The Passion

After one month, the World Cup is finished.
France appeared to play the better game, especially in the second half, but Italy won.
I cut my hair in homage to Zidane.

British Columbia: Garibaldi

Here it is folks. Lake Garibaldi. And real live glaciers. Glaciers! The calendar was ready to be turned to June and we encountered a lot of snow from 1100 meters up. The melt was on and we had packs on our backs. I was a little nervous about footing and the possibility of sinking into icey water.







Luckily, there was a shelter at the lake. We pitched our tent inside and from our protected vantage point enjoyed the sleet, snow, rain, and ephemeral sun. Weather.










This is the barrier. You might read this and not know how to pronounce it correctly. It is pronounced barrier, like you were in a monster truck rally radio commercial. You got it. The barrier. Ancient volcanoes and glaciers, battles between fire and ice. Fucking sweet. The barrier.

British Columbia: Juan de Fuca

We stopped for lunch at the Smoking Tuna restaurant in Sooke, in the midst of a fishermen's trailer park. We watched the sea lions follow the fishers, ready to dispose of the waste from cleaning fish. Then we hiked along the coast trail of the East Sooke Provincial Park. The clouds were low, fog was drifting in and out, the found horn was sounding. the air was heavy with moisture, the sitka spruce and the succelents were friendly, the sea blended into the sky, and it was nice.




We spent Monday night at the Sol Harbor Lodge in Port Renfrew. The lodge is owned by the Cash brothers, gourmet cooks who practice permaculture. I would have liked to talk more with them about their lifestyle. After reacquanting ourselves with the wonders of plumbing and dry shelter, we ate dinner at the Coastal Kitchen Cafe, which reminded us of the Mazama General Store. It was the place to be. I had Halibut and beers.




On Tuesday we hiked the Botanical Beach portion of the 47 kilometer Juan de Fuca trail. I took a sweet fall. Ask me about it. We camped on the ocean's edge at Sombrio Beach and watched the surfing channel. Yo, thirty surfers were in the water. Good times.








On Wednesday, we hiked from Sombrio Beach north on the Juan de Fuca trail. The trail was rugged, up and down, slimy, moist, rainy, refreshing, muddy, sluggish, soggy, slippery, rocky, mossy, and very alive.

At the end of the afternoon we drove to Jordan River and ate at Shakies; the ravens waited politely. Then we drove to Goldstream Provincial Park and spent the night before taking the ferry back to Tsawwassen.

British Columbia: Strathcona

Marye and I flew into Vancouver on Thursday May 18. The next day we took the ferry from Tsawwassen to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island and drove to the Ralph River campground at Strathcona Provincial Park. Our campsite, nestled among western red cedar, western hemlock, and douglas fir, abutted Buttle Lake, which rises rapidly in late spring when the snow melts. (Left: the meadow next to the campground).




On Saturday we decided to hike the Flower Ridge Trail, a strenuous climb and quad-pounding descent. Unfortunately, turned back before we reached the alpine meadows promised by the hike description. We were impeded by snow at higher altitudes, not so much because it was impassable but because we were extremely wary of losing the trail. Next, we progressed to Lower Myra Falls (pictured left), a spectacular site created by an earthquake and fed by melting snow. After enthralling beauty of the intensely chaotic falls, we sat and read in a meadow. I was reading Walden. I observed several emerald-backed swallows, and I was waiting hopefully to see Roosevelt Elk, unique to the island. To cap the evening, we hiked the Wild Ginger Trail.

On Sunday we hiked Upper Myra Falls, checked out the Westmin zinc and copper mine, lunched at Lower Myra Falls, and lounged next to the clear, ice-cold water of the Ralph River. In the evening we hiked the Shephard Creek trail.
We awoke Monday morning to a rain shower, a good day to drive but also a chance to experience weather. Goodbye Strathcona.

