Catch up with good times
past, here, with previous bradbrunner.com content. I'll prune the head
page periodically, and put what used to be there, here. Therefore you
won't lose any of your favorite witty dialogue or catchy photographs.
1.
Always bring your hat. Even if you are told otherwise
when you leave Malmö.
2.
Remember to keep 10 Kr. in your pocket. This way you
won't have to use your credit card to buy one more beer
(that you certainly do not need) so that you can get your
jacket back from the coat check at The Dubliner.
3.
When Patrik's girlfriend and sister (who looks like
Rachel Ray )shows
up, keep an eye on Ola.
The sister and Ola
make a good couple and even if you don't understand their
Swedish you can get a pretty good idea what is going to
happen. They may suddenly disappear.
4.
Do not start chatting with the woman who says she can tell
your fortune. She is full of shit and only wants a
free cider and to tell you how she hates Indiana.
5.
The bouncer is an ass who won't listen to reason. You
will have to pay 10 Kr. to check your coat only if you want
to go back into the pub one more time (for 3 minutes) to try
to find your missing mates.
6.
Do not take directions from the woman at coat check, the
drunks puking in the street, or the punks fighting over
their girls. Find the helpful man on his bicycle at 5
AM as he will give good directions to the
train station --even if it is closed at that hour.
He will be very surprised to see an American in a hat at
that that early in the morning.
7.
Screw the antenna on your cheap mobile phone all the way
down. That way
you can call or SMS your friends when you are lost at 5:15 AM.
8.
Don't bother trying to get a room at the
Radisson SAS at 5:30 AM as there are no rooms available.
The concierge will tell you that no other hotels have rooms
either, and that he doesn't know of any warm air vents you
can sleep on.
9.
You really can get on a train when the station is
closed. You have to walk around the station and find
your way down to the track. Don't be fooled by the
people waiting for the doors to open. Just go around.
10.
Wear your best sad-eye look and play up your predicament when
the train officers notice your ticket is for yesterday and
you have no Danish cash. You will know you are
successful when they confer in Danish then say "It's okay,
Copenhagen is a very big city and anyone could lose their
mates and get lost in the middle of Saturday night".
11.
Keep your head and plod along. A warm bed waits for
you at the top floor of Fredrik and Ann's flat on Admiralsgaten in
Malmö and you can find it, no matter how
many wrong turns you make. You can even get there
before the sun rises! Your good friends are
there--keep going!
12. Don't wake Vidar up when you
get home. You want him to be a happy kid like this:
End of the Season
The
bow hunting season has come to a close for your webmaster in
a cold and fairly fruitless way. I hunted the Madsen's
property in Rochester this past weekend and the temperature
didn't get above 10 degrees F. This required me to
wear 2 pairs of long underwear, 3 pairs of pants, and 5
jackets. That's me above with hot pads in my boots and
mittens waiting for the deer that didn't come. But...
What
happened defines my season very well. I sat quietly
all Saturday afternoon knowing where the deer would come
from. They cross the road, go around the quarry, and
then come up the hill right under where I sit in the
picture. 10 minutes after legal sunset I am excitedly
waiting when I hear a car coming. "Thump" rattles
through the woods and the car stops. I hear angry
voices get out, putter around, and then drive away.
Yes folks, the deer did cross the road where I expected it
but it didn't get across safely. It was whacked by a
car instead of my arrow.
Even
still I learned a lot this year and had many adventures.
I am hooked on bow hunting and will spend even more time on
stand next year.
Also, be sure to get your fish house reservations in soon.
2 of the ten weekends are already claimed and if you want a
specific time you should soon reserve it:
City Hunting
This
past weekend I tested my mettle in a city bow hunt for
Ramsey County. This required me to sit in windy trees
at temperatures below 10 degrees F. I didn't see many
deer and the highlight for Friday and Saturday was my
thermos of hot chocolate. I would wait until I was so
cold that I couldn't take it any more, and then pour a cup.
I would raucously sing this song (in my head) as I devoured
the satisfying sweet drink:
On
Sunday I sat in my ground blind in a very good spot. I
was absolutely convinced that a deer would walk by and I
would arrow it. I watched the sun rise, sat all
morning, and my anticipation grew as the afternoon passed.
Suddenly I heard a sound in the distance:
This
repeated for some 15 minutes and the noise came closer.
Suddenly, out of the snow came a teenaged boy and a white
dog that was the size of a loaf of bread. Ten yards in
front of my well camouflaged blind they stopped and the boy
kneeled down.
"Oh
Tinkerbell, you're the best dog. The cutest dog.
I love you, you're such a good dog"
They
played around in the snow for 10 minutes, then ran about in
the snow in a chase--right in the area where I expected the
deer to come from.
I
considered sending an arrow over the bow in a warning shot
like the Navy is famous for. But in city hunts we need
to avoid conflict with the neighbors and I just waited for
him to leave. I almost said, in a booming voice from
the hidden brush "Would you take Tinkerbell and get the hell
out of here!", but I chose not to embarrass or scare him.
No
deer came out, obviously. And Tinkerbell didn't have
enough meat on him to harvest so I went home empty.
Brrrrrr....
It's
the day after Thanksgiving and I'm procrastinating this
morning before another cold day of bow hunting. Above
you can see me yesterday morning in my frosty position 20
feet up a tree. It's currently about -6 C outside and
I need some encouragement to get me out of the warm house
and into the frosty wind.
Better you than me, I assume a lot of you are thinking.
But once I run out of excuses I'm off to Willow Lake with my
bow and broad head tipped arrows. Back in September
when I was boiling hot and dehydrated myself in the ground
blind I dreamed of weather like this. I suspect while
I sit up there today I'll be dreaming of sitting in the
ground blind with the bugs and the heat.
2 Does!
Firearms deer season ended last Sunday and I came out with
two does. One for me, and one for Brennen and Tracy.
Apologies for the gory picture but this was the least gory
one that I took. Suffice it to say that both
does were quickly dispatched, and that the tastiness of each
will be enjoyed throughout the coming year.
I'm
still bow hunting and have 3 great weekends ahead in
fantastic spots. Twice I'm hunting in the Twin Cities,
and I'm taking a road trip to Rochester to help some
relatives with "problem deer".
In
between all this exciting hunting I'm going to work.
I've been trying hard to change the culture of the company
and am yet undaunted. But it is a very difficult rock
to move and only with time and patience will it budge.
Suffice it to say that I'm cheerfully doing some of the most
boring work that they can throw at me. One of the
tricks to a happy life is to find humor and wonder in things
that are absolutely, mind-numbingly dull. Between 8
and 4:30 on weekdays I'm doing that in spades.
I Rock!
I've
been deer hunting every weekend, spent a week hunting in
North Dakota, but the photo above shows the real reason why
I haven't posted lately.
