November 2009

The summer and fall went by so quickly. We visited Chicago and Mom and Dad several times, spent lots of time at the lake, and had a wonderful birthday weekend with the whole family for Don's 65th. Watched several Mankato Royal baseball games. Brennan plays for them at third base and Griffin was their ball boy. Laura and her family and David and his family got to some games too so we enjoyed several opportunities for time together.
Got reacquainted with some old friends - Father Joe Wagner ( now Msgr!) from Lennox who retired from the Air Force and is the pastor at Risen Savior in Brandon, SD. and Susan Mattingly Evans and her husband, Damian, who stopped and had lunch with us in Chanhassen. We hadn't seen each other in 43 years and amazingly we picked up right where we left off - great friends and we hadn't changed a bit! Saw cousins, Moe and Rita Berk and Marian and Rich Schouten while visiting the folks in IL - had been at least 30 years since we saw them last! And met my cousin, Betty Lesh Miller and her husband, Ben, finding lots of common ground for that visit. How wonderful to reconnect with such great people from our past - we vowed not to let so much time pass before we seen them all again!
Don's twin, Ron and his wife Katy, took a short trip with us to Williamsburg, VA in the late summer. None of us had been in that area before and we really enjoyed the scenery and especially the tangible sense of history in the area. We toured Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, the Yorktown battlefield and two wonderful plantations, Shirley and Berkely.
We worked at the PGA Championship at Chaska's Hazeltine National Golf Course - volunteering for the Chaska PD. The weather was great and getting to see Phil, Tiger, Sergio and many others up close was terrific.
We had a good trip in mid-October back to AZ - stopping for a visit with Kaye and Coleen Norton and Phyllis Ketcham in Shenandoah. Then we drove west of Denver to Silverthorne, CO and spent a couple of days with Bev and Paul Blankinship. They have built a lovely home there and our friends, Doug and Carolyn Barinsky, met us there. The six of us had a good time touring and visiting. We drove to Arizona through the Rockies and south through Mesa Verde National Park. the Four Corners area and over the Mogollon Rim into Phoenix - went from snow in the Rockies to 90 degrees plus in the Valley of the Sun! Had a good month in AZ - played golf, Don drove in the Halloween golf cart parade (and won Most Creative) and enjoyed time with our neighbors and friends in Solera. We are looking forward to several months there after the holidays.
First, though we are excited to spend Thanksgiving with David, Karin and the girls. They will be in Norway for Christmas this year. Corbetts and Conleys will be sharing Christmas with us. We can't wait - love those holidays. Got cooking, baking, Christmas cards, shopping, wrapping and decorating to do. Luckily I have the original Santa elf (Don) to help. Should be fun.

Active Summer

It must be true that time passes more quickly as one gets older - seems like we just got back, but a friend reminded me last weekend that it has been several months since I last wrote! Thank you, Norma, for giving me a much needed push. May seemed to fly by. We flew into Chicago for one day with Mon and Dad. They both were well but need 24 hour care and a lot of attention to detail by the nearby family members. My sisters, Carol and Margaret and brothers Dan and Chuck are doing most of the care - the whole family is lucky both to still have Mom and Dad with us and to have family members who do so much for them. We attended the Cargill 25 Year Club dinner which was lovely and saw lots of old friends. It is always a nice evening. During May we opened the cabin too. Dave, Karin and the girls, Julia, Brian and their boys all joined us Memorial Day weekend. We had great weather and were able to fish and be outdoors most of the time. Good thing, too - that's a bunch of people for a small cabin. No one seemed to mind the close quarters. The Corbett boys helped by pitching a tent in the front yard - of course, in the middle of the night it sounded like a herd of elephants as they abandoned said tent for the "comfort" of the living room floor! Maybe next time. Don and I also spent some time at several ballparks in the Minneapolis area - Brennan (Julia and Brian's oldest) tried out and made a travelling baseball team called the Mankato Royals. We have had the pleasure of watching them play and improve during their season. Brennan plays third base mostly, He has a strong and accurate arm. Sometimes he comes in as a relief pitcher, which is much more nerve wracking for this fan to watch. The last two tournaments we have seen, the Royals have won. They ended a very good season with their home tournament winning all six games! Congratulations to all the Royals, their coaches, and parents! Nice guys do finish first! On Father's Day weekend, all three kids, their spouses and children came to Chanhassen to celebrate Don's 65th birthday and Father's Day. We gathered in the morning for a family picture - you will all have to wait til Christmas to see the results! I will just say - we turned out to be a pretty photogenic group. Later we had Don's birthday dinner complete with two big freezers of homemade ice cream. The kids gave Don a bean bag set for the back yard and everyone had fun with it. Karin didn't think she could do it well, but turned out to be an ace. Laura claims that beanbag must be the "National Game of Norway". The kids also gave Don a certificate for a weekend of help at the farm this fall. He is really excited about that. We made another trip to Chicago and spent three days with Mom and Dad. We had dinner twice with them. One night we helped celebrate the 10th Anniversary of 'The Park', their assisted living facility. Mom is using her motorized wheelchair all the time now and is pretty proficient at its joystick operation. Dad seemed much quieter but generally in good health. We were able to spend some time with Laura, Bill Bennett and Maryn both on the way to and from Chicago. They tried out their new camper that weekend- looked like everyone had a good time. Lastly, at the end of June we picked up Chuck and Traudy Sanborn at the Mpls airport and they went with us to the cabin for a few days. I doubt we have ever had better weather. We took pontoon rides, went out to dinner and generally looked decorative for a nice little vacation. We returned with Sanborns to Chanhassen so Don could play in the Minnesota Valley Community Band concert at Chaska. A beautiful night for a concert of great music. Then the next morning, the four of us left for Sioux Falls and a meeting of the "Lencronies" a group of friends who all lived in Lennox SD about 30 years ago. This group has changed a bit over the years but we can still get together anytime, anywhere and have a great visit. Members are: Hank Sinning and Judy Schlunsen, Buzz and Nancy Kornmann, Don and me, Chuck and Traudy Sanborn, and Kenny and Norma Sayler. On Sunday Don and I went to Brandon, SD and attended Mass at Risen Savior Church. Our dear friend, Father (now Monsignor) Joe Wagner is the pastor there. We hadn't seen him for over 20 years - it was wonderful to visit with him after Mass. As usual he said a very meaningful service, and his sense of humor is just the same as ever. He spent 25 years as a chaplin in the Air Force after he was our pastor at St. Magdalens when we lived in Lennox. Now that he is closer to us, we are hoping to see him much more often. We returned to Sioux Falls to have brunch with the Lencronies (see picture) then headed home. I keep thinking that one of these posts will be short - perhaps I need to write them more often or get myself a vicious editor! Nuff said until next time.

