February

Editor’s note:  I have some time on my hands, meaning I’m all caught up on blogging current events (well, except for the music stuff).  So, I thought, why not some retrospectives?  The blog didn’t start until January 2011, certainly I must have done some interesting stuff prior to then?  The blog has served a useful purpose as a diary as well as a trip resource venue.  For example, if you type “Budapest” in the search block, you can find out all sorts of useful stuff  about that city – because we’ve there twice!  😉  But if you (or I) type in Muir Woods, you won’t find anything.  But in my photo files I believe I have some good stuff on Muir Woods – why not put it in here?  It’d be easier to find! 

[First up, I believe my first road adventure after returning to the ‘U’ on the GI Bill.  The world-renowned Basketball Dan would lead me on the first of our many adventures together (and later with the Super included) – a trip leader well before that Johnny-come-lately, Rick Steves.  Here he is in his Pontiac or Olds (I’ve forgotten) driving us to Chicago for a college basketball doubleheader.]

[Through Wisconsin . . . ]

[Approaching the Windy City . . . ]

[Apparently a ball park of some repute.]

[And here we are in Chicago Stadium, Indiana v. Notre Dame . . . ]

[But we really came to see Bill Walton (jumping center) and UCLA v. Purdue (?).]

[It was February – where’s the snow?]

[But the mood lighting was great for photography!  This was way before digital, so these were shot with that marvelous Kodachrome 25 (They give us those nice bright colors).]

[At the base of the John Hancock Building – more on the building in the second half of this post.]

[And now the views from Hancock’s observation deck.]

[Before Hef moved the operation to La-La Land.]

[Our coterie of Dick Haas, Dan, and me (the photographer)]

[The Sears Tower was still under construction.]

[Likely Michigan Avenue . . . ]

[Well, we wanted to join . . . ]

[And this is near (or where?) we stayed . . . ]

[Stock photo, unbelievably the place is still in operation!  In subsequent discussions (though I don’t know why?), we just referred to it as The Heart.

May

[This was a field trip – an urban geography field trip from the University of Minnesota to Chicago.  The longest field trip in my extinguished student career.  It was led by the estimable John Borchert, an internationally-renowned urban geographer.  At least two other current Alexandrians also took classes from Professor Borchert.  He was going to show us what real urbanity [sic] was all about. For the DePauw alum in Camp Ballentine on the other side of beautiful Lake Darling, Professor Borchert was a 1941 DePauw graduate.]

[Construction is now almost completed on the Sears Tower.]

[Give me an ‘L’!!]

[The city needed big shoulders for the train yards.]

[If you’ve been to the city, you know this sight.]

[The John Hancock Center is a 100-story, 1,128-foot (343.7 m) supertall skyscraper at 875 North Michigan Avenue.  When the building topped out on May 6, 1968, it was the second tallest building in the world and the tallest outside of New York City. It is currently the fourth-tallest building in Chicago and the eighth-tallest in the United States.  When measured to the top of its antenna masts, it stands at 1,500 feet (457 m).  The building is home to offices and restaurants, as well as about 700 condominiums, and contains the third highest residence in the world.  (Wikipedia)]

[Museum of Science and Industry]

[It was an urban geography class – you don’t just see the pretty stuff . . . ]

[Maryum Mosque]

[On the south side of Chicago . . . is where the industry is!]

[Our tour bus – remember this was 44 years ago.]

[Gary, Indiana, Gary, Indiana . . . where Knowledge is Good (wait, this was a while before Animal House).

[Indiana Dunes National Seashore with the class . . . ]

[The steel mills south Chicago and northern Indiana where metalurgical engineer Jami Gaither would ultimately be employed – but she was only a couple years old at this time.]

[And we’re back at the dunes – this was likely after spending a night in the dorms at Valparaiso University.]

[I do not know, nor do I remember, any of my classmates from the time.  They likely all went on to great fame and fortune.]

I warn you, Jedediah, you’re not going to like it in Chicago. The wind comes howling in off the lake and gosh only knows if they ever heard of lobster Newburg.  ~  Citizen Kane (Orson Welles)

Up Next:  Local music?

