Suzie & Joe's Wedding - Minneapolis & Wisconsin Northwoods

I have never traveled out-of-state for a wedding before, but this year I did it twice. This second wedding for Suzie and Joe was held up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. I asked Tori to join me on the trip, but since she booked late she had to catch a separate flight from the one I took to Minneapolis with Dave and Tiffany. While we were all sharing a condo in Wisconsin, Dave and Tiffany stayed the first night with relatives nearby while Tori and I had a room at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. It was a great location, close to Nicollet Mall and the Light Rail Train Station. After checking in at 4pm, we crisscrossed back and forth across the mall on the Skyway System (covered walkways that connect most of the second floors in the Downtown buildings) before catching the train down to view the picturesque waterfall at Minnehaha Park.




We had a brief rain shower when we arrived in the park, but we discovered the Minnehaha Falls were dry with only a dirty brown pond full of fish at the bottom. I guess there is not enough water at the end of summer. Too bad. It would have been a pretty sight with the bridge crossing over the two-tiered falls. The park was full of huge grey squirrels and I saw my first chipmunk. We decided to skip a visit to the giant Mall of America and headed back Downtown where we got off at the Metrodome stop. Walking over to the Guthrie Theater, we checked out the architecture of its Endless Bridge sticking out towards the Mississippi River. Across the street was the Mill City Museum with its huge Gold Medal Flour grain elevators and ruins of old mills along the river. The nearby St. Anthony Falls powered the country's largest flour mills until the end of World War I. Walking across the Stone Arch Bridge, we could see the boat lock and the spillway that replaced the natural falls when they partially collapsed in 1869.




It started to rain again as we took the stairs down under the bridge for a twilight view of the river and the Minneapolis skyline. (Tori almost dropped her iPhone into the Mississippi while we waited for the sky to darken and the city lights to turn on.) We spotted several flocks of geese coming in for a landing on the river. Walking back towards our hotel, we were starving by the time we stopped for a delicious meal at "Taste of Thailand". Friday morning, we ordered room service from the Firelake restaurant downstairs before Dave and Tiffany arrived to pick us up in the rental car for the five hour drive to St. Germain. We soon crossed the border into Wisconsin and enjoyed the wonderful Mid-West scenery. Dramatic clouds drifting over endless fields of corn. At the halfway point, we stopped in Eau Claire where Suzie and Joe met at college. After checking out Dells Pond along the river, we went to Mogie's Pub for a quick drink. I had the Spotted Cow and tried the Spuds, a deep-fried potato snack filled with melted cheese. Yum!




After three more hours of driving we finally arrived in the Northwoods. Before going on to our rental condo at Black Bear Lodge on Little Saint Germain Lake, we stopped for groceries (crackers and 2 year aged cheddar) and beer. After beating Dave in a game of Roshambo (rock, paper, scissors) for the master bedroom, we checked out the lake and joined everybody for the get-together. There was a canoe full of beer and plenty of Wisconsin cheese. The venison salami and jerky was delicious! Dave and I played some Kan Jam with Suzie's brothers. It's a lot like Horse Shoes but you toss a Frisbee across the lawn into a plastic bucket instead. (Extra points if you can slip it through the narrow slot.)




It was pretty chilly in the Northwoods with a slight drizzle on Friday night so it was nice to have the sun come out on Saturday morning for the wedding day. After sleeping in for a bit, Tori and I took a canoe out on the lake for a nice paddle. Afterwards, we had a nice lunch with Louise, Doug, Dave and Tiffany at The Bear's Den. I hadn't overdosed on cheese yet, so I ordered the Buffalo Cheese Curds. Tori and and I relaxed out on the dock until it was time to get ready for the wedding. The rain clouds started to gather as we walked over to the ceremony and it started to sprinkle as we sat down. The Groom suggested moving the ceremony into the reception tent, but the Bride wished to stay at the beautiful spot under the trees by the lake and we all agreed. Just as Suzie started walking down the aisle, the sky opened up and a cold hard rained poured down.





Rain at a wedding is supposed to bring good luck. The Bride and Groom were protected by a huge umbrella but we forgot ours in our room so we were drenched and freezing by the end. The pastor helped out by speeding up the process. (Plus his pages started to stick together.) After the ceremony we hurried back to the condo where the blow dryers did a great job drying off our clothes before the reception started. Tori and I sat at the Devil's Tower table and an entire roasted pig was served. (Red Bull and Vodkas helped keep us warm.) We had a fun time dancing to "The Wise Guys" until my feet could not take it any more. The bouquet toss was hilarious because a blindfolded Suzie missed the single ladies entirely and hit the nearby group of men.

