This Johnson Life

45th Parallel

2012-02-12T16:04:00.002-06:00

Tucked in the wilds of New Richmond, Wisconsin's industrial park is 45th Parallel Spirits. It is a proper distillery for vodkas, gin, and other spirits. Nicole and I recently took a quick tour of the facility and sampled some of their creations.

They currently have two products on the market utilizing their great process. One is a top-shelf vodka and the other is a variation on the vodka flavored with horseradish. They use local corn for the sugars and then the sugars get to spend some with with yeast to create some alcohol. Most vodkas on the market will skip this step and buy the liquid in bulk from an ethanol distributor. That is what makes 45th Parallel special. By starting with the corn itself and monitoring each step in the process, they can craft the desired flavor profile.

Here is their main still operation. It's where the magic happens. This takes that sloppy alcoholic mixture and removes the impurities through distillation.

Two of their next projects are a whiskey and a bourbon. These barrels were filled a few months ago and will take time to age.

I would love to make my own spirits, but that is currently illegal under federal law. Nicole has all the equipment at work, which makes me wonder what is she really doing every day?

Expansion is in their future.

We were able to sample a test gin that they are making. It was incredibly tasty. The juniper favors were very strong and in a good way. The horseradish vodka wasn't really my thing, but might taste great in a bloody mary. The main vodka though is amazing. It has a very pleasant scent and taste that is hard to pin down, but makes a great sipper.

When in Wisconsin, have glass of vodka before grabbing that beer.

Frosty Morning

2012-02-12T12:09:00.000-06:00

We had a frosty morning last weekend, the only interesting snow-themed event to occur yet this winter. Meteorologically-speaking, I'm not exactly sure how the ice forms, but it covered everything in little ice spikes. Very pretty.

We took a quick hike up to William O'Brien State Park later that morning. This was the morning of the Superbowl, and the park was packed with people probably looking to pre-burn their calories. It appears that the ice storm made it this far north, too.

Vacation Glow

2012-01-15T20:07:00.002-06:00

One month later, I realized that I never got around to posting photos from our Baltimore trip. The D.C. day trip was awesome, as always, but Baltimore - and specifically, Amelia and Basil's real neighborhood tour of Baltimore - is highly memorable. I am in a strangely nostalgic mood today, so you're getting holiday-themed vacation photos in the middle of January. Lucky you.

This particular one-block section of row houses is my new memory of Christmas, Baltimore-style. Every single house on the block was decked out for the holidays. My personal favorite celebrated with a robot-themed Nativity scene. (Runner-up? The Christmas flamingos.) Amelia informed us that the utility companies give the homeowners a break on their electric bills, in the spirit of the holidays and/or tourism, I guess. Because of this amazing light show, we get to park about 8 blocks away from home. Totally worth it.

We began our mornings with a trip to the "progressive American coffee" shop, which is just one of the many unique restaurants and stores located within a few blocks of Amelia and Basil's home. The neighborhood is home to an amazing diversity of young folks. (And maybe older ones, too, but they weren't at the haunts I frequented.)

Home, Sweet Home!

Baltimore is the only place I've encountered that has speed hump signs instead of speed bumps. I'm not quite sure why this was so funny, but it cracked me up every single day.

Someone has got to do something about this poor tree - no more room for the roots.

Yoga. Love it.

Knitters and crafty types on the loose! So many creative activities that I decided to learn to knit. Seriously, this is my year. I got the basic instructions from Alison, so watch out, winter! I'm making my own scarves now!

We also toured Baltimore's Inner Harbor, which is the only part of Baltimore I (and most visitors) had previously visited. (Side note: I apologize for the crazy edits, but Picasa recently got a few new buttons, and I had a blast trying them out. I'll get over it soon, I promise.)

Ye Olde Wharf. I like that no one bothered to connect the two piers.

Merry Christmas, tree!
I'm saving this idea for next year.

We took a break for sushi and tea, followed by amazing homemade gelato, then happy hour with rosemary fries and local beers, and ended it all with drinks on the town. You have to love a vacation as delicious as that! FYI, I have a new favorite drink - anything with St-Germain elderflower liqueur - followed closely by Alison's sparkly pop rocks drink concoction, which was the loudest drink I've ever tasted.

Santa convergence outside the gelato shop.
I wonder what all the kiddos thought about this?

Our final excursion was a lovely hike along the river. Don't let the hats and scarves fool you: the winter weather in Baltimore - much like Minnesota lately - was downright tropical.

This is the game face of a serious hiker.

Pre-hike warm-ups

The English major giving the Biology major a remedial lesson in mosses vs lichens.

Alison!!!

Gotcha, newlyweds!

Thanks for a wonderful, relaxing, amazing weekend, Amelia, Basil, and Alison! The memories will carry me throughout winter and into season two of The Wire.

Peaceful January

2012-01-15T12:31:00.000-06:00

Thankfully, our new year is off to a slow and peaceful start. I'm very grateful to put 2011 behind us, and 2012 already promises better days ahead. We've been spending our days much like Pickles and TJ, primarily hibernating, but with limited bursts of frenetic activity. Here are some sleepy-time photos to prepare for a Sunday afternoon pre-game nap.

Pickles has been transitioning her bird-watching abilities to the indoors for now, as she has recently rediscovered the power of the PBS nature documentary. One day last week, she was so excited to catch a bird that she leapt behind the television and nearly threw herself over the stairwell. Sometimes I think we need to invest in a small video camera. She's one of a kind.

Christmas Dogs

2012-01-01T12:33:00.000-06:00

Christmas was for the dogs this year, although it was also our nieces' first Christmas and the first Christmas at my parents' new home in Mitchell. Kennedy and Raleigh spent the better part of Christmas following the dogs around the house, and vice versa. Added to the mix was my parents' new puppy, Cricket, a mini goldendoodle that absolutely adored Macy, Christopher and Amanda's goldendoodle. TJ and Kaci, Tyler and Courtney's keeshond, basically did their own thing.

Macy, keeping an eye on her charges.

Macy and Cricket, taking a quick break.

Cricket also has a fondness for shoes.

Sharing a stocking with Macy and TJ.

Cricket also adores my dad.

Courtney holds the power of the squeaky toy over Macy, TJ, and Kaci.

Baby present!

TJ is finally out for the count. It was a very long day for an old dog.

Museums, Monuments, and Memorials

2011-12-23T00:00:00.000-06:00

We continued down the National Mall with a walk through the sculpture gardens. After pausing to watch the "ice skaters" attempting to "ice skate", we briefly hopped into the National Museum of Natural History. Someone needed to see the oceans (Adam), birds (Nicole), dinosaurs (Alison), and minerals, not gemstones (Amelia).

Just like I remembered!

Where's a geologist when you need him?

The insect wing (pun intended?) of the museum was very cool. The museum even has its own honeybee colony on site. Super jealous!

Honeybees!!!

Not cool. Gross.

We argued for the National Museum of American History. Winner got to pick the one thing that can not be missed. Julia Child's kitchen won. A worthy visit.

This was Julia Child's actual kitchen, donated to the Smithsonian. Just like a movie, no? Still a great kitchen. Nice color on the cabinets.

Washington Monument, now closed due to earthquake damage. Glad I got the chance to see it the first time around, although it's unfortunate that those photos are still hanging around.

Alison took a breather at the National World War II Memorial. Now running very short on daylight, we had little time to figure this one out. Lots of stone, lots of open space, random wreaths...it all seemed a bit overdone. It may be a different story in the spring, when the water and landscaping are in effect and when we've had more time to read about the history. First impressions are key, though.

So much history, so little time!

What can you say about the Vietnam Memorial? It's perfect in its purpose.

The Lincoln Memorial. Alison and Amelia missed their chance to run up and down the stairs of this beauty.

The Korean War Memorial, previously my favorite memorial. It's just a little too real.

The new Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Hands-down, my new favorite. Absolutely amazing.

There you go. D.C. in six short hours. Not recommended, but it's a great start. Fortunately, we've been there before and we'll be there again. D.C. is a wonderful vacation: American history, approachable politics, exceptional museums, great food, fun neighborhoods, and - best of all - it's practically free. Just leave your water bottles at home.

An Afternoon in Washington, D.C.

2011-12-22T22:38:00.002-06:00

If you only had six hours, how much of Washington, D.C. could you really see? Let's find out!

First, bring a fantastic tour guide and start your day with strong coffee. It also helps to have great weather, running shoes, and patience...lots of patience. Catch a commuter train and rest up. You're going to need the energy later.

Most excellent tour guide Amelia and fellow D.C. traveler Alison

Adam paid a quick visit to his parent company.

Our first stop was the National Museum of the American Indian, just a short walk from the U.S. Capital. Since we arrived in D.C. around noon, we were delighted to lunch at the Mitsitam Cafe, which offers regional native cuisine from across the Americas.

The rumors of fry bread were true! And I'm very proud to report that the Great Plains food station was the most popular during our lunch hour. Everyone loves a bison burger.

Due to our short timeline, we couldn't stay long at many of the museums, but we did speed-read through a few of them. The fourth floor of the American Indian Museum was particularly interesting, as was the center dome architecture.

No snow, but plenty of Christmas trees. This one was decorated with ornaments from military families, I believe. The tree itself traveled all the way from California, for some odd reason. Maryland seemed to have plenty of its own trees.

