Recent Stuff

sailing

[As we await the return of the sailing vessels to beautiful Lake Darling, and before we return to the East Coast trip and Salem, let’s review some recent events.]

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[It’s still mostly winter as we gaze out the bedroom window onto beautiful Lake Darling.]

photo

[4 days before the previous photo, which was taken March 30, “Weakie” captured me, in all my excitement, with his 1st ever photo taken with his new iPhone.  We were at the Corral in Nelson, as special invitees to the girls’ hockey banquet.  We always consider the invite quite the honor!  😉  Anyway, it should be noted my pre-event Blue Moon was NOT on the menu at the banquet just down the hall.]

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[In an effort to be unobtrusive at the event, I just used my no-flash, snapshot camera from far away in a dimly lit room.  Needless to say, I really didn’t get any good photos.  Here we have the JV team being honored – at least I can identify varsity captains, Shanee’ Herd and Shelby Iverson, in the foreground.]

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[Melissa Drown, Nicole Bartels, Taylor Ellingson, and Amy Jost.  All key returning lettermen for next year.]

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[Anna Carlsen, Shelby Iverson, Micaela Swenson, Melissa Drown, McKenzie Revering (“Little Rev”), and Shanee’ Herd.  Special award winners.]

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[Shanee’ and Shelby, this year’s captains, in a tear-filled ceremony presented the “C” jerseys to next years captains, Taylor and Melissa.]

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[Best wishes, seniors . . . and thanks for the memories:  Madi Houska, Sara Schmidt, Shanee’, Shelby, Anna, and Becca Illies.]

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[It was about that time that Nelson’s indigenous elephant herd thundered through, bringing a cessation to all other activities.]

Saturday evening brought the return of Lisa Lynn to SAWA.  She actually encourages me to make videos as she establishes her blog site at: www.lisalynnmusic.wordpress.com.

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“Fire and Rain” –   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol060Yg0vc4

“Don’t Know Why” –  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1_F_6z9hLA

“Desperado” –  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZqJfeoM0Do

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“Someone to Lay Down Beside Me” – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0PhJYnr3UE

“A Soft Place to Fall” –  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7uCwyvHYdg

“Wish You Were Here” – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-RYLpsoGhc

“Old Man” – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2BKi4xSero

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The next morning was Easter brunch at the golf club . . .

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[On the drive over to “the club,” we were able to confirm that Little Darling was indeed open!]

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[But when we got to the parking lot . . .]

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[Oy!!]

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[Inside everything was peachy keen as the supervisor led club ex-president, Paul Donley, through the buffet line.  He made sure she wasn’t sneaking any extra biscuits into her purse!]

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[As club members, we were delighted with the turnout of over 200 diners!  🙂 ]

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[While we were there, we decided to check out the re-designed hole No. 7 from the air.  Looks tough!]

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[I forgot to take her picture at the club in her “new” Easter outfit.]

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[Of course, then came the inevitable, “Does it make me look fat?”]

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[Maybe by July?]

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“Cold to Cold” (Part III) – Boston

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[This is still the same day, same bus tour.  Having visited the historical Boston hinterlands, we returned to the city.  And ran across yet another institution of higher learning – Boston University, home of the Terriers.  BU has 31,000 students – meaning it’s pretty darn big!]

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[If you look directly over the cab on our right, you will see the lights of Fenway Park, noted for being really old.]

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[And again, home of the Red Sox.]

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[Downtown Boston, home of the baked bean.]

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[We’re heading into The Big Dig, a major public works project that had issues.  You may want to do an internet search for it.]

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[In The Big Dig – I hope nothing falls on us!]

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[Heading for the “historic and popular Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market” area.  Oh boy, must be lunch time!]

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[The supervisor scouts for scrod as we  head toward the Custom House Tower (now a hotel).]

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[I smell food!]

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[Quincy Market, and access to every type and manner of food!  We need one of these in Alex! 🙂 ]

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[We ran across a tourist who’s pointing at something he obviously deems important.]

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[He is!]

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[Faneuil Hall]

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[Quincy Market]

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[Carla!]

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[NORM!]

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[Sated, we return to our limo.]

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[Goodbye market area.]

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[Heading for the North End waterfront.]

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[Old North Church, from whence allegedly came the signal, “one if by land, two if by sea.”  I don’t know what the signal was for “if by air”?  Anyway, just a photographic reminder of the difficulty of shooting through glass into the sun.]

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[I believe the sign is self-explanatory.  If not, send a self-addressed postcard to Merkel Press, P.O. Box 1776, Boston.]

