrow and that will be more challenging.  Weather is warm and sunny.  I checked out a book from the library and will start reading that today.  Also got new stainless steel grates for the grill so we will have to grill something soon.

I had my FP in two parts.  Two thirds before tennis and one third after.  It was good.

Last Sunday in February AND already the 8th of the year

Day 129, "Every picture has a story"

My 1966 Harley Sprint that took me to places I had not dreamed of and in style too!

AND

The date was June 19, 1966.  It was the third Sunday of June which meant it was Father's Day.  I was home on the farm with Mom, Dad and Helen.  I had finished year one of college at NDSU in Fargo.  Ronald had died in the fall of my senior year at Sargent Central and Janet had died in February of this year.  I had experienced life away from the farm and decided that I had no desire to spend more time there.  After all our farm was dilapidated with old old equipment and I felt that there were better places to live for sure.  I later would come to realize that I would not trade my upbringing for any.  Mom had said Dad really would like me to be home for the summer.  HOME, that was the very last place I wanted to spent my summer.  BUT there was a catch.  I said I could not spent the summer at home unless I had wheels.  Mom relayed that message to Dad and he came up with the idea of a motorcycle.  So it happened.  I had time off for Easter so on April 9th, a Saturday, Dad and I drove to Aberdeen SD to look at Harley Davidson cycles.  Dad said he would pay for most of it and I could pay him back at some time.  I had the choice of a 1965 red or a NEW 1966 black.  Black it was and I hurried to the car to get a coat as I would drive it back to the farm that day.  Oh it was chilly BUT I did not notice as I had WHEELS.  So towards the end of May I finished the college year and headed home on my WHEELS.  It would be a summer to remember as I, for the first time ever on the farm, had freedom to go.  Dad paid me $500 for the summer work and I knew I would be good to go for the following year in college.  I had borrowed some money for my freshman year and would do so again for the next year but I also had a different job starting the fall of 1966.  It would be in the "work study" program and I would be working in the barley department.  I could work up to 20 hours a week and get paid $1. an hour.  For me that was an improvement over my janitor work in one of the dorms.

But I digress.  Today is June 19th and Father's Day.  I have not been to town since I came home from college and therefore have NO gift for Dad.  After church (we now had church every Sunday in Veblen) I approached Dad and held out my hand.  In it was the key to my Harley.  I told him my Father's Day gift was the cycle for the day.  The lines in his forehead slowly disappeared and the corners of his mouth quickly spread from cheek to cheek.  He took the key, turned as he mumbled a thank you and that was it, we did not see Dad again until after dark.  I spent the day hitting golf balls from the house to the road.  Of course Arnie beat Jack and Gary as he always did.  I did look for familiar cars as they passed on the road going to the lake but I did not see anybody I knew.  Midway through the afternoon I had to use the 55 gallon barrel to find the lost balls in the tall grass to the south but that did not take a lot of time.  I remember Mom was a bit worried as darkness came and no Dad.  I turned the yard light on and sure enough, about 9:30 I heard my Harley coming up the half mile gravel road to the farm.  Dad never did say where he went but by his demeanor over the next few days I knew he had enjoyed his Father's Day.

The summer went quickly as I spent as much time as I could on my cycle.  My friend Larry and I would often cruise the country as he had a 350 Honda.  When I finished the summer work and headed back to Fargo I knew it would be a good year as I now could leave my pedal bike on the farm and use my Harley for transportation.  

As I remember back to the summer of 1966 one thing sticks out.  Dad never said one word about Ronald or Janet.  I guess his grief was ALL kept inside and I am sure it festered there to the end.  Somehow I feel that grief needs to be let out so that healing can take place and I doubt Mom or Dad ever allowed that to happen.  If it were today---I think it would be different but then one can never know.  I do think both Mom and Dad were different people after Ronald and Janet died.  AND perhaps everyone in the family was different in some way.

We continue to warm weather here with temps in the mid to high 80s.  I am thinking NO tennis yesterday or today is a good things.  With morning matches on Monday and Thursday and team matches on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday it will be a FULL tennis week.  I can play 90 minutes of tennis in a morning match and be a bit tired but a 90 minute team match has me exhausted.  

I did splurge a bit as I usually do on Sunday.  I had 2 cups of FP with Irish Cream in and yes they were very good.  I finished off the pot of FP with heavy cream in the cup.  Enough.

Day 128, "Every picture has a story"

It was the winter of 1959/60.  Dad said I could play basketball for the Cayuga grade school team.  I had never played on a team but I did play ball at home.  In the winter, at times when our hay barn was not full of hay, Dave and I had a 5 gallon bucket with the bottom cut out.  We used a hack saw and neatly cut the bottom out and then put electric tape around the edges so they were not sharp.  We then measured from the barn floor 10 feet up and mounted the bucket on the south wall.  It really did not work to use a basket ball as the bucket was not the same size as a basketball hoop but we would bounce a rubber ball about the size of a baseball and shoot hoops.  It worked pretty well and was a lot of fun.  For the REAL basketball Ronald had helped us put up an old telephone pole on a grassy spot between the barn and the granary.  We then pounded some boards together and made a back board.  To that we used lag screws to attach a basketball hoop and Ronald even brought home a net for it.  There was no need to mow the grass there as Dave and I would play hoops a lot in the summer.  It was not all that easy to dribble as the ground was not so level but I did sharpen my shooting eye!