Here's a travel tip: the Capital guards will not let you enter with a water bottle. An empty water bottle still counts. Two weeks later, I'm still trying to figure out what you could do with an empty Nalgene, but I'm sure someone somewhere tried something once.

Note the three black SUVs. That can't be a good sign.

Poor Adam - always the odd man out!

Well, that takes care of the first two or three hours. Taking time to eat always slows you down.

The Past Becomes The Present

2011-12-14T22:55:00.001-06:00

Nicole and Alison Jones were willing to recreate an epic photo shoot from a Spring Break 2000 Habitat Trip. Here are the results.

How much has changed? I'm not sure where all the birds went, there is a crack in the Washington Monument from the recent earthquake and instead of double sweatshirts, Nicole and Alison can now afford better thermal jackets. I think that is about it.

Amelia and I found the spectacle quite entertaining.

More fun from Baltimore and D.C. to come.

Spro

2011-12-12T20:11:00.000-06:00

An awesome, extended weekend in Baltimore with good friends, Amelia, Basil, Alison was highlighted by a trip to Spro. This little coffee bar is located a few blocks away from the Safi home and they served me one of the best coffees I have ever tasted. Below is their weekly menu. I had a Piendamo and the Nigusie on the two days I visited. Each coffee is built and served in a method that brings out the best of the bean.

Here on a whiteboard in the back room are the remains of an interview test to hire a new employee. Sproployees need to know their stuff.

Coffee used in cold drinks never needs to be heated in the first place. The devices below add water to coffee grounds one drip at a time and collect the coffee in the pitcher at the bottom. It takes 12 hours to run a cycle of cold coffee.

Most of our crew went with coffees that were brewed in with the pour-over method. It is similar to a drip machine, but with greater control of variables to create better coffee.

By slowing pouring water over the grounds in different waves, you allow the grounds to foam up and suck up the water before releasing it into the cup.

After one and a half years of a Spro location in Basil's neighborhood, I was able to take him along for his first trip. (It was my second.)

Baltimore and D.C. had tons and tons of fun adventures to offer, but I had to share my Spro trip first.

Giving Thanks

2011-12-04T14:45:00.000-06:00

My parents recently made a long-anticipated move to a real town for a new job (and secretly, I suppose, to be nearer to children and grandchildren). Lo and behold, they settled on lovely Mitchell, South Dakota, home to both the World's Largest Corn Palace and Adam's extended family. This has been a wonderful gift for all of us, and we're so happy to see them settled in their new place.

Their new home came with 30 years of wallpaper, but I promised my mom that if she did the hard work of wallpaper removal, then I would help paint. So, I traveled to Mitchell to help out for the entire week of Thanksgiving, which was the best form of a working vacation that I can imagine.

We took a break from painting to make the easiest and most delicious pie in the entire world, gleaned from an early morning episode of The Nate Berkus Show. I'm not kidding - I don't even like pie, and I made two, one right after the other.

Adam and TJ arrived just as the second pie was coming out of the oven. Their timing, as always, is impeccable.

Unfortunately for home decor fans, I was too busy to take any "after" photos, so I'll have to snap a few photos over Christmas, once we get everything put back into place. I do have one photo of the basement wall, which is still a work in progress. This delightful color treat is called Chrysanthemum. Looks even better in person.

The best part of my parents' move to Mitchell is that Adam's parents are now only a five minute drive away. By the time we arrived at their home for second Thanksgiving, TJ had already reverted to his wild country dog ways.

Thanksgiving Day reached a beautiful record high of 71 degrees, and then, being South Dakota, the following days immediately returned to winter. It's a wonderful time of year to be a Samoyed. TJ is already looking forward to a white Christmas, and so are we.

The Final Days of Fall

2011-11-17T21:33:00.000-06:00

Here's a quick photo round-up of our final fall weekends. We've been lazy, and I'm going to miss the sun terribly.

We let Pickles out for her last rendezvous before the snow, and she took full advantage of her time: posing, stalking, climbing, pouncing, and more posing. (FYI, I'm referring to her excellent skills at leaf stalking, not wildlife. We're a bird-friendly house here, and I've been known to leave out the occasional carrot or two for the resident bunnies.)

TJ was originally dressed as a Work Dog for Halloween, but he kept tripping on his tie. So, he converted to a Vikings Dog (again) for the rest of the night.

BOO! Guess which one Adam made? (Hint - it's probably not the one you think.)

I think these photos are so funny, but my camera just couldn't keep up with TJ's speed. He had a blast running through the leaves, although he looks a bit like a fake dog.

We showed TJ the prettiest yellow maple leaf in our whole yard, and he happily tore it to bits. This is a dog that is ready for winter. He might get his chance this week.

Happy Birthday, Dog!

2011-10-22T10:24:00.001-05:00

TJ celebrated his 9th birthday on October 20 with a brand new pumpkin. Not quite as tasty as pumpkin treats, and definitely a lot more work.

Love you, bear! You are the best thing!

Where the Wild Beers Are

2011-10-19T12:33:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday, I joined 100 other fans of wild and sour beers for a memorable event. It was the 4th annual "Where the Wild Beers Are" wild and sour beer tasting. Everyone was required to bring two qualifying bottles of beer and $10. The total ounces you brought, allowed you to taste the same number of ounces. Thankfully, that quickly became an unnecessary restriction.

Eric Johnson was kind enough to alert Jeremy and I about this intimate affair. Compared to the two of us, he is an expert on these beers. As you can see from the photo below, Eric always had his eye on the special bottles being opened around us.

With high ABV and super-hopped IPAs finally hitting the big time, sours and wilds could be the next major trend in American craft brewing and consumption. For the time being it still feels like an underground movement, but with the quality of beers I tasted, it is ripe and ready to explode.

This was my shining star of the event. It was a 1992 bottle of Liefmans Kriekbier. It smelled like creme brulee and tasted like sour cherry sherbet and cream. Absolutely amazing. The only way we were able to determine the age, was because it was printed on the inside of the cork.

There was also a homebrew section.

My favorite homebrew was this sour scotch ale. It was a reject from a scotch ale that someone decided to age. Thanks to the sour revolution, bad beer can become good beer in 8 short months.

New Glarus is such an awesome brewery. They make my favorite beer of all-time, Enigma. Below is one of the other crazy wild yeast beers that they only sell at the brewery.

Halfway through the event, we were all ushered inside of Republic for a special seminar on beer blending. Several sour beers are actually blends of different aged batches. A brewery will combine 25% of a year old beer with 75% of a 3 year old beer to craft a specific flavor profile. Most of these amazing techniques are practiced in Belgium. We were able to taste how the Bockor Brewery creates their Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge at 6 different stages of their process. It was fascinating and very tasty.

Back outside, Dave of Dave's Brewfarm was pouring three of his special saisons. This guy is all for bending the conventions of beer.

It was a very intimate affair, the organizers could have added more people, but I am glad they didn't. There was enough variety and it never took long to get a new sample.

Here is the "seconds" table. These were beers that had already been at a tasting station, but were opened for a while. There were no taste restrictions at this table and we could drink as much as we wanted. The quality of the beers here were so amazing and diverse that this could only happen at an event like this.

By the end of the event, organizers still had two coolers of unopened beer left over. Until next year....

This picture represents about half of the cashed bottles.

Such an amazing experience. I will have to drag Ryan Bean along next year. His schedule be damned!

The Great River Road

2011-10-17T21:56:00.000-05:00

Adam and I took a little vacation recently in honor of our five years of wedded bliss. The fact that this coincided with another wedding and that I had PTO days to burn only added to the merriment.

OK, now, here's the deal: the southeastern corner of Minnesota is that rare little gem that very few souls have actually discovered. I would absolutely rank it among the top five most scenic and delicious routes I have ever traveled. And I have to apologize in advance, but it was autumn in Minnesota and I could not put the camera down. Also, I discovered two - TWO! - little editing presets on the Google+ page and I really could not stop myself. That is two more presets than I ever had before.

We begin in full color at the Great River Road Visitor and Learning Center in Prescott, Wisconsin, overlooking the confluence of the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers.

In our excitement to see the Wabasha eagles, Adam took (several) photos of the (fake) eaglets at Prescott.

The first highlight of our trip occurred when an older couple offered to take our photo because they "just love young couples in love."

I guess we fooled them! (Because we're not that young.)

Our next stop was the Maiden Rock Winery and Cidery, which combines my two favorite fermented fruits. Adam, being a beer guy, was not as impressed as I was, even though he did find the largest apple I had ever seen.

On to delightful little Stockholm, Wisconsin, home to a large assortment of metal chickens (although, unfortunately, not the giant variety) and our first encounter with amazing pies.

Adam couldn't decide between the sugary-sweet pecan pie and the savory bacon/pear/blue cheese pie, so he ordered both and laughed at my sad little turkey sandwich. And then he shared a bit of the pecan pie with me, because - after all - it was our anniversary (belated, of course).

Next stop...EAGLES!!! I had been looking forward to this detour for awhile, and not just because it placed us firmly back into Minnesota territory. The National Eagle Center in Wabasha is a sight to see, and I believe it only gets better on the coldest, stormiest days of winter when hundreds of bald eagles gather on the open waters of the Mississippi.

Here's another travel tip: plan your tourist activities for weekdays during the school year and just stay home on the weekends. I guarantee you will be the youngest traveler by at least 3 or 4 decades.