After Saturday's rain showers, Sunday was very sunny. Blayne rented a pontoon boat so we explored the lake with Carrie, Dave, Jess and Ken. We had a cooler of Wisconsin beer aboard and more cheese, sausages, and crackers to snack on. At the North end, we saw a bald eagle dive into the water close by and catch a fish. Very Cool! It carried it to the nearby shore and ate it in a tree. Back at The Bear's Den, we watched the Packers lose to the 49er's, but I won the half time pool and got my money back. Blayne ate an impressive sandwich, a thick steak resting between two small buns.




For dinner, Dave, Tiffany, Tori and I drove into the nearby town of Minocqua. It sits on a island in the middle of a large lake. Since it was a Sunday nigh,t it was pretty dead when we arrived but the Minocqua Brewing Company was still open. After all the heavy food I had been eating, I was tempted by the salad options, but Dave convinced me to stick with the local cuisine. We both ended up with the Beef and Brie and I didn't regret it. Back at Black Bear Lodge, it was the first cloudless night and we had a clear view of the bright stars above the lake. We joined everybody over at the fire-pit for a few hours telling stories and jokes until it was time to sleep.




The four of us woke up fairly early on Monday for our five hour drive back to Minneapolis. We hit the road around 7:30am, only stopping at the Nasonville Dairy to buy more cheese to take home. I bought 3 and 5 year aged cheddars as well as a third block of cheddar with chunks of Pepperoni inside. Dave kept raving about Culver's so we stopped at one near the Wisconsin border for lunch. I had the ButterBurger, some more cheese curds and their famous frozen custard. (Double Caramel Chocolate Peanut)

My first meal back home was a salad!

Labor Day Weekend - Wave House & BBQs

I have wanted to experience the FlowRider at the Wave House for the longest time so I was glad that Tori was willing to give it a go. Kenny and Jill met us at Belmont Park on Sunday where we booked an hour. As best as I can describe it, FlowRiding is a cross between wakeboarding, snowboarding and surfing where strong pumps force a thin sheet of water up a rubber slope. I went first with a body-board to get a feel for the strength of the flow before attempting to try it standing up.



In order to ride standing up, we had to set our weight on our back foot and steer the board with the front. We also had to keep our knees bent and shoulders square over the board to maintain proper balance. As beginners, holding the rope compensated for the lack of fins and helped keep us straight. Once we let go it was only a matter of seconds before the board would start to turn sideways and the force of water would kick it out from under us. Tori and Kenny had great balance, picking it up the first time but it took me a couple tries.



Even though I would have preferred to spend more time practicing on the FlowRider without the aid of a rope first, Kenny and I booked a second hour over on the FlowBarrel. The sheet of water is thicker on the FlowBarrel and shoots up a rubber wave to form a constant tube. While the surface of the FlowRider was bouncy like a trampoline, the FlowBarrel wasn't as forgiving. I rode the stand-up board twice, lasting at least 30 seconds each time, but I whacked the back of my head both times and smashed my shoulder. To give my aching noggin a break, I rode the body-board for the rest of the hour. It was fun to ride up and down the face of the wave and get deep in the tube.



What sucks about the FlowRider and FlowBarrel is that unless you have more experience, there is no easy way to get off the board without wiping out. The FlowBarrel sucks you over the falls into a deeper pit of water and holds you under for quite a ways along the side channel before it finally spits you out. I almost lost my shorts a couple times. It was nice that they had two hot tubs in front to relax in while waiting for our next turn. There were several excellent riders taking turns with us, giving tips and showing off their slick moves and aerials.


Sunday Night, I was still very sore from the Wave House (some serious whiplash) when we went to a BBQ at Lylah's mother's house, Maison Petite D'Agnes. Agnes and Ernie are great hosts and it was another sumptuous feast. I went back for seconds and thirds before sitting in front of the backyard fireplace with my lovely girlfriend. On Labor Day, we had another BBQ out at Trapeze High. I was still too beat up to fly, but I got to meet Tony Steele, the first trapeze artist to complete the "3 1/2 Back Somersaults to a Legs Catch" back in 1962, and watch him throw a "Half Turn Across" to Wayne.




Labor Day was also my first "Big Erection" when I helped erect the new Catcher's Rig. I will be able to train on it so I can learn to catch by the end of the year.




p.s. Tori and I also went to another BBQ at Federica's house on Friday night for three in one weekend!! We acted out a skit that Dan wrote and played some Taboo. The highlight was Federica accidentally falling into the pool while looking back to talk to us.

