hAppY BirTHdAy, Dan!

 

Look Who's Being Called a Duluth "Community Treasure"

A friend of Steve's sent me a link to a newspaper article about Steve.  The link is gone but I copied the article here.  How much you want to bet if the friend hadn't e-mailed me we would have never heard a peep about it from Steve?

One of the nation’s best — right here in Duluth

By: Chuck Frederick, Duluth News Tribune

Pick a year, any year from the past three or four decades, and grab its annual “Best Editorial Cartoons” book. You’ll find a familiar name: Steve Lindstrom, the Duluth native who’s been expressing his views on News Tribune Opinion pages via his unmistakable artwork since about 1975.

He hasn’t been passed over for the national best-of book since at least 1984. He’s an entrenched fixture in the prestigious volumes with four cartoons in the current, 2012 edition. His streak is impressive. And Lindstrom, though he’s not often thought of that way, can be considered a community treasure.

“His work is clearly popular, and we look forward to receiving and evaluating his submissions each year,” said James Calhoun, who’s been supervising the selection of cartoons for the best-of books for 40 years as special projects editor for Pelican Publishing of Gretna, La. Lindstrom’s “is an impressive record indeed.”

When asked about it, though, Lindstrom, a man of few words, offered only a nuts-and-bolts, here’s-the-process answer.

“You’re allowed to submit five” editorial cartoons for consideration each year, he said. “If they choose more than one you feel you’re doing pretty good.”

Pretty good? Just pretty good? C’mon! No matter how many cartoons are picked, Lindstrom and his work are displayed, year after year, alongside Pulitzer winners and among the nation’s most decorated and most talented editorial cartoonists. He’s in some pretty heady company — and deservedly so.

“It is a great honor to be in there,” he acknowledged after a bit of prodding. “It’s a book published nationally and it is called the ‘best editorial cartoons.’ It’s humbling that someone thinks I belong in there.”

Lindstrom’s roots could similarly be considered humbling. He spent five years of his childhood, from 1954 when he was 8 to 1958 when he turned 12, in Alaska. This was before Alaska was even a state. His family moved there to live and to work near relatives.

“Some cousins of mine up in Alaska had a book on cartooning,” he recalled. “I picked it up and loved it. I still have that book.”

He started doodling. And then doing comic strips in his notebooks and flip-page shows on the edges of his school books. Kid stuff. Just for fun.

His family returned to Duluth when he was in junior high. He went to high school in Proctor and was on the Rails’ 1963 state championship basketball team. He drew caricatures of his fellow athletes before getting at all serious about his artwork. He took a course by mail after answering one of those “Draw Me” ads from the back of a magazine. The school was the Art Institute of Minnesota. One of his long-distance instructors was none other than Charles Schulz of Snoopy and “Peanuts” fame.

At the University of Minnesota Duluth, Lindstrom majored in art and history, “the most worthless degrees you could get,” he laughed. “This was before there were any arts jobs.” He also produced a weekly comic strip for the UMD paper, the Statesman, and he started freelancing what he called “gag cartoons” to magazines.

“You’d get enough in pay for those to cover your postage and that was about it,” he said. “But it was fun. It was fun to see your work published.”

After graduating from UMD in 1968, Lindstrom applied for conscientious - objector status. When he was denied, he went to Canada and took a job as a sports cartoonist for the Montreal Gazette. He did portraits and caricatures there for four years before returning home.

He came to work for the News Tribune, in circulation. He drove a truck and dropped off bundles of newspapers for delivery. He also submitted cartoons, something the publisher encouraged. He started producing two editorial cartoons a week, which he still does today, though he’s paid a bit more now than the $5-per he got at first.

“I like doing it,” he said of editorial cartooning. “I don’t have family so I can get by on minimal pay. I always liked being alone. That doesn’t mix well with marriage.”

Lindstrom lives in a log house he built himself in the woods near Alborn. He serves on Alborn’s volunteer fire department.

In addition to the News Tribune, the Saturday Evening Post, Better Homes and Garden, the Washington Post and other nationally distributed newspapers and magazines have purchased and published his cartoons and the biting, usually liberal, commentary they contain.

“I really felt I arrived when I got my first death threat,” he said. He doesn’t recall exactly what he had drawn or when.

