Pomp and Circumcision

In a shameless attempt to increase ratings on this blog and stimulate the submission of more appropriate content, we present this photograph taken by our friend, Nancy, at the Burnsville graduation ceremonies in June. She was seated calmly in the audience, observing the traditional exercises when her husband jabbed her in the ribs, urgently whispering, "take a picture, take a picture." As streaking pictures go, we think this one earns high marks, taken at the peak of a joyful leap without exposing enough to lose its PG rating. You may click on the image to enlarge it and examine the expressions of the audience, some of whom have also raised their cameras, if not their eyebrows. Others shade their eyes for a better view.

Graduation just ain't the same anymore.

Now, people, send the trailboss@swpub.com something to use.

Our Norwegian cousins are lumberjacks

Solveig and Bill returned last week from Norway, visiting relatives, seeing the sights. We asked her to send us photo stories of some of the adventures. Here is the first installment:

Lumbering with the Rolfsruds

Stein Rolfsrud cuts the trees and Erik Rolfsrud runs the sawmill.

In 1999, Stein taught us ax throwing, and although we practiced past midnight, we never joined the circuit of World Championship Lumberjacks with Stein.

This trip, we’re off to the forest to see how they lumber a century after Nils last watched. Stein, Bill, and Arne lead the way (top) while Erik and I take our time through the ferns. (right) Deep in the woods, the Timberjack waited.

Bill and I were privileged to ride shotgun. We held the grips as the cab moved in 3D over the wheels stabilized (I think) on the hillside. From our perch, we could watch Stein’s joysticks and the computer screen.

The computer calculates angles for felling the tree without damaging neighbors, measures the diameter and length of the tree, and given today’s prices for type of wood and type of use, calculates cost-efficient cuts. At the end of the day, it totes up the inventory in dimensions and kroner.

The machine cuts the tree, picks it up, shreds off the branches, cuts off lengths, and places the logs in convenient lots for the truck to pick up. Optionally, the ends of the logs can be marked with a shot of paint, red for building materials, blue for paper pulp, and so on.

Norwegians are so neat, aren’t they?

The operator, by the way, makes more decisions in one minute than a fighter pilot. And particularly difficult work is clearing trees on either side of a power line. (right)

Need a tree cut? Call Stein Rolfsrud.

Postscript by Stan: Our grandfather, Nils Rolfsrud, worked briefly during one winter at a logging camp in northern Minnesota around 1902. The conditions were bad, of course, and everything was done by men and horses. Stein's timberjack probably does more in one season than an entire camp of lumber men.

Below is a video of the Rolfsrud machine at work. Click to play.

You wonder what Nils would think of all this. The machine is the true Paul Bunyan.

You be careful out there. . .

Our dear, sweet neighbors, Mina and Joe Daly, returned yesterday from their European dream vacation. It did not go as planned and more's the pity, because this couple deserves only the best. Their first stop: Oslo. First event: Joe got his pocket picked.
We haven't filled in the details yet, but it is very discouraging because this Irishman who lived in California all his life, retired to Minnesota, adopted the Minnesota Twins and Vikings, believes in the Kensington Runestone, tells Ole and Lena jokes, had favored the northern European jaunt for its beauty and safety.

Sorry Joe. We'll send over a krum kakke tomorrow.

Storm tightens neighbor, family bonds

An additional inch and a half of rain fell last night as another August storm bullied its way across Shakopee. It refilled the water hazards on the golf course, puddled the fairways and knocked out our cable connection, depriving us of 12 hours of internet and TV.

We survived.

Our neighborhood gauge meister, Tom Story, (right) reported that we had gained 4 inches of rain over the 24 hour period. Not bad. The event created a stir on the cul de sac. Just before the storm, a worried John Gerken (left)called from across the way at 8:05 to warn us that we had left our garage door open and the big storm was on the way.

We gratefully closed up, then got a call at 8:12 from new neighbor Marsha Pundt. She and Jeff had noticed that Lisa, our singleton neighbor out on a Saturday night date somewhere, had left her balcony door open and the rain was coming in.

By 8:19 Lisa, dancing the night away somewhere in our imaginations, had answered her cell page and revealed the not very secret code to her garage.

Despite our best efforts, sheets of rain and pea-sized hail had already made a squishy mess of her bedroom carpet. So that the effort wasn't totally for naught, Stan took the opportunity to retrieve Kathleen's blender from Lisa's kitchen counter. It had been loaned last week to make blueberry milkshakes.

Excitement over, we looked at the prospect of a Saturday night at home with no TV, no internet and Netflix still owing us one. But the phone worked.

Sosie in California was just settling in to a glass of wine with husband Bill when we called. Four and a half hours later, the conversation was over.

We didn't cover everything, but we did cover a lot. Please notice her earrings. They're lovingly crafted by husband Bill from a dollar store bauble, some silver string and the stainless steel screws no longer being used to hold her wrist together. They were a hit in Norway, where Beate Heide took these photos.

Other topics included Belize, Norway, relatives, garden tools, salsa, baby outfits, financial planning, grand pianos, mother's new home, and Becky, Linda, Steve and Virgil. I think we spent the most of our time on Linda.

Who needs television?

Tomatoes, onions, peppers, the works

Kathleen is recovering well from Tuesday's major surgery.

Last night we had an incredible electrical storm at about 3:30 a.m. We watched as 2 and a half inches of much-needed rain fell, filling the ponds, watering the lawns... and dousing the tomatoes. Repeated lightning flashes revealed a soggy party of muskrats working its way upstream and across the road. . . to get to the other side. Apparently nature tells them that if you go upstream, things will get better. Amazing.

