alexandriacardinals

May 26

Jami just happened to come down for the prelims . . .

[Can you say, “Ahhhhh, Sauterne”?]

May 27

A surprisingly nice day!  The assembled masses enjoyed music sitting outside for the first time (I think?).

[Anthony Miltich brought family and a friend:  I am joined by guest musicians Jim Miltich (harmonica/guitar/vocal/humorist), Helen Kaul Miltich (vocalist) and John Rivera (percussion).]

[They were as delightful as the weather . . . ]

[Here some are singing and some are drumming . . . ]

[Fans came from as far away as South Dakota . . . well, orginally.]

[And then another Miltich showed – Steve apparently was a total surprise.]

[Anthony is having fun with siblings.]

[At the request of at least me.]

May 28

[Josie Nelson + winery = WIND.  We’ve always joked that she always seems to get gale force winds when she performs here.]

[And the wind was quite chilly . . . ]

[Her mom arrived with an extra layer for her . . . ]

[But we said she should have ordered some wool socks as well!]

[It was an event weekend, with beer from the new local brewery, Copper Trail Brewing Company; and burgers and fries and stuff; and  . . . ]

[L’il Ole]

[And before Josie could finish, here comes the storm.  The Super and I got soaked rushing (well, a higher rate of speed than usual for older people) to the car out in the pasture.]

[Josie graduates from high school this year, an event that will take place prior to the next time I have to do my nails.  Then we’ll have to turn her loose in the world and hope she comes back to visit on occasion.]

Marry an orphan: you’ll never have to spend boring holidays with the in-laws.  ~  George Carlin

Up Next:  It was suppose to be the section softball game at noon today.  After getting totally drenched several times on the Canada trip and then yesterday at the winery with Josie, we received medical advice that any further soakings within the next 6 months could lead to a costly and painful surgical procedure called a “moldectomy.”  The game likely did not get rained out – I don’t know the results.

May 25

Cards – 10, Little Falls – 0

[Game day was gray, gloomy, and windy – so what else is new?  Captains, coaches, and umpires met at home plate in spite of it all.  The section’s No. 2-seeded Cardinals were hosting the 7th-seeded Little Falls Flyers (Flyers, because that’s where Charles Lindbergh was from, don’cha know).]

[Sophomore Kendra Hardy (13) took the mound (well, flat) for the Cards.]

[Junior Calley Richardson (15) patrols centerfield with aplomb.]

[Leading off for the Cards, senior shortstop Emma Ziegler (4) . . . ]

[Zig attempted to bunt for a hit but they got her by a whisker (or its equivalent).]

[At No. 2, junior 2nd baseman Allison O’Kane (9) . . . ]

[Who promptly . . . ]

[Lined a single to right – yeah, I know, the chain link won the focus battle here.]

[Batting 3rd, senior 1st baseman Ellie Ronning (12) . . . ]

[Who also singled.  We always say she will keep her batting average hovering around .600 as long as she doesn’t go into any 2-for-4 slumps.]

[Batting cleanup, the aforementioned Calley who just got under one a bit.]

[And then Kendra looking to help her own cause.]

[Nope, don’t care for that one.]

[Or that one either!]

[Whoa, what was that remark about whiskers?]

. .

[We didn’t score in the first, but in the 2nd junior Taylor Breitkreutz, who I have reason to suspect was playing righfield . . . ]

[Scorched, as all good hockey defenseman do, as single to left.]

[Junior catcher Jamie Lanoue (18) butted Taylor to 2nd (I think?) and was safe herself.]

[Sophomore leftfielder Sydney Christenson (2) kept the ball rolling (so to speak).]

[And Taylor scored the 1st run . . . ]

[Followed in by Jamie . . . ]

[Hey, I got a sequence . . . ]

[That stayed in focus!]

[Woo-woo!]

[I must have missed some at bats here, because here’s Calley again?  Those quick naps are refreshing.]

[And senior 3rd baseman McKenzie Revering (14), who I some how missed the first time through the lineup . . . ]

[Rev had two hits for the day.]

[Back to Kendra . . . ]

[Power to the opposite field.]

[This must be Taylor again, who also had two hits on the day . . . ]

[And then she (I’m just going by the white helmet) scored again, as the hits kept coming.]

[As Zig steps to the plate.]

[There’s contact . . . ]

[I’m no longer sure where we are now in the grand scheme of things, but the Cards scored 5 runs in the 2nd and 3 runs in the 3rd making the outcome only dependent on the final score.]

[Allison ducks under one but she, like her fellow hockey defensemen Rev and Taylor, also had two hits on the day.]

[And this may be hit No. 2. as she drives it toward right . . . ]

[Follow through running.]

[Ms. Ronning ended the day 3 – 4, as the shortstop snared her liner in her final at bat. This one looks like her double to right center.]

[And thar she goes!]

[Another run, though lost in the aura of the chain link.]

[That’s better – is it Allison?]

[It is here, I believe scoring on Ellie’s double.]

[Then Calley . . . ]

[Must have fouled one . . . ]

[Then this looks like . . . ]

[Her double . . . ]

[To left.]

[And Taylor . . . ]

[Rev’s on 2nd . . . ]

[Knock me in!]

[Jamie?  Is that you?]

[A lot of fans watching the game on the JV field . . . in their winter finery!  Osakis v. Bertha-Hewitt went extra innings at 3 – 3 – then B-W scored 2 in the top of the inning . . . ]

[But Osakis came back to win with 3 in the bottom of the inning.]

[Getting down to the nitty-gritty.  The Cards have an 8-run lead, two more runs from the 5th inning on will end the game by the 10-run rule.  Here’s Sydney, who had a nice game with two hits including a triple, 2 RBI’s, and 2 runs scored.]

