Morning shadows

Walking the grounds at Hotel California.

This one's for you, Tom and John

Former flight controllers, Tom Story and John Gerken, are always looking to the sky and identifying aircraft for us in Minnesota. Our former neighbors had it easy with the domestic aircraft. Driving past Miramar Marine Air Base in San Diego yesterday, we came upon these species. I know what the vertical craft is (Osprey), but now can you identify the fighter in the deep background?
________________

John responds:
Looks to be a Boeing F/A18E/F super hornet. F-fighter A-attack, E-single seat version of the super hornet, F-tandem seat version of super hornet. Too far away to see if it is single seat or tandem.
John G.

Puleeze

Finally. This time by air

Stan's car may be in California, but he's still in Minnesota. An issue in Council Bluffs delayed it all. Tomorrow he'll try again and take a flight to San Diego, to be picked up in his old car by the new owner. A story on KARE tonight says you can avoid getting the flu by staying away from people in flight. How would that work?

My first time. . . in Uber (The Importance of Meeting Ernest)

Ernest -- 11 month Uber Vet.
Patch says he's trained to haul sick people. Nice to know.

We were at Danny's condo this morning with our granddaughter Emily. Kathleen needed to get going with Emily; Stan could stay and visit with Dan. What to do? We had driven together in Kathleen's VW bug and now we needed another car so everyone could stay on schedule.

No problem. Stan whipped out his iPhone with the Uber app. . . and said he'd try out the service just to see what would happen. It was a nice Sunday afternoon; a good day to get kicked to the curb.

Didn't happen. After a few minutes in Danny's lobby getting the app organized and then having the whole frustrating mess freeze up, suddenly the app went into gear and like magic it was telling me the price ($15.99) and that Ernest was five minutes away on the freeway, that he'd done this 3,000 times before, and here's his picture and vehicle.

I asked for the cheap ride. Here's what I got.

Exactly 5 minutes later Ernest showed up in front of the building, told me to get the back, and away we went. Ernest is a black man with a hairy face, so naturally I had my reflexive bias against him, but we quickly overcame that during our animated conversation over 15 miles. I got to tell my stories, then he told his, and the best I could make out was that he was a conservative Christian who listened to too much talk radio, and has a bias against journalists.
So much for my predispositions. The ride was over almost before it began, I tipped him $5 and went inside. There on my home email was a nice note from Uber, hoping I had enjoyed the experience, (I sure did), an opportunity to grade him and write something (I did) and a statement indicating the charge that would be put on my credit card. Done.

Made it!

At its new home in California. 

Awaiting pickup at Iowa hotel.
Stan and Jen are long gone.

What to do? Stan promised his car to Hai in California and here he was in a hospital bed in Iowa. Now Stan just wanted to turn around and get home. Plan B.

Jason to the rescue. He's a long-haul trucker with an eighteen-wheel transport that hauls vehicles all over the USA. Could we hitch a ride for the car? It was parked beside a hotel in Council Bluffs.

No problem. The transaction was handled by text and credit card. Jason had some other cars to pick up in Des Moines first but he thought he could get there by 2:30.

Video of Jason picking up car in Council Bluffs.
We asked for this selfie as part of security.
He complied. (Ladies, he's married)

Stan's daughter, Jennifer, had sped out to pick up Stan and take him home by then, but no matter. Jason's inspection was done and transaction completed by text. The car arrived at its destination in Riverside Monday, a little Utah red dust on it, but none the worse for the wear.

Hai washed the car, and he'll take it ocean fishing Friday. Stan will fly to San Diego in a couple of days, picked up at the airport in Hai's fishing car, ----with full driving privileges while there, perhaps smelling the tuna.

ROAD TRIP!   Meanwhile, Stan's driver, Jennifer, grabbing some healthy takeout in West Des Moines.

Council Bluffs

Student nurses were good company during Stan's recent excellent adventure in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Traveling alone on Interstate 80, he felt the beginnings of signs of a stroke. Out of an abundance of caution, he pulled over a passing State Patrolman and checked into Mercy Hospital for observation. Just a Transient Ischemic Attack, (TIA) they determined after 24 hours of tests. An MRI revealed his stroke of 15 months ago, but nothing new. No harm, no foul. Good to go, he shipped his car to its original destination at Hotel California, his daughter came and picked him up, and he will fly to San Diego on Tuesday. Nothing but good things to say about the people of Council Bluffs. Give "Minnesota Nice" some real competition.

West Des Moines

Sister Becky and Al in their beautiful new kitchen. Nice visit Wednesday.

Lots of suspects

Britain Blames Russia for Nerve Agent Attack on Former Spy

Or maybe it was some 400 pound guy who lives in his mother's basement. We just don't know.

We took the express today

Fearing the loss of affection from her husband, she had him murdered. Fifteen years later, she dumps the killer for a younger man, who turned out to be her long-lost son out to seek revenge for his father’s murder. Just before he’s to marry his mother, they figure it out, have a “eew“ moment, then he forgives her, (she IS his mother, after all) but accidentally kills her while trying to kill the man who poisoned his father.

A made-for-tv movie? Paperback thriller? An R-rated picture?

Nope. Just the plot line for an Italian Opera we saw today, Rossini’s Semiramide, first performed in 1823.

Taking the bus to the opera.

New York’s Metropolitan Opera was live-streamed today to a giant screen in Roseville. Fun. The live performance was aided with subtitles, which made the Italian remarkably easy to follow.

We estimated the Diva came in at over 300 pounds, was delightful and with unbelievable range, as were other cast members interviewed at half-time.

We enjoyed looking in at the New York audience at this sold-out performance complete with close ups of the musicians in the pit.

We took the express bus. $1. Stopped for lunch at Dino’s on the way. (No relation to Fred Flintstone's dog) Senior admission. Most expensive part of the day could have been the popcorn. $21 gets you a bucket and pop. If Stan had known, he wouldn’t have gone out for popcorn at half time. That would be $42 for popcorn for the four of us. If we shared.

He came back empty-handed.

Twins

As we gaze out the window at the new fallen snow, we remind ourselves that this too shall pass. Then this comes from Sandy and Tom in Florida. "At a Twins game," it says. "You guys should be here." Ah yes.
Update:
Twins won, 9-8. We saw Dozier, Buxton, Mauer and more. Beautiful day, great game, lots of action. And ... WE WON!
Sandy

That day in 1980

From left, Brendan Suel, Randy Anderson, the late Gary Welch (obscured), Stan, Kathleen, Jennifer,
Marcelline and Melissa.

The man who married us 37 years ago passed away last week; we attended his Shakopee funeral today. It was a time of remembrance in many ways.

Brendan Suel's son, Bob, was Stan's newspaper co-worker at the time, when Kathleen and Stan were struggling to put together a family with three girls. Sure, Bob’s Dad said, he’d be glad to help out, and so we looked around for a place to do the deed. The night before, the Best Man found a big maple that was showing signs of wisdom in Chanhassen’s Lake Ann Park and we were good to go.

Our officiant had founded the Shakopee Valley News with his brothers in 1941, served in Eisenhower’s headquarters surgeon division as staff sergeant in 1943. The founders sold the newspaper, Brendan then had his own Gambles hardware store. In 1980, he was the clerk of court for Scott County, which, like a captain of a ship, qualified him to perform nuptials.

And perform he did. It was a beautiful day, a wonderful ceremony, and we’re still married.

Stan, retired, is the publisher emeritus of the Shakopee Valley News.

Of all the many things Brendan did with his 95-year life, sorry, we think our marriage was the best one.