Summer wrap up, and fall intro

Greetings.  Time to bring this bad boy up to date.  Updates include some concert footage, proof that genius is not immediately recognized, and a gingerbread house.  So let's get started!!

U2



Starship U2 lands at TCF Stadium in Minneapolis


Last year U2 was supposed to wrap up their US tour in Minneapolis, but Bono strained his back probably in one of his soul arching bellows, and the band cancelled a handfull of its last shows.  We waited patiently, all 60,000 of us, and the show was well worth it when the band returned at the end of July.  My good friend Larry Kalka, who bought the tickets and had since moved to Dallas, flew back up for the show and invited my co-worker Ricardo and our good friend Dr. Mark Olisavo

Me, Ricardo, Larry and Mark

I haven't seen a super show in the monsters of rock genre in a long, long time for obvious reasons (expensive tickets, peeing people everywhere, traffic, performers that look like action figures from row 900 in section ZZZ).  All of those could have happened here, but we parked early, gave time for a good walk, lined up early and had the benefit of a zero alcohol policy in the stadium.  People just don't pee as much drinking diet cokes, even if they are spiked.

View looking backward

View looking forward

Obviously looking forward is better.  We ended up about 10 feet from one of the walkways where the band would come out and get the crowd riled up. 



One more view for good measure

So, as mega shows go, it was a great great evening.  To add to the energy, and support U2's reputation as kings of the showmaking arena, a storm moved in right as the show started, and finally moved out after the 2nd encore.  Rain in late July in Minneapolis is a welcome thing, and if you throw in some lightning, wind, and 60k screaming fans, well, you feel like you are smack dab in the middle of a kick ass 2.5 hour music video.  Of course, it also gave Bono a chance to sing "Purple Rain" which everyone expected (Prince is from Minneapolis) and "Singing in the Rain" which was a nice surprise.  I managed to get one clip of Adam Clayton and The Edge serenading us. This happened pretty regularly throughout the show. 

HALLOWEEN

Halloween was a fun event this year, as Abby and I learned a lot about each other, probably the most important being how much fun we have together.  A close second is that together we are more than capable of losing all sense of time in an arts and craft project.  A close third is that we're each a bit crazy.

Test phase of cranium apparatus

OK, there were a lot of things we learned about each other.  Another was we each have a strong, creative, somewhat off sense of imagination. That can be a wonderful, dangerous thing.  Thus, our choice of Ear Buds as our costume.  The idea came at a bar over a couple glasses of wine, but it made, and I would argue despite no one having a clue what we were, continues to make complete sense. Just because it took the entire day to put them together doesn't mean it didn't make sense.  Abby was gracious enough to make her apartment ground zero of our craft making tour de force. 

Abby's apartment is usually much cleaner than this.

Something out there convinced us it was a good idea to spend a good part of our morning at a fabric shop, then spend the rest of the afternoon and evening sewing, stapling and glue gunning together similar costumes to create a theme that not a single person understood.  You couldn't put together a better test of coupling, and we had a great time doing it, regardless of the constant looks of confusion. 

A perfect pair....................of something

Next year we're bringing home the gold!!  Or maybe we'll just stay inside and give kids candy.

THANKSGIVING AND GINGERBREAD

As my family knows, I took the option of staying in MN this Thanksgiving, and despite missing home, it was great to get to know Abby's family's traditions and take advantage of the good weather and long weekend (which means we ran a lot).  One of the nice new adventures in tradition land was making a gingerbread house. 

We can do Ear Buds, we can do gingerbread...what else you got?

It was Abby's idea to put a little guy in there.  He seems pretty happy.  I haven't eaten him yet.

Of course, we could take this a step further.  But for now, it's safe on Abby's mantlepiece.  We like it there.

OK, that's the news from a place closer to Lake Wobegon than where you live.  It's pretty good out here these days. Looking forward to see the fam at Christmas.  Love to all.  Andrew

Summertime Activities...and Abby alert!

I'm often asked by friends and family, "What is it exactly that people do in Minnesota?"  Without the mountains, or the oceans, or famous city streets like Broadway or Santa Monica Boulevard.  And my response is usually "Uhhh, well, we just sort of do all kinds of stuff"  So here is some summer stuff.

We do things like the Muddy Buddy, a run-bike-mud pit obstacle course.  I didn't do it, but that is only because I was in Vegas.  But, I did take the red eye out at 1am Saturday morning so I could get to the course by 8am to cheer on my favorite buddy.



Here are Mike, Pat, Jessie and Dustin Benson, 4 good run club friends putting the muddy in buddy. 



She'll hate that I did this, but that's Abby smiling and teammate Kelly in the final stage.  At least the helmet is still white.

Muddy and Buddy. This is how you're supposed to look at the finish

Post Muddy, still Buddy.  The Bensons, Pat and Mike, and Kelly and Abby

On top of outdoor activities like this, we appreciate what living off the land is all about.  Farming is a big deal here, so once a year your are reminded of its importance, when the farm comes to you at the Minnesota State Fair. 

Flower contests abound. In this room, dahlias everywhere, some the size of a basketball.  There was a weird Halloween theme going on, which I'm sure made sense to some, but not to me.




Mike and Abby waiving the dahlias goodbye till next year.....or maybe the year after. 

Corn is taken seriously, but not so seriously.  Minnesotans have a good sense of humor.  They gave this scarecrow a vacation once it's job was done. 

I had no idea what "seed art" was, and admit it, neither did you, but it's taken rather seriously here.  The winters are long, I guess this is one thing to do.

