Dimensions friends -
We just had a wonderful week - full of interesting and joyful things. This post is a slightly modified version of an e-mail message I just sent to friends - friends toward whom I felt guilty for not corresponding for a while.
Please read through to the final paragraphs. It is what we live for.
Ho Ho Tai.
Hello Friends -
I apologize to all of you to whom I owe replies - several to each of you. I hope you will not judge me harshly for sending out this rather non-specific reply, for now, and more detailed individual responses later.
We drove up on Sunday, taking Mrs Ho Ho's RAV- 4. Not enough room in it for two bikes and a week's luggage, so just took the Cannondale. I had toyed with the idea of having her drop me and the bike at Hinckley and biking the 75 miles to Duluth. But the Munger Trail website indicated detours and construction in the northern portion. Decided it was better to get in some biking in Duluth, or along the North Shore.
Even though we always leave the condo 'turnkey ready' there is always a bit of set-up to do. We are well-versed and coordinated in this. Mrs Ho Ho takes care of the electronics, I check things out, make up the beds, et c. This time, there was a bit of a mystery. The handle was broken off the microwave and the unit was unresponsive. Clearing the breaker brought back the power and function. A bit of Gorilla Glue took care of the handle. No idea who was in there. Key distribution is very limited. Nothing else was disturbed.
Monday was the All-Union Labor Day picnic. We spent a couple of hour there 'showing the colors' which in our case are IBEW Local 242. The activity was equally divided between eating, face-painting (Beth offered to paint my beard green. I declined.) and politics - handshaking, handouts, speeches - all directed to getting labor folks on board. Not a Tea Party sign to be seen.
Amy Klobuchar, one of our MN senators, was in Washington D.C. Her famous dad, Jim Klobuchar, stood in for her, 83 y.o., looking 50, been everywhere, done everything, and written about it. If anything he is more liberal than his daughter. Speaking to the crowd, he enjoined us not to move away from the Democratic Party (which, in MN, I still think of as the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) party. I nearly shouted out to him, "Jim, we're right where we have always been. It's the DFL that is moving - full speed to the right." I kept my mouth shut, but may write to him. Incidentally, he still hosts the annual Jaunt with Jim Minnesota bike ride, as he has for 35 years. I'd love to do that with him, but am waiting a few more years for him to slow down a bit.
Tuesday, took things a bit easy, as one is supposed to do on vacation, reading, working a bit, and enjoying the view of the lake from our window (see below).
Wednesday - decided to do a bit of biking. Mrs Ho Ho didn't have her bike, so drove sag wagon for me. I decided to see how far I could get up the North Shore. Hwy 61, the scenic route along the shore, is quite nice for biking, with good shoulders and not too much traffic. It is not level, as you might expect a shore rode to be, but rather rolling (due to the same glacial action which created the lake basin) up-and-down-and-up-and-down, gradually increasing elevation as you go from Duluth to Two Harbors. The distance is not that great (only 23 miles and the Grandma's Marathon route).It can still be a stiff work-out, but not exhausting (even as I near 74 years of age) - until you factor in a rather hot sun, little shade and (that day) no cooling lake breeze.)
By the time I reached Two Harbors, I had no thought of continuing on to Split Rock Lighthouse or riding back into the sun, so we called it a day, loaded up the bike, and drove home. I'm happy to report that the Cannondale, with it's new high-pressure tires, was magnificent and that I suffered no ill effects which couldn't be handled by a beer and a good night's sleep. We may try that run later in the month or in October.
I did stop for some pix but don't have them on the computer yet.
Thursday, I reconnected with a college classmate from my days at UMD (Physics, Math - '59) We met on 'our' bench - a resting place near an on-campus nature center and connected with our scholarship program, the Philemon & Baucis Fund. We talked a lot, hiked a bit, and found ourselves interested in many of the same things. This may well be because we are each interested in many things and there was bound to be some overlap. I am looking forward to many more talks and adventures with this fellow. I think that those of you who are local residents would enjoy meeting him also, if the timing is right.
Thursday evening was our annual condo picnic. Many fine people there, and more arriving. We are starting to feel like a real community. Our part in this semi-potluck was a number of tubs of ice cream and sherbet, along with bowls full of blue-and-strawberries. Everyone had their fill and we wound up taking the rest back, dining on berries daily until we finished off the last one.
