Dubuque Iowa!

     The day included several venues in Dubuque. It began with the fascinating aquarium and attached museum. On the way to ride the funicular, which we did, a memory was tantalizing me "Where else have I ridden a funicular...was it Bergan, Norway?" probably. But then it  came to me "Kunming, China." We went to Mississippi Lock 10, and watched a huge barge and tow go through the locks. Then it was north of Dubuque up the high bluffs for dinner in Balltown.

    Yup, it was a full wonderful day! Thanks, Ed and MaryJane.

Takk for alt,

Al

Balltown sits high on a ridge with this view, the Mississippi River is visible in the distance.

Not Old, long term...

        It was 1959 and Ed and I were in Marine Boot Camp. Fortune put us in the same platoon so we were acquaintances. Geography played a part. Because we finished Boot Camp on Dec. 15, we were given leave, no choice, over Christmas. With Ed's home in Eastern IA and mine in Eastern SD, we rode the same bus from San Diego to Omaha, a two day trip, on the way to our homes. On the bus we had the leisure to talk and two farm boys found we had so much in common. Fortune again hove into view when, after leave,  we were assigned to the same company at Camp Pendleton, then in the same office until I completed my enlistment.

    Though we remained friends, and in contact, fortune again intervened when I moved our family to Davenport in 1980. This put us 25 miles from Ed's farm. Now Joanne and Ed's wife MaryJane became good friends and, of course, I got significant time with Ed.

   When I retired in 2007 we started visiting every year since, with the exception of  2020. So, here I am again, once again being treated like royalty. Tonight included dinner with Ed's & MaryJane's neighbors, who over the years, have become friends of mine. 

   Life is good, sponging off long time friends!

Takk for alt,

Al

Where's Al?

       If someone were to ask me where I am I'd say "I'm here." But, then where's here? Perhaps it might surprise to know that I'm in DeWitt, Iowa. It's about 20 miles from Illinois. In fact we had dinner in Clinton on a deck where we could look across the Mississippi and see Illinois. 

    After dinner we went troll hunting and found 3 of 4. They're huge made of reused lumber, 1000s sf pieces attached by screws.  

  Clinton, Iowa is home to four massive, interactive wooden sculptures created by world-renowned Danish recycled-materials artist Thomas Dambo. The trolls celebrate Clinton’s rich 1800s lumber history. You can search for three brother trolls—Helmut, Marvin, and Warren—and a hidden fourth installation called 'The Enchanted Branches'.  Internet

Takk for alt,

Al 

This is Helmut, who is holding a maple tree.

This is Marvin, who is reclining inside a building. Each of the small pieces are attached with screws.

OFH

     Kaia and I motored to the OFH arriving this morning. So, to the query, "Where are you?"  the answer is that "We are here." It's the first leg of a little planned road trip. This stay will be brief.

Takk for alt,

Al

Screen Time!

     After watching a video about the effect of screen time on sleep I decided to experiment. Both of you, my readers know that I don't watch much TV. On the other hand I do spend quite a bit of time on the computer. After seeing the video about screen time and sleep I decided to experiment. The initial results suggest that when I discontinue screen time an hour and a half before going to bed I wake up less at night. To be continued...

  There was also a video about eight things a person age 70 should be able to do. Naturally I tested myself. Rise from a chair with out using hands? check; walk for 10 minutes? check; climb a flight of stairs? check;  carry a bag of groceries from the car to the kitchen? check; prepare a meal? check; maintain personal hygiene? check; engage in cognitive activities? check; and, socialize and leave the house? check. Seems a very minimal list, nothing about picking rocks nor cutting cedars. Not even remembering what was done yesterday. But then I'm not 70! 😀

Takk for alt,

Al

I've posted this street sign from Saladaeng, Bangkok. What does the sign advertise on the second floor?

Happy Father's Day and Summer Solstice!

       I've long argued that you don't have to be a father to have a happy Father's Day! For some, the logic of that assertion escapes them. But, what ever, hope your Father's Day is happy as mine has been. It's a blessing to have two children who dote on me.

    However, I do have to confess to a bit of depression. It has to do with summer solstice. The long daylight hours of this time of year, in this latitude, agree with me. The lengthy twilight is delightful. Though the retreat of the sun will not be observable for some time it's the  knowledge of it that makes me sad.

    In conversation with L today we were remembering the lack of twilight in SE Asia. Suddenly the sun rises and suddenly the sun sets. Close to the Equator day and night are almost the same length. It's very near 6:00 am and 6:00 pm.

  The rooster crowing across the street from The Little House harkens to my time in Thailand. There was no clock in my Thai bedroom. There were two signals to me that it was time to arise. Roosters crowing was one signal. The other clue was the Muslim call to prayer at 6:00 am from the neighboring mosque. It's been many years since I used an alarm clock but it's helpful to have some signal of the time.

  Speaking of an alarm clock there's a funny story. L was staying with me. At breakfast he said, "Dad your alarm clock went off last night."  News to me 😀, checked and it was set to ring at 2:00 am. Without my hearing aids I didn't hear it. How many weeks had it sounded unheard?

Takk for alt,

Al

It must have been almost 6:00 pm when I took this picture over the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok.

Gov. Waltz commenting on the reflecting pool fiasco;

 Minnesota governor Tim Walz commented: “Found an imaginary problem, said only they could fix it, didn’t listen to experts, hired buddies who grifted millions, failed miserably, bragged how great it went. The entire Trump presidency in a nutshell.”