Monday, December 31, 2007

National Treasure II

As many of you know National Treasure II is in theatres right now. Some of the filming was done at Mt. Rushmore and my favorite place to climb, Sylvan Lake. I got an e-mail today from a friend of mine Daryl Stisser who owns and operates Sylvan Rocks Climbing School.

Their crew was asked to guide the film crew to the rocks that overlook the lake, and they also did some safety work for the crews on top of Rushmore. They took a boat load of pictures and here is the link to check them out....

Happy New Year, by the way...enjoy the night of festivities and a day of football tomorrow.

Friday, December 28, 2007

I will blog on!!! and...End of the Year Awards

Ok, I will admit it...I think this happened a few months ago and it happened again...I had a notion of ending the blog.

But after last night I realized my place in life, and this 5 minutes a day I spend rambling on about my life and our family life events, in a way keeps our family and extended family closer.

Last night we had a post-Christmas party at my folks' house with my dad's sisters and their kids. After a while the talk turned to Living On Liquid, the laughs were hearty, and inside jokes about stories and comments on the website came out for all to enjoy.

I had a warm-fuzzy feeling to know that a little something I do keeps our family connected, I guess I am the family journalist...with the world wide web as our newspaper.

The end of the year always brings awards, top 10 lists and Best Of lists...so here is the awards from the Living On Liquid staff.

Most loyal Living On Liquid Visitor: After much debate Aunt Gloria wins this award...she told us there are only 3 websites she visits...Living On Liquid and the 2 funeral homes in our town. Yes, Debbie Downer gets her fill of family news and then heads on over to Welter's site to see who's dead! (Notice the 2 new hot links on the right hand side of the website to make things easy for Auntie Glo!) Honorable Mentions: Sally, Skipper and Verlie (Skipper and Verlie would have won this award but thier wives don't let them post comments for fear of hurting my feelings...come on guys start dishing it out again, we miss you!)

Best Fake Injuries Sustained Through False Reporting On This Website: Grandpa Bob...a blown out knee from caber-tossing gone wrong, and a nose injury from prize fighting on the East Coast...both injuries sound way more rad then how they actually happened...thanks for the artistic leeway, dad. Honorable Mention: Shaki the cat...who my mom almost successfully crushed with their 2,000 lbs. garage door...don't worry Shaki, Maxim has his Sunday School teachers praying for you and Grandma Penny!

Most Frequent International Visitor: Amber K. wins this one hands down...it's always nice to see that Uganda has Internet access. Honorable Mention: The Korean spamer that had Aunt Gloria convinced that all of our computers are now in the hands of Kim Jong-il.

Best Picture Posted: At Sally's request, my 2nd grade picture with the hemp necklace, velour shirt, stocking cap hair and a half-stoned look on my face...funny thing is...I look the same today, minus the 2nd grade innocence.

Best Linking Site To Living On Liquid: Minus Car Project...I get more outside the family visitors from this site than any other site. Mike is the man when it comes to blogging and saving the Earth...also takes a pretty good picture with the sweaty drummer from MeWithoutYou...good times.

Best Comments Posted: Aaron S...he posted the comment that shocked the Internet world after I lost my stupid dog in a sleet storm earlier this fall. Exactly 17 minutes after he posted it his mom called him to yell at him for being so mean to me. In all reality he was quoting lines from one of our favorite Adam Sandler movies and I was laughing with Brent as A.J. was getting chewed out. Aaron, may God have mercy on your soul! Honorable Mention: Skip and Verlie...this tag team - dynamic duo of retirees used to rip it up on the "post comments" section, but now have been shut down by their wives...I guess we know who wears the pants in those relationships!

Most Played Musician During Posts: Jack Johnson...I can't seem to figure out my Last.FM scrobbling tool all the time and I have a feeling Jack would have lost out to Eartha Kitt singing "Santa Baby" over the last few weeks, but here's to Jack!!! I am counting down the days to February when the new album drops...maybe an invite to the CD release party in Hawaii???

Visitor # 1,000: January 21, 2007 we tripped the "hit counter" over 1,000 here at Living On Liquid and I am almost 99% sure, Uncle Skipper was the 1,000th visitor...congrats. For being number 1,000 I invite you to go to the Living On Liquid webstore and buy yourself a new t-shirt. By the way we are nearing 10,000 hits! Can we do it before 2008? Only you can decide.

Most Controversial Post: July 20th's Harry Potter blog. I completly went off that day...I think it was some of my best work. BUT...I must have stepped on toes, because I was approached by an older friend who said a person came up to him with concerns about my blog and my beliefs.
They were a little miffed about my statement:
"Will the books challenge people's beliefs, thoughts and faith? Maybe not, but I hope so.Will it cause people to face the reality of darkness in the world, ie...in magic, wizards, demons and the occult? Maybe, and that's a good thing in my eyes...when is the last time any church had a 4 week session on demon possession? Never, but it still happens, and we sweep it under the rug.
Maybe because it is a powerful thing, and most of us are ill-equipped to deal with it's depth, mentally and spiritually. It's much like faith healing or speaking in tongues...oooooh, I stepped on some Mennonite toes there, yes I believe that God still preforms miracle healings, and I also believe Christians still speak in tongues."
I still stand by my statements, as my Bible still has those stories listed in the text.

Biggest News Story On Living On Liquid During 2007: The Great Flood of May. If I would have had a 3rd son I would have built an ark...I just didn't think we could get it done without a "Japheth". We got 10" in a couple days...then there was the infamous pontoon boat landing on our "shores". Finally 8 months after the event, the insurance company did what insurance companies are supposed to do...pay you for losses. Honorable Mention: House remodel completion...actually there is still some more to do, but that is a bad subject with the CEO of the family, and we won't bring it up...if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.

Most Blogged About State: You would think the 605 would be the hands down winner here, but I guess I have a crush on Montana. Final score of posts about states...Montana 8, So-Dak 5, Idaho 2. Sorry Gov. Rounds...I guess I need a little more kick back from the Dept. of Tourism this year.

Best Guest Blogger: Cousin Brent...I think he did it from his BlackBerry in an airport all about airport travels! Thanks for giving me a break from the writing that day! By the way you will see some of Brent's work this New Year's Eve...when the ball drops in Times Square...you will see an ANHEUSER-BUSCH sign in the background...that's his project!

Finally MVP of Living On Liquid: My wife* and kids, there is no way I could put up the stats that I do each night without their help...they are the lifeblood of this blog, and without them I would have nothing to write about. However you might notice there is an asterisk by my wife's name...as she was listed in the Mitchell Report for using HGH and The Clear during the '06 season. But how else could she have got through almost a full year without a working kitchen!