Back in Minnesota

We arrived back in MN on Tuesday April 7th - 1750 miles and 30 hours together in the car - and still speaking to one another. Now that is an excellent adventure. We left early Saturday morning (4/4) a day before we had planned so we could get back in time for our old New Richland friend, Tom Smith's funeral. He had been suffering for some time with throat cancer but died of cardiac arrest while in the hospital in Rochester. Leaving at 5 am, we put nearly 850 miles on the first day arriving in a cold dusty Liberal, KS for our first night. On Sunday, we again got up early, with strong winds, blowing snow and rain to deal with. We stopped in Pratt KS for Mass which gave us a brief break and the weather cleared a bit so it was on to Shenandoah where we stayed with Phyllis and had supper with Kaye and Coleen. Nice to be able to touch base with family and they showed great hospitality as usual. On Monday, Don worked at the farm for a couple hours and then we drove to Brian and Julia's house in Mankato which gave us just a short drive to NR on Tuesday morning for the funeral. Glad we made it, lots and lots of old friends and familiar faces all of who came to honor one of the grand old men of MN education and coaching. Tom will be missed. Also we had a good chance to see and visit with the Corbetts - those boys really grew while G'ma and G'pa were in AZ! Since we have been home we stayed busy getting the house back in order and the "stuff" unpacked. It is amazing how long it takes us to get everything running and back to normal. Both of us have had doctor's appointments since we have been back. Don is already playing both with Community Band and Brass Choir. We did find time to go to the Metrodome with Doug and Carolyn Barinsky to watch the Twins. And we painted both guest bathrooms and have plans to paint our bedroom as well. We have worked in the yard and garden and enjoyed Easter with David, Karin, Kaia, and Amelie. Kaia had an egg hunt in the back yard and flew her new kite - both very Easter-like activities. Weather was mild and breezy. In the next few days we will take care of Kaia and Amelie while their parents take a little trip by train to Seattle and then we will fly to Chicago to check in on Mom and Dad who have had a pretty tough winter. We only plan to stay a day so we don't tire them out too much and then we will go back again in May when we can drive and take a little longer. This entry got longer than I intended. We are home and enjoying the green grass and the budding trees - iris, tulips, and lilies are poking through the ground. Spring is here and so are we!

