Gallery
- Papillion-La Vista South HS (Papillion, NE)
- Grand Rapids HS (Grand Rapids, MN)
- Farmington HS (Farmington, MN)
- Irondale HS (New Brighton, MN)
- Marshall HS (Marshall, MN)
- Millard West HS (Omaha, NE)
- Brandon Valley HS (Brandon, SD)
- Millard North HS (Omaha, NE)
- Sioux Falls Lincoln HS (Sioux Falls SD)
- Eden Prairie HS (Eden Prairie, MN)
- Eastview HS (Apple Valley, MN)
- Rosemount HS (Rosemount , MN)
- There is a 568 foot elevation change as the canal goes from Lake Erie to New York Harbor.
- The original canal was 4’ deep, 40’ wide and 363 miles long. The canal has been lengthened and widened three times.
- Doors to the locks weigh 40 tons!
Tubing Minnehaha Creek
It was a nice hot day to enjoy a float down Minnehaha Creek today. Tiffany and Andrew were visiting so we got the tubes inflated, drove to Utley Park in Edina to put in and floated right back to our house taking out in Minnehaha Creek Park. This was the furthest we’ve gone on the tubes going 3.7 miles and took just over 2 hours. 💦
Youth in Music 2023
We went to the 2023 Youth in Music Show at US Bank Stadium today to see my nephew perform in the Marching Band competition for Grand Rapids High School. We saw all the AAA and AAAA performances.
The performances were impressive and each one is like a 10 minute show. For the finale, Iowa State University MB (Ames, IA) gave an exhibition performance with a Metallica theme that was incredible.
Renaissance Festival 2023
We made our regular visit to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival today! We hit all of our favorites. Both kids made their regular attempts at Jacob’s Ladder but it still eludes them. Cheese curds, Turtles on a stick, and a Beef Stick for me.
Family selfie at the King’s Gate.
Knights Guard.
There was a race up the climbing wall, and then Mazie and Tyler both did it again.
Tyler trying out the archery.
Tyler likes to whip tomatoes while being insulted.
It is a tradition that I have to do the sledge hammer each year. I dinged it!
Both kids love the trampoline jumping.
We see Tuey everytime we go to the RenFest. He’s been performing at the RenFest for 42 years! (He’s 61 years old!)
Hike to Soglio
Our sixth and final day of hiking into the beautiful town of Soglio.
Part of Switzerland & Italy 2023 collection. Also see Casaccia to Soglio from Europe 2004 Collection collection.
We went to the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory today. Learned that it takes 47 seconds for a computer to lathe a professional bat. And the many batters have custom specifications that their bats are made to. Very cool place.
We visited Churchill Downs today and took the Superstars & Spires Tour. The history of the race, the venue, and the horses. It made me want to go to the Kentucky Derby someday! 🏇
Looking great Chicago! 👋
We visited Gooseberry Falls today. We have had extreme draught conditions and the falls have been greatly impacted. The Lower Falls are completely dry. It was rather shocking to see. I renamed it Mini Gooseberry Falls this year.
Sam Patch on the Erie Canal
We took a 90-minute river Erie Canal cruise today on the Sam Patch. We got to go to Lock 32 and experience that and then went back the other way to see where the canal is actaully 70’ higher than the houses in the area.
Some fun stats:
Enjoy some photos.
Sam Patch at dock before we take off.
Family selfie inside the Sam Patch.
Approaching Lock 32 in preparation to go up.
Lock doors closing behind us.
Lock doors closed and the water going up. It takes 9 minutes for the lock to fill on the way up.
Lock is at height and we are released.
Coming back the other way with the lock doors open.
Preparing for the lock to go down. Watch my time-lapse video of the lock lowering.
Cruising along the Erie Canal and this sailboat wants to pass.
One of many maintenance stations along the canal. Each section is maintaied from a station like this.
Boats docked in the canal in Pittsford.
Canal shoreline in Pittsford. I also got this same view from shore.
Canal approaching an emergency damn location where the canal is higher than the neighborhoods around it.
