Eddie Tubridy – Jake & Eddie’s Excellent Adventure 😎🐶

My Little Sister

I first met Billy in 8th grade Latin class. I quickly discovered that he had a speedboat, and Billy and I became friends. I also quickly discovered that Billy had a sidekick—his sister, Laura. We automatically became friends as I hung out a lot with Billy. I fondly remember her riding around on her Yamaha minibike!

Later, when I went to Community College, I got Laura a job at the Pizza Parlor where I worked. She would tend the bar when I went out back to smoke a joint or partake in other similarly nefarious activities. She worked there when she came home from school in the summer. After she graduated and started working, she supplemented her income by working at a pizza parlor in Atlanta.

My parents’ house in Irvine, California, where Laura came to visit during her first year of college in Colorado. My girlfriend Holly is sitting next to Dad.

When I moved to Califonia in 1975, Laura started college in Fort Collins, Colorado. I would end up living there some 15 years later. She only spent one year there before transferring to the University of Georgia. In the meantime, she visited me around the holidays before I started school.

She got a Master’s degree in education and began teaching in the school systems north of Atlanta. One of the towns she was teaching in became famous for modern-day Klu Klux Clan meetings!

With my brother Rick on his boat in Cocoa Beach sometime in the early 1990s.

Many years passed. Laura was great about staying in touch, and I knew I would get a birthday card from her! We occasionally saw each other in Cocoa Beach during the holidays when we were home visiting family.

Laura at her condo in 1996. She was living there when I moved to Atlanta. Several years later, she moved into her house in Lawrenceville. I made her a cabinet as a housewarming present!

In early 1996, I moved to Georgia to become rich during the software boom of the 1990s. It all happened quickly, and I didn’t tell her I was coming. After I got settled, I went to her house, but—alas—she wasn’t home. I left my business card on her door, which had a similar effect! She was surprised!

Laura with my brother Dave and his family while they were visiting me. This shot was taken in the house I rented on the northern outskirts of Atlanta.

I ended up living in Atlanta for 19 years while she was there. In the first 10 years, we spent a lot of time together. We had season tickets to Broadway shows at the Fox Theater. We probably saw three dozen different performances. We saw a couple of concerts; one that I remember was Crosby, Stills, and Nash. She helped me out often, including letting me live with her for a while when my second marriage was crumbling. I became her furniture designer, making several lovely pieces over the years.

In my kitchen in Cocoa Beach with my pup Jake during one of her visits. She came down regularly to help her Mom, who was on her own by then. We would go to art shows during the holidays and find good places to eat.

Alas, I never got rich and moved back to Cocoa Beach in 2014. She was coming there frequently to help her Mom. Her dad had passed away several years earlier, so she would travel here three or more times a year.

Laura with Ziggy at her Mom’s house. We would meet there to watch the boat parade held in early December every year.

We spend time together going to art shows and various places to eat. In 2015, we went on a Caribbean cruise that hosted Progressive Rock concerts.

Laura was a gifted seamstress, making me this beautiful bedspread and a quilt with drums on it.

My brother has a house in North Carolina near the Georgia border. Laura visited me on a trip I took there in 2017. We had dinner at Wolfgang’s in Highlands, North Carolina. We both were fond of German food, and Wolfgang’s was one of the best!

We had been contemplating a cruise to Alaska for quite some time. Finally, when I retired in 2018, we embarked on a week-long cruise, followed by a land adventure to Denali National Park.

Yakutat Bay – Hubbard Glacier – Alaska 2019

It was a fantastic trip, and we got along great for two weeks. The highlight was an unbelievably fantastic helicopter ride to a glacier. I will never forget that ride and was happy we did it together!

We felt on top of the world when we took a fantastic helicopter ride to Yanert Glacier near Denali National Park. The trip to Alaska was spectacular, with clear skies and warm temperatures. It was a superb memory!

Her Mom passed away in the early 2020s. She made plans to move to Tennessee to be near Billy. I got to see her a couple of times there. On my last trip in June 2024, I saw her beautiful newly remodeled house and spent some time with just her.

