alexandriacardinals

July 31

[From Facebook: And now for the rest of the story. First, we have to get the Super a new tablet . . . her old Samsung has just about lost all of its photo taking abilities. We stayed at the Starlite Motel in New Holstein, WI (population 3,200), a mom & pop, single floor, 1950’s-style, 15-room (?) place, just perfect for a one-night stand before we can check into camp 12 miles away. This morning we wandered out looking for a place to eat breakfast. We’re at the far south of end town, so we went north looking, driving all the way through town and finding nothing (it’s early Sunday morning). We stopped at a Piggly Wiggly to ask about restaurants – turns out it was about a half block from our motel, the other way! At the South Town Family Restaurant, our server was ‘experienced,’ cheerful and delightful, another was 3 weeks from giving birth to her 3rd child, with dyed pink red hair in a tight bun (again, delightful), two old guys (OK, my age) were sitting at the next table: One asked, “So, how many miles on the truck now?” The reply, “Oh, about three-forty.” The other customers in the place did not need menus. Food was good, if too much. In other words, everything was perfect! 🙂 ]

[Then on the road to Elkhart Lake.  BPOE?  Well, it is ‘Elk’hart Lake after all.]

[On the Sunday morning drive from New Holstein to Elkhart Lake . . . ]

[As is the church . . . ]

[And the internationally famous Sheboygan County Broughton Marsh Park & Campground.  It’s walking distance from Camp Brosius – in fact, it’s a morning activity at camp to do this walk . . . ]

[We were just killing time until camp opened, so we climbed the 144 stairs to the top.]

[Huff, puff, huff, puff, we made it!]

[Nice views!]

[There’s our Beetle.]

[Then we drove into Elkhart Lake and to the Barefoot Tiki Bar at Victorian Village.  It’s becoming a family meet-up place before camp opens.]

[Our camp is on the diagonally far side of the lake.  The Tiki Bar is a nice place for a Bloody Mary while we’re waiting.  And we had a nice visit with the couple who organized and emceed the music festival the night before – they remembered me as the photography guy.]

[Then we drove by and around Osthoff, the giant resort/condo complex . . . ]

[This is where we golfed . . . when I did such things.]

[This is a cloud.]

[This is a dead end sign.]

[This is a doe and her twins.]

[Never pass up an opportunity to photograph a girls’ basketball sign.]

[Where the Elkhart Lake famous and infamous meet for breakfast and lunch.]

Finally, arriving at camp . . .

[This is from the public landing shooting toward camp on the right.]

[Out first sighting of the new office . . . ]

[And it’s innards.]

[Internet access to the world here . . . when it’s working.]

[Our first camp meal Sunday evening – always a turkey dinner with all the fixin’s.]

[Are we kids of all ages having fun yet?]

[Then the camp counselors introduced themselves, told us their jobs for the week, and who handles all the kids for the week by age groups.  Our Katie and Ruby above, for instance, are with the rest of the 14-year olds and older).  Thus, adults are left to just run around like . . . children?]

[And then the counselors, college students all, lead the opening night campfire regaling the history of Elkhart Lake..]

[This is when the Supervisor grabbed my camera so she could get a shot of the back of my head . . . ]

[And from the other side, shots of Rita and me discussing the finer points of our 401k’s.]

[Say goodnight, everyone!]

Summer has set in with its usual severity. ~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Up Next:  More camp . . .

Summer camp . . . that time of year when you pack up and leave your perfectly comfortable retirement lake home to drive 450 miles in 7 1/2 hours to enjoy a week of non-air conditioned discomfort with 115 people you generally see just this one time of year.

July 29

Before we left:   A little song, a little dance, a little spritzer, down our pants . . .

[Of course, Anthony at the winery.]

July 30

On the road to camp . . .  Again, this is the Super’s Indiana University alumni camp in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.  We have been partaking of Camp Brosius most of the time for over 20 years now, but we are pikers compared to the Super’s sister Rita, from Nashville, Indiana, who I believe is up to 33 years, and our friends from Fort Wayne, Vickie and Scott, who just completed their 37th year.  The camp operates, for campers and their families, for 8 weeks over the summer.  There is a weekly turnover of from 115 – 140 people, and we have been in the 8th week group for many years now.