Get
yourself one of these:
and join me in an online contest.
Next up is this:
Bad Hunting Weather
I
was back at it again this weekend with great hopes of
arrowing my first deer. Friday afternoon I raced up
I35 and made it to my hunting grounds with about 2 hours of
daylight to spare. I changed into my scent-free
clothing on the side of a pasture and had a herd of yearling
cows walk up to me with some interest. Although I was
assured by the farmer that they were hungry and wanted
grain, it was a bit unnerving to be naked and under the eyes
of several dozen big-eyed cows.
Alas, no deer were sighted or skewered. I set up by a
small pond in an area where I knew deer had been crossing.
Were I hunting
wood ducks I would have been successful. But I
wasn't. No deer crossed.
Saturday, I headed back out and put in 11 hours. It
was extremely windy and I know that deer don't move in
weather like that. But I stuck it out and saw nothing
but crows. Were I a lesser man I would have been
extremely frustrated. But hunting is about patience,
and this gave me a great opportunity to practice being
patient. If any of you want any tips in patience, let
me know. I'll get back to you after a while.
On
Sunday there was no reason to go out. I woke up to
strong winds and rain--conditions where deer also do not
move. So instead of exposing myself to the curious
eyes of wet cows, I stayed in and watched
#4 get his
421st. Now I can't honestly say I "watched" it.
I more accurately can say I stared at and tried to decipher
grainy shadows. Since the audio didn't come in, I
listened to the game (details 2 seconds earlier than the
video) on the
Packer Radio Network. Here is a prime example of
how FOX comes in on the deer camp TV:
He's
running from right to left, with his right hand in the air.
You can kind of see the 4.
It
was a worrying game like Packer-Vikings games always are.
I always dislike watching them as I really
hate the Vikings and, of course, am a Packer fan.
Too many times I have watched the hated Vikings seize
Metrodome victory, and it almost happened again today.
But
it didn't.
I
have two more weekends where I'll be bow hunting my primary
area, and I still hope to provide you with evidence of my
success. I'll keep trying.
Learning to Bow Hunt
All
summer I have been practicing with my bow in preparation for
deer hunting. I read 5 books, shot 4 days a week, and
felt prepared to take up this new pursuit. I missed
opening weekend due to work travel, but was out in the dark
this past Saturday morning ready to arrow a deer.
I
was not at all mentally prepared for hunting in the heat.
The view above is from my ground blind, where I sat for 12
hours in 80 degree heat. I didn't bring nearly enough
water and I was dehydrated with a massive headache by the
time I was done. I wore scent reduction carbon clothes
that apparently don't breathe, and sat in a tent with little
air circulation. Ugh!
I
saw 9 turkeys, millions of crows, and 1 skunk. For
those who think deer are defenseless and hunting isn't fair,
all I can say is my day was more representative of real
hunting: hour after hour of seeing nothing.
I'll
be back at it next weekend, and every weekend until the
season closes. I am optimistic and hope to provide you
with photos of deer I shoot. But for now, I'll just
sweat and watch the crows.
Best Mileage Run Ev-ah!
Relegated to weekend-only mileage runs I spent half of
Saturday and most of Sunday on my most aggressive one.
For a very low fare I flew
MSP-DTW-DUS-DTW-MSP leaving
at 5 PM on Saturday afternoon and originally scheduled to
return at 8 on Sunday the next day.
I
arrived at the airport early in order to spend some time
talking with
Melinda June in the
Concourse C
World Club prior to
her trip back to the UK. I got a upgrade to the
front on the first leg and went to the gate seen above in
DTW. Due to the
knowledgeable chatter on
FlyerTalk I knew that a
coach seat on the
757-200 is not the best in
the fleet. I steeled myself to endure 8 hours of pain
over, and 9 back.
The
gate agent was making announcements in German and my ears
picked up when I heard "something in German Herr
Brunner something more in German". I walked
up to the podium and handed a lady my boarding pass and asked if they
had called me. After a short delay, I was handed a new
boarding pass, a smile, and told "Thank you for being such a
good customer of our airline". She had a
Frau
Blücher accent, but those were sweet words on her lips.
Holy
Farking Crap! My new boarding pass said seat 4A. The
most rare of things had happened--I was given a
World Business Class
upgrade! So I parked my butt in a huge comfortable seat,
dined on Beef tenderloin with apple bacon crust, and slept
like a baby in its horizontal recline until the announcement for landing was made.
And my fare was only $5,600 less than the guy I sat next to.
The
turn in
DUS was quite easy and I had no trouble with customs.
I stepped out of the airport for about 10 seconds to alleviate any
controversy that I had actually been to Germany on this
trip. This photo is part of my proof:
I
re-cleared customs, bought some chocolates, and got back on
the plane. This time in coach, but well rested.
I then flew 9 hours back and ran out the battery of my video
iPod watching
Mad Men..
Back
in DTW, I spent some time at the WorldClub watching
football. I had one of those proud to be American
moments when I watched men and women, of all ages and races,
watching the NFL with excitement on their faces. It
put a smile on my face and I left the
club with Detroit leading Oakland 17-0.
Off
to the gate, then, with a stop for a banana-nut ice cream
cone at a nearby shop. With cone in hand, I heard the
gate agent request volunteers to take a later flight due to
the flight being oversold. I jumped up and said "I'll
take it", and was then handed a $300 voucher for a future
flight. When I went back to the WorldClub I found
Oakland in the lead and a
mileage run that had suddenly become significantly cheaper.
I
was home by 11:30, and many thanks to my mom who gave me a
ride home. I fell asleep instantly, and made it to
work just a little later than usual. With bonuses and
promotions I earned over 28,000 miles for a price equal to
approximately two fills of my truck with gas.
It
really was the best mileage run possible!
Last Day of the Fair
My
mom and I spent the last day of the fair today and had a
fine time. We ended it in the heat, by dining on
what is seen above: a meatball sundae. While you
Swedes may find this horrific (certainly as it is sans
lingonberries) it is a tasty treat.
Normally this time of year I'm gearing up to head to
Canada for a month of fantastic duck and goose hunting.
This year I am unable to do so, as I have to go to work
every day like the rest of you. So today's show
that we saw was the closest thing I'm going to get to
"the true north strong and free." Here is a bad
quality video I shot on my phone of a very cool horse
event:
I'll definitely miss all the fine times I've had with
all of you up there, and you will be in my heart each
crisp morning that I rise and go to work. On the
plus side, there are likely to be many more ducks and
geese making it safely to the USA this year. Go
get 'em you Canuks. Shoot straight and have a
great time!
State Fair '07
I missed the first day of the fair this year, for the
first time in a very long time. Work became
somewhat nasty last week, as I fought against some bad
management and had to settle for a tiny gain and some
unnecessary disappointment. But oh well, it's fair
week!