Special thanks to Whiskeymilitia.com and Steepandcheap.com for making Christmas shopping for presents to myself and others easy...thanks to Wikipedia.com for giving descriptions to obscure references to readers during my posts...thanks to basec.net for still offering slow Internet dial-up connections to those of us who can't get a cable modem and don't want to pay $130 a month to a satellite Internet provider...special thanks anyone who comes to this site for a break from their busy days...Happy New Year for the gang at Living On Liquid.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Playing with the presents.

One of my favorite things about Christmas has always been playing with the presents, either that I received or now...the cool stuff my boys get.

Video games, action figures, Legos (that I put together), dinosaur bones (that I put together), remote controlled cars (That I ran the batteries out of), Nerf guns (That I shoot Steph with), we got it all this year, and it has been a blast.

My sister who is a great gift-giver sent Maxim a pair of snowshoes. Maxim had no idea what they were for, but last night we strapped them on and went on a little expedition.



After a couple of faceplants in the front yard, he relearned how to walk...Then he wanted to go down to the lake to walk on the ice. So I piled Brecken in the sled, and great Beadle County Explorer Maxim, Brecken and their trusty sled dogs, Annie and Lily ran all over the snow-covered ice of Lake Byron.

There was some pretty heavy fog so it was really cool, as you couldn't see more than 200 feet in front of you. Steph came down and joined us...and laughed at Maxim when he would get his feet tangled and land in a pile...GREAT GIFT AUNT SALLY!



The other thing Steph and I love to do in the winter, is grill...she threw a pork loin on the grill and while it cooked, Brecken wanted to play on the swing set. The slide is a lot more fun when you land in a pile of snow at the end of it.
Our next door neighbors, who totally spoil our boys, brought over the boy's Christmas present. A bird feeder that looks like a log cabin, and a year's supply of bird food. We can't wait to hang it up and see all the birds that come to the lake. Last night I saw a huge Bluejay, so maybe we can get him to stop by our new birdhouse when we put it up this weekend.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

My Christmas Slideshow 2007

Omaha's Henry Doorley Zoo!
We had the place to ourselves...the boys loved the aquarium and the primates.
Oh yeah, and the Roadrunner that, "Almost killed Maxim!"
We spent almost an hour watching the orangutans...we were the only people there.
Maxim was teasing this guy and then he jumped at the window and scared Maxim off the bench he was standing on.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Uncle Jay and Aunt Angie's. The house was never quiet and the Amazing Pizza Machine was a sensory overload!

This is Uncle Jay feeding Brecken candy sprinkles straight out of the dispenser...Brecken loves his Uncle Jay.
Sunday sledding at Jay and Angie's...Avery won the award for loudest scream.


Christmas morning opening presents....right here Maxim is thinking, "Yes!!! Slippers!!!! just what I wanted Grandma!" He wore them all afternoon. Brecken with his adult present opening helper Grandpa Bob.

It's about 12:30 in the afternoon here and notice Grandpa is already yawning.

He and Brecken both took naps.
All in all it was a great Christmas, one of the best that I can remember...with that said, I don't even remember last year's Christmas.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Just in time for Christmas...

The folks here at Living On Liquid know shopping for the right Christmas present is tough, so this Holiday season, get that loved one...or not so loved one, the gift that says..."Yes, I was bored enough to find this website!".

Living On Liquid invites you to check out our apparel and hard goods at our Internet store located here...http://www.cafepress.com/livingonliquid
This is the design on all of our custom items...check back frequently as we will be adding more items!

Friday, December 14, 2007

New Shoes Make You Go Faster!

When I was a kid...17 and under...I never understood why my dad would get up each morning and run 3 miles...rain, sleet, snow or bitter cold. He would just bundle up and beat the street.

Those of you that know my dad know he is famous for an extremely bowed-out leg with no cartilage on the knee, an old caber-tossing injury he sustained while working on a goat milk dairy farm in the Scottish Hilands. After the medieval-type surgery he was left with a bone on bone arrangement that couldn't have been comfortable to run on...but he did it anyway.

Now that I am older and wiser I realize why he ran...much the same reason that Forrest Gump ran...because you escape when you run. Nothing else matters except the next step...it is refreshing and calming.

I run 3 miles a day 5 days a week, sometimes more. So I am your average "jogger". Oh yeah, the other reason I run, is because I eat like a pig. I was tying up my shoes the other day and noticed how broke down they were from running, and it dawned on me that I have been running in the same shoes for over a year and a half...so it was time to retire them to the lawn mowing pile of shoes.

On Wednesday I replaced my old Salomon XA Pro's with a new pair of Adidas Bounce's. I felt like an 8 year old with new kicks! I felt like I was floating on air and running so much faster. It was like running was new again.

I can't help but remember the time I got a pair of KangaROOs I felt like the coolest kid in the town and always had a couple of quarters in each hidden pocket, and I could jump in those 'ROOs.

New shoes haven't changed, they still make kids, and BIG kids, go faster and jump higher. Maxim has some black Chuck Taylor All-Stars that are completely rad, and his first comment was, "See how high I jump, dad?"

Little did he know both of his grandpas probably said the same thing about the same shoes about 50 years ago. Makes me wonder if my grand kids will be wearing KangaROOs?


By the way I was happy to see my name didn't make it on to the MLB's "The Mitchell Report". I once did a TV news story about baseball and steroids.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Things you don't say to your wife...

Great weekend for the fam...we spent most of it in the house.

Steph and I played with the kids, we let the dogs come in the house to play with the boys.

We did venture out on Saturday for some fun in the snow.

The hockey game went good on Sunday night...nobody cried, and Maxim kind of scored a goal...I think it was already going to cross the line when he hit it in...BUT he was there, and in the scorer's sheet he would have got the credit!

I leave you with a video from a comedian that is coming to Huron in March. He will be at the Sould Out Center...super funny guy, and this song is so true.

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Preparing my team for the big game...

As a lot of you know I coach the Huron All-Stars Mini-Mite hockey team...our first game is this Sunday. Well, that is if you call a bunch of 4,5 and 6 year olds playing "Herd Hockey" during the period breaks of a Varsity game our first game.

I am a little bit nervous that my team isn't ready for the big show yet, I still have 3 kids skating with the aid of chairs...used like a walker. 4 kids haven't showed up with sticks, even though I tell them they need them every practice. I have a few first generation hockey parents that insist on, even after my coaching, putting the hockey equipment on the outside of their jerseys and simply tying the kids' skates without tightening them up...leaving them with the impossible to skate on "floppy ankle".

Most coaches worry about the team running the breakout right, or staying in the "system", working the forecheck, and staying out of the penalty box...I have to worry about players wizzing in their breezers, crying because they don't want to skate backwards and having no idea where to go when I tell them to play "left wing".

The trials of a mini-mite coach.

Really its more of a comedy show...like clowns falling out of a VW Bug. My players will fall out of the entrance gate, start wobbling all over and running into each other, all the while the theme song from Peanuts is playing over the loud speaker. Then my son Maxim will yell to the crowd..."ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?" (A little Gladiator reference there)

So if you are in the area and interested in a good laugh at the future hockey prospects of the Huron All-Stars...Sunday at 5pm...Bergman Arena.

