Guard Cat

STO-mp!
Sto-MP!

went
the
deer's
hoof.



SWI-I-I-ISH! swirled the cat's tail.



Sno-ORT!


the
deer
tried
again.



Cre-ee-ee-eep! the cat moved in.

UP!

went the white flags.

Br-UMP! BRR-ump!

Mom and fawn loped away.

Guard Cat saves the day!

A Man of Vision

"Have you ever seen
Lonesome Dove?" our neighbor-
ing mason asked when he arrived Thursday to work at our place.


Being my journalist self, I'd started to ask him a bunch of questions

which spurred this one of his.

I shook my head and replied, "Not much, but bits and pieces."

"Well," Jack continued "There's a place at the end of the movie where (to the main character) a reporter shouts out: 'They say you're a man of vision. Is that true?' And he says, 'Yeah, one hellava vision.'

"You just relax, Wendy, because I have a vision here," our neighbor grinned. "You're gonna love it!"


Weeks ago,
Dan sought out Jack
to discuss
the drainage trouble
we have
behind the house
when rain pours
so fast that

it overflows
the gutters,

runs down the hill

and creates washouts
in our gravel driveway.

About a year after moving into our house (in 1998), we had a very wet summer.

During a particular downpour, rain overflowed the gutters, puddled behind the house and caused flooding in our basement.


Since then we've diligently cleared our gutters with the onset

of every rain which washes debris from the roof into the gutters.

There's nothing quite like jumping out of bed a 2 AM, climbing a ladder, and sweeping maple flowers, seeds or leaves from the gutter downspouts while rain pours, thunder booms and lightning flashes overhead.

As a temp-
orary fix, we leaned long boards against the house creating a slope to carry water away from the foundation.

And during July's 6-inch downpour, the boys and I dug out sloping channels to empty pools that started to form.


We explained all this to Jack noting,

we'd rather not have those kinds of worries.


After weighing many options, we decided to take solid action. We hoped to slope the ground away from the foundation, put down cement and form a trough underneath the roof gutters.


We wanted
to build up
the incline
behind the house
to get rid of
the deep ruts
and
maybe
even
lay a pad
in front of
the porch where
we park the car
to unload groceries.


With those instruc-
tions, Jack began to envision a "master
piece" using the "greatest substance in the world."

"No, not TAR!"
the mason corrected Noah.

"That's a naughty word around here.

"It's called CONCRETE or CEMENT."

Jack, his two crew members and three cement truck drivers worked together to make the vision come true.


Being

A
Man
of
Vision,

Jack
returned
for
finishing
work
TODAY...




...which
happens
to be
our
17th
Wedding
Anni-
versary.






He's right:



We
DO
love
it!



Now where do we get a hold of Lonesome Dove?

Musical Morning

Oh! What a musical morning.
Oh! What a delightful day.
I've got a fabulous feeling.
God's gotta plan for today.

There's a bright golden haze on the meadow.
There's a bright golden haze from the sun.
There's a bright golden haze reflecting the rays
on the creek by the road where we run.


Sharing sunrise scenes as I sing and run the boyS into school for Zero-Hour (i.e. 7:15 AM) Band Class. That's right! This year in high school band, we've got got TWO: Isaac, a tenth-grade clarinetist, and Aaron, an eighth-grade flutist. Due to a large number of band graduates last year (including three flutists) Aaron was invited to join the high musicians who are preparing for next spring's band and choir trip to Nashville.

Wishing you a Musical Morning from Along Life's Road.

Who are You?

You gotta love the lake! Every time we go there, the boys find fun.

Over Labor Day weekend, we returned to my grandparents' place. This time the boys' aunts, uncles and cousins gathered there too.

One morning I heard a voice through the garage door yelling: "Mom! You've gotta come see this!"

Being our third trip here this summer, I understood the insinuated command: "Bring your camera down to shore!"

As I arrived, Isaac was standing in the water holding something in his hand.

He extended his arm, to show how a hefty frog calmly sat on his wrist, saying:

"Check this out this.

That's when an extensive photo shoot with "Frank the Frog" began.


I asked Isaac to turn, so I could take the frog's side portrait.

As I aimed, Frank made an about face, not just once - but every time, I aimed the camera for a side shot.


