This weekend we went to Myron and Andrea Kampers wedding in Sioux Center. It was a great wedding and we had a lot of fun. The rehearsal dinner was great food at Blue Mountain in OC (Orange City..a place without one orange tree). Brenda was sick the day of the rehearsal dinner, but I had a great time and got to meet Myrons sisters and friends.

We were also able to visit with Brenda’s sisters and parents and our nieces. We stayed right next door to Paula and Kevins at Ben and Laura’s house( this was a real blessing because we got to sleep in till well after 9am whereas in Paula and Kevins house they were up by 6 or 7 with screaming kids.) The children eventually got used to us and all of the other new faces around and were able to be played with without freaking out and wanting thier parents.



Dan and Sarah and Maggie at the Sioux Falls Zoo.

Maggie not sure if she likes the Turtles.

What a cool Camel. There was a real one, but I was unable to ride that one.

Lindsay and Brenda

Both of these girls like thier food.



Brenda trying to hunt me down at Thunder Road. We had a great time here.

I was sitting in the Omaha Airport waiting to go home. Upon arrival I was told that this flight is delayed and I am now not getting home till 9am tues. I usually always go for the earliest flight out of an airport to avoid this circumstance, but it was unavoidable this time so there I was.

I got to Phoenix and got to the hotel at 12am. While in line I started talking to the guy behind me and he was leaving the same time as I was the next morning. I had a free room at the hotel and he was going to pay $40 for about 4hours of sleep, so I told him he could stay with me if he wanted. Roy was going to visit his newborn grandchild in Reno and we got a good sleep(as good as you can get in 4 hours) and woke up on time. I got on the plane got home and immediatly left for two weeks in Merced for work.

I am now in Merced working for the next two weeks. I arrived yesterday and was feeling ill. I got my hotel room and the second I got through the door I proceeded to puke my guts out. 1 hour later I attempted to go to the work site and was able to be there for approx. 30 min before I left. I could not make it to the hotel in time and had to stop alongside the road and puke yet again. The puking continued throughout the night and I stopped around midnight. I was feeling better and had to go to work so I went in late(10am) and not looking up to par, but able to function. All is good now and I am feeling a lot better.

Apparently it is legal to drive a fourwheeler on the roads in the midwest. There are no signal lights needed, just a licence plate.
Myron and Andrea...aren't they cute.
Brenda cutting a rug with Myron sister to her left and cousin far left.
Falls park right before a huge rainstorm.

I know that it has been a short time since my last post (less than a week), but I choose to keep my friends, family, and others who have nothing better to do than keep updated on my life, informed and knowledgeable about such things.

I took off two hours early at work and drove to Ripon on tues to meet up with Kevin, Joel, and Keith. We stopped at Taco Bell (the best fast food you can get, worth twice the price) and had a great dinner. We then got to our campsite outside of Yosemite and set up camp. With nothing to do after that, we were in need of a hackysack. None were to be found, but with Keith's sacrificial sock we cut the toe section off and filled it with pebbles. Then we cut vertical sections of the toe area and were able to tie it and make one. It worked very well.

Our goal for this trip the to conquer the might Half Dome. On wed. at 0630 we me up with Kevin's Uncle and Aunt (Brian and Gloria Top from Sioux Falls SD)and their three daughters(Kristen, Katie and Jessie) as well as Ruth(formerly Van Essen) at the Happy Isles trailhead. The hike went well and it was great seeing all that nature has to offer (is is good to note that "plants and soil are the foundation of all life"(this is a favorite phrase of Brian's and I have adopted it as well)). Half Dome is a "Extremely Strenuous"(as the hiking guide says) at 16.4 miles round trip and 4500' elevation gain. I was surprised by the fitness of the people we went with. Everyone was in great shape and able to keep up (this includes the more aged hikers in our group who were almost ready to go"over the hill"). A guy at the top asked Jess to take his picture. He was going out onto the ledge and was very specific about where he wanted to be in the picture (1/3 of the way up so you could see the cut back of the rock face). When he positioned himself he yelled over the same directions of photographic excellence and then again before the next picture the scenario repeated itself. This made Jess very nervous about getting just the right picture for the guy. It turns out this guy had hiked to the top of the great monolith over 20 times. Hadn't he had his picture taken already?