June 17

Heading Home

[We’ve graduated, diplomas in hand.  You may have noticed back in the beginning that the Super and I had a gold star on our Mini-University name tags.  That meant that we were “freshman.”  Last year, Reetz won the “freshman of week” award by such a wide margin that decided to retire the “beanie” in her honor.]

[Waving good-bye to Reetz, our hostess with the mostest.  And trying to not run her over.]

[OK, the previous pictures were staged because we had to get this one . . . ]

[The sisters say good-bye.  They will reunite at IU camp in Elkhart Lake in August.]

[Bye to our BNB.]

[We decided not to take this previously used room?]

[The Super and her Black River Falls orange moose.  This is where we spent the night.]

[Dinner was right next door.  The on-line reviews were good.]

[And it was!]

[The Super used her 17 years in Minnesota tracking skills to locate the orange moose and his white tail deer friend.]

June 18

[Hi!  We’re home!  And we wanted to be home in time for . . . ]

[The Cheese Bots drew from far and wide for Father’s Day at the winery – the Super and I from Black River Falls this morning, Tom Kiehne from Texas, and Jerry Kiehne from some golf course resort area in Florida. Oh yeah, and the Etniers made the occasionally hazardous journey from Ashby!]

Sex Education 101: Sould dentures be removed before trying that? ~  Unknown

Up Next:  No idea?

Commentary: Live theater adds to quality of life

“Whoever neglects the arts when he is young has lost the past and is dead to the future.”

Sophocles said that. I never met the man, but I think he was on to something. One should always lead off a discussion about the arts with a quote from Sophocles anyway. None of his quotes ever went viral, however, because he never put them on Facebook. Which leads me, of course, to Theatre L’Homme Dieu.

THLD is in its 57th year of existence, the longest running summer stock theater in Minnesota. While growing up in the Ozzie and Harriet-ness of Alexandria’s Victoria Heights, I recall attending TLHD in the early 1960s. I was not a theater devotee, so my only memories of the theater then of are the mosquitoes. And it seemed to be a very long ride from our Victoria Heights cocoon. Then I went away for almost 40 years. The theater somehow continued on without me. After we retired back to Alex, the theater went through a major transition going independent after a long affiliation with St. Cloud State University. Now TLHD is doing better than ever through associations with various professional theater companies from around the state. And they love performing here.

I recognize not everyone is a fan of live theater. But you can say that about anything — except bacon. It is important to recognize the role it plays in the arts in general, and how important the arts are to quality of life. Think of it, if nobody is producing entertainment, there would be no need to invent devices to disseminate it. An iPad or television would be useless without anything to listen to or watch on them. It’s hard to imagine a life without the Beatles, or “Seinfeld,” or “Hollywood Squares,” for Pete’s sake. Live theater is where it all began.

In its quintessential Minnesota lakes area setting, the drive into the TLHD’s campus produces an excitement rush in its own right. So for a couple of months each summer, go out occasionally and grab one of the 272 available seats (I think I counted that right?) for any or all of the six plays, performed six days a week, plus some special events. And at the end of an event, if the spirit so moves you, stand and applaud, shout “Bravo,” and remind yourself you have just had a wonderful life experience.

Obert is from Alexandria

June 15

Bloomington & Nashville

[Walking through the Tree Suite classroom area, likely on my way to Dogwood, and we find an outdoor courtyard.  It appears to be a nice place to contemplate one’s navel.]

[We have finished the day classes.  The Super and I each took The Origins of the CIA – Nick Cullather.  Of interest, the CIA and I both “began” in 1947, and the CIA mainly recruits accountants and librarians (it’s all about organizing information).  Then we (with Reetz, I think) took Geology, Theology, and Foreign Policy: Global Issues at the Intersection of Science, Religion, and Foreign Affairs – Michael Hamburger.  He was terrific, mostly talking about his last two years with the State Department as part of an elite group of scientists working on . . . well, the title of the course.  Since the work involved science, they were disbanded after the last election.  And for the last afternoon class, we both took Race, Caste, and Status: Discrimination in the 21st Century in a Global Context – Patrick O’Meara.  Professor O’Meara came to the U.S. from South Africa in 1970, and his discussion ranged from apartheid to Black Lives Matter.  Interesting statistic: 1/6 of all people on Earth are Indian, and 1/6 of Indians are “untouchables.”  Then it was on to a faculty salute in President’s Hall, i.e., more wining and dining.]