Since we scheduled our activities with the older crowd, the children's learning center was widely available for our personal use.

I really didn't like the way that Columbia was looking at me, and no one seemed to care.

The five rescue eagles on display have all had injuries that could not be rehabilitated and now travel extensively around the state and nation for education and outreach. A worthy second act.

Wabasha's riverfront. Another beautiful river town.

We continued our travels down to Winona, stopping first at a random "scenic overlook", scenic being the operative word. Winona is a crazy/beautiful town; it looks like an island surrounded by imposing limestone bluffs and everywhere you look you just think nature. So many birds, trees, flowers, rivers, wildlife, fields, sunsets... I could hardly handle all the beauty and briefly encouraged Adam to start job-hunting.

There would by many, many more photos like these except that Adam caught me at work and encouraged me to hasten. The winery closes at 6:00, after all.

We swung into Garvin Heights Vineyards for a quick tasting of local wines and then drove the backroads to Lanesboro for the night.

Lanesboro prides itself on being the Bed and Breakfast Capital of Minnesota, which was a major motivation for our visit. Unfortunately, we were ultra-busy at home right up until our vacation and did not secure a B and B reservation. Fortunately for us, Brewster's Red Hotel right on the main street was an amazing and more affordable alternative.

This was our view upon arrival.

We grabbed a very late dinner across the street and settled in for the end of day one. I promise that days two, three, and four will not be so long. Day one could not be topped.

Belated Days!

2011-10-12T19:51:00.000-05:00

I appear to be on a belated streak lately, so I suppose it's only fair that I also missed my own birthday (32!) and anniversary (5!!). Why, yes, thank you, I did have a very good day!

Adam surprised me with a fancy-style bistro set from the end-of-summer section at Lowe's. The red table and chairs clash with the pink and purple garden I was trying to achieve this year, but there's always spray paint and next summer.

I also received a "My Favorite Things" collection of essentially Adam's favorite things: ginger ale, ginger gummy bears, herbal tea, green tea, dark chocolate, and bath salts (the legal kind). I'm not going to argue that I also enjoy these fine things, but anyone who really knows me understands that my actual favorite things are Coke and M&Ms, which - if I remember correctly - was last year's birthday gift.

Pickles came out to spy on our party. She was angry because she was not invited.

After we gave TJ rat poison (Kidding! Prop photo!), we noticed that the hot air balloon season had started. It's a nice perk of living in the valley.

With Adam's parents in town, we took them (like all of our visitors) on a trip to Aamodt's Apple Farm, which also operates the hot air balloons. There are only so many apples one can eat, so I was very excited to watch the inflation of a hot air balloon.

Note the one guy holding down the whole balloon, right.

It was altogether a very nice weekend.

Keeping with the spirit of this post, please watch for more belated stories. At this rate, I'll catch up to our leaf-peeping vacation in southern Minnesota by snowfall.

I Don't Only Drink GoShots

2011-09-21T14:09:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I brew and drink beer.

The picture below is the wheat/pale ale beer I made a few months ago. It's definitely a hybrid taste. Too bitter for a wheat beer, but not bitter enough for a pale ale. Here are some thoughts from well-respected members of the TJL community.

The wheat beer was enjoyed on a hot Saturday evening after a day full of toil. I was surprised by how much I liked it, as this type of thing is not normally my bag. It had a smooth and full mouth feel with a taste that I can only describe as creamy steel. In a positive way. This beer was nothing if not unique, and did not in any way taste like a homebrew, which is the lone metric I employ. I give it 15 Bryant McKinnies out of 20.

-Reasonably good lawyer Robert Williams

It has mellowed. It tastes much like an IPA now, but with a slight molasses aftertaste. The molasses isn't quite in sync with the hoppy bitterness, but overall it strikes me as a good beer, way different than what it was 6 weeks ago.

- Businessperson Tim Mooney

The Surly Furious clone was my first attempt at dry hopping. Dry hopping is adding hops to the beer after fermentation has occurred to help infuse it with addition hop aroma and flavor. My attempt tastes good, but not great. Most bottles were over carbonated, had gunk at the bottom, and would foam like crazy when opened. I think I did something wrong.

I received the photo below and a comment on this beer from a fan of the blog.

The Furious I was a touch less taken with, since as you can tell from the Surly glass, I did everything but wax my taint for this tasting. The circumstances were right: I had just finished a slice of pizza, my taste buds were 'ulated, and my glass was frosted. My first taste, adulterated with a BBQ chicken from the local pie shop, hit me just right -- 100% authentic Surly Furious. Subsequent gulps tasted less legit however; the pizza clearly kept my taste buds off balance during the initial swig. However all in all, a tasty entry if a little homebrewy. I give it 2.7 Petey Pablos.

- Robert Kasperdad

Robert is right. The next time I dry hop, I going to do it in my fermenting bucket and not my carboy. That should help. Here is another picture. Too foamy and almost muddy looking. Thank God it is still enjoyable to drink.

I also brew, bottled, and have begun consuming a Moose Drool clone. The reviews on this beer are much more positive than I expected.

A great dark flavor without the "weightiness" of a traditional dunkelbier. Ultra-drinkable with a nice, hoppy initial, but a smooth, almost woody finish. I can count on one hand the times I've had multiple drinks by myself, but I dispatched the second bottle immediately after the first. No big, overwhelming flavors (and also without the heartburn-inducing acidity of so many black ales), but that's what contributes to how easily it goes down. Easily the best Moose Drool clone I've had.

-Former Prescription Landscape Employee

It's better than Moose Drool the original.

-Andy (Marlene's husband) Strom

Currently, I am working on another batch of apple wine. I used to call it hard cider, but cider is typically sweet and this stuff is not sweet. I made this batch very similar to my first attempt, but added a little maple syrup. It all comes down to the yeast and I used the Montrachet white wine yeast again. My yeast friends will work hard on all those delicious sugars to help it taste winey. No sugar in their path is safe, so the results will be deliciously dry.

Last week I bottled a bourbon barrel porter. It was a normal porter to start with, but I soaked 2 cups of Maker's Mark in some burnt oak chips and then dumped the whole thing into the carboy. I did some sampling over the last few weeks and thought it tasted too burnt, but I think it should turn into a really great beer as long as I leave it alone for a few weeks.

I'm sure you are all asking yourselves, How does he do it? Here are photos of the Noble Trappist Ale I brewed a couple weeks ago to help you understand the process.

Steeping the specialty grains.

Waiting for them to reach 175 degrees F.

Adding the malt extract and starting a 60 minute boil.

Cracking open the hops.

Giving the hops a good sniff before adding.

A late addition of some clear Belgian candi sugar for taste and alcohol boosting.

Jeremy shows up to help with the stirring.

We have to cool the goodness before adding yeast.

Checking the initial gravity to help determine alcohol.

I don't have pictures after this, but we dumped the beer in a bucket, added yeast, and let time take over. All signs point to a good batch of beer. Let me know and I will save some for you.

I plan on one last GoShot post for the year. I am saving them for Jake's wedding in October. Drinking the last few packets among friends will be a fitting end to the summer of GoShots.

Marlene and Andy's Wedding

2011-09-11T15:54:00.002-05:00

Last weekend, we joined in the wedding celebration of Marlene Kluss to Andrew Strom. They could not have picked a more perfect September day - warm and sunny ceremony, cool and crisp reception.

The ceremony was held at the Peace Garden near Lake Harriet, while Lisa bravely offered up her home in Hopkins for the outdoor reception. Both went off without a hitch.

Erica, Lisa, and Sonja. Plus Alison Jones! I see you there in the background!

Admiring the new hardware

Marlene was stunning. It's always hard to take your eyes off the bride, but extra difficult on such a beautiful day. Lovely, lovely, lovely.

Back at Lisa's house, somebody (probably Erin) brought birthday cake-flavored vodka to the reception. This is not something I had seen before. However, when combined with pineapple juice in a giant margarita ball, it really is unbeatable.

Leave it to the nine-months-pregnant lady to tap the keg! We are all grateful to Christina for her expertise.

Adam found a way around the problem of not enough hands, which is doubly useful when it's time for dinner.

Dinner was a half-catered/half-potluck affair with pineapple-cake drinks on the side. Delicious!

I cannot believe we have to write about Go-Shots again on this blog, but apparently there are a few people left in our universe who have not had the opportunity to try them. Of course, this wouldn't be an issue at all if Adam would just quit bringing them along everywhere!

Adam, Tim, Go-Shots, Erica, Lisa, Kim, and Justin

Someone delivered a beautifully-wrapped gift decorated with paper cranes. The logical response would be to say thanks and pass it along to the bride and groom. Adam and Tim, however, convinced of their paper-crafts skills, decided to see who could make the best origami crane in the shortest amount of time.

Game on!

This is not a skill that I knew Adam possessed. I was very impressed by both parties.

Winner!*

(*Although it could be argued that Adam constructed a contemporary paper crane with flappable wings, whereas Tim constructed the traditional origami paper crane as per the gift ornamentation.)

Then, just to show off, Adam constructed a paper goblet for - what else? - Go-shots. Always a hit with the crowd.

Anyway, the rest of the reception was a blast and - except for this canoe - decidedly less alcoholic.

Congratulations, Andy and Marlene!