My first day of the fair was a Saturday morning, which
really isn't the best time to go. It is too
crowded too soon, but it is still the one of the best
things that Minnesota has to offer.
I had the traditional breakfast at the Swedish egg
coffee place, bought my deer license at the DNR booth,
and spent a lot of time at the duck pond reflecting on
life. I watched this redhead drake for a while and
was quite amused. He kicked a wood duck off the
feed pile and had it for his own:
For several years I've been advocating a stroller tax at
the fair. I find them a threat to toes and general
travel and think that parents
who bring them should have to pay. They clog
traffic, are often used for kids who could damn well
walk, and are just an bother to everyone. I think $5 for
a single, and $10 for a double-wide would be just about
right. Here is exhibit A in what the problem is:
I hope to make a few more visits before it is all over.
Hopefully at a time when the stroller-jockeys stay in
the suburbs!
Good Work Week
My past week in Corporate America was a very good one.
As a low level employee I was able to have a one on one
meeting with the Chief Executive of a large, successful
company. I prepared well for this meeting and
presented him with observations and proposals for fixing
what is an embarrassingly dysfunctional culture. I
walked out of his office with him, and left feeling
extremely empowered and supported. He was 100%
behind me, and that is unbelievably motivating.
I am passionate about these sorts of things. Life
is short, and I feel I have an obligation to make any
company I work for the best it can possibly be for the
business and the people. I learned a lot at
entrepreneurial PUR and, with that on top of my
leadership experience at Widjiwagan, I feel I have a lot
of good to bring.
I am afraid that what I am going to try and do will be
fought at every juncture, and that there are ugly
politics and big battles ahead. But with my
support from the top, and the confidence I have in how
things can be done correctly, I'm going to carry the
flag and move ahead.
Potter and Pop
Nothing
particularly newsworthy has transpired of late, and
tonight finds your webmaster taking a break from
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on p554.
So far so good. It is an interesting enough read,
although perhaps not as exciting as the news reports
have indicated. I did fall asleep this afternoon
whilst reading and woke up with the book rudely fallen
to the floor. But even still, the lads and lady
have just escaped on a dragon and the showdown with
Voldemort comes soon. I still think that Snape is
a good guy, but J.K. hasn't left any clues just yet as
to this being the case.
Melinda June
gave me a great musical tip while
skyping
a week ago or so.
Stephen Merchant, whole you'll remember as "Oggy"
from the British version of The Office, has a neat show
on BBC Radio 6
that you may wish to give a listen. Just click on
his name and if you're interweb savvy enough you can
listen to his shows. They're brilliant and play
some neat music you might never have heard of.
Next week is
my big meeting where I will attempt to do great things.
Wish me well.
The Emperor's New Clothes
I do not wish
to harp about work over and over again, but since that
is what takes up most of my time these days it's my best
expert subject. Furthermore I find the cultural
issues I've discovered extremely fascinating so I'll
share them with you.
During this
past week there were no formal experiments. I decided that I
should space them out for the greatest effect and, since
I hadn’t thought of a new one, none were conducted. As
it turns out, I didn't need to think of one.
I had
participated the previous week in a secret focus group
about culture and leadership, so I let the new week play out
and see what I could learn. This
coincided with the quarterly report of vast prosperity
and the promise of my first view of leadership at a
“town hall”.
This meeting was today, and was not all that much different than
others I had experienced, at other companies, in the past. I was struck by
the fact that we heard only from the CEO and the CFO,
while I expected to hear from the captains of the other
functional groups. But so be it.
During the
presentation our CEO showed two documents to the crowd
and asked if everyone was familiar with them. I
was not, and being one wave in a sea of nodding heads, decided not
to be the single person who would take his offer.
I figured the documents were likely something in the
HR packet I received and didn’t read, or something my
boss had given me and I should have been familiar with.
Although the Chief Executive Officer asked twice,
everyone in the large room indicated they were familiar
with them.
Fair enough,
but at the end of that meeting I observed many people asking each other “what were those documents?”
Allegedly, in the room at the other end of the building
where ~100 people watched it on video, many people there were
looking at each other and wondering what the documents
were.
If this is not a real-life example
of the Emperor’s New Clothes parable, I don’t know what
is.
Even more
interestingly, I asked a supervisor shortly afterwards
what the documents were. I was told that I probably
saw them on the intranet and observed a colleague being snapped
at for admitting uncertainty about what they were. Still
not sure, I took the
initiative to ask someone I knew in a different
department about them and was given a copy of both
documents. I read them, and shared them with
my colleagues. A bit later I was told that when
the supervisor noticed them on my desk, copies of the
documents were delivered to other people in the area who
had never seen them.
The documents
were glossy brochures explaining management expectations. I
do not know who was supposed to get them, but either the
instructions to deliver weren't clear when they were
first promulgated or the managers didn't provide them to
everyone. The fact that the CEO asked the
entire company if they were familiar with them indicates
to me that it was his expectation that everyone receive
them.
This speaks
to basic communication, something that is critical for
teamwork and a function of good leadership. Basic
openness and honesty come naturally in well-functioning
enterprises. If the company I work for truly wants
to grow, be creative, and win they are going to need to
create a culture where there is honest top-down and
bottom-up communication. I'm going to try to move
us in that direction from my current role, but as I
challenge the dominant culture I am well aware that I do
so at my peril.
A
Puzzle
Today at
the new job I conducted an experiment. I laid out
the pieces of a 100-piece children's puzzle on the
aisle-side counter of an unused cubicle near my work
area. It is in an area of semi-frequent travel and
I wanted to see how people would react to it. I did this
in the early morning before many in the company had
arrived at work.
I surmised
that one of two things might happen. The most
likely option was that many people would walk past it
and a few would be tempted to put a piece or two
together. Once a significant number of pieces were
assembled I assumed that someone would just then, unable
to stand it, put them all together. Alternately, I
thought that someone might grumpily see it, judge it to
be unprofessional, and sweep it into the trash.
Since I only spent $2.99 at Target for a kid's puzzle of
a kitty and a rabbit I was psychologically prepared for
either of the two.
The picture you
see is that very set-up at approximately 8:30 AM.
As you may note, there are several pieces already
assembled and it seems quite clear that my first theory
was well in play. Around 9:30 I stood up and
looked down the long row of cubes to where the puzzle
was. There I viewed the lady who delivers the mail
stopped, looking down, and assembling
pieces. It was a delightful moment that made me
smile from ear to ear.
Around 11:15 or so
I walked past on my way to the loo and discovered that
the counter was bare. My heart dropped with
disappointment and I checked the garbage, the recycling
bin, and all the drawers, finding nothing. I
looked in the garbage at the nearby cubes and found them
empty. Finally, after going through the filing
cabinets I found what I was looking for. Someone
had taken all the pieces, certainly clumsily over
several trips, and thrown them out of sight in one of
the wall-mounted credenzas.