[Then Rita and I walked back across campus to return to Nashville – the Super had already gone back with Scott to meet up with her son, Rob, who was coming in for the evening from Dayton, Ohio.]

[VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR! With all sworn to secrecy by Rita’s son David, I was to drive her back to Nashville between the last afternoon class and the evening class on Thursday of Mini-University in Bloomington so she could participate in the Brown County Community Foundation’s annual awards ceremony. She did not know she had been named Volunteer of the Year – we pulled it off, she was totally surprised! Congratulations Reetz!!]

[And here’s Rob, he and the Super and Rita’s son David went out to dinner together . . . ]

[While Reetz and I hightailed it back to Bloomington for our evening class – we were about a half hour late . . . ]

[It was Evolution of Piano and Vocal Styles in Jazz – Tom Hustad with Rachel Caswell & Monika Herzig.  Rachel is the singer, and adjunct lecturer in music; and Monika is the pianist, past lecturer, and now part of SPEA’s Arts Management program.  Enjoyable evening of live music with classic videos of greats from the past.]

[And now heading back to Nashville, again.]

June 16

The Last Day of School

[Drove by this street sign all week – had to get the photo on the last day.  It was about halfway between Nashville and Bloomington.]

[Final morning arrival at the Union.]

[Just one class the last day.  Mine was this one Building a Better HAL 9000: Algorithms, the Market, and the Need to Prevent the Further Engraining of Bias – Angie Raymond.  The professor was a delightful bundle of energy, but the subject matter was way above my head.  Basically, we learned the “market” has us all under constant surveillance.  I finally asked, I have never had a cell or smart phone – will I be deported?

[After the last class of Mini-University, The Biddies and I went on an art tour of the campus. Do you recognize a major theme?]

[By order of the Super, a small colony of rabbits appeared to have a warren in the Union’s traffic circle.]

[Our last venture to the parking lot.]

[And our self-guided tour began at the Lilly Library . . . ]

[A bust of Bobby Knight . . . or was it Donald Trump?]

[Ooops, nevermind.  It was of the John A. Macdonald of the United States.]

[Back outside at the Showalter Fountain.  Over the years, I have taken many photos of this fountain.  I have no idea why?]

[IU Auditorium]

[Grunwald Gallery of Art]

[And now for all the stuff inside the gallery . . . ]

[Art . . . always on the cutting edge . . . ]

[There’s the Showalter Fountain again.]

[The Super’s photos of hers and Reetz’s day, and her descriptions of each.  They took Hope and Glory and Beyond: The John Boorman Collection at the Lilly Library – Craig Simpson (Lilly Library Manuscripts Archivist).

Boorman, an English filmmaker who is best known for his feature films such as Point Blank, Hell in the Pacific, Deliverance, Zardoz, Excalibur, The Emerald Forest, Hope and Glory, The General, The Tailor of Panama, and Queen and Country has directed 22 films and received 5 Academy Award nominations (Wikipedia).  His collection of papers, artifacts, and reel-to-reel films—recently acquired by the Lilly Library—spans the years 1940-2014 and contains over 150 cubic feet of materials from his life and work. Correspondence, photographs, screenplays, sketches and storyboards, publicity materials, and memorabilia from all of his directed films, as well as several unmade projects, form the bulk of the archive (IU website).]

[The Biddies had to don white gloves to hold his Golden Globe and Cannes Best Director Awards.]

[Gold Record for Dueling Banjos from the film Deliverance.]

[Morgana’s (Helen Mirren) Breastplate from the film Excalibur.]

[A Brutal Exterminator mask casting from John Boorman’s Zardoz.] 

[Shoes worn by Lee Marvin in Point Blank.  Lee also starred in Boorman’s Hell in the Pacific.  They remained close drinking buddies until Lee’s death in 1987.]

[The Super wrapping up the day with the following three . . . ]

[And the grand finale, a coffee and continental breakfast in the Solarium.]

Learning never exhausts the mind.  ~  Leonardo da Vinci  (Although it my case it comes close.  ~  Me)

Up Next:  Heading home