Family selfie on the canal.
Bridge over the Erie Canal.
Kayaking Pokegama and the Mississippi
We spent the morning kayaking down the Mississippi. We put in at Tioga Beach on Pokegama Lake, then Big Jay Goulde Lake, then Little Jay Goulde Lake into the Mississippi River. Portage around the Corps of Engineers Pokegama Dam and out at Paddle Hoppers. 2h 35m paddle time. We saw nice Lily Pads and huge swaths of Wild Rice along with gorgeous scenery.
Our newest floor opened up in SPS Tower today! Great setup to enable #TeamSPS to continue winning. I love the conference room names from Women Who Code. The text on the quiet room desks? EDI. The team moves in soon! 🤩🙌
We opened up the 16th floor in SPS Tower this week! What an amazing space for our growing team! 👍 The Library space, bright colors and fun references in the space are great!
We had a great morning exploring the Franconia Sculpture Park! We are lucky to have great public art in the Twin Cities!
We had a great time at the Minnesota Zoo Jack-o-Lantern Spectacular last night. I was blown away by the artistry and overall experience. It is created by Passion for Pumpkins with 5,000 pumpkins! The big, photo style pumpkins are very cool. 🎃👍🤩
2014 Olson Family Weekend
This years Annual Olson Family Weekend was planned by Don & Kaye and the extended family had a great time at Grand View Lodge!
Congratulations Alona & Dylan!
On September 27th my sister Alona tied the knot with her fiancé Dylan! They had a very nice ceremony followed by a reception at the Maple Grove Community Center. The ceremony was family and close friends standing in the gardens off of the reception area. Alona and Dylan had a Bahá’í marriage ceremony which does not have an officiant. They asked me to start things off with a few words.
Good evening and welcome to the marriage ceremony of Alona Thingelstad and Dylan Maas-Morgan. Alona, my sister, and Dylan have asked me to greet you all today and welcome you to this wonderful ceremony of love and dedication.
I am sure that you have all been to a many weddings, however this may be your first Bahá’í wedding. You will notice that no clergy is present, we are not in a church and everybody is enjoying a wonderful Minnesota fall evening. A Baha’i wedding is a simple exchange of a single statement. Once both the groom and bride make this pledge in the presence of two witnesses, Dylan and Alona will be married.
Today, Alona’s mother Rosalin and I have agreed to serve as these witnesses. While a Bahá’í marriage is a decidedly simple affair, Bahá’í’s take the institution of marriage with the utmost seriousness.
From the Kitáb-i-Aqdas: “And when He desired to manifest grace and beneficence to men, and to set the world in order, He revealed observances and created laws; among them He established the law of marriage, made it as a fortress for well-being and salvation, and enjoined it upon us in that which was sent down out of the heaven of sanctity in His Most Holy Book.” That fortress is filled with that most important thing, love. From `Abdu’l-Bahá: “…[I]n the world of humanity the greatest king and sovereign is love. If love were extinguished, the power of attraction dispelled, the affinity of human hearts destroyed, the phenomena of human life would disappear.”
In a moment Dylan and Alona will exchange those blessed words. This will be followed with a Bahá’í prayer. Please listen closely. As with many great things in life, it all goes by much too quickly.
And now a reading from Dylan’s mother, Cynthia…
Here are the photos I took. I also put them on Facebook for all the people that like that kind of thing, but I’m also putting them here so they are still around after Facebook (A.F.).
It was a great evening filled with family and fun. Congrats to my sister and her new husband and I wish them years of wedded bliss!
See also: Wedding day, Tammy and I, and Party Hat.
Pictures from 2013 US Nationals Kubb Championship
I didn’t get much time to take photos at the 2013 US Nationals Kubb Championship. Saturday was a day focused my team the Kubbchucks progressing through the bracket, and hoping that our club, Minnesota Kubb, did really well. Sunday I was mostly focused on scoring games for Planet Kubb and running the final parts of the Planet Kubb Club Championship. I did get my camera out for about an hour and get some shots in, but only from Sunday.