Flying Trapeze - Back End Planche & Birdie / Ringling Brothers Circus

While I have completed the Planche release trick in two positions before, Saturday was the first time I tried a Back End Planche on the Trapeze. In this advanced version, you have to move into the plank position in one motion at the back end of the swing. I couldn't attempt it until I first learned the warm-up swing to a satisfactory level.



I have also been practicing the Birdie for a few weeks now, throwing it to the net, but yesterday Wayne caught it for the first time. Since I am tall, I call it the Albatross instead. I was a bit nervous about the catch so I forgot to squawk out my bird call as I swung forward.



After class, Tori taught me how to lock my legs on the Catch Bar. I can't wait until I learn to catch one of her tricks.


Saturday night, Tori and I met Dave, Lindsey and the rest of the group at the San Diego Sports Arena to see The Flying Caceres trapeze act in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. I haven't been to the circus since I was a child, so I was pretty excited. The trapeze act was very cool with a double-decker rig where they performed bar-to-bar tricks that I have never seen before.




It was a great show with lots of "Wow!" moments. Stunt Horse-Riding, Aerialists, Acrobats on the Teeterboard & Russian Bar, Martial Arts and even eight motorcycles speeding within a 16' Steel Sphere at the same time. I especially liked the Specs when the circus floor would flood with a sea of performers, dancers, clowns and animals in colorful costumes.




Beside the stunt horseback riding, there were several other animal acts including the Elephants, Lions, Tigers, Ponies, Mountain Goats and Dogs. Funnily enough, one of my favorite acts was just watching common house cats perform tricks.

2012 Midnight Madness Bike Ride

I have now participated in five Midnight Madness Bike Rides around Downtown San Diego. This year, friends from work were dressing up for the event so Tori and I wore tutus. I planned to accessorize mine with a hockey costume, but I only wore the pads because it was too damn hot for the jersey. I was interviewed by Fox 5 while we were waiting for the ride to start, but I don't know if it made it onto the news.




This is the first year that the ride started at 9pm instead of midnight which I think that is a bad idea. The event loses some of its special madness at the earlier time. I was riding an old rusty cruiser this year instead of my road bike so I didn't mind that they also shortened the course from 18 to just 12 miles.




Riding along the harbor, my favorite photo was from when I stopped to take a 15 second exposure of the riders pedaling past. Except for the light trails from their illuminated bikes, the participants were invisible against the city backdrop. Spectators really liked my Hockey Pads-Tutu combo. Throughout the ride, I kept overhearing, "That guy's wearing a tutu!!"




At the end of the ride, I attempted the Bicycle Hopscotch set up at the finish line. (Hopping through wheel frames while carrying a bike, picking up a smaller wheel and than hopping out backwards.) It was a lot harder than I thought. Our group, "Drinking Team with a Cycling Problem", went over to the Beer Festival tent afterwards, but it was too humid and crowded inside so we didn't stay long.

Perseid Meteor Shower - Palomar Mountain

Tori and I drove up to Palomar Mountain last night to observe the Perseid Meteor Shower that originates from the direction of the Perseus constellation. We arrived at the summit after midnight when the constellation rises above the horizon. In less than a half hour of watching, we saw more than 10 meteors shoot across the sky.


I took this picture of the city lights reflecting off the lower altitude haze with a 15 second exposure on my compact Canon S95 camera. You can see the stars shining above with the dense whiteness of the Milky Way at the center.


This picture is of the stars directly above our heads. I took several 15 second exposures hoping to capture a passing meteor. No such luck, but you can see the thicker band of stars from the Milky Way Galaxy running through the center from the lower left hand corner. The picture below shows a lovely view up my nostril as we stare up at the sky and count meteors from our beach chairs.

Trapeze, Zip-lines & Masquerades

There was birthday party for Chris at Trapeze High on Friday. Everyone who knew how to catch was taking turns catching his tricks on the Trapeze. After the cake and birthday song, we hung a Sponge Bob Square Pants Pinata from the Catch Bar. Chris swung out and launched through the air, destroying it with his feet on the first try.




After flying, we started playing on the trampoline and the zip-line that traveled down to the above-ground pool fifty feet away. Since I didn't bring shorts, I stripped down to my underwear.





On Saturday, we went to Mark's Masquerade Party for his housewarming. It was the middle of a heatwave with no air conditioning so we were boiling in our costumes out in Escondido. Mark is a great cook so he made lots of delicious appetizers. My favorite was the Nutella, Brie and Basil Sandwiches.




After filling up on food, we had a fun time playing Reverse Charades. The Orange Cardamom Ice Cream we ate for desert was amazing!!!!

Flying Trapeze - Caught by my Girlfriend

The first night we met, Tori claimed that if I flew on the trapeze rig where she works, she would be able to catch me.



Today, she proved it. :)