Travel Photos!
Finally some travel photos! 2008 in review!
An end to 2008:
We decided to take a short break and travel "all the way" to downtown Minneapolis to enjoy some holiday events. We stayed downtown so that we could enjoy some of the nightlife and eat out.
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Since we had not seen the new I-35 Bridge, we decided to drive over it. We never did get to where Jodie could shoot the photo that she wanted. We'll do that next summer!
Left: The new bridge. Center: A view of downtown Minneapolis with the Stone Arch bridge. Right: The new University of Minnesota (Sandy's alma mater) football stadium which will be opening next fall.
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Our main purpose of the trip was to see the Holidazzle Parade. We had not seen it since 2001 and it was as spectacular this year as it was that year. We really enjoyed the lights and the tough Minnesotans who braved the cold to sit and stand to watch the parade. A great night out on the town. After a very nice meal, we walked back to our hotel on the Nicollet Mall.
Our next trip begins on January 5 as we head out, once again, to Las Vegas!
The beginning of the year after our Las Vegas trip through the hunting trips:
We had our usual wonderful trip to Las Vegas where we got in a lot of hiking and geocaching and just plain enjoying the warm and dry weather!
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Left: This is what we left in Las Vegas--the view from our condo. Right: This is what we had after we had been home for a couple of days!
Spring and Early Summer
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We drove "up north" to check on the cabin to see when we might be able to open it up and to drop off some things. It was early April and it looked as if it might be awhile before we could open. The ice was really thick and without some warm weather and wind it would take a bit to melt! It always does melt and sometimes it doesn't take long once it starts to go--or so we hoped!
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Spring did arrive and it was gorgeous. The trees in our yard were in full bloom and the gold finches were abundant at the bird feeders!
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Minnesotans really come out in the late spring: Left--a picnic in the park with Jodie's nephew and family. Right--watching one of our grandsons play baseball (no, Sandy is not caged up--although after the long spring, it might have felt that way!).
The Cabin, Trips and Fishing
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Finally, the cabin was opened, the ice was off the lake, the boat was in the water and Sandy was "ready to rumble!"
Left: waiting on the dock for his buddy to arrive to pick him up. Center: Jim and Sandy take off. Right: Mother Nature "fooled us" with snow and cold the next day! When will summer arrive??!!!
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Comes the Dawn: Jodie crept out of bed at the cabin early one morning to shoot this photo. She knew it would be a beautiful sunrise because there had been a forest fire in Canada the day before and there was some smoke in the air. She hadn't told Sandy what she was going to do and he got worried when he couldn't find her next to him in bed when he awakened!
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When Sandy went up to his cabin in Canada for a couple of days in June, Jodie decided to visit her niece in Little Rock. There was a new little kitten that kept them both entertained. Left: Achilles tries to get Jodie's niece's attention. Right: Jodie (who doesn't like animals) adopted the kitten as another nephew, especially when Achilles behaved himself and seemed to be reading over Jodie's shoulder.
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Relay For Life: The Walkie Talkies were honored at the Relay. We were the first team to achieve both bronze and silver status. We led the first lap around the trails in the parks. We had a great turn-out from the entire group. We are all wearing the scarves that Mary has made for us through the years. It was a great day and a memorable experience.
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Left: Jodie with a good fish caught at the cabin. Right: Sandy with a good fish that he caught on a second fishing trip in July.
Colorado Fly Fishing Trip
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In September we enjoyed another trip to the Dillon, Colorado, area for two weeks of fly fishing.
Left: The Tomahawk--the Middle Fork of the North Platte River--our favorite fishing spot. Right: Our "better sides."
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Left: The first week we were with our friends from Las Vegas (Warren and Lee)
Right: The second week we were with our friends from Washington (Homer and Gayle)
We look forward to seeing them in Las Vegas in January.
Autumn Hunts!
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Our first hunting trip was to western North Dakota for pheasant hunting. We have great private land where we have permission to hunt. However, this year the farmer's sons were home so we had to find our own spots. It worked out pretty well and we certainly have plenty of birds to eat. The last day, we had a flat tire. The good news: OnStar got someone to us in an hour to change it. The better news: While the tire was being changed another farmer drove by, stopped, apologized for not stopping earlier, and offered us a spot to hunt for the rest of the day and next year! Not bad!
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Our second trip was to the Devils Lake area for duck and goose hunting. Sandy's son had given us this trip as a Christmas gift and we had wonderful hunting!
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We look like survivalists. Left: Sandy in the cattails our first day. Center: Sandy with one of the birds. Right: Jodie in the corn rows our second day.
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