I visited Laura twice in Tennessee. In 2022, I was with Bill and her on a visit to the Oakridge National Laboratory near their homes outside Knoxville.

Laura was one of the few people I knew who genuinely made a difference in the world. Although she didn’t have any children of her own, she nurtured hundreds of students as a teacher. She specialized in working with kids with learning disabilities, serving as a bridge to the real world for many of them.

Laura on my boat in the Indian River Lagoon in the late 2010s.

I was married to a woman with a young daughter, Lindsay. Laura and Lindsay became good friends after I bowed out, and I was always pleased about that. She had a natural way of dealing with young children that I admired.

But most of all, she was an incredible friend. I was not always a good friend to her, though. Regardless, I was able to make amends for my more dastardly behavior, and she forgave me. She did insist on reminding me about it from time to time afterward. That was a part of her personality, which I also learned to accept—part of the process!

Alaska 2019 — Laura chows down at Tracy’s King Crab Shack in Juneau. Although she was allergic to fish, crab was one of her favorite seafood dishes.

She used to say I was her little sister. I liked that, especially as the years went by. I could talk to her about most things, and she would listen. Not a lot of people do that very well. She was one of them, and I am thankful for that.

Travel on Inside Passage in 2019. Life is good!

Rest in peace, Little Sister ❤️

The Ranch 🐴

Dave & Lisa’s own private Idaho nestled deep in the mountains of North Carolina.

It’s big fun this October as two monster hurricanes rip Florida up. I had planned to visit Brother Dave in mid-October. The timing couldn’t have been better!

Hurricane Season

Something about this Sunday
It’s a most peculiar day
Strollin’ down the avenue
That’s known as A1A
Feelin’ tired and then I got inspired
I knew that it wouldn’t last long
So all alone I walked back home
Sat on the beach and then I made up this song
Jimmy Buffett ~ Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season

Florida hosted two terrifying hurricanes in the past couple of weeks. Helene stomped North Carolina just short of Scaly Mountian.

4 1/2 mile eyewall – 185 mph winds

Milton came out of nowhere – and became a terrifying Cat 5 that churned up the Gulf for a couple of days before scaring the death out of everybody in central Florida. Just to keep things saucy, some killer tornados were spawned. One took the roof off the bank a mere mile north of here. Big fun!

I rode out the storm at Brother Ricks on the mainland and checked things out the next day.

My power pole in the condominium parking lot is due east of me. You can see my yellow shed to the left. The fence came down, too. I had been held up mainly by the bamboo for quite a while now.

The rotten power pole, the object of my scorn for eight years, finally bit the fucking dust and blew over. Good riddance. A new one was installed the day I left for The Ranch.

Scaly Mountain Redux

Lisa and Dave bought their first mountain home about 15 years ago in Scaly Mountian, North Carolina. They have spent much time there recently and were looking for something bigger. They found a lovely, modern house with a spectacular view!

It was initially a horse ranch with a stable and holding pens. Compared to their old place, it is way off the beaten path. It is simply stunning, with a killer west view for sunsets!

Burning palettes on the Ranch! It’s time for rural fun as we channel our inner pyromaniacs and hang with the pups.

The temperature dropped into the 30s. 🥶 We spent a day burning pallets in a fire pit and reminisced about our younger years as pyromaniacs!

I retold the story of the burning can of acetone and discovered Brother Rick had done nearly the same thing!

Hunters Moon in the pasture near the Ranch.

The full moon for October, the Hunters Moon, was stunning from the pasture near their house.

Comet C/2023 A3 on its way to a fiery end in the Sun

We were greeted by their neighbors, who invited us into their home with a breathtaking westward view. They had been stargazing and found the recently discovered comet C/2023 A3. What a fantastic sight!

The Beast 🧌

Dave bought the previous owner’s riding lawn mower. It was quite a beast! I took it for a quick spin—it was enormous fun!

It was a relaxing week. Dave and I built a shoe bench for the garage. Jake and I took some easy walks through the woods.

Smokey Mountain Color

We went on some drives to check out the Fall color. It was just starting to get good! We drove one day into Smokey Mountain National Park near Cherokee, North Carolina.

