The whole gang poses at Lauren's house before dinner
Katie at her 1997 preschool graduation
Tonight is Eastview High School’s homecoming dance, here in the 196. Katie and some of her best friends are at Macaroni Grill as I write this, having dinner before the big soiree. Above, the girls and Charlie — wait, wasn’t that a TV show in the ’70s — pose for pictures before heading over to Edina for pasta. Notice Katie’s new haircut, which she loves. She posed for photos here at the house with her little sister before she left. I’ll try to post some of them later. Wanted to get this picture up for the grandparents while it was still fresh. Enjoy!
I can’t believe Katie’s a senior already. What happened to our little girl? Wait — there she is, sitting there in her little cap and gown at left. Time has sure flown by…
An elderly Chinese woman who discovered a snake with a clawed hand protruding from its body was so scared she beat it to death, according to reports. Xiu Qiong Duan, 68, told the SINA Beijing news agency she woke up in the middle of the night to find the snake clinging to the wall of her bedroom.
“I woke up and heard a strange scratching sound … at first I thought it was thieves” she said.“I turned on the light and saw this monster working its way along the wall using his claw.”
Ms Duan, from Suining in southwest China, said she then grabbed a shoe and beat the snake to death.
What one fear sends cold chills up my spine? What is my personal bogeyman?
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Wait for it….
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Did I mention it was really scary?
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We had a blast, as usual, at the Renaissance Festival over the weekend. Great people watching, food that’s a cut above county fair food and often-humorous entertainment. What more could you ask for? OK, how about tickets that cost less than $17? Jeez, that’s like slipping the guy a twenty at the entrance to the Burnsville Center food court. Oh, well, and yet we still go back each summer.
We took Jesse and her BFF, Allie, who had never been to RenFest before. Katie went Homecoming dress-shopping with friends and missed out on all the medieval fun. I think AP Euro wrecked the whole Renaissance experience for her…
Anyway, I tucked the Flip in my hip pocket and strolled around the grounds with the three girls. Below are some of the vids I shot.
Enjoy.
Allie and Jesse ride their noble steed around Shakopee. And somewhere, John Prine was singing, “Sabu was sad, the whole tour stunk…”
Check out this monster bubble. I didn’t know that’s what the Renaissance was known for – that, and turkey legs and dill pickles.
In this vid, Allie and Jesse flip over the Renaissance, which, as Jesse tells us, gave her the worst wedgie of all time. For what it’s worth.
Where do you want to go to college, Katie? Where? Oh, Bemidji State. Did the admissions folks mention the abundant wildlife? No? Hmmm:
From the AP: BEMIDJI, Minn. — Wildlife researchers are trying to find out more information about a mountain lion that was hit and killed by a car near Bemidji. The mountain lion was hit on Friday night. On Monday, the cat was taken to Grand Rapids where Minnesota Department of Natural Resources researchers will perform a necropsy. Blane Klemek, a DNR wildlife manager in Bemidji, says the adult female cougar appears to have been a wild animal, because she didn’t have a collar and hadn’t been declawed.
Maurice, Marion and Elsie Rackliff with pet pig in So. Thomaston, Me.
I mentioned on Facebook the other day that I had come across some photos of family members I had never seen before on my cousin Audrey’s FB page. I’m thankful that she had taken the time to scan these and post them. My Grandpa, Maurice “Rack” Rackliff, was the man who has had the greatest impact on my life. That’s saying a lot, given the many strong male role models in my family — my dad, my Uncle Jack, my Uncle Jonny, my father-in-law. I got quite a lump in my throat as I looked at these photos and the others that Audrey had posted. I’m reposting them here for my brother and sister to see and for the rest of our family members who haven’t yet had a chance to see them.
A photo from the first challenge, taken by @garciasn and posted on his Flickr stream
Bill, Josh, Danni and I made a pilgrimage to Girvan Grille again this evening for the ghost wing challenge – the second time for each of us and an opportunity to practice for the much-anticipated Oct. 5 Tournament of Champions, which we plan to compete in. Kim chauffeured Bill, Josh and I to the restaurant, where Danni had saved us a table. We went at Happy Hour because the wings were just $5 and ice-cold Summit drafts were $3. Unfortunately, when we got there, the waitress informed us that Happy Hour wings didn’t qualify for the challenge because they were only 5 bucks – which meant we could eat them, but no T-shirt if we finished the plate. Oh well. We ate ‘em anyway, just to see if therethey were as hot as we remembered. They were. Tasty too. I made my way through my 10 meaty wings like a man possessed, barely pausing to breathe (that’s because it felt like I was swallowing fire every time I took a breath). I wolfed down all 10 wings in about 5 minutes and would have eaten more if there had been any in front of me. This was not because I was macho, but because the fire in my mouth and throat didn’t really start to burn until I stopped eating. Bill and Josh both said that the slow method they followed, including occasional gulps of beer, was a mistake. The burn was more intense. Josh said his arms and hands were actually tingling and shaking from the endorphins. Bill and I both got a bit dizzy and Bill’s teeth started to chatter after he completed the 10 wings. Weird. Danni said the slow-eating method worked better for her this time. All in all, a very fun trip and training exercise for the Ghost Wing Challenge Tournament of Champions. Be sure to watch us on ESPN2. OK, just kidding about the whole television thing.
Welcome to our family blog. Check back often for the latest news from Up North and to see some of the projects we're working on.
Art, Laurie, Katie and Jesse