But he remembers vividly another editorial cartoon, his most controversial editorial cartoon. In the days after two truck bombers struck French and American barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 299 servicemen, Lindstrom made a picture of soldiers picking through rubble. Beneath it he wrote, “The Marines: We’re looking for a few good men.” To replace those killed, some newspaper readers apparently thought Lindstrom was saying. They immediately and vehemently condemned his cartoon as in poor taste. TV reporters pounded on Lindstrom’s door, demanding a response, their cameras rolling. The News Tribune published days of angry letters followed by an entire page of them.

“I didn’t think it was offensive at all,” Lindstrom said. “A lot of people disagreed. I don’t mind if people disagree as long as they get the point of the cartoon. Maybe it was too soon after the incident happened; I don’t know. Maybe people thought I was trying to be funny. … The drawing made it clear it was a serious picture, I thought. It was a tragedy, and I combined it with a different take on the Marine slogan. That was all.”

Lindstrom is 65 years old now, but he isn’t thinking of retirement.

“You have to have a job before you retire,” he said with the slightest, slyest grin. “I’ll do this as long as I can or until someone tells me my work isn’t any good anymore — and I believe them.”

That’s not likely to happen as long as Lindstrom is included in the annual roundup of the best of the best editorial cartoonists. It’s an honor in which all News Tribune readers can feel pride.

Chuck Frederick is the News Tribune’s editorial page editor.

We arrived in Alaska the summer of '54.  So I guess we were there for the record.  Here's a picture of our driveway that winter.  I remember that with the drifting we could walk right up onto the roof.  S'pose I should be cheering for the record of '54-'55 to stick. Keep us informed.

Going for the record

  Here is the view from our living room snow cave

 I'll have to start posting some more to keep in practice.  I wanted to have this little paragraph on top, but don't know how to move it up there...  As of today we have the 3rd snowiest winter with 121.8".  The record was 1954-55 with 132.8 inches.  Dan and Steve, were you up in Anchorage then?  Only a foot to go for the record!!!  Link to see the record:  http://pafc.arh.noaa.gov/climate/climPage.php?pId=snow

Ground level view

Shoveling the garage roof - after another 21" of fresh snow

A view of the house from the garage roof.  I'm getting ready to do some shoveling on the house today.

Snowfall to date

Remember that contest about who shovels the most snow?  This year Mark would win by a landslide.  No pun intended.

This is my sophisticated weather graphic attempting to compare snowfall to date in Minneapolis and Anchorage according to the national weather service.

Note: Any resemblance between the cartoon characters and real people is purely coincidental.

p.s. When I look out the window it's hard to believe we even got 18 inches.  There's hardly an inch on the ground at our house.  I haven't shoveled snow once!

How to type José with the accent mark on the "e"

Hi all,

I found this explanation in the Blogger Help... The correct code for the é is ALT-130.

Note that the ALT-130 method may not work in other apps. For example, it doesn't work for me in MS Word, where I type CTRL+<'>+<e> instead (single quote).

Dan - You're not the only one that has used Hosea instead of José! Is it a "right brain" phenomenon??

---

There are two ways I know of. One would be to open your word processor, click insert symbol, and find the appropriate accented letter and copy it and paste it in. That is a bit cumbersome.

The other is to use the ALT +number pad. An example, hold down the ALT key and key in 164 on the number pad and you will get ñ--also useful in Spanish. I don't know all the ALT +# symbols by heart--only a few that I use often. I made myself a cheat sheet by trying all of them. I only have to refer to it to find the one I need. Here's a site with a chart of all of them. http://www.tedmontgomery.com/tutorial/altchrc.html It's the first one that came up in a Google search.

Christmas Day at the Carlsons

It was a houseful!

The Roseau Clan was well represented (see left)




Ho ho ho.  (See below)

 The beautiful people (see Left)




And at the opposite extreme (see below) my favorite picture of all - Brother Paul, the scum of the earth.  Apologies to Faith that she had to be in the picture.  I tried to photoshop her out but failed.

Christmas Eve at the Lindstroms

I hope others had a good Christmas too.  Here's some proof that some of us gathered at the Lindstrom's house.

Glad to see Tim.

