Human Interest | Field 2 Field

October 18, 2019October 18, 2019

Fire prevention; Are you ready for an emergency?

Fire prevention is a perfect topic that should be top of mind as the winter gets ever closer. We’re all gonna spend more time inside soon. Accidents happen. Are you ready? Here’s a video to warm you up.. it’s only 92 seconds. Take a look.

Ever thought about what would happen if a fire broke out in your home? The recent National Fire Prevention Week means it’s a perfect time to consider the options, such as how to get out of each room in your house if a fire starts? This year’s theme for National Fire Prevention Week is “Not Every Hero Wears A Cape. Plan and Practice Your Escape.”

“National Fire Prevention Week is a perfect time to remind people to think about fire safety, especially as we get closer to winter,” said Rushford Volunteer Fire Department Chief Chad Rasmussen. “Let’s do things like check the smoke alarms, make sure our furnaces are clean, and anything else that would make our homes a little safer.

“People are using their furnaces more in the wintertime, they’re using their wood stoves, and too much snow can block dryer vents,” he added. “There’s a lot of things to keep in mind when people are ‘boxed in’ more during the winter.”

Other preventative steps include keeping chimneys swept and moving snow away from gas meters. Keep space heaters away from things like curtains or blankets that could easily catch fire if the heater happens to tip over accidentally.

Rasmussen said people tend to downplay their chances of having a fire break out in their house. “They really do think it’s never going to happen to them,” he said. “If you aren’t prepared for it, the worst things usually happen. People lose their lives. You could be out of your home. The way we’re building our homes these days makes them burn a lot quicker than they did in the past.”

He said the best way to prepare for a possible fire is to practice an escape plan. People tend to think escape plans are for families with children but that’s not the case. Even someone who lives alone needs an escape plan to get out of their house safely.

“You could be downstairs doing something and a fire breaks out upstairs from a space heater that tipped over,” Rasmussen said. “You need to know how to get out of there as soon as possible. Have a practice fire drill every month or two with everyone in the house. People tend to panic when a fire starts. Make sure what you have to do to escape is drilled into everyone in the house.”

It’s important to have a meeting place picked out that everyone knows ahead of time so you can account for those people in the house. That way, when the fire department does get there, they’ll know right away if they need to check for someone in the house.

The National Fire Protection Association points out that in a fire, people may have as little as one to two minutes to escape safely after the smoke alarm sounds. Escape planning and practice can help make the most of the time you have to get out safely.

“Fire doesn’t care who you are, it’s going to take from you,” Rasmussen said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re male or female, an adult or child, it will take everything from you. Be prepared.”

September 17, 2019September 17, 2019

World Horseshoe Tournament: Minnesotans do well

The 2019 World Horseshoe Tournament took place in Wichita Falls, Texas, on July 22-August 3. The National Horseshoe Pitching Association sponsors the tournament once a year in different locations around the country. Once again, this year’s tournament included a contingent of “pitchers” from the Rushford-Peterson area, who all competed well down in Texas.

Darren Chambers of Rushford usually takes a delegation of area residents to the World Horseshoe tournament once a year, with this year being no exception. “This year, we had a few more people going along than in 2018,” he said. “I took three new players this year. A total of five went from the Rushford area and I took my two grandsons from West Salem too.

“My new players this year included my niece, Donata Kitchens,” he said, “along with my granddaughter, Brielle Schneider, as well as Lucas Rasmussen. They all took part in their first world tournament. The three that I took to last year’s tournament, Isaac Rasmussen, Mason Chambers, and Noah Chambers, all went again this year too.”

Brielle Schneider, who Chambers says has “only been pitching for about five months,” won the Class C Division at the tournament. “She won the round-robin tournament with a perfect 9-0 record,” Chambers said. “Brielle actually had to beat Isaac Rasmussen at one point (18-17) to win the championship. Isaac wound up in second place with an 8-1 record.

“A total of four kids were in Class C, including Brielle, Isaac, Lucas, and Noah,” he said. “Noah took sixth place in Class C and Lucas Rasmussen finished in seventh. Mason won his class last year and took fourth in this year’s World Horseshoe Tournament. He started slowly but finished the tournament on fire, throwing 15 ringers in one game (40 total throws, 37%).”

Chambers said he takes the kids to different tournaments in Iowa throughout the winter (indoors). It’s not hard to get them ready for the world tournament because “they just love the road trips” and they “love playing the game.”

