Cool Find

OK, I just found this very cool site called SeeqPod. It allows you to embed music or video files that you find online in your blog, something I could never figure out how to do on eblogger before. So here's a little something for you to listen to, coming from I have no idea where. I love this!

Da

About a week and a half ago Carrie's dad was here to visit. He'd been up to his home town of Chisolm, MN for his 60th High School reunion, and then came southward, dividing his time between here and Scandia. We did lots of eating out, saw a couple of movies, checked out some nurseries and just hung out. Oh, and played lots of Palabra. It was good to see him, as always.

More Posts Soon

I haven't posted in awhile... I've actually been pretty busy working on the WI demo reel. What's taking so long is mostly that I'm learning the software as I'm going. I'm using Final Cut Express, LiveType and Soundtrack, very powerful and fun apps all. An invaluable companion along the way has been lynda.com. I recommend this site to anyone looking to learn new software.

So anyway, I'm in the final stretch, and should be able to do some more posts very soon.

Summer, 1972

Another slide scan from the past. Looking east on Ivy Avenue, toward Jessie St.
Appropriate music? The Barber Violin Concerto, Op.14, first movement.

June is Up

Was June bustin' out all over? You decide.

Island Getaway, Part Three

Saturday was our day to explore a little bit around Bayfield and environs. The ferry ride back over was pretty bumpy, with waves splashing over the sides of the ferry and onto/into our car. Sitting in the car I perused the little 'Bayfield visitor's guide' and came across an ad for Moon Over Madeline Island and its author Jay Gilbertson. Very tasteful and ingenious on our friend's part!

Carrie remembered a little bit of work she had to do, so we sought out a cafe with WiFi (latté da) in Ashland. Spent a few minutes getting reconnected and then poked around the town for just a little bit. Then we stopped in the town of Washburn, where we found a very cool used bookstore, where I bought my very first one of these (click on photo for more info): and then had lunch.

We also found a pottery place that had lots of neat stuff; and before we returned to the island we walked around Bayfield some more.

That was about it for Saturday, except we had dinner at a very nice place called 'Lottta's' where we had a good meal, but the highlight was talking to the couple next to us who were playing with their brand new iPhones! One day after the launch and in an island in Lake Superior, and we still got to see and hold an iPhone. Very awesome, but luckily it didn't instill unbridled lust in my heart.

Sunday morning we packed up (minus Carrie's toilet kit, it turns out) and took our last ferry ride back to Bayfield. We had a late breakfast at Greunke's, an historic and very funky place where the specialty is battered whitefish livers. We passed in favor of eggs, granola and toast, but we really enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. And in the menu, on the list of celebrities who'd eaten there, was none other than one Jay Gilbertson, along with lesser lights John F. Kennedy Jr. Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal.

After eating it was time to head toward home, but first we paid a visit to Bayfield's cemetery. Strangely enough, Carrie's dad's father and mother are buried there. A quick phone call to Portland and Da told us that their graves were 'up on a hill'. After about ten minutes of searching we found them:



The cemetery had a slightly seedy, unkempt and tattered feel, which was, in an odd way very appealing. Definitely a non-American vibe, none of that usual obsessive fear of death, everything neat as a golf course feel.

Now it was really time to head home and we did, and as usual with a round trip like this, the way home seemed much quicker than the way there. All in all, a very fun weekend!

Island Getaway, Part Two

Friday morning, the big, but also quietly observed, birthday! We'd evaluated the whole ferry back and forth thing ($42 round trip) and decided to spend one day wholly on the island and today was to be it. Stepping out our front door in the morning, I saw these two neighbors, crossing the road:


Our main 'activity' of the day was to be to drive around the island, just so we could say we drove all around it. We saw (but didn't enter) the State Park and a little further on found the 'city park'. We stopped and found a very lovely beach, and better yet a huge, I mean really huge pine tree under which we spread our blanket and read for quite awhile. This photo really doesn't do justice to the hugeness of this tree:
We also watched people snorkeling and beachcombing.















We found this little seat made of stone which made a good photo spot:


A surprising lot of the island is served by gravel roads, and also surprising is the amount of property for sale on the island. It must take a special breed of people to want to build/live there, especially year-round.





We made our way back to La Pointe where we ate lunch at sort of self-service kind of cafe and had two of the most picture perfect veggie burgers we'd ever seen:












Then it was back 'home' for more reading, etc. and later beers and Russian Bank an the picnic table:

The beers (and a few other provisions) we acquired at the 'Island Market' which was one of the most idiosyncratically stocked country stores we've ever seen. Gourmet cheeses, charcoal ($7.50/bag), NY Times, individual Lipton tea bags (which I had to buy, having forgotten to bring tea) fresh fruit, used books, frozen bread, meat and booze galore (of course) and basically everything you'd want (for a price). Here was also our first encounter with that slightly crusty tourist/local friction which seemed to permeate the whole town. The feeling that they were dependent on our presence for their existence but resented it nonetheless.

Anyway, just another note about the cabin/house where we stayed; we really appreciated many of the little touches we found when we looked closely. Here are a few of them, including a note taped to the door which we never did quite figure out. Any theories as to what it might mean would be appreciated!

Island Getaway, Part One

This past weekend we motored up to Madeline Island, a 'mini-vacation' to celebrate Carrie's birthday. We had a wonderful time, relaxing, exploring, eating and being mostly 'off the grid'. Here are a few of the highlights:


Thursday morning we stopped on the way to meet our writer/farmer friend Jay, to pick up some copies of signed books to deliver to a bookstore in Bayfield and to receive some last minute tips on what to see. Here's Jay in his low rider, signaling peace to the people.








Somewhere between Spooner and Hayward came the first awesome thing we saw, and anyone who's a Zippy fan knows why we pulled over to check this out.








Late afternoon Thursday we arrived in pretty Bayfield, WI, delivered Jay's books and checked out the bookstore... and I found at least one treasure, a Wodehouse called Uncle Dynamite. The mind reels with anticipation. Bayfield is a cute little town with a lot of history, but now is pretty touristy. We got the feeling that there is a little of the the historical Bayfield to be found if you look hard enough; I'll relate some of that in another post.


Of course you need to take the ferry to get to the island; here's a view of Bayfield as we were heading out. And happy, day-before-birthday Carrie:



Landed safely on the island, and found our cabin:















We unpacked, drove around La Pointe (the one town on the island) to check out dining places, etc., had dinner and then returned 'home' to our own Moon Over Madeline Island: