2007-12 Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and will have a Happy New Year in 2008.

The photos below are a traditional one we take each year with our Santa hats

2007

2006

2005

2007-11-18 Thanksgiving Turkeys

Looking out in our backyard this morning, we saw a large rafter (this is what a group of turkeys is called) of wild turkeys gathering at our neighbors feeding station. I counted over 20 different birds at the feeder and in the adjacent woods. We have seen the turkeys around here before, but this was the largest number at one time.

The turkeys have had plenty to eat and are quite large. As we stepped out on the deck, they were not startled, so we were able to watch them for a while.

2007-10 Indoor Soccer

Hailey started playing indoor soccer today. This is her first time playing in an indoor league. She is on a team with many of the same players from the outdoor team she was on this fall.

Indoor soccer is played on a field the size of a hockey rink, except with artificial turf instead of ice. All the hockey boards are in place and there are extra tall tall boards on the end of the field. All the boards are in play, so players can pass off the boards to others or even themselves. The goals are cut right into the end boards. Because of this, even a shot that goes wide ricochets right back out for the possibility of a rebound shot.

There are nets above the boards to keep the ball from getting out of the field area. Also, the boards in front of the bleachers are clear so that the spectators can see the action right up close and don't have to lean out to watch. If the ball goes into the nets or hits the rafters, it is a turnover, and the other team gets a free kick. There are no throw-ins, just kick-ins. The halves are 26 minutes in length, with running time. Substitutions are made on the fly with the ball in play, or during a turnover. There is no offsides, so there are some breakaways on the goalies that don't occur as often in regular soccer. The kids do an awful lot of running.

Hailey enjoyed playing, but is still getting the hang of passing off the boards and giving it a full kick since the field is small and she is indoors. It really helps with some of the ball handling skills since everyone is so close together. Passes have to be quick and accurate. She enjoyed playing on the artificial turf, but it does burn some if you fall and slide on it.

2007-10 Tokyo Japan

Ray made a quick trip to Japan in October. After going through the Narita airport so many times on his trips to Asia, it was nice to have Japan be his destination and actually get to leave the airport. Once out of the airport, he boarded the Narita Express train for downtown Tokyo. The train takes about 1 hour to get downtown from the airport. Seats are assigned and are much like a coach bus inside. The express train only makes one stop between the airport and downtown, greatly speeding up the trip compared to a regular train or bus or taxi.

He stayed in Tokyo, but had to go to Chiba for a visit. One of the people that we were visiting was our guide to get us up to the office. It was a good thing, since we had to change trains 3 times in the course of the 1-1/2 ride. These standard commuter trains varied in both their configuration and amenities. Some had a few more seats, but many were designed primarily for standing with bars and loops for stability. Tokyo is so big with housing and buildings stretching out the entire trip.

On the trip back, we made a train change in Soga, and caught an express train into Tokyo. This train was much faster and had much better suspension for a smoother ride. There was an upcharge for riding on this train compared to the regular train. It reduced our travel time about an hour. Taking this train brought us back on a different route and we passed by Tokyo Disney. It appears small compared to the US locations, but much bigger than the Hong Kong park. They were building a very large hotel as we passed by, so they are continuing to expand.
















Near the hotel was one of the local TV stations. They have a studio that is glass walled and can be seen from the pedestrain levels. On the way home from the train station, we saw a talent type show being broadcast. Above the TV station was a very large cuckoo type clock. It was at least 2 stories tall and maybe 80 feet wide.

During the evening, Ray walked a few blocks to the Ginza strip, a famous high-end shopping district in Tokyo. Most of the shops were already closed for the evening. It is not a pedestrian mall, so there is a lot of traffic to deal with as you cross streets.
















Before heading back to the airport on Friday morning Chad and Ray walked around the area a little more. In the midst of all the new high rises and buildings was a more traditional building which turned out to be a theatre for traditional Japanese plays. We also saw a very tall metal scultpure in the entrance area to one of the local building.

The trip back to the airport was quick and easy on the Narita express. Since it was dark coming in, it was nice to see some more of the city on the way back. One thing he noticed was the number of golf driving ranges. They have very high nets and lights that stick out of the scenery. Many are at least double decked and some with 3 or 4 hitting levels.

2007-09 Ultimate Frisbee

Ray has been playing a game called ultimate Frisbee this fall. It is a little like football and basketball combined using a Frisbee on a football field. The team consists of 7 players and is played on a football sized field. A goal is scored when the Frisbee is caught inside the endzone. The Frisbee is moved down the field through a series of passes, and possession is kept as long as the Frisbee does not hit the ground. The basketball aspect comes from the fact that once you catch it, you must stop and establish a pivot foot before throwing the Frisbee again. The games are played at Lake Nokomis in south Minneapolis.




Since we were playing on a football sized field, it was hard not to want to run with the Frisbee, especially after a long toss to someone behind the defense. After a long pass, everyone has to run down to get open to create the next pass. Upon catching the Frisbee, you have a count of seconds (provided by the defense) to pass the Frisbee again.