After the Hike we were invited back to the to Tops hotel for swimming, pizza, and beer. Because the magic word (beer) was said, no convincing was necessary (free is also a magic word that was used, but since beer was the first one I stopped listening after that). We had a great time at dinner and it seems that every time Kevin is around he is funnier and funnier, because he had everyone laughing. I am told that it is the volatile ingredient of me that makes him tell stories that would make a sailor blush, but since I only see him in that context I must come to the only logical conclusion..he is always funny). I have not had that much fun at a dinner in a long time.
Brian, Gloria, Kristin, Katie, and Jess Top are very wonderful, amazing, fun, and energetic people that were a pleasure to be around. I cannot say enough about their family and what good people they are. During dinner it was explained to Gloria that she not can just have one word answers to all the questions that people ask about her trip to CA. A possible and very probable scenario is below

Unnamed woman at social gathering: Gloria, so good to see you. How was your tip to California?
Gloria: Half Dome
Unnamed woman at social gathering: What that? Did you have a good time?
Gloria: Half Dome
Unnamed woman at social gathering: That's nice, How are your kids doing? Is your daughter ready to get married in November?
Gloria: Half Dome

Another probable scenario

Clerk at the counter at Hy-Vee: Hello, paper or plastic?
Gloria: Half Dome
Clerk at the counter at Hy-Vee: What? Did you just say paper?
Gloria: Half Dome
Clerk at the counter at Hy-Vee: Miss, I just want to know can I use paper or plastic?
Gloria: Half Dome
Clerk at the counter at Hy-Vee: Maam, I have no idea what you are talking about, but if I do not get an answer from you soon I will have to get my manager.
Gloria: Half Dome
Clerk at the counter at Hy-Vee: That is not an answer! I am just trying to help you, but if you insist on being difficult I will have no other options. (loaf of bread is smashed under a jug of milk).
Gloria: Half Dome
Clerk at the counter at Hy-Vee: You have pushed me to far and now (carton of eggs being smashed) I hope you (various fruit being bruised, crushed, and stabbed by the now knife wielding clerk at the counter at Hy-Vee) get the H*** out of here (clerk is tackled as she advanced towards Gloria with a knife in hand. She is then handcuffed and taken away.)
When asked about the incident Gloria has only one response…Half Dome.

There was so many more things that happened, but I have little time to write seeing as I type at the blazing speed of 4wpm.

PS Myron Kampers blog has been boycotted from my site pending the actual posting of anything new from him. Stay tuned



Recipe for a good time:
1.Beer
2.old sock
3.small rocks
4.knife
5.beer
Right before the next pick.

I am friends with these guys, but am not sure why. Jess is in the white shirt and Chacos and is enjoying the show( but not as much as Rit is).
Top of Vernal Falls after the "grabbing" and "stretching"
Kevin getting his fill water and beaver fever at Nevada Falls



Brians backside going up. He has had three knee reconstructive surgeries but would not slow down

Break time on the way up. Rit is pointing where we are going (as if there is another giant half sphere in the area and were confused)
The cables. Very steep, but a good place to freak people out...just don't fall.
Atop the Great Beast
On the way down.
Rit(Joel) and I at Nevada Falls on the way down.
A bit of the beautiful scenery

Merced...just like home.