People lining up to get a closer look.  The wall goes to the left another 30 yards. It's......magical

Did I say magical?  I meant.....MAGICAL.

This deserves the largest size the blog can do.  Despite her tightly held district here, as my friend Mike said "Damn right, this ain't Iowa" 

Just in case you thought it was a fluke

There were awards for all kinds of foods, with the majority baked goods and desserts.  One day, God willing, I will be a judge.  I considered breaking the glass and trying myself, but didn't want to get kicked out.  Bet they were pretty damn good though.  

There were a number of "large vegetable" displays, but the pumpkins were by far the most popular.  Mike and Abby clearly were excited 

For those that have heard all the crazy hype about butter sculptures, here they are.  Bottom line, they're downright eerie and I'm pretty sure they talk to each other late at night when the building is closed.

We were so excited to get to the State Fair we forgot to put on our arms or legs. 

Abby was really excited to the baby animals, as the Miracle of Birth Center is full of pens of extremely pregnant goats, pigs, rabbits, cows and sheep.  TV monitors above broadcast recorded and live births. In a word, shocking, and not for native Californians.  Granted, the resutling little critters running around afterward are adorable, but due to the graphic nature of the place I continue to lobby for a name change to the Miracle of Afterbirth Center.

There's no surprise that patriotism runs strong out here, but that doesn't mean you can't get creative in how you celebrate.  One of Abby's uncle's was a butcher for a good 20 years, and learned the fine art of pig roasting, enough that he welded a roaster just for the ocassion.  Granted it hadn't been used in a while, but Abby's parents thought this year was as good as any to resurrect it.

Here's the Abby, aunt and uncle inspecting the equipment. 

There are actually two grills, and the pig is sandwhiched between the two.  Abby was clarifying how you flip the grill, which sounds simple, but with a 125 lb pig stuck between it got pretty complicated

Logistics had to be considered.

Abby's dad was more than happy to watch me dig. He designed the cinder block frame perfect for the grill

Abby was happy to watch as well.  Actually, there are some key photos missing, as this is after the fact.  We split pit digging duties right down the middle, and she is good with a shovel

Poor Wilbur

 

 The design worked flawlessly.  Pig fit nicely between the grates, and we were off to the races.  Total cooking time was 6 hours, producing by best estimates about 25 pounds of nicely roasted pork.  We had about 50 people over and there was plenty of meat left.  Lots of pork sandwiches that week.

We don't have a whole lot of photos from the dinner, but there were fireworks. I still like a good sparkler, even when it looks like it's coming out of my ear.

Yes....I put the olives where the eyes were.  Happy belated 4th of July everyone!!

When we're not out BQ'ing, occasionally we'll dress up real nice and do an event.  This was post 4th of July, at a fund raiser with a lot of good local restaurants. 

I look like I've had a few drinks, but think we just had a long run that day.  Don't know why Abby doesn't seem so affected.

This is me, trying to describe to my friend Mike Fanous the succulent flavor of the pork at the 4th of July BBQ

Girls like to dress up in Minneapolis.  They don't all wear overalls and drive tractors, though Abby did work on a military base in school and drove a jeep around, apparently.  Their pose on the left is "OC arms" in respect to posturing SoCal style.  I can appreciate that.
 

Guys can pose too. We just need to practice a little bit.

Perhaps most importantly, we can drink too much and act like complete idiots. May that always be the case.

SO, there's a snapshot of Midwest summer activities.  But....fall has arrived quickly.  Apple picking signs are in abundance, bags of road salt are conspicuous at every gas stations, and my winter coat is smirking every morning.  There are a few more summer shots to throw up here, in particular the Lake Cabin Weekend, a right of passage for everyone, a cool trip in a bi-plane of a friend, and some other randoms.  Promise I'll get those up before the first snow falls.  I figure I have about a week.......

Summer catch up.....

Greetings.  As my favorite sister has started up her blog again to document her ultra cool road trip through the NW, I figured I would throw some highlights of failed fishing trips, etc.

BRING ON THE MUSKIE

Again, the elusive muskie has proven to thwart our most diligent efforts to trick it into biting on a barb that resembles a delicious snack.  Here are a few photos of our 48 hour ordeal, plus on bonus video that I'm sure my dad won't be able to play, but hoping anyway..............

Jason Ziemba, ESADE classmate, is on the left, and his childhood friend and Butler football scholarship free safety Steve Hall is on the right.  Both most excellent guys and great fishing buddies.  Steve used to come into the city a couple times a month and we've gotten to know each other well. 

I like this pick.  I'm finally starting to appreciate lakes.  There is a tranquility they attain that the ocean, with its tides, storms, currents, just never will.  I appreciate the ocean for its boundless energy, and the lakes for their stillfullness. 

We rented a cabin on this trip, and here was our front yard and the walk down to the dock.  The "postcard" vibe was in full effect.  The campfire pit was put to good use too.

 
The trip wasn't an entire failure. Jason is holding a nice Northern Pike, one of three fish caught over a combined 34 hours of fishing. Fortunately, we did have within our reach a nice bottle of Balvenie Doublewood Single Malt that my Minneapolis neighbor and good friend Mike Coriale, who joined us on the second day, enjoys in the opposite photo, as well he should, cause the only fish he caught is the below. The fish basically had a field day with us.

A fish is a fish is a fish


Peacefullness notwithstanding, our timing around the 4th of July weekend did prompt a spontaneous purchase of fireworks of the highest quality, which lead to a spontaneous high speed chase of our friend Steve and Jason comandeering the attack.  Nothing like firing roman candles at your friends as they try to make their escape.