Gustie crowd

Nicole, Erin, Erica, Marlo, Lisa, Kim, Al, and Westie

P.S. Congrats to all the Gusties married on September 3 and wishing that we could be in two places at once.

A Sure Sign of Fall

2011-09-11T10:30:00.000-05:00

The flannel jacket is back. We were once this close to getting rid of it, until our Wisconsin neighbor pulled it out of the Goodwill pile and convinced Adam of its utility and coolness.

Adam will wear it every day until spring.

Also, the daily hammock naps have commenced. The crazy, busy summer days are now officially behind us.

The Happiest Place on Earth

2011-08-28T23:13:00.000-05:00

I know you think it would be Disney World, but you'd be wrong. It's actually the Minnesota State Fair. As a non-native Minnesotan without access to a cabin, a boat, or a legitimate Vikings jersey, this is the one stereotypical activity that I can fully and proudly support. (Although we did just get a used snow blower this past weekend, so I guess that makes two stereotypical activities.) This year, we brought along Adam's parents Doug and Janice, veterans of the South Dakota State Fair and cheerful participants in our annual outing.

In no particular order, here is my baker's dozen list of Favorite Fair Activities.

(And it would have been WAY more except Adam told me to keep it short. I originally had 52 favorites, and I meant them all.)

1. The Butter Sculptress

This should always be your first stop and your last stop, or the alpha and the omega, if you will. It just goes to show how much you can accomplish with a solid day's work.

2. The Agriculture-Horticulture Building

This is where I could easily spend half the day. The Ag-Hort Building is absolutely packed with jars of golden honey, row upon row of apples, tables of floral arrangements, displays of the newest sugar beets, and - finally - samples of Minnesota wines. And that's not counting the exterior grounds, where you can stop and smell the roses (or anemones).

This amazing work of art is comprised entirely of beeswax and managed to grab a second premium in the Bee and Honey category.

Hint: It's neither the staggering financial crisis nor the demise of the Twins' pennant chances.

3. Seed Art

You really have to see it to believe it. Surprisingly, many of the entries in the Seed Art competition have a decidedly liberal bent. If I had to pick a personal favorite, however, it would be this remarkable homage to Stacey and Clinton of TLC's "What Not to Wear".

4. Fried Green Tomatoes

It's hard to choose a favorite fair food, but fried green tomatoes with a side of corn fritters and honey butter takes top honors this year.

5. "Creative Activities"

A lot of people skip this amazing building. Don't. Here's what you're missing:

(FYI - Someone created this image in cross-stitch...and won!)

The home brewing display is new this year. It needs a little jazzing up though, since this is basically what our kitchen counters look like every night.

6. The Gustavus Booth

It's always fun to sign in to the alumni book and check how many times Wade and Emily have already been to the fair. Also, since it's across from the MN House and Senate booths, you can share your ideas with your legislators and pretend that they're actually listening. Make your life count!

7. The Daily Parade

I don't always catch the parade, but I do enjoy a good stilt-walker. I think I would be really good at this.

If you remember this classic from Awkward Family Photos, you will surely appreciate the classic jeans on Smokey the Bear.

8. Free Stuff

I usually load up on free and educational pamphlets like, "Attracting Birds to the Home Landscape", "Follow that Bill", and "Dairy Goodness", but some years you really luck out. We each got a small vial of 5-hour Energy (in berry or grape), and it was immediately consumed by the men folk. I find that coffee, particularly the French Meadow Bakery organic coffee with cream (next to the crepe stand), works a little better for me.

9. The Eco Building

One of the newest - and definitely one of the cleanest - buildings at the fair and my second favorite, primarily because they have both free coffee samples (see #8. Free Stuff) and a house tour. Since it's always an eco-house, you can try out fun environmentally conscious activities, like taking photos on the heat screen. I have no idea why I was so much hotter than Adam, but maybe it was all that coffee.

10. Lumberjack Activities

I guess Stillwater has their own Lumberjack Activities, so seeing Ron and Raven of Minnesota Bound was a good second choice. Anything with dogs would make my top 10 list by default anyway.

11. New Foods

It is possible to get salad at the State Fair, but - legally - you do still have to eat it on a stick.

12. Olde Tyme Tractors

Also, campers, RVs, personalized cabins, and Scamps. If there were only more hours in the day to tour every last one.

I'm putting this whimsical little number on my wish list right now. So, if anyone needs a gift idea for my upcoming birthday/anniversary, you're looking at it.

13. The Animals

We usually visit all the animals (except the horses, against which Adam has some odd personal vendetta), but we ran out of time this year. In the spirit of compromise, I was allowed to walk down only one aisle, so I picked the fancy chicken aisle, obviously. I just love them!

There you have it! All that fair fun and beautiful weather, too. I can't wait for next year. (And Tuesday. I'm going again on Tuesday!)

Caterpillar Party!

2011-08-24T23:10:00.000-05:00

We've been keeping our eyes on the caterpillar party happening in our backyard this summer. We first noticed these guys on July 21, as we were leaving for my brother's wedding, but we check in with them every few days or so. They seem to be enjoying themselves. And why not? We have a profusion of milkweed this year.

The monarch caterpillars were later joined by this feisty fellow. A brief scan of the Internets revealed that he is the aptly-named Milkweed Tussock Moth. Unfortunately, his end result will not be nearly so beautiful as the monarch.

The caterpillars decided to share the remaining supply of milkweed. I still can't believe how much they can eat in one day. We gave up hope for the milkweed to recover and flower yet this summer, but you never know, I guess.

I accidentally knocked this little guy to the ground, so he gave me his defensive curl. Sorry.

On August 20, we noticed the first cocoon. I suppose our house siding is as good a place as any. We'll let you know when it emerges!

Tyler and Courtney's Wonderful Wedding Weekend, Part II

2011-08-13T13:27:00.001-05:00

Scenes from the pre-wedding photo shoot in downtown Sioux Falls. Lots to do before a wedding!

Adam found a copy of Awkward Family Photos, which kept everyone entertained for a good 20 minutes.

Grandma Mary Barondeau, above, and Grandma Regina Senger, below, escorted by Tyler.

No one wanted to sit on the sunny side of the aisle. Or else, no one was willing to admit to being a friend of the groom. Courtney is pretty awesome.

Bonus points if you can name that baby. Hint: one of these babies is not like the others.

Adam with his parents, Doug and Janice

FYI: this baby looks drunk.

The humidity was so intense, even at night, that outdoor shots had a soft glow. Here, Christopher and Amanda pose for a family shot with Grandma and Grandpa Barondeau.

A successful night. Time to take my candy from the candy bar and head to bed.

The next morning at breakfast was Kennedy and Raleigh's first experience with a real banana. Neither one appeared to like it, but both continued to reach for more. Babies. Go figure.

Congrats, Tyler and Courtney "Mrs. Barondeau". Job well done!

If you need to view all 347 photos from the wedding weekend, you can view them from our Picasa album. Be warned that they are heavy on the dog and flowers photos, though.

Tyler and Courtney's Wonderful Wedding Weekend

Tyler and Courtney's Wonderful Wedding Weekend, Part I

2011-08-07T23:02:00.000-05:00

Throw the sleepy dog in the car! It's time for another road trip to South Dakota!

We generally hit the same rest areas every time we travel, which usually center around deli sandwiches, caramel apples, coffee, and/or soda in glass bottles, but since we were in festive wedding mode, Adam obliged my wish to stop at the Gustavus Arboretum in St. Peter, MN. Our own rehearsal dinner was held at the Interpretive Center in the Arboretum almost five years ago, which brought back many happy memories. Gustavus was lovely, as always.

Adam lounged in the shade with the laptop and TJ, while I wandered around smelling the flowers and wondering why I never took advantage of the Arb as a student when it was literally in my backyard.

It seems the heat got to everything this year, so we cut our side trip short and got back on the road. We'll catch you later, Arb!

My youngest brother Tyler married sweet Courtney Lerew on July 22 on what turned out to be a beautifully hot July summer evening at Tuthill Gardens in Sioux Falls. We arrived early for the rehearsal on Thursday.

Adam is a seasoned pro at weddings and gladly stood in for my other brother Christopher, who was trying to cram in all the last-minute law knowledge he could handle. So, while Adam worked the wedding party, I again wandered around staring at flowers. Tyler and Courtney picked a perfect location for that!

The rehearsal dinner was held in downtown Sioux Falls, which is quickly becoming one of my new favorite places. Throw in some all-you-can-eat pizza, an exchange of treasured gifts, and a few public art projects and it really becomes a night to remember!

This was, seriously, the best family photo I got. Also, the most representative.

An example of the public art. Pretty awesome, really, although it seemed a bit behind the times. Maybe they were trying to connect the lost days of the telephone booth with the prehistoric nature of the humble river rock. Or they liked the color red and had a lot of rocks hanging around the studio. Hard to say, but I really do enjoy street art and secretly wish I were more creative. I have hundreds of rocks taking up space in my yard, and they're not doing anything as useful as this.

Part II Wedding coming shortly.

GoShots March On

2011-08-04T13:45:00.002-05:00

Thanks to the power of the internet, I was contacted by the owner of PortaShots, Mr. Bill Tuck Jr. He was nice enough to comment on our blog and not sue us for trying to rename his product.