So it was with some confidence that I told Mr. Murray that I would be able to play on the team.  I thought I had a pretty good chance to play as I was the tallest guy and there was only one other boy that I thought was a pretty good athlete.  So it happened, on a Monday, December 7th of 1959 school was out at 3:30 and most of the boys in the 7th and 8th grade walked at a brisk pace towards downtown Cayuga.  There really was a downtown at that time.  There were the two liquor stores, Bub's grocery store, Kiefer Brothers implement store which was very larg,  Benny Flash had a creamery and Ceilia a small cafe.  BUT the only building I was interested in that day was the Cayuga Hall.  It was a quonset type of building and it was the largest of any in the surrounding towns.  There were bleachers on each side of the building and it had a hardwood floor.  On the south end it had a kitchen which was used for wedding receptions and funeral receptions too.  There always was a large gathering on Memorial Day after the cemetery program.  On the north end there was a stage where graduations etc would take place.  Each end had a basketball hoop attached to a backboard.  In the winter the big thing was roller skating on Saturday night.  I would say that did nothing good for the floor.  Well the hall was where the troop of boys headed.  There was excitement in the air as we knew it would be a lot of fun and we would be playing teams from Rutland, Cogswell and Forman.  We arrived in a short while and immediately caught the aroma of Mr. Murray's cigar smoke so we knew he was already there.  The hall had NO lockers or bathrooms/showers so it was a matter of putting our bags on the stage floor and changing clothes.  I was relieved that Mom had put a pair of socks in that did NOT have holes and I did not have to fold the toe over either!  My shorts were pretty darn nice as we had received a California box of clothes from Aunt Ragna the week before AND there near the bottom were shorts that pretty much fit me!  Shoes, well they had the look of dirt and grim but they would do.  I did not have the "in" shoes of the day which would have been Chuck Taylor high tops!  When Mr. Murray came to talk to us in school he made sure we knew that one had to wear tennis shoes in the hall.  Some of the things I learned the first week were kind of important.  If you stopped dribbling you had to pass as starting to dribble again was called "double dribble" and you lost the ball.  The center line across the middle of the entire gym was there for a reason.  If you had the ball and crossed that line you could not go back.  That was called "over and back" and  you gave up the ball!  The two lines parallel and 90 degrees to the basket are there for a reason too.  If you team has the ball you can not stand between those lines for more than 3 seconds.  That is called the "3 second rule" and you would lose the ball.  Oh my I found out in a hurry that shooting baskets in the barn or in the yard was a LOT different than playing with a team.  By the end of the season I had pretty much learned the rules and actually had begun to play pretty well.  As one can see we did play in a tournament and came in second place.  I am sure we were successful because we had such fancy uniforms!!!  Interesting as I look at the picture I know at least 5 of those boys have died.  They would be ages 71/72/73 today.

That is my story for the day.  No tennis today or tomorrow as this body needs a bit of rest.  Maybe, just maybe, I should try to find some work to do and finding it would be easy!  The FP is long gone.

Day 127, "Every picture has a story"

This is not a picture of our farm equipment but it certainly could be.  We had a Jayhawk haystacker and it mounted on the front end of our M tractor.  It allowed us to make the biggest and baddest hay stacks in the country.  Ours did have rubber wheels, not iron.  I do not think Dad every allowed anyone but himself to use it.  If you wanted to turn the stacker to the left you turned the front end of the tractor to the right.  We would rake the hay into rows by going round and round the field and making rows of hay.  We we would drive over the rows and make bunches of hay which Dad would pick up with the Jayhawk.  He would then drive over to the hay stack that we were making and pull a lever to move the front end up.  When it was up far enough he would drive forward a bit and pull.  The front end would buckle and dump the hay on the stack.  He would then back up and lower the front end.  As it hit the ground it would catch and away he would go to get more hay.  I often had the GREAT job of driving the Ford tractor with the rake behind.  I would drive all over the field and catch left hay in the rake and when the it was full I would drive over a bunch of hay and put the rope to trip it.  I am sure our rake, which we pulled with the Ford, was a make shift rake that was used with horses.  When I was growing up on the farm we were almost the only ones making hay stacks as bales had come into being.  We never owned a baler.

I had the most fun playing tennis this morning.  I played with 3 other guys who are pretty equal in skill.  We just had a great time with some very super volleys.  I, just for the fun of it, am trying out a lighter racquet and I am afraid I kind of like it.  I do not need a new racquet BUT.  

Terry and I went to Wells Fargo today.  We had done a transfer and did not like what Wells Fargo did so needed to go in and talk to them.  My opinion of Wells Fargo, well one may not want to hear BUT it is nice to have a bank in Naples as well as St. Paul.  We do not do much there but it is convenient to be able to do  business in FL as well as MN.  

Terry and I put on our annual brat/burger villa party yesterday and it was a great success.  I think we had 35 people there and they seemed to have a great time.  We purchased the meat etc. so we put out a bucket for donations to cover the cost.  Amazing, we received MORE than our cost.  I will just say the extra will kind of cover the sweat we put into it.  I was so lazy when all was over last night so I spent a couple of hours this morning getting dishes washed and then grill and tables back where they belong.  That is the only party where we do the meat so our next one will not be so much work.  I get kind of tired of doing that kind of thing but it is so much fun when people enjoy it.

I received word yesterday from cousin Lauren that cousin Erlene's brother Sam died of leukemia.  He lived on the west coast.  I actually do not remember the last time I saw him, maybe 60+ years ago.  Terry and I visited his grandma, Ruth Gregerson a few years ago.  Ruth is now in a home with not much memory left.  When we stopped in to visit she was so excited.  We could not call ahead  of time as we did not have a phone number and she lived with her daughter Erlene.  I suspect Sam was maybe my age or younger.  Ruth is the daughter of Ansel who was Mom's oldest brother.  I am guessing Ansel was 20 years older than Mom.  Ruth was in Mom and Dad's wedding as she was Mom's neice.

Next week I will have 3 league matches.  I am scheduled into our Tuesday 70+ one and then my team has a regular Wednesday one and a make up on Friday.  Should be fun.  I was surprised that I will be playing on Tuesday as the captain usually plays guys every other week and I played this week.  

I did a different thing this morning.  I was so tired from the party yesterday that I fell asleep on the couch.  I then went to bed but woke up at 3.  I could not stay up at that hour but I felt IF I fell asleep I may over sleep my 7:30 tennis.  I needed my alarm on but I did not want it to wake Terry so I went into the other bedroom and sure enough I fell asleep and needed the alarm to wake me up at 6:45.  That was enough time to wake up and get ready but not enough time for my FP.  SO I enjoyed my FP after tennis, a change of things for sure.  

