Hockey vs. Lacrosse

I just went to Mark's Alaska to view the damage. I think Mark is playing too much hockey. What does Lois Ann think? During spring break the boys and I went to watch The Swarm at the Xcel Energy Center. I had no idea how violent Lacrosse is! I'm not just talking fist fights and bodies sprawled writhing in agony but the general flow of the game full of slams and checks and sticks swinging wildly. Makes hockey look like a knitting club.
By the way for the last few days I've been having trouble posting to the blog. Even today, it would not let me include a picture of the lacrosse game. Anybody else having trouble? I'm not even sure if it will let me post this. Here goes. . .

spring break

Last week we took a trip to Seattle for spring break. We will get to experience spring twice this year! John and i played golf several times. We also took an overnite trip to Victoria. In the evenings we became hooked on the Lost series.

Traffic Cams

Are you guys in the Cities aware that there are about a million live traffic cams down there? Check out 511.org.

And Then There Was Dan & Jo's Wedding

Our Clever Dad

Wedding Bells

Stay Tuned

I have been nervously searching for the BS (Before Stynsberg) Lindstrom slides. I was afraid they were lost. But Dean found a few shoe boxes that contained it all. When I looked in the shoe boxes, I found that they also contained another 50 to 100 AS slides commemorating birthdays, christmas's(?) and the like. So, very soon, I will begin to scan them and post here some of the ones I think are more memorable.
But right now, a technical question for Paul. What is the rough resolution at which you scanned your slides? How many bytes or kilobytes on average? I'd like to know so my scannings would be similar. When they are all scanned I, too, will make sure there is a way for everybody to save the ones they want to save for posterity.

Dan

White Christmas

Men in the Living Room

Please take a moment to vote for the clever clue of the month.

Christmas Entertaining

Greg, Denise, & Teddy

Now we fast-forward about 30 years (1976) and find Greg and Denise with Teddy in the sunroom with Teddy. Note Greg's Joe Mauer impersonation.

Trial post

I started over again, as I couldn't retrieve my old password (no age comments please). I also found it easier to use my scanner on WindowsXP - so I hope this works

Dad On Skis

It must've been a warm day...

George Julien

George Julien at Chester Bowl. It's a shame none of us kids ever took up ski jumping with this resource so close by.

New Lutern Airline

Is this making fun of us Scandinavians ????
YA SHURE, YOU BETCHA! DIS IS DA LATEST AIR SERVICE TO SPROUT UP IN
MINNYSOOOTA, ALSO SRVING VISCONSIN, AND DA DAKOTAS, (NORT and SOUT).

If you are travelin soon, concider LUTERN AIR, da no frills airline. You
are
all in da same boat on LUTERN AIR, vere flyin is an uplifting
experience.......

Dere is no 1st class on any LUTERN AIR flight, and meals are
potluck...Rows
1-6, bring rolls; 7-15, bring salad; 16-21, a main dish, and 22-33,
a
dessert. Basses and tenors, please sit in da rear of da aircraft.

Everyone is responible for his or her own baggage... All fares are by
freewill offering and da plane vill not land 'til da budget has been
met.....

Pay attention to Lena, your flight attendant, who vill aquaint you vit
da
safety system aboard dis LUTERN AIR 599.

Okay den, listen up. I'm only gonna say dis vonce. In da event of a
sudden
loss of cabin pressure, I am frankly going to be real supprised and so
vill
Captain Ole Olson, because ve fly right around two tousand feet, so
loss of
cabin pressure vood probably mean da Second Comming ! , or someting of
dat
nature. and I vouldn't bodar vit doze liddle masks on da rubber tubes.
you're gonna have bigger tings to vorry 'bout den dat. Yust stuff doze
back
up in dair little holes. Probably da masks fell out because of
turbulence,
vich to be honest vit you, we're going to have quite a bit of at two
tousand
feet !, sorta like driving across a plowed field, but after a while you
get
used to it.

In da ewent of a water landing, I'd say forget it. Start saying da Lords

Prayer and yust hope you get to da part about forgive us our sins as ve
forgive doze who sin against us, vich some people say "trespass against
us,"
vich isn't right, but vat can you do?

Da use of cell phones on da plane is strictly forbidden, not because day
may
confuse da planes navigation system, vich is seat of da pants all da
vay.
No, it's because cell phones are a pain in da vazoo, and if God had
meant
you to use a cell phone, He vud have put your mout on da side of your
head.

Ve start lunch right about noon and it's buffet style vit da coffee pot
up
front. Den ve vil have da Hymn sing; Hymnals are in da pocket in front
of
you. Don't take yours vit when you leave da plane, or I'm goind to be
real
upset, and I'm not kiddin !!

Right now I'll say Grace. "Come Lord Jesus, be our guest and let deze
gifts
to us be blessed..Fader, Son, and Holy Ghost, may ve land in Dulut or
pretty
close. Amen!"

Lincoln's Home

As I said, Dad was in Illinois in 1946. This is Lincoln's house in Springfield.

Grace

This picture was taken in 1946 - before dad met mom. Dad took a little trip to Illinois. (Dean's timing in bringing up Chicago is interesting.)

About a year after they first met, dad and mom took a trip to Chicago. On July 11th (1947, I think) mom wrote the following in her journal:

Got up and took our time about getting ready. Met John's old girlfriend, Grace ______ about 10 after which we ate breakfast. Then we went to Moody Memorial church for the service. Dr. Ironsides couldn't speak as he broke his arm and was in the hospital so a Rev. Lundquist from a Free Church in Chicago spoke. After church we cheched out of the rooms and then drove to the Aquarium and saw fish from all over the world and to the Field Museum and saw some stuffed animals--very interesting. Finally we started on our way for Maranatha. Of course, we had to stop on the way about 4:30 and ate a combination dinner and supper which wasn't any too hot, kind of a crummy joint. We got to Maranatha about 9 or so, checked into our rooms, got unpacked etc. John and I went down on the beach for a while. were supposed to be in at 11 but didn't get in until 11:30 so were balled (sic) out a little so got in at the right time the rest of the week.

Memories...

Paul, Your Dreaming post is a great segue to this...


I was at work the other day and the guy next to me turned on his CD and played an old Dean Martin song: Memories Are Made of This.

That reminded me of a fond memory...

Back when I was probably 9 or 10, Dad took us all on a trip to Chicago(!) It was the first time any of us had been on an airplane. I remember looking out the airplane window and seeing the lights of Chicago as far as we could see.

Later that night we went to a pizza place and ordered a pizza. Dad seemed to feel a little uncomfortable doing so, but he went over to the juke box to find a song to play. The song he selected was Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime, by Dean Martin. I can still see us sitting at that table with the pizza and listening to Dean Martin crooning that song.

For some reason that memory has always stuck with me as a warm, cozy moment. I will never forget that night!

Anyone else remember that night? Any other fond (or not so fond) memories to share?

Dreaming

John & Jean Watkins

Another great picture. I'm not sure what happened to the color - there are a number of pictures with similar color issues. I assume this is fairly normal with early color photography.

Does anyone have John's email address? It would probably be good to let him or one of the kids know about the blog...