Rory takes a Mulligan

Photos by Stan Rolfsrud

It's just a practice round today at the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine in Chaska so you can take as many swings as you want. . . and patrons can take as many pictures as they want at any time. A fun day.

Rory

Sergio

Looking every bit like the 10 million bucks he won just two days ago at the FedEx Cup, Rory McIlroy chatted with the patrons, then stepped into the number nine tee box and striped one right down the middle, farther than anyone else in the group. It apparently wasn't good enough, he took a Mulligan.

The second drive was as perfect as the first. The camera position didn't change and Rory's form is so perfect and repeatable that the first swing is almost indiscernible from the second in the two photos above.  (You have to look at the people in the background to see that it is actually two different photos taken a full minute apart.)
The rest of the team members came by, we got tons of photos and they took tons of shots, focusing mostly on the good old guys like Phil and Sergio and Lee Westwood. We also spotted Tiger and Bubba, both zipping around in official carts, as befits their Ryder Cup office.

Phil

Wayne and Mary Ann are finished; don't know much about Brad and Angelina

Before

After

The reason Wayne doesn't know anything about Brad and Angelina's alleged International Falls one-hour international incident could be this.
He's been busy. Wayne and Mary Ann are just finishing up on the siding project on their home on Rainy Lake and it looks fabulous. Wayne sent us a couple of photos of their summer-long home improvement that began last spring when he pulled some siding off and discovered that the original boards were still in good shape, just requiring some tender care.
Wayne writes:

In April I started to tear off the siding on our house and we were looking at various new siding ideas. We discovered the beveled 3.5 siding to be in very good shape. We also discovered where windows used to be. Six weeks later with workers off and on they took down scaffolding and left. A new roof went on in June. There were 6000 nails to double prime. Next year, new windows and we'll redo the three season porch.

With winter coming, finishing touches have been made on the siding and Wayne and Mary Ann are rightfully proud.
Don't know anything else about that other couple, our best to them as well.

So who needs Comcast?

Thank you Buffalo Wild Wings. That's our game, second from left. Go Gophers.

It's hard being a Minnesota Gophers alum and football fan. To begin with, you don't often get a winning team to follow. And when you do, it's become impossible to find the games anywhere on cable tv.
Thanks to greed and deregulation, the Gopher game channel du jour has become an elusive state secret. We've paid for hundreds of Comcast channels and you can get dozens of college football games on a Saturday, but never the one you actually want.

Today's treasure hunt came when the paper said the game could be found on ESPNU. Okay. So where's that? The printed guide suggested something up around HD 869. Ha.. Try as we might, no dice. Is ESPNU in our bundle? How could you know? There's also a group of channels called BigTen network which would be a logical spot, but only the more important Big Ten teams seem to get a spot there. So we chucked it, figured our neighbors would just tell us who won when they got home from the game.
Disappointed, we decided to risk the Mall of America on a weekend for a double rack of Tony Roma's world's greatest ribs, to go. Idling as we awaited our order, we spotted a television with the Gophers on it at Buffalo Wild Wings, right next to The Rainforest Cafe and Bubba Gump Shrimp. We stood outside looking in and watched a very thrilling fourth quarter, with the Gophers victorious after a big push by Colorado that came close to tying the game. There was no game sound of course, other than the sporadic crash of thunder coming from the Rainforest sound system, but football doesn't really need commentary. Sometimes it's better without it.
Our racks of ribs now secured, we found the brother-in-law's favorite slippers at Alpaca heaven on sale, two pairs for $70.
What could be better? New Alpacas for Dan, two racks of ribs with Honey Carolina sauce, cole slaw and baked potato, and a big victory for the Golden Gophers!
Who needs the stress of Comcast. Time to cut the cord.
Go Gophers!

With love, from Berchtesgaden -- she likes it!

Shopping area in Berechtesgarden. You can see the Eagle's Nest from here.
Jewelry store on the right.

The refrigerator magnet and the Belgian chocolates were the easy part.
The most stressful part of the recent Band of Brothers tour of Europe was finding The Real Gift for my sweetie back home.
As we passed through European cities and villages I kept an eye out for possible venues. The tour boss said, "Don't worry. There's plenty of time for shopping at the end of the two weeks."
I worried.
Let's see. If it is earrings it needs to be a French wire. Should it be a gold setting, or now she doesn't want gold settings? Prefers stainless or sterling? Can't remember. Oh boy.
Berchtesgaden was the Alpine resort home to all the greatest Nazis. If you were anybody at all, you had a place near the Fuhrer in the gated community on the gorgeous mountainside. When the Allies finally took over the town, the streets were empty, if you lived here, you were a loyal Nazi and were not out waving at the boys.

Where does one begin?