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[This my 3rd lifetime sighting of the U.S.S. Constitution, a/k/a, Old Ironsides.  My first was in the mid-50’s, my 2nd was in the mid-70’s – so my next should be in the mid-2050’s?]

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[This is a military facility.  To get this far, we had to pass through a security check point.  As usual, I set off all manner of bells and whistles going through the scanner.  It’s a knack.  So, they whisked my away to an underground cavern where they interrogated me on various subject matters such as who was my 1st-grade teacher and did I have a school boy crush on her.  Couldn’t remember either, which apparently was the correct answer for someone in my age group.]

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[Rigging]

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[Rigging II, a/k/a, why I never had the yen to “go to sea.”]

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[Ship’s cannon . . .]

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[Aimed at downtown Boston.  Are Bostonians aware of this?]

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[I’m sure the sign told something about fire power.]

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[Great place to work?  I wonder if Jimmy John’s delivered?]

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[Back on deck with a nice view of the city.]

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[I forgot to count the number of cannons.  Not a vessel to trifle with.]

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[Confluence of the Charles River and Boston Inner Harbor.  I don’t know what “confluence” means.  I just wanted to use it in a sentence.  (Those last sentences sound vaguely familiar?)]

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[Old Glory whips in the gale force winds we experienced the first couple days.]

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[Old Ironsides is technically still an “active” military vessel.  To maintain that status, once a year it is sailed (towed?) 1/2 mile out to sea and back.  Thus, it receives defense funding for its ongoing maintenance.]

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[Coming out of the Charlestown Navy Yard, the Bunker Hill Monument.]

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[The Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge, designed to mirror the Bunker Hill Monument, as they are in sight of one another.]

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[And the nearby Boston Garden, home of the Celtics and Bruins.]

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[Our bus driver, a/k/a, tour guide, used this facility as an example of a public works project done right, as opposed to The Big Dig.  He asked us to guess when this parking garage was built – it looked brand new.  He said it was built in the 1950’s and the concrete still stands out as much better quality than the near-new Big Dig.]

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[Heading into downtown . . . I believe this is a known institution of finance, also known as money.  This may also be the area of quite spendy new condominiums.]

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[Like everything in Boston, this is “the oldest” pub in continuous service in the United States – or so I recall.]

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[Union Oyster House, a/k/a, the oldest oyster house in the country.]

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[City Hall Street, as so noted on the street sign.]

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[Congress Street, a stop light, and a statue of legendary, if somewhat recent, Boston mayor Kevin White.]

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[Ye Olde State House]

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[Yup, same building as above.  And in the street in front and to the left is the site of the infamous Boston Massacre.  And the question is how many people were killed in the Boston Massacre.  The answer: Five.]

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[The Giant Tea Kettle (what better name?).  In 1873, was the “sign” of the Oriental Tea Company.  The kettles capacity is 227 gallons, 2 quarts, 1 pint, and 3 gills (whatever that is?).]

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[Our friend from Chicago again, although I suspect I was trying to capture the building in the background . . . or the person carrying groceries.]

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[This may have been the country’s first women’s law school?]

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[I believe Samuel Adams’ grave, but that’s just a guess.]

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[My guess would be a church?]

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[Boston Common]

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[The State House]

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[The theatre district, the above theatre is part of Emerson College.  Our driver double-parked at the end of this block and ran into a convenience store for a bottle of water.  I thought you would find that interesting.]

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[Or this may have been the first women’s law school.  Then what was the other one?]

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[A skating rink (obviously) in Boston Common.]

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[The first memorial (obviously) to black soldiers in the Civil War – the 54th Massachusetts regiment.]

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[The State House]

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[JFK once lived here – 122 Bowdoin Street.]

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[On Beacon Hill]

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[Let’s go shopping!]

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[Newbury Street, the Bostonian equivalent to Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.]

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[The supervisor could spend weeks . . . months shopping here!  😉 ]

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[Fenway Park, Boston’s oldest building!  😉 ]

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[Famous Red Sox, as noted below.]

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[Me and the boys.]

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[The supervisor, me, and the boys.  😉 ]

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[Our tour guide, Francis, and the boys.  He has driven a bus for the Red Sox, and oy, the stories he told! 🙂 ]

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[Apparently a pretty good hitter.]

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[The Splendid Splinter and friend.]

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[The boys, again, lest you forgot.]

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[Behind the Green Monster.]

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[Goodbye to Fenway.]

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[My first attempt to capture Bobby Orr.  We were racing to North Station to catch a train to Salem – I must have tried to shoot it on the run.  Anyway, Boston Garden is at North Station.]