So I have been working out in Merced all of last week and it was ok. Merced in the central ca valley that boasts being the gateway to Yosemite even though it is more than 80 miles away from the park. I was able to have a good time at night after work many of the days. On thurs. I went to the Downtown farmers market/ fun time. There were a few food vendors and some farmers selling their produce. I am amazed that Campbell has a much better market even though it is in the middle of a big city, but I guess people in those parts probably have their own gardens and don't go to the farmers market. Some people think of sunshine, beaches, and hot chicks when you hear the work California. The central valley is not like this. In Merced there are a lot of weirdo's, sizable women, and people of questionable employment status. Why is this so? I went to a bar there that was like stepping 2000miles away with one step. Yes I am talking about the Midwest, but not intending it to be derogatory. This bar reminded me of VIP's or Borrowed Bucks and I really had a good time there watching Karaoke and being around the Americans that I most relate to (People that do not care more about their looks than their fellow man). An example of this is there was a visibly handicapped 18-22yr old girl out on the dance floor(very small dance floor) grooving to the classic country song Faded blue jeans, sung by a "colorful local", while holding a Barbie doll and stroking her head. No one in the bar even batted an eye or starred at her (which was very hard not to do). I have just made reference to a colorful local and feel the need to clarify. If any of you know who Hank Williams Jr. is this guy looked just like him glasses and all and had the hat and everything. I just starred at him because he looked so much like Hank I couldn't believe it. If you are ever in Merced on a Thursday night you need to stop by Sir James right off of I5 and you will have a great time.
This is an uninteresting picture of a Ferrous Iron machine that is full of acid that really burn when you get it on your skin (don't ask how I know that).




The main pain in the butt system I was working with.




One of the many locals in the area. Why fuzzy blue leg warmers you may ask...the answer...why not?


So I also have talked about our new apartment recently and below are a few pics of our new. I think that Howard (the Deer head) fits nicely into the Feng Shui we got going on in our new home.
The Love Machine taking a few minutes off from the constant workout it gets
Brenda on the guest bed Talking to he sister.



The new table and 4 of the six chairs.
Here I our favorite pet Howard
The Gigantic kitchen...no really...this is three times the size of our old one.

I call this the "magic" room

We also got a chance to go to a wedding up in Livermore this weekend (last night). We were invited to take care of little Ethan Schenk while his parents were out painting the town. The wedding was at a winery and had a open bar. In case you do not speak Johnaneese that means it was a great time and full advantage was taken by me of the facilities and all that they had to offer (Tanqueray and Tonic to my hearts content).

I am going to be working tomorrow and then driving up to Yosemite in the afternoon evening. Then I will hike Half Dome and drive home, and then I will go to work the next day. Lots of fun, but I think I may regret it.

Good times on the farm

This Saturday I had another sailing race, and this one was great. The race was about 80 miles from Richmond to Stockton and was a hard fought race. Of the 125 boats, I think we did fair. We were one of the three SC 27 boats and behind one boat for the whole race. Within eyesight of the finish line we were still behind and the wind was nearly dead. We gybed twice and they mimicked us. Luckily a boat shadowed their wind right before the finish line and we pulled ahead just as we crossed the line. We won by only two feet or so and had a great time. It took us 8hours and 45 Min to finish and we ended up 81st.

Here are a few of the pics from last week at Myron house in Oakdale. For those of you non committed readers, there are more pics in the previous post. I, most of all, realize that reading is not fun, but I am finding myself reading more and more peoples blogs. This is good and more of you should keep reading my posts and comment if you find anything funny, agree with all the BS I dish out, or disagree...wait...I don't care if you disagree with me so just leave me alone if you disagree.

Cow after the throat has be slit. About ten gallons of blood came out.

Cow on the ground

Skinning the cows face. It was quite a scene.


Getting ready for, well look at the next pic.

Need I say more.
Cool saw that can cut through just about anything. From start (death of the cow) to end these guys only took just over thirty minutes.
The cow was 7 months pregnant, but unable to stand so killing it was the most humane thing to do. Unfortunately here is the dead cow baby. Have a great week and enjoy the wonderful pics and reading opportunities that this blog provides.