Our 2010 Holiday Cheer Video

Our first annual Christmas/Holiday Season video...with Sammy's Aunt Annie making a guest appearance...

And of course, nothing ever works the first time like you expect it...our out-takes:

Corn Cob Portrait of the Month...

My sisters (Diane is not in the photos...she was busy making paper toys for Sammy) came to visit this weekend and brought Jayd along. Jayd is a lot of fun and was very helpful with Michele's sewing project...Sammy is going to be Robin Hood this year for Halloween.

Fishing with Poppa...

Last night we went to Sylvan Beach for dinner. Then we went to the dock where Poppa took Sammy fishing...and Sammy caught his first ever fish!

Sammy fishing with Poppa...

Mantorville Theatre with Family, Friends, and One Stranger...

Last night we went out with family & friends to have dinner, celebrate a few birthdays, and watch a Mantorville Theatre production of Neil Simon's "Fools." Dinner at the Hubbell House Restaurant was tasty as ever.

We occupied the first two rows of the Mantorville Opera House. One seat was already occupied by a curious lady, so we sat around her. Michele sat in the second row with Sammy and Paul sat in front with the mystery lady. At the Mantorville Theatre shows, in particular their melodramas, the audience is supposed to participate by booing at the villain, cheering for the hero, and sighing for the heroine. Last night when the crowd would boo the villain, the mystery lady would cheer for him and then look at Paul. Strange night in that sense.

During the play (which is a light-hearted odd-ball comedy), a character has no fish to sell so she sells flowers claiming they are whitefish. When she tells this to another character, at just the right moment, Sammy blurts out loudly, "That flower is NOT a whitefish!" to which the audience laughed. He made several outbursts like that throughout the night, at just the right time, to add to the laughter of the evening. At the end of the show, the cast stands outside and shakes everyone's hands. When Sammy came out, the cast (no kidding here) broke into loud applause for Sammy. Apparently they were laughing like crazy behind stage at his outbursts. Maybe Sammy will be in a future production there...his timing is uncanny.

Ulysses S. Grant once stayed/ate at the Hubbell House...

The birthday cake...

Amanda, Sean, and Anne...

Sammy runs to Linda and Michele...

The Mantorville Opera House...

Our group filled up the first two rows...

1st Row (l-r): Mark, Bernie, Mystery Woman, Diane, Mike F., Sonny, Barb

2nd Row (l-r): Mike, Georgia, Linda, Michele, Sammy, Amanda, Anne, Sean

Halloween Friends and Family...

Mike, Mayo Brother #1, Mayo Brother #2, and Mark...

...we took them on a tour of the Mayo...

...Mike text-messaged his manager back East...

...his manager asked what he was doing at the Mayo...

...Mike replied, interviewing...

Mike and Mark with the obligatory corn cob portrait...

Pocahontas bailed on us and didn't go trick-or-treating...

Anne figures out Cathy's costume...

Diane's secret ingredient...

Sammy, Shannon, and good eats...

...and a ghost that only appeared in the photo...

Princess of the Night (Brianna),

The Dark Knight -- up way past his bed time,

and Tigger (Becca)...

Smile Diane, you're on Candid Camera!

Duelin' Cousins...

This past weekend we went up to Sammy's Aunt Annie's. She surprised Sammy with some water pistols. Sammy's cousin Chris challenged Sammy to a duel and for quite a while the two of them were all over the place laughing and getting wet. It seems just an eye-blink ago that Chris was Sammy's age.

We also got to meet Jim finally...and went into the wee hours of the morning conversing with him. A nice guy.

North Shore 2009: Days 3 and 4

Tragedy befell us when Paul slipped on the rocks and his beloved Nikon D50 camera fell in a puddle of water. As a result, we don't have many photos for the last two days (we're hoping we can get some from everyone else). Lake Superior: 1 Paul: 0

Bernie and Mark came up to go fishing with us. Sammy really got a kick out of it.

We had occasional rain during the vacation...

...but also had a good amount of sunshine too...

Heading out to fish...

Bernie swaps fishing stories with Sammy...

Bernie and Mark...

Gooseberry Falls State Park...

Morning view from our deck to the shore...

Mike, Diane, Anne, Sammy, Michele, Bernie, and Mark...

North Shore 2009: Tour of Soudan Mine Video

It's a bit lengthy (about 8:52) but it has the excellent description provided by the tour guide and if you look really close you can see a bat!

North Shore 2009: Day 2

On our second day of vacation on the North Shore we went to the Split Rock lighthouse and then the Soudan Underground Mine.

Soudan mine is known as Minnesota's oldest, deepest, and richest iron ore mine. It was closed in 1962 but is now open as a state park. Visitors can today travel 2,341 feet below the surface on an 80-year old electric hoist through shaft #8. The ride is fairly scary. Underneath visitors ride 1/2 mile to view some mining chambers.

Aunt Annie told Sammy that we were going to see the Joker in the BatCave (currently, Batman and Superman are all that matters to Sammy). When we went to get into the rickety 80-year old electric hoist, Sammy was afraid to go, until our tour guide told him that she had already taken care of the Joker. We'll post some video at a later time.

Oh, and there were bats down there too!

Split Rock lighthouse...

A view from Split Rock lighthouse...

Lighthouse-keeper residences...

Sammy with lighthouse-keeper dude...

Diane & Mike...

Group shot at Split Rock...
Anne, Diane, Mike, Michele, Sammy, & Paul...

Soudan mine...
...we barely got there in time for the last tour of the day!

Part of an electric hoist...

The miners would mine from one level up to the next...
...throwing the junk rock mined to the level below them...
...and work their way up...

The scariest ride in the world!!
It will rattle your fillings loose!

Sammy in the BatCave...

Michele & Sammy...

Miles and miles of tunnels...

Anne, Paul, Sammy, Michele, Mike, & Diane...

An Ikea Birthday...

This past Sunday we went up to the Twin Cities to celebrate Diane's birthday. We met at Ikea and then went to Molly & Chris' place to celebrate. Grant made the chocolate cake of all chocolate cakes. Anne took a few photos and passed them on to us (below).

Sammy the executive...
...at home at Ikea...

A man was making balloons for the kids at Ikea...
...Sammy of course asked for a white horse...
...unfortunately the balloon popped...
...all that was left was the head...
...so we left the horse's head on a bed display at Ikea...

Maker of chocolate cake of all chocolate cakes...
...Grant puts finishing touches on the cake...

The birthday girl and her cake...

Guess who's birthday is coming up?

Make sure you tell Annie Happy Birthday this week coming up!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNIE!!!!

Sammy's 3rd Birthday Party - Cowboys, Banditos, and Mustaches

What would a cowboy birthday be without real(istic) cowboys? For Sammy's birthday we had a whole herd of rip-snortin, darned-blasted cowboys (and cowgirls). Here are a few shots of some of the various hombres at his party earlier in the day.

Gaucho Grant and Demure Diane...
...check the paper for any "Wanted" listings about them...

Groucho Grant, Demure Diane,
Abeline Annie, Frito Bandito,
Juniper Jessica, and Johanna Bandanna pose for a photo...

....only to find out it's lawman Sammy who is the photographer...

All day long Sammy was putting wayward cowpokes in the clink...

This isn't PhotoShopped...
...Veto the Cat actually sporting a mustache...

Gaucho Grant went straight and became a lawman...
(see badge on his shirt)

The good guy always gets the girl...
...at least in Southwest Rochester...

Frito Bandito (sans the mustache) plucking the ukulele...
...he was later apprehended and convicted on being woefully out of tune..