So neither of my
preconceived theories happened--or perhaps both
half-did? The curious nature of my co-workers
started out impressively, but then the corporate kill-joy
response apparently was too strong for someone and he or
she squashed the fun. But why did the fun-killer put
the pieces in the credenza and not just throw them out?
Perhaps some day
I will find out who did it and why. Until then 100
pieces of bunny and kitten remain in the credenza and
will be, in two ways,
still very much a puzzle.
Awake, Arise!
Almost everyone at my new job eats their lunch at their
desk.
Walking
about our building during the noon hour you do not have
to take many steps before you find someone in their cubicle
eating lunch. It does not seem to matter which
department or pay grade they come from. Sadly,
this seems to be a part of the company culture.
My
objection isn't based on the
simple microbiological unhealthiness of it.
Nor the suspicion that people who do this are trying to
showcase their extreme busyness for purposes of job
enhancement or protection. Clearly some truly are
busy, and some days eating through lunch can be
justified. But certainly not every day.
I am
troubled by the clear affront to corporate community it
represents.
I believe a
community of friendship and trust is one of the most
important factors that make a company successful.
I base this on my experience in a successful
entrepreneurial venture where the "lunch crowd" was an
important daily event. Nearly every day people
from the CEO to the line-worker would meet in our dirty,
and completely unappealing lunchroom to eat and follow
two rules:
1. There is always room at the
table.
2. Do not talk about work.
Throughout
all the silly lunchtime arguments, the
Isaac Asimov Super Quiz with shifting rules, and the
general idle chatter, a level of trust between
associates was built. This translated into good
inter-departmental working relationships and friendship,
and was something that paid off when the company went
through trouble or something important needed urgent
doing. When the going got tough we friends and
co-workers pulled together and worked hard because we
generally liked each other and didn't want to let each
other down. The community lunch was a clear
pre-cursor to this.
At my new job
there are two absolutely beautiful lunch rooms. Each are
stocked with an array of nice tables, comfortable chairs, and
both sport a lovely view of a nature preserve.
During the noon hour these spaces are nearly empty, and
workers walk right past the lonely furniture as they
visit
microwave ovens to cook their food they eat at their
desks. It's quite surprising, and in my mind a
rather sad tragedy.
Instead of casting
aspersions at these folks for their disappointing
choices (as I don't fully understand
the culture of fear they have worked under in the past)
I am simply going to not do as they do. When I bring in
lunch or food of any kind, I am marching down to that
lunch room and I'm going to eat it there. I'm
going to let people know I'm going there and I'm going
to invite them along.
I would be
interested to find out if readers at other companies
have experienced something similar. Perhaps this
is the norm and I just got lucky and spent most of my
career to date at a company that, at least, had this
part of it working right. But even if this is the case it is
still no excuse. It is clear to me that the company I work for would be a
better one if people got off their butts and went down
to the lunch room. I'm not sure what it is going
to take to change the culture in that way, but I am
going to try.
WorkPerks
Having now
completed two weeks back in the real world I thought I
would share with you some of the unique perks that my
new place of employment offers. No longer in the
position to fly Tues-Wed for
WorldPerks
Miles and status, I will instead take advantage of those
perks I now have access to.
My office
is on a campus that is part of a private 290 acre nature
preserve with a lake right in the middle of it (shown
above as a high-flying bird might see it). The work is done in the buildings in the
upper left. Subtract the small housing development
in the
top center and the parking lot in the upper right, as
well as the building and parking lot in the bottom left,
and all
the rest of the land between the highways is the preserve.
While the area is fenced and not open to the public it
is open for use by eager employees such as myself.
Personally, I can't imagine a
better work perk, at any company, anywhere.
This lake,
as you can see, is
surrounded by forests, wetlands, and fields and is
circled by a walking path with a floating boardwalk on
the south end. While the job I turned down in the
Buckeye State did have nearby water and a pretty campus it
certainly did not have a lake like this managed for
muskies,
bass, and
bluegills out the back door. Nor did it have
free use of canoes or a rowboat for employees who want
to fish. Or gazebos, or wood-chipped trails with
bridges over wet areas.
Lest you
think the lake and its angling is the peak of the perks, read on.
I learned on my very first day that employees who have
a hunting license and complete a
Minnesota archery training course may hunt deer by
archery on the property. With Minnesota's
All-Season License that means I can hunt during the
week after work, and up in
Pine County on the weekends.
Yes folks, the never-ending hunting season may be slowed
but it has definitely not stopped.
Today I
took advantage of the free canoe use and headed out on
the lake for some bluegill fishing. The lake was
winter-killed a few years ago (aerator broke) and for
this season bass and muskies are closed to allow
re-stocked fish to grow. So I decided to beat up
on old Bluegillis horribilis on a sunny, Saturday
morning. I found
them spawning, and in big groups right next to the
floating bog/cattail shore. If you could sneak up
on them quietly and slowly you could cast into them and
catch one after the other. The majority of the
fish were about 6 inches in length and seemed healthy
and not stunted. In a few years there will likely
be a bumper crop. For your enjoyment, here is a
representative specimen:
Although I've only been there for one week now,
and "...haven't bought an A to Zed guidebook...", I
thought my loyal readers would want a report.
The
obvious disclaimer
must be that it is yet too early. Former
associates of mine may remember my report from
the POW trip to
CVG and
how glowing it was. Not to say that I am
prone only to the positive, but just that first
impressions should be viewed as those of the
mildly ignorant.
My
appraisal is positive. The people I have
met, interacted with, and will work with all
seem very nice, intelligent, and pleasant. I have now met
with most of my department members and all the
technology-based managers and through this
learned a lot about the internal philosophy. Although I
should have clearly seen this coming, I do find
that I will definitely need to Spartan up my
philosophy about risk and realize that I am not
in the position any longer to take the
business risks I once was given the
opportunity to take. My job is to protect
the company and, unlike the entrepreneurial
environment I was weaned in, there appears to be
only bad and not much good in thinking up clever
risks.
Enough of the serious work part. As anyone
with a pence and a half of sense knows that
human interaction is the bark in the dog of
life. And when new to a job there are many
ways you can approach this. Although I
considered the "hide in the weeds/cards to the
chest/shut up and pay attention" approach all of
you know that is not me. So you will be
happy to hear that I was unable to last much
more than 20 minutes before my nature outed and
my co-workers were given the data to judge me
for the good or the bad.
My
opinion on this is thus. In life, I give
everyone I meet and interact with the benefit of
the doubt and expect that everyone else does
likewise (they don't). In Corporate America it is
always safe to be quiet, serious, productive,
and spew buzz words like prunes through a goose
until you see how people are likely to make
judgment.