Notice the "artsy" photo with the twinkle in the foreground.


About the only "downer" was that José wasn't feeling too well.  He tried his best to have fun, but they left early with José exhausted.

The tree.

Christmas Eve

I know that this will not work for some, but anybody who has nothing better to do on Christmas Eve, is invited to The Lindstroms.   Come whenever you like, but let us know if you are coming and plan to be getting the food ready around 5 p.m. and we'll eat at 5:30.

What's the meal theme?  Good question.

• We don't want to repeat Thanksgiving with turkey, etc.  
• Jean has already grabbed "Scandanavian" for Christmas Day.  
• Rumor has it that a certain someone with the initials Ralph Carlson has put the kabosh on hors dourves.
• So we are suggesting "Pot Luck".  Bring whatever you want.  But e-mail and let us know your plans so we can keep others informed so we don't end up with a half-dozen variations on pickled herring.

I'll also send this via e-mail and facebook.  But whether we see you or not, everybody please have the merriest Christmas you can.

Mac Donalds

By the way, I'm really enjoying Paul's uploads of Mom and Dad's photos. Where does the time go?

This first photo of mine is from a walk Richard and Jo and I took down the Champs Elysees - one of the most expensive and exclusive shopping areas in the world.

Believe it or not this is what you first see when you walk into the McDonalds on the Champs Elysees.

But nobody was ordering anything from that first display of everything classically French.  You walk further in and there are hordes of people crowded in to order the real thing. . .American fast food.  The guide book said this is the most profitable McDonalds in the world.

Jo and I were constantly impressed with our eating experiences in France.  Their attention to quality and detail is breathtaking.  Fresh basil, authentic Swiss cheese, toothsome flavorful breads etc. etc.

But judging from this McDonalds it looks like we are  slowly winning them over.  I'm not sure what to think of this.  I liked the French eating experience, but I also like McDonalds.

11-11-11

Have a onederful 11-11-11 today.

The Louvre

Crown of St. Louis 1265 a.d.

 The Louvre!  You could spend a year in The Louvre and not begin to grasp all it holds.  Richard and Jo went off to look at the art (e.g. The Mona Lisa) but I wandered in the direction of the antiquities.  This is an extremely random sampling of what I saw starting with a crown of St. Louis, a king of France important to us if for no other reason than our county of Minnesota is St. Louis.

Charlemagnes' Arm 1165 a.d.

Gladiator's Helmet 80 a.d.

Amphora Reward Olympics 325 b.c.

From Darius the Persian 510 b.c.

An Assyrian Hero 710 b.c.

A Mesopotamian Prince 3000 b.c.

First Snow

Sunday... and Monday     We have about 3 inches now up here in Nikiski, Alaska.  Pictures will be coming soon when i have time to post them.  Leaving to go play hockey now.  PS i really like those photos of Dad and Mom, Paul - You did a good job!

OK i added the photos to prove when we had the first approximately 1" of snow.  Then on the 1st and 2nd of Nov. we had some huge winds that knocked trees on to power lines all over the peninsula.  Look at the cottonwood tree in the bottom photo.  The wind broke it off at the stump and it did not even scrape the bank.  It just jumped about 5' into the driveway.   Lois Ann did not have to go to school on the 2nd because the power was still off.  Today is the 3rd and we now have 6-8" of new snow.  Winter has arrived!!!  

Jet Lag

Mark says, "We want more" of the Paris trip.

That's a dangerous thing to say to someone fresh home from a vacation with hundreds of photos.  But then again, why not?  It don't cost nothing.

Day one was my first experience of jet lag.  We arrived in Paris about the time I usually go to bed (midnight), but it was early morning.

The bus from the airport let us off at "Opera".  I earlier  said it was Hugo's Opera, but Victor Hugo did not write Phantom of the Opera.

We meandered two blocks south westerly and here's an edifice that looks like a roman temple (see first picture).  It's the church of Madeline built by Napoleon to celebrate a military victory. That's my dear friend Dr. Richard Ralph Roach next to Jo.

Then we meandered two blocks further south and there's an obelisk.  It's an Egyptian artifact from the time of the Israel captivity in Egypt.  The obelisk is centered on the place where the guillotine once slaughtered thousands during The Revolution with hundreds of thousands crowded in to cheer and be entertained.