I'll be the guy herding the cats.

Friday, November 30, 2007

The Sun Setting On Fall.


I took this picture on our front porch 2 nights ago...there was some geese behind me flying South, a crisp bite of cold in the air, and I got the feeling that this was the sun setting on a nice long fall.

Last night the season's first dusting of snow covered the Subaru as Maxim and I left the Hockey Arena...we were both excited. I think I got into winter mode this week...I checked 3 of my favorite "winter" websites...here...here....and here. Snowmaking is in full swing in the Dakota hills, and Big Sky opened a few routes with natural snow and some man-made.

I ended up the night last night with "America's Team" beating "Wisconsin's Team" and then watched some snowboarding/skiing in HD on FuelTV to usher in the "White Season".

Oh yeah, the Christmas decor in the house looks amazing...Steph totally went Martha Stewart on the house this year...we have 8 Christmas trees. 3 full size, a couple of shortys, and 3 "pencil" trees...I am ashamed I even know that decor term.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Maxim Sings At Breakfast.

I shot this the other morning as Maxim was eating breakfast...super funny, he's not fully awake, but he is really giving it his all singing the theme song for the TV show Little Einsteins.

The same morning he performed his version of the Transformer's theme song...I'll post that some other day.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

See you in the funny papers....

I don't read the comic strips anymore...ever since the Farside and Calvin & Hobbes went to rerun there just aren't funny writers anymore.

Or maybe I just don't take time to read them anymore...Well, my dad just had surgery, so he is spending a couple days at home. He had to have work done on his nasal passage, this corrects an old boxing injury he sustained while prize fighting his way up and down the East Coast in the mid-60's.

Anyway...Dad was reading the paper today and thought Garfield was really funny today if you change some names and pretend Garfield is me!

Pretty true, and pretty funny...here it is.
If you can't read it here...click here to go to the Garfield website...

Monday, November 26, 2007

The party is over...

Thanksgiving at our house means 3 things...Family, Football and Hockey.

My brother-in-law brought my sister and their kids up from Kansas for the extended weekend and the party began on Thursday morning with the annual Turkey Bowl Football Extravaganza. I think I have played in 4 straight T-bowls, and they get colder each year.

FOR THE RECORD:
My team: 5 TD's
Brad's Team: 4 TD's
First to 5 TD's wins!

Stats
ME:
Passing 0-2, 0 yds, 1 int
Receiving: 60 yds (est.), 1 TD
Defense: 4 pass break-ups, 1 deflection, 1 sack, 2 hurries

Bro-in-law:
Receiving: 70 yds (est.) 1 TD
Defense: 2 pass break-ups

Also received a huge hit from a fellow receiver while running a crossing route...his day was done.
(So Brad compiled great stats in a single quarter of action.)

After football, we headed to my office to sit in the hot tub for a nice warm-up, and to relax B-rad's neck after the vicious hit!

Thursday was spent watching TV and then headed to my cousin's house for tradition of Turkey and stuff.

Friday, the Rooster Cup Hockey Challenge started, and so did my ice time. I officiated 8 games of the tournament in 3 days. My legs were ready for a break today, so I only ran 2.5 miles.
Friday night we went to Brookings and watched SDSU knock off UNI in men's hoops.

Saturday more hockey and football watching on TV. Then to the James Valley auction at night.

Sunday, more hockey reffing..then had Uncle Skipper and some other people over for Steph's famous chili and 2X baked potatoes. Watched a little more football, as Denver choked and the Patriots squeaked by. Maxim, Steph and I played a little Monopoly...then slept...much needed sleep.

A little crazy, but it was fun.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

You have heard it before, but it is funny.

A young man named John received a parrot as a gift.

The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious, and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to "clean up" the bird's vocabulary.

Finally, John was fed up, and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. John, in desperation, threw up his hands, grabbed the bird, and put him in the freezer.

For a few minutes, the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute. Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer.

The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said to John, "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my offensive and unforgivable behavior.” John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude.

Just as he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued, "May I ask what the turkey did?"

Monday, November 19, 2007

Turkey Tom

My uncle used to call me "Turkey Tom" when I was a kid because my birthday is on the 20th of November. This bothered me when I was 7, now I kind of like it.

It still sticks with me that my aunt always told me and my cousin that our hair smelled like the chicken coupe...now I can handle being Turkey Tom, but smelling like a chicken coupe??? The reason we smelled like the chicken coupe is most likely because for most of the day we were playing in the chicken coupe or worse.

Good farm memories with Uncle Jim.

Yep I turn 20+15 tomorrow. I'm not one of those that worries about age, I just want to stay healthy, active and able to roll with my boys when it's needed. So far so good.

I'm probably not going to blog for a few days, so I'll leave you with this bit of Turkey Tom humor.

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

At Sally's Request.

A month ago I posted Maxim's first "school picture". I made reference to a couple of my classic school photos, and my sister thought it would be great if I put them on the blog.

I guess my mom thought it would be a good idea as well, because she had them in an envelope at the house for me the other night.

So here they are.

...ROCKIN' the hemp necklace with beads...not quite sure what the hair was doing this year.

This is the 1st grade picture...as I look at it now, I kind of look tough. In that 1970's squinty eye, wavy, shag, parted down the side kind of way...OK I look half asleep, and I still do today!

Monday, November 05, 2007

I hate Fantasy Football...this season!

I play in a couple of fantasy football leagues with buddies from all over the nation. I have held the Champions Trophy a few times...but this year is a struggle.

Quarterbacks are killing me. I have a great running game and a great defense and defensive players...but the QB's haven't treated me with any respect.

I started with Drew Brees, he was horrible for like 4 weeks so I dumped him.

I had Jon Kitna for a back up, and he was producing so I started him for a few weeks.

After 2 weeks of starting him and only scoring 13 total points I dropped him for Farve..he put up 3 points in week 6...dumped him.

Back to Kitna...5 points in week 7...dropped him from my team.

Started Jay Cutler...I'm a bit of a Broncos fan so this was a good marriage...he put up 13 points in week 8...respectable for a first outing.

This week I faced my brother-in-law (B-Rad) in a match-up I always must win to save face at the Thanksgiving Table.

Ironically B-rad started my old QB, whom he picked up, Jon Kitna.

Kitna put up 22 and Cutler went out with an injury in the 2nd quarter...giving me ZERO points. I lost by more than 50 points, Thanksgiving is going to suck.

I am pretty sure that if I were a real NFL coach this year, players would refuse to join my team or play for me, they either end up hurt or with horrible stats.