Of course no FP tonight so will sign off.

Day 126, "Every picture has a story"

My experience of tennis last year on a personal level as well as my team!

My experience of tennis this winter and "for sure" this week!

 Well my pictures this morning tell it all.  Last year at this time I was making weekly plans for my team while getting around with a cane. (I had gotten rid of that darn walker last week)  I would be using the cane for another few weeks.  My team---they were not doing much better.  In our last match, the tenth of the season we won on court #1 which gave us a grand total of 3 match wins of the 30 we played.  Oh, we got to about a half dozen match tie breakers but could not break through the glass ceiling so to speak.  

Forward to this season, winter of 2019.  On the 70+ team I am 3-1 while winning my last 3 matches.  For my 3.0 team we have had 5 team matches (that means a total of 15 individual matches and we have won 7!  I was delighted to win on court #1 yesterday and get a certain amount of revenge.  I have mentioned before that in our first match of the winter I played court 1 against Gino and Lou.  They are LOUD mouth guys and not really that good BUT that day they beat me and my partner while I played so so so bad.  Yesterday when Gino and Lou walked onto the court I quietly told myself that this is a new day and it will end much better--it DID.  I had a different partner but the difference was in my game which was much better.  We won 6-0 and 6-1.  To put frosting on the cake court #2 won 6-4 and 6-3 while court #3 won 6-1 and 6-0.  Three wins and NO tie breakers is perhaps a first on the 3.0 level for my team.  I will say that the team we played yesterday is by far the weakest in the league but still one has to perform at a certain level to win.  We have 2 matches next week with our regular on Wednesday and a make up on Friday.  Hard to believe that next Friday we are into March 2019.

Terry and I finished up the day yesterday by having lunch at a new restaurant Yard House.  The food was very good and it was good to get out for a bit.  

Today I have tennis at 7:30 and I will be trying a demo racquet which is lighter than the ones I use.  It will be fun to see how I do with it.  Terry has an apt at 12:15, we need to hit Costco for bread for our pool party and then our party is at 5:00.  I will boil the brats this morning and then put them on the grill before the party while the burgers will need to be grilled at the party.  I have not used the grill for a time so have to make sure it is working fine and then I need to pick up a table from Carmen and Betty.  Carmen, not this Carmen, is 85 or so and does not care to lug the table over so I will drive around the corner and get it.  

Up early, at 4:20, so it may be kind of a long day but I have no doubt that my FP, which is now almost finished, will carry me through the day!

Day 125, "Every picture has a story"

Fishing was a BIG part of my life growing up on the farm.  I kind of was divided into four parts.  Each of them in a different place.  Note the car in the back ground and I am guessing the year was maybe 1959 or so.  That is one small bullhead which we never would keep.  There were bullhead dinners in Geneseo on Fridays but we never did go.  One may notice I have a smile and there, big as can be, is my left front tooth that is TOO small.  That darn thing has me NOT smiling on most pictures.  However there are times I think about it and am thankful that is the only odd thing about me, I think!

• There was the "alone" part of fishing.  That would be me walking up to Lake Tewaukon with my can of worms and pole.  No stringer to bring the fish home as I never did that.  As I have said before I would catch these small perch and then put them in a corral that I made out of rocks.  Before I left for home I would release them into the lake again to catch another day.  When I think about it I may have been the leader in the entire "catch and release' thing that is big today!  I have to add that I would walk through Bert's pasture to get there and then walk through their yard.  IF I were lucky I Eleanor would see me and offer me a cookie!
• Then there were the trips with Dad and Dave to Lake Traverse which was on the South Dakota/Minnesota border east of Sisseton.  Sometimes Dad would borrow Uncle Halvor's boat motor and we would rent a boat.  That was the MOST fun as Dad knew the best places in the lake to catch crappies.  We would usually come home with a LOT of them.  Times when we did not have the motor we would fish from shore and catch just as many but it was not as fun.  Dad would often stop and buy a can of sardines and we would feast on saltines and sardines!  The good old days, right???
• Then there was Silver Lake which was southwest of Rutland North Dakota.  We would never fish in the lake but would fish in the outlet stream on the west side of the lake.  There we would cast for hours for Northern Pike.  Usually we would go home with at least one that weighed +/-5 pounds.  One of my regrets was Dad NEVER learned how to fillet a fish.  HOW can one enjoy eating fish if, before you take a bit, you need to dig with your fork as if you are looking for gold.  Then after putting a bite in your mouth you need to squish it and move it around to make sure there are NO bones.  Oh my that did nothing for my desire to eat fish.  I realize that when you fillet a fish you do throw away some of the meat BUT.
• Lastly there were the times we would fish on the west end of Lake Tewaukon.  Most of the time we did that it was "wake up Carmen it is time to go" and the clock would tell me it was at least an hour before sunrise.  Why was it necessary to try to catch fish before they woke up?  
• There is one more fish story that I will always remember.  Mom and Dad said we were going on a picnic one day and it was to a place I can not remember where but it was a BIG day.  It was by a lake and Dad said I should bring my fishing pole.  I grabbed it out of the shop and put it in the car.  When we arrived Mom and Dad met some friends so I was by myself.  My fishing reel was one of these that the line is around a spool and mine was all tangled up so I spent a lot of time getting the reel to work.  Finally I was set and started to cast and reel, cast and reel.  I heard Mom call to say lunch was ready so I, as I often do, said to myself, "two more times" before I take up my rod and reel and head to lunch.  On the second and last throw I felt a tug on the line and there, right in front of me in shallow water was a Northern Pike on my line.  I reeled it in and proudly marched up the bank to show my prize to Mom and Dad.  A proud day for sure.