After supplying him with my address, Bill mailed me some Portashots swag. Three sweet visors and some brochures. The visor, as you will see below, is very cool. The brochures were definitely a tease though. Spiced rum and silver rum are not the only flavors. Vodkas, whiskey, gin, brandy, tequila, and scotch are all receiving the Goshot treatment. I don't have to tell you that this is a game-changer. I salute Bill and thank him for his vision. Hopefully he will find a way to crack the liquor distribution mystery in Minnesota so that we don't have to cross the boarder to get our GoShot fix.

Yes, I have three GoShots in my complimentary CocaCola. Nicole's company cruise was instantly improved.

We started with three bags of GoShots and it didn't take long to extinguish one of them. Realizing that we could easily run out, it was time to find some more. We traveled back to the only place we had found them, the Hi-Vee in Sioux Falls. Nicole's brother's wedding was the perfect cover for a GoShot run. Sadly, Hi-Vee had sold out of their remaining clearance supply. The giving tree was down to a stump. Even though our supplies are dwindling we soldier on.

During the trip, I offered Mark a Portashot visor in return for lodging. The only appropriate way to recognize this exchange is with a GoToast.

Tyler's wedding was a wonderful event. I was happy to find free beer and other sweet treats. The reception may have started with an over-sized bottle of champagne.....

.... but I made sure to follow it with a GoShot. It's a wedding!

I slipped several GoShots to Tyler throughout the night, so that he could pass them to unsuspecting fraternity brothers. Who is going to turn down a free drink from the groom? Nobody.

The Warrior Dash was the perfect excuse to Goshot before 9 AM on a Sunday. (That's right GoShot is also now a verb.) All of our able-bodied racers took a celebratory squeeze before the race. Wade could barely contain his pleasure. It may have given Egon and Rob pause, but they soon joined in the fun.

Rob was the only one who struggled with the packaging. Although, to his credit, he did come up with an alternative/rival name. SnapShots! I have to agree that this a pretty sweet name. It was later decided that PortaShots needs to release two sizes. The GoShot, which would stay at 30 ml and the SnapShot would get an upgrade to 60 ml. Maybe half of a bag could be Gos and the other half Snaps. Look into this, Bill.

As previously reported the Warrior Dash went well for all involved. The pre-game rum was the difference maker. Andrew Bussey arrived late and raced after we did, but luckily a rogue GoShot found its way into Bussey's hand after he completed his race. Victory never tasted so spiced.

What happened to the third visor you ask? It was sent to Tim Mooney of the Milwaukees. As important as the discovery of Goshots were, christening them with the name was also essential to their greatness. Thankfully, local photographer, Ali "The Hersh" Moonbaum, was able to capture some of Tim's precious moments with his new visor.

Lets' take a look.

Mabel wraps herself in the sweet, warm embrace of GoShots.

GoShots will increase your reputation. Don't be surprised when Jay-Z and Sean Combs call asking to hang out with you.

It is important to use in moderation, but don't ever moderate your fun.

The genius of the PortaShot visor is that you can pack six of them at the top of the visor. The alcohol will go straight to you head so why not store it there? Mooney opts for the under the bill storage option.

Whether you are working on important legal documents or are scouring the real estate channel looking for investment opportunities, GoShots and business are a winning team.

Who wants to get wet?

The GoShot wagon train rolls on. Chimney Rock ahead.

Dashing Warriors

2011-07-30T15:28:00.000-05:00

Be warned that this is a super-post. We've been ultra-busy this summer, mostly weddings and graduations and baby events, but sometimes we like to take the time to relax and run through the mud. This is one of those times.

Last weekend, the Warrior Dash was held at Afton Alps near Hastings. Per the website, caps intended, the Warrior Dash is "A MUD-CRAWLING, FIRE-LEAPING EXTREME RUN FROM HELL. THIS FIERCE RUNNING SERIES IS HELD ON THE MOST CHALLENGING AND RUGGED TERRAIN ACROSS THE GLOBE. WARRIORS CONQUER EXTREME OBSTACLES, PUSH THEIR LIMITS AND CELEBRATE WITH KICK-ASS MUSIC, BEER AND WARRIOR HELMETS."

That's a lot of promise for an early Sunday morning.

As is the new normal, Adam packed some PortaShots (I still prefer "Go Shots") to get the crowd moving. And, once again, they are a hit.

Little Tessa showing her support for the team.

I imagine this will be the cleanest the group will be for quite some time.

And they're off!

Adam was the easiest to spot since the contrast between black (shorts) and white (chest) was so easily highlighted in a crowd.

College/Frisbee friend Peter/Egon finished in record time, coming in just behind a band of hot pink ladies from the previous heat and with barely any mud above the shoulders. Impressive.

Rob finished not too far behind Peter, but was so fast that the camera missed him. Also, the camera was distracted by Adam's old man habits. If you look closely, Adam is the one flailing down the water slide.

Here, Adam deftly leaps over the flames and mentally prepares for the mud pit.

I was later informed that some girl ahead of him kicked mud into his eyes, but - honestly - that sounds like an excuse for poor performance.

Actually, Adam did very well by all important measures. That is, he beat Wade (#115) and Jake (#118), coming in at 33:17.85. Good enough to finish with a rank of 97 out of 884 in his division (Men 30-34) for the Sunday races. Rob finished #28 (Good job, Rob!) and Peter was #25 in his (younger, faster) age group.

And anyway, check out the fellow competitors behind him. It can't be that hard.

Wade immediately launched himself into the mud pit, which was a nice contrast to the leisurely entry stroll that Jake decided upon.

I suppose bananas were about the cleanest food you could serve to the racers, but it seemed a bit like a recipe for disaster what with all those peels lying about.

Congrats, team!

Oh yeah, there was also free beer. And giant turkey legs for a small, well-deserved fee.

The final racer was Andrew/Bussey, who wasted no time in showing up Wade's entry into the mud pit.

Again, those bananas. Dangerous.

It was best for all involved that we left our shoes behind. They are going to a better place now.

I hope Tessa remembers this remarkable day. If not, I will send her incriminating photos of her father and his gang when she is much older.

Warriors!

Go Shots

2011-07-09T12:11:00.002-05:00

This is officially the Summer of Go Shots. While purchasing a Father's Day gift just after Mindy's wedding in Sioux Falls, brother Mark and I found ourselves in the liquor section of Hi-Vee. Mark was the first to spot the awkwardly shaped bags in the clearance bin near the check out line. After purchasing a large bottle of Crown, I came over to his position to see what was putting the puzzled look on his face. We immediately got back in line to buy a bag of Go Shots. We knew what others did not. These things are awesome. What is this miracle product, so casually disrespected with an $8 clearance sticker? Goshots are actually called Portashots, but that is a stupid name. Go Shots are 30 ml plastic packages of poor quality liquor. They come in a large plastic bag and are attached in a long string of goodness.

Lets take a deeper look at their allure.

Go Shots are small. 25 of them in a bag adds up to 750ml.
Normally when you place a shot glass of cheap spiced rum in front of someone, there is maybe a 50% chance they will take the shot. From my research, 90% of people will take a Go Shot when prompted.

Best taken straight from the plastic container, Go Shots will spray the entire inside of your mouth so that all your taste buds are insulted.
Did mention that they taste pretty bad?
Here is an example of how versatile the Go Shot can be. It was incredibly easy to sneak the packages into Miller Park when Nicole and I visited the Mooney family to watch the Twins lose. This helped me deal with the foolish play of Delmon Young and softened the impact on my wallet. I also will credit Tim Mooney for calling them Go Shots and insisting that the name should stick. During the same game, an old friend from Mitchell was attending with friends and was kicked out of the ballpark for trying to sneak in a can of Strongbow cider. Go Shots 1, Large Can of Cider 0
See that Go Shot taking a peek out of my pocket? Dave sees it and he likes what he sees.
Notorious for drunk dudes and girls flashing their chests, most of our recent trip down the Apple River was without incident. The only rough section showed how important Go Shots can be to your survival. After floating around a bend, we spotted a group of kids marooned on the side of the river. One of the guys was yelling at tubing groups passing them and demanding beers from their coolers. The first two groups did not give him beers, so he logically would throw large rocks at them. This made our group very nervous. I immediately reached for a Go Shot. Nicole argued that we should pretend not to see or hear him. This is Nicole's typical turtleing strategy. I knew that this would just get us a bunch of rocks. As he started to approach us, I chucked a Go Shot in his direction. The act disabled his rage quickly. He picked it up, looked confused, and then thanked us for the gift. He also said that he was planning on throwing rocks, but decided not to since we gave him the Go Shot. A $.32 investment allowed us to continue our journey head injury-free.

Lesson: If you ever plan on tubing down the Apple River, bring some extra Go Shots for the river pirates.
My last argument in support of Go Shots comes from my brother, who along with me, went back to the Hi-Vee liquor department the day after our first purchase of one bag and each bought three more bags. This image, I poached from Facebook, shows Mark as he went tubing down the Niobrara River with friends.
Let the Summer of the Go Shot Continue!

Mixing it up

2011-06-21T20:15:00.003-05:00

In anticipation of Twins @ Brewers this weekend with the Mooney family, I decided to whip up another batch of some infused gin. I had some new weapons in my arsenal.

This is a picture of our lemon pot. We have lemon thyme, lemon grass, and lemon basil. I didn't think the lemon thyme would work well, but I added some of the other two.