[Zig going for the bunt single again.]

[This is Ellie’s line out . . . ]

[To short.]

[I guess 3 for 4 is still a pretty decent day.]

[Gotta have strength up the middle – so here’s Zig at shortstop where her defense is a real asset.]

[Calley hits one to left . . . ]

[Maybe this one was the double?]

[Is that you Rev?]

[A prelude to . . . ]

[Kendra’s up in the bottom of the 6th with a runner on . . . ]

[I said to Brad sitting next to me, “Two-run homer, Cards win 10-0.”]

[And she did it!!  I knew she had power, but I didn’t realize until later that was her first homer of the year.  Cards win and move on.]

If you’re dating a softball player, raise your hand.  If you’re not, raise your standards. ~ Unknown

Up Next:  Memorial Day weekend

May 6

Montreal Sail Away

[Well, the trip was for a cruise, after all.  But first we had to awake from our Airbnb loft.  I awoke first, as always, and shortly thereafter I found my spot usurped by Reetz as the sisters enjoyed some final shut eye together.  Aren’t they cute?]

[Reetz’s abandoned bed.]

[We schlepped our luggage down the 57 steps, and walked the 3 – 4 blocks to dock Alexandra where we were to pick up a shuttle ride to where we would actually be boarding the ship.  As fate would have it, no sooner did we begin our hike than the heavens opened up again.  Fortunately when we arrived at Alexandra a shuttle was waiting.  We arrived at the ship waaaaay too early – it was still belatedly unloading passengers from the inbound cruise.  We joined other waiting-to-board passengers in a large tent waiting area and tried to recover from our latest drenching.  We chatted with native Canadians who had to marvel how we Americans endure our bizarre health care system.  You just have to consider it all part of the grand adventure.]

[Hey, we made it!   We’re now on the good ship Veendam.]

[From our room . . . ]

[And our room!  Our travel agent, the HQ, had advised us shortly before the trip began that we could do an upgrade.  Because we were three again, the offer was reasonable and readily accepted.  But now we will be forever spoiled!  The room had two phones, for Pete’s sake.]

[The girls even had a makeup room . . .]

[And a bar and fridge and fruit and goodies and champagne . . . ]

[And mirrored walls made the place seem even bigger . . . ]

[Let’s see how the trip is doing . . . ]

[This was our private balcony . . . ]

[Not too shabby . . . ]

[And a passing view from the balcony . . . ]

[Back in the comfort of our suite, a word that really didn’t do the place justice!]

[The loo . . . ]

[You could see yourself from every angle in the makeup room – uffda!]

[And these last two in-room photos are by the server . . . ]

[If you go back to the ship schematics above, we were in room 022 on Deck 10, the Navigation Deck.  Maybe it was all this that inspired us to post the previous posting to this one?]

[Good-bye Olympic Park . . . ]

[The ship chaperones . . . ]

[Our neighbors are leaning out enjoying their champagne.  Then we never saw them again?]

[Good-bye, tugs!]

[Good-bye, Mount Royal.]

[Big port!]

[Bigger port!]

[Good-bye, Montreal!]

[Hello, Neptune Lounge!  Again, revisting the ship’s schematics, you will note that this lounge was across the hall from our suite . . . and available only to passengers in such suites (something about “unwashed masses” – just kidding!).]

[Food, beverage, library, TV, and spirits on the honor system.]

[The ominous skies continue – and remained with us the whole trip.]

[Our lovely patio – this was the only time the entire trip the weather permitted us such use.]

[Finally, moving away from urbanity . . . ]

[Heading to Quebec . . . ]

[When we noticed this almost alive sandbar . . . ]

[Smothered in water fowl . . . ]

[I don’t recall why, but no fine dining photos to end the day?]

In Montreal spring is like an autopsy.  Everyone wants to see the inside of the frozen mammoth.  Girls rip off their sleeves and the flesh is sweet and white, like wood under green bark.  From the streets a sexual manifesto rises like an inflating tire, “the winter has not killed us again!”  ~  Leonard Cohen

Up Next:  Softball sections.

May 26

The Super and I have reached that point in life when it’s time to downsize . . . like to a pup tent.  All too often now when we store something, we can never find it again (like the inhouse cordless phone?) – there are just to many places to hide stuff in a house this size. So, yes, this is an attempt at marketing the ole homestead.  Somehow seems fitting that it’s the 900th blog post, a nice round number?

Exterior

Road side, facing west

Looking west

Northwest corner

Lake side, facing east over Lake Darling

Lake side overlooking Lake Darling

“Covered” stairway to the lake

Stained and molded concrete patio 

Great room deck

View from great room deck

From ‘sunroom’ deck

Interior – Upper Level

Great room

Kitchen and dining

Great room overlooking the lake

Great room looking west over a 6-acre horse pasture

Great room

Full bath

Bedroom

‘Sunroom’ from the great room

Great room from the ‘sunroom’

Master bedroom

Master bath

Dining

Kitchen

Interior – Lower Level

Great room

Front door exiting west to road side

Walk-in closet

View to lake

Full bath

Bedroom

[The crafting/laundry and utility rooms are currently being used as ‘storage areas.’]

Aerial Views

These were taken on October 3, 2012.  The roofline is green metal in the shape of a plus (+) sign, generally located in the center of the photos.

Blasts From The Past

Now that you’ve seen the house, built 16 years ago, you can see it still looks brand new . . . except older.

And the views . . . oy, the views!

It’s a funny thing coming home.  Nothing changes.  Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same.  You realize what’s changed is you.  ~  F. Scott Fitzgerald