February in Arizona

The past couple of weeks have been busy and lots of fun. We spent several days near Tampa, Florida with Ron and Katy Ketcham. They rented a lovely home in Punta Gorda which had a pool. The weather was warm and all four of us enjoyed going to the beach, sightseeing, and the pool. Don and Ron even tried fishing in the canal behind the house. No luck, but fun anyway. When we got back to AZ, the Conleys (Laura, Bennett, and Maryn - Bill had to stay home and work!) came for a visit. We had a great time - Bennett's big wish was to do some golf ball hunting which he managed twice. B was pretty excited that they found about 18 balls the first night and 16 or so the second. The second time, Laura went along and Bennett was able to correctly identify several kinds of cactus that Don had shown him. Maryn wanted to swim and we accomplished that as well, utilizing the Indigo Sky pool in Johnson Ranch. The water was incredibly warm and nice - we all enjoyed the afternoon. One day we all drove up to Scottsdale to the McCormick Railroad Park. It featured a small train that we could ride around the park, a delightful carousel, and lots of play equipment. Laura's high school friend, Jenny Young, met us there with her kids and the children had a great time while Laura and Jenny caught up. It was pretty tough to see them leave for Wisconsin. Fortunately, we will see them and all the grandkids in a little over a month! Finally, just yesterday we returned from a wonderful mini-vacation (2 days) at the Grand Canyon. Our good neighbors, the Kramers, went with us and we thoroughly enjoyed the trip. We stayed overnight at Williams, AZ which is about 3 hours north of Phoenix. Early yesterday, we boarded a train that took us 65 miles into Grand Canyon National Park and there we went on a bus trip to see the canyon. There was still some snow up there in the shady places, but we lucked into beautiful weather in February. The train trip featured musicians playing Western music in the cars, a mock train robbery, and fantastic scenery. We were on the lookout for elk but saw javelinas, antelope, and the mules who carry visitors down into the canyon. Elk will have to wait for the next trip. We are back and enjoying wonderful weather in the 80's. Tomorrow we go to Mesa to spend the day with the Lencronies (Arizona chapter)....golf for the guys and shopping for the girls! Then Sunday, Minnesota friends, Ted and Cindi Anderson, arrive for a few days....hopefully we'll have more pictures and more to report then. Hasta la vista!

Arizona Botanical Garden

Our neighbors, Rick and Sandy Kramer and the two of us went to see the Chihuly exhibit on glass sculpture which was at the botanical garden for a stop on the national tour. It was amazing and we really enjoyed it. Here are a few examples.

Arizona "winter"

Arizona is recuperating slowly from the defeat of "their Cardinals" in the Super Bowl last weekend. It was a good game and the Cards almost pulled it off but the vaunted Steelers ended up with the win. We watched the game at Kramers' next door. it was a beautiful day and there had been lots of golfers going by all day and at 4 oclock - not a soul on the course! Our weather has been good since we have been back - we had about 10 days of cooler than average and cloudy days but mostly it has been in the mid to high 60's and sunny. The plants are pretty dormant but I noticed yesterday that several in the front are beginning to bloom. The bouganvilla which had looked pretty ratty are starting to put out lots of new leaves so flowers shouldn't be far behind. Bouganvilla are so showy and vibrant - they bloom all spring, summer and fall. Don has been adding to his agave collection - buying two last week - "potatorum" and "Queen Victoria" - he has his eye on a couple of different varieties in yards around the development. Since agave put out "pups" like cactus - Don has hopes of convincing the owners to let him have a pup......much less expensive than buying them! In fact, several friends are saving pups to place on the waste areas of the golf course and in the common areas of the development to fill in or replace dead plants. a good "green" idea, I think. Planning a trip next week to Florida to visit Ron and Katy Ketcham at the home they are renting there - also in the works is a train trip to the Grand Canyon with Kramers. We are looking forward to visits from Laura, Bennett and Maryn in a couple of weeks, the Andersons and possibly Albrechts around March 1. March is pretty open so far, so let us know if you plan to visit!!!! We do love company. Talked to all the kids and grandkids last night. It helps to hear their voices and sometimes see them via the webcam. We miss them all! We plan to play golf together today at Las Colinas. It will be my first time out this spring.....keep your fingers crossed. M

Winter Holiday in Minnesota

Well, we have been in MN since the week before Thanksgiving. There is about a foot of snow on the ground and we are supposed to get another 6 inches overnight tonight (December 29th). Enough already. Don is tired of both shoveling and blowing the snow and we are both ready to head South to warmth and sunshine. However, this has been a great stay as far as the family is concerned. We had everyone home (except Bill who had to work) for Thanksgiving and really enjoyed the time together and all the traditional foods, even Ketcham salad. Then Don and I made a quick trip to Chicago to visit my Mom and Dad and all the Conleys went with us. We are a congenial group travelling together - Bennett and Maryn are seasoned 'road trippers.' Bennett missed "throwing money" at the toll booths as we now use an automatic device but we arrived in time at my folks to hear the church choir from IJP (our old home parish) sing carols for dad. Watching him smile and keep time and then sing with them was truly amazing and the best gift ever. We spent Christmas Eve at St. Hubert's where Don played the Midnight Mass with Brass Choir. Beautiful. Then on Christmas Day we went to Dave and Karins and had a great ham dinner and watched Amelie and Kaia play with their new toys. On the 27 we all gathered again in Chan for "Christmas" together. Lots of fun and again everyone brought snacks and we ate like kings! We got a chance to watch Brennan play in a basketball tournament at Waconia today. Plans are to see some friends for lunch before we head back. Oh, I should note that Karin won the family fantasy football pool - she admits she has little actual knowledge of football but she managed to make great picks and win in her first year in the league! The Ketcham Salad Travelling Trophy will look good in her house this year. Congratulations, Karin! The time here has flown by - we certainly have made the best of our short visit. Looking forward to warmer weather and the friends we have made in AZ but will miss the family times.