One of the highlights was having Mariah join us and play in one of the games. She had come to watch one afternoon with LeAnn and Hailey, and it ended up we were short a player. This is a co-ed league and there must be at least 3 guys and gals on the field at all times. She had her tennis shoes on and so we convinced her to give it a try. She did a good job, considering she had never played before. Actually, very few of our players had ever played before this season, so she fit right in. She made some good passes and some good catches, and almost had a touchdown. With all the various sports we both play and have played, the last game I thought would have been the first we played together would be ultimate Frisbee.

One of the interesting parts of the game is the cheer at the end of the game. Each team is expected to put together a unique and original cheer, song, or chant for the other team at the end of the game. These usually are done by changing words to songs or nursery rhymes. We try to incorporate the other teams name into the cheer, and mention something that occurred during the game .


Our team has not done well this year, but we have had fun and have definitely improved since the first game. It is a good workout, especially since many times we have not had any subs or just one. The games last up to 15 or 1-1/2 hours, so it means a lot of ground to cover and sore muscles the next day.

2007-09 San Antonio, Texas

Ray was in San Antonio for a conference and had some time in the evening to explore the city. After getting to the hotel about 4:45, he hurried down to the Alamo to get a look inside before it closed at 5:30. The last time he was there, back in 1968 on a visit to the Hemisphere World’s Fair with his family, the Alamo was closed for filming and he could only see the outside. The Alamo is in the middle of downtown and in the heart of the tourist district.

Inside the Alamo is a mini museum housing some artifacts from the battle at the Alamo, and a lot of information on Texas history. The grounds inside the walls are nicely manicured and very peaceful. The walls keep much of the city noise out. If it were for the surrounding buildings towering above the walls, you would not know you in the city.

From there it was down to the River Walk, which is about 20 feet below the street level. It is horseshoe shaped canal that connects to the river on both ends. There is a gate system for flood control which keeps the buildings and restaurants below the street level from flooding. There is one extension of the canal which stretches out from the center of the bow in the horseshow. This goes towards a large shopping area and the convention center.

Along both sides of the canal are numerous restaurants with riverside seating. Even though it was a warm evening, many people were out enjoying dinner and watching the people go by, both on the walkway and also on pontoons. The pontoons are fitted with bench seats down both sides and down the center. The operator of the pontoon is also a tour guide giving history of the area and the architecture (along with the standard corny jokes you get on guided tours). The ride lasts about an hour and is very enjoyable. The River Walk is lit up with many lights at night, and makes for an enjoyable way to spend an evening.

On the second night, Ray headed over to the site of the Hemisphere World’s Fair Site and the Tower of the Americas. The 750 foot tower has an observation deck and restaurant at the top. On the base level is the gift shop and a 3-D movie ride about Texas with moving seats, wind and water spray to add to the excitement making it a 4-D experience. The view from above is spectacular in all 360 degrees. The first time Ray was there, he barely made it to the top as he feared the height and the glass elevator. His dad went as far to check if there was an inside elevator to ride up, but there wasn’t. The trip up and down was made facing the inside of the elevator and not doing too much looking around. This time was different though as he was at the front of the elevator watching all the way up.

It was enjoyable to be in San Antonio again after so long and reliving some of the sights and adventures from almost 40 years ago.

2007-07 RAGBRAI Bike Ride (Part II)

Tuesday, July 24

Today was a beautiful day for bike riding. There was no wind to speak of for the first half of the day, and when it did start to blow, it was from the south and we were mainly heading east by that time. The route was a little shorter, only 72 miles, but we were only on the seat for 5-1/4 hours. We still didn’t finish until about 4:30 since we stopped quite a bit.

A lot of people decorate their helmets in various ways. One team from Minnesota had added loons on the top of their helmets. I also saw a helmet with an armadillo shell on it, and another with a giant ear of corn.

One of the traditions on RAGBRAI by one of the teams is to mark the road kill with beads and/or stickers. If the road kill was on the road before the ride, the RAGBRAI puts out a sign to warn riders of the road kill. Among the animals we saw an opossum, snake, rabbit, and a few unrecognizable piles of road kill stickered and necklaced.



One of the hardest working guys on the route had to be the guy riding the unicycle. He has to pedal every revolution of the run. He had a large tire to get a few more feet per revolution, but he can’t coast down hills. The hardest working woman would have to have been the gal on the rollerblades.

Breakfast today was at the country club outside of Eagle Grove, where they served sausage, and egg on and English muffin with hash browns with orange juice. They were also having a putting contest where you could win some money for sinking a long putt.

Eagle Grove had a 50’s old town theme with the Mayberry gang (Barney Fife, Otis the drunk, and Aunt Bea among others), Elvis, and the residential street was lined with classic cars. They had also lined the entry to the town with flags to create a very moving sight.

