September Sunset

 I looked out the window and saw the sunlight in the treetops.

I knew it would be a great sunset over Lake Minnewaska.  So I hurried down to the shore and snapped a few shots as the sun set.

HHS Running Back

 He is a big kid at 235 pounds.  He is tall at 6'5".  Most of all, he is a very good football running back for my HHS Owls.  Evink led the Owls to a big victory yesterday and it was a pleasure to watch him run for 250 yards in the 1/2 game he played.  He is just a Junior.

We are fortunate to have videos of his long runs.  Enjoy!

Evink at Running Back 

HHS Football

 

It is game-day and in a few hours the ball field lights will come on all over America as high school football games kick in.

Dad roamed the sidelines at Hancock High School's football field when I played there.  Yes, that was last century.  But I will be roaming the sidelines tonight for the Hancock opener.

When your school mascot is an owl, it is hard to look aggressive and tough.  But here is how it works for the Hancock Owls.

During the school week, our owl mascot is wise and studious. 

But, shortly before sundown on football nights, our Hancock Owl mascot gets irritable and restless:

Our mild-mannered Hancock Owl steps into a phone booth:

Correction, there are no phone booths anymore.

Our mild-mannered Hancock Owl steps into a porta-potty:

... and out steps Super Owl:

 

Winged Warrior, Maroon Marauder, Taloned Tyrant, Feathered Fiend, he is our Super Owl.

Now we are ready for football!  Go fighting Owls.

Once an owl, always an owl.

Give a hoot!

Gene Estensen – HHS Class of ‘65

Lake Minnewaska Sunsets

 Some sunsets are better than others.  Today we had a beauty.

Memorial Day Tribute

 I have produced a large number of videos, but this was the most difficult.  I still get choked up every time I play this video.

The memories came flooding back as I searched for pictures of my cousin Mike and his family,  You see, Mike was killed during the Tet Offensive of 1968 in Viet Nam.

I have worked up this video for each of the last two Memorial Days, but didn't feel it was ready to release.  It seems to me that I can never make it  perfect, but here goes.  It is time, indeed past due, for this tribute.

Back to Lake Minnewaska

 May 10 was a long day.  We got up at 4:30 am in Florida for our departure to Minnesota.  We arrived at Lake Minnewaska just in time for a beautiful sunset.

We have a new creature down by the creek, a beaver.

Pelicans are in abundance, but no Loons or Canadian Geese were to be found.

There are 12 cabins, but most of our neighbors are away, waiting for warmer weather I guess.

The docks are in, but nobody is in a hurry to put their boat in.

Note that the leaves are beginning to pop.

So, in summary we drove out of Minneapolis, heading west over the vast prairie.  We passed by the sign "Lake Wobegon Trail" but we didn't take the time to go into Lake Wobegon.  Then we stopped at the Walmart on the outskirts of Gopher Prairie but didn't drive on to Main Street.  We are at the lake and it is time to get the pontoon boat out of storage, and to select a golf course for the season.

Life is good at the lake.

Amazing Grace

On this Christmas morning we are reminded that one song in particular rings throughout the land.  That would be Amazing Grace.

I invite you to take a few minutes out of your busy Christmas day to watch this rendition of Amazing Grace.  More important, learn the background of the tune.  It is an important story.

As you gather with your families, our family is facing travel delays.  Lisa, Osten, and Shandiin were not able to fly out of Phoenix yesterday.  They will arrive tomorrow.  We will open presents a couple of days late.

It is very cold here today, but no snow to be seen.  The house is decorated inside and out, ready for the arrival of our grandchildren.

Dianne and I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.