Lucas Rasmussen had the distinction of being the youngest player at the World Horseshoe Tournament in Texas. He played quite a match with Brielle Rasmussen in Class C competition. “Lucas lost to Brielle in the last game of the tournament,” Chambers recalled. “He trailed 11-9 and just needed a ringer to win the game. Lucas threw a ringer that would have won him the game. However, she had a shoe that was literally standing up on the side of the pole and it flipped her shoe right on there. That canceled out his ringer and he lost 11-9.

“This old guy (Darren) finished up 9-6 at the tournament this year,” he said with a laugh. “I wound up in sixth place, which got me into a little money. They pay out through sixth place.”

Chambers said Donata Kitchens wasn’t initially going to play in the tournament. At first, Chambers said she came along to “help out with the kids.” Chambers admitted he knew they would need an extra pair of hands on the trip, especially with the extra kids going along to Texas. “Well, we decided since she’s going along, Donata might as well play,” he said. “You have to play in four tournaments to qualify for the world tournament and we just barely got her qualified. It was worth it as she took third place in the women’s Class K Division.”

It takes many hours of practice to be successful at the world tournament. Chambers likes the fact that people in each division are competing against other players with similar skill levels, thanks to the way the national association organizes the tournament.

“This tournament really has a class for everybody,” he said. “Participants are put into their class based on their ringer percentage. The more ringers you make, the higher class of competition you’re in. For example, I’m in the second-to-lowest class at the tournament because my ringer percentage is between 10-12 percent., while the number-one-ranked guy in the world will pitch somewhere between 85-90 percent.

“That’s a big difference and why they class it up the way they do,” Chambers added. “When you play someone in your class, you’ll have a good chance to win. It makes the tournament a lot more fun for everybody.”

Chambers started attending world tournaments every year since 2003 and typically went by himself, however the group traveling to next year’s world championship tournament in Monroe, Louisiana, will likely include at least 13 people from Minnesota. He said there’s always room for more people who want to play.

“Anyone interested in pitching horseshoes can give me a call if they want to get involved,” Chambers added. “I’m happy to teach them different ways to throw and would be happy to help anyone interested.”

I included a video recap of some of the action at this year’s tournament:

September 11, 2019September 11, 2019

IFYE – the International Farm Youth Exchange Program

The International Farm Youth Exchange Program recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA and IFYE (iffy) will work together to promote cultural understanding between the U.S. and overseas countries. The MOU commends IFYE for its past and continuing contribution to international cultural understanding of rural areas across the world. Victoria Warren is President of IFYE. She says the MOU also means the USDA and her group will work together to continue the IFYE mission into the future.

The IFYE program sends young adults 19 and over to farms and rural areas in other countries and helps them learn to understand different cultures and ways of doing things. Warren says the experience isn’t just for young adults in rural America either.

Program participants should be interested in things like agriculture, foods, nutrition, or family consumer science to get the best possible program experience. Warren talks about what the participants will do when they’re overseas with exchange families.

Warren says IFYE isn’t like other exchange programs because participants aren’t there to go to school. However, that doesn’t mean the young adults don’t learn anything.

Warren participated in the program too. She made an overseas trip back in the late-1970s.

For more information about the program, go to www.ifyeusa.org.

August 23, 2019August 23, 2019

Fillmore Central football upgrade: Sports Podcast

Here’s the latest Chad Smith Media podcast with the full interview from Mensink. It’s downloadable. Just click on the three buttons stacked on the right side and hit download.

Fillmore Central football fans will find things look a lot different when they head out to the home field in Harmony for the season opener on Friday, August 30^th, against United South Central. After a couple of years of plans and discussions, as well as several months of hard work, the football facility upgrades all but completed. Falcons’ head coach (and Athletic Director) Chris Mensink said the upgrade idea got started because of very little room on the home sideline.

Falcons didn’t have enough room

“Our home sideline was right on a hillside,” he said, “which meant there were some safety issues. We talked initially about sliding the field away from the hill but were limited because we host junior high baseball on that same field. The question was how do we do that slide things over?

“We ended up moving the baseball field up behind the community center where we practice football,” he said. “The school owns all that practice area up there. Once we found a new place to put the baseball field, that kickstarted the process of putting a football-only facility together.”

He said sliding the field to give the team more room on the sideline, as well as adding in a 500-seat grandstand, eventually led to a larger-scale renovation process. Eventually, the project included new lights, crowning the field, and putting in a new watering system. “We’re now building a structure to hold the concession stand, a ticket area, some new bathrooms, and a locker room for the referees,” he said.

