alexandriacardinals

November 5

It’s an annual event – meaning it comes around once a year.  By our host’s, Basketball Dan, a long-time resident of Woodbury, recollection the first one was in 1976.  So the first one just happened to coincide with the year the “Great One” and I were in attendance for the championship game crowning the last NCAA undefeated men’s basketball champions, the Supervisor’s very own Indiana Hoosiers.

[After a two-hour adventure down I-94, you know you’re entering downtown Minneapolis when the Basilica of St. Mary looms in your windshield.]

[Then you know you’re crossing the Mississippi when the Witch’s Hat looms in your windshield.  On such a beautiful day, it was destined to be our first stop.]

[I had not been here in years, though at some point in our existence the Super and I visited together.]

[The Super trudging up the steps.]

[And here’s why you go here.]

[And panning just a bit right is “The Bank,” where our Gophers were soon to take on the Purdue Boilermakers.]

[Absent the telephoto.]

[After circling the tower, we have returned to find “perspectives” in view finder.]

[And now in the “P” mode, which always seems to provide a blue light special look.]

[The big, black monstrosity in the left center is the Vikings’ Stadium, a $1.1 billion homage to commercial sports.]

[And the Gopher Stadium . . . we have new stadia everywhere!]

[This is the US Bank Stadium, the Gophers’ is the TCF Bank Stadium.  I think I got that right.]

[Just a gorgeous November day . . . and why I had to make this stop.]

[And since we were here, we decided to go from Minneapolis to St. Paul via University Avenue, again something I hadn’t done since the Age of Aquarius.]

[The Capitol, a McDonald’s, and the Green Line.]

[We crossed over I-94 here  at the Cathedral of St. Paul and took the interstate the rest of the way to our destination.  After now numerous trips to Europe, we have become acutely aware of cathedrals.]

[Downtown St. Paul]

[Once you pass Ruth Street, you’re just a stone’s throw from Basketball Dan’s (well, if you  have a really good arm).]

[We have arrived at the Great One’s at the appointed hour . . . noon-ish.]

[When Dan first moved to Woodbury, shortly after the age of the dinosaurs, there were miles and miles of empty fields between him and any signs of urbanity.  Now Radio Drive, the commercial street just two blocks from his home, is 14 lanes wide!  They have Ubers to take you from one side to the other!]

[A 30-pounder!!  More about that as we progress.]

[Suzanne renders unto Caesar (that’s Caesar, a/k/a, the Great One, on the left) the turkey.  She and husband Mike seem to make this august event on a regular basis all the way from Boise, Idaho.  Go Broncos!]

[The lead, and only, chef mops his brow as the partisans begin to dig in.  Suzanne and Hans work on the final demolition of the bird.]

[Libby fluffs up the mashed potatoes.  I remember the “es” from President Bush!]

[Dan sets the table with assorted fixin’s: two kinds of cranberries, a sweet potato casserole, a corn casserole, I believe four kinds of dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, the “bird,” and four different pies!  Dig in!]

[His work done for the moment, he settles in to watch whatever college football games are on the two TV’s (in the past there have been three TV’s but at our respective ages we can then no longer comprehend everything that is happening).  Our ranks were somewhat depleted this year as the Big Ten, or its TV corporate owners, changed the Gopher game starting time from 11:00 to 2:30.  We have people who are still season ticket holders. Those who were here all have multiple years on Medicare and discussions ranged about what it’s done for them.  We learned, for example, that our host, with severe osteoporosis, will need help hefting a 30-pound turkey next year – this year we triple-teamed it to get it out of the oven.  And he was delighted to have an invited work force to flip his mattresses.  It’s happening to all of us.  So, until next year . . . ]

Turkey: A large bird whose flesh, when eaten on certain religious anniversaries has the peculiar property of attesting piety and gratitude.  ~  Ambrose Bierce

Up Next:  It’s a surprise . . . even to me.

November 4

[OK, fessing up.  This was not a big surprise.  I think everyone believed from the start of the season this was an attainable goal.  How we did it was a little more amazing.]