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[I did better on my 2nd try!  🙂 ]

Orr1970

[And here’s what statue depicts!  Orr’s goal that won the Stanley Cup v. the St. Louis Blues in 1970.  This, and the remaining three photos, were all borrowed from the world wide web.]

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samadams

[And for now we bid adieu to Boston and Samuel Adams.]

I loved the Boston trip.. brings back memories I did not recall..must be the age as our trip took place 30 years ago and things look better now then when I was there with my box Brownie camera..perhaps its the new digital tech cameras, or perhaps it was your tour guide  with his water stop.  ~ Jim

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Just an announcement . . .

For those not on the e-mail list (well, and for those who are, too), “Cold to Cold” (Part II) – Boston, has finally been completed.  It’s 9 stories back, on March 5.  We thank you for your indulgences.

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Basketball Wrap

seniorscheer

9-8-07-22The Minnesota Boys’ State High School Basketball Tournament ended last night and thus effectively ended the season for me.  Oh sure, I used to follow college and pro basketball – but, eh, been there, done that.  Basketball Dan will provide an appropriate analysis of March Madness once it’s over.  I didn’t feel an overwhelming urge to go to Hotlanta for the Final Four this year.

But, before I forget (see top), a look back to see what happened in the past some time ago before the current time and is now history (thus completing in the most redundant sentence of all time).  I was amazed that Fergus Falls didn’t do better in the state tournament.  After an undefeated season and edging out our Cards in the section final, the Otters lost in the first round.  I watched a good part of the tournament, all 4 classes, and Alex could have competed against any team I watched, except for the big city exceptionals of De La Salle, Bloomington Kennedy, and Hopkins.  In fact Hopkins would beat the Gophers – they were bigger and more athletic.  [Insert photo:  Likely 4 of the 5 starters for the 1965 Cardinal team, if there had been a Title IX then, and likely the student manager.]

Class AA (the 2nd smallest schools) produced two super star players who met in the final – we thought we had videoed the game, but the good ole Strib had the wrong game time, so we missed it.  Those who did see it said it was one of the great games.  NRHEG and Braham have about 220 students in their high schools.  Rebecca Dahlman for Braham scored over 5,000 points in her career.  Her grandfather is John Kundla, once coach for both the Minneapolis Lakers and the Minnesota Gophers; her oldest brother, Isaiah, was Mr. Basketball in Minnesota and played for Michigan state; another brother, Noah, played for Wofford and was the Southern Conference player of the year, and I believe led Wofford in the NCAA tournament twice.  She is going to play for Vanderbilt next year.  Carlie Wagner for NRHEG set the individual state tournament single game scoring record last year at 48 points, tied it again in the game preceding this one, then went for 50 in the championship game.  She also has twin 8th-grade sisters who played considerably in the tournament.  She’s only a junior but has committed to the Gophers.  NRHEG beat Braham by one-point despite 30 second half points by Dahlman.

The best player in the state was Nia Coffey, a 6’2″ senior for Hopkins.  She is the daughter of Richard Coffey, who played for the Gophers in the mid-80’s and once led the Big 10 in rebounding at 6’6″.  She is another Maya Moore, the Lynx’s star, but 2 inches taller.  She’s strong, fast, can dribble, can shoot the 3, and is so close to being able to do it has attempted to dunk in a game!  The bad news is she’s going to Northwestern.  I would have loved to have seen her play with Rachel Banham next – the Gophers would have really been tough!

But, back to our Cards.  This posting features the staff photographer’s coverage of the section final against Fergus.  And I think he got some really good ones.  🙂

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[Macy’s mom and Kendall’s mom.  And incidentally, congratulations to Julie for being named the section 8AAA assistant coach of the year – probably something to do with the JV’s 23 – 1 record.  🙂 ]

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[Cheer, oh cheer for Alex . . .]

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[Ken Ken is Kendall.  Is this another Kohler?]

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[The three in the foreground have a thankless job.  Such as receiving verbal abuse from this reporter.  Apologies, but it’s cheaper than therapy.]

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[Amanda C warms-up with a tomahawk dunk.]

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[And her lefty lay-up traditionally ends warm-up drills.]

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[Sarah prepares herself as the greeter for the starting line-up.  I’m not sure how one gets this job, but it requires memorizing several and various hand maneuvers.]

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[Dani and Amanda C go to their “happy place” prior to the start of the game.]

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[Sarah waits for Amanda.]

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[Hi, Otter.]

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[Here comes Dani.]

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[Hand maneuver preparations commencement!]

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[Left, right, up, down, reverse . . .]

