alexandriacardinals

While blog staff ponders soon to be published (hopefully) musings on such as smoke alarms and Triple Espresso, Salty Dogs and John Hawkes, we offer this mostly visual ditty.  The supervisor tends her peonies, which annually struggle to remain upright against the ravages of wind and rain.

And then we have Patchouli.  The photos and videos (from Lake Harriet) are from fellow groupie, and now blog stringer from the Metro Area, Sue Elliot.  Thanks, Sue  🙂

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbRLK-ET7BE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJMHFqGeOZ0

Julie and Bruce will next be in Alex on July 29 at the winery; and then July 30 and 31 at Art in the Park.

We’re still waiting for summer.  The Girls of Summer were still in their winter attire at the AGC on June 13 (l-r: Pat Peterson, Doret Melby, Merry Donley, and the supervisor).

On the 16th, we said good-bye to one of our favorite entertainers.  Joe Carucci (Yankee cap), of the Joe Carucci Trio and the Funky Gumbo Trio, and family are moving to Kentucky.  Joe and his wife will continue to teach music there – at Eastern Kentucky University, as I recall.  Jenna McSwain’s group was performing at SAWA this night – a first for us and we enjoyed them immensely.  Then Joe and a couple of guys from Funky Gumbo joined in – we had a septet!  Fun time!

Also there that evening were the two protagonists from the following Minneapolis Tribune article, c. 1956:

[Though it pains me immensely, the ethics of full disclosure require me to report that when the game resumed, under full on-site coverage by ESPN, Jim’s team won, 1-0, in 17 innings.  In my mind’s eye (which is now often fuzzied by cataracts) I can still see Richard Jacobson making good contact and launching a fly ball to center where it landed at the feet of our centerfield who was distracted by the traffic on Broadway.]

The weekend brought the annual Cap Paciotti Memorial Golf Tournament sponsored by the Alexandria Cardinal Athletic Foundation.  Bev Lohrman Grossman was the honoree this year.  Bev was a leading proponent of girls’ athletics that eventually led to Title IX.  After Title IX, Bev started, and coached, many of the Cardinal girls’ ahtletic programs that exist today.  The program was emceed by Cardinal broadcaster, Dave Harris.

Participation was down this year for the Foundation’s major fundraiser.  But we know you’ll all be back next year – right?

And then it was time for Sami Steidl’s graduation party.  This marked the first year that grad parties for musicians (nephew Michael, Spencer, and Sami) outnumbered those for athletes.  🙂  The Sami “statue” greeted us on entry to the Steidl property – then came a series of Burma Shave-type signs marking the occasion on the long drive in.  Sami has played with many old(er) musicians in the area since she was, as Mikko would say, a “wee lassie.”  Many were there for a continuous jam session . . .

[Sami with mom and dad.]

[Mikko Cowdery and his grandson, Brett (will be a sophomore at Osakis High School).]

[Al Lieffort and Annie O’Flynn.]

Of course, we have to include the requisite video from the event:

http://www.youtube.com/user/ruthobert#p/a/u/0/KGXYAbaXD0E

Sami will be heading for the University of Colorado this fall.  Before then – Sam-A-Rama:

[Oh, that’s Sunday, July 10 (the poster was too big for my scanner) – one day after Warren Gibson turns 90!]

And a plug for the group with which she is most associated – Skilly & Duff:

Finally, this has not been summer on beautiful Lake Darling:

And belatedly, for Sue Justice, a new “Make Love, Not War” poster – the Vancouver riot kiss after the Canucks lost the NHL finals:

Before we proceed any further, and because this is the alexandriacardinal gossip page, we must first give a shout-out to Jamie Piepenburg and Rosey Erickson for carrying the Cardinal track team to a 2nd-place finish in the state meet held this weekend at Hamline.  Jamie won the 3,200 and placed 2nd in the 1,600; Rosey won the long jump and finished 6th in both the 100 and 200m dashes.

[A delighted Jamie wins the 3,200; great photo stolen from the StarTribune.]

[Rosey from an earlier meet; photo borrowed from the Echo.]

[Oh, and Maxine Carlson is going to state next week; photo on loan from the Echo.]

