Election Things

It is here, the election we have been waiting for the last year or so. The painful republican debates, the economy, the party conventions, and all those ADS, ADS, ADS. Thank God we do not have to listen to anymore ads. We really should have a 60 day election campaign and that is it. Too much money, too much hot politician air (probably a cause of global warming). Come to think of it, Sandy was created in this crazy election cycle what with all the blowhards bloviating about this and that. I voted against Mitt and Paul because they will take the country back to the 19th century. Having them in will send us into Third World status by mid-term. Obama has not impressed me either.

Things Married

Marriage is a funny thing. You work towards this goal of getting married. Time, energy, money, and psychic energy. When it is over you feel very exhausted and you are left with life. Life is good when you share it with someone you love. It becomes not so much easier because life isn't easy but bearable. You get a bit more resilience to face all the crap. Now we are getting ready to look at houses to find ourselves a home. A home which we will share our hopes, dreams, and fun.

Wedding Day 26 May 2012

We had a great wedding day. A Celtic wedding with temperature and moisture like the Highlands. We were married at St. John in the Wilderness in White Bear Lake, Minnesota on 26 May 2012 @ 2PM.

Things The Balvenie

I went to a delightful little tasting last night with three comrades, Phil, Michael, and Brent. We tasted Balvenie 12 year, Balvenie 15 year single barrel, Balvenie Doublewood 12 year, and the Balvenie Portwood 21 year. Lovely drams and some pretty tasty hors d'ouvres. I can safely say, a good time was had by all.

Things Pre-Wedding

Pre-wedding things to do and there is a big list but between the two of us we are chipping away at it. Most important thing to do is to get the marriage license and in Ramsey County, unlike Hennepin you have only one place. The Department of Health building on 555 Cedar Street. After you apply, you wait five days before the actual license arrives. We are cutting it a bit close. We have dining ware, beer, pop, flowers, some food, and a plan for the other food. We are praying for good weather and good humours. We want no crabbiness or bummers. Our pre-marital counseling is finished and it was really good having it with Rev. Joanie.

Things Post-Easter

The invitations are out, almost. The flowers ordered. The rings are here. Laurel's outfit is all set. Pearls are being strung. Food being planned. Wedding program being created. Music is set, I think. Mead is bottled and maturing. Beer is ordered. We need to find a house/home to live in.

Things Easter

My second Holy week and Easter celebration with Laurel and it is good. Attended Good Friday services and will attend Easter Vigil on Saturday, and Easter services on Sunday. This weekend we will probably be sending out wedding invitations and just hanging.

I spent Maundy Thursday hosting a Scotch tasting at Merlin's Rest. We tasted the Isle of Arran 10 year, Scapa 16 year, Talisker 18 year, and the Island of Jura Prophecy . WE have two more tastings and I wonder what we should do?

Love Things

"Love is the expansion of two natures in such fashion that each include the other, each is enriched by the other" Lao Tzu

Love is good. It is good to be connected with another person. Comfortable with them, enriched by them, appreciated, accepted, and loved. My desire and hope is that this relationship is my last best one. She complements me in so many areas that it is a joy to be with her. We cook, play, attend concerts and operas together, and talk for hours and hours about everything. She sees the joy and beauty in the world around us. Giving of herself to so many people around her is very attractive to me. When I gaze on her when she is sleeping I am amazed at how lucky I am and how beautiful she really is both inside and out.

Divorce things or Things divorce

Katherine and I are divorced. The decree came down from on high and as of 14 May 2010, I am no longer married to her. She is without a doubt a very kind, generous, loving, sensitive, and intelligent woman. We were not compatible. I didn't get along with her children (if I had realized earlier about her kids, I would never have married.) That is neither here nor there. We are finished. I suspect we will be friends, not close friends but acquaintances.

It was interesting. There is a saying, "When one door closes, another opens". And so it is, to quote Mr. Darcey in Pride & Prejudice" - I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun." I am becoming attached to someone very dear to me. What began as friends hanging out with friends is now something more. Yet, it still must reveal itself completely. Everyday is a new feeling and a new discovery. Thoughts, emotions, feelings, and contemplation about where is it going. The journay is certainly exciting, however, the end is still far off. I am determined to let it ride and enjoy all these wonderful feelings, thoughts, and emotions of this thing we call love.

Dragonflies/damselflies & things Faribault

ON Saturday, we woke up early and drove down to the River Bend Nature Center in Faribault. Kurt Mead, Minnesota Odonata Survey Project was giving a workshop. It was lovely, we met his family. There were only eight of us. A small but dedicated group. The day was hot and humid, a perfect August Summer's day. The air was alive with the hum of insects, bird's called in the trees, and a lovely breeze kept the sweat down to a trickle along my back. We checked out two place. One was along the Straight river just before it pours into the Cannon river. We did this in the morning. After lunch, we went out to the swampy land West of the nature center. It was there I caught the Rice County record - a Band-winged Meadowhawk. YOO HOO!!!!! I also caught a Twelve Spotted Skimmer on the fly. Lucky me!

After the workshop, I visited the graves of Dick, Deloris, and Ann on the hill and spent a few moments in contemplation.

Dragonflies & damselflies things

On Sunday, I went up to St. John's Abbey with my friend Laurel to attend a seminar and field work on dragonflies and damselflies. It was really good. Kurt Mead, the Odonata Survey Project, i.e. dragonfly & damselfly project gave a really good introduction to these invertebrates. We had some classroom work and then we went out onto the field and swung our nets to catch damselflies and dragonflies. When we returned home, we went online and ordered a net and other things so we can do more surveying. In fact, we will be surveying the rest of this month and into next month until the frost comes. The coolest name for a dragonfly - Stygian Shadow Dragonfly. It sounds like the name of a superhero.