Friday - by far the most exciting day, and for a reason which, while expected, still caught us by surprise. Our scholarship fund has selected, and granted an award, to it's first recipient. Part of our requirement was that the recipient have an interest and involvement in extra-curricular activities involving volunteering - supporting the environment, distributing meals, almost anything which demonstrated high energy and a focused heart and mind. The applicant was to write a one-page essay describing these activities and also how s/he could (and would, if they had formulated a plan) use the scholarship funds and education to "Pay it Forward" as they moved through their careers and lives.
We met with the person in charge of Development for the Science & Technology Office for coffee. She surprised us by announcing that the grant had been awarded and showed us the winning essay. I can't break confidentiality here, but can say the following: she is from a country which has been torn apart by war and is still rebuilding. She has very specific plans to apply her technological learning to environmental problems in her country which resulted from that war and from the efforts to rebuild the economy. She expressed much of her background and her goals in a very succinct, articulate - and even poetic - opening paragraph. The balance was filled with documented examples of her hundreds of hours of volunteer work, covering many activities and human needs.
(I would comment that her command of English and of topic organization and presentation is far better than my own. I would be happy to take a course in English and essay-writing from her.)
Mrs Ho Ho and I read her essay and were astonished and overjoyed. We know that others applied for this scholarship (a pittance, by the way - though one which will grow with time.) Our only regret is that we do not yet have to resources to grant funds to every applicant, and in sufficient amounts to make a real difference.
I can't overestimate the joy we experienced at seeing this culmination to the whole process, which started years ago with small donations to scholarships named for some former professors. Neither can I overestimate the joy that Mrs Ho Ho and I have had together for the decades of our married life and the decade of friendship before that. We realized long ago what a happy happenstance it was for us to have connected at all - and because of statistics, of all things. (That's a story which some of you know already, and which will have to wait for another time for the rest of you.) Having few yet alive on earth to thank for the things which brought us together, the alternative was to "Pay it Forward" to give future generations the same chance.
We do not feel at all that our obligation to the future is now complete. We will continue trying to satisfy this as long as we are still alive.
Ho Ho Tai
View attachment condo lake-1 9-04-11 (1:4 scale).jpg
We just had a wonderful week - full of interesting and joyful things. This post is a slightly modified version of an e-mail message I just sent to friends - friends toward whom I felt guilty for not corresponding for a while.
Please read through to the final paragraphs. It is what we live for.
Ho Ho Tai.
Hello Friends -
I apologize to all of you to whom I owe replies - several to each of you. I hope you will not judge me harshly for sending out this rather non-specific reply, for now, and more detailed individual responses later.
We drove up on Sunday, taking Mrs Ho Ho's RAV- 4. Not enough room in it for two bikes and a week's luggage, so just took the Cannondale. I had toyed with the idea of having her drop me and the bike at Hinckley and biking the 75 miles to Duluth. But the Munger Trail website indicated detours and construction in the northern portion. Decided it was better to get in some biking in Duluth, or along the North Shore.
Even though we always leave the condo 'turnkey ready' there is always a bit of set-up to do. We are well-versed and coordinated in this. Mrs Ho Ho takes care of the electronics, I check things out, make up the beds, et c. This time, there was a bit of a mystery. The handle was broken off the microwave and the unit was unresponsive. Clearing the breaker brought back the power and function. A bit of Gorilla Glue took care of the handle. No idea who was in there. Key distribution is very limited. Nothing else was disturbed.
Monday was the All-Union Labor Day picnic. We spent a couple of hour there 'showing the colors' which in our case are IBEW Local 242. The activity was equally divided between eating, face-painting (Beth offered to paint my beard green. I declined.) and politics - handshaking, handouts, speeches - all directed to getting labor folks on board. Not a Tea Party sign to be seen.
Amy Klobuchar, one of our MN senators, was in Washington D.C. Her famous dad, Jim Klobuchar, stood in for her, 83 y.o., looking 50, been everywhere, done everything, and written about it. If anything he is more liberal than his daughter. Speaking to the crowd, he enjoined us not to move away from the Democratic Party (which, in MN, I still think of as the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) party. I nearly shouted out to him, "Jim, we're right where we have always been. It's the DFL that is moving - full speed to the right." I kept my mouth shut, but may write to him. Incidentally, he still hosts the annual Jaunt with Jim Minnesota bike ride, as he has for 35 years. I'd love to do that with him, but am waiting a few more years for him to slow down a bit.