I also added some regular basil. Homemade Basil. Homemade makes it special.
I reduced the amount of lemon rind since I added other lemony goodness and upped the cucumber slices. These will infuse for two days and then it will be ready to enjoy.
Oooooo...wait a second. I have a ton of mint at my disposal too. One of these jars is now going to get slammed with some mint. Boom-Shaka-Laka!!!!

Ducklings!

2011-06-11T19:37:00.000-05:00

We had some lost ducklings in our yard a few days ago. By my count, there were 17 (!!!) ducklings, which seems a bit excessive to me. Not being too familiar with wood duck habits, however, this may be a normal brood.

Enjoy the photos. We used a zoom lens from inside the house so we didn't disturb the ducks, but now that I'm reviewing the photos I see two major problems. First, we need to get rid of that weather-beaten old table. And second, our lawn could really use some work. At least the ducks are cute!

The Neighborhood Watch is on the scene. No trespassers will sneak through our yard undetected with Pickles and TJ on the job!

TJ Wins!

2011-06-08T20:02:00.000-05:00

We've been experimenting with TJ's freedom lately. The usual routine is for TJ to "go to work" and kennel up while we're away during the workday. However, due to several coinciding situations involving antibiotics, arthritis, old age, and sad puppy dog eyes, we've decided to let him roam free. Since we've more or less learned our lesson following the unfortunate Office Supply Incident of 2010, TJ has been restricted to just four primary areas:

1. Bedroom - to pretend to sleep while we're away

2. Dining room - to have access to fresh water

3. Front entry - to enjoy the cool tiles with bonus squirrel-gazing

4. Hallway - to transition the aforementioned areas

The plan was perfect for almost two weeks. Unfortunately, following another series of unfortunate incidences - likely involving both access to fresh water and a combination of anxiety and general punk-dog-ness - we have since decided to remodel our hallway by removing all the carpet and replacing it with something more washable, like not carpet.

We were prepared for construction-grade plywood, and the first foot of our hallway delivered. Amazingly, though, we have lovely wood floors under the rest of the space. And nails. Lots and lots of nails.

All was great until we reached the middle. Then we ran into a few missing pieces and scraps of unmatched wood. Still, it was a fair price to pay to make the smell go away.

So, TJ wins, because TJ always wins. He gets to remain a free dog, and we all get a new hallway. Someday we may even refinish it. Knock on wood, but we haven't had an accident since!

Stardate 201105.30 : A very beery day on planet Earth.

2011-05-30T21:02:00.004-05:00

First let us start with the Furious Clone. I dry-hopped the carboy today. Dry hopping is a strange term that means adding hops after the primary fermentation has been completed. When you add hops during the boiling process, you are adding bitter hop flavors to the beer, but you lose a lot of oils. Dry hopping allows you to re-add aroma to the beer and reinsert all those oils. I placed all the hops into a muslin bag and squeezed it into the top of the carboy. The beer really started to bubble and created a nice green top layer. This beer is going to stink some kind of awesome in a week when I bottle.

An empty carboy awaits.....
......for T-can & Bearcat's Wheaten Beatdown. This beer tastes so strange. I brewed a week ago and decided to move it from my bucket to a carboy to free up my bucket and was able to sample a little. 1/2 of a wheat beer and 1/2 a pale ale; it's a little odd. I think it will taste great, but only a week old, it is hard to tell. Supposedly I will be able to bottle in a week, but will probably wait a little longer.
I had to free up my bottling bucket so that I could start my hard cider.

4 gallons of apple cider

3 cups of cane sugar

1 packet of dry wine yeast.

Four weeks in fermentation await.

Kyle Allen already has the jump on me as far as cider-makin' goes, but I feel confident in my meticulous sanitation rituals. Prepared to be pwned, Pierce. No Mr. Higley can save you.

Babies!!

2011-05-25T19:40:00.000-05:00

As promised, here are a few of the family photos from Christopher's graduation. Feel free to skip this post if babies aren't your thing. For the rest of you (Mom), I've already ordered prints online and will hand them out to anyone who asks.

It's like looking in a mirror, and easy to do when you're so beautiful!

Once again, Tyler was the baby-whisperer and delighted everyone with a rousing game of peek-a-boo.

I imagine this is what pure chaos looks like. Enjoy the next 18 years!

Siblings shot. See how we color-coordinated ahead of time? That's what real friends do.

Congrats, Christopher! You did it!

Graduation and Commissioning

2011-05-21T11:53:00.000-05:00

We returned to Omaha last weekend to celebrate my brother's commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army, his completion of the Army ROTC program, and his graduation from the Creighton University School of Law. It was a very busy, action-packed, family-focused weekend, and we were all so, so, so proud to have celebrated his achievements with the entire family present.

Our first event was the Commissioning Ceremony, held on campus, as Christopher participated in the Army ROTC program while a student at Creighton. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant - Military Intelligence Corps in the United States Army. He will be leaving in a few months to complete advanced training for his chosen field of Military Intelligence, saying a temporary good-bye to beautiful Omaha in mid-winter for the rigors of specialized education in horrible sunny Arizona.

I don't know if you've ever been to any sort of military ceremony, but they take things seriously. As in, if the program says 10:00 Commencement, you'd better be sitting and silent at 9:59. Wearing your Sunday best. And no excessive applause. I certainly appreciate the details, but the whole ceremony can be quite emotional, especially with all the flags, the oaths, the patriotic music, and the memories of all that has been accomplished. Christopher and fellow military man Matthew Wyatt (friend, classmate, colleague, godfather of second child) were awarded the American Legion ROTC Excellence Award and Medal for Cadets in General Military Excellence, although Matt took home the scholastic end of that award. Christopher's other Matt friend, Matthew Mortenson, provided his first salute.

Matt Wyatt, Christopher, Amanda, and the girls. Matt was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant - Armor/JAG in the United States Army. Matt took home several awards, including my favorite, the Physical Fitness Award for commitment to physical conditioning and consistent outstanding performance. He was also awarded the Superior Cadet Medal as the outstanding cadet in his academic class, among others. Matt will likely go on to do something great, and now that he's The Godfather, we can all keep tabs on him.

Matthew Mortenson and Christopher. Matt will be getting his dress blues sometime before 2014, I'm told. Matt and Christopher both joined the Army National Guard nearly a decade ago, while they were still in high school, and have served overseas together during that time.

I actually really like this photo, because it accurately sums up the events of the weekend (and life, really). Everyone stands around just doing their job while my mom flutters around, messing with the details. She's like a hummingbird; she can't sit still while there's work to be done.

Christopher and Amanda with Kennedy and Raleigh, now four months old.

This is another photo that accurately sums up the weekend. Whenever my side of the family gets together, it goes without saying that multiple cameras will be involved.

Our second event was the Conferral of Doctoral Hoods, which was held just for the graduating law class, and which took a surprisingly long time. Based on this ceremony, I would imagine that the world is graduating quite a few new lawyers. Anyway, the highlight of this event was that Christopher was selected from his class to receive the Severens-Mayer Award for Excellence in Mediation, which also came with a small cash bonus. It appears that being the middle child finally paid off.

Fortunately for everyone, and especially for those who did not plan ahead for the lengthy ceremony, a light dinner was provided.

Proof that Christopher did, in fact, finally finish school. And not only that, but he managed to pull off dual degrees (Juris Doctor and Master of Science in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution) all the while completing the ROTC program, remaining active in the National Guard, and bringing forth two babies. Maybe now you can get a little sleep.

The final event was the Creighton University Commencement, where Christopher finally got his chance to appear on the Jumbotron. It's quite fun to attend a graduation ceremony that serves nachos and giant pretzels to pass the time, although I would have preferred an outside beverage of choice.

Part II: Babies will be coming soon, but I've got to get my Art-a-Whirl on and Adam is staring me down.

Fun with Photoshop

2011-05-12T12:12:00.000-05:00

I ran across these today. I know they have been previously released, but I still find them funny.

Rejected Vampire Weekend Contra cover

The Curling Movie

Beer Me

2011-05-12T11:53:00.000-05:00

That's right, I'm making beer now. Thanks to the guiding hand of Jeremy Hammond, I have dipped my toes into the world of homebrewing. I say dipped, because I am only rocking the extract kits for now. Jeremy has graduated into full-on crushing grains while I grab a jug of syrup. My first attempt turned out much better than anticipated.

It is an Autumn Amber Ale from Midwest Brewing. For those of you who remember my dalliances with Mr. Beer, I can assure that this beer tastes amazing and is nothing like that kit I had before. Every few days I open a new one and am shocked that it continues to develop more flavor. Jake, I know you tasted this beer before and it was nothing to shout about, but you will have another taste in just a few weeks. You just might fall over.

I started another batch in my trusty bucket on Saturday.

Oh yeah, it's Surly Furious.
Surly has given Northern Brewer their recipes so that they can build kits for losers like me. I don't expect it to taste as good as the original, but the amount of dry hops I will be adding in a week are a little shocking.
I am adding these into a carboy about a week before bottling. Hopefully I can have my first glass in about 5 weeks. I'm pretty excited.

Foggy Stillwater

2011-05-09T21:33:00.000-05:00

Blue Mounds State Park

2011-05-08T16:43:00.000-05:00

Adam and I stopped in at the Blue Mounds State Park on our last trip back from Sioux Falls. If you're ever in the extreme southwestern corner of Minnesota, you really should take an hour or two to explore the park. We put it off for a long time, but it was such an unexpected treasure that I'm already looking forward to visiting again in the fall.