Yesterday was a "good" tennis day.  Charlie and I, once again, played court #2 and were the only victors of the day.  We seem to play well together.  On the 70+ team I now have a 3-1 record.  I am trying to figure out if Charlie and I are just so good or if the opponent is not so good!  The one loss was not with Charlie.  Today my 60+ team plays at 11:30.  I have put myself on court #1 but have played on court #3 twice this winter so I think it is fine.  I actually have maybe 5 players who could say they deserve to play on #1.  I asked one of the guys yesterday about putting him on #3 today as he has played on #1 several matches.  He smiled and said that would be fine as it should be easier to win on court #3!  Anyway I am about 4-5 hours away from seeing if I can bag 2 league wins in the same week.  Good luck Carmen.

I enjoyed french toast with a sausage this morning and made my FP with an extra tablespoon of grounds just to give me that added boast on the court at 11:30.  We will see if it helps.

Day 124, "Every picture has a story"

How about that for sisterly/brotherly love?  As a family we would often go to the park or go on  a picnic.  I am guessing this was in the summer of 1982 which would have put Cynthia at almost 2 and Travis at almost 11.

AND

It is Tuesday, September 21st in 1993.  I am looking at a busy few days ahead!  Today it will be up at 3:30 to deliver 200 newspapers and then off to teach by 7:00 AM.  I will have a soccer practice for my boys team after school and then race to Trinity for a game as I am coaching Cynthia's team.  In the evening I need to make several phone calls to people.  Tomorrow it will be the paper again (every day of the week!) and then after school my boys team has a game against Ramsey at home.  In the evening I will gather with my men's group which will go from 7:30-9:30.  I will do the same morning thing on Thursday and Friday but will only have practice with my boys team at school.  Maybe it will rain and I can call it off!  I will try to make Friday a bit short as St. Paul Academy has a game where Travis and Aaron will play and I can't miss that.  It is away so we will have to leave early.  Friday at 9:00 PM, before I nod off to sleep, I force myself to not think about the coming weekend as I know it will be so so busy!

AND

The day is TODAY, February 19, 2019 (I may add about 26 years later) .  I am thinking I have a BUSY  few days ahead!!!  The first thing I have is a tennis match today at 1:30 and that will be over at about 3:00.  Then tomorrow I have another tennis match and it is away so we leave at 10:45 and should be back by 1:30 or so.  Then on Thursday we have our annual burger/brat villa party which Terry and I put on.  Terry has an appt in the early afternoon so I will drive her there and while she is busy I will make a Costco run for buns for the meat.  Then when we get home I will start working with the meat and around 4:00 I will wheel the grill over to the pool.  Oh, I forgot, I need to drive over to Carmen and Betty's in the morning and pick up their table.  The party should be over around 7 or so.  So there it is, a busy me in 2019 and "for sure" to compare it to a busy me from 1993---oh my gosh, I think I must be getting a little long in tooth!  TIME has a way of making changes in life!!!

I had a frustrating time yesterday.  I dropped Terry off for an appt and then headed to Target as we needed a new robot vacuum.  Target had one on sale and then in addition there was a $20 target gift card if you bought it.  I found the one Terry wanted and luckily they had ONE left.  When we arrived home I unpacked it I should have known right away but I was not thinking.  Several things told me that this machine was NOT a new one.  AND I was right.  It was 100% dead.  There were NO rain checks on the sale item so I needed to call around to see if another Target had a NEW one.  The first Target I called let "guest services" ring 35 times and still no answer.  The second Target I called did not answer after 30 rings so I hung up.  The 3rd Target did answer and said they would transfer me to guest services.  I remained on the line for about 4/5 minutes and then hung up and called again.  Finally I did get a person and they said there was one left and they would hold it for me.  SO it was drive the 8 miles there and pick it up.  As I opened the packing up I could see that it was NEW.  Terry will try it this morning but it looks good to go.  

I played tennis twice yesterday and that was too much.  The humidity was high and the temp was around 90.  Trust me, I am not complaining BUT twice in a day, no.  I usually do not do that but a friend called to ask me to fill in for someone who cancelled so it is hard to say no to those kind of things.  I also got to talk to Rich's wife a bit.  Rich is the team person who is playing well but has early onset of dementia.   His wife uses his tennis times as a time she can get a lot of work finished when she can concentrate without interruption.  I had not seen her this season but she did drive through the parking lot so I said hi.  I did not ask BUT I think this is Rich's last season of tennis.  He is such a good guy it is a difficult thing to see.

Enough for today.  I am down to the last sip of FP and it is a bit bitter but all the better to give one energy, right?

Day 123, "Every picture has a story"

"For sure" this picture brings to mind MANY MANY stories.

