"Rolfsrud" in Vietnam

Finally, in the airport at Ho Chi Minh

Baggage handlers and sorters at Vietnam’s airports aren’t paid much, so they supplement their income by occasionally pilfering passengers’ luggage — as they do in the states. And they’re clever. They know visitors with Vietnamese surnames are likely to have bags richly-stuffed with gifts and necessities intended for their poorer relatives in Vietnam. They skip bags with European-looking names likely containing the more mundane tourist goods.

Americans can be clever too. So when our good friends, Hai and Xuan, recently packed goodies and gifts for their trip to see relatives in Vietnam, they boldly marked their boxes with a borrowed Scandinavian name, Stan Rolfsrud, to thwart those thieves. It worked.

So it is that 50 years after being drafted to the Army, my name, at least, is finally serving in Vietnam. You’re welcome.

Kayaking in the mangroves

Here's Jennifer, kayaking in the mangroves near Naples...we're admiring from St. Paul. We have a guest overnight. Maybe take her to the Super Bowl madness on Sunday, we'll see. Jennifer should be back in town in February to enjoy some snow, and Stan's trip to the eye surgeon on Feb. 14. Happy Valentines.

There's wifi in the library. . . help yourself

Our World today

There's this...

Then there's this....
 

Early this morning, same window

Photo by Stan Rolfsrud

Cabin fever

There he stood, transfixed, silently staring out the window. His wife joined him. They watched. Eventually, now looking at each other, they burst into laughter. So it has come to this. Mr. and Mrs. St. Paul gazing out the window with nothing better to do than watch the snowplow clear the lot. Cabin fever. We're in for a warm up now. Couldn't come at a better time.

Darkest Hour

These Brits enjoy re-enacting the exploits of the American Screaming Eagles, frequently joining others
to dress up, displaying memorabilia and doing whatever it is that re-enactors do.
We happened on these friendly guys on the green in Aldebourne on a recent trip to England.

Went to see "The Darkest Hour" yesterday at the Regal in Eagan. Noon showing, senior discount. Just a few in the theater. Perfect. Didn't even check for gum under the seats. Anyway, excellent movie. Particularly good acting. Liked Churchill, of course, but I got a much better understanding of the relationship with his wife (Clementine played by Kristin Scott Thomas). Her strength and support of a prime minister under pressure was epic. As a World War II buff (above, trying to blend in with re-enactors in jolly England) I saw it with my poor background, and it seemed a pretty accurate rendition of the times in 1940 when the island stood alone against tyranny. My kind of war movie, almost no action, fabulous sets, interiors.

Fun with iphone

We have no idea where this photo comes from somewhere in the cloud (we took it on Stonebrooke Golf Course some years back.) We're trying to learn our new iPhones and how you can post from them to blogger. So we clicked on something and here are these pictures. Chose one, it said. And there is snow falling for chrissakes. Who made it snow? We didn't. Much to learn. Plenty of time. It's winter in Minnesota. Might venture out tomorrow. Did our laps in the garage today. More interesting than a treadmill.

From Jennifer

Photo by Jennifer Blethen

Jennifer's in Florida with her boyfriend. She sends this picture she took while visiting a friend in the Carolinas.