We head east toward the Louvre through a "garden" filled with statues.  I wandered up towards one and find it is a Greek statue from the time of Plato.

Until this trip I had never been outside North America.  This first day where I'm in a sleepless fog, even now, feels like a dream.

Inky Dinky Parleyvou

Jo and I are back from France.

An amazing trip!

From the moment we arrived (at the Opera i.e. Victor Hugo's "The Phantom of the Opera" opera!) to the day we left we were breathless in awe of the things we were seeing.

From busts of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle to artifacts from Assyria circa the time of Isaiah.

A great trip, and Dr. Richard Ralph Roach was a great guide.

After a week in Paris we went to the rural Loire Valley, home of numerous historic castles.

Trip of a lifetime!

But I noticed that a month went by without anybody saying anything at this blog site.  Not good.

Don't wait for the trip of a lifetime to post something.  I really like to hear or see the simple and basic things we are all experiencing.

p.s. Peter is home and we were really glad to see him when we got back.  Pray for a job for him in surveying - or close to it.

First Frost

This was the first frost of this season.  This photo was taken on 9/27/2011 at 10AM.  We could make a little contest, since Dan wants more postings, and see who can be the first one to post photos of snow for this winter.  Also if someone is creative they could set up a prediction grid or graph of when we will get the first 1" or 1/2" of snow.  Just some ideas to get more traffic and readership and participation.

Jonathan

You can follow Jonathan's postings about his adventure at http://chasingthesloth.wordpress.com/

 At one place he mentions almost stepping on a caiman in a river. I looked up "caiman". Oh my!

Peter and Jonathan

The alarm went of at 3 a.m. and we took Jonathan and another Gustavus junior to the airport.  Jonathan is going to spend the fall semester in the rain forest jungles of Costa Rica studying the biology there.  We won't be seeing him again until December.

At noon Sargent Sargent (no kidding) arrived at our house to pick up Peter and drive him to Fargo.  There he will, in the morning, take a plane to Fort Sill, Oklahoma for 2 1/2 months of boot camp.  He will remain there for another 2 months of specialized training in surveying and weather analysis.  We don't know when we will see him next.  His only contact with the outside world will be through the post office - once we are given an address. . .which may not be for a week or two.

It is suddenly very quiet at our house.  Josie's passing has reminded us that each moment of life is a gift and nothing should be taken for granted.  A prayer or two for the safety of our boys would be appreciated.

Jonathan is going to try and maintain a blog with photos of his adventure.  We'll get you that site as soon as we get it.  And Peter's address at boot camp too.

The World's Largest Jack Pine!

I've lived in northwestern Minnesota over 30 years now, but it wasn't until just last year that I learned that we had the world's largest Jack Pine a mere 40 miles away. How could I have missed this important piece of information? Am I ignorant? Why isn't this a huge tourist attraction? I couldn't even find any photos on-line.


The large jack pine is located in Lake Bronson State Park. They don't even highlight it in their literature! What's up with that? I'm pretty sure I've been to the park at least 30 times over the years and I've never heard about it.


Well, as it turns out, it's not real easy to get to. One has to walk about 2 miles through the woods:

I walked about 3/4 mile when I realized I didn't have enough mosquito repellant on. I was going to have to turn around and miss this opportunity. Then, a small miracle happened. Right there in the middle of the trail was a can of Deep Woods Off! I drenched myself in it and continued on my way.


Well, I finally saw a sign pointing to the right that said something like "Large Pine". I was the only one there. I hadn't seen anyone on the trail during the whole walk. As it turns out I wouldn't see anyone on the way back either... I walked about 150 feet down the trail to a small opening. The opening isn't even large enough to capture the whole tree in the photo. Well, here it is:
Okay, it's a humble Jack Pine. It's not a Sequoia. This is what Jack Pines look like. It's approximately 56 feet tall and 116 inches around (although there's no plaque or monument at the site providing this information).

And no, it's not dead, JaNae. Here's a photo showing the needles near the top:As far as I can tell, these are the first pictures of this tree on the internet. (I suppose now the floodgates will open and tourists from all over the world will visit the park.)

Jocelyn Renee Brengman