Headin' Up Nort

Oh Yeah, Hey Der, We're headin' up ta da Nort Woods tomorrow after a stop ta congratulate nephew Kevin on his high school graduation over der in Neenah. Goin' up ta da Mercer area ta fish, hike, picture take and generally veg out. Hope ta come back with some good, if not great, photos and some tall tales and even taller fish stories (some might be true even, don't cha know). Just ta get in the mood for the drive, I ran up ta da Twin Cities and back earlier this week. Main reason was ta return Sammy da dog ta his rightful owners, Sally and Uncas. On da way home I passed a scene that I had photographed last fall. This time I had fresh batteries in my camera so it wasn't as frustrating as last year. The story and the "Fall" photo can be found in my 10/27/08 blog "Oh Yah! Bin Up Der!". Here's the "Summer" version.

Some photog friends of mine have put me on to a technique called "Mini Photography" (or something like that) where you manipulate photos to look like miniature models. I've been playing around with it to varying success. Here's a couple of examples.

Same photo as above with a different twist.

Possibly my best effort to date.

See you in about a week with some new pics a real tall tales of the Northern Wilderness.

DOG DAYS - (and nights)

Ah yes it's the dog days of Summer (and Derek and Jeanna). This weekend Jo and I are blessed with a visit from all the grandpuppies. On Thursday I rendezvoused with Jeanna on a secluded road on the outskirts of Mount Horeb to pick up the kids, Tina and Snoopy. Seems as how Saffron was taking Mom and Dad to Chicago to catch a couple of Cubs games and the pups needed a friendly place to stay for a few days. The transfer was made, Saffy woke up long enough to give Grandpa a sly little smile and went back to that baby dreamland where Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Toothfairy and babysitting Grandpas dwell. Friday I saddled up the Honda and headed North to meet Sally to make a similar pickup at a Dairy Queen in Wabasha, Minnesota, home of the National Eagle Center and location for the film "Grumpy Old Men". (Seemed like a logiacal place for someone who likes eagles and is an old, not too grumpy, man) This weekend Sally was taking Uncas to Duluth for his sister's wedding and puppy, Sammy, needed a friendly place to wag his tail for a few days. The switch from one Honda to another was so smooth that Sammy was hardly aware of the change until we drove off and left his beloved mommy standing outside the Dairy Queen spooning up a Blizzard. After the required time of whining and looking out of the window Sammy settled in for some rest to prepare himself for some good-natured jousting with cousin Snoopy. The trip back to Fennimore, although the weather and scenery were beautiful and wildlife spotting was plentiful, was marred by my good friends, the Cubs. I had lost the WGN (Chicago) broadcast of the game but was unfortunate enough to tune in to the Minnesota broadcast. Well they certainly didn't candy-coat the Cubs play (or lack of, or lack luster, or just plain crappy). Once again the Cubs managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Back home Tina and Snoopy anxiously awaited my return with cousin Sammy. Upon our arrival all @#$% broke loose Sammy jumped on Snoopy and the two didn't stop a bumping, jumping open-jawed rough house that made WWF Wrestlers and Ultimate Fighters look like the University of Chicago Chess Team. In the mean time, Tina managed to use her best hiding tactics and stayed clear of the younger combatants. Somewhere around 10pm a time out was called (actually I think it was more of a rejuvenation period) and all three "pups" and Grandpa took a breather. Bedtime approached and sleeping arrangements were made . . . everyone in one bed. Tina found a safe haven curled up between Grandpa's legs while Tina, Sammy and Grandma jockeyed for comfy positions in the remaining ninety seven percent of the bed. Things finally quieted down, that is until, about 2:30am, when Sammy felt that it might be funny to stir things up a little by jumping on Snoopy and barking a little. Grandma, in her Grandmaish, wisdom thought that they might need to go out and out they went. That did the trick. The fresh air perked everyone up a little while before the gentle snores of Tina and Grandma once again filled the room . . . for at least two more hours. Well it's Saturday and everyone had a early morning nap, a hardy breakfast and, in some cases, a long walk. (Grandpa and Tina opted for a short walk and some quiet time alone) Things have pretty much quieted down for a while as we prepare for the next round of "Death Duel 2". Saffy and her folks are still in Chicago and are hoping to cheer them Cubs on to a victory today. (There is a possibility that if they lose again, Saffron may be banned from attending future games. Her record is 0 and 2) Watch for her out in the Bleachers today wearing her little pink cubs outfit. Tomorrow Saffy and family return to Wisconsin and Jo and I are bringing Tina and Snoopy home then Monday I'm off to the Twin Cities to return what's left of Sammy. If there's any outstanding stuff on the trip you'll hear about here. (It will be kind of a "Hear, Here")

Sammy stands watch while Grandpa,
Snoopy and Tina recharge their batteries.