Today Berchtesgaden is still a beautiful city and it has a very nice shopping district. We stayed there for our final three days, taking in the mountains and still waters. The big train station built especially for Hitler and his henchmen now flies the Burger King flag, leaving no doubt about who won the war.
There's also a dandy jewelry store just down from our hotel with nice stuff. The Band of Brothers tour boss was right -- as usual.
So the afternoon after our ascension to the Eagle's Nest, I descended with some dread into The Shops. The tension was palpable. Palms sweaty, we begged assistance from the busy clerk. She spoke German and very little English. I don't think she even knew what I meant when I said "wife" (hausfrau?) and gestured to the glass cases, glittering with so much I know nothing about, labeled in euros.

Housfraus from the village.

Fortunately, just as I was about to glaze over and "settle" for anything, I found Patty Bryant for a quick consult. It wasn't long before my fellow traveler had rejected my tentative pick and spotted just the thing in the window. It wasn't earrings, it was a necklace. She said she liked it and told me why. We looked it over and talked about Kathleen.
As the proprietor wrapped it up and explained in really bad English how I could get the taxes refunded if I filled out forms and stood in another line at the airport in Munich, I was joined by another fellow traveler, dropping in to the shop.
"I love it!" Bev exclaimed, and all the tension was gone. That night I packed it away with a satisfying sense of conclusion.

Today Kathleen received her box. Earlier, she put the magnet on the fridge and snorted at my joke which implied that the lovely magnet featuring the Zum am See lake scene was to be The Real Gift. She's nibbled at the Belgian Chocolates, but never really had a taste for European sweets, including their cookies.
So this was it. She slid the box open and. . . she loves it! No, she really does, she's not just being nice. "So simple, and beautiful," she purred.
Thank you Ron, thank you Patty, thank you Bev, and thank you Berchtesgaden.
It's good to be home.

=====================

(left) The pearl on the sterling setting did the trick. 

Gary's back

Gary, our green heron, has returned to his solitary post, fishing the waters off Abbey Point, coiled and ready. Good to have him back again, not sure how long he'll stay this time. We're expecting a day of rain to saturate the ground and cancel tomorrow's tee time. Things are back to normal.

Grandpa's Back!

Bastogne

Whenever we neared a rack of little girl stuff, travel mate Dave Stapelton could usually be seen giving it a once over, thinking of the granddaughter he'd left behind in Chicago.
This morning a note from Dave confirmed that he's been reunited with Francesca and she looks to be every bit as sweet as Grandpa says she is. Hope she likes all the stuff Grandpa got for her.
Dave, an avid Bears fan, hates the Vikings. Too bad about last night on national tv. Not sure if he stayed up late for the final result or if jet lag shielded his sensitivities.
Go Vikes! Chicago will get its chance, Dave.
In the meantime, enjoy your grandchild.

With consultant Patty Bryant in Zell um See.

The little pack is complete again . . .

Naturally, Birdie was more interested in the uneaten croissant than these souvenirs.
And the Belgian Chocolates got her sniff test before a swift intervention.

The German agent in Munich froze the conveyor to inspect the suspicious material in the Zip-loc bag in the carry-on, squeezing it between his thumb and forefinger. "It's sand from Omaha Beach," I explained. Everything in order, the traveler continued on to await boarding his American Airlines flight to Philadelphia.
Nothing was ever said about the pine cone from The Ardennes.
Hours later, the yellow Volkswagen was a welcome sight at MSP arrivals, it contained my sweetie and a happy greeting to end this most wonderful two-week experience.
The return home had required 24 hours of bus rides, confusion, passport this, customs that, boarding documents, denial of records, three forms of identification for a bottle of water inside the secure zone, over an hour to get the AA luggage carousel to spit up bags in Philadelphia, and other ordinary reasons to hate travel, but in the end it was a worthy exchange:: a 24-hour gauntlet of exhaustion, frustration and security for a most memorable and fulfilling two weeks.
Time to reflect with loved ones and a jubilant dog who seemed very happy to have her little pack complete again.

We end with a splash!

Its fresh, but not too cold. Lake has been warming all summer for us. Photo series by David Stapleton.

That's Ron Drez at far left, the absolute authority on this jump, coaching
his recruits, mostly younger men, but the oldest aged 73

At the winding down of the European Theatre of Operations marked by VE Day, the entire 101st Airborne Division headquartered out of a beautiful Austrian town, Zell um See. Since we're closing down our World War II study trip re-tracing the activities of Easy Company, we drove there as well for our finale.
In the spring and summer of 1945, Easy Company was still in training, there was the unwelcome possibility of even more war in Japan, but in the meantime there was plenty of time for enjoying the gorgeous setting and especially the still, cold waters of the huge lake that is the town's centerpiece.

Dave wore a GoPro into the deep, capturing the
action and a lot of churning water. 

If you've seen the HBO Band of Brothers series, you may recall Capt. Nixon and Major Dick Winters  discussing future plans then taking a swim in the refreshing waters.

Stan conceded the towel to Greer, the oldest man in
the water, but only by a couple of years.