Commencement

Germany 4 - Costa Rica 2
The first match of the World Cup is complete.
I watched it at the Longfellow Grill, two blocks away from our house.
I called to inquire if the LG would be showing the World Cup and the woman I talked to said they didn't have TVs. God damn it. Why do you tell me such things. Did they take down the TVs above the bar. She put me on hold so she could discover they had TVs above the bar. Also, she didn't know whether they had Summit Scandia on tap. Maybe she was new. Anyway, I treated myself to a breakfast burrito and a few Maibocks. Germany's fourth goal was nasty and I started laughing because the keeper didn't have a chance. Two ladies sitting next to me thought I was crazy, but were reassured once they deduced I was having interactions with the TV. We talked a little about the World Cup. They thought Costa Rica was the favorite. Oh, Amerika.

Time Well Spent

Four big things since the last post:
1. Bathroom renovation phase I
2. Chillin with Aaron and Jennifer
3. Trip to British Columbia
4. Peeps in town for reunion

My dad drove up to Minnesota with a minivan full of tools and spent over a week helping us create a bigger bathroom. In summary, we tore the old drywall down, poured a little concrete, framed new walls, moved the sink, put up drywall, taped, and installed a drop-ceiling. During phase II, we will remove the old shower, finish the wall, install the new shower, put up a ceiling, and lay floor tiles. Lessons learned: tools are sweet and sanding joint compound deposits a fine powder everywhere.

Aaron and Jennifer were in town because they had siblings graduating from Macalester. As always, it was good to see them and be joined by others anxious to see the east coasters.

Marye and I spent twelve days exploring British Columbia provincial parks: Strathcona, Juan de Fuca, and Garibaldi. More later...

Tonight marks an omnium-gatherum of personalities for the class of 2001 Macalester College reunion. 63 Mac and honorary members have demonstrated stellar attendance: Jose, Sebas, Simon, Soren, Kofi, Ziyad, and Klinker. Superb.

Beer, Glorious Beer

Last night Marye and I went to Kagin Commons at Macalester College for a Family Tree Clinic fundraiser. Actually, I went for the tax-deductible beer; the forty dollar ticket price granted me a commemorative tasting glass and the opportunity to drink responsibly by drinking local beer. There were 13 local breweries and brew pubs. I'll walk you counterclockwise through Kagin, mentioning the brewer and the beer I sampled.

Finnegans Irish Amber: from Summit, brewed with potatoes
Lake Superior 7 Bridges brown ale: Duluth
Great Waters Apocalypse: American strong ale
Rock Bottom Cinco de Maibock
Bandana Sleepy Eye Schwarzbier: Mankato
Summit: they didn't have the Scandia and I've drank the rest
Bell's Cherry Stout: Kalamazoo, Michigan (is that local)
Barley John's Wild Brunette: brown ale, brewed with wild rice, somewhere near Roseville
Fitger's Brewhouse: 1) El Diablo: Belgian golden ale 2) Ted Koppelbock: maibock with honey
Schell Maifest: New Ulm
Rush River Small Axe: hefeweizen, Maiden Rock WI
Town Hall: 1) Foolish quadrupel: damn 2) Spring: maple syrup and chamomille tastes
Surly (brewed in Brooklyn Center by Mac grads): 1) Furious: hoppy, amber ale? 2) Bender: porter/brown ale/oatmeal

There you have it. Good times.

Korean Prostitutes Pictures

Recently someone from Korea visited my blog.
How were they drawn to this site.
"korean prostitute pictures"
Those were the keywords used in the search criteria.
I didn't recall posting any pictures as such, so I followed the link to the page of interest, which was a post about Pat Robertson. Funny.

TCM

It's official.
Tim Pavlish is running Twin Cities Marathon on October 1.
So far he has recruited Mr. Shively, Paul, and me.
Jude is thinking about it. Yes, you are.
And perhaps B Lodge.
Who's in.

Decorah

We traveled south to Decorah to visit Steve and Yarrow during the weekend of April fools' day. We were delighted to see their new house, from where I was able to throw a stone into the raging Upper Iowa River.

On Friday evening we walked through a mowed swath of the prairie along the river, restraining ourselves from the temptation of jumping on the ledges of undercut stream banks and enticing gravity to provide us a sudden thrill.