• I had graduated from University of Minot in the spring of 1969.  Mr. Hayek offered me a contract to teach at the North Dakota School for the Deaf and I signed it.  I was so excited as I was going to earn $6000 during the 69/70 school year.  Of course to get such a HIGH salary I had to not only teach but help coach football and basketball.  The only problem was I did not start teaching until the fall and we needed money NOW.  I drove to Lake Ready Mix which was located off of highway 2 west of Devils Lake, ND.  I said I was there to apply to drive a truck!  I explained my background on the farm and told them that driving a truck was no big deal for me.  They hired me on the spot!  I guessing it had nothing to do with my experience but rather my lean mean build😀 and my muscular upper body, ya right!  Well I was to start the next day with a starting salary of $1.90 an hour.  I would get paid every Friday, which I found out later meant I would have to work Saturday mornings for sure as some of the guys would stop at the bar on the way home Friday and therefore would not be in shape to drive the next morning!  I drove all summer and often my pay check was actually over $100 most weeks.  That is just the beginning of my cement driving tales!
• In the picture I am pouring cement at Fort Totten which was about 5 miles south of town.  Every summer Lake Ready Mix would pour maybe 5 or so new homes.  If we poured in the summer of 1969 we would do the same in 1970 and see where the new homes of a year ago would have broken windows, doors that would not shut etc.  A sad sight for sure.  Fort Totten was also very near Sully's Hill where we, as a family, would go many times a summer for picnics and a drive through to catch a glimpse of deer and or bison.  This picture was taken in the summer of 1973 which was the last summer I drove.  After that I spent summers going to grad school in Grand Forks.
• One of my most favorite and least favorite memories at the same time is of the red hooded jacket.  I always left it in my truck as it often was chilly in the morning.  One morning I came to work and my beloved red hoodie was missing.  Now it probably was old old and perhaps hole ridden too but I wore it and liked it.  I mean a new one would probably set me back 2 hours wages.  How could it be gone.  It just so happened that I took the first load of the day and it was to be delivered west of Devils Lake near Churches Ferry.  As I shifted my truck into high and headed west there, along highway 2, was my red sweatshirt walking with a man in it!  I put on the brakes and came to a stop but not before reaching over and locking the passenger side door.  I rolled the window down a tad and yelled, "that is my hooded sweat shirt and I want it back!" The guy stepped up on the running board and peered into the cab.  He said he was cold and had slept in my truck over night.  Today I would be show more compassion but that was back then in my youth.  I said I wanted my hooded shirt back or I would turn around and get the police.  He stepped down, took off the jacket and handed it through the window.  From that time on I always took it home at night.  My truck was old enough so it would not lock.  
• I walked into Lake Ready Mix in the spring of 1970.  I was looking at the end of school, a small balance in our checking account and I wanted to drive truck again.  As I came into the building I was greeted by Joe, a co-owner.  He immediately asked if I wanted a summer job and I said yes but I wanted to talk about pay.  He nodded towards a back room where all kinds of trophies were displayed.  ALL of them were for trap shooting.  The other co-owner, Duane, spent much more time on the road shooting than he did in his business.  Joe said Duane would talk to me.  As I knocked on the door he immediately got up and asked me to come in.  After greetings I said I would like to drive again this summer but I did need a pay raise, $2.00 an hour.  He slowly allowed his smile to fade and said, as he looked at his desk, that business was not all that great and the best they could do was the same as last summer, $1.90.  I thanked him for his time and said as I turned to go that I just could not work for that. I mentioned that not only did I show up for work every Saturday last summer when so many were sleeping but I now had a family and I felt that my work was worth at least a 10 cent raise.  Before I could reach for the door Duane said well he could go the extra 10 cents then.  I had a summer job and now I could maybe look at a pay check that would be $110 a week!!!  
• My favorite gig that summer was taking liquid cement out at nights to where they were drilling search holes for oil.  At some point they would call and want several yards of liquid cement to fill the holes.  When that took place I would back my truck into the load area just before dark.  I would head out east of town and would be there until well into the night.  I would back up towards the hole and then dump maybe a yard.  The workers would then ask for another yard or so in 30 minutes.  That would often happen until 9 or 10 at night.  No, I did not like the night work but I knew the hours would always be time and a half so I would never turn down the chance to work that gig.  ENOUGH but I promise there is more!

Tennis at 7:30 and 10:30 today.  Then league tomorrow and league on Wednesday.  

Terry and I enjoyed the play yesterday.  It was not the kind of play you would take little ones to but it was entertaining.  I felt that at the end my right foot was on rung #2 in my cultural journey.  Not sure how many rungs I want to climb but we will see.

My last sip of FP is at 6:57 and that should do me for my 7:30 match.

Second to last Sunday in February

Day 122, "Every picture has a story"

The story is this:

My grandpa Lee had two sons, Lawrence and Halvor.  According to Dad grandpa promised each of them something if they did not smoke or drink until they were 21.  Dad was born in 1911 so that means he turned 21 on October 29th of 1932.  The choice was $100 or a gold watch.  Now just to be sure about the money $100 in 1932 would be the same as $1688 today!  Dad choose the watch.  He said Halvor choose the money but of course I am not sure about that.  So Dad got a Bulova 14K watch with his initials engraved on the back.  As one can see it says Lawrence Henry Lee.  I do not know how many times Dad tried to wear the watch but he said his body would magnetize the watch and it would stop working.  So it remained in his top dresser drawer.  I do not know how it survived the fire but my guess is he was able to dash in the house and retrieve it before the house burned to the ground.  So about 1986 or so the watch came to me.  It was not working and it had no band.  I took it into a place that fixes watches and $250 later I had a working watch.  It now stays in my wooden box here in Naples and then in my wooden box, the one from my grandma, on the dresser in St. Paul.  Once in a while I will wind it and wear it as Terry and I go out.  When I had it repaired the guy said that in watches like that a mark is made each time it is opened.  He was amazed that there were only 2 marks in it when he opened it.  Just for info I asked a jeweler in St. Paul, who deals in old jewelry, what price he would put on it if he were to sell it.  This was a few years ago and he said he would give me $600 for it.  Of course it is not going anyplace but it was interesting.

Terry and I went to our book lecture yesterday.  It was probably the best of the season.  The author was there and she was so so entertaining.  Like I said yesterday we will go to a play this afternoon and continue my steps up the ladder of culture.