Blue Mounds is primarily prairie and grassland - my personal favorite among Minnesota's biomes - with an amazing quartzite cliff popping up out of nowhere. This is a place where you'd best keep your dog on a leash.

I can't tell you how many heart attacks I nearly had with Adam and TJ prancing along the cliff edge. Adam has no fear and TJ is just plain dumb, and I couldn't help silently wondering how my life would go on without those two since they were obviously bound to plummet to their deaths.

This is an example of a massive rock fall that, for all I know, could have occurred last week. Please note the very large fractures extending both horizontally and vertically throughout the cliff and the piles of broken rocks at the base. It still gives me chills.

We visited in the rainy early spring when the grasses and wildflowers were just getting started. By fall, the prairie will be a hotbed of horticultural activity, and I'll be there with guidebook in hand. Great birding, too. I lost count of how many eagles and other raptors we saw.

In addition to the rumors of the early Plains Indians stampeding bison off the cliff (likely untrue), there is also the mystery of this rock line extending throughout the park in such a direction that on the first day of spring and fall the sunrise and sunset are directly aligned to the stones. If we're not too busy next equinox, maybe we'll head back to verify that little tidbit of information. Either way, it's well worth the trip!

Easter Baptism

2011-04-30T21:29:00.000-05:00

Adam and I traveled to Omaha over Easter to meet our little nieces, Kennedy Blair and Raleigh Brook, born January 12 to Christopher and Amanda Barondeau. Adam informs me that Kennedy is on the right.

We had one quick weekend to cram in an early morning Easter service, a brunch buffet, Kennedy and Raleigh's baptism, gift opening, cake, and family photos, of course.

I feel like this photo could be a public service announcement for teen pregnancy. Don't do it, kids!

Honestly, though, Tyler was quite the baby-whisperer. He only got spit up on once.

Mom posed for a photo with the girls in their baptismal dresses, crocheted by my grandmother.

Christopher speedily changing Kennedy out of her baptismal dress and into her formal gown. It's like Kate Middleton's Royal Wedding dress and her second reception gown, but with more cameras.

Someone is not happy with the fashion choice, but I think you look amazing.

The baptism was held at St. John's Parish on the campus of Creighton University. Christopher has one week of classes remaining until graduation, so he was undoubtedly trying to cram in as much college charm as he could.

Adam and Kennedy with Matt and Raleigh. They make it look so easy.

The godparents. Bold choice.

Now you know it's about time to wrap up the photos. You can only take so many family photos before someone will start to cry, although usually it's me.

It turned out to be a beautiful Easter in Omaha, just warm enough to head outdoors yet wintry enough for a weekend of celebratory cakes.

April Showers

2011-04-28T18:32:00.000-05:00

Adam and I received a professional-grade rain gauge as a Christmas gift from my dad. He takes his weather very seriously, and now, so do we. We got it installed just in time for this week's endless rains.

April showers bring May flowers, right? Thanks, Dad!

The Serpent's Tooth

2011-04-21T18:37:00.001-05:00

Issues

2011-04-17T19:46:00.001-05:00

We're having issues, obviously, uploading photos to Blogger lately. I have a feeling that uploading directly from Picasa is the responsible culprit, so Pickles will serve as my test subject. If I can't figure out what the heck I'm doing, I may have to try a different system for uploading.

Has anyone else encountered this, and if so, what worked best for you? In addition, if anyone has any advice on file size, image resolution, and photo storage sites, please share your insights! I'm likely doing something wrong, and I'm quickly wearing out my "Dear Adam, pretty please fix the computer again!" card.

From Picasa to Blogger

Inserted from Blogger

Maple Syruping!

2011-04-04T21:00:00.033-05:00

Last weekend, Adam and I broke out the French press and took a trip across the border. This may be old hat to you northern Minnesota folks, but we had only the vaguest idea of how maple syrup arrived at our table. In my mind, this vat of simmering syrup generally summed up my impressions.

Since this was a syruping expedition to the Wisconsin countryside, we also stopped to enjoy the petting zoo and pancake breakfast (not pictured, but equally delicious!).

Our "sap to syrup" tour highlighted the modern conveniences of syruping, like an extensive array of plastic tubing to collect and return the sap from more than 3,500 trees, with each tap capable of producing about 10 gallons of sap per year.

Here, Adam listens to the regular pulsing of the sap as it returns, with the help of a vacuum pump, to holding bins.

Of course, you can also collect sap drop-by-drop in these blue bags if you're not connected to the tubing system. This may be an option for those do-it-yourself folks. You know who you are.

The holding bins collected the sap from the network. Not entirely sure what else happens here, as I was more obsessed with the regular flushing of the sap into different bins. Adam may know more about the physics; he sure asked a lot of questions for a Saturday morning.

The sap was boiled down in this little shed. It takes about 30-40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of maple syrup, so think about that with your next batch of pancakes!

So, there you have it. I'm probably missing a few details, but it can't be all that hard. Our neighbor has been tapping his three maples over the past week or so and we live on less than a quarter-acre in town. This might be a great hobby to take up next year. As for me, I'll just invite myself to all the local pancake breakfasts. We're in the midst of Maple Syrup Month so I will expect nothing less with my flapjacks.

The White Russian

2011-03-26T09:55:00.000-05:00

Gray Skies

2011-03-20T16:10:00.000-05:00

We have had every shade of gray this weekend, accompanied by so much fog that you can't see past your neighbor's house. It was even too cloudy to view the super moon, and now we have to wait 19 years for the next one. Way to ruin your first day, spring.

Regardless, we took TJ downtown to see the river before the flooding begins.

I fear the Lift Bridge is going to be out of commission for a few weeks. There's not a lot of room for the waters to rise.

The sandbags are packed and ready to go. Now we just need the sun and a few warmer days.

Still Winter, But...

2011-03-19T14:09:00.000-05:00

Spring officially begins tomorrow, but I just wanted to let everyone know that it is still winter here in Minnesota. We have several feet of snow to melt before the party starts. At least the temps have warmed enough for Adam to put away his winter coat.

TJ is enjoying his remaining days of snow. This year, we discovered that he really loves chasing (and eating) snowballs. Like chasing (and eating) squirrels, however, his skills for coordination and achievement haven't quite developed. Enjoy our lame video, and please understand that it's way more exciting in person.

The day it broke 50 degrees was the same day that Adam hauled out the grill. By the way, check out his toe shoes. He's very proud of them, although he has been advised to only wear them for a few hours at a time.

Fear not! Under the mountains of snow, spring has emerged! Quite impressive, really, since all the snow melt has only occurred within the last few days. We're close to the end of this marathon winter.

Pickles Post

2011-03-19T12:58:00.000-05:00

Pickles has been ignored all winter since, unlike TJ, she's not really into the cold and snow and lack of precious grass. So, we thought she deserved a little post of her own. Here is how she has spent her entire winter, summed up into her four favorite activities.

1. Begging to be let outdoors, probably to eat some grass, but maybe also to try to sneak up on a bird (we have tried to discourage this particular activity, being as how we also enjoy birds in the yard). She likes to use the "big, sad eyes" pose, a trick she learned from the dog.

2. Staring into space for hours at a time. This is a very typical pose, and we hope that she is just daydreaming and meditating, not plotting or scheming. She can be very hard to read, like a secret agent.

3. Annoying us, particularly when we have better things to do, like reading or watching television or sleeping. You can almost see the evil in her eyes.

4. Sleeping. This is unquestionably her favorite activity. She almost makes you believe that she really is the sweetest cat in the world.

Bonspiel! Brrr!

2011-03-13T22:40:00.000-05:00

Time again for the Erickson's annual bonspiel and potluck. This year, Andrew and Lauren were our chief competitors and - strategy! - our roommates.

Also, since this is the closest we're getting to a vacation this year, we stopped to take in the sights of Lake Superior. Please note that there are humans (male) ice-fishing off the shore. They've probably been there for hours.

Part I: Lake Superior

Incidentally, Lake Superior is the closest I'm ever getting to the Arctic, because if the Arctic is even half as terrifying as the ice floes and waves that tried to wet my toes, then I want nothing to do with it. Plus, all the penguins live in the south.

Part II: Tiki Spiel

All I know about a "bonspiel" is that you have "sweepers" to speed up the ice (above, with "brooms") and "curlers" to send the "stones" down the lanes. I'm not quite sure how Adam fits into this highly athletic and serious sport. In addition, our "skip" Ryan was wearing a "tiki skirt".

Here, Andrew is "in the house" (that's right!) to direct traffic. Things can get a little crazy.

Andrew and Lauren exploring the weight of the sport. Also, I think they're breaking more than one rule in this photo.

Lauren got the hang of it very quickly, especially for a first-year. I'm confident that she'll be back next year and will probably beat us all.

Adam and I had a little domestic disagreement on the ice. That is to say, I don't think he was taking this competition very seriously.

Part III: Party Favors

Winners received a grab bag full of favors. But Sarah had an extra bag for losers, so that's how we wound up with a dried, compacted square of something awesome. We couldn't wait to get into warm water to see what would happen. As it turns out, not much.

Surprise! A 12-inch square SpongeBob washcloth for children. When knotted, it also made a great ball for playing catch, although I think it's fair to say that you really had to be there.

