Joyce and Larry's Wedding

Joyce and Larry were married yesterday in Milwaukee (well, Brookfield, a 'burb). Here are a few pictures I took.

Sam and Sarah

Around the table:
Nick, Natalie, Barb

Barb and Dan

Vicki and Yvonne

Linda and Yvonne

Jan and I

Hikin' and Stuff

Here are a few pictures taken from early May through yesterday (June 13).

Mississippi River at Elk River, Minnesota

On a hike in Van Loon Wildlife Area (Seven Bridges Trail)

On the Apple Blossom Scenic Road, looking down on I-90 and La Crosse

Hiking in Hixon Forest
Grand Dad Bluff from the
start of the trail

Our really nice rose bush
at our front door

Shop Talk

Here's the repair shop at SSE Music. There are three of us doing the repairs. My chair is closest to the camera, then Kevin, then Eric.

My messy work bench.

A couple of vises, lots of dent tools on the wall.

Pads, screws, etc., etc....

Threaded rods, expanders, roller burnishers, and a variety of mandrels.

Chem cleaning area. Ya got your detergent, your mild acid (Slime Away), and a stronger acid (Birght Dip, which we very rarely use). Getting a full-sized tuba in and out of those barrels is a challenge, and extremely messy.

Our buffer.

Christmas 2008

The "kids" visited for the holidays. Went to the Rotary Lights display (see previous post), went out to eat a couple of times. Didn't do much, just some together time. Here are a few pics taken during the time they were here.

Christmas morning

Out the back door.

Out the front door (OK, the garage)

Lake Onalaska
Actually the confluence of the Black and Mississippi Rivers.

Hiking on a snowmobile/ski trail along the lake.

Winter break.

Festival of Lights

Every year they have the "Rotary Lights" display at Riverside Park in La Crosse. There are over 2,000,000 lights set up by local civic groups and businesses. People volunteer to work during the weeks of the display, and those who come to view donate canned goods or money for local soup kitchens. Coworkers and Jan and I worked Friday night, December 20. It was around 20 degrees, a very pleasant winter eve. The next night was blizzard conditions with wind chills approaching 30 below (and we we driving back from the Minneapolis airport after wating 9 hours for Sarah's plane to finally arrive from Newark). The display is quite impressive and popular in the community.

Saturday Wanderings

Yesterday (October 17) we rode with Vicki and Glen (Jan's sister and her husband) south to Prairie du Chien to go to the Cabela's store there. The rest of the day we spent on a long meandering ride back to the La Crosse area. I took many windshield shots, and we stopped at an apple orchard near Gays Mill.

Wisconsin River

Cool house as we drove through Boscobel.

Apple orchard

I successfully fought the urge to pick one.

Great River Bluffs State Park

We went across the river today to the state park in Minnesota. It was a beautiful day for a hike; temperature in the 70s, breezy, and the fall leaves were beautiful. Here you go: