Christmas 2012!

The Ordway Theater in St. Paul is always a beautiful place to spend time at Christmas! We saw "Elf."

 

Luke is enjoying gaming in his new chair, complete with sound.  Jack and Luke are playing FIFA 2013 (soccer).

Mike and Vern... Christmas Eve at the Gromek's.

Sunrise in Woodbury!

25th Annual Reindeer Run!

Libby, Luke and I ran the Reindeer Run 5K around Lake Harriet this morning.  It was a fund drive for the Marines' Toys for Tots program, and several thousand people showed up on a chilly but beautiful morning in Minneapolis.  We had brunch afterwards with friends who showed up to run with us.

Night Games!

Luke has hosted a couple of weekend evenings for his friends, playing "Night Games."  We have no idea, really, what they are doing running around the neighborhood, but they sure are having fun.  This weekend it was 15 boys!  Luke has lots of friends - who knew?

Fast Before the Feast!

For the third year, some of us did the "Fast Before the Feast" run in White Bear Lake, Thanksgiving morning!  Just like last year (and unlike the first year), we lucked out with unseasonably warm temperatures - 50 degrees and sun at race time.  Some of us did the 10K, and others did the 5K.  We're all champions!

Halloween 2012

Veterans Day 2012!

Luke skipped school and came with me to the 5th annual Veterans Day BBQ, hosted by Minnesota Wire at our Eau Claire location.  I'm always the emcee for this event that brings hundreds of people from the community to our Wisconsin plant.  The Army showed up with some impressive new vehicles from Oshkosh Truck, and there were vintage cars, exhibitors, product displays, BBQ from Famous Dave's, beer from Leinenkugels - and of course lots of Veterans, and active, guard and reserve members.

Thanks, Minnesota Wire, for saluting Veterans at this great event every year!

Seattle & Portland!

Seattle, Washington!  We went to the renowned Pike Place Market which was full of color, and has the original Starbucks...

 View from the Seattle Space Needle... what a beautiful city!

The Chihuly glass art exhibit at the Space Needle gardens...

 Just east of Portland, Oregon...

 Multnomah Falls, Oregon.

Taylors Falls, Minnesota

 

 

 

 

 

OK, One More Day...

"Last Best Day" on the St. Croix River

75 degrees in October in Minnesota?  That's a reason to get out on the St. Croix River for a beautiful evening cruise.  Afton to Prescott for dinner, and back (no, that's not our new boat... it's a 1953 all wood Canadian Shepherd).