[Clemens Stadium, St. Johns University, home of John Gagliardi, college football’s all-time winningest coach.]

[Cardinals are introduced.]

[And the rest of the team.]

[Jaran Roste (1) kicks off with what is now the standard approach – hard grounders.]

[And the Sartell-St. Stephen Sabres begin their first offensive set.  The Sabres were the section’s No. 2 seed behind us and were on a 6-game winning streak after losing their first three games.]

[The Sabres ran and passed rather effectively through the 1st quarter . . . ]

[Tyson Hoelscher (89) with the pass pressure.]

[And Tyson again with pressure.]

[The Sabres controlled the ball almost the entire quarter.  The Cards only had the ball twice, both were three and outs.  We have been starting slow the last couple games?]

[Will Odland (24), middle linebacker, makes the stop.  Will missed the last one or two games leading up to this one.  And also in this game, we were missing Dan Oberg, our 293 nose tackle, for the second straight game.]

[Fortunately, the Sabres only led 3 – 0 at the end of the first quarter.]

[Still in the first quarter, Micah Christenson (22) was a surprise starter.  He really hadn’t played (other than a couple of “cameo” appearances) since the 5th game of the season, yet had over 1,000 yards rushing to that point.  But we were without, again, flanker Cody Faber, who had also substituted as a third running back.  For much of the last couple games, we played without running backs.  And Micah and Cody were our main kick returners, both on punts and kickoffs.  Micah had a high ankle sprain which is usually a 6-week recovery.  From the beginning of the game, it appeared he was out there as a decoy only.]

[Jaran remained our prime, if not only, runner.]

[Then in the 2nd quarter, we went to our high speed offense.  Jaran found a rhythm and completed a 34-yard TD pass to John Urman (11).]

[It happened so fast the photos were a blur!]

[So, where are you going to eat after the game?]

[After a long TD pass by Sartell, the Cards came back.  Jaran fakes a handoff to Micah.]

[And fires a 25-yard TD pass to Spencer Hockert (84).  The PAT was missed.  The Cards had a 13 – 10 lead.]

[And the Cards were still rolling . . . ]

[Jaran and . . . ]

[Micah on an option left.]

[Jaran fires right as the Cards are in the rd zone.]

[Then he couldn’t find a receiver . . . ]

[And was dropped for a loss.]

[But Zach Harstad (2) capped the drive with a 28-yard field goal.]

[Cards led 16 – 1o at the half.]

[The 2nd half and we’re still rolling.  Linebacker Quintin Kluver-Longfellow (30) (remember, our regular kick returners not available) makes a nice return, thus showing why he usually has about 20 tackles per game.]

[Roste is fun when he’s rolling.  The game seems very simple to him.  Very calm – pick out a receiver – throw him the ball.  The strength of the team known going into the season was a deep and talented receiving corps.  The ball was spread among all of them for over 300 yards passing.]

[This bomb just missed down the right side.]

[Let go of my leg!!  We came out of it with a 37-yard field goal by young Mr. Harstad.]

[And we should note that absent Micah and Cody, it is no drop off in kick returners with Spencer.]

[The Cards march down the field again.]

[We’re getting close . . . ]

[And here Mr. Heydt can absolutely confirm this – I called this play (OK, all the way down the field on this drive I was calling for it).  Time to take Micah off the decoy list and hit him over the middle out of the backfield.]

[Beautiful!  9-yard TD!]

[We were now looking unstoppable on offense.]

[Boom!!  Spencer on a 37-yard TD reception – he caught at least 12 balls on the game.]

[Woo-woo!]

[Looks pretty safe now!]

[Jaran on a keeper . . . ]

[It looked like a TD pass, to Spencer as I recall.  But the ref said he was just short.  We fumbled into the end zone on the next play and the Sabres recovered.]

[We got the ball back . . . and to make up for the missed connection at the goal line, Micah stormed up the middle for a 22-yard . . . ]

[TD run!  Surely the game was in the bag now.]

[But then, after the Cards had dominated the 2nd and 3rd quarters, the Sabres took over the 4th.  With long Sabre drives, the Cards lost their offensive momentum.]