AND

The year was 1957.  It was late July and so far we had experienced a wet warm summer.  The crops were looking very good according to Dad and he and Mom had high hopes that August harvest would bring in money that had been so short for so long.  Mind you Dad had still managed to purchase film and was taking pictures.  He still spent late nights sitting on the stairs loading 3006 ammo but those things were in the category of essentials as Mom and Dad earned some money with his photography and the venison in the fall was a staple on our table.  BUT still there were so many things Mom could use and needed but the funds were just not there.  One thing that did bring in money all summer long was the cows.  We milked six cows morning and night and every week we were able to bring in a five gallon can of cream to Benny Flash and that gave us some income.  Mom had mentioned that she even had $5 for a foot massage in Lidgerwood the week before.  Mom did not get those very often but she did so enjoy when she could get a foot massage.  To this day I do not know why that was so enjoyable for her but then I have never had a foot massage!  It was the last Saturday in July, the 27th, and Mom and Dad were somewhere taking wedding pictures.  Dad had left word that the gutter, behind where the cows stood, needed to be cleaned but that was a quick job and Dave and I had most of the day to ourselves.  There had been a blackbird outing where we shot 2 for the cats.  There had been a journey down to the creek and then to the bend just below the shop.  We had found a couple of dead fish but that was it.  We found a new gohper hole near the barn yard fence but it was just too far down to the water hole in the creek to bother trying to drown them out.  So here it was 6:00 PM and time, well actually past time,  to get the cows for milking.  One could guess that they just happened to be way south near the bridge.  Well that was fine because it meant we needed to get them and on the way was a sharp bend in the creek about half way down and there on the bank facing south was SNAKE ROCK.  There was a nest of snakes under that rock and most of the time a person could sneak up and see them sunning themselves on the rock.  If one was fast enough you could grab them by the tail before they slithered under the rock again.    This day there was no luck as it must have been too late in the day as the sun was already casting shadows through the corn stalks to the west.  As we hurried past snake rock and headed south we we called to Betsy and Lumpy and sure enough they looked up and then, as if by magic, they headed in our direction along with all the milk cows.  It did not take long to put them in the stanchions and get the milking done.  By the time the milk was separated and put away it was supper time so 5 eggs were put in the boiling water and then there was a feast of boiled eggs with mustard and Mom's homemade bread.  The end of a fun day.

One Carmen + One Carmen makes 2 Carmens

Day 121, "Every picture has a story"

Terry and I were invited out for dinner at the Seats just around the corner.  Betty is his wife and she is a pack of dynamite at the age of maybe 85.  AND yes his name is Carmen!  How about that.  Mom would be happy to know there are other male Carmens in the world.  Terry and I get together with them two or three times a season.  It is always a fun time with good conversation and a lot of laughs.  Yesterday I had a unique experience.  They bought my book a few years ago.  Carmen (not me) went on this long dialog about two of the chapters.  He said he has not read the entire book but from time to time he will sit down and read a chapter.  Carmen was a life long media guy so he knows a bit about writing etc.  Anyway he talked about 5 minutes or so about one of the chapters.  He talked mostly about the one "Please Come Home".  He actually teared up as he talked and he almost had me there too.  It was a special moment for me as I have not had that kind of input about the book.  "For sure" I have had many people tell me they enjoyed it but to have someone who knows a bit about writing say there is a chapter that certainly could be expanded on, that was very very nice to hear.  All in all it was a fun time.  

Terry and I will take in the book lecture on "An American Marriage" this morning.  Another step in the culture ladder that I am trying to get off the first step of!  I may have my left foot on the first rung of the ladder and my right foot half way between the first and second as we take in a play tomorrow!!

I will take the weekend off from tennis.  As I shuffled to the front door this morning I thought that will be good to rest for a couple of days.  

No, the FP is now just a memory and I need to get ready for the culture experience of the day.

oh my what a trip

Day 120, "Every picture has a story" (this is for Thursday)

After 3500 miles into our 2014 Alaska trip we arrived in Dawson Creek which, as one can see, is the beginning of the Alaska Highway.  It was built over a fairly short time for WWII.  We arrived on July 25 and then after 1700 more miles and 6 days we arrived in Delta Junction which is the end of the highway.  Along the way we saw so much wildlife and scenery that is was amazing.  Even tho the road was good most of the way we did see our share of mud as well.  At one camp grounds we met a couple who were biking on their way to South America!  How about that for an adventure.  AND they had along their 18 month daughter.  They said when they starting planning for their trip 7 years before their daughter was not in the picture!  There were times we would drive past an old rusty truck that was left there from making the road in the 40s.

After 5 weeks in Alaska which included a plane trip back to MN to see Terry's mother who had taken ill and was near death,  a fun fishing trip for halibut and salmon, several visits to national parks, a visit to Joan/Ron's grand daughter, 100s of views of water falls, and many more too numerous to mention we drove our car and camper onto the ferry at Haines AK and settled in for the several days back to the states.  In the middle of the trip my phone rang.

It was Dr Parent's office in Naples FL asking when I could come in to get the metal plate out of my wrist!  How about that for service?

By the way it was at Delta Junction that Terry purchased for me my coffee cup which I use everyday in Naples for that delicious FP!

As of this morning, Thursday, the rain is gone and the courts are busy once again.  Our Wednesday match is now scheduled to be made up Friday, March 1st.  I did not play tennis today as Terry had an appt and I went with her.  (remember this is Friday but I am trying to write as if it were Thursday--hard to do!)  

FP is now only a memory.

Day 119, "Every picture has a story"

Oh my goodness what a picture of so so many memories.  I do not know when Dad took this picture but I am guessing it was in the 70s.  Some notes about it:

