Victor Teigen took the day off from work. He asked about lunch. I told him, “Bob and I going to Arbys.” I told him if he’d like to come along I’d pick him up, “I have to come downtown to deliver an order to CNV. I’ll be at your house in fifteen minutes.” Myron, Sara, Kira, and Vivian were still in town, and staying with Victor and Arlene. I spent a little time talking to Victor and looking at his computer.
Char had her last wedding as First Lutheran’s Wedding Coordinator today. Instead of giving a two-week notice she gave an 18-month notice; it seemed to take that long to find a replacement. She and Ray were invited to the reception. I dropped dad off at the Radisson just before 6 PM. As I was downtown, I thought about stopping to see Victor. Then I remembered Paul told me they were attending church this evening and would be done at 6. I killed some time at the Moorhead Hornbachers before crossing the street and waiting in the St. Joseph’s Gathering Place. Sean was the first to see me. Suzanne jokingly asked if I had attended mass. “Paul and I wanted to go Christmas shopping.” The boys wanted to ride with me. Paul, Suzanne, and Clare went to get McDonalds. Sean and I got the table ready. The ‘Avatar’ character from the happy meal went in the garbage before I could recover it. Paul and I made a quick run to Best Buy. We looked at cameras, and let the gal help us, but I already narrowed down the search to the Canon SD1200IS. Paul wasn’t interesting looking any further. He picked blue, one of only two colors left. We grabbed a SD card before leaving. Paul asked me to get the camera ready for Christmas. I charged the battery (about two hours for a full charge), formatted the card, read the manual, and tested image quality (very nice.)
Dad and I almost missed the Christmas Program at St Josephs. I knew it was today but not the time. Dad knew the time but the entire thing slipped his mind. We arrived just as it started. Mom came directly from work and saved us two spots at the corner of the stage.
Bob is excited about the Thunderbirds at the Grand Forks Air Force Base in May. I went looking for a ‘set list’ but couldn’t find a detailed list of maneuvers like I did for the Blue Angels. I did load up with Thunderbird trivia to dazzle Bob at lunch. I also noticed the Blue Angels are scheduled for St. Cloud in June- this sound very doable. I left early so I had time to buy some AA batteries at CNV. Bob met me at Taco Bell. I managed to dump my water over myself on the way to the table. But it was cold outside and I was dress in nylon shell pants and coat- the water rolled right off. Bob really seemed to like the idea of attending the St Cloud air show. I showed him my new Vivitar DF-383 flash.
Backlit F4U Corsair With Fill Flash
Across the street I stroll into the Fargo Air Museum. There is no one there to check my ID. Instead I wander over to the F4U Corsair and take some photos one week before Winter Solstice. The light is strong and pouring back half way into the museum. I photo some low angle shots, some backlit shots and then some fill flash shots with my new Vivitar flash. Outside I pulled up to the DC-3 parked to the north of the museum, and trudged through the snow to photograph ‘Duggy’ under the cold Dakota sky.
Paul bought a replacement Canon S550 digital camera on eBay for $30. He handed me the CF card from Saturday’s day at the lake. I could see the striping and color shifting that plagued their last S550. I had to break the news to Suzanne, “Your camera is dying.” She was upbeat about it, “Well, I’ll tell Paul. Christmas is coming.” I’ve been doing some research on the Internet for inexpensive P&S digital cameras.
Char got tired of our Western Pines dropping long brown needles all over our yard. They’re 33 years old and dying. When the Fischer Tree Service showed up, they knew what to do. I thought it might take a while to get started, but other than chatting with our neighbors, they got right at it.
Suzanne is the class mother for Sean’s 7th Grade Class. As such, Mr. Brunn asked if she could come up with something the class could assemble for the Roberta Johnson fundraiser silent auction. Suzanne saw a photo- spelling MOM at Victor Teigen’s home. She thought the students could spell LOVE in the same fashion. She asked if I would take the photos. Sure. She got the 5th Graders and 6 Graders to take gym together, so we could use the gymnasium. I arrived early and waited in the parking lot for Suzanne to arrive. Clare was excited to see me. She wanted me to take her photograph as we waited in the lobby. Paul came up from the kitchen while we waited for the gym class to end. Clare and I watched Tim play Battle Ball. Mr. Savre came out after the period was over, “It is amazing the difference a year makes. The 5th Grade girls were playing the game like it was the Superbowl, whereas the 6th Grade girls couldn’t care less.”
Suzanne offered up her Bison tickets, which I wasn’t sure I wanted. I changed my mind when Bob said he thought you could bring a camera without any issues. I found the same on the Fargodome’s rules and regulations page. Victor’s nephew Chris Teigen was getting married in Canby, MN. Even mom had a wedding, but dad was game. Dad and I picked up Sean and headed for the Fargodome. I climbed to the top of the seating to photograph the dome. Back on Row B I photographed some of the game. The Bison stayed in the game but were getting beat up. It was very exciting for a couple quarters. By the third quarter the rude* fans behind us shut up. By the fourth quarter the crowd started leaving, the University of Northern Iowa piled on and build up a commanding 42 to 27 victory. (Gobison.com)
*Rude fans are those that scream at the opposing team, the refs, and even our own team- obviously they can’t be heard on the field- drowned out by the roar of the crowd, instead their comments are only heard by those unfortunate bastards sitting in front of them- namely me. I really wanted to tell them to shut up, but I figured I’m outnumbered. At one point UNI scored right in front of us. The player was jumping up and down with emotion. The rude fans started screaming at the ref, “Taunting, taunting, call taunting.” To which I added, “Said the Kettle.” I thought this punch line was funny but it was obvious lost on these drunken bozos.
Sean, Ray, and I stayed to the bitter end. Bitter too was the walk back to the van. The wind was blowing and it was cold out. Dad was walking slow. I offered to get the van and pick him up but he was content to walk slow in cold.
My friend Bob called about lunch. They closed our favorite restaurant: Taco Bell downtown. I suggested the Taco Bell on 19th Avenue North. It is right on the edge of the campus so close for Bob but on the other end of town for me. To make up for the drive I decided to visit the Fargo Air Museum afterwards. (Across the street) After ordering two lovely young ladies came in and said, “Hi Bob.” When Bob came around the corner with his tray, I spoke up, “Hi Bob.” Some of the other patrons looked up, questioning who is this popular Bob? The ladies in question were coaches for the Women’s NDSU Basketball Team.
Suzanne Smiles Over Cake
Paul made a turkey dinner for Suzanne’s birthday. Unfortunately she had a bad hotdog at the NDSU Bison football game and wasn’t feeling well for much of the meal. For dessert Paul made a German Chocolate cake. It looked really good, but I handed my slice to Sean. I didn’t want to risk the chocolate triggering another daylong headache. Suzanne was in good spirits blowing out the candles, opening her gifts and reading the cards.