I do think that Fantasy Football makes you a demented fan of the NFL, as I have Adrian Peterson on my team, and I always want him to have 300 yards and 4 touchdowns, but every week I want the Vikings to lose by 30, so Chad Greenway and Antoine Winfield will have a bunch of opportunities to make tackles and interceptions.

Next week I'm starting QB Matt Hasselbeck from the Seahawks...that's how desperate I have become.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Halloween at "The Office".

Every office dwelling employee was faced with a huge choice this morning...to dress up, or not to dress up.

All over America today Zombies are answering phones at credit card calling centers, Witches are serving burgers at the local "greasy spoon", Fairy Godmothers are completing transactions at banks, and Mr. Incredible look alikes are performing accounting tasks, with their masks on...all in the name of Halloween.


I saw a report that Americans will spend over $6 billion on Halloween crap.


As you can tell from that statement, I dressed like myself today...to the hilt...The North Face khaki pants, a Gramicci t-shirt and a thermal long sleeve under it. I tend to laugh at grown adults dressed up like vampires while at work.


Don't get me wrong, I'm not some killjoy, but I find it ridiculous. I don't dress like a Shepard at Christmas or like a bunny at Easter. I just don't understand the motive. If you are going to a Halloween party, go ahead drive across town to your friend's house with your gorilla suit on, that's funny, but at work???


I think the Senate should enact a law prohibiting anyone over the age of 13 from wearing a costume all day on Halloween...but by all means go to the local bar tonight and get toasted while wearing your pirate outfit...if St. Patrick's day is "Amateur's night" at the bar scene, then Halloween is "Immature's night" at the bar scene.


But who am I to judge...I have to leave work early to get Darth Vader, and his sidekick, the 2 foot 5 inch turtle to the local "Trunk and Treat" before Wednesday night kid's church starts!

(Disclaimer: If you dressed up today at work the author apologizes...to your co-workers on your behalf.)

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Bloggers United.

I have an idealist friend, who is saving the environment by himself and unknowingly making me feel guilty about it. He is actually the reason I considered starting a blog. So you have him to blame. If you want to check it out Minus Car is the blog spot...here is the story.

Last Wednesday, after hunting with the 3 pastors Dave, Sam and Brian, Dave and I headed to Nutty's North in S.F. to catch one of my favorite bands, mewithoutYou.

I was introduced to mewithoutYou via FuseTV's segement "Not On the Radio" about 2 years ago. The lead singer talked about his involvement in "The Simple Way" a community in Kennsington, PA.

They played a couple videos and I was hooked...I can't really describe their sound, besides poetic, screamo, and heavy. They don't fit into a genera, which pleases me.

The concert was good, a little short, but as Dave pointed out, the band was extremely tight and was worth the $0 I paid for the comp ticket...thanks Dave.

We all enjoyed the show, and Dave snapped a picture of the Bloggers United with the drummer from mewithoutYou...I'm on the right, Minus Car on the left, sweaty, hairy drummer in the middle.

Good times.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Maxim the Cattle Rustler...and the Upland Bird Hunter

Last week Maxim was begging to go pheasant hunting with my father-in-law and I, so on Tuesday I brought him along.

We got over to Papa Raymond's around 10 a.m. and they were working heifers..."preg checking" them. Now if you have never seen this firsthand, you are not going to appreciate this, but when he say the Vet stick his hand in, and heard the cow beller...it was an eyeful for a 5 year old. After about 10 minutes of watching, he was ready to go outside and play. I was happy he was getting farm educated.

We grabbed some food and around noon we headed to the field. We hunted corn and river bottom. Maxim walked the entire day, just blocking during the corn hunt so we didn't lose him! We figure he walked about 3 miles in switch grass, stubble fields and sloughs. He never once complained and carried a corn stalk gun for most of the time.

He was a trooper. I either ruined him for ever going out hunting again or he is now addicted.

After we cleaned the birds, which he stayed away from and called it "scary", Papa Raymond wanted us to help move some cow/calf pairs to a different field. Maxim and I took the 4 mile 4-wheeler ride to the field and jumped in the truck with Papa...a little safer in the truck.

We started pushing cattle, and he was very excited, imitating Papa by yelling at the cows out the truck window. The best part was when we encouraged an old heifer to "get along" by smacking her with the cattle guard of the truck, and Maxim's eyes got big again and he said, "Papa we crashed into that cow!" He fell asleep before we got to the field and didn't wake up for 4 hours!

That was a day I will remember for a long time...the exact reason we moved back to the lake!

After we got back to the farm, Brecken was getting in the way of the ladies painting in the house, so we went for a 4-wheeler ride across some of the same roads me and my cousin Eric used to tear up with go-carts, motorcycles and 3-wheelers. We found Eric and my Uncle Jim combining corn, and hitched a ride for a few rounds...Brecken was overwhelmed.

We got home right before dark, ate and slept very well that night.

Another Dog Story

Last week was spent mostly in the great outdoors of South Dakota chasing pheasants. My dogs, Annie, 11 year old German Shorthair Pointer and Lily, 5 year old English Pointer, accompanied me through just about every field. They were tired by Wednesday when we rumbled into Bridgewater, South Dakota to hunt with some friends from Sioux Falls and Minnesota.
The day was great, birds were good and the 4 dogs we had were working good. The last field of the day I was going to leave my 2 bird dogs in the kennel, but when I noticed the beautiful full section of CRP I couldn't walk away from the Expedition with thier whining...I knew they would get at least 4 days of nothing but kennel rest after that run.

They had plenty of water, but half way through the field, Lily collapsed. She started seizing and her eyes were dilated, I thought for sure I would bury her in that field. We reacted pretty good according to the vet I talked to. We carried her out, got her to a truck, cooled her down with water and fed her a can of dog food.

3 hours later she was back to normal, or as normal as a dog would be after 5 days of hunting. I was having severe concerns about walking through the door and telling Maxim and Steph Lily was gone. Thanks to Rima for running a half mile with a gallon of water and a bowl and Jim J. for getting us to the "buffet" in a hurry.

Lily loves her food, but that day she didn't get enough.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

40,000 more miles!

I filled up with gas tonight and looked at the odometer on my Subaru Outback...159,998!

On the way home I will turn it into the 160K's.

My goal is to get it to 200K. Subaru Outbacks are known to run forever...this is a '97 and gives me little trouble for the age and miles on the car.

I have a love/hate relationship with this car...I love the fact that most people expect that I would drive a SUV or a pick-up. Then they see me in a crossover vehicle...which is what guys call their station wagons.

I will honk the horn when I hit 160K for all those of you that care.

Use it or lose it...

I got an e-mail from HR the other day...(that's Human Resources for those of you not in the corporate world...or "Human Racehorses" for those of you working at the Coborn's Bakery...no-lie one time we ordered 3 dozen donuts at the office and they asked for a name, we told them to put Human Resources on the name...next day we pick them up, and right there at the top...Name: HUMAN RACEHORSES That one is framed and in our office.)