Mensink said the Falcons the kids were “basically standing on a hillside and couldn’t have any benches on their sideline.” Back when the district built the press box, they added a bunch of fill to the area so the fans could see over the top of the kids standing on the sideline.

Safety concerns

“That made the sideline really tight to the hill,” Mensink said. “If we had a player get injured, he wouldn’t be able to sit on a bench along the sideline because of that hill. If they tried to sit on a table so the trainer could look them over, the tables would tip over.

“Also, the area where the old concession stand sat was fenced,” he added. “That fence was a little tight to the back corner of the end zone. If a player went too far out of the back of the end zone, they were running into that fence and we don’t want kids getting hurt.”

Workers lay the foundations for the new facilities at the Fillmore Central football field. (Contributed photo)

When a football field doesn’t have a crown on it, that’s when it can get flooded by heavy rainfall. “The soil contained a lot of clay, which made it really hard,” Mensink said. “We were having a hard time keeping grass on it, so the surface wasn’t what it should be. When we took a hard look at the field, we decided to do this right and crown the field.”

Crowning the field

For those who don’t know, crowning a football field is a lot of work. Workers start the project by removing the topsoil from the field. “They brought in a sandy mixture of soil as soon as we were done playing last fall,” Mensink recalled. “You use that sandy soil to build the crown. After that, workers brought in eight inches of black dirt and piled it on top of the sandier soil last spring. They re-graded everything, slid it over to where it needed to be, and that’s when we put the sod down.”

School officials even talked about flipping the field, so it ran north and south instead of east and west. Mensink said that would have involved a lot of extra work, including moving the crow’s next.

Thanks to everyone who helped

He said they wouldn’t be able to make improvements of this magnitude without the support of the administration. “The district has been putting some money away in their building fund,” Mensink said. “The fund balance helped us make a lot of improvements at the football field and helps with ongoing projects at the school building.”

Falcon fans will be sitting on the other sideline this fall. Mensink said officials put in a 500-foot grandstand that will be “nice and close to the action,” and everyone will have a great view of the game. He said the field has a “nice crown on it” and looks “really nice.”

Mensink thanks everyone who helped out. He says the list of everyone who helped with the project is gigantic. “We put sod down with a great deal of volunteer help,” Mensink recalled. “We put down five semi loads of sod in a day, which was an amazing cost-saving for our district.

New seating at the Fillmore Central football field means the fans get a great view of the games. (Contributed Photo)

“Scheevel and Sons Construction handled all of the gradings on this project,” he said. “Stateline Cement did all the cement work for areas underneath the bleachers, for the sidewalks, and the concession areas. Morem’s Electric handled all the electrical work. VIS Plumbing handled all the plumbing work at the facility.”

Fillmore Central fans will get to enjoy the new facility right away as three of the first four games of the fall season will be on the Falcons’ home field.

August 21, 2019August 21, 2019

Kingsland High School Fall Preview on the Sports Podcast

Kingsland high school fall sports are officially underway! We’re going to try something new when it comes to podcasts. I cover several high school sports programs for the Bluff Country Newspaper Group, so we’re going to take some of their coaches’ comments and provide periodic updates for their fans. Pass the word if you decide you like what I’m doing here.

You can download the podcasts and listen at anytime, or feel free to play them right off the website. First up is Kingsland football coach Brent Stinson. They want to improve on last season’s win total (1-8 overall, 1-6 District) as they move from 11-man football to 9-man play.

The Knights, like most football teams, have some holes in the roster to fill from the previous year. Kingsland lost a couple of All-District First Team selections in Reid Kruegel and Dallas Jones. Kruegel was a top receiver that drew double-coverage on almost every play but still finished with 22 catches for 486 yards (22.1 yards per catch). Jones was the team’s leading rusher and top linebacker last year. He ran the ball 102 times for 400 yards and four touchdowns. He made 39 solo tackles and assisted on 34.

Football

“We have several guys looking to step up and fill in some of that gap this year,” Stinson said. “Names people recognize include Reid Merkel, Devin Carr, James Howard, and Lucas Howard, who can really run.

Cross Country

Next up on the podcast is Erin Milz, the head cross country coach at Kingsland High School. Their first week of practice is a unique one. Their schedule included a two-day, midweek camping trip that involved some camping, swimming, and even a service activity.