One family was on a bicycle built for 3 with a double trail-a-bike behind, so all five were on the same bike. It was quite a feet of synchronization to get them all going. Many people carry a lot of their gear with them, rather than use the gear transport trucks. They have trailers behind their bikes filled with their gear. Some decorate their bikes with streamers, bells, flags, etc.

Another interesting stop was at a farm that had about a dozen beautifully restored antique tractors on display in their front yard. They were also giving away some locally grown fresh watermelon and ice cold water. It really hit the spot.

Today’s highlight was the ultra light rides being given by 3 pilots at a farm just on the west side of I-35. Jeannie took a ride and said it was so beautiful and green all around. Due to the hot weather and limited lift, the pilots were limiting the weight of those that could go up with them. They were taking off and landing on a farm driveway.

As we entered our campsite, we saw a group of riders off in a mud puddle totally caked in mud. It probably felt great after the ride, but the cleanup must have been a lot of work.

We wandered downtown to see if we could get on line and update the website since friends and family back home were wondering if we were really riding our bikes or just making our way across Iowa in and RV and enjoying some good food. We saw a sightseeing tour being offered in a wagon being pulled by a tractor and narrated by one of the locals. The local telecoms would set up WiFi sites in each overnight town, so we were sometimes on the prowl for this service..

Wednesday, July 25

We had another good day of bicycling today. The wind was light and from the south, the trail was mainly heading south and east from Hampton to Cedar Falls. We did have a nice stretch directly out of Hampton that was running north, so we got our first 20 miles behind us very quickly.

A lot of the teams that run RAGBRAI have old school buses decorated with a theme or painted up with their team name. They usually have racks on the top for the bikes and then seating and storage inside. Teams will also hoist flags and banners to make it easier for team members to find the bus, RV, or tent as they come into the camp.

The ride was very crowded today, due in part to the nice weather, and also since we were headed to a large town, it appears a lot of people from Cedar Falls wanted to ride into their home town. One of those joining the ride was Shannon's sister, Bridget. Even with the large crowds, there are relatively few accidents. Most of the riders are good at communicating their intentions as they turn, slow or change lanes.

When we stopped in Dumont, they had an air inflated climbing wall which they could send 2 people up on at a time. I had never seen one of these before.

In the town of Applington, the locals had created a statue of old bikes piled onto an ancient rusted pickup truck. I was thinking how hand that would have been to get all the spare bike parts I use, or make some wild hybrid bikes.

The campground tonight is in the open fields around the University of Northern Iowa UNI-Dome. We went to the concert inside the UNI-Dome featuring the Blues Traveler band. Sitting up high in the bleacher seats, we found the sound to be terrible. The dome is all concrete and steel, so the sound is bouncing everywhere. We moved down to the floor level and were at least able to understand the words being sung. We then stepped out to the outdoor concert area and listened for a while before heading back to camp.

Today was supposed to be the last riding day for most of us, but after looking at the map and checking the weather, Mike and Ray decided to join Jeannie (who is riding the whole week) on the Thursday portion of the ride before heading back to the Twin Cities.

Thursday, July 26

The weather cooperated, as did the route making this the fastest day of the ride. We didn’t do as much stopping and sightseeing since we were anxious to get home and there weren’t as many towns along the way today.

As we were heading up to the route, Ray’s tire popped. Looking down, he saw a half-inch long slit in the side wall of the tire. He had just had the entire wheel replaced the day before since he had broken a couple of spokes. The tire could have gotten damaged during the change in wheels as he had a flat tire about 7 miles outside of town the night before. He headed back to camp to change tires and tubes, but ended up just changing wheels with Michelle to save time since she was not riding this day. He then pedaled on to catch up with Mike and Jeannie.

One of the interesting bikes today was a small wheeled bike, geared to get the most distance per pedal, but it took a lot of muscle to in such a high gear.

Mike’s brother Gary was also riding on the RAGBRAI. We would meet up with him various towns along the way. As you ride during a given day, you will see some of the same people many times as you get on a similar schedule. Sometimes you pass the same person 4-5 times a day. If you are riding faster, but staying longer in towns, you will pass people who are going slower, but have shorter stays. It’s a classic example of the tortoise and the hare.

We stopped at Pastafari for a pasta breakfast. They grill salmon steaks too which you can get with your meal. This was one of the few places we ate that wasn’t community based. They follow the route and set up their kitchen each day somewhere along the route. We enjoyed eating at places put together by the local communities to support the local towns and their churches and clubs. This is a huge fundraising opportunity for these communities to get this many hungry bike riders going through their town.

The afternoon brought us through Amish country. We first noticed some large draft horses in a farm yard, then the white houses, and finally some horse and buggies along with classically dress Amish men, women, and kids. Many were selling beverages and homemade food at their farms. One farm field was full of activity as they were gathering up the cut hay and piling it into their wagons.

We entered our final stop in Independence a little after noon, and packed up the RV for the trip home. After 360 miles of riding, lots of sun, music, characters, plenty of food and drink, and good times, we had many good memories of our ride across Iowa.