I Knew It Was True!

As some of you may,or may not know, I'm a huge fan of the TV show Lost. I have been listening to the news lately concerning the "disappearance" of Air France Flight 447. Could the lost plane fallen into a similar situation as Oceanic Flight 815? Are there a remnant of survivors wandering about on a mysterious island in the South Atlantic? Are there "Others" on the island? I saw a photo of the two Americans that were passengers on the ill-fated flight and they are easily good looking enough to be lead characters in an island drama. With the original TV series ending after next season, could another major network be working on a new show to replace it? As the reports continue to roll in things get more and more intriguing. Much like the show, the story has taken on a real international flavor. Air France tied to KLM (Dutch) is involved in a possible deal with Alitalia (Italian) and Airbus recently opened an assembly plant in China, a flash of light was (allegedly) sighted by a Spanish pilot, the American couple lived in Rio and, to top things off, David Caradine was found hanged in Thailand, Osama bin Laden (location unknown)released a statement almost simultaneous to Barack Obama's speech in Cairo, Egypt and a topless coffee shop in Vassalboro, Maine burned to the ground. (pun intended) If this doesn't stink of all the ingredients of a blockbuster TV series I don't know what does. I agree that it may not achieve the excellence of "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me out of Here!" but, it might get close.The plot seems to write itself. I can see it now. A Brazilian/American couple have washed up on the beach of an uncharted island (they had to wash up because they floated onto the beach in a 12 mile oil slick caused by the crash). In the tradition of good old Yankee Enterpreneurism, the couple soon realize that they have landed in one of the few places on earth without a Starbucks coffee shop. Franchise arrangements were made and they opened shop in a deserted, haunted inn that was previously owned by eight or ten of the Caradine brothers who had leased it from eight or ten Baldwin brothers. Their clothes were ruined by the oil slick, so they had no choice but to operate topless. This made little difference because their main (only) customer was a marooned Spanish pilot who had recently been blinded by an intense light flash in the sky. Other episodes could involve a peg-leg pirate with a kid seeking treasure, an Englishman with a native pal seeking a white whale, a FedEx guy with a volleyball seeking a topless coffee shop and one titled "Hey watch where you point that cappuccino thing". I don't know about you but I'm really looking forward to the season finale of this series!

Check your local newspaper for time and channel!

The Weekend That Was!

Most folks spend the Memorial Day weekend relaxing, traveling, cooking out, visiting, parading and even memorializing. Not the Blume folks. No, we try to do all of the above and even a few more things. In order to fit everything in we started our weekend on Thursday with a really BIG celebration. Actually a BIG celebration in a small way. We added another Blume to the family. Thursday evening we all, Derek, Jeanna, Jeanna's Mom and Dad, Jo and I, and of course Saffron, gathered at Christ Lutheran Church in Deforest, WI where Derek and Jeanna were married. After a lovely ceremony the group invaded Ginza, a Japanese steak house for dinner and everyone had a great time until the chef scared the crap out of Saffy with his extreme "Onion Volcano". On Friday Saffy and the puppies, who had spent the night at our house, were redeposited with D & J as Jo and I were off to Minnesota to spend the rest of the weekend with Sally, Uncas and Sammy. After a relatively routine drive, we arrived in Minneapolis where we were treated to some homemade brownies, and did what all red blooded Americans do . . . played Wii into the wee hours (A real holiday Wii wee). Saturday was a day spent at the Minnesota Zoo matching people with the animals they resembled (you should have seen the ones that matched these two guys), overeating at an Italian restaurant and more Wii (JoAnne has been enshrined into the "Guitar Hero" Hall of Fame). Sunday Uncas and I hooked the Nimz "yatcht" to the rear of the old VW and headed off in search of Moby Dick while the women did woman things like planting Hostas (imported from Fennimore) and shopping. Both groups were quite successful, the boys pulled in thousands of Pan Fish and the girls pulled in thousands of bargains. The boys returned the fish to the lake but the girls brought their catch home. The day ended with a late night "Guitar Hero" concert of some newly purchased tunes. Monday we were back on the road heading home. An uneventful four hour drive and we were back in Fennimore and our palactial Hosta covered estate. All in all a really good holiday. When we arrived home we were reminded of what the holiday was all about. A wake was being held a the funeral home across the street. What an appropriate finish to "Memorial" weekend.

A few of the thousands of Blue Gills and the two Crappies
that fell prey to the mighty hunters!

Green is Today's Gold!

