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Family Reunion in Milbank

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Ortonville, Minnesota This weekend we took a quick jog out west to visit relatives in the Milbank, South Dakota area.  We had a great time, and we were treated liked royalty with roast pig, and graciousness at every stop.  Not being a blood relative to this group I was a bit shy on the picture taking, which I now deeply regret, but here are some of my shots from the weekend. Tim and Jeanie's Barn... So in many ways this was a trip to a very different slice of American life.  As you drive west you see the periodic mansion with high ceilings and huge glass windows, but as you travel from one town to the next I saw many people living what I would consider to be hard scrabble lives -- fighting mightily for a comfortable middle class existence.  One of the first sights that jumped out at me where the public parks with a host of flags around the town monument. Once in Milbank we were lucky enough to have a great lunch at Tim and Jeanie's home, complete with a beautiful
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Michigan Visit

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Our First Trip to the Wolverine State 02 Monday Jul 2018 Posted  by  tinkermn  in  Adventure ,  Family ≈  Leave a comment [ Edit ] Tags birding ,  Michigan ,  vacation So we packed up the dog, rented a mini-van, and headed east to explore the shores and beaches of western Michigan.  We booked late and this is where we ended up. Our place in the woods for four days. This humble abode has a screen porch on the back, and it was here I first discovered the cloud like wings of the trees in the forrest.  I couldn’t believe when the wind would move through the forrest – the branches would slowly move up and down and I felt as if I was in the clouds. While we never made it to the beach to sit in the sun and read, we did do some great birding.  Here are a few of Karyl’s great shots. Red-bellied Woodpecker House Wren Gray’s Catbird American Tree Sparrow
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Bucket List...

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Bucket List #61 21 Sunday Jan 2018 Posted  by  tinkermn  in  Uncategorized ≈  Leave a comment [ Edit ] So it is Sunday morning and its warm enough to get my butt on a bike are ride to coffee with the boys. 43rd Street Sunday Morning Coffee Group It occurs to me while I am at coffee that I could head down to the lake and see the Art Shanties on Lake  Harriet. This would be a great way to get more time on the bike and some sorely needed exercise.  Wait a minute.  I could bike across the lake – it’s January, and it has been a cold winter…Bucket list time.
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Oboe Mecca....Laubin

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Oboe Mecca – Laubin 02 Saturday Jan 2016 Posted  by  tinkermn  in  Adventure ≈  Leave a comment [ Edit ] Tags Laubin ,  oboe ,  workshop Thanks to my lovely wife’s brilliance, I got to see one of the more impressive spots on the Hudson.  Karyl, a life-long oboe enthusiast and accomplished performer, thought it might be nice to visit Peekskill, NY while we are in the area. We pulled up and checked the address twice, as there was no signage outside.  We went up to half-flights of stairs to a nondescript brown door.  Sheepishly we went inside were we were greeted by Dave’s, “Can I help you folks?”  We explained that we were oboe people visiting from Minnesota, and that we had to stop and see where all the magic happened.  As we were politely chatting with Dave, Paul Laubin walked in, which only added to our sense of awe.  Paul’s father, Alfred, started the company in 1931 – hardly a great year to begin building excellent instruments.  Paul recently celebrated his 80
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Hiking on the South Fork... (August 2016)

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Hiking on the South Fork… 18 Thursday Aug 2016 Posted  by  tinkermn  in  Uncategorized ≈  Leave a comment [ Edit ] Hiking west on the South Fork of the Hoh River Trail. At Christmas my brother-in-law asked if I wanted to go hiking in the Olympics and I jumped at the chance.  I have always wanted to visit the mountain range to the west of Seattle (my unofficial “home away from home”) and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. I didn’t do a whole lot in preparation for this trip until summer rolled around.  Once summer arrived I started regular visits to the local REI for equipment and advice (Thank you Ginger!) and I signed up for classes on Backpacking, Reading a Compass in the Backcountry, Wilderness Survival Skills.  On the daily trips to walk the dog I started carrying a loaded backpack to help get used to carrying the weight.  Finally, I ventured to Afton State Park and did some hiking and camping there.  Thank goodness I did some preparation, because I ha
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Rose Parade (Posted Previously on January 1st, 2016)

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Seventy years ago today, Shirley Barrow, was in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California.  Here is how my mother described the scene: THE WAR ENDED IN AUGUST OF 45 AND SO THERE WASN’T ALL THAT MUCH TIME TO GROW THE FLOWERS.  WE WORE  GOWNS MADE OF OLD BEDSHEETS DIED LAVENDER BY THE ART TEACHER IN HER WASHING MACHINE.  TWO ART TEACHERS AND THE HIGH SCHOOL DEAN OF GIRLS CHOSE THE TWELVE BLONDE TO RIDE ON THE FLOAT.  SIX WERE FROM HIGHSCHOOL THE OTHERS FROM JR. HI AND ELEMENTARY.  I WAS ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE FLOAT BUT  MY HEAD IS VISIBLE IF YOU KNOW WHERE TO LOOK. My mother had the yellow picture below, but of course she is a super sleuth on the web and she found the above shot, courtesy of Roda Alderson. I believe that is Mom, just below the patriotic bunting, on the far side of the float.  How fun.  Nice find Mom!
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