The Kingsland boys’ team will be very competitive this year as they have the best roster numbers they’ve seen in several years. Twelve boys are on the roster, with ten of the boys eligible to run varsity meets (have to be in grades 9-12). Kingsland hasn’t been able to have competition for boys’ varsity spots because of low numbers since Milz started coaching. She’s looking forward to the new experience. “It’s hard to predict who the top boys will be because I haven’t had enough time to dial that in just yet,” Milz said.

Volleyball

We’re also talking with Amanda Siskow, the new coach of the Kingsland volleyball team. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to be hired until late July, which put the team’s preparations a little behind the 8-ball. Preparations are kind of on fast forward, which is okay as she says the first week of practice went well.

“We’ve got Ellie Buchholtz, a really good all-around player as a setter and hitter, who can also play the back row,” she said. “We’ve got middle hitter Shelby Beck back, who’s been playing well so far, as is Kate Miner in the front row. We also have some seniors back who didn’t play a ton last year but are really trying to step up to the plate and take on bigger roles.”

One of the biggest names not coming back is All-Southeast Conference standout Lauren Buchholtz. The senior outside hitter will be sorely missed during the 2019 season as both an outstanding player and a team leader. Her younger sister, Ellie, is back as a first-team All-SEC selection. Because of an early-season ankle injury last year, she made the switch from setter to an outside hitter to limit her on-court movement somewhat and didn’t miss a beat.

Sorry about the annoying little bursts of static in the interviews! Working on rectifying that. Hope you enjoyed the sports talk! More to come in the near future.

July 28, 2019July 28, 2019

Exploring Harriet Island in St. Paul, Minnesota

I went exploring a place that turned out to be so big, it took me two consecutive Saturdays to finish. I took a couple trips to Harriet Island Park in St. Paul, I found the perfect mix of urban area and wide-open spaces, just across the Mississippi River from each other.

Looking at the St. Paul skyline across the river was an amazing view. The old-fashioned architecture is amazing to photograph. When you combine it with some of the newer skyscrapers erected in recent decades, that makes it more interesting for an architecture buff like me. I’m not so into it that I can name you all the different styles of buildings. I just know what I like to look at.

Harriet Island is a great place to talk a walk. The boardwalk along the Mississippi River is really quite spacious, with plenty of room to stop and take pics or videos. In fact, I had some company walking down the boardwalk at one point. I looked to my right and saw a hen mallard swimming alongside, trailed by three of the most adorable little ducklings you would ever see. In fact, this is what they looked like.

They were adorable!

As I walked further down the boardwalk, I saw it split into several different walking/biking trails, so I headed in a southeasterly direction. I was hoping to find the trail that would take me up higher in the surrounding bluffs for some cool pictures, but never found it. What I DID find is a pretty good sunburn. Not much in the way of protection from the sun’s rays on a rip-snorting hot day. That’ll learn me.

The boardwalk at Harriet Island Park keeps you tight to the Mississippi River in St. Paul. The
view is amazing. (Photo by Chad Smith)

I know what you’re thinking; “Chad, you posted a picture with the first brand-new baseball cap you’ve had in 30 years. Why didn’t you put it on?” Simply put, I wasn’t in the habit yet and I paid for it.

I did come upon an abandoned Union Pacific railroad track. I saw a big old “PRIVATE PROPERTY” sign that didn’t stop me from climbing up to the elevated track in order to snap a few pictures. At one time, the railroad ran all the way across the Mississippi on a bridge. The giveaway that it was abandoned is the fact that a chunk of the railroad bridge is missing. It was strange. The tracks extends from the other side of the river out into the middle of it. Why not take the whole thing out?

The trails will take you through some wooded areas that reminded me of walking through certain parts of the Black Hills in South Dakota. Beautiful. I was really enjoying the walk until I noticed a discarded couch/roll away bed that someone had tossed into the trees. Why do people do that?

It took more effort to carry that couch that far down the path than it would have to hoist it up into a vehicle and drive it to the dump. I know we all get lazy from time to time but we need to be better than that.

I initially thought someone was drilling for oil. Instead, I find out this is the “Target Stage.” Seriously? Does EVERYTHING in the Cities have to have “Target” in the name? 🙂

I saw some really nice boats out on the water. Lots of room on the Mississippi.

Not sure I wanna know what happened to the guy missing this shoe? After all, it IS St. Paul, so who knows?