• The small building was where Dad did his welding etc.  That came onto the farm maybe in the late 50s or early 60s.
• The Ford tractor, well one could write a book about it.  The mower attached to the drawbar did all the cutting of our hay.  The scoop attached to the drawbar was used for MANY things.  That was what I used to get sand from the lakeshore for my golf putting surface.  That is what we would scoop up manure and dump it on Mom's garden.  It pulled the swather which was used to cut all the grain.  When we dragged summer fallow fields we used the Ford.  It ALWAYS pulled the rock wagon.  We attached the rake behind it and made windrows in the hay field.  It was perhaps the most used items on the farm.  It also was used to haul Ronald to Geneseo in the snow storm so he could get to Lidgerwood for school.  
• The yard light was put in the early 50s.  It watched many a hide and seek games at night when Halvor's came over to visit.  The one night Joan, Dave and I were home when we saw a car slowly drive up the hill from the south.  We turned on the yard light and they slowly drove past.  Who knows, maybe they were looking for free gas.  WE were scared as we peeked out the window and watched the car go slowly to the north.  It also produced a wonder land kind of scene when it was turned on after a snowfall.
• The granary was, as one can see, one dilapidated building but was used for so many things.  Do you think it could have used a roof job?  As one entered the front door and went to your right that was where we would keep those little chicks when they were delivered.  If you went straight ahead after entering you would come to several 55 gallon barrels that contained fuel for our living room stove.  Way back in time you would have found coal that we burned in the kitchen cook stove.  The building sat on the ground and you could stoop down and look under the floor from front to back.  There was where feral cats would come at night looking for babies that they would kill.  It was in that setting that Dad was kind of at his best.  When we would hear the cat with its howl of some sort Dad would grab his deer rifle and head out in the dark.  When he located the stringer there the cat was in he would show a light and that would be the end of the feral cat.  I don't remember that happening a lot but I do remember it being kind of a scary thing.  I remember thinking Dad was so smart and so driven to take care of those wild feral cats.  
• Just behind the granary were the steel bins and then the chicken house.  To the left in the back was the corn crib. Beyond that was the fence and the cow pasture which went south to the road which went east and west.  On that road was a bridge which welcomed the creek to our farm.   Just north of our buildings was another bridge where the creek said good-bye to the farm.

We are enjoying rain today.  The courts are very wet and it looks like it will rain off and on until mid afternoon.  We have not postponed our match yet but I think it is only a matter of time before I call the other team.  Making up matches is not the most fun things as our courts are so busy and then players are not always available as well.  Regardless we will see what happens but my money is on "no tennis today".

It may be a great day for me to finish reading a book and then get some paper work done on 2018 taxes.  I already finished my FP but I just may put another pot on and relax for the day.

Day 118, "Every picture has a story"

This was the view on August 12, 2014 as I stepped out of our camper in Seward Alaska.  This was our second day in Seward and I knew we had 2 more days camping there.  The rain seemed to be almost nonstop and when you are living in a camper that is 5X8 feet that is kind of "not so good"  Terry had noticed that in the morning there would always be moisture on the inside walls of our camper BUT it was almost impossible to leave any doors open to dry out as the rain never seemed to stop.  Finally, after 3 days, we looked at the bed sheets and they had started to mildew from the humid weather.  One could do nothing outside so it was stay sitting up in the camper and reading or driving around Seward which does not take that long!  From there we were to drive to Homer.  A friend, Tom, lived there and we planned to look him up as well as charter a fishing trip into the Gulf of Alaska to try our luck at salmon and halibut.

As one can see we did have success in our fishing trip.  Terry and I caught our limit of salmon and halibut.  We had them cleaned, flash frozen and sent to Minnesota.  We enjoyed them all the way to Naples as we turned our camping cooler to freezing and they stayed rock hard until we arrived.  It was fun watching the guys clean them when we pulled up to shore.  In the end we had about 30 pounds of fish.  Terry did mention that on a per pound bases it would have been cheaper to buy the fish as Costco!!!  But "for sure" we would have missed the fun and that was the most important idea.

A tennis day but not a team day.  The 70+ team plays at home today but I am not playing.  At this point in the season, if everyone played the same amount of time, I would have played 2 matches but I have played 3 so NO complaints.  I will play with some guys at 10:30 so will get my "tennis fix" in for the day.  I had an interesting tennis day yesterday.  I played with 3 other guys at 7:30.  Two of them are at the 2.5 level while the third one is a weak 3.0.  It was fun but not really much of a challenge.  As we finished our play at 9 one of the guys playing at that time asked if one of us could stick around as he thought maybe one of their foursome may not show.  He was right and I said I could play again. These guys are /supposed to be/ some of the better guys BUT I played at least up to their level and my partner and I won 6-4.  After our match, which lasted an hour, I said I could not play any more as I had been playing for 2 1/2 hours at that point.  Besides my left leg was bothering me a bit.  Now ALL that was true BUT is certainly was NICE to quit while on top!  That is my story and I am sticking to it!!!
I enjoyed scrabbled eggs with olives, bacon and cheese in and I complimented it with that delicious FP so time to wrap things up here and get on to a book that I need to finish by Saturday as we will go to another of our book lecture mornings.

Day 117, "Every picture has a story"

Today's picture is about more than the barn on the farm.  It is about old and new, priorities, fun, love of doing and perhaps family as well.  So where do I start?

     I will start with Dad.  He was, without question, a very talented man.  Stories have it that he and his brother Halvor purchased the first combine in the area and they went around doing work for others.  I think that is true!  Before he and Mom were married he spent 2 winters in Aberdeen studying at a school for mechanist.  His work on the farm certainly was proof that he was a good student.  He went through 8th grade but in so many ways was a very educated man.  Winters found him in his chair close to the oil burning stove in the living room reading gun or camera magazines.  He took 300+ wedding pictures before he retired.  I should add that Mom was a big part of that.  He was a hunter through and through and before his eyesight was somewhat compromised he could out shoot most.  I remember MANY times he would come home with a turkey or ham from a trap shoot.  He spent many days in the winter tracking fox and most of the time coming home with at least one.  Sure, he did sell the hide of a few $$ to his friend Crandle but it was not about money, it was about the hunt and the "winning" while the fox lost!  When rural REA came into being he wired our house and did the same for neighbors.  I still remember the time we got a yard light.  SO much fun in the night time as we would get company and play hid and seek outside withe the yard light on but dark shadows everywhere!  

