Monthly Archives: June 2004

Bye Bye Blue Wine

Posted on June 16, 2004 | Leave a comment

I had to say goodbye to a dozen bottles of blueberry wine last night. Kinda sad, but necessary. Fermentation had restarted after they’d been bottled, which is kind of a big problem. Several of the corks had been forced part-way out of the bottles, and they probably would have popped all the way out if I hadn’t put those little shrink-wrap caps on them. Instead they just sat there, building up pressure…
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Deadwood

Posted on June 15, 2004 | Leave a comment

PunkWoodStump.jpg
This particular chunk of decaying wood is one of the shots from up North. It’s got a fun combination of wood grain and rot that reminds me of one of my favorite dead trees.

Yes, I have favorite dead trees. I’m strange that way.

It came down in one of the recent storms. It was a stunted, twisted old oak with strips of bark peeled back from almost bone-white wood. It was right up against the side of the road, which gave it a great horror movie look. I’m kind of sad I didn’t get a picture of it when it was still standing.

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Drink one for the Gipper!

Posted on June 11, 2004 | Leave a comment

Andy Ihnatko has posted a drinking game suggestion which has the potential to cause serious liver damage. Here’s the rules, just in case you don’t want to follow the link:

  1. Every time there’s a moment of silence for Ronald Reagan, you take a drink.
  2. For every twenty seconds that the moment of silence is awkwardly extended to ensure that every governor or senator with a shot at the 2008 nomination receives a somber close-up on national television, you take another drink.
  3. Every time a convention speaker claims that s/he can Feel Ronald Reagan’s Presence Among Us Today, you take a drink. Take a bonus drink if the speaker pretends to blink back tears; take a third if the speaker is also male.
  4. Every time the crowd is challenged to do something “for the Gipper” ? re-elect George W. Bush; support statewide referenda banning same-sex marriage; stop tossing chicken bones into Oklahoma’s seating area (Texas delegates only) ? you take a drink.
  5. Every time George W. Bush (or one of his designated proxies) attempts to create the impression that he’s Ronald Reagan’s son and not George Sr.’s, you take a drink.
  6. Every time there’s a video montage that ends with Ronald Reagan in cowboy attire, strolling and/or riding a horse in slow motion across a sweeping prairie in which the sky has been electronically replaced with a seductively rippling American flag, you chug.

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Urban Violets

Posted on June 10, 2004 | Leave a comment

UrbanViolet.jpg
This fascinatingly ugly flower was one of the little sprouts growing out of my driveway. It’s gone now, thanks to a handy home maintenance tip that my Mom gave me: If you’re having trouble with weeds coming through cracks in pavement, pour a kettlefull of boiling water on them. This should kill the plant off without any chemicals.

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Confusion reigns…

Posted on June 9, 2004 | 2 comments

Did you ever have one of those moments when you’ve got a plan so clearly pictured in your mind that you don’t know if you’ve done it or not? I’m worrying today that I may have had one of those moments last night. I’d had a nice clear plan in my mind when I got home from work: i.e. get the air conditioner out of the basement and into the window, grill dinner outside (so as not to heat up the house), work out, and then call my mom and wish her a happy birthday.
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Ferns in the swamp

Posted on June 7, 2004 | Leave a comment

FernsInSwamp.jpg
A stand of ferns on the road in to camp.
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Band Aid Label

Posted on June 4, 2004 | Leave a comment

“In case of serious injury, consult a medical professional.”

That’s what it says on the side of the band-aid box. I noticed it this morning when I was getting ready for work. There it was, sitting in the medicine cabinet, staring at me. A blue band with white letters.
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Loop and Zoom

Posted on June 3, 2004 | Leave a comment

Another time lapse movie from Up North, this is a looping little movie from driving around Marquette Michigan.

MqtSatellite.jpg

The link image is from the Microsoft Terraserver site, which is both cool and kinda scary at the same time.

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Sauna!

Posted on June 2, 2004 | Leave a comment

InsideTheSauna.jpg
My folks have a barrel sauna up at our camp. It’s really a huge cedar barrel, made by Superior Cooperage out of Minnesota. It’s a lovely piece of work, but if you’re thinking of ordering one from them, be aware that it may take a while for it to arrive.
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Bats are cool…

Posted on June 1, 2004 | Leave a comment

BatFlying.jpg
And man do they fly fast! This is the best of about twenty shots I tried of this guy circling and diving and flying about…
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