We also drove into Highlands. The main road between Highlands and Scaly Mountian was severely damaged and closed the day I left. A couple of fallen trees were also in the woods around their house.

We headed home a week later to our new power home. Praying to the almighty Spaghetti Monster for no more fucking hurricanes this year. Ramen!

Bonus!

Starship launch in Texas with spectacular catch of the first stage by giant chopsticks!

Brought to us by brother Dave’s Starlink connection. Lasers in the jungle, indeed!

Compass Rose table top

Celebrating ten years back home at 28° 19′ N by 80° 36′ W!

This year marks my tenth anniversary of returning home. It’s mind-boggling, really, that it’s been that long, but then again, it’s pretty hard to believe that next year will mark my seventh year of existence here on Mother Earth.

As noted elsewhere, I developed a passion for woodworking early. In my first ‘garage/shop’ in Washington, I proudly displayed a hand-lettered sign that said:

He With The Most Toys Wins!

When I moved to Germany in 1987, I closed shop until my return three years later. I had moved back to Colorado and was living the dream, traveling around the world and working at Hewlett-Packard’s corporate machine. I outfitted my basement as my first dedicated woodworking shop with new stationary tools. There was an excellent lumber store in Fort Collins. I used our most excellent 2D CAD system—ME 10—and started designing and building the furniture for my new home in the Rockies.

CAD drawing for Teak Stereo Cabinet circa 1993

For a while, I thought Colorado might be my new home. I liked it there. Unfortunately, the job was changing fast, and I found myself on the outside looking in. In a stunning display of madness, I made a sharp right turn and ended up in Atlanta for nearly 19 years. The last 15 years were spent as a different version of myself, constantly at odds with the part I left on the left coast.

When I finally escaped the madness, I ended up back where it started: Cocoa Beach. I was home and have now lived here longer than anywhere else. I had envisioned this day for decades, which was one reason I moved to the Southeast in the mid-1990s. After I retired in 2020, I built a dedicated shop in my backyard.

Before I escaped, I had to refinish that first piece of furniture that I built for myself (and still owned). I screwed up and sanded through the teak veneer while refinishing it. After moving back, I had an idea to replace the top with a compass rose with the position of Cocoa Beach on it. It was on my list for over ten years before I acted.

When I first saw the Shaper Origin router demonstrated several years ago, it showed a craftsman using it to inlay a compass rose on a hardwood floor. That is precisely what I was looking for! My comments concerning this incredible tool are elsewhere.

Build

AutoCAD design sans lettering. I used this for the individual segments.

I created the base layout using AutoCAD, imported it into Shaper Studio, and added the lettering.

My idea was to use walnut and maple for the rose pieces and zebrawood for the ring segments. The background would be quarter-sawn mahogany, and the lettering would be maple.

The lettering capabilities had recently been upgraded, and I found a simple letter font that worked well for inlay. There is no lettering on a curve capability yet, but manually rotating the letters worked well enough.

**Shaper Studio.** The base design was imported as a DXF. The lettering was added using the Text feature. The interior parts of the rose (not shown here) were cut out separately.

I quickly learned that paying attention to the jig used to lay out the optical tape for the router pays off. I try to keep everything coplanar and provide surfaces for moving the tape smoothly. Once a good set of markers is established, I am always stunned at the router’s accuracy and repeatability.

**Routing layout.** The mahogany veneer is glued to 1/8 inch baltic birch and is held securely with screws and double-sided tape. The additional panels on top and bottom have been adjusted to be approximately co-planer with the work. Everything is screwed or taped onto the 1/2-inch MDF underlayment. Optical tape is applied every three inches.

The first step is to cut the main layout, which is cut precisely as designed. Offset is added when cutting the ‘puzzle’ pieces to facilitate assembly.

**Cutting the main layout.** The display is zoomed out to show the entire work area. Everything was aligned visually against reference points on the veneer.

**Completed cutout.** The only adjustments needed are to cut the ‘points’ when the inlaid pieces are added.

Double-sided tape keeps the pieces in place, and the through cuts are made. The cut pieces are easily removed by gently lifting them with a small, smooth pry bar.