[Our first day’s destination was New Holstein, about 12 miles north of Elkhart Lake.  We stayed in a $50/night mom & pop motel because there was no lodging available in Elkhart Lake.  But we were close enough to go into Elkhart Lake for an evening of music on Saturday and for 1:00 check-in at camp in Sunday.]

[Letting the good times roll in New Holstein, Wisconsin!!]

[Then on the road to Elkhart Lake – County Road J, that is.]

[New Holstein at the top with Elkhart Lake just below, both equally positioned between Lakes Winnebago and Michigan.]

[Beautiful downtown Elkhart Lake, population just under 1,000.]

[Home of the Midwest Acoustic Musical Festival, 2106, at the Lake Street Cafe.]

[You don’t really think I’d remember all the groups, did you?  I do remember this group was from Chicago, their first appearance here, I was indifferent to their music, but they and all the musicians were doing this without pay (other than the organizers passing the hat) for the exposure.]

[And one must eat, too!  The Super a margherita pizza; me a three-soup combo.]

[A sketch artist was there, offering to draw any or all for $10 (as I recall).  She sat in front of us to sketch this group (well, duet) on the stage.  It looked good, and she did about 6 of them while they were performing (each group got 45 minutes).]

[And they were our favorite performers on the evening.  Their name?  I forgot.]

[During a music break, I ordered one scoop – seriously!  I ran into an old guy at the cash register who had the same thing.  He said, “I see you ordered the single scoop, too!”]

[And we had the waffle cone maker in the background.]

[Walking from downtown toward the lake.  Those are scarecrows.  Scared?]

[Coming up on Victorian Village, a big resort.]

[The landscaping features hydrangeas along the sidewalk.]

[And a nice view of the lake from the resort, over the pool and the Barefoot Tiki Bar.]

[Meanwhile, back at the music festival . . . ]

[Leaving the scene of the evening.]

[The old depot where several years ago I bought my “Tommy, the golfer.”]

[With the aforementioned “Tommy, the golfer,” a sculpture made from a railroad tie.]

[Almost sunset, past our bedtime, and we still had that 12-mile drive back to New Holstein.]

[Entering New Holstein.]

Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. ~ Russell Baker

Up Next:  More camp . . .

April 29

~ Bamberg

I’d like to thank the Super for covering for me with her tablet. Since last we met we were bused from Regensburg to Bamberg with an intermittent stop in Nuremberg yesterday, where we endured rain, sleet, hail, snow, and locust infestations but had a wonderful time. As we go, maybe we can cover our Bamberg adventures later today – after sink washing dainties. While docked in Bamberg we had no internet. We’ve moved from Viking Embla to Viking Aegir where I now just have access to one computer with a camera memory chip port. 

[We awoke on our new boat, the Aegir, to see this out out porthole . . . ]

[I don’t know what it was, but the logo indicates we were in Bamberg.]

[Our view walking away from the boat on our way to tour Bamberg.]

[Remember her from the night before heading down to the boat?]

[With Pam shooting photos, with Tom, and John protecting the piece of black petrified wood next to him . . . ]

[I can report that Pam is shooting the famed town hall in the foreground with the Bamberg Cathedral and monastery in the background.  Out tour guide with the ever popular ’10A’ lollipop.]

[Modernity!  The horrors!  I can’t remember what it was, probably a library or theater, but it was to serve as a marker point for finding out way back to boat.]

[Walking past a city park with the cathedral always as a background reference point.]

[Apparently just known as an anchor figure?]

[This is a statue of some note, but since I didn’t take notes . . . I have no idea.  But it’s in the Piazza San Marco . . . ]

[With this – “the Tent of Religions,” re-erected in 2014.]

[We were walking along the sidewalk of the university . . . ]

[Markusplatz, Plastik von 1999 mit Herausforderer von 2013.  Well, you figure it out.]

[I’m having a hard time finding the names of the Bamberg statues we ran across.  We unfortunately did not find the one below, but it’s Botero’s “Beauty Queen.”  Thank you, Google.]

[Another statue I can’t find any references for?]

[Whom amongst us doesn’t enjoy a nice steer frieze?]

[Regnitz River waterfront . . . ]

[Old Town Hall, the most famous building in Bamberg . . . or so they say.]

[The Regnitz from Alte Rathaus, the Town Hall bridge.]

[“The Centurion one” sculpture created by Igor Mitoraj in 1981, the Polish artist specializes in sculptures with cut parts that, on his view, to symbolize the destruction caused by the time. So to speak, artificial antiquity…the Sculpture was installed in 2001 and received in the people the name “Halber Kopf” – “the man with half a head”.  (From http://lpsphoto.ru/en/bamberg-untere-brucke.)]

[Our guide said the locals just refer to is as “The Headache.”]

[Gathering before the assault on the city.]

[Crossing over Alte Rathaus – the Town Hall on the left.]

[Good ole ’10A’ again!  Pam photoing in the center foreground.]

[See something center bottom?]

[A leg sticking out of the wall!!  No wonder it’s the most famous bulding!]

[A kayak course!  Practicing for the Olympics?]

[Apparently known only as the Wedgewood Blue building.]

[Queen Kunigunde (yeah, that’s what I said?)]

[Always on the alert for green organic vegetables.]

[Bamberg Old Town, a/k/a, Domplatz]

[Bamberg Cathedral, as in all classical buildings throughout Europe, under repair.]

[A 13th century structure]

[Guy on a horse, a/k/a, the Bamberger Reiter.]

[Though fairly obvious, we’re inside the cathedral.]

[The nave]

[Tomb of Heinrich II and Kunigunde]

[Dr. Kiehne climbed to the tomb vantage point.]

[Crypt]

[Although quite obvious, we’re outside the cathedral again.]

[Our guide noted that Adam and Eve are anatomically incorrect – they HAVE navels!]

[Bamberg from the cathedral]

[The Old Court . . . ]

[And courtyard]

[Pam took this one.]

[Exiting the courtyard . . . ]

[Looking back at Old Court]

[Heading into the quite lovely (though flowerless at this time of year) Bamberg Rose Garden . . . ]

[With its views looking over of the city.]

[And looking back at the cathedral.]

[Helen and the Super enjoying the stroll.]

[And settling down for the required outdoor beverage event!]

[And this was such a lovely spot we had to get a couple from Ruthie’s tablet . . . ]

[And then Pam and Tom happened by for a couple shots . . . ]

[Meanwhile, back at the river.]

[This indicates that we are back at our boat.]

[And in dire need of desserts!]

[Dr. Kiehne found a lovely vantage point from which to witness our passage through a lock.]

[Released to freedom!]

[A now just a nice meander through the German countryside.]

[Looks like party time back in the lounge.]

[Green stuff out the window.]

[Mistletoe!]

[The [+] sign indicates a 1/2 kilometer marking.]

[And even more desserts!]

[And then we lost contact with the world!]

[We spent the night before Wurzberg under this bridge.]

[That obviously interrupted our internet signal – parking a few feet in either direction may have cleared that up?  Nevertheless, it was a lovely evening.]

I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.  ~  Oscar Wilde

Up next:  Rothenburg, me thinks.

Harry Ramaley died on July 9th.  He was 88 years old.  He was a golfer.  He played in the senior leagues at the Alexandria Golf Cub for many years.  He was fun to play with, but I always asked him not to take advantage of his obvious experience advantage – he was one week and 20 years older than me.  He was a very good golfer, with a swing that had no extraneous parts.  He accomplished every golfer’s ultimate goal of “shooting his age,” which he did on many occasions.  Our condolences from all to Lois and the Ramaley family.

[Below, my first photo of Harry.  It was September 11, 2006, the senior men’s league annual steak fry at the club.  Harry is bending slightly forward between the four seated people, one of whom is a close personal relative of mine.]

[This photo is from June of the next year.  Again, a senior league steak fry (yes, we tried to have them whenever possible).  We all seem happy to be there.  Harry is on the far right side of the front row.]

[This does not appear to be a senior league steak fry.  Mavis and Dar Hentz join Lois and Harry for some kind of dress-up event, July 30, 2009.]

[Yup, steak fry, August 31, 2009.  Harry on the back row, 4th from the right.]