But IMHO, that is about as boring as boring
could be. So I'm simply going to be who I
am and let it fall out where it does.
That's what I would expect of the
FNG
and will behave as if everyone else thinks as I
do.
For the
first time in several years the
PUR/Recovery Engineering,
Inc.contact list has been updated. This was
triggered by running into Chris Speak on the MSP-SFO
route. I was sitting in row 10 (exit row) when he
boarded and we were able to chat a bit. He gave me
his card when the gate agent came onboard to upgrade me
to the front, and now we've renewed contact. He
sent me some addresses to update, and I searched my in
box and finally updated all the requests I've had for
changes. Should you be part of the old team, and
notice that either your address is incorrect or know of
another "associate" who should be added, please contact
me and I'll do it.
One note
about Chris Speak. He is moving back to Minnesota
and was headed out west to bring his family home.
It's a near-truism that everyone who moves away from
Minnesota always comes back. Woody is the only
exception to this rule, sadly.
The mileage
run was a success in all but the last SFO-MSP route.
The gate agent said that 80% of the flight were elite
members and so there was no shot at an upgrade. I
sat next to a large fellow who proceeded to make and eat
a Caesars Salad which I found awfully disgusting.
But I made it back and proceeded to go right to sleep
again. Too much flying for me, unfortunately, as I
caught a cold shortly after and have felt under the
weather most of the week.
It's a good
thing that I got sick this week, not next, as the one
ahead promises to be extremely exciting. My
sabbatical is over and I begin my new job in earnest on
Monday. It promises to be just as wonderful as the
old one, and perhaps even more so. I really cannot
wait for it to start, which those of you trudging away
in Corporate America might find hard to believe.
But it's true, I can't. I'm ready to be back to
work and be part of a team achieving something.
Sadly, you
lazy readers didn't provide me much in the way of the
requested fashion advice. The always reliable
Melinda June reviewed the annual report of my
employer and offered the following suggestion:
"Looks like you can do your shopping online at
Lands' End or
Eddie Bauer." She did also note that I
"...shouldn't buy too many pleated trousers and
polo/golf shirts no matter what anyone tells you."
So I've followed her advice and hope to look sharp.
Well, about as sharp as I could reasonably look in
something other than camo. Sharp enough to impress
the "Chicks from the Sticks" I'm not sure, but I'll give
it a shot.
Last Mileage Run
Tomorrow morning I do my "whiz quiz" for my new job
and thereafter proceed upon what may well be my last
mileage run of 2007. Upon my return I will
have flown over 50,000 flight miles (51,706 actual)
on SkyTeam
partners and thus re-qualified for Gold Elite
through the end of February 2009. I am very
excited about my new job which I will begin on May
7th, but before that I will take these flights.
When I
return it is time to shop for my new wardrobe.
I am not entirely certain what level of dress the
new company will expect of me and this is the source
of some concern. As clothing is shocking in
how eye-popping expensive it can sometimes be I am
inclined to take a Brennen-like approach to my
purchases. Well, perhaps not quite that bad.
But still in my life I haven't thought twice about
dropping a couple hundred bills for some sweet
looking mallard decoys or a fiver for a
Shad Rap while I can't see why a shirt should
cost more than $20 (and its not even in
Advantage Wetlands or waterproof!). I'm
thinking that I won't be outfitted by Fleet Farm
this time, and could use any fashion tips some of
you may have. I'm specifically looking to
fashionable Ann Arbor or Cincinnati for this
request, so if any of you in those fine cities have
any tips please do send them my way?
Sturgeon Fishing
This
Wednesday I put on my other suit and went to a
second interview at a very promising and exciting
company. More on that in a future update, but
for now I'm going to tell you what has happened
since. When I returned from the interview, and
was undressing, I received a call from my friend
Curt who invited me up to Rainy River to fish
walleye and sturgeon. Why not? And on
Thursday off I went.
For
those of you foreign to Minnesota, foreign to
fishing, or just plain foreign the
Rainy River flows between
Rainy Lake and
Lake of
the Woods. For its 85 miles it forms the
international border between the US and Canada, the
river flowing between the banks of Minnesota and
Ontario. The lakes on both ends are frozen in and
at this time of year the fish move up the river to feed and
spawn.
We fished
Friday through Monday afternoon. You could
legally fish for walleyes through Saturday night
(when the season there ends) and thereafter fish for sturgeon
(release only). Compliant with
all Federal, State, and Provincial regulation, we
made this our game plan and went out with jigs, bait, and the intent to hook.
The weather
was cold and windy with brief and memorable periods
of warm sunshine. We caught 50 or so walleyes
on Friday, fewer on Saturday, and then started to
"chase the sturge" on Sunday. Although I have paddled canoes over many sturgeon
waters in my time I have never gone after them.
And surprisingly it is remarkably easy to do
so. Put a bottom rig (2 oz sinker, 1/0
circle hook, bead, swivel, gob of crawlers) in a
deeper hole with a soft bottom and await the tap-tap
in your line. When he is there, reel the line
in slowly and the hook sets itself.
I caught 6 of
them in the two days of fishing and countless other
bottom feeding sucker fish. Two of the
sturgeon were quite large and it was rather the
battle to bring them to the side of the boat.
We were using 50# test Power Pro and stiff fishing
rods. Still, for the first 15 minutes or so of
the fight the fish was definitely in control.
Photos for
your enjoyment: (As per usual click the
thumbnail to see the photo and the commentary)
The fight is on!
Removing the hook
Greenback!
Curt's big fish
My second big sturge
This was the typical pose with a sturgeon at the end of the line. They come up pretty soon after you hook them, but once they see you they go down fast and pull, pull, pull!
Thanks to Curt's large net we were able to boat them and unhook them. The circle hooks work wonderfully well, hooking the fish right in the mouth.
Here's a big walleye that fell to my jig and minnow. I will never tire of catching these.
Here is curt with his biggest walleye of the weekend.
This one was a little more grey in color. I wonder if they aren't different sub-species, or come from different lakes?
.
The fight is on!
This was the typical pose with a sturgeon at the end of the line. They come up pretty soon after you hook them, but once they see you they go down fast and pull, pull, pull!
The UK is A-OK
What would
a trip over the Atlantic be without a visit to a Kebab
Shoppe? Pictured above is a delightful British
one, where I purchased a
Dönner Kebab from a pleasant gentleman.
British kebab is somewhat similar to a Swedish variety,
although inferior IMHO.
Remove the pomme frite, add a base of flat bread,
some cabbage, and then you have a limey kebab.