Back to the story...e-mail from HR telling me I have to use a bunch of vacation or I will lose it, as I can only carry over a week and a half. So I took some time off to hunt. They call it "use it or lose it month" around here, because everyone is trying to cram in some vacations that we haven't had time to use in the summer when most normal people take vacations.

I generated several blog stories in the last 4 days...I did USE my vacation time. So I will be filling you in in the next few days.

Here is a rundown of Blogs to come:

Another Dog Story.
Maxim the cattle rustler.
Maxim the upland bird hunter.
Brecken the combiner.
mewithoutYou...Bloggers United.
36 hours in bed without cable TV.
Skipper is Barbie's little sister...

Friday, October 19, 2007

Lost Dog...finally found...Another epic story by: Tom Glanzer

The following is a quote from the movie Billy Madison starring Adam Sandler.

SCENE - Kindergarten teacher Miss Lippy just finished reading a book about a little boy who lost his dog. (some words have been changed or removed to protect the innocent)

BILLY - Whoa whoa whoa, Miss Lippy. The part of the story I don't like is that the little boy gave up looking for Happy after an hour. He didn't put posters up or anything, he just sat on the porch like a goon and waited. That little boy's gotta think 'You got a pet. You got a responsibility.' If your dog is lost you don't look for an hour then call it quits. You get your butt out there and you find that dog!!!"

I felt like Billy Madison last night.

Around 6pm Maxim, Brecken and I put on our rain gear and went outside to enjoy some fresh air, big puddles, strong winds and driving rains...sounds like fun, right, and extremely good parenting.

The dogs had been couped up in the kennel for 2 days because of the rain, rain, rain and more rain for the last 5 days, so we decided to let them out. I put Lilly's "hearing aid" on and let them rip...they had tons of energy and were happy to stretch their legs.

As the boys and I splashed in puddles, Annie and Lilly did what hunting dogs do. After 20 minutes of fun, I put the boys in the house for Steph to clean up for supper and I called the dogs to the kennel. Lilly came right away...Annie, my 11 year old German Shorthair Pointer didn't.

I walked to the places around the yard where she likes to sniff around and called for her, but nothing. After about 45 minutes I went into the house and ate, only to go right back outside.

I think I walked about a 1.5 miles and drove about 8 miles looking for her in rain, wind and darkness. The whole time thinking this was the end of the Annie-era.

Annie is actually Steph's dog from before we were married, Steph's dad trained it and fed it for the first year of it's life...so Annie still likes Roger better than me...in fact, if we hunt together, Annie hunts in front of Roger, not me.

Annie is the dog that I will judge all of my dogs by. She is a tireless birddog and has given me some of the greatest hunting stories ever...just ask my dad about pheasant-roping on the somewhat frozen James River.

Annie slept with Steph and I for 4 years...right there either in bed or at the foot of the bed. There are times now that I feel bad about not having her in the house, because she knows how good things are "living with the humans". Annie even has her own song, "Anna-bella". Ask Steph to sing it for you. I guess you could say Annie was our dog-child...I think a lot of new married couples have them, the dog they treat like a king.

With all those years of faithfulness tucked under her collar, there was no way I was going to let her weather the cold, wet, rainy night alone...besides 100's of years ago dogs never slept outside...right?

I called our neighbors who are Deputy Sheriffs and asked if they would look for Annie on their way home...did I mention they are dog lovers? I thought we were going to have a Blackhawk Helicopter commissioned from Gov. Rounds to assist in the search and rescue effort! Our neighbors rock!

So I hiked, drove, walked along the shore, road lines, ditches, fell down steps, jacked my elbow and knee up...but still...nothing. She didn't answer to the whistle, and I saw nothing with the flashlight, and I was mad.

I had basically given up, and was walking back to the house 3.5 hours she had been gone, it was dark, damp and dreary...I kept wondering how I would find her, dead or alive.

I was a city block away from the house...and knew I would feel guilty all night in a warm bed, while she was injured, stuck or just plain confused out in the elements. I blew my whistle one last time...tweet, tweet, tweet....I heard a little rustle and pointed my head-lamp in the direction I heard it come from...there was Annie!

I gave her a great big hug and carried her for a couple steps, she looked at me like, "you can put me down now." I have no idea what she was doing or where she had been, I was just happy to see her. Kind of like the prodigal son coming home...

I got her in the garage, dried her off and gave her a whole can of Lamb & Rice dog food that is always a special treat. Steph came out to see her, and scolded her a little bit for making us worry.

Annie had an adventure last night, although I am not quite sure what or where it was, and so did I.

Hunting season opens tomorrow, and I will be hunting with both dogs.


Thursday, October 18, 2007

The pane of rain...

Snapped this at my desk this morning.
5th straight day of rain...feel like I am back in Juneau.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Ray of Hope...ESPN did it again.

If you thought yesterday's post was a moving story, this will take you another step further.
Remarkable story ESPN did on the guy who was the North Carolina Tarheels mascot...note the tabs at the bottom of the pages...Life, Death, Rebirth.

Monday, October 15, 2007

ESPN tear jerker story.

ESPN did a great story about a former football player from a high school in Michigan...read it here........

Friday, October 12, 2007

Nobel Prize Update.....

OSLO, Norway - Al Gore and the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Friday, and the former vice president used the attention to warn that global warming is "the greatest challenge we've ever faced."

World leaders, President Bush among them, congratulated the winners, while skeptics of man's contribution to warming criticized the choice of Gore.

Gore in a statement said he was " deeply honored ... We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity."

Ummm, hey Al do you think you can use a little less energy at your own home now...I am happy you won a Nobel Prize for being the "Best Spoonfed Narrator/Talent Of A Documentary That You Did None Of The Research On", but I challenge you to practice what you preach.

Also if after this honor, the Democrats encourage you to run for President...DO IT! I am pretty sure if we have a "Billary" Clinton Whitehouse, global warming would be the least of our problems.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

October-wake-fest.

OK I'll admit it...wakeboard season is over. I thought I would get one more October session, but it isn't looking promising...I'll have to wait until May now!

So to tide me and the crew over here is the pictures from our end of the season session...October 1st at Wall Lake...it was us and a guy in a little fishing boat. Water was cold, but refreshing.

Enjoy.

DAVE D. (AKA: BLUETOOTH)

DAVE WITH A FATTY TAILGRAB WAKE JUMP...MUCH AMPLITUDE

T-RAV IN HIS WIFE'S SHIRT...FUNNY THING IS...I HAVE THE SAME SHIRT.

T-RAV...TINDY GRAB ON THE WAKE TO WAKE


T-RAV BIG HEELSIDE HUCK

THE AUTHOR---TOESIDE 180...CHECK OUT THE COLORS IN THE BACKGROUND!

