Summertime and the living is easy

It has been a busy Summer and keeping this blog updated hasn't been easy. I regularly think "oh, I should mention this in the blog" and then whatever prompted that thought gets filed away in my claptrap of a mind. So the following is a purging of recent events, if you will. If it seems fairly random or perhaps worthy of more than one blog entry, you are probably right. So kudos to you, you self-righteous jerk.

First, let's talk about Brian and Julie Rose's Annual 4th of July party. This was the 5th year of the event, and each time the party grows like the population of India.

First, here's the cat guardian of Rose manor. Like a creature straight from Japanese legend (or Dragonball Z, I forget), she looks cute, but mess with the house and you will be eviscerated like so many field mice.



Here's Marlin loading up firewood for the party on his Big Dummy.


Ah, I didn't mention the sausage. Every year, Brian and Julie hand-make the sausage served at the party. This year they made 100 pounds of the glorious stuff. Julie did the lion's share of the sausage making, and I must say, it did seem to have a woman's touch about it. Anyway, here's B.Rose manning the barbeque late into the night.


I didn't ask for the Girls Gone Wild treatment, but Josh gave it to me anyway. Next to him, on a one-way trip to a blackout, is Mr. Mark Emery.



Here was the unexpected attraction of the evening- a bike behemoth that has room for 10 pedallers and one pilot (plus space in the back for one drunk daredevil to hold onto for dear life). Built on a car chassis with full suspension and manual transmission, it was one hell of a ride. I hopped on it 3 times, even though each time meant potential collisions with cars, pedestrians, trees, etc. When our first driver took five, Blake from Salsa took the helm. We roared down side streets and alleys in South Minneapolis, through a park, and for a few scary moments, a busy 4 lane street. It was terrifying, my nuts got wracked when the gears seized for a moment, I thought for sure the thing was going to roll and crush us all, and I made peace with my maker. All in all, better than a day at Six Flags.


Hurl and Schreiner having fun like only a pair of BFF's can.


Now we fast forward to the real 4th of July, which started out at the legendary Nye's with everyone's favorite Polka band. Ruth Adams makes Keith Richards look like a lightweight.


Obligatory fireworks over the Mississippi. Afterwords, we finished the night with more Polka. "In Heaven, there is no beer/that's why we drink it here." Amen.


Here is Darrie Ann showing her carrion eating roots, tearing into a bag of dog chow. Carrie and I were on our way to her grandparent's cabin in Chisago City to enjoy the rest of the July 4th weekend.


And what should we find at her grandparent's cabin but a set of Lawn Darts! For those young'ens out there that never got to experience the glory of Lawn Darts, let me just say that it is a part of your cultural heritage that you really ought to seek out.



And that's it for this long overdue and slightly bloated blog entry. Long may you run.