There’s an old lift bridge down there on the Mississippi that I’m pretty sure is no longer in use. However, please don’t quote me on that. The blue lift-control house on top of the bridge looks like a pretty lonely place to be?

You really don’t ever know what you’ll find when exploring the metro area. Found a blushing bride and her groom out getting pictures taken in the Union Depot area of St. Paul.

The blushing bride hurrying to get back and get hitched after taking pictures. (Photo by Chad
Smith)

St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Chad Smith)

July 21, 2019July 21, 2019

The Smith family returns to Como Zoo in St. Paul

Como Zoo in St. Paul is a Smith family favorite. It’s one of the family’s favorite places to be together. We’ve been going there for years because we spent a lot of time in the Twin Cities before finally settling here a couple years ago.

If you’ve never been there, I recommend taking the family. There’s no cost to get in, other than a suggested donation. As far as I know, Como Zoo exists entirely on donations from the public. There may or may not be patrons that make regular donations, but I have no idea for sure.

Here’s proof: Gaelan Smith getting the stinkeye from one dorky bird.

The zoo is set up really well. A family getting lost there means they worked hard to do so. There’s likely a little something for everyone. There’s a polar bear exhibit, which is one of our favorites. Unfortunately, we picked a scorching hot day to visit Como Zoo, so there wasn’t much outside activity. There’s big cats, including a beautiful tiger!

There are silverback gorillas in there and they are amazing to watch move around. They’re so big, powerful, and graceful. Como Zoo currently has an entire gorilla family, including three youngsters. Of course, what do Monique and Talisa Smith notice? “The father is laying on his back, doing nothing, while mom watches the brood,” they said while laughing.

We saw a mother orangutan playing with her baby. The little one smiled from ear to ear. I’ve got a little video here of the two of them playing. The quality is less than I hoped for the fingerprints covered the windows.

The only thing I hope the zoo can get cleared up is some of the aquatic displays. The weather was hot and steamy, so the tanks all had condensation on them. However, the tanks need cleaning desperately, so much so that we couldn’t see some of the fish in there. I’m really hoping they can get enough help to take care of that particular problem.

Those aquatic displays really did need a little bit of work to get cleaned up.

Giraffes really are goofy-looking creatures, aren’t they?

Giraffes are really weird looking animals, aren’t they? (Photo by Chad Smith)

To coin a phrase from Art Linkletter (how’s that for long-term memory?), “Kids Say the Darndest Things.” I forget which kid said it, but I heard a voice say, “Wouldn’t it stink to be a giraffe and choke? How long would it take before the rest of its body figured out it was choking?” Of course, my only intelligent response was “depends on how far down the throat it got?” And I have a Master’s Degree. So proud.

Have you seen that little cabin exhibit between the Como Zoo entrance and the primate display? Looks just like a settler’s cabin you may have seen all those many years ago in Minnesota.

I love this little cabin that sits near the entrance of Como Zoo in St. Paul. Never noticed the water wheel behind it before. (Photo by Chad Smith)

Do you think we interrupted something here? Get a room, for goodness sakes.

Good grief, get a private room or something.

Last but not least, can I show you my favorite exhibit? It’s this guy:

He was adorable! BTW, it’s a tree sloth, in case you’ve never seen one before.

That tree sloth in the jungle exhibit cracked us all up. When we came through the door, the slot was sitting up on that same branch while scratching his left side. By the time we’d gotten around the exhibit, he passed out. Must have been some serious hard work?

I leave you with the zebras.

July 13, 2019July 14, 2019

St. Paul and nature combine for interesting exploration

St. Paul is one of my favorite cities to explore. Another Saturday means it was time to head off to the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary. I’d spent so much time exploring Minneapolis that I thought it was time to take a closer look at the sister city. What I didn’t realize was just how CLOSE I would be to St. Paul in spite of exploring a nature area.

One of my favorite parts of the Bruce Vento Nature Conservancy in St. Paul is the fact that there is so much interaction with trains down in that neighborhood.

The first thing I saw was a signpost that pointed in different directions I could go and different things I could check out. To my surprise, I saw a sign that said I was one mile from downtown St. Paul. Well, I can’t let the chance go by to check out one of my favorite places to take pictures. I’m an architecture buff and love the way St. Paul was put together.