The next step was to cut out the interior pieces. I used the Shaper Workstation to do this. I learned that adding about 0.005″ inch offset to make these pieces undersized made for easy placement with no sacrifice in appearance.

**Interior pieces** are cut out quickly using the Shaper Workstation.

**Final Layout.** I cut out 12 Zebrawood ring segments so the grain ran roughly parallel to the radial lines. The final result was exquisite.

The next step was new for me and involved cutting the letters directly out of 0.030″ wood veneer with a paper backing. The letters were small, too, especially some of the symbols. I held the veneer with double-sided tape and cut the letters to size. I was impressed at how resilient the cut letters were when removing them from the tape and cleaning the edges. It was much easier than I anticipated.

**Inlaying the lettering.** I used the Shaper Plate to cut a slightly oversized pocket to glue the cut letters. A 0.008-inch offset was about correct for the thinner veneer.

The final step was to add the coordinates. I used the original larger design to facilitate cutting the pockets for the individual letters. I was impressed with how accurately I could set up the tool paths using visual references.

**Adding the coordinates**: I returned to the larger cutter layout to apply the smaller coordinate letters. I used the N letter to visually align the layout of the work. Again, I was impressed at the tool’s accuracy, as the letters aligned perfectly with the original design.

**Inlaying work done.** Coordinates were added to the ring.

Cutting the slightly smaller letters, including the small degree and minute symbol, was no problem. I glued each one in as I cut them. This was, again, much easier than I anticipated.

Final with Paduak frame and finished with Monocoat pure and Sheen.

The final step was to cut to size and add the outer edge. I used Paduak for this, which I thought made the piece pop.

♋︎ Numbers

I have always been fascinated by numbers. There are two from my early childhood that stick out.

45

When I was in elementary school, I was a crossing guard. If you can believe it, they let elementary school kids stand at the crossing for the other kids attending school. I wanted the job because you got this ultra-cool sash that you wore.

I remember standing at the corner of Minuteman Causeway and Brevard with my cool crossing guard sash on, helping the other kids who basically ignored us 🤣. For whatever reason, I was thinking about the turn of the century, which was still many years off. I did the math and determined I would be 45! I was stunned – I guess it was the first time I actually wondered what my life would be like as an adult. I know for sure now that whatever happened, I would be 45 at the turn of the century.

I thought about this over and over until it actually occurred. At the time, I had gotten married for the second time to a woman with a six-year-old daughter. I didn’t see that one coming! 😳

69

This year, I turned 69. It is a unique number in a couple of ways.

It is known as a semi-prime because it is the product of two prime numbers, 3 and 23. Prime numbers have always fascinated me

If you multiply 69 by all the individual numbers preceding it (aka factorial), you get the value 1.711224524×10⁹⁸. When electronic calculators came out, they had an upper limit of 10¹⁰⁰(also known as a googol). So, if your calculator had a factorial operation, you could get this number to appear. Any number higher than 69 would give you an error. I remember trying it out on my brand-spanking-new TI-56 programmable calculator when I was in engineering school.

As an image – well – I don’t need to tell you what that means. It is universally known!

♋️

I was in junior high school riding home from school one afternoon. The junior high school was further away than the old elementary school, and in the afternoon, you always had to fight the strong breezes coming from the ocean to get home. I used to dread it 😆.

Somebody earlier in the day told me the ‘naughty’ meaning of 69 😍. For whatever reason, I remember riding home that afternoon fighting the hurricane wind and thinking to myself:

Why would anybody want to do that?

Happy Birthday to Me 😎

Homeland

Cades Cove ~ Smokey Mountian National Park

After our excursion into America’s Heartland, I was homeward bound. I stopped and visited some friends in Tennessee. They live in Tennessee’s version of Florida’s Villages. Conspiracy theories abound here, as I parked my trailer under a Trump flag! I was in the presence of the Global Elite, and they didn’t even realize who they were. It was a truly surrealistic experience.

Tellico Lake Floating with the Christian Nationalists. Bless their hearts!