Many of you may recall that on June 7 the temperature in Alexandria reached 97 degrees.  The very next day, the boys of summer arrived on the 1st tee dressed thusly (a 40-degree temperature drop):

And the day after that, Sam Joy (as captured by Al Grundei) arrived at the course with snow shovel-in-tow:

Friday, we went to the Cities for nephew Michael John’s graduation party.  We had good intentions of visiting the state track meet that morning (see above), but the weather forecast was foreboding.  A highlight of the trip down was a complete stop of traffic on I-94 a couple miles from Melrose – we inched our way to the exit, stopped at the Burger King for respite, and learned a cattle truck had overturned on the highway.  We took the side roads to Freeport and re-entered I-94 until . . . Monticello, where we got off on 25 for the cutover to 10.  25 to Big Lake was under total renovation – I guess finally making it a 4-lane road.  We inched along 25, got on 10, and eventually made it to Mounds View in a gut wrenching 3-hours.  (The road trip home that evening was, of course, in the rain.  As older people we do not like to drive at night; somehow driving home at night from the Cities is always exacerbated by precipitation!)

[Michael and his cello will be going to Drake next year.]

Then came the date that will live in infamy . . . or famy.  It was a PR – not ever to be broken.  The stars will never again be aligned such – nor would we ever again attempt such a death-defying behavior.  Five music venues in one day!  Beginning at 2:00 pm, with each lasting about two hours, until the bewitching hour.

Beginning at the winery with the Salty Dogs. 

 

The video is Cannibals: http://www.youtube.com/user/ruthobert#p/a/u/4/865xAB7sxcA

And then it was on to Spencer Christensen’s graduation bash.  The attendees are recognizable at least to themselves:

Spencer and friends:  http://www.youtube.com/user/ruthobert#p/a/u/3/uaUTUoLzfJ0

[Spencer and his guitar will be going on to McNally Smith College of Music next year.]

Then it was on to the airport – Chandler Field, specifically – for Greatest Generation Day (nee, Hangar Dance) with Doc’s All-Stars playing a benefit for the Douglas County Historical Society:

[Yes, it’s Jody Sundlee.]

[Beth & Paul Teeuwen]

[Perry Butcher; Bill Riggs; Betty Larson Butcher, Alex class of ’65 and high school history student of Mr. Riggs]

The All-Stars with a couple of tunes:

http://www.youtube.com/user/ruthobert#p/a/u/2/XYE6C9dBa3Q

http://www.youtube.com/user/ruthobert#p/a/u/1/a13Ic66bcEs

[To the best of my knowledge, the All-Stars are not taking their instruments off to college next year.]

Then it was off to Lisa Lynn at SAWA:

Lisa’s Vincent:  http://www.youtube.com/user/ruthobert#p/a/u/0/uQMPxy2PSww

[Unfortunately, the camera ran out of memory before Lisa ran out of Vincent – apologies.]

I was ready to call it a night – or a bath tub, or a cheeseburger – I was kaput.  But the supervisor, who rested through round one in recovery from a sore throat, was on a roll.  Egged on by fellow SAWA customers, we all opted for the Eagles’ Club next where Funky Gumbo was performing.  We did – and the boys “tore the doors off the place.”  D***, camera!  That would have been some great videos to get!  But next time:

The start of summer?  There were indications.  The Owens and the Waldelands had returned from their winter retreats, and we had a reunion at SAWA on the 2nd.  There is no photographic evidence of this endeavor . . . which is just as well as it could have been used against us in a court of law.

Friday and Saturday turned out to be quite nice days actually – a complete contrast to the season so far.  Friday was so nice we decided to pay our first visit to the newly re-opened Old Broadway, now Main Street Brewery, where we sat outside with, among others, a 50th-birthday party and a bachelorette party.  We enjoyed the meal if not the din.  The highlight was seeing hockey players from the not too distant pass – Stacey Paulzine was the hostess and Brittany Lind was our server.

And then it was off to back-to-back nights at SAWA as Dan Mahar was headlining.  On the 2nd night, he was joined by Terry Kennedy for a bit.  In the photo with Ruthie, Dan was performing Ruthless.  June 3 was also “Manhattan-henge,” as the sun aligns perfectly with NYC’s east-west street patterns.  June 4, an Orange Crush sunrise over Lake Darling.

http://www.youtube.com/user/ruthobert#p/a/u/0/NJX7rcDeo2g

Continuing my “collection” of performances of this great song, the above YouTube video is Mr. Mahar’s Hallelujah.  Ruthie noted the sunshine through her wine glass (Hob Nob pinot noir, if you’re keeping score at home).

On Saturday, the 5th, Alexandria welcomed its hometown Beetles, of the Northwoods League (a summer collegiate league), with a parade down Broadway.  The highlight was next-door-neighbor, Dangerous Dan, chauffeuring Mr. and Mrs. Mayor in his red Jag convertible.

And then it was off to the winery where Mikko was flying solo:

And finally, Sam Trumm’s (see previous posts) was the first graduation party, and the supervisor was among the first arrivals: