Can they do it again?

As I've written previously, we've been without our local NBC channel (13) for nearly three weeks. We're missing some of our favorite entertainment: Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy and, of course, the finale of America's Got Talent. Fortunately, we were able to view the last several programs of AGT by going to NBC.com where the programs are streamed (commercials included). Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy are franchise programs and not part of the NBC lineup. I've not been able to find anywhere to stream them. But we will survive!

In the meantime, we've been watching Cub's baseball and the Colts' games. Quarterback Andrew Luck may begin practicing soon and when he returns there will probably be lots of questions of how long it takes to get back in the groove. Today there has been lots of discussion about players taking "a knee" during the National Anthem. I, for one, can understand both sides of the discussion. Here's hoping some kind of conversation will lead to each side being more moderate. I'm not sure that taking a stand during the National Anthem is the best way to make a point. I wish the POTUS had not tweeted what he did -- it was like throwing gasoline on the fire.

The Cubs won't be able to clinch their division title tonight against St. Louis, but the magic number for them is only 2. The big question, however, is will they be able to capture a World Series championship back to back? In a few weeks we should know the answer.

Signs of Fall

We've had rather cool weather for a while making us think that fall was arriving early. But yesterday and today, a week before the Fall Equinox, we have had warm or even hot weather. Summer-like weather isn't over. A week ago we were glued to the TV watching the second big hurricane of the season, Irma, wreak havoc on the Caribbean Islands and the state of Florida. Our weather was affected somewhat, but locally we didn't have much rain--only rotating winds from east to west that are opposite of the usual.

The warm weather can't deny the fact that fall is near because the signs are everywhere. I've been noticing color on some of the trees, the cornfields turning brown, the soybean fields with yellowing leaves and the sound of cicadas--all signs of the change of seasons.

For the last 12 days (and counting) we have been unable to watch the local NBC channel (13) since they haven't been able to reach an agreement with DirecTV. They also have not reached agreement with another provider and it has hampered some of our viewing. The finals of America's Got Talent are this Tuesday and we'll probably have to watch on our computer as NBC streams the show. We've watched the last two episodes the same way.

I'm beginning to wonder if cable and satellite providers will soon be modern-age dinosaurs. We've not looked seriously at providers such as Netflix or Hulu or others such as Amazon, etc. When I think about it, there have already been many changes in the 21st Century and we need to be prepared for what comes next.

Last evening we celebrated Jayden's 10th birthday and Joe's 50th with a party that Nancy arranged for  friends and family since Joe wasn't home on his actual birthday at the end of August. I prepared a couple of dishes to take. Ray had lots of fun playing corn hole with a couple of guys. We had a chance to visit with some folks we hadn't seen in a long time and also met a few of Joe's cousins who were able to come.

Our annual church picnic was this noon with good food and yummy desserts. We were home in time to see the second half of the Colt game as they lost by a field goal in OT. For a while the remote was busy as Ray switched between the football game and the Cubs vs the St. Louis Cardinals. (Odd Coincidence: The Colts were also playing the Cardinals (Arizona, that is).

I'll continue to enjoy the signs of fall, but hope we have a long Indian summer.

Remembering 9/11

Practically everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing 16 years ago on September 11. I wasn't writing a blog then or even posting on Facebook so today I'm reminiscing about 9/11.

First a little background: Ray's grandfather on his father's side was born in Norway and arrived in the U.S. as a young man coming through Ellis Island. He settled in Door County Wisconsin. Ray's sister Veronica corresponded frequently with relatives in Norway and even visited there with her husband and son. She hosted one of the extended family, Ruth from Norway, in her home but we never met her.

Then in early 2001, we learned that the daughter of Super Bowl friends was engaged to a Norwegian with the wedding taking place in Oslo on September 8. When they heard we were considering a trip to Norway they were delighted and sent us an invitation. Veronica had communicated with the bride's father several times because of her connection with Norway and was interested in joining us. As our travel plans evolved, Ray's other sister Suzanne was included to share a room with Veronica. We boarded the plane in Chicago on September 4 with return tickets for September 13. With a rental car we were able to visit many sites and museums in Oslo.

The beautiful wedding was followed by an elaborate Norwegian reception complete with speeches. Following each speech we toasted the wedding couple interspersed with one of the three course of a delicious meal (smoked salmon and new potatoes, horseradish dressing and seasonal leaves, oven-baked filet of red deer, fried mushrooms and wine sauce followed by chocolate mousse cake served with fresh fruit and berries and home-made ice cream. Several original songs composed in honor of the bride and groom were also part of the festivities.

The next day we headed west in our rental car passing through many tunnels cut through hills and mountains. We took a short cruise/boat ride on a fjord, with an overnight stopover in Bergen before heading to meet cousins in Stavanger.

We were invited to the home of Geir Andersen on our arrival where we met the rest of the family. They invited us to visit the family homestead the next day. On September 11 we visited the family farm where Ray's grandfather lived as a young boy. The house is still owned by the family but used only for weekends or getaways. Ivar who in 2017 is 100+ years old enjoyed visiting with Ray and showing us around. His sisters Ruth and Ragnahild (now both deceased) prepared a light lunch for us including delicious lefse.

Late in the afternoon we returned to our hotel in Stavanger. Ray stopped in the lobby to use the Internet while I went up to our room. Veronica and Suzanne had a room next to ours and a few minutes later they knocked on my door with news about the attack in New York City. I joined them in their room as we viewed the early morning horror taking place. I felt a real sense of emotional and physical shock just as if I had been in a car accident.

We couldn't help wondering what might happen next. One of the family members stopped at the hotel later that evening, or perhaps the next morning, to share their concerns and hoping that we were all OK. We soon learned that all flights were cancelled and our planned return on the 13th wasn't going to happen. We drove back to Oslo where we had room reservations before our planned flight home the next day and were informed that our flight had been rebooked for five days later. The additional days gave us time to drive to Sweden and visit two cities before returning to Oslo to get our flight home. Whenever we met anyone during the days before returning home and were recognized as Americans, they acknowledged us with sympathy and compassion for what had happened.

The trip to Norway will always be connected to 9/11. We do have other fond memories of the wedding, scenery and visiting extended family that I've documented in a scrapbook. Most of my pictures from the trip were taken with a traditional camera. For me, the era of digital photography came shortly after.

This morning as Ray and I drove to the gym, we passed a remembrance display and when I took this photo, many memories came pouring into my mind.

Never Forget
Honoring and Remembering September 11

Wisconsin Trip

The last time I posted I wrote about getting a pair of eclipse glasses and I'm happy to report that we were able to see the first half of the eclipse. About the time of 90% totality here in Central Indiana, clouds began to fill the sky, but I was happy that was had glasses to experience the event.

Viewing was great in the early stages

After the first half of the eclipse event was over, it was time to go to church where I spent several hours every day the rest of the week getting ready for our rummage sale. I'm always amazed at the number of donations we receive. The sale was on Friday and Saturday. After the sale, we had to clean and put away everything but had a good sized crew to do the job. Ray and several men had to move tables and others packed up leftovers in boxes to deliver to a nearby thrift store.

When we returned home, we began packing for our planned trip to Sturgeon Bay, WI. Nancy, Joe, Kylie, Dustin & Jayden were already in southern Wisconsin for a reunion with Joe's family. Joe planned to take off a week from work for his vacation and after the reunion would drive to SB to spend time with us at Karen and Carl's place (Ray's sister and brother-in-law). Karen and Carl were unable to join us until Thursday, but we had access to their house and the Martin family had their camper and also access to Grandpa Sid's (Ray's Dad) place. We had plenty of room for everyone.

We knew it would be a long drive to SB so we set the alarm for 5:30 and departed at 7 a.m. We rose early since we had lots to pack in the car! By driving through downtown Chicago early on Sunday we avoided heavy traffic and breezed through making the entire trip of 434 miles in 7 hrs and 10 minutes of driving time. We had plenty of time to unpack, visit the grocery store and prepare a meal for the Martin family who took the scenic route and arrived about 7 p.m.

The Martin's Camper

• Monday -- Ray and I were the first ones up and we decided to go for a run (racewalk for Ray). A few minutes before leaving, Jayden was awake and joined us. He walked with Ray and I ran ahead. When I turned around to head back home, I met them and we took a break to take a trail to the water's edge where Ray and Jayden skipped rocks. I even tried and had one successful skip. Later in the day Ray and I played Pickleball at the local "Y" while the rest visited two parks and even dipped their toes in the cold water of the bay.