We did have a nice visit to the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center in Townsend, followed by a long, slow drive into Cades Cove. This early settlement was absorbed unwillingly into the National Park—more seeds of discontent for the Federal Government.

We left, heading southeast towards the coast. The drive through the Smokey Mountains was beautiful. We did the same drive last year but headed south toward Scaly Mountian, NC. This time, we went east and left the mountains once more for the less interesting drive to the coast and back home.👩🏿‍🦳

Lessons from The Heartland

What did I learn about the Heartland?

Corn 🌽 is King!
It’s fucking big! I am glad I took as much time as possible to see what I did, but I think it is enough for one lifetime.
⬆️ The vibe improved considerably the further north I went. ⬇️ It pretty much went to shit when I was back in the South. 💩 Tennesse was the fucking worst.
🎖️ Wisconsin’s Driftless region is the best place I visited. I would live there except for the winters. It looks like the perfect place to raise a child like Theo!
There are not many brown 👨🏽‍🦰 or black 👩🏿‍🦳 faces the further north you go (at least where I visited in the country).
I have an increased appreciation for farming and the farmer 🧑‍🌾, especially the work ethic and commitment. I can understand a bit better how this contrasts with the urban environment.
If I feel something is too much from here on out, I will reconsider my decision. Hiking four hours and 1600 steps in the Bat Cave was not a good move. I ended up suffering the rest of the trip and having a less enjoyable time overall. However, I can live with pain if I have to, it seems. Maybe that is another perk of growing old.

😳

5,000 miles ~ 31 nights ~ Six stops ~ Another Excellent Adventure!

Final Thoughts

Free from the tyranny of The Godless Hordes coming to get you this Fall!

When I got home, I parked out front, opened up the house, and ate some lunch. I returned outside to find this ticket. I guess this helps pay for those Ads in Georgia.

The Elixir of Life

Quapaw Bath House

In 2023, I visited Palm Springs, which became famous about 100 years ago for its natural hot springs with mysterious restorative powers. Hot Springs, Arkansas, has been famous for its rejuvenating waters for nearly two centuries! Many different bathhouses were built offering luxurious spa treatments that somehow look like a method of torture today!

Various devices have been used since the early days of Hot Springs. I don’t even want to know what the firehoses are about 🤣.

The area was established before the concept of a national Park was founded. As such, the whole town is, more or less, a National Park. Hot Springs itself is in the middle of many lakes that provide recreation—almost sort of an early spot to travel to to see the natural wonders of nature.

Other than that, the town is basically a tourist trap. Much like a ski town you would find elsewhere. However, the architecture and history are quite interesting.

There were once over twenty different bathhouses in the area, including nine on Bathhouse Row, where I visited. The buildings are mostly repurposed now, although two still operate. The area around these is very touristy, as are the outlying areas. Water Parks, roller coasters, and a giant concert hall with all your favorite country and western performers play in America’s Heartland.

At one end of the row of bathhouses was a public well. I talked to a guy who was filling jugs to make coffee. Another guy related a story about a family loading up a 55-gallon drum! Apparently, they used it for almost everything!

Southwards through the Heartland

Sunrise at Sioux Falls, South Dakota

After leaving North Dakota, we spent six days traveling leisurely southward through the region west of the Mississippi. We drove around 200 miles per day on average and drove the back roads as much as possible to get a better feel for the state and area

South Dakota

We stayed that evening in Sioux Falls. We heard the falls looked like tiny Niagra Falls, so we had to take a look. The park at the falls provided a most excellent sunrise walk!

The Big Sioux River was above flood stage. I saw other places further south where the rivers had swollen their banks.

Nebraska

When I worked for Hewlett-Packard, my first job involved supporting marketing and sales activities in the Midwest. We had just introduced Tsunami, a 2-channel digital signal analyzer that proved to be a big hit for mechanical testing. I spent several weeks visiting many of the sales offices in the region. I made it to all the states except one: Nebraska. I did land at the airport in Omaha and change planes, but I always remember I never actually made it there.

I must say I liked the little I saw driving through the Winnebago Indian Reservation there. It seemed like it had a nice vibe.