[The Sabres scored twice to pull within 8 points at 40 – 32.  A TD and a 2-point conversion would tie the game.]

[On a 4th down play, the Sabres last attempt for a possible tie . . . ]

[Was intercepted and run out to the 50-yard line by Michael Empting (12).  Game finally over!]

[WE WIN!  WE WIN!!]

[The final scoreboard must have moved when I took the shot.  So now we take on the team that’s been ranked No. 1 in the state all year.  They’re undefeated and won their section title against the defending state champs, 56 – 0.  Nothing to worry about though – Elk River only beat the Vikings 42 – 3 in a preseason game.  But we have until next Saturday night to see if we can field a team with more players in uniform than in civvies!]

In football everything is complicated by the presence of the opposite team.  ~  Jean-Paul Sartre [Granted Sartre is talking about futbol, but it’s still appropriate.]

Up Next:  A 30-pound turkey.

May 5

~ Amsterdam, day one continues . . . 

[It’s time to look for lunch . . . ]

[The Pancake place was rejected for reasons not remembered . . . ]

[Why don’t you guys scout out ahead . . .]

[Then come back and get me, but only if I’m still awake.]

[Wow, look at this!]

[And from Pam.]

[Darn, I must have been awake?]

[But I’ll get ya for it!]

[Something we don’t see on the streets of Alexandria . . . ]

[No, we didn’t bring any home . . . couldn’t find a male.]

[Destined to be on my headstone . . . if I ever had such a thing.]

[No room left on our refrigerator.]

[I can’t remember the place.  The food was pedestrian.]

[Nevertheless, after refueling, back on the streets again.]

[To those of us into such things, generally the best part of Europe . . . the ubiquitous sidewalk cafe.]

[Hi, I’m in Amsterdam!]

[American Hotel, famed in song and story (or so I’m told). This elegant hotel was built in 1900 and is officially listed as a monument. This hotel combines an elegant Art Deco heritage with modern facilities and a Roaring Twenties atmosphere (Booking.com).]

[A view from the outside . . . ]

[A view from the inside.]

[This is a canal.  I can tell because it has water and boats.]

[From Wikipedia: The Vondelpark is a public urban park of 47 hectares (120 acres) in Amsterdam.  It is part of the borough of Amsterdam-Zuid and situated west from the Leidseplein and the Museumplein. The park was opened in 1865 and originally named the “Nieuwe Park”, but later renamed to “Vondelpark”, after the 17th-century playwright and poet Joost van den Vondel.  Yearly, the park has around 10 million visitors. In the park is an open-air theatre, a playground and several ‘horeca’ facilities.  Using that truly modern invention called a map, we were able to determine that if we were ambitious enough to walk back to our hotel, a diagonal stroll through this park was the way to go.]

[My first one live and in person.]

[In museum land – you can read the signs.]

[Here you go!]

[I believe some of you may have heard of this gentleman.  He did something with paint.  And Don McLean wrote a song about him.]

[Pam and Tom captured 360 degrees of excitement.]

[The Super leads the charge down the excalator.  It’s such a treat given the limited number of them in Alex.]

[Patrons gather for the assault on “art.”]

[Starry, starry night . . . ]

[Multi-story and my throbbing leg syndrome kicked in big time here, which I’ve learned from these trips is a result of too much standing (between moving).  I decided I couldn’t do the “climb.”]

[But at least this was on Level I.]

[This “lobby” area is the only place where photos were allowed.]

[And Pam captures the whimsical guys.]

[Back outside the Super leads the assault toward the Rijksmuseum (more following).]

[Amster – Amster . . . ]

[dam – dam – dam!]

[The Professor’s good side going through the “m.”]

[As a recall we walked through the museum archway to come out the other side . . . ]

[But first the Super has to point out a . . . discus?]

[On the other side . . . ]

[The Super and I had visited here on a previous trip in the 90’s so we did not go in this time.  You have to be able to give it a lot of time . . . and this trip we mostly just wanted to see the city.]