We went for a ride this morning over to the nearby Matt and Anne Drees home. Matt and Anne have a big yard and field, machine shed and, of course, multiple gardens. It is adjacent to the Mystic Lake casino so his little hay field makes a great place to watch the fireworks.
We've sampled their garden produce in the past, enjoyed their boiled red potatoes yesterday. Today we stopped by for tomatoes.

Found Matt by his attached garage with a yellow rope around a big basswood branch that had partially torn off in last night's storm. He'd already chain-sawed away part of it, was waiting for his son, Jim, to come by and wrench the rest of it away from the house. Basswoods grow fast and what goes up must come down. Matt, always a positive person, was just happy that it hadn't wrecked his garage roof.

While we waited, we had a nice visit with Matt and Anne on their porch. They had just returned from a mini-vacation in Canada on Trout Lake. Weather was great, fishing was average, they report. We then went into their garden to pick some tomatoes. Anne has already put up a big batch of tomatoes (see pix) and says her "grandma would be so proud."

Did someone say, "vine ripened, picked at the peak of perfection?"

We're thinking about making up some Rolfsrud salsa. We acquired a taste for salsa in Arizona recently. Kathleen will fetch some serrano peppers for the cause. We have friends in Albuquerque (Harland and Carolyn Hoffland from Alexandria) who cure their own peppers. It is quite a process.

Anne supplied us her favorite salsa receipes. Click on the picture if you want to read it. We're beef eaters so we picked one for steaks.

Do you have a favorite salsa receipe? Email it to trailboss@swpub.com. We'll see what we come up with. Who knows, if it turns out, we'll enter it in the State Fair!

As you can see, Kathleen is doing well. She is not in pain, but is sore. She's sleeping alright and, as expected, is on a fast track to full-recovery.
Thanks for your best wishes!

Kathleen is doing very well, thank you

Kathleen continues to recuperate from major surgery and is at home in Shakopee. She is grateful for all the kind thoughts, messages and cards and is now available to take your calls. (Operators are standing by) She is peppy, sends Stan out for soup from time to time, and her only discouragement is the phlegmatic Minnesota Twins who can't seem to decide if they will contend or not.

We are elated by Virgil's news that Mother really likes her new situation in Alexandria at the Clearwater Suites. It will be a while before she is totally settled, but Linda and Ron have done a wonderful job of locating and placing her in a suitable spot. Virgil spent Tuesday in Alexandria getting her settled.

Mother's telephone will be hooked up soon, if not already, and she will be using the same number that she had at her Alexandria home.

Our back yard yellow lilies (above) are in bloom and standing tall without assistance this year. They are set against some blue Russian sage. Kathleen might call them violet, or purple or periwinkle, I have not checked so I am not sure. But I am sure she is doing just fine after the surgery.

That's Kathleen with her daughter, Jennifer, and her father, the late Leonard Neilson, in his front yard on Pelham Blvd. in St. Paul.

Beautiful people gather in No Dak

Here is the group photograph of the Rolfsrud Reunion July 7 shot by Tara Jackson and distributed courtesy of reunion organizer Rosalie Veeder. You can enlarge the photograph by clicking on it. Our thanks to Tara and Rosalie for this as well as the IDs below.

Standing: Joe Weltzin, Jo Redin, Eloise Thorson, Carolyn & Larry Veeder, Rose Veeder, Ken Haugen, David Veeder, Gen & Bennie Darryl Veeder, Pam Maze, Teresa Agner, Marilyn Rolfsrud, Nancy Veeder, Linda & Ron Letnes, Nina Huerta, Gerald Veeder, Antonio Huerta, Stan & Kathleen Rolfsrud, Kyle Rolfsrud, Harold Rolfsrud, Douglas Rolfsrud, Meghan Rolfsrud, Ty Rolfsrud, Debbie Rolfsrud, David & Gena Rolfsrud, Morgan Rolfsrud, Allen & Becky Jerdee, John & Nancy Rolfsrud.

Seated: Adalina and Marby Weltzin, Theresa Crozier, Julia Crozier, Jolane Veeder, Linn Veeder, Karen and Don Kirmis, Caitlyn Maze, Bob & Kay Western, Shana & Anja Erickson, Cole Rolfsrud.
Not pictured, but attending: Jeff, Deanne, Kayla, & Brett Dostel; Adam, Michele, McKenna & Alexis Lovehaug; Tara Jackson (taking the picture)

I-35W -- photos by a rescue worker

These pictures were taken by an anonymous city of Minneapolis worker moments after the collapse of the I-35W bridge.

There are a ton of photos now circulating on the web, but these are particularly well done, possibly because the worker was also a professional photographer. He continued as a volunteer rescue worker for 72 hours, according to the word on the web. We thought you might be interested in seeing this non-aerial perspective. You may click on the images to enlarge them.

Nancy Clary sent the link to these photos. We're thankful for them and we also keep in mind that this horrible incident was a tragedy for many.

-

The Arctic Circle -- warm and sunny

It is that time of the year again in northern Norway. This year it has been particularly enjoyable, reports our Norwegian relative, Beate Heide.

She writes to us in English:

The summer above the Arctic Circle has been way over what we are able to dream about. Rasmus has done a lot of hikes in the mountains. He is 7 1/2 now. This summer he learned to bike. My boyfriend , John Eivind, likes to pick cloud berries. The story of them need an extra text... and his daughter, Helene(14), thinks the seawater is very cold to swim in.

Since we have the midnight sun for two months, we have had lots of opportunities to go out and just enjoy sights of boats going out. It is just lovely with a summer break. I have enclosed a picture of me as well. Since I always take the photos, I am seldom to be seen in the pictures!