Swedish Church in Oakland, Nebraska. It was interesting how the different European cultures persisted after settlement in the last half of the 1800s, another consequence of the inheritance laws in Europe at the time.

I stayed too far away to see Omaha and the next night outside Kansas City. They were both quite a bit bigger, which made for an interesting and sometimes frustrating excursion.

Missouri

Northern Missouri had some nice areas, like Lake Winnebago. This name appeared at various points so far in the slide south. It is associated with the Ho-Chunk people who were forcibly resettled in many of the states along our route.

The northern part of Missouri resembled the rolling hills and crop fields of Nebraska. As I moved further south, it became less developed, at least along the route I chose.

As we drove further south, the landscape changed to resemble the South. Many churches and the Ten Commandments started appearing on billboards. It was not a great vibe compared to the earlier part of the trip. We were now in the Ozarks.

The Ozarks

The Ozarks have always had an interesting connotation to me. My Mom had religious survivalist friends who lived here and took her money for bullshit supplements. It seemed to be a hotbed of addiction when meth became popular. It’s sort of a white trash state in my mind.

Despite my astounding prejudice, I found a certain beauty here. It’s pretty much the same as any place in the rural south. It’s sort of an ‘unchanged by time’ vibe.

Fort Smith, Arkansas, was a strategic fort on the Missouri River in the 1800s. It played a big role in suppressing the Indian uprising and the infamous ‘Trail of Tears’ relocation of the indigenous people to Oklahoma. Most of the structure you see here was a prison.

The final drive into Hot Springs was quite nice. We climbed to around 1500 feet and saw some great visits. As we got closer to the Ozark lakes, more vacation rentals and boats started appearing. We were headed for one of the playgrounds of this part of the country.

The Heartland

The Families of the Heartland

Over two years ago, I planned to visit Wisconsin to check in on 6-month-old Theo. However, my knee had other plans after needing a major overhaul. With that under my belt, we came up with Excellent Adventure 2024 to visit them and, as an added bonus, my sister-in-law Myhra’s brother Richard and his wife LaRae at their home/farm /woodshop literally in the middle of (nearly) Nowhere, North Dakota.

Wisconsin Driftless Farm Country

Theo lives with his Mom, Dr. Kari, and Dad, Carl, in La Crosse, Wisconsin. I visited here a little over three years ago when Clan Tubridy gathered with Clan Bringe to celebrate Theo’s upcoming birth. This area, unaffected by the glaciers at the end of the ice age, is beautiful beyond words: rolling hills, windy farm roads, picturesque small towns, and lots, and lots, of farms.

**The Bringe Farm:** Mary Jo, Uncle Alex (aka Stewie), and Dad Carl. Theo is busy pushing the buttons!

Theo is two and a half years old and a sweet, inquisitive, and well-behaved little dude. We had many adventures in the three days I was there! On the first day, we visited Armand and Mary Jo at the Bringe homestead. Their oldest son, Alex (aka Stewie), would let some of his cattle out onto a new pasture.

Who Let the Cows Out?

We got to watch. It was very cool and somewhat surprising that some of the cattle were apparently afraid of Theo! Later, Theo rode in various tractors – John Deere Green Tractors – with Grandpa and Uncle Stewie! We hung out at the farm before heading back home for the day.

Country Farm Breakfast

The next day, Kari joined in, and we had a treat that really made the whole trip. In the morning, we went to a Country Farm Breakfast. These are held at different farms in the area and supported by the various farming associations, youth organizations, and the community as a whole.

Country Farm Breakfast is an organic dairy farm with Jersey milk cattle near Harmony, Wisconsin.

This was hosted at an organic dairy farm. I got to see the cows and talk about milking with one of the experts.

There was a good turnout despite the mud. Yep – it was raining, and on a farm, that means mud! Despite (or perhaps because of) the weather, everyone was having a fucking blast as near as I could tell. I loved watching old and young families and seeing how big a part of their kids are. Humbling. If I were raising a young family, it would be here—a beautiful sight. Theo’s grandparents and uncle were there with people they had known their whole lives.