Should you like to make a British kebab yourself, view
the following
I spent a
week over there, Tuesday to Tuesday, and had several
exciting adventures. On the first day I took a
train to London and visited
The British
Museum. I went in expecting a history of the
British empire and was very surprised to find that there
was little about Britain there. I henceforth will
refer to it as "The Diversity Museum". Next time I
go I'm going to plan ahead and find a museum about
England. I've heard they have quite a history.
On the
week-end Mindy and I drove to Wales and rented a cottage
from The
National Trust. Mindy had misled me into
believing that the only source of heat was the fire.
So upon our late arrival I took to starting a fire with
wet wood and coal. All my years in the bush came
in handy, as I was able to do it. But let me tell
you, wet wood and coal makes a stinky smelly mess.
The truth of the matter was that the fire wasn't needed,
aside for "ambience". Nonetheless it was fun to
get it roaring.
I am
slightly ashamed to admit that my favorite parts of the
trip were the many visits to pubs. There is just
something about beer in Europe that is so much better
than beer in America. Our brewers, and those who
decide what beer products we are offered, really got it
wrong. Should you be UK bound, try Tetley's.
Lovely. Very tasty.
Mindy was
excellent company and wonderful host. Aside from
doing all the driving (wrong side of the road + wheel
and pedal on the wrong side + stops at pubs = bad idea
to drive) we visited a kaput Cheese Centre,
St. David's Cathedral, a beach, some neat cliffs,
and Burger King. We drove past Cardiff without
noticing as we were arguing about politics. But I
guess I can see it again in
Torchwood Season 2.
I didn't
take many pictures, sadly, but here are a few for you.
I apologize for forgetting to photograph the beautiful
scenery of Wales--hills, grass, sheep, cliffs, ocean.
The living room at our cottage and the fireplace for "ambiance"
Hey Canadians! Here's what the Welsh call bacon.
The end of days for the Cheese Centre
Not a result of pubs, instead a warning at St. Davids
A UK must-have!
.
The living room at our cottage and the fireplace for "ambiance"
Now back in
the States spring approaches and I will continue the job
hunt. There will be a few more "trips to no place"
(My mother's description) in airplanes for miles, but
nothing exciting. Cheers!
London Calling
If you're
not a bright-eyed and busy-tailed reader of this site
you will no doubt be reading this as I fly
MSP-DTW-LGW
(2C,
29A)on my way to Robert Blake's "Green and pleasant
land". If you're not a steady reader, perhaps
you'll find me already there or home again.
It's just a
short trip, where I'll be gratefully experiencing the
hospitality of
Melinda June
and accompanying her on a weekend journey to Wales.
We plan to spend it in
Pembrokeshire and, although I have a list of things
to do, what we will do has yet to be determined.
I've loaded
up the iPod, washed my clothes,
and installed new odor-eaters in my shoes. I'm
leaving without a job in hand, and should you be an
interested employer doing due diligence on me be assured
my answering machine has my European mobile number.
I would be quite pleased to receive your call!
I'll be
back next week with photos, stories, and gifts for some
of you!
Canoe Repaired!
I
picked up my 10 year old Bell Wildfire today and it
looks as good as it did when I first bought it.
When we last left this fine craft, it was unusable
after being broken in completing the Quetico Canoe
Quest. Now with all new wood, it is ready for
another 10 years of happy paddling.
The job
search still goes on. I will say in all
honesty that being unemployed and looking for work
is much less pleasant than being unemployed and not
looking for work. I guess that's no big
surprise.
A few
mileage runs to SFO and a trip to Wales in March.
So something for the readers to look forward to is
ahead. And should I find a job, that too.
Still Free!
In case
you were wondering I've now lost the aforementioned
chip and chair, and the exciting job search
continues! In this case I heard:
"We
hired someone internally we already had experience
with--who had already worked on some of our
projects."
Which
is remarkably different than the recent:
"At
this time, we have decided to pursue a couple of
internal candidates."
Or the
even more nuanced response regarding a 3rd
opportunity:
"...we are looking internally first. I'm not
sure that we will even look at the outside, but
we may."
If I do ever
get a real job again where I hire people I think I'll
try not to hire any internal candidates Heck, they already have jobs. The hell
with 'em!
Ultimately,
though fear not. I'm still quite optimistic
and positive about the whole thing. Whoever
does ultimately hire me is going to get a sweet
deal. It's just a matter of time and since
life is so short, why worry?
Also of note,
I installed a little feature at the bottom of the
page that shows where on the globe visitors to this
site are from. It's only been running one day,
but it does show that someone from Cincinnati took a
look. Out with you Proctoid! Reveal
yourself!
{Note:
As of this morning (2/22) I can see that London,
Malmö, New Jersey, and
The Pas, Manitoba have all checked in. This is
a great century, eh?}
As Free
as a Bird Now
For your
humble webmaster, the season is tripartite:
ice fishing, mileage running, and job hunting.
This week, after finishing off a weekend of the
first, I did the third of three of the second, and
had my most intense experience so far of the third.
In fact, (2) and (3) came together in a rather
intense three-day period which really tested my
grace under pressure. Consider the following:
The above
picture shows my route which started at 9 PM on
Monday night. In mileage running lingo this
would be
MSP-SFO-MSP-CLT-DTW-SFO-MSP.
The 9218 mile route began with a night flight from
MSP to San Francisco, back on the redeye early
Tuesday morning, on to Charlotte, NC, up north to
snowy Detroit, then back to San Francisco around
midnight Tuesday. At 2:30 AM Minnesota time on
Wednesday I took the last flight back to MSP,
arriving at 6 AM. This, then, gave me 6
blissful hours to prepare for a 4 1/2 hour interview
which started at noon on Wednesday. I took a 2
hour nap, picked up my suit at the dry cleaners,
washed the truck, got a hair/beard trim, drank about
3 gallons of coffee, dressed, and headed out to
interview on the campus of a company with a 3 in it.
I then had
4 separate interviews (each with different probing, challenging
questions*) with about 1 hour per interviewer.
All told, I
think it went well and I didn't come off as too big
an idiot. But who knows. It's
always a tough deal when you go up against internal
candidates (3 in this case) and with my lack of sleep against me it
would be somewhat of a miracle if I was hired for
this particular job. But I'd be good at it,
would love it, and as of this moment (3:33 PM on
Wednesday 2/15) I still have a
chip and a chair.
As far as
mileage running goes, I know you're all wondering
"why?". In short the reasons are (1)
It's fun, (2) To get elite upgrades to 1st class on
future flights +
other program benefits. My other two routes, in the
two weeks previously, can he seen here:
1, 2.
And here, for your enjoyment, is a video a fellow
mileage runner made after doing a run which was only
3936 miles fewer than what I flew. Sally.
*And yes,
for those in the know, I did tell the "flavor of the
spec" story.
Lunkers
Aplenty!