We all laughed. Finally, I conceded to Frank's wishes, "I guess he wants us to catch his BEST side."


"Try one from under-
neath," my nephew Drew suggested.

Frank
sat
still

as I composed shots capturing his yellow throat and white belly.

In time, Frank's nervous-
ness subsided. Or maybe, the photo-
genic frog grasped what the nutsy photographer wanted and cooperated for this side portrait.

"Okay. Now watch this," Isaac said. He dipped his hand into the water to release Frank and said, "Swim little guy. Swim."

Frank grasped onto Isaac's arm. Isaac turned his arm up, "Come on, swim."

As the frog launched himself, Isaac put his hands out in front of Frank and the frog swam right back into them.

To our amazement, Isaac repeated the procedure. Then Frank swam up to shore,


posing

patiently

for

more

portraits.



"Who are You?" I asked, as I often do of critters who cooperate so readily.

"Were you somebody's pet? Or are you just ready to hibernate? You're so calm... so friendly... Frank the Frog."

A true frog - a green frog - rana clamitans.

All the Way Through

As
the
game

wound
down

to
the

"Two
Minute
Warning,"



camera men filmed other Metrodome scenes for the "Big Screen."








Smile
Aaron
and
Isaac!





Wave
Bradley



and
Isaac!






Thanks
Kristine
and
Sharon...


for sharing
your view
and
Viking Spirit






All

the

Way

Through!



(We made it to the Lake by 12:35 AM. How 'bout you?)

Moving Up Close

Earlier in the week, Kristine (the youth director) had advised me that to thoroughly enjoy the game, we should get


a "BIG" tub of popcorn and "BIG" mugs of pop - both souvenir items. Digging into the popcorn, Pastor Chris ventured a guess that "it'll take us a week" to get through it.



In fact,
our group
emptied
the tub
during
the game's
third
quarter.



About that time, Kristine called Justin's cellphone and talked with Pastor Chris. He stood up waving his program so she might see where we were located - four rows from the Treasure Island wall.

Being a season ticket holder, Kristine and her mom were sitting opposite us, behind the goal posts.

(Check out this lucky shot with them following a touchdown.)

Kristine said seven seats behind their row had just been vacated. In a Bob-Barker fashion, she invited to "Come On Down"


out of the Nose-Bleed Zone

(Notice the red arrow marking where we were)



for a closer view.



The Vikings had just scored while we were en route. As we took our new seats, we watched Vikings Mascot "Ragnar" dance along with the Vikings cheerleaders.






Woo-Hoo!




Let the fun begin...






Moving

Up

Close!

Blowing the Horn...

began
as
the
team
entered
via
the
Viking
ship.


"Show
Your
Horns"
is the
team motto.

Fans sitting ahead of us followed suit.






The Viking gjallarhorn blew again and again for plays like this one ----

the team's third of four game touchdowns as well as one field goal.




Flag flyers (below), a drum corp, kid suiting-up races, trivia games for home-on-leave military members, "Angie" of the Game drawing, junior high football exhibitions and many more activities filled any gap time between plays.

As novice attenders, we learned coming to a Vikings game compares to a multi-ring circus show.

Thanks to an older couple (from our church) who sat next to me, I was able to use their binoculars


to spot the Vikings' new Star of the Show.

They told me the team's starters were on the sidelines

dressed in gray t-shirts and black pants. She advised, "Look for the one with the white hat. We believe that's him!"


And so I caught this glimpse of the Vikings latest "piece of the puzzle" -- much-sought-after, come-out-of-retirement-again -- quarterback
BRETT FARVE!


May I now Blow the Horn and bid: "Hello" to all my Packers-fan friends!
Uffda...of the true Norwegian sort.

Taking the Train

(albeit
Minne-
apolis'
Light
Rail)

was a
first-time
experience
for







Noah













Isaac

















Justin














and

Aaron.










None of these boys claimed to be a Vikings football fan,

but all decided to join the fun organized by our church youth director

(a veteran season-ticket holder)

during Faith and Family night at tonight's last preseason game


held at
the
Hubert H.
Humphrey
Metro-
dome.

Yes! This IS Vikings Country.


And they're playing the Dallas Cowboys!

Grab your oxygen mask and tissues to join us in our bargain, "nose-bleed" seats while we experience Viking-mania first hand.