Norskedalen Nature & Heritage Center

We then drove around in more of the most beautiful country I have ever seen. The people of Norway (including the Bringes) settled here and brought their heritage with them. In this case, a Norwegian homestead is now called Norskedalen Nature & Heritage Center—our next stop.

It was a celebration day for them, too! We watched a Maypole dance, a young girl churning butter, and traditional Norwegian handicrafts. Theo especially enjoyed the blacksmith’s fire 🔥.

A Troll along the path at the Norskedalen Nature & Heritage Center

I saw a Muskrat in a nearby lake—more or less a giant swimming rat. There were trails for both hiking and riding. Many volunteers were there, demonstrating and discussing the history of the craft and partaking in various crafts. At one point, traditional feats of strength like the Hammer Throw were demonstrated. It was big fun!

The Circus

After a quick nap back home, we headed out for the Circus! We saw a traveling circus called Cirque Italia. A group of about one dozen performers from all over the world performed for us, including aerial acts, juggling, balancing, dance, a light show, and—of course—a clown. It was more big fun! I was exhausted and passed out upon arrival home!

The La Crosse Queen

In the late 1800s, travel by paddlewheeler was the norm for people living along the Mississippi. Families would travel to visit friends and relatives and to shop. Our boat, although no longer a wood-burning engine, was from a long line of these boats.

A trip on the river had been on my bucket list for a while: a paddle boat tour of the Mississippi. And for an extra bonus, the river was at flood stage! It made for quite a sight, especially as we approached the dam to the north of La Crosse. Thro’s grandparents went, too, and I enjoyed Armand’s deep knowledge of commerce on the Mississippi.

Drive to North Dakota

Later that afternoon, we hooked up once again and made our way northwest into Minnesota.

Somewhere near Middle Spunk, Minnesota 🤩

After an uneventful overnight outside Minneapolis, we made it to our second stop somewhere in southeastern North Dakota.

North Dakota Farmlands

Rick’s wife, Myhra, is from North Dakota. One of her brothers, Richard, lives on a farm near the town of Gwinner. His wife LaRae worked as a heavy machinery operator at the nearby Bobcat factory. They raise two daughters and have now retired. They are both woodworkers! They have a good-sized garden, and I watched them dig potatoes for the evening meal.

Taters! *What’s Taters, Precious?* PO-TA-TOES – you can boil ’em, mash ’em, and stick ’em in a stew!

When I first learned woodworking, I read about it and assumed that many farmers were woodworkers. Their shop reminded me of another friend’s acquaintance in Maine, whom I visited in 2022. He was a canoe restorer.

One of Richard’s Band Saw Boxes. The drawer recesses are cut using a bandsaw. He also turned different wood burls into bowls and other shapes.

Richard has made some stunning bandsaw boxes and turned pieces. They had machinery in several buildings and pieces of wood lying everywhere! He was very generous and gave me a few choice pieces, including a live-edge slab.

LaRae’s lair, where she practices the art of quilting. She organizes tours in the region for friends to visit different quilting stores in the Midwest.

LaRae goes in for bigger stuff like cabinetry. She is also an accomplished quilter and had quite the setup in their basement. She was very sharp, and we had a lot of similar interests. She reminded me so much of my friend Laura, whom we will visit on this trip.

She introduced me to a new regional saying:

Opherphun

(Oh-For-Fun)

Richard let me drive his Bobcat – Opherphun! Jake hopped on, and we had a good time driving it to the end of the road. He took me to a nearby farming area where I got to climb in a huge John Deere tractor. We met up with a guy he used to work with spraying his crops. We spoke to him for a while. While talking about his 16-year-old son, he used the expression:

Uff Da!

My trip was complete! I actually heard a local use the word. It was priceless, as was the opportunity to meet all these beautiful people in this part of America.

I was sitting in a giant green tractor in a cornfield somewhere in southeast North Dakota—the Heartland.

I think I am beginning to understand now—hardworking people who love the land. May I be forever humbled.

We reached the top of the roller coaster! Now, we slide south from North Dakota to Arkansas! In the process, I will add the final state to my list of visited states —Nebraska. I stopped once at the airport, but that didn’t count. Also, South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, and Oklahoma—right smack through Tornado country!