Fish house
season is in full swing and if you haven't scheduled
a weekend, you are missing out. The above
photo shows Tracy Szela with the 24 inch walleye she
caught. Yes indeed, girls can fish!
Tracy showed a real eye for it, picking up on the
subtle details of the craft unlike my ham-handed
brother Brennen.
The weekend
previous, Tom Burket and Andy Mersiowsky came up and
we eeked out a few perch. Prior to that Dr.
Aaron Rutzik and Jon Commers came up with home
delicious home brew and much fun was had. We were in
shallow those times, but now the house is way out on
the gravel in big fish country! Along with
Tracy's fish in the photo, walleyes of 17, 23, 24,
26, and 28.5 inches were pulled onto the carpet of
the fish house. In addition, filleted 12 big
perch on Sunday afternoon and 16 on Monday morning.
The fish are definitely biting.
Reservations
are filling up. Check the
fish house page for availability and make your
reservation before it is too late!
Jeff, Hank,
and W. Benjamin are the guests this weekend and we
are going to whoop it up like never before.
Last
Kebab of 2006
Since my last
post I've been to Sweden and back, celebrated
Christmas, and re-learned how to bake bread. I
have also been aggressively searching for
a job but with the corporate slowdown around the
holidays I'm not waiting anxiously by the phone for
a call back. Should any of you work for a Twin
Cities company with openings in regulatory
compliance, please let me know about it. Champ
doesn't really need the money he would get for a
referral bonus, but maybe you do?
Seen above is
Fredrik, sometime early in the morning, eating the
most fantastic of Swedish holiday treats: a Kebab.
This was after a fine evening in Copenhagen eating
Smørrebrød, drinking
öland
akvavit, and generally having a fine holiday
time with Fredrik and his mates. The strangest
part of the evening for me was hanging out in a
swank Malmö apartment
watching an
Ozzie Osbourne video that the Swedish lads were
really getting into. Ozzie's not my cup of
tea, but when in Rome...
FYI,
should you travel MSP-AMS-CPH on NWA/KLM or the
return don't check your luggage! Three out of
4 times this year they have lost mine on that run,
and this time I didn't get it back until the night
before I left.
Finally, I have started baking bread again.
This is something I did a lot of in the early 90's.
I had this great recipe from the Middleton family in
Duluth, and since I found it I decided to make it
again. Should you wish to do so, here is the
recipe:
Duluth
Middleton Bread
2 cups whole
wheat flour, 0.5 cups bread flour, 2 tsp salt, 2.25
tsp yeast, 12 tbsp milk powder, 3 cups lukewarm
water. Sponge overnight or at least >2 hours,
knead to proper consistency with bread flour, 1st
dough rise: 1.5 hours, 2nd dough rise: 1 hour
in pan. 375-400 for 1 hour. It's real
bread, far superior to that you buy in a store.
Burn,
Baby, Burn!
On Thursday
I'm flying once again to Sweden for an end of year
mileage run. I'll just be there for the
weekend, but am seriously considering heading up to
Gävle with my bic lighter
and taking part in a 40 year tradition. What
tradition, you ask? If you have the time and
bandwidth, watch this video
CLICK HERE and you'll learn all about it.
If you have less time, read the
Wiki reference. Even less time? Then
just watch this odd Swedish hip hop video which
should get you excited about a bock burning.
When you have
done all this, gentle reader, then you are ready to
check the goat daily for a burning. But this
year things have changed, and per
this article:
"...officials think they have finally outsmarted
the resourceful vandals by dousing the battered
ram with flame-resistant chemicals normally used
on airplanes.
"It is impossible to burn it to the ground this
year, although you might be able to singe its
paws," said Anna Ostman, a spokeswoman for the
committee in charge of building the goat. "After
40 years, we think we finally found the
solution."
The company providing the fireproof treatment is
so sure of its resilience that its spokesman
Freddy Klassmo told newspaper Aftonbladet that
"not even napalm can set fire to the goat now."
Them are
fighting words. I probably won't make it to
Gävle, but I'll be cheering
for a burning.
Check out
this article in The Atikokan Progress! It
would appear that I was indeed the first person to
finish the Quetico Canoe Quest and the winner of a
fabulous prize sometime in 2009. I was never
entirely sure if I really was the first person, but
a Google search for the Quetico Canoe Quest put this
link at the top.
I'm sure that
since most of my loyal readers subscribe to the
Atikokan
Progress you saw this article when it was
originally published. But I just found out
tonight, and I couldn't be happier.
New on the Menu
I spent more
hours than I care to admit this weekend making goose
burger. I used Mike Prokopchuk of Winnipeg,
Manitoba's recipe and a cheap hand grinder.
The end result was 26 pounds of goose burger.
So this winter at the fish house, I have a new item
on the menu for you: Goose Burger.
I see why
people buy those expensive motorized grinders and
widgets for meat processing. It's a fairly
gross and unpleasant process, especially the mixing
of meats and spices. But I did it in a
careful, sanitary way and hopefully you folks will
enjoy it.
"Bambi.
Quick! The thicket!"
Brennen and his little friend.
I'm back from deer season and am
happy to report all was successful. I "harvested"
one 8 pt. buck and two does, both shot mid-week. I
shot the first doe near sunset when she walked straight
under my tree stand in a grove of trees. Two days
later I went out to the swamp around 11:30 AM, and at
12:15 noticed antlers in a thicket about 50 yards in
front of me. When they disappeared (he bedded
down) I watched with the binoculars until I noticed a
doe. She got up and moved about 5 feet, and bedded
down again. The buck (shown above), trailing,
stood up and I immediately shot him. The doe jumped from
the thicket and I shot her too.
So the freezers are full this year
once again. Brennen took the second doe, and I
kept the buck and first doe. I actually had to buy
a second freezer to handle all the meat so come to the
fish house this year ready to eat! I processed
most of the meat into hot dogs, Cajun sausages, burger,
and steaks. I've learned over the years that these
are the most popular and tasty items for my guests and
myself.
John Bradford visited deer camp
again this year, now with his own 30-06. He was
unsuccessful once again, his time cut short by a sinus
infection. Better luck for little Johnny next
time. Some photos:
The buck and the doe I shot at noon. Their amorous adventure was short lived.
Bradford didn't shoot or see a deer. The fact that he hunted asleep didn't help much.
Bradford prefered to play solitare and watch Martha Stewart, rather than go hunting. No deer for him.
The deer loaded for transport. Notice the knife that Kjell Andersson gave me in Sweden. It has now field-dressed 7 deer.
.
The buck and the doe I shot at noon. Their amorous adventure was short lived.
I've been gone.
Yes, dear readers, I've been gone
for months. Killing ducks. Killing geese.
Not working. Having fun in Canada and North
Dakota. And I'm back for just a speck of time,
just enough to say hello and wish you well.