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[Karly’s next.]

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[She greets Otter star Brianna Rasmusson.  They will renew their up-close and personal relationship during the game.]

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[Here comes Jess.]

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[The ever popular hip check.]

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[Boy, you’re really tall!]

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[Here comes Kalli.]

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[Finally we have someone close to their size!]

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[Aaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!]

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[For it’s one, two, three, what are we fightin’ four? . . .]

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[Now, if we can get a couple of their players in the penalty box, we’ll . . .]

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[LET’S PLAY BASKETBALL!]

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[Jump!  (By the Pointer Sisters, my last MTV remembrance.]

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[Jess considers her options . . . stocks or bonds?]

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[If you pass to the right, the ball gets blurry.]

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[I’m on ya, 34!]

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[With their size, Otters over-the-top passing.]

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[A Macy series – section finals experience!]

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[Referee signals touchdown as Sarah prepares to pass for the 2-point conversion.]

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[Amanda C displays her 80%+ free throw shooting form.]

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[Jess asks, “Full-court press?”]

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[Always have two on Rasmusson.]

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[On your marks . . .]

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[Get set . . .]

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[Chaos!]

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[Give me that ball!!]

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[Please?]

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[“Indiana” (for the supervisor!)]

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[A fetching daughter and mother photo, nicely framed by the staff photographer!  😉 ]

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[Rebound and go!!]

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[Karly is the object of attention.]

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[Ken Ken tags Big Big.]

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[2018 Cardinal back court.  It looks like she’s carbing up!]

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[Dani under a Monke’s eye.]

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[After a mid-season slump, Kalli finished strong at the free throw line.]

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[Kalli shadows her close personal friend.]

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[Kalli’s close personal friend shadows Jess.]

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[Sarah employs her soccer goalie techniques.]

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[Kalli’s shooting.  I’m sure it was good.]

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[Match up.  Match up!]

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[Trying to see how many hands can fit on a basketball.  In the old days, we used to see how many people could fit in a Volkswagen?  (Well, if you could find a VW in Alex.)]

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[I’m sorry, I’m distracted.  The supervisor is hollering at the TV as her Hoosiers are on.]

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[What kind of nuts do you like on your Blizzards?]

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[Macadamia, with marshmallow sauce.]

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[Generally considered Ole Automatic at the line.]

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[But first she has to have a ball.]

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[Oh my, it’s a good thing I wore my Depends!]

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[Amanda had a terrific game.]

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[If I ever have to go into a dark alley at night, I’m bringing Betterman with me!  😉 ]

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[Karly back on offense.]

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[Karly and Ken Ken keep four eyes on Rasmusson.]

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[Tacos or burgers?]

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[Amanda’s shot went in – she probably should have got an “and one.”  Pulled the Cards within one with less than 10 seconds to go.]

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[Oh my, it’s a good thing I wore my Depends!  (Yeah, I know I said that already, but I had to change anyway.)]

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[We have the ball . . . we can win!]

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[So it’s burgers?]

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[We can do it!]

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[When you give it a valiant try . . . but lose by one.  😦  ]

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[Soooo close!]

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[Thanks Emily.]

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[Thanks Amanda.]

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[Thanks Macy.]

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[Thanks Sarah.  How’d you get ahead of Dani?]

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[Thanks Dani.]

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[Thanks again Dani.]

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[Thanks Karly.]

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[Thanks Jess.]

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[Thanks again Jess.]

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[Thanks Jaylen.]

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[Thanks Alyssa, or Anna.  (Sorry, no number.)]

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[Thanks Kalli.]

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[Thanks again Kalli.]

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[Thanks Amanda G.]

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[Thanks Kendall.]

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[Do you have homework?]

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[Thanks Carly.]

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[Thanks Halley.]

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[Thanks Gretchen.]

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[Thanks Cheyenne.]

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[Thanks Dave.]

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[Wait till next year!]

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4wheeling

[Then I went out for a little 4-wheelin’.]

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[Before the next snow storm hit.]

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[Recalled our anniversary day.]

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[Thought about how Cardinals have affected events of the last few weeks.]

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[Thought about the upcoming spring sports season.  (Strib photo.)]

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[Stormed the Williams Arena floor, glad that the season is finally over.  (Strib photo.)]

And delighted we did have something to celebrate today!  The Gopher womens’ hockey are national champs for the 2nd year in a row and on a 49-game winning streak!

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For as Garrison Keillor says, ” . . . where all the women are strong!”  (Strib photo.)  Thanks to the hockey team and the Lynx for providing some measure of athletic pride for our fair state!

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