Thanks Ericksons!
(P.S. Our pizza check is in the mail!)

Supa Fantastic Ginny Gin Gin

2011-03-03T17:10:00.001-06:00

I brought in a well-respected real estate lawyer to get his opinions on my latest gin infusion. We played "You Don't Know Jack" for an evening and consumed one of the mason jars.

"Despite its pedestrian pedigree, Cub Foods' own Heritage Gin drinks like "Hero"tage gin when baptized with melange of lime, lemon, cuke and basil. Its ease on the pocketbook is paralleled only by its drink-ability and refreshment -- a true 4-time winner in the You Don't Know Jack game of drinks. In short: buy it, mix it, drink it -- you'll be richer for the experience." - Robert Q. Williams

After some partying with the Hammonds the following weekend, I am left with 2 inches of gin. That's considered a success...........right?

Here are my thoughts:

I used really, really cheap gin. It was a 1.75 liter jug of Heritage brand from Cub Foods. This is some pretty rough stuff, but the flavors masked the quality of the gin. Next time I wouldn't choose the cheapest gin I could find, but something a little better.
The basil I used was from a package in the produce section of the grocery store and I don't think it was sweet enough. The lime and lemon rinds bitter up the gin while the basil and cucumber help to mellow and sweeten. On a second attempt I would try to use a sweeter basil, which will be easier in the summer when I can grow my own. I initially thought the basil would overpower the drink, but it didn't.
I would also add more cucumber slices. Tonic water is sweetened, bitter, carbonated water. The cucumber adds a nice subtle flavor to the mix and take away some of the extremes of the other flavors.
I would only let the gin infuse for about 3 days. I noticed after 2 days the lime rinds had lost a lot of their color and the basil was starting to look wilted. Flavors can transfer to the alcohol quickly. So when the infusion is ready, strain the gin, and then transfer it back into a jar. It will last a long time and doesn't go bad. I still have my some of my bloody mary vodka and black currant infusion.

Conclusion: If you like gin and tonics, you have no reason not to try this. It's easy, tasty, cheap, and Williams approved. What more could you ask for?

The Gentle Bull

2011-03-02T19:34:00.000-06:00

Squirrels

2011-02-20T13:16:00.002-06:00

We've been fighting a losing battle with the neighborhood squirrels again this winter. I made a little peanut butter pine cone treat for the chickadees last weekend. It was a huge hit, until... (cue the Jaws soundtrack)

...Squirrel Enemy #1 popped up over the fence, surely sensing the presence of new food.

It was only a matter of time before he figured out how to grab the pine cone, cut the string, and run away with his prize. It was my best pine cone, too.

Tyler!

2011-02-19T13:03:00.004-06:00

We've had some comments on the blog lately. To the grab bag!

Tyler said...

I feel like you are getting lazy with the posts.

February 15, 2011 9:24 PM

Tyler, I absolutely agree with you. I think it has to do with the subject matter. Maybe this post will change your mind.

In other news, my parents are cleaning out their garage and brought me bins of personal items from the nineties. In addition to my first microscope and my amazing rock collection, I also have about 8 years' worth of pre-teen and teenage angst captured in Dear Diary format. Here's a sampling (spelling and grammar unchanged):

Date: 3-12-93

Today after school I said to Christopher and Tyler, "You can go ahead and play outside, but don't get into the mud."

Well they didn't get into the mud, they got into tar. They were told specifically not to play in it but they did and they got the tar all over themselves, and their clothes, and bathroom, and floor, etc., etc.

But that's not the worst part. When mom came home Christopher and Tyler were already in bed (when do they ever go to bed at 8:00? They knew they were going to be in trouble.) so mom started screaming at me. Me! I didn't do anything. She said it was all MY fault because I let them wear school clothes outside. Pardon?!

Day: D

Yes, I graded my days just like a report card. And there's plenty more where that came from. I was quite prolific in those days.

Gettin' Ginny wit It

2011-02-17T19:14:00.003-06:00

It's time for a new infusion. To help welcome the warmer seasons we will be working with Madam Geneva. Supposedly this infusion recipe will create a delicious Gin and Tonic.

Ingredients:

A handful of lime rinds

A couple lemon rinds

A few basil leaves

Some slices of cucumber

Gin, Gin, Gin

Before you create this yourself, I'll do my best to let you know how it tastes. I have my suspicions.

The Great Gatsby

2011-02-16T20:04:00.006-06:00

Nicole and I acquired a copy of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby from the Stillwater Public Library. Neither of us have read the book before and it comes in at a tidy 180 pages, helping to make it something we can both finish by the weekend. The only problem so far is that our copy has been doused in cheap high schooler cologne.
Nicole made the first attempt by reading it from an arms-length and by also holding her breath. She fell asleep at page 20, likely from a lack of oxygen. Perhaps tomorrow she can get a little further.

We started reading this book when I recently learned that a reclusive graffiti artist, undercover Hobo agent, and part-time English Teacher, Wade Laughlin, teaches this book to knowledge-starved masses in Shakopee. Hopefully he will send me the lesson plan for The Great Gatsby so that Nicole and I can then submit competing assignments to Mr. Laughlin. His grade will help finally determine the best adult high school student in the Johnson House.

And now......to the Great Gatsby Video Game to study!!!!!

Random Pics

2011-02-13T14:06:00.004-06:00

We recently received a new-to-us digital point-and-shoot camera from my parents, which is just perfect for throwing in the purse and unobtrusively capturing funny faces.

The color swap mode was interesting for awhile. Now we can match Pickles' eye color to any occasion.

It's also great for capturing party shots, when you really need to keep your hands free for beverages and gang symbols.

The current Lego Land exhibit at the Mall of America is awesome, FYI.

Finally, a few random photos from the Saint Paul Winter Carnival, which just celebrated its 125th year. It's hard to resist ice sculptures.

The Dog (and Cat) Days of Winter

2011-01-22T16:32:00.003-06:00

I must say, 2011 is off to a very unimpressive start. Despite receiving this year's powerhouse 3-in-1 flu vaccine, I suffered through a terrible week of the flu. Sick days are not as fun when you are actually sick. Then Adam contracted the longest, most drawn-out, multi-symptom cold. He recovered just in time for emergency dental surgery to remove an impacted wisdom tooth. He has spent his recovery alternating between extra-strength Motrin, Vicodin, and Metroid (the game, not the medication). And let's not even talk about the weather. Since I receive all my power from the sun, I feel very vulnerable to defeat lately.

Behold the only photos we have celebrating this awesome new year. It's been slow.

I bought Pickles a bag of grass for Christmas. It's hard to tell if she appreciated her gift.

I would say this photo, below, is fairly representative of TJ's weekend mornings, or all mornings, really.

We have been celebrating the new year by living vicariously through our friends and family. Three weeks in, and already three new births. If that doesn't call for chocolate chip cookies, I don't know what does.

I know that this looks like one super Snuggie®, but it is actually two. One for you, and one to share. And, yes, it was my favorite Christmas gift.

Just waiting, waiting, waiting for the spring. All of us.

Christmas in Mitchell

2010-12-27T18:55:00.002-06:00

We celebrated Christmas with Adam's family this year, and while we don't have many photos, we do have full stomachs and happy memories.

Winter appears to have skipped Mitchell so far this season, especially compared to the snowstorms we've had in Minnesota.

Sarah and Travis received bottling equipment for their homemade wines, so we can expect some great gifts next year.

I tried to hide a Kindle (Adam's most favorite gift) inside a sweater (Adam's least favorite gift), but he easily figured it out and quickly cast aside the sweater.

Here I am, wearing all of my gifts, in the only photo of me.

After sharing the morning with Tucker, Tux, and Isabel, poor TJ decided to call it a day and slept where he could.

Blizzard!

2010-12-18T11:42:00.012-06:00

Last weekend's blizzard really put a damper on my planned Christmas shopping. So in the interest of saving money and avoiding travel headaches, please enjoy our gift of free photos.

Day One: Super Blizzard

TJ started his snowy Saturday full of smiles, but as the day wore on, those smiles turned serious.

It took Adam awhile to comprehend the situation. We have a long driveway, two old shovels, and nearly 20 inches of snow.

Our kind neighbors arrived from the heavens to help us out. Jeremy tackled our entire driveway during the blizzard on Saturday, and Alex plowed our sidewalks and street entrance on Sunday. I can't imagine how we would have dug ourselves out without their help.

Day Two: The Aftermath

Don't let the blue skies fool you. It was C-O-L-D. The snow swallowed our Adirondack chair right up to the arms, and that part of the yard was protected from drifts, too.

I did a little extra shoveling on Sunday for fun. Poor form, I know, but the snow was heavy.

Adam refilled the bird feeder and hung out some fresh suet cakes. Those chickadees aren't going to feed themselves!

By Sunday afternoon, we had cleared a nice path through the driveway. I don't know where we'll put the next snowstorm, but we'll worry about that later.

Pickles missed all the fun outdoors, but she kept vigil at the front door all afternoon.

TJ gave up and settled in for a nap under the evergreen.

The biggest downside is that we never finished hanging all of our Christmas lights. We did get the deer up, but the doe was almost completely covered. Hopefully she'll make an appearance before spring.

I'm still having problems uploading photos, so if you want to see many more and slightly better photos, feel free to access our photos online.