In my recent posts about signs of Spring, you know the ones about birds nesting, garden cultivation, baseball games, lawn mowing, foals and calves being born, and of course Pete's Hamburger stand opening, I left out one of Mother Nature's most treasured signs of the season . . . namely the dreaded "Garage Sale" sign. This past weekend, Fennimore, celebrated the arrival of spring with its citywide garage sale. It was a real deal with 65 registered "garages" and a couple of dozen "outlaw" locations (we got in under the wire and snatched up sign #65). The sales ran from 7 a.m. Friday morning til noon on Saturday. And, although we had vowed not to participate after being involved in the past selling off a lot of my mom's and Jo's mom's household belongings. After emptying out both of their homes when they moved on to assisted living facilities, we realized how much stuff we really didn't need. So, we have been making an exerted effort to dejunk our home. As a result we don't have a whole lot of things to sell but we came up with a marketing plan that turned out to be a sure fire winner. What do we have in abundance that might appeal to the roving bands who will be scouring the streets of Fennimore in search of treasure? Instead of looking IN the house we took to the yard. There in overwhelming amounts grow "Green Gold" aka Hostas. Everyone loves Hostas, they're easy to grow and no one ever has enough of them. Well we have more than enough of them, I gave up counting plants at a hundred and twenty. Jo grabbed a spade and filled every empty receptacle she could find. We set up a few tables in the garage with an assortment of "treasure" (junk) and one table on the driveway filled with pots, cups, and cans loaded up with greenery. Friday, we sold some of the "treasures" but, the plants were the the cash cows. We sold more than half of our stock, plus a few that Jo dug to order for those who wanted particular species.
Saturday was cold and windy making for a fairly sparse crowd. (Not even very many Amish were out on Saturday) But, once again the Hostas were selling off the table. Just before noon we gave up the ship. Closed up the garage but, left the plant table out on the drive. Considering that there may be some stragglers who might be interested in a "bargain bin" plant sale, we placed a coffee can with a $ sign on the lid thus making our sale self serve. Sunday, when we returned from shopping in Dubuque (spending our profits from the sale) kiddingly I told Jo to check the can and lo and behold there was a ten dollar bill stuffed into it. Monday as I was handling some real important projects around the house, I saw a lady rummaging around the plant table. I remained in the house peeking out the window til she loaded her car and left. As she drove away I noticed that the plant table was empty. I ran (actually walked quickly) to check the can (which in a small town like ours, is as good as a safety deposit box). I dumped the contents on the empty, mud spattered table, only to find ten dollars and forty four cents. This was weird because first of all, there weren't ten dollars worth of plants remaining Monday morning and, secondly, what the ten dollars and forty four cents was comprised of - four two dollar bills, one single, one Sacagawea dollar coin, a quarter, dime, nickle and four pennies. Even more intriguing was the fact that that plants were priced at ONE dollar each. I guess it will just become one of those urban mythteries that will handed down for generations to come. In the mean time I'm off to find more receptacles to fill with unsuspecting Hostas. Wonder if I can sell enough to buy a new computing machine?

Thar's Gold in Them Greens!

Town and Country

It's that time of year when we all seem to return to the soil. Time of plowing and sowing. Being the ever inquisitive one, I did a little investigating this week. I found some very interesting differences between the methods used. The other day while I was working away on the old computing machine, I was awakened by a strange noise outside. There arose such a clatter, I ran to the window to see what was the matter. (Oops wrong season) As I peered out the window I noticed that my neighbor was digging up a garden plot in his yard. You might say he was more than up to the task.

A perfect example of "The right tool for the right job."

The finished product.

Later in the week, while driving home from one of my errands, I ran across another guy preparing a little larger plot in an entirely different manner.

Might be an exhaust problem.

I'm sure that there's some middle ground somewhere in the tilling world. I'm really looking forward to see how my neighbor goes about planting the seeds. (And harvest time could really be cool) As for me, I stand by my position of "you don't need a garden if you know someone who has one."

"The zuchinni's are coming hurrah, hurrah!"

"Buy Me Some Peanuts and Cracker Jack!"

I haven't mentioned the new Cub's season lately. But, this little incident has prompted me to speak out. On Wednesday, the Cubs took the field with a rather unknown starting line up. Coach Lou had decided to give most of the "regulars" the day off and give the "bench warmers" a day on the field. As several newcomers took their positions on the field, another new comer took her position in the upper deck. It was Saffron's very first Cub game. According to mom and dad, she really enjoyed the game but not the final score. I'm not reading anything into this, but it was the only game the Cubs lost this week (so far). Saffy promises that she will bring home a win if mom and dad take her to another game, soon. She told Grandma Jo that she could probably have better luck if she had one of those cute pink Cubs caps (one that fits). Here are a couple of shots taken at the old ball yard.

"Take me out with the crowd?"
(Dad likes to get there early)

"Let me root, root, root for the home team!"

"Almost had that foul ball."

"It's one, two, three strikes she's out at the old ball game."