Tuesday, took things a bit easy, as one is supposed to do on vacation, reading, working a bit, and enjoying the view of the lake from our window (see below).
Wednesday - decided to do a bit of biking. Mrs Ho Ho didn't have her bike, so drove sag wagon for me. I decided to see how far I could get up the North Shore. Hwy 61, the scenic route along the shore, is quite nice for biking, with good shoulders and not too much traffic. It is not level, as you might expect a shore rode to be, but rather rolling (due to the same glacial action which created the lake basin) up-and-down-and-up-and-down, gradually increasing elevation as you go from Duluth to Two Harbors. The distance is not that great (only 23 miles and the Grandma's Marathon route).It can still be a stiff work-out, but not exhausting (even as I near 74 years of age) - until you factor in a rather hot sun, little shade and (that day) no cooling lake breeze.)
By the time I reached Two Harbors, I had no thought of continuing on to Split Rock Lighthouse or riding back into the sun, so we called it a day, loaded up the bike, and drove home. I'm happy to report that the Cannondale, with it's new high-pressure tires, was magnificent and that I suffered no ill effects which couldn't be handled by a beer and a good night's sleep. We may try that run later in the month or in October.
I did stop for some pix but don't have them on the computer yet.
Thursday, I reconnected with a college classmate from my days at UMD (Physics, Math - '59) We met on 'our' bench - a resting place near an on-campus nature center and connected with our scholarship program, the Philemon & Baucis Fund. We talked a lot, hiked a bit, and found ourselves interested in many of the same things. This may well be because we are each interested in many things and there was bound to be some overlap. I am looking forward to many more talks and adventures with this fellow. I think that those of you who are local residents would enjoy meeting him also, if the timing is right.
Thursday evening was our annual condo picnic. Many fine people there, and more arriving. We are starting to feel like a real community. Our part in this semi-potluck was a number of tubs of ice cream and sherbet, along with bowls full of blue-and-strawberries. Everyone had their fill and we wound up taking the rest back, dining on berries daily until we finished off the last one.
Friday - by far the most exciting day, and for a reason which, while expected, still caught us by surprise. Our scholarship fund has selected, and granted an award, to it's first recipient. Part of our requirement was that the recipient have an interest and involvement in extra-curricular activities involving volunteering - supporting the environment, distributing meals, almost anything which demonstrated high energy and a focused heart and mind. The applicant was to write a one-page essay describing these activities and also how s/he could (and would, if they had formulated a plan) use the scholarship funds and education to "Pay it Forward" as they moved through their careers and lives.
We met with the person in charge of Development for the Science & Technology Office for coffee. She surprised us by announcing that the grant had been awarded and showed us the winning essay. I can't break confidentiality here, but can say the following: she is from a country which has been torn apart by war and is still rebuilding. She has very specific plans to apply her technological learning to environmental problems in her country which resulted from that war and from the efforts to rebuild the economy. She expressed much of her background and her goals in a very succinct, articulate - and even poetic - opening paragraph. The balance was filled with documented examples of her hundreds of hours of volunteer work, covering many activities and human needs.
(I would comment that her command of English and of topic organization and presentation is far better than my own. I would be happy to take a course in English and essay-writing from her.)
Mrs Ho Ho and I read her essay and were astonished and overjoyed. We know that others applied for this scholarship (a pittance, by the way - though one which will grow with time.) Our only regret is that we do not yet have to resources to grant funds to every applicant, and in sufficient amounts to make a real difference.
I can't overestimate the joy we experienced at seeing this culmination to the whole process, which started years ago with small donations to scholarships named for some former professors. Neither can I overestimate the joy that Mrs Ho Ho and I have had together for the decades of our married life and the decade of friendship before that. We realized long ago what a happy happenstance it was for us to have connected at all - and because of statistics, of all things. (That's a story which some of you know already, and which will have to wait for another time for the rest of you.) Having few yet alive on earth to thank for the things which brought us together, the alternative was to "Pay it Forward" to give future generations the same chance.
We do not feel at all that our obligation to the future is now complete. We will continue trying to satisfy this as long as we are still alive.
Ho Ho Tai
View attachment condo lake-1 9-04-11 (1:4 scale).jpg
