Travels Continued

Tis the season for roasting marshmallows.



My Uncle Dave and Aunt Sandy were up in Staples for a week to help move Grandpa Hasselberg into assisted living and hopefully his wife Georgia will be soon to follow. We all got together a few nights, along with Uncle Joe and Aunt Barb at my parents house to sit around the fire.


Below is a picture of my family helping Grandpa get ready for a garage sale.



A few days in a row we biked into town to Staple's little coffee shop The Stomping Grounds.


The rest of our week in Minnesota we spent visiting more family and friends.

We drove down to Hugo to see Krista and Brad (Krista was my college teammate and roommate). Not too long ago they got a little dog named Annie, a mini Australian Shepard, which Tuff fell in love with.


Krista took Tuff and I around Stillwater, Minnesota to see where she works and see the sights near the St. Croix River. We stopped to get ice cream at Brown's Ice Cream, known for there generous scoops. Below Tuff is holding the single scoop!


We also enjoyed a nice lunch on the river.


After we left Stillwater and Hugo, we stopped in Anoka to see Tuff's Uncle Merv and Vicky.


Tuff and I posed by the giant Walleye on Lake Mille Lacs.


We got to see our friends Bryan and Tina and there little one Lyric on her birthday in Brainerd.

We took a day trip to Bemidji, Minnesota to visit my college teammate Brittany and her husband Eric. They own a locksmith business so Eric let Tuff cut a key.



Here we all are standing in front of the keys with Kelly, Brittany and Eric's new addition.


Kelly falling asleep after dinner.


For good times sake we golfed a quick nine holes at Bemidji Town and Country!


July 1st we took off for Hettinger, North Dakota to visit Tuff's high school friends Matt and Katie Shahan. They took us around town to see all the sights. Around there the towns are about 40 miles apart so Hettinger has just about everything you need. I think they said 60 businesses and only 1200 person population.


There are even Steeler fans in Hettinger!


The next day we drove to Colstrip, Montana where we've been enjoying family and the trampoline at Tuff's sister Jeri Lyn's.





For the Fourth of July we drove to Uncle Roger and Aunt Darlene's house to celebrate. The boys put on a great fireworks show. It was also Tuff's dad Jerry's birthday!

Jay (Tuff's brother) and Lorna came later with crabs all the way from Newport, Oregon.


After the fourth spent a few days in Billings with cousin Donnie and his wife Kassia. We hiked around the rims on Tuesday, which was really fun.


Great sights to see including a beautiful Two-tailed Swallowtail Butterfly.


A blossoming Prickly Pear Cactus.



A shot of the Beartooth Mountains from the rims.


West side of the rims looking East towards Billings.


We head out tomorrow for a weekend of camping with the Harris' in the Big Horn Mountains. Hopefully we'll get some great photos of wildlife.

Expanding on the Last Few Weeks

Since I didn't have time to finish posting pics from the last few weeks I will now. I'll even add a little of what happened so far in MN.

Tuff and I got to play golf at St Clair Country Club...probably the best course we've played so far in Pittsburgh area. It was for a fundraiser and we were invited by our pastor Doug Melder. The format was a "Shamble" which I've never heard of or played before. Everyone hits a drive, then picks the best. From that location everyone on the team plays their own ball in.




Sometime after the tourney we enjoyed the Three Rivers Arts Festival with our friends Tyler and Maggie. While there, we stopped for a while to enjoy Cello Fury, a fantastic cello group. For added entertainment they head bang, as you'll see in the video.



Below is a picture of us after the arts festival on the rooftop of our temporary apartment.


Tuff and Tyler being themselves


Me being myself at the festival


A display at the festival of fish they took from the Ohio River. They used electroshock to catch them.


Last week we played at what Tuff and I rated as our second best golf course in Pittsburgh area, Olde Stonewall. This course had a castle for a clubhouse, literally.


Below is the maintenance shed, a mini castle.





After the round we met up with an old friend from college Tanya and her husband David, along with some friends of theirs. Tanya and I subletted an apartment together in Missoula summer of 2007 and now she and her husband live north of Pittsburgh. Their house was in the country, which was really a nice change from the city. They had a big pond to fish in and we enjoyed cooking our meal over the fire outside.


Below is Tanya and Tuff checking out their chickens.


A marshmallow Tanya roasted looked just like a pig snout. We made her pose.


On our drive to Minnesota we stopped in Thiensville, Wisconsin to visit Tuff's high school classmate Jake Bauer. It is so wonderful to know people along the journey and get to catch up.


Then Sunday we, along with my dad, brother and sisters, played in the Father's Day golf tournament out at The Vintage Golf Course in Staples. Much to my surprise my dad and I took first! For fun us kids had t-shirts made for a team look. I found a caricature artist in Pittsburgh to do the drawing.



My brother and sisters


Lined up in birth order


The caricature drawing of our dad


Just over the last few days we have visited with lots of family. Tuff and Grandpa had fun Monday racing motorized wheelchairs. I wish I had my camera to take pictures of Tuff and Grandpa neck and neck crossing the street! What a hoot.

My sister-in-law Mari and nephew Soren


Soren with his baby brothers


Lukas and Bjorn


Rachel's little one Eli who is not so little anymore


Phew! That is it for now.

Time for Vacation

OTA's are through and vacation time starts. Tuff and I are in Minnesota and playing in the Father's Day Golf Tourney today. This week was very full; plenty of goodbyes from all our loved ones here!

A few weeks ago an estimated 1800-2100 kayakers/canoers gathered for "Paddle at the Point" for a record-breaking attempt for the largest flotilla. They gathered around 11:45 a.m. Friday, June 4th as a Guinness representative watched from a yacht. Little did I know this as I was taking a jog along the north shore. Shortly into my jog I was wondering why there were so many kayakers and had to look it up online later. Luckily I was able to copy some great photos, as I did not have my camera with me.





Also going on in Pittsburgh June 3rd-13th was the Three Rivers Arts Festival.


Tuff and I were driving by one day and saw this floating head on the river. A local told me it is for the festival and is supposed to be Andrew Carnegie.


A few Saturday nights ago we were just hanging our in our apartment and heard fireworks coming from the baseball stadium. So we quickly went to the rooftop of our building and watched the show. After two rounds of fireworks we thought it was over and went back to our room. Then another round started. So Tuff and I ran the 1/2 mile to the stadium to watch the rest of the fireworks up close. They were shooting the fireworks from the bridge, river and Highmark building.





Much more to post about the last few weeks but not enough time. I'll post more in a few days. Happy Father's Day!