HEELSIDE INDY GRAB WAKEJUMP...MORE BEAUTY BACKGROUND...BLUETOOTH WAS WORKING THE CAMERA QUITE WELL HERE.

FAILED BACKROLL ATTEMPT, SO THANKFUL THAT WATER IS SOMEWHAT SOFT AT 23MPH

GOOD BYE SUMMER...HELLO PHEASANTS, HOCKEY AND SNOWBOARDS!

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

School Pictures!

Here you go Grandma and Grandpa D.
Couldn't resist putting Maxim's first school pic on the blog.
I should scan some of my School Picture Originals...there are some classics.

Monday, October 08, 2007

Brent S. Guest Blogger.

Frequent commenter, guest blogger, and all-around great cousin Brent S. brings this little video from the YouTube vault.

Pretty funny, and so true. I was Mr. Mom this weekend as Steph was in Minnesota, and I am pretty sure that I said some of these things 100 times this weekend.

Sunday, October 07, 2007

The Cubs...3 and out.

Sometimes I wish my parents wouldn't have had cable TV when I was a kid...because I would be like most South Dakota kids and like a normal and successful baseball team like the Twins, Red Sox or the Yankees.

You see my love/hate affair with the Cubbies started one summer when I was 10 or so. I was free most afternoons at that age and so were the Cubs games on TV. WGN-TV is to blame for my love of the Cubs. Harey Carey, Steve Stone doing the broadcast...although I don't remember what year Stoney came on, that was one of the best tag teams ever for baseball. Even when Harey was drunk.

I have followed the Cubs all the while, from the Dawson Years, to the Bartman Incident...to this year's run for the World Series, I even plan my afternoon workout around the Cubs schedule so I can watch them while I'm on the treadmill or lifting.

But the Cubs can kill a person, they worked their tail off the 2nd half of the season to make the playoffs, only to go 3 and out to that storied franchise from Arizona.

I guess it is part of being a Cubs fan, you just know that it's not gonna work out...I really thought this was going to be the year of the Cubbies, 2007...it's too bad it didn't work out.

Like any Cubs fan has said, "There is always next year."

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

The Spill Canvas

One band that my wife and I can agree on during road trips is a group of Sioux Falls guys called The Spill Canvas.

I think at one point their first CD "Sunsets and Car Crashes" stayed in our Yukon for at least 8 or 9 months. They are talented and I love the fact that they are from S.D. They released a new CD yesterday...you can read about it here.

Their MySpace page is here if you want to listen to a few tracks.

Part of me wants them to make it big, and part of me wants them to stay that pure indy band from Sioux Falls not so much the corporate music machine. I guess I can always say, "Yeah, I liked these guys way back in 2004."

Anyway...good music, unless your in your 60's.

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Flute Loop.

On Sunday afternoon, the family was hanging around the house, and I started playing the drums on Maxim's tummy.

I asked him what instrument he was going to play when he grows up, and without missing a beat he says, "The flute!"

Now this will make Aunt Sally (who's birthday is Friday) very happy, as she was like the state champion flute player one month in Canada, but for a dad who wants his son to grow up to be a man, this is rough.

I instantly think of rock band Jethro Tull's lead singer/flute player Ian Anderson. You might remember the song "Aqualung".

Also the hip hop group Jurassic 5 has a song called "JAYOU -Flute Loop" which is on heavy rotation on my MP3 player...so I decided the flute can be pretty rockin'. I'm good with my older, creative, artistic son playing the flute...it's cool.

Then I ran across this video...the Knight Rider theme song played with a flute, and the guy is beatboxing while he is playing the flute.

The first time I watched this video I thought the other guy was doing the beatbox, but it is the flute player...super cool.

Aunt Sally we may need to borrow your flute.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Happy Birthday Living on Liquid!

I'm back, thanks for the break.
Ironically during the break I noticed that the Living On Liquid blog has been around for exactly a year!
I have posted 200+ articles to the site, which impressed me.
So to celebrate our 1 year birthday here, I wanted to take it back to the roots, what I originally started the LOL Blog for...to communicate with Grandma and Grandpa D and show them pictures of the kids and the house.
I took a bunch of pictures last week and the pictures of us grouting the tile were boring so I elected to show off our boys.
Enjoy.
But first if you are into artists like Jack Johnson, Ben Folds, Donovan Frankenreiter, Dave Matthews, Matt Costa or Ben Kweller then check out Timmy Curran. My buddy Dave hooked me up here...good stuff. Kudos to Dave, you win the Reader of the Month award.



Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Blog to shut down for the rest of the week...

It might be sparse around here for a few days.

I am taking some much needed time off from work to hang with the family, work on the house, and get a couple of end of the season wakeboard sessions in.

Oh yeah, and the big news, the Denver Broncos have hired me to steal play calling signals from Jacksonville this weekend.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

This guy is my cousin...

It dawned on me the other day that if it wasn't for my cousin Eric, I probably wouldn't live on a lake, wouldn't know how to water ski, wouldn't know how to slalom, wouldn't know how to wakeboard, and wouldn't own a boat.

Thanks to Erkel and his dad for taking me skiing when we were kids, and causing me to be addicted to the lake...it's supposed to be 80 all weekend.

Here is tribute to the Legend of Lake Byron...the head lifeguard and coastguard of Lake Byron and the only guy I know with Bad Company, The Eagles, MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice loaded on his MP3 player...here's to keeping it old school...



Thursday, September 13, 2007

Another Birthday...

It just dawned on me on my drive to the office, that my dad's birthday...which is today...is only 2 days after his older brothers.

Beadle County January nights in the '40's must have been a bit romantic???

Happy Birthday to my Pa...he's a couple years younger than his brother today. For his birthday he is taking his chuckwagon, that he restored a few years ago, his .45 and quick draw holster and $150 in groceries and heading to Spirit of The West Festival in Sioux Falls for a couple days.

I don't understand why mom doesn't go with, she must not have any vacation left.

He sleeps on the ground or in the chuck wagon, cooks over an open fire, shoots in quick draw competitions and makes friends with other people that wish they would have been born 150 years earlier.

I wonder if people who actually lived in the Old West had Spirit of The Spartans Festivals or Roman Army reenactors?

Anyway, Happy Birthday Dad, and have fun traveling back in time this weekend, say hi to Marty McFly and Doc Brown for me if you run into them...does your chuck wagon go 88 MPH?.

I'll be taking out docks at the lake this weekend...I'm afraid summer is over.

Monday, September 10, 2007

When I'm 66?

I could be handy, mending a fuse
When your lights have gone
You can knit a sweater by the fireside
Sunday mornings go for a ride
Doing the garden, digging the weeds
Who could ask for more?
Will you still need me,
will you still feed me
When I'm sixty-four?

"When I'm 64." The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

My reference to a very obscure Beatles song this morning has everything to do with one of the greatest "reply comment posters" of this website.