Fields of Corn

Somewhere in Illinois

The next three days were spent leisurely heading north through Illinois, using a combination of Interstates and backroads to see the local scenery. And what, pray tell, did we see? Fields of Corn!

In several areas, we saw quite extensive wind farms.

Our first night was on the Illinois River near Peoria. The campground was in an area with extensive earthworks on Upper Peoria Lake. I’m not sure what that was about.

Upper Peoria Lake on the Illinois River

The next day, we drove north through Ronald Reagan’s boyhood home in Dixon, Illinois. This whole area feels nondescript. It’s very odd.

The scenery got more interesting after that, with small rolling hills and more Fields of Corn. There were also fields of Soybeans, but they were not nearly as impressive 🤣.

We stayed overnight in northern Illinois and experienced our first hard rain of the trip. It continued to rain during our visit to Wisconsin.

Our goal for the last day was to drive the Great River Road of southern Wisconsin.

We headed for Prarie du Chen and began the trip northwards. This is where Armand (Carl’s Father-in-Law) hauls his grain from his farm in Viroqua to be loaded on barges and taken downriver.

The Mississippi was nearing flood stage, making for spectacular vistas as we slowly made our way northwards.

One can only imagine a raft of lumber 270 feet wide and 1550 feet long being moved down the mighty river. It must have been an impressive sight!

Our journey through this part of the heartland was complete! Now, we will spend time with one of the two families living in the heartland as we reach nephew Carl and his wife, Dr Kari, and the Tubridy pride-and-joy, Theodore!

Gateway to the West

St Louis – Gateway to the West

A statue of Seaman, the Newfoundland dog, accompanied Lewis and Clark on their famous expedition, which started in Saint Louis.

Saint Louis played a pivotal role in forming the new United States. Originally founded by the French, it traded back and forth with Spain before becoming part of the United States with the Louisiana Purchase. From there, it evolved into a nexus for expansion to the West. Best known, perhaps, was the expedition of Lewis and Clark, commissioned by Thomas Jefferson following the purchase.

Sunrise at Gateway Arch National Park

We woke and left early to catch the sunrise at Gateway Arch. I had toured the Arch itself many years ago while on a business trip. I remember it being quite an experience, and I had no desire to do it again.

Gateway Arch in front of downtown St Louis

When we are in a new area, I always try to find a park where Jake and I can catch the sunrise. We made it downtown and came to the stark realization that there was no giant parking lot like every other National Park! However, there are nice hotels beside it with expensive hourly parking. I paid more for a one-hour ticket than the trip to the Botanical Garden later in the morning.

It was all worth it when we got there—all by ourselves, more or less. We walked around the Arch. It truly is a magnificent sight and engineering achievement. I am frankly amazed it looks so good—a testimony to its designer.

Lewis, Clark & Seaman the dog – perhaps the most famous of all American explorers

We were happy to find a beautiful bronze statue of Lewis, Clark, and their faithful dog, Seaman, on the waterfront. A Newfoundland dog, he survived the trip and was renowned for the service he provided the two Captains on their journey in the early 1800s.

Missouri Botanical Gardens

Missouri Botanical Garden – Water plants with Climatron for tropical plants in the background.

Kari went to Medical School in St Louis. She recommended the Botanical Gardens. With Jake safely back at the trailer, I ventured into St Louis for a visit.

The museum dates back to 1859 and has a collection of preserved plants (a herbarium) with over 6.6 million specimens. It occupies 79 acres in an area southwest of the Gateway Arch.

Missouri Botanical Gardens – Rose Garden

I was impressed by the very well-kept gardens, meticulously labeled and tended to by a seeming army of volunteers and workers. In fact, there were more of them early in the morning than actual visitors! Like the earlier visit, I felt like I had the place to myself.

Missouri Botanical Garden – Japanese Gardens

The Japanese gardens were very large, occupying over 25 acres. The Climatarium held a vast collection of tropical plants in an amazing setting. The flowers were full in bloom and beautiful.