Today, under the guidance of Ron Drez, whose research, interviews and relationships with veterans like Winters helped form the factual foundation of the series, volunteers stripped down to re-enact the scene. Although most did not take the leap, we eventually put together a respectable representation.
On Ron's command, we jumped from the stone wall and plunged into the deep water, probably about 8 feet deep where we entered. Bubba and the other southerners amongst us had warned it would be a shock to the system. It was not. The northerners agreed it was no more more bracing than a Fourth of July dip in Lake Minnetonka.
We paddled about in the clear pool and then treaded water for the gaggle of photographers and some locals who had gathered to witness the event. We eventually emerged and dried off for the ride back to Berchtesgarden, thus forming our very own Band of Jumpers.

We'll board our flight home in Munich tomorrow, if all goes well, Minneapolis by nightfall. 

We're ready to come home.

A fine Band of Jumpers posed for the photographers. Hurry up. (See Patty on the end? A trooper)

Hitler loved the Alps, the nest, not so much

Hitler was popular with the folks in town, they'd wait for hours to get a glimpse when he'd arrive on his
special railroad train escorted by SS troops. The oversized station had a special entrance for him. There's
a Burger King there now as a reminder of who won the war -- and lots of shops.

It's easy to see why Hitler loved this part of the Bavarian Alps so much. He first saw it in 1923, long before he was voted in as Chancellor, but he never forgot it, and came back whenever possible.

Remarkably clear views today, the locals said. You could easily
see into Austria from the Eagle's Nest. 

The locals came to love him, especially after an over-sized railroad station of "intimidation architecture" was built, giving the area a new prestige. Obersalzberg soon became the second seat of government, behind Berlin, and was the site of many of the major decisions of war, peace and genocide made by the Third Reich.. All the Big Nazis had big homes there. Goering's house stuffed with stolen property and a massive wine cellar was perched nicely among the other quarreling Nazis. A large contingent of SS was stationed here, operating a world class gated community on the side of the mountain.
Contrary to popular belief, the photos of Hitler and his henchmen relaxing together are not taken up at the Eagle's Nest, more likely at the Hitler main house and support complex known as the Berghof. It also featured fabulous Alpine views, as we saw today. A squeamish Hitler didn't really like the high-altitudes of his Eagle's Nest, went there only about 20 times after it was constructed in the late 30s as a 50th birthday present from the Nazi Party.

This is the view from Hitler's Burghof, lower down the mountain.
Still an excellent scene, one that is seen in many of the
well-known Hitler and henchman photos. If there is a terraced floor
in the photo, its taken at the Burghof. No terrace at the Nest.

Hitler preferred his massive tea house at a lower altitude for morning leisure.
The Berghof was blasted away by the RAF at the end of the war and demolition teams went in years later to finish the job. Much has been destroyed because the site is "sensitive" -- fears of creating a center for neo-Nazi sentiments led to the destruction and isolation of much that was built there. Perhaps that's why the Eagle's nest gets more attention. There's not much else left above ground to see.

The Eagle's Nest was also slated for destruction but a local governor intervened and it is now operated by a private company that supports a charity. It's a boon to the resort towns spread out below.
We spent the day looking over the local remnants of the Third Reich. The most stunning revelation was the massive bunkers under the mountain, never fully completed, but comprising four miles of tunnels cut through the rock, much of it by forced labor. As it turned out, the expensive bunker complex only saved the workers, because when the Allies bombed the area just before the end of the war, using massive tall boy bombs that destroyed buildings but didn't dent the bunkers, they were the only ones home.

Just another Herald reader in Germany.

When the Americans took over the bunker maze they invited the local population to take whatever they wanted and they eagerly stripped the bunkers bare, every kitchen sink, bed and door knob.
There was enough left to make an impressive tour today, but the public is only allowed into about 5 percent of the tunnels and rooms. Cut from solid rock and skinned with five feet of brick, gravel, fabric and smooth cement, the tunnels are fixed forever in the mountain.
Though Hitler never officially went up to the Eagle's Nest after 1940, our ride up the mountain was not anti-climatic. On the contrary, the views from the bus taking the same route carved by well-paid workers (not slaves as some of us had thought) were spectacular. Ass-kisser-in-chief Martin Bormann had the "gift" built for his Fuhrer. When Hitler first saw the dining room and mentioned that he would have liked beams in it, well, presto, massive wood beams were added, even though they had no structural value.

Beams to please. The metal strap splices two beams
together, showing that there is no structural value.

We enjoyed a sit-down dinner of sauerbraten and spaetzel under those beams and had a souvenir photograph taken in front of the Italian Marble fireplace that Easy Company and others chipped up for souvenirs when they entered the structure and then had their famous pictures taken relaxing on Hitler's furniture.
Our photo was for the Chaska Herald's "Global Herald" feature where readers send in photos of themselves reading the Herald in odd places. We're hoping for some local ink.
Back at the hotel, we enjoyed our view of the Eagle's Nest, but now wished for x-ray vision to see through the mountain into the amazing mass of infrastructure hidden from view under a spectacular Alpine forest of green.

Entrance to bunker maze, Only 5 percent is accessible. Our guide has seen more of it. All extremely
durable. Note the brick lining between the cement walls and the solid rock.