Yes, somebody in the Living On Liquid Nation has a birthday and he will be 66 this week...UNCLE SKIPPER!

I am fighting myself on how I should wordsmith today...do I completely rip him with old jokes, and stories of his past, and say how his beautiful bride should actually be getting the presents for his birthday, because she puts up with him...or should I brag on how cool, hip and not as old as his old age he seems.

UM...upon further review, we will make fun of him...that's what he would want anyway.

I helped this uncle move one time...I didn't realize how old he was until I found a stage coach ticket in one of is dresser drawers.

Skipper told me once he was afraid nobody would remember him when he is gone...I can think of several reasons he'll be remembered...albeit, none of those would be good reasons to remember someone.

In most people the left side of the brain does one thing and the right side does others....however in Skippers case, neither side seems to do a whole lot.

But, what do you expect from a guy that was born in the front seat of an Edsel?

Skipper has never been known to take his work home with him...but how could he, he never takes his work to work!

Most of you don't know how Skipper's children came to live with him...it happened the first time he went to a theatre. He read the sign..."Adults $5.00,children $2.50. So Skipper whipped out a $5 and said, "Give me 1 boy and 1 girl."

Skipper is in shape for someone as advanced in years as he is, but there was a time when he put on a lot of weight, but was pretty much in denial about the spare tire he was hauling around...he would go into clothing stores and ask if they had a shirt he liked in extra, extra medium.

Skipper was the only person in the history of the Kansas City mall that had to be rescued from the escalators during a power outage.

Since the move down to Garden City, Skipper thought he should learn Spanish so he could communicate with most of his neighbors...he bought a record that was supposed to teach him how to speak Spanish...he fell asleep one night with the record on, and it started to skip...now he can only stutter in Spanish.

Skipper was a big help when we did the remodel to our house, he helped with the cupboards, and also with some electricity...but there was this one light switch that he installed, and it doesn't do anything. Every so often Steph would flick it on and off just to check. Yesterday, We got a call from a woman 3 homes down. She said, "Cut it out."

Grandpa Jake took the boys and son-in-laws to the Indy 500 a few years back...Skipper's only comment was..."If those drivers would have left earlier in the day, they wouldn't have to drive that fast."

Skipper has a smart mouth sometimes, and it gets him in trouble...a cop stopped him for speeding. He said, "Why were you going so fast?" Skipper said, "See this thing my foot is on? It's called an accelerator. When you push down on it, it sends more gas to the engine. The whole car just takes right off. And see this thing? This steers it." (He got a ticket that day)

Skipper is a procrastinator. He didn't get his birthmark until he was eight years old.

I obtained a copy of Skippers application that he filled out to work at the lumber yard and on part where it said, "In Case Of Emergency Notify". He wrote "Doctor".

OK...I'm done.

Skipper...Happy 66th!

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Back to the blog with some fun news.

Sometimes I get lucky.

I am in Indianapolis for a crisis communications seminar this week, and tonight I drove into downtown Indy to see the RCA Dome where the World Champion Colts play football.

I was walking around downtown and I saw where the NFL is hosting the "Opening Kickoff" concert in downtown Indy. On the big screen I see Kelly Clarkson of American Idol fame goofing off with the mic and the drummer...so I kick it 2 blocks down and get in on the pre-taping of the opening that the NFL will use in tomorrows game.

After Clarkson is done, Faith Hill comes out and sings a song, then we get to watch Indiana boy John Mellencamp playing inside the RCA Dome. Super cool night in downtown Indy.

I capped it off with dinner at the Hard Rock and some time spent in the local bookstore.

Tomorrow I am traveling north to meet my in-laws half way for the evening.

On the tube is a show I have seen previews for and it's pretty cool...Ty Murry's Celebrity Bullriding Challenge...check it out.

By the way, thanks for letting me take a break from blogging for a week or so...I have been way to busy...but I am back!

Monday, September 03, 2007

Fairs

I'm faired out...for the last 3 weeks I have done nothing but fair type expos...I'm glad in a couple weeks I don't have a thing on my schedule, except my family!

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

DakotaFest

I'm working in Mitchell this week at our public relations booth for the DakotaFest. It is a super big ag-based expo in the middle of an alfalfa field on the south side of Mitchell.

I understand enough about farming and ranching to be a dangerous visitor with people involved with the industry. Mostly "salt of the Earth" kind of people that could talk for 4 hours about rain and weather.

One guy came up to our booth and said..."What the heck are you guys selling here?" So being a smart alec I said, "Electricity on demand." It took me 20 minutes to explain to him what the "power company" actually did. He had no idea how power got to his farm/ranch opperation and didn't even know who he paid for the service. "The wife does that." Well, the wife showed up 5 minutes later, and she didn't know the name of the company either. Makes me wonder what kind of opperation they run. I am about as removed from bill paying as anyone could be and I even know who we pay.

Maxim's first full day of Pre-K was today. Steph had a meeting and I'm out of town so grandma dropped him off at his first day. Pretty speical for her.

I just talked to him and he is already in school-boy mode...

ME: So buddy what did you learn today?
Maxim: Nothing.
ME: What was your favorite thing?
Maxim: I don't know.

So it has officially started. The breakdown in communication between my child and me!

Got some free tickets to the bull riding event tonight...I think since I got on my last bull I have only been to about a handfull of rodeos. It used to drive me nuts that I wasn't getting on them anymore.

Should be fun to see some of the guys I used to ride with that are still going down the road.

Monday, August 20, 2007

"First day of school, first day of school"...Nemo, from "Finding Nemo"

So today Maxim went to his first day of school...he's in pre-school, but anymore that is like Kindergarten-lite. He's got a cool teacher, very in tune with child development and things of the sort.

They just had orientation and did a book reading and some art...he made a cool painting, I think he's got some Grandpa Roger artistic ability in him. I'll post a picture of him going to school on Wednesday...that's his first real day, with recess and everything.

So Steph and I felt a bit old the other day...since I have been so busy, we were planning some sort of getaway for the 23-26th...climbing in the Black Hills, the Zoo and family in Omaha or to MLPS...just a quicky.

Then it dawned on Steph, that we couldn't leave that early...it would be Maxim's 2nd full day of school...we have become parents of school aged children.

Now our plans will revolve around the school year...not sure how much I like that.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Youth Pastor

You might have seen this video on the web...of a youth pastor that gets a little toungue tied...if not watch it...then watch the next video.


Same Pastor gets punked by the "FCC".


Youth Pastor FCC Prank - Watch more free videos

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Cell service in the middle of the LAB!

I'm in Idaho...some of it is pretty, very rugged...but last night I had to drive to Arco, Idaho. That stretch from Idaho Falls to Arco is WASTELAND. The Idaho National Laboratory is the only thing on this 65 miles of nothing...and the INL is nothing to look at.