     Having said all that he was a farmer, kind of!  He relied on the farm for an income but as time went by the farm was proof that Dad was not a farmer at heart, he was a photographer, a hunter, a electrician, a traveler and more.   Time would tell you the first two were the most important things in his life.  If anyone reads this they can take from the last sentence what they want but the story is:

• There is a gas tank by the barn.  It is sitting right where we would unload hay into the hay barn.  Of course that means no use for the hay barn and the gas tank, well that replaced the in ground tank that was under our gas pump when we grew up.  The HUGE hole in the barn was his garage as we never had a garage after ours blew down in the early 50s.  One can see the barn siding that was cut out leaning against the barn
• The old car sitting there is one I am sure broke down and instead of getting rid of it there it sat as a testament to OLD.
• One can see the back of the combine which at the time was not used any more.  In the last years of farming Dad hired the crop to be taken off the land.  
• To the right of the barn one can see tall grass and no fence.  As we children grew up that was the barn yard fenced in.  In the winter, when we had to get hay in the hay rack, we would open the gate and feed the cows hay off the rack.
• If I look close I can see several window panes broken.  I think they were broken years and years before this picture.
• As one can see this is certainly representative of a dilapidated farm perhaps wanting more but settling for less in its old age.
• As for the fun.  The light pole near the barn door is the pole I would shimmy up to get on the roof.  I could then lie on the far side of the roof and dream of what life was like in a different part of the world.
• The barn itself is a haven of memories that stretch from overflowing water tanks, to milking cows by lantern, to shooting sparrows in the night, to playing tag on the rafters to caring for little calves after birth to playing ball against the south side of the barn to shooting baskets in the hay barn with a rubber ball and much more.  

Oh yes, "for sure" the barn held many many memories and told so so much about life.  I write this not to say Dad was wrong or to say he was a bad father.  I loved him with all my heart but his life is certainly one that is testimony to "life is often about the heart".

The FP is gone and I need to dress for tennis at 7:30.

Another nice weather day

Day 116, "Every picture has a story"

It was August 2, 2014.  Terry and I were camping on the outskirts of Fairbanks Alaska.  An important part of our plan to visit all 8 Alaska national parks was to travel north to Gates of the Arctic National Park.  The visitor center was near Coldfoot.  Amy Lee had spent some time there during a college summer program.  In talking to people who had been in Alaska Coldfoot often came up.  The road north to the park, to Coldfoot and beyond is Dalton Highway or more often referred to as the hauler highway.  It was built by an oil company for transporting oil from around Barrow which is on the Arctic Ocean.  Our first plan was to travel to Coldfoot which is 250 miles north of Fairbanks and the another 250 miles north to Barrow to put our toe in the Arctic Ocean.  We learned that in order to get to the Arctic Ocean by Barrows we would have to make plans ahead of time and then pay the oil company $30 per person to be escorted to the coast.  That was not going to happen.  What the heck, it is only a coast line which should be open to all but.  The day before we stopped in a Walmart to get some things and I started talking to a lady in line.  I said we were going to drive the Hauler Highway the next day.  She said that her husband was an oil tanker truck driver and she had some advice.  She said the truckers feel that is THEIR highway so be kind to them when you meet or pass them.  IF you do that they will be nice to you BUT if you drive as if the highway is yours, you will be sorry!  We had also heard wild stories about the highway.  We were told to be sure and bring an extra tire as there was a good chance you would get at least 1 flat.  We did not do that and it turned out that the highway was really pretty good up to Coldfoot.  

THE town of Coldfoot
The store had a buffet for $24.95, we passed

Alaska Pipe Line

So on Sunday, August 4th we headed north to Coldfoot and the national park.  I would say at least half of the highway was paved and the gravel was not bad.  We did meet some truckers but not a lot on a Sunday.  There was NO need for extra tires as the highway was fine.  I expected to see a town as we approached Coldfoot.  Boy was I surprised.  There was a cafe, one gas pump and a sign!  By the way the gas there was $5.29 and I stared at the sign as I stood about 50 feet from the Alaska Pipe Line!  I put in enough gas for us to get back to Fairbanks as there the price was about a dollar less BUT there were NO gas pumps in between "for sure".

We found a nice but primitive camp site about 5 miles north of the the town where we stayed for the night.  We took in the visitor center in the next day and then headed south to Fairbanks.  We already had a plan to see the Arctic Ocean but it would not be in Barrows.

I rested my body yesterday from tennis.  Today I will play at 1:30 as I am playing with Ron on Wednesday and have never played with him so it will be good to get some practice in.  It looks like we have a nice weather day.  I did jump in the pool yesterday with the water at 84.  It was refreshing. I know Lake Tewaukan probably NEVER got to 84 and it never seemed cold BUT this body was a bit younger then!  I am guessing the temp will be up to about 88 or 90 this afternoon which will be perfect when I return from tennis about 3 or so.

AND

The year was 1957 or so.  I think Dad must have thought we would have a nice crop as he had decided to put in some steel bins for grain storage.  We had one bin that stood near the pasture fence south of the corn crib but Dad felt he needed more.  He planned 3 and we would put them on a cement slab.  Dad dug out the space which was between the chicken house and the corn crib and just south of the granary.  We would put 3 bins down with the tallest in the middle and the two end ones smaller.  They would be good for oats, wheat and barley.  Grandpa Lee came over to help.  Dad brought home many sacks of cement and then we brought in a load of rocks.  The day started bright and early with the cement mixer sitting near the chicken house and a hose coming from the barn.  Dad had set up boards for the edges and then dug out a large space where the bins would sit.  ALL day we poured cement into the mixer, put water fin rom the hose and had the mixer running all day.  It seemed to me that we ended up using more rocks than cement but there was enough cement to cover the rocks.  At the end of the day we had a large cement pad that we would erect the bins on before harvest.  I do not remember if we were able to fill the bins that year but I do remember setting up the elevator which was used to feed the grain up and into the top of the bin.  Years later, when I needed money for a down payment on the house, Dad said he could lend me some money but he would have to haul some grain out to get the money.  I thanked him but said I needed the money NOW so would find another way.  Sometimes I wonder what happened to the bins when Dad and Mom sold the farm.  I have no idea if they were saved or just destroyed and hauled away.  Today there is a grain field where the bins stood at one time!

FP was extra good this morning as Sunday is a day I feel I can add a bit of Irish Cream, just for taste but it is gone so will close.