We ate dinner at Sabor Latino. Why would someone name a restaurant after a latino calvary sword with a curved blade? What? Anyway, we enjoyed magaritas, tortilla chips and guacamole, and enormous portions. After gorging ourselves, we went to a bar on main street. I drank Blue Moon. I ate peanuts and threw the shells on the floor. We met a few of the athletes, one who was quite notably sporting a mullet and mustache. Quality. On the way home from the bar Steve and I performed robin impressions at my behest. Good times. Back home, Yarrow noticed she had missed a call from Jude and Michelle. We returned the call and learned that the two are now betrothed. Congratulations. Your marriage will be a blessing for humanity. And for the record, Jude said I can play trombone at the wedding in Debs.

On Saturday Steve and Yarrow worked the morning and early afternoon at a indoor high school track meet on the blue Norse track. Luther College is a short commute from their Cape Code style home, which is - I almost forgot to mention - adorned with a friendly greeter in the window. I don't know the story behind the cult of personality, but a majority of Decorah residents have chosen to place the figure in the front window.

Marye and I explored Decorah, stopping at the grocery co-op, which can only be described as kick-ass, the quality chicks store (chicken hatchery), and the Magpie coffee house, where I contemplated picking up a free bible for Jude.

Saturday afternoon was spent riding bikes and exploring land recently donated to Luther by an alumnus. A low-lying portion of the land along the Upper Iowa River is prime beaver real estate. Trees felled. Fresh wood chips. Stripped trunks. Busy as a beaver - fucking right. This society was advanced. We saw beaver sculpture art, but alas, the culture appeared not to be at its acme; we could not find a beaver ball. The end of the bike ride culminated with a stop at the Whippy Dip, the local icecream pusher. Yarrow made soup, salad, and Pad Thai for dinner. Good eats.

On Sunday we visited the Seed Savers Exchange, a 900-acre non-profit farm that grows 25,000 vegetable varieties, 800 apple varieties, 200 grape varieties, and raises white park cattle, a breed that predates Jesus Christ. Holy shit, that's a lot of genetic diversity. The lineage of most varieties are recorded. I bought Polish pepper seeds and Italian eggplant seeds. I'll probably plant them next year.

Good times in Decorah!

View from the Cabin

Group Pic After CC Skiing

What It Is

After the scrabble triumph, Ben was quick to grab his crotch in exaltation and express himself to the local media.

Speed Scrabble

There it is, the effort of a stunning comeback victory in speed scrabble by Tim and Ben, two blue-collar workers, versus a doctor and a graduate student. Chalk up a W for the working class. The turning point in the game came when Tim and Ben were willing to cast aside aspersions associated with a long dangling appendage specific to the male anatomy that others were too prudish to consider. That penis was huge for us. Huge.

Fuck, I read Cosmo, Shit

Nordkapp

I don't know if I posted about Nordkapp. And I'm too lazy to look at my own blog to see if I did. Over Presidents' Day weekend, we vacationed on the shore of Lake Superior near Lutsen at a cabin called Nordkapp. I will now post several essays.

The Grill Is Out

Just finished grilling with Marye and Tim. Chicken rubbed with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Grilled. Stuffed into pitas with thyme, basil, tomatoes, and lettuce. MMMMMMMMmmm.

We are currently listening to Salsa Celtica, a motley combination of sonido Mexicano and bagpipes.

Tonight we plan on going to the 331 Club in northeast Minneapolis where I will dance flamenco. Oh yes.

I drank yet another home brew. EPA. 22-ounce bottle, so much better than the poor 12-ounce.

Nothing is new with Marye and Tim, whereas lots is new with me.
Wait... this just in: Marye is closely monitoring and extremely excited about the bulbs burgeoning in the yard.

Protester Reaction

This man demonstrated in Minneapolis.

Flying Spaghetti Monster Cartoons

This may be incendiary, but I support freedom of speech. Here are several of the highly controversial Flying Spaghetti Monster cartoons:






































Caption: Flying Spaghetti Monster keeping women under thumb.












Caption: The Flying Spaghetti Monster depicted as a wanderer with a donkey.











Caption: In heaven, the Flying Spaghetti Monster tells a martyr "We're out of virgins."

1,000-word essay