• Tuesday -- After lunch we hiked to the tower, entering Potawatomi Park which is located adjacent to the family's property.

Midway through our hike to the tower we found a sunny spot

All but two made the 100 steps for a spectacular view

We returned back to home base to make hobo dinners that were cooked over an outdoor fire. Delicious! When you have an outdoor fire, what do you serve for dessert? S'Mores, of course!

This bat was hiding under the picnic table umbrella
and was a source of interest, especially for Jayden

• Wednesday -- Jayden, Ray and I ran and walked again from home base to the park. No fees when entering the park on foot. Ray and I spent some time in the local library to catch up on emails while a thunderstorm rumbled through town. We met the rest of the family after the storm at the Door County Historical Museum only a block away (it's free). We were met by a friendly docent who explained that the spectacular "Seasons of Life" wildlife diorama was designed by nationally renowned taxidermist, Mike Orthober, and features over one hundred native species. Beautiful!

The Diorama

For dinner we had lake trout that Karen left for us and was thawing since our arrival. I chose to bake in the oven rather than use the outdoor grill. The large pieces of trout could have fed a crowd two or three times larger than we had.

• Thursday -- Ray and I played Pickleball again and picked up a few items from Walmart for the birthday we were celebrating later in the day. Karen and Carl arrived from Oak Park in mid-afternoon and also Dustin's friend, PD. All except Karen and Carl found our way to the Sherwood Point Lighthouse. No trespassing signs were posted but it seemed as if the place was used frequently since we noticed picnic tables and horseshoe pits. 

Overlooking Green Bay

Sherwood Point Lighthouse

Researching the lighthouse, I learned the following:

The last manned lighthouse on the Great Lakes, this lighthouse was established in 1883 and automated in 1983. It is only open to the public during the Lighthouse Walk, held the second weekend in June. The rest of the year, the facility is operated as a rest and recuperation area for active members of the U.S. military on a rental basis.

We had Sloppy Joes for supper and celebrated Joe's 50th birthday and had S'Mores again with a another fire. Joe had his favorite, carrot cake, decorated with two candles--his birthday cake!

Birthday #50!

• Friday -- It was almost a miracle to have 10 people ready at 7:30 a.m. for the drive to Renard's Cheese Factory for the 8 a.m. tour. No photos were allowed in the factory. Jayden became a bonafide cheesehead.

Is he going to be a Packer fan?

After the tour we returned to home base and Joe prepared his masterpiece: biscuits and gravy for a late breakfast. Several took naps after we ate not being used to such an early hour. Later, we headed out for another lighthouse tour, this time on the Lake Michigan side of the Door County peninsula.

Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Lighthouse

Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal North Pierhead Light

We began emptying the fridge and had an assortment of leftovers for dinner followed by another campfire.

Beautiful Last Campfire

• Saturday -- Nieces Laura and Lisa arrived late Friday evening but we didn't see them until the next morning. Ray, Jayden and I visited the weekly Farmer's Market and then spent time in the library located across the street from the market. When we were ready to leave, the rest of the family arrived and Jayden had another tour of the market. I spent some time weeding a landscape planting before the rain arrived. Ray's niece, Gloria LuPlante and her husband Gene arrived to introduce themselves. Gloria is the daughter of Ray's half-brother Clarence who passed last summer but we never had any type of connection with this branch of the family. Just a few months ago they purchased the acreage and house next to Carl & Karen's place that had originally been owned by Ray's grandfather. 

• Sunday -- We arrived home at 5 p.m. and made it through Chicago but found the traffic was heavy and moving slowly, much different than a week before. Joe and Nancy left an hour or so after we did and decided to try a different route because of the heavy traffic. When stopped for a break, which turned out to be fortunate, they had a tire blowout which delayed them some more, but they eventually made it home happy even though it was later than anticipated.

We have opportunities to spend with Joe & Nancy but they are usually for only a few hours so it was rather special to have time with them and the rest of the family for nearly a week! I have other photos taken during the past week. But after spending time reading all that I've written, I'm not sure you'll have any spare time left but just in case I've included a link.