Cancer......

I am so angry right now.

I found out today that I will be wearing my Livestrong band for another person near and dear to my heart.

Can someone please tell me why there is no cure for cancer?

Memories

This past week a friends mother passed away. Just 2 1/2 months earlier his father had passed away.  It was all surreal standing in the funeral home today, seeing the same people just a few months earlier.  I didn't know his parents very well. I had only met them on a few occasions, but I still know the hurt of how it feels to loose both parents even though mine had passed 21 years apart.  I can't imagine what he is going through.  So many mixed emotions, I am sure.

A few weeks ago the two of us sat and talked about the lose of his father. He was surprised at just when he thought he had his emotions in check...BOOM... something triggers a memory and soon the tears and emotions take over. I reassured him that it was normal. Everyone has those feeling, heck I have them to this day and it has been 5 years since my mom passed, but there is something about loosing your only living parent that makes it feel so different, no matter how close you were to them.  It is almost like you are grieving for them both, that you don't have a home and you are just floating out there somewhere, even though you have been on your own for quite some time or is it our own mortality kicking in? 

The only thing reassuring is that friends help us through these times.  I am here for you bud...........

Things are brewing

Again, it has been awhile. I guess life just gets in the way sometimes. I have a few things brewing for blog entries. One was even started in July, but for some reason this darn site will not let me publish it. Not sure what that is all about. Anyway, I promise I will get some pictures posted soon and update this old thing.

Really it is July already?

What? Really it is July 13th? Where did June go? Wow, is it just me or does it seem like the months just fly by anymore. Seems like I have totally lost a month some place.

It is always fun to see all the little kittens at the farm. I would love to take them home, but I am not sure how Abe would get along with them as he thinks they are evil!

Last Saturday Kris had to work, so I decided that I would get out the camera and go to McKennan Park to shoot some flowers. I did shoot some, but I got caught up in all the dragon flies that were hovering around. I grabbed my macro lens, tripod sat on the ground and snapped away. The dragon flies were just posing for me. Pretty cool, all in all.

A few weeks ago I was in my home town of Yankton to look at the flood waters. The few that read this blog know about the devastation that has happened along the Missouri River due to huge snows in Montana and big rain in North Dakota. The Gavin's Point Dam in Yankton is letting out record amounts of water. For the life of me, I still can't believe they let people up this close to the water. Yes, I got drenched from a rogue wave and was NOT HAPPY, but it was my own fault.

This just in..........

Hello, there!

Easter in Minneapolis

Easter in Minneapolis in a nutshell......

It was an awesome weekend.

Chanhassen Theatre on Good Friday-Jesus Christ Superstar

Twins Baseball-Target Field

Ran into a couple of friends

Kieren's Irish Pub

The Guthrie Theater Arsenic and Old Lace

St Stephan's Lutheran Church in Bloomington

45 min church service with communion!

Brunch at the hotel with oysters on the half shell

A bucket list trip.......

I have always wanted to head to see some Spring Training games. Of course, as many of you know I am a HUGE Chicago Cubs fan, so it was only natural that Spring Training in Mesa, AZ to see my Cubs play would be on my bucket list. We, me and Kris were lucky to purchase tickets for two games. The first game was the Cubs vs the A's. Right behind home plate and three rows up--SWEET SEATS! The second game was the North Siders (Chicago Cubs) vs South Siders (Chicago White Sox) along the first base line in right field, awesome seats also! This time it was the four of us, me, Kris, Dawn and Christi! The Cubs won both games! WOOHOO! It was awesome!

When Dawn and Christi were working on their golf bucket list, we headed out to see the sites. We hit the Botanical Gardens in Phoenix. IT WAS AWESOME! We saw about a third of the trails in this area. Amazing facility and would love to go back sometime and take one of their tours or go in the evening time. We also drove the Apache Trail. WOW! This trail has 22 miles of gravel. If you ever do this drive, make sure you do the loop clockwise! There are areas that have one lane and HUGE drop offs with not a lot of guardrails to try and keep you on the road. Amazing views and pictures just do not do this justice at all.

It was an awesome time.............hope you enjoy the photos......

An excursion and a birthday party!

Headed out on a few excursions today. Abe, the dog, tagged along which after the fact, I should have left him home, but I feel bad leaving him home alone. So, I headed west out to Hwy 19 and to the Parker, SD area. A co-worker had told me that there were snow geese out that direction. Nothing like getting out and seeing the country on a cold windy day! I did find a few fields of snow geese, but the geese were out a bit to far for my lens. Then I see a bald eagle in the ditch eating on something. This is when I wish I had a fancy mail delivery car or we had the same law as are England or, at the very least, had left Abe home! I drove down the road and turned around and drove slow back to where the eagle was having lunch. I made sure there were no cars coming and I slowly drove closer. Of course the bald eagle was very wise and took off. I tried to snap a few pics but they are all over exposed...DAMN! I turn around and looked back into the trees where the bald had escaped and saw a big golden eagle sitting in the trees. Seeing a bald and a golden eagle made my day! I decided after a few country mud roads it was time to head back to town for a birthday party!

Today the Great Plains Zoo had a one year birthday party for their three Amur Tigers. The tigers had frozen meat cakes to eat and play with. The crowd sang happy birthday to them. I truly get a kick out of watching the Amur Tigers! Of course I snapped a few pics as always.

They also have a new addition to the primate exhibit. A little three week old gibbon. What a cutie.


Enjoy the pics.............

Butterlies and fish tanks.........

Simple way of life...................

Saturday I went to the Washington Pavilion to a see an exhibit. It was Norman Rockwell prints paintings and sketches, but along side the Rockwell's were black and white photos by Kevin Rivoli. The photos were to capture the simple way of life that Rockwell depict in his paintings. The photos were great! I also met Kevin Rivoli and talked with him a bit about photography and about how he started with photography. We chatted a little more and I told him it is amazing that when a person gets into photography how you start to see things differently. He smiled and shook his head yes..................

Couple more kitty pics..........

It is a ZOO out there.............

I had a great day at the zoo with a few brave souls last weekend. It was the Great Plains Zoo Christmas for the animals. Yes, it was only 4º out, but the sun was shining making it feel like a balmy, maybe, 10º?

The local zoo residents received assorted treats from a Christmas tree sprayed with blood for the Amur Tigers to Christmas trees with assorted veggies tied to them. Oh, sure, the tigers are always fun to watch, but the one group I had thought about skipping were the bison. I figured it would be non-eventful for them....boy, was I wrong. They were very fun to watch and enthusiastic about their gifts. The tree was dismantled by the prairie monarch in short order. One tree hung upside down from a cover shelter for them and was head butted numerous times!

A few ok shots were captured. it is always hard shooting through chain link fence. Hope you enjoy and by the way, get out and visit the zoo! There are a few new faces there from a black rhino and a giraffe both born last year.