[Front (l-r): Don Hanson, Gordy Anderson, Paul Arnesen, Warren Gibson.  Back (l-r): Martin Haar, Dar Hentz, and Harry.]

[June 29, 2011, Harry and Lois are on the far left about to participate in the putting contests that went hand-in-golf glove with the steak fries.  I seem to recall that Harry won this at least once.]

[September 13, 2011, Harry is standing 2nd from left.  After each league round, we’d repair to the clubhouse for lunch and reparations.  Every year, one server drew the unlucky straw to take care of us.  For at least a couple years it was Linda.]

[August 28, 2012, Lois and Harry are waiting in line for the annual putting contest as part of the annual steak fry.]

[This must have been a winning year for Harry as he stands to receive the accolades of the attendees.]

[September 25, 2012.  Our league drew poker chips to make teams.  On this day, the four oldest guys all ended up on the last team together.  They were all over 85 then – but they were probably the winners!]

[Harry was, of course, more than just a golfer.  Here is his obituary from Legacy.com:

Harry David Ramaley was born on August 28, 1927 in St. Paul, MN to Edward and Lillian (Hawkins) Ramaley. He graduated from Humboldt High School in St. Paul, MN in 1945, and served in the United States Navy. Harry returned to St. Paul and attended Mills College of Art and was offered a job at The Golden Rule Department Store, creating their advertising. Harry married his High School sweetheart Donna Lou Lilledahl in June of 1949. They lived for two years in Sioux City, Iowa and then moved to Duluth. The couple was blessed with two sons, David and Jeff. Harry did community work with the Jaycees and later the Kiwanis Club in Duluth. Harry worked as an Executive and Vice President at Davidson Printing Company, which later became Harcourt Brace Publishing from 1952 to 1990 when he retired. In retirement, after trips to the Phoenix area, Harry and Donna decided to move to Sun City West, AZ. They bought land and contracted to have a home built. But before they could move into their new home, Donna passed away on April 12, 1994. Harry was briefly married to Dorothy Dwyer (also of Duluth) before she passed away suddenly of cancer. Harry married Lois (McGregor) Gallagher on July 4, 1998 at Calvary Lutheran Church in Alexandria, Minnesota. Like many “Snowbirds”, the couple lived in Alexandria and wintered in Sun City West, AZ. Harry was a very passionate golfer and was very proud of the days in his seventies and eighties; he could “shoot his age”. He was also very artistic and loved to draw and paint cartoons for his family and his golfing buddies. Harry helped pass this love of art to his sons who both have a great interest in art, and now this appreciation is also being passed down to the grandchildren. Harry passed away on Saturday, July 9, 2016 at his home in Alexandria at the age of 88. He is survived by his wife, Lois Ramaley of Alexandria; sons, David (Nancy) Ramaley of Oakley, UT, and Jeff Ramaley of Duluth, MN; grandchildren, Austin and Krista Ramaley of Salt Lake City, UT; brother, Gene (Mary) Ramaley of Garrison, MN; Lois’s children, Pam (Tim) Hunt of Alexandria, Mac Peek and David (Susan) Peek both of Baton Rouge, LA; 6 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild; and many nieces and nephews and his beloved dog, Toby. Harry is preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Lillian; first wife, Donna Lou; brother, John Ramaley and sister, Grace Church. A memorial service will be held on Friday, July 15, 2016 at 11am, at Calvary Lutheran Church in Alexandria with Reverend Alicia Hilding officiating. Inurnment will be at Park Hill Cemetery in Duluth, MN.

An accomplished man with a career in printing and publishing, his artistic skills were shared among his golf buddies.  Here he captured my efforts as the “cub reporter.”]

[Needless to say, I was honored to receive this caricature from Harry.]

[It still holds a place of importance at the “cub reporter” desk.]

[We’ll miss Harry, of course, and he will always be remembered among “the guys” for one significant sentence.  It cracked me up so much at the time I had a very difficult time addressing my next golf shot.  And we all remind each other of it at appropriate times. Harry was on my team as I was getting ready to hit my 2nd shot after a surprisingly good drive down the middle.  Harry drove his cart up to me, give me a Harry look, and dead-panned, “Now don’t fuck up.”]