So I did my usual habit when I'm driving and bored...I called people...buddies I don't talk to on a regular basis, mostly my hockey buddies, teammates from college and guys I ref with in the winter.

So after the meeting, I get ready for a boring drive back to Idaho Falls, which by the way reminds me a ton of Sioux Falls, and I give Steph a call. I talk to Maxim and Steph for at least 20 minutes...then it dawns on me, I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, no buildings, no population centers within 65 miles, mountains surrounding a lot of the area...and I have a perfect signal.

Most likely this good coverage is government issued and due to the crazy amount of people that commute from Idaho Falls out to the INL for work, but it ticked me off. I live 15 minutes from a city, on a lake that has a lot of recreational visitors, and a very densely populated area...for South Dakota...and I have to stand in the driveway on one foot, wearing my tinfoil hat and a 6 iron in one hand to get one bar for 30 seconds.

Oh well, sometimes no cell service is a good thing sometimes.

Friday, August 03, 2007

Paddle 2 Work Day!

I have a friend, some of you might know from his blog the Minus Car Project, who has all but given up his car. He bikes to work, to get grocery, and to take his children to different activities...I admire him and his dedication to reducing his carbon footprint.

On a few occasions I have biked to work...about 18 miles one way! Lately I have enjoyed biking around the lake, it is about a 12 mile loop the way I take it. This morning was exceptional, the sunrise, the deer, the calf that snuck under a fence and was munching on the thick ditch grass, and the sweet smell of cut wheat..it was an intoxicating morning.

My day is always better when started with exercise, and I know several people who feel the same way...my dad ran most mornings for almost 20 years, I think. Toward the end it was more of a limp-run because of his knee...but I now know why he ran, sure the exercise is great, but the feeling you get for the rest of the day because you started it out with a run or a bike or a weight training session is empowering.

I ran across this article today...this guy has it down. I think if I bike to the James River, kayak to the 3rd street dam, then run to work! Triathlon to the core. I might have to leave the house at 4am, and in the winter I would have to skate the James River...sounds like a plan.

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Summer of Mediocre Movies.

Remember how over the last few years there was always one or 2 movies that caught your attention and were really big blockbuster types...this summer has not been like that at all. Spiderman 3 was OK, Fantastic 4 was 2 hours of my life I will never get back, and Ratatouille was the worst film Pixar has ever made.

With that said, I haven't seen Transformers, Into The Wild or Oceans 13 yet...most likely NetFlix will deliver them this winter...what else is there to do in S.D.? This summer I just haven't been interested at all in the "big movies" that came out.

Now that "summer" is almost over...for some reason since last Thursday a bunch of movies that I want to see have been released or will tonight...like the Simpson, Bourne Ultimatium, Chuck and Larry, and this movie...Hot Rod.




Looks like my type of humor...oh yeah, the DVD version of 300 came out last night. If you are a guy, see this movie...with the surround sound cranked on the biggest TV you can find. I saw this movie one rainy evening in Missoula, MT and they had the place crankin'. Great movie, great action, pretty raw, and BASED on a true event.

Monday, July 30, 2007

Monday Morning Weekend Wrap.

TOUR DE FRANCE NEWS

What a great weekend...the Tour wrapped up, Discovery team won the overall, the youngster Contador won the tour and Leipheimer ended up in 3rd only :31 second behind his Discovery Teammate.

The picture says it all, with Levi just watching Alberto kiss the cup...maybe next year Levi!

LAKE LIVING NEWS

My wife is super cool...every Sunday we plan a quiet afternoon with a couple people invited to the lake for the afternoon and supper or something...but then I get my party-mode on and I can't stop.

By noon I had invited half of Beadle county to the house. It was a great day! We have some friends that have 3 beautiful girls...I think Maxim is a bit smitten with the one that is his age. Yesterday I busted he and his "girlfriend" throwing rocks in the dog kennel together...Maxim knows he is not to throw rocks in the kennel...it's funny what kind of trouble girls can get you into...even at 5 years old! (His chores today include feeding the dogs, cleaning the kennel and picking up all the rocks they had thrown inside)

I pulled a few people on the wakeboard, which was humbling to say the least. I rode for almost a half a summer before I really tried any decent "tricks", but last night the 3 girls that rode (all of them with less than 10 rides combined) were pulling tricks that usually you can't do for about a year!

Granted 2 of those girls come from the Marc K. School of Watersports! I think he had both of them skiing before they were in school...we do miss the daughter that is in Africa...she is handy as well...do they wakeboard in Africa?

We capped the night with Marc K. barefooting...in jeans, with his signature baseball cap on, when I'm 50 I could only hope to still be as athletic as him! I only rode one time yesterday, but I discovered something new...I now ride at 24mph...3 more than I used to. We had a loaded boat and the wake was big and fun at that speed!

More riding tonight...I pay our babysitters in boat gas...and they ride better than I do. It's a good exchange, and Krissy leaves for K-State on Wednesday, so we have a lot of riding to do in the next 2 days!

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Levi is now in 3rd.

Michael Rasmussen, the current Tour de France yellow-jerseyed leader did not start today's stage. He was removed by his Rabobank team. ESPN story here...Yahoo story here.

So currently Leipheimer is only 2:49 behind race leader and teammate Alberto Contador the 25 year old standout of the Discovery Channel Team.

I guess with all of the doping scandal aside, this has been a very interesting Tour, however, overshadowed by all of the off-bike news.

I guess you can put Vino and Rasmussen right up their with the other sports criminals of the week...Mike Vick, Tim Donaghy (NBA Ref), Barry Bonds and Gary Sheffield...it gives ESPN something to talk about since football hasen't started yet.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Tour De Dope

I'm a casual fan of cycling, meaning I pay attention to the sport when it is convenient and when the Tour de France is in session. I have followed a little bit more since I have frequented Levi Leipheimer's family bike shop in Butte, MT on almost every trip I make to MT. I feel a sort of loyalty to him since I saw him one day and I have met his brother and mom...and since Lance is riding with 70 year olds in RAGBRI in Iowa now, Levi is the only real American hope!

Levi is 4th overall in the tour through Stage 15...he's some 5 minutes behind yellow jersey wearing Michael Rasmussen, who by the way was booed by fans at today's start of Stage 16.

It seems Rasmussen decided to pull a Barry Bonds and forgot to show up for a drug test, may be he didn't study for it, but still that is no reason to skip...FYI Mr. Rasmussen, if you skip a drug test it makes you look real guilty!

So the 2007 Tour has been your typical race, doping allegations, protests by cyclist before the start...etc. Only one team has been sent home for failing the drug test...as Alexandre Vinokourov tested positive.

At least he has a sense of humor...even though his career is facing ruin, Vinokourov managed to joke about his situation. "I heard that I made a transfusion with my father's blood," Vinokourov said. "That's absurd, I can tell you that with his blood, I would have tested positive for vodka."