Tomorrow I'll be gone for 16 days with the goal of
killing 5 deer before me.
I've had the best hunting ever
this fall for waterfowl. God bless Warren Hicks,
his wife Wanda, and kids Michael and Myles. They
gave me in housing, food, and friendship more than I
could ever deserve. I don't know how I can explain
it all to you. I suppose it is impossible.
But here are some videos that give you an idea.
This is the very best waterfowl
hunting that one could ever experience. It really
couldn't every be any better than this:
Get this Album
Susanna Hoffs and Matthew Sweet
Under The Covers, Volume 1. It's fantastic and
I can't stop listening to it.
Go IDF!
State
Fair!
Our
State Fair is a great State Fair,
Don't miss it, don't even be late.
It's dollars to doughnuts that our State
Fair,
Is the best State Fair in our state!
As is our
tradition, this morning I visited the
Minnesota State Fair with
friends. This year Dooger, Bradford, Britt
Bromley, and I entered the fairgrounds at promptly 6:00 AM for
the official start of the first day. T.C. was
supposed to come, but called at 5:55 AM with a
questionable claim of having "too much to do". I
think that's code for "I woke up too late".
Pictured
is Dooger with an alleged "Morning Frank" from
Chicago
Dogs. It was described in an official State Fair
document as "...a jumbo smoked breakfast sausage served
on a toasted poppy seed bun, smothered in fresh
scrambled eggs and topped with shaved cheddar cheese!".
This item was to be available at Chicago Dogs in "The
Garden".
As you can
see from the picture, there has been no smothering in
scrambled eggs (fresh or otherwise) or topping with
slivers of shaved cheddar cheese. Plus, it is on a
stick and there is no toasted poppy seed bun.
Dooger described it as a Pronto Pup over a breakfast
sausage. Pronto Pups, of course, are hot dogs on a
stick coated with pancake batter where Corn Dogs use a
cornmeal batter.
I believe
this requires further research. If anyone goes to
the fair today please check at Chicago Dogs and ask them
about the "Morning Frank". Perhaps Dooger got
something else, as it is possible that the young lady
who took the order wasn't fully familiar with the menu
yet. It is day 1, after all.
Now, for
your viewing enjoyment try out these two slideshow
videos. The first is historical, the second is
from 2005. And in case any of you are viewing from
Ohio, this is one of the 9,000,003 reasons I didn't move
there.
Quest Completed!
I returned
this afternoon, after a tow from Saganaga Lake, a drive
down the Gunflint, and a further drive to Duluth and
Saint Paul, after finishing the Quetico Canoe Quest.
I now have all 6 entry point crests and will be
registered in a draw to win a
Souris River Canoe in
November of 2009. I may have been the first to
finish, but I am not yet 100% sure. I'm awaiting
confirmation from Atikokan, and if I did do it I may
have won a neat-o prize.
I had to
return from this trip a bit early as I had two
"challenges". First of all, I caught a nice dose
of poison ivy (which I must have sat in) and had a
rather itchy back and rear. Fortunately it was
bearable, especially at night after a shot of Finlandia
Vodka and an Ambien. Secondly, my well-used solo
canoe suffered a break at a structural point in the left
gunnel key for
allowing the yoke to be used and for sitting on. I
was able to kludge a temporary fix with a clamp and some
duct tape, but it just barely got me out. With
every creak on the portages I was afraid my little canoe
would come crashing down on my head.
The photo
was taken at Cache Bay, and yes, I am itchy there.
It was an
old school "Bad Ass Old Widji" trip where I moved a long
way each day: Eastern Saganagons to That Man, to Bailey
Bay, to Louisa, to McEwen, to the Falls Chain, and back
to Cache Bay on Saganaga. I fished less and just gave it all
each day, covering quite a few miles. I did 12
portages one day, in fact, and it was very satisfying.
The only
negative of the whole trip (other than the poison ivy)
is the stupid song I had stuck in my head. I was
going to listen to Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited" as I
drove up Highway 61 but for some reason I put the iPod
on Ween and shuffled it. Bad idea! As you
might get this horrible song stuck in your head:
at least
it wasn't this:
Canoeing the summer
away
I'm back
for a few days between trips and here's a rapid update.
I just drove up to Ontario and did three separate 2 day
Quetico trips. I'm taking part in the Quetico
Canoe Quest, a contest where you need to enter the
Quetico from all 6 entry points. At each, you
purchase a crest and register it. The first one to
finish wins a paddle, and when it ends in 2009 all
finishers are put into a draw to win a Souris River
Canoe. I have a darn good shot at coming in first,
and I'll complete the quest in early August when I'll do
a short trip into Cache Bay on Saganagons Lake. If
you are interesting in coming along let me know.
My permit is for August 3rd from
Seagull
Outfitters on the
Gunflint Trail. You'll need one of these:
CANPASS
But first
I'm going to Sweden for Ann and Fredrik's wedding.
I fly out next week, thankfully escaping the hellish
heat that is currently frying up the Twin cities.
I'll be back towards the end of the month, so don't
expect any updates until then.
A few
photos from my recent trip:
A typical campsite
Moose!
Not a bad spot, eh?
Here is my usual solo setup. Tent, tarp, and french press for good coffee. This was on Pickerel Lake in the NE Quetico
I saw my first moose of the year on Pickerel River. It was early in the morning. My cheap-o camera didn't capture the image so well. But at least you can tell it's a moose.
Here's my silly little tent again. I camped up on a small island with an excellent view.
.
A typical campsite
Here is my usual solo setup. Tent, tarp, and french press for good coffee. This was on Pickerel Lake in the NE Quetico
Quetico Trip #3
Since the
last update I've been once again on trail, this time
with my brother Brennen. We decided to drive up to
Atikokan, Ontario and do a 7 night trip in the northern
part of the Quetico Provincial Park. The trip was
an unqualified success and it allowed us to visit some
new lakes that we had never been to before.
I did two
new things this trip, which folks who have paddled with
me will find surprising. Other than a couple of
times while fishing, I paddled bow the whole trip.
I usually hate to paddle bow and will use any excuse to
get the stern position. But I was feeling frisky,
and decided to give the bow a try. Secondly, I
didn't read the map. Usually, I am constantly
looking at the map and loathe to give it up. But I
resisted my urge and let Brennen read it the whole time.
We did not
fish as much as I did last time, so there were not 116
walleyes caught. But when we fished, we did catch
them and were able to dine on a limit of walleyes two of
the nights. The weather was generally warm and
pleasant, but we did have a day of thunderstorms, and a
day of strong winds. The bugs were really only an
issue on portages, at night, or on small icky streams.
Here are
some photos for you to enjoy. This time I had a
person to photograph, so enjoy the images of my brother
in all his glory. Click on the little