[And now from Wikipedia:  The Rijksmuseum (English: National Museum) is a Dutch national museum dedicated to arts and history in Ansterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and the Concertgebouw.

The Rijksmuseum was founded in The Hague in 1800 and moved to Amsterdam in 1808, where it was first located in the Royal Palace and later in the Trippenhuis. The current main building was designed by Pierre Cuypers and first opened its doors in 1885. On 13 April 2013, after a ten-year renovation which cost € 375 million, the main building was reopened by Quenn Beatrix. In 2013 and 2014, it was the most visited museum in the Netherlands with record numbers of 2.2 million and 2.45 million visitors. It is also the largest art museum in the country.

The museum has on display 8,000 objects of art and history, from their total collection of 1 million objects from the years 1200–2000, among which are some masterpieces by Rembrandt, Frans Hals, and Johannes Vermeer. The museum also has a small Asian collection which is on display in the Asian pavilion.]

[Everybody studying maps, getting our bearings . . . where to next?]

[Back on a canal boat, bidding adieu to Rijksmuseum.]

[Another canal, per chance?]

[Melrose?]

[The Ann Frank House area . . . ]

[It’s nice when your boat has a skylight.]

[Kinda like the Darling-Carlos bridge?]

[Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy . . . ]

[In the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of  . . . ]

[Inside Central Station]

[Going on a hike from Central Station.]

[Canal scene, crossing from Central Station to . . .]

[Street scene]

[Let there be people . . . and bicycles . . . and canals!]

[Oy, the crowds!]

[Window shopping?]

[We were admittedly looking for the Red Light District . . . ]

[Because it’s the touristy thing to do . . . ]

[But, again, we had been here before, it’s not a place where you want to hang around for long . . . ]

[Though for some reason we sat for a beverage at a sidewalk cafe . . . interesting people?  This is the place (photo by Pam).]

[Pastries . . . ]

[And condoms?  Too crowded to go in (well, that was our excuse).]

[Dam Square . . . from Amsterdam info:  Just a five-minute walk down the Damrak from Centraal Station takes you into this jam-packed square, jostling with locals and tourists day and night. It was created in the 13th century when a dam was built around the river Amstel to prevent the Zuiderzee sea from swarming the city. During the sixties, the square was renowned for its Dam Square hippies, and the laid back and relaxed character of this densely pigeon populated square lives on.]

[The National Monument . . . ]

[With the Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky in the background.  We were looking for a place to eat (aren’t we always?) and went into the Krasnapolsky twice.  Wonderful place, but we either decided it was too expensive for what we were looking for, or you needed reservations?  It was while we here, everyplace was overwhelmed, we finally discovered it was The Netherlands Cinco de Mayo.  Yes, May 5th is Independence Day here too!  Oy!]

[Wreaths around the monument were a clue as to the holiday.]

[We eventually found an outdoor place on the square, waited a long time to be waited on, waited a long time to be served (we found out the food for all the restaurants around the square came out of a singe kitchen), but generally were just happy to be sitting and people watching on a beautiful day.  Hey, that’s Ripley’s!]

[The Royal Palace across the square from where dined . . . well, noshed.]

[On our way home.  Did not partake – heard it’s good?]

[Actually it’s kind of fun to not quite know where, or why, we’re going, but Tom enjoyed finding hopscotch on a city sidewalk.]

[And again I believe we were looking for a dinner place, secure in the idea that we knew how to get to our hotel from here . . . ]

[Amsterdam is awash with statues, but I couldn’t find anything on this guy.  Maybe if I’d gone around to the other side . . . they appear to be reading something?  But we were done for this day.]

If God had really intended men to fly, he’d make it easier to get to the airport.  ~  George Winters

Up Next:  Dunno

May 5

~ Amsterdam

[The Aegir has landed in Amsterdam.  For the first time in weeks, we will have to pack our bags and abandon ship.]

[So now it’s time for the long Minnesota good-bye.  John and Helen would be returning to the friendly confines of Ashby, while the Final Four would spend a couple of days kicking around in the Netherlands capital city.]