Things Shakespeare

Sunday was a magnificent day. I went to Powderhorn Park and enjoyed a production of "A Midsummer's Night Dream" by Shakespeare. They had it in two locations about 50 yards apart. It was a great setting outside in a small grove near the lake. Perfect. The weather cooperated. The acting was fun. And like I said the setting was perfect.

Afterwards, I went to my son's home and ate pork chops and corn on the cob with them. As an after dinner treat, we watched two more episodes of 'Pacific', only one more to go. Watching it of course, is nothing like what those men had to endure. But it was a brutal, hard fought war against a very tough enemy. I bought one of the books the series is based on, "With the Old Breed" by Eugene Sledge. I am looking forward to reading it soon.

Age of Kali

The Age of Kali: Indian Travels and Encounters by William Dalrymple

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Another W. Dalrymple travel book and another great read. India comes alive and I know I wanted to go right straight away and visit it and see all the things he was writing about. A fantastic read.

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In Xanadu

In Xanadu: A Quest by William Dalrymple

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


One of the best books I have read recently. I love to read anything by William Dalrymple. He is a fantastic writer. He mixes historical facts, narratives from ancient writers, his own views, and misadventures all with Scottish wit, charm, and fun.

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Far Bright Star

Far Bright Star by Robert Olmstead

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Good read. Novel about the U.S. Army expedition to capture Pancho Villa in 1916.

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Scotch things Happy Gnome

Tasting at the Happy Gnome was very fun and what a deal. 11 whiskies for $11.54. Here is the line-up Scottish Leader (the weak sister of the group), Bunnahabhain 18, Bunnahabhain 12, Bunnahabhain 25, Tobermory 10, Ledaig 10, Black Bottle, Deanston 12, Deanston 30, Tobermory 15, and Drumgray Highland Cream Liquor. The best of the evening were Bunnahabhain 18 and 25, Deanston 30, Tobermory 15, and the Ledaig 10. This was a good tasting. The date of the tasting was 25 February.

Scotch things February

Merlin's Rest first Thursday of the Month and Eileen and I host the Scotch whisky tasting. On the menu is Macallan 12, The Glenlivet 12, Glenfiddich 12, and Balvenie doublewood 12.
These are found in most bars, at least the first three. Old classics and some of the most popular single malts. Some people scoffed at the selection, however, they are classics for a reason. All of them are well made, tasty, wonderful nose, and well balanced.

Whisky Tasting @ Merlin's Rest - January

Eileen and I presented the classic Speyside scotches, Balvenie Doublewood 12, Glenfiddich 12, The Glenlivet 12, and Macallan 12. Bagpipes leading the opening. It is good to revisit the old war horses and see why is it that they are so popular.

Balvenie Doublewood 12 - Nose: fruit, rich, sweet. Taste: floral, dried fruit sweetness, full bodied. Finish: long sweet finish.
Glenfiddich 12 - Nose: dried fruit, figs, plum. Taste: vanilla, sweet. Finish: nice lingering finish.
The Glenlivet 12 - Nose: fresh fruit, apples, vanilla. Taste: Light, fresh apples, vanilla, toffe. Finish: medium finish, toffish.
Macallan 12 - Nose: Sweet, woody, apple, vanilla, fruity, winey, raisin. Taste: bite in the back, burnt toffee. Finish: Long, pleasant finish, taste of wood, wine.

Next month 4 Irish whiskeys and a Welsh one.

San Francisco Friday Things

King Tut!!! We took the bus to Golden Gate Park and the De Young Museum. The exhibit was amazing. It was brilliant. Of course, the biggest and coolest items do not travel but they had some very cool items. We then saw the Amish quilt exhibit was very remarkable and so cool to see textile art that was made 50 -100 years ago but so fresh as to design. I wandered around as well and saw the famous Peaceable Kingdom by Hicks.

In the park, there were statues of Robert Emmett and Robert Burns. How cool was that. We then walked to Haight Street and had lunch. We shopped along the street. Magnolia brew pub was visited and we tasted their Oyster Head Stout 4.9%(local oysters thrown into boil), Cole Porter 4.8%, and Dark Star Mild 3.6%. We then walked to the Toronado Bar and made happy hour. cash only and a great bar. We met a journalist who was interesting and convinced to try some of the local bars. We did it was okay. The great thing about it was that K and I bought some really cool hats that we not have bought had we not walked to this bar.

Behind things

It has been awhile since I posted so here goes. We went to San Francisco for a long weekend. We visited Anchor Brewing, Muir Woods, John Muir's home, the King Tut Exhibit at the DeYoung Museum, Haight Ashbury, Toronoado bar, Magnolia Brew pub, and 21st Amendment.

Thursday, we arrived but had been delayed by fog. We made it to our hotel and then took the bus to the Anchor Brewery just making our 1:00 reservation. This brewery is old school. 100 bbl brewing kettle, open square fermenters, old style small batch conditioning tanks, and an old bottling line. Really good tour and then a tasting of everything they had on draft or bottle. So we tasted Steam, Liberty (1st IPA brewed in the U.S.), Humming, Bock, Porter (1st porter brewed in the U.S. in a long, long time), and the Old Foghorn Barleywine.

Afterwards, we walked to the 21st Amendment for a sampling and calamari. The beers we sampled were SFO organic olden ale ( crisp, clean 5.1%), Hell or Highwater Melon Wheat (refreshing 4.9%), Golden Doom (Belgian golden ale 7.5%), Holiday Spice Ale (clove, nutmeg 8.0%), Oyster Point Stout (sweet toffee, coffee, made with oysters 5.4%), Cranberry Cider (two Rivers Cider Co. Sacremento, 6.5%), and finally Old Portrero Rye whiskey made at Anchor. What a lovely dram. It was so good I had to buy me a bottle.