[Pam arranged passage to our new home . . . ]

[A window shot of a canal along the way . . . ]

[And this would be our resting place until we headed home.  It was out on the edge of the city, but very convenient with a metro stop right there.  And it was much closer to the airport than being in the middle of the city.]

[So we checked into our rooms . . . and then hopped on the train, heading for town.]

[A “new friend” in the booth.]

[Another canal – who’da thunk?]

[And we have arrived at the Central Station – where all city excursions by boat and train seem to begin and end.]

[Across the canal from Central Station . . . a big building, part, if not all, is the Victoria Hotel.]

[Central Station]

[We are aboat!  Having boarded a green line boat at Central Station.]

[Ain’t we got fun?]

[And we’re off, pulling away from Central Station.]

[Finally on the famous canals of Amsterdam.]

[Basilica of St. Nicholas]

[A fine looking building of unknown title.]

[Sea Palace Chin Restaurant – because that’s what it says on the roof.  A floating 3-story pagoda.  Reviews from very good to terrible.  We did not eat there.  The boat guide noted it’s famous for the number of exterior light bulbs . . . but try to find it anywhere?]

[I searched “canal spans in Amsterdam.”  This was not among them.  Maybe I’m the first guy to take its picture?]

[NEMO Science Museum is located at the Oosterdok in Amsterdam-Centrum, situated between the Oosterdokseiland and Kattenburg. The museum has its origins in 1923, and is housed in a building designed by Renzo Piano since 1997. It contains five floors of hands-on science exhibitions and is the largest science center in the Netherlands. It attracts annually over 500,000 visitors, which makes it the fifth most visited museum in the Netherlands.  (From Wikipedia, and no, we didn’t partake.)]

[You now know the basilica in the center of the photo.]

[And who wouldn’t want a condo lurking over a floating Chinese restaurant?]

[Interesting houseboats exist all along the canals. . .]

[With interesting “characters” on them.]

[How Amsterdam-ish!]

[The Montelbaanstoren clock tower (on the the Canal Oudeschans near Prins-Hedrichkade), which was originally part of Amsterdam’s defensive city walls. (From Amsterdam photo guide.)

[One of the 15 things Not to Do in Amsterdam – photograph women in the windows . . . ]

[That, of course, is for when you’re strolling the red light district – here it’s just reflecting what a lovely day it was.]

[There’s our clock tower contracting in the distance.]

[Looks important?]

[National Opera and Ballet]

[I’d like to have a boat to call my own . . . Since they are hop-on, hop-off at all stops, there can be various degrees of crowdedness.]

[Contrails over the Opera House.]

[Duck!]

[A park, with a statue.]

[And a better look at the statue.]

[Still have the boat mostly to ourselves.  Pam has gone into full sunblock mode.]

[Skinny houses]

[Nicely framed, you old photographer you.]

[Airin’ out the dogs.]

[I used have some of his attire.]

[The Professor is oblivious to the foot and bike traffic above.]

[More “fine” houseboat denizens.]

[Coming around to our clock tower again.]

[Is that a mosaic or a mural?]

[It’s a bike city.]

[The Ann Frank House – Pam and Tom would pay a visit on the following day.]

[What it is . . . I have no idea.]

[Noorderkerk (1620-1623)]

[EYE Film Museum]

[Pam shooting the EYE.]

[Big water . . . ]

[The hills are alive with the. . . ]

[Coming back to our starting point . . . ]

[Known as “a golden angel on a roof of a building.”]

[The parking garage for bikes . . . for 5,000 bikes!]

[Coming in for a landing at Central Station.]

[Heck, it’s such a great day let’s keep going!]

[And the Basilica of St. Nicholas again.]

[And again in the “rear view mirror.”]

[Let the basilica always be your guide.]

[And we’ve been here before, too!]

[Classic Amsterdam]

[Amsterdam lift bridge]

[And the Opera House again.]

[Unknown, but cool.]

[A photographer shooting casual sofa-ing on a pontoon.]

Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen. ~ Benjamin Disraeli

Up Next:  Amsterdam, until we’re done.