Walking a short way down the sidewalk, I saw a familiar sign in the distance; “CHS Field.” For those who don’t know, it’s the home of the St. Paul Saints, who play in the Northwoods Baseball League. I couldn’t believe I’d walked approximately a mile and went from a nature sanctuary to the edge of a major city like St. Paul in that short of a time frame. I’d driven by CHS Field many times while traveling between the Twin Cities and Rochester.

One of my biggest surprises of exploring a nature area was how close I still was to the city. A half mile directly behind me on the same sidewalk was the nature area. A half mile ahead stood St. Paul. I love the surprises you find when exploring the Twin Cities. (Photo by Chad Smith

I did see something I hadn’t come across before. It looked like a big lot that contained railroad tracks running in a half-circle before splitting into at least a half-dozen separate tracks that each ran into a large gray building. It reminded me of an auto shop that has several different doors along one side that each run into a separate repair station. I’m pretty sure I’d found a repair shop for trains, but I honestly don’t know that for sure.

Walking around the block past the train depot, I found myself in St. Paul proper. I really love the architecture down there. I saw one building from behind that looked like an abandoned warehouse. However, walking around the front, it was an immaculate series of shops up and down the length of the building.

The only thing I was unhappy with while walking around St. Paul was the number of people holding cardboard signs. You know what I’m talking about, right? The homeless veteran signs always break my heart. I’ve spoken to more than a few homeless veterans (and handed out a few bucks too), with those some of the most heart-breaking stories you’ll hear. However, at the other end of the spectrum, there was at least one gentlemen holding a homeless sign who was literally dressed better than I was. Who knows what to believe anymore?

If you saw my last post about exploring, it should be obvious I find urban artwork (tagging) interesting. I saw my favorite tag earlier today that said “Freddy sucks eggs.” Thanks for the tip. It makes me glad my name isn’t Freddy.

Loved the colors at the Bruce Vento Nature Conservancy in St. Paul.

This is the part of city living I DON’T like… at all.

Did I mention that was a LONG train?

This was kind of weird.

If you read this far, thank you! Here the link to my Facebook photo album:

https://www.facebook.com/chad.smith.75685/media_set?set=a.2470251693035252&type=3&uploaded=64

July 9, 2019July 9, 2019

Military dreams and the Smith Family

Military dreams and a middle child. I’ve got a kid that I need a little bit of prayer for. He’s not in any kind of trouble. Gaelan is my hard worker who has a dream to serve his country. He’d love to be able to enlist in the National Guard and become a soldier. However, there’s a challenge in achieving this particular dream.

Military Dream

Gaelan didn’t have it easy in his early years, struggling with asthma as a child, however, he’s been off the medication for some time now. He works out like a DOG in the gym, lifting weights and doing cardio. Gaelan is in great shape. However, the doctors look at his medical file and what he used to be sick with and they’d just as soon throw him out in the street. I don’t understand.

I know Gaelan called the recruiting sergeant the other day and asked how it was going. The sergeant, who’s been on Gaelan’s side from day one, was really honest, which I would expect from a sergeant. He said, “Gaelan, it’s really going to take something just shy of a miracle to pull it off at this point.” Gaelan is a young man of strong faith in God and in miracles that only God can pull off. He’s all in on the pursuit of a military career.

Yes, Gaelan does have a backup plan, which includes a trip to the police academy. I think his heart is in the military, especially because his grandfather, Greg Bourgond, had an outstanding career in the military (Navy). I would love nothing more than to see this hard-working young man get where he wants to be. Will you say a prayer that God will make a way where there doesn’t appear to be one?

(By the way, our God specializes in making a way where there is no way. If he can convert Saul into the Apostle Paul, ANYTHING is possible).

Other family happenings

Really excited because I took next week off from work. I looked back through my freelance journalist records and realized I haven’t taken time off in at least three years. It may be longer than that. The reasoning behind my request is Derrick and Talisa are coming in from South Dakota to spend a week here.

How dumb was I the last few years when those two came to town and I didn’t take time off work? What has more worth? Extra money in the bank or time with family? It’s called priorities, Chad, and maybe it’s time to change some of yours?

One new thing I’m trying out is itching that scratch I’ve had in recent years. That itch is to go exploring and see new places. It finally occurred to me that I don’t have to jump on a plane to see new things. I’ve toured a couple parks in Minneapolis and had a great time photographing things I haven’t seen before and making memories that way.

Vulnerability

Working from home is harder than I thought it would be. Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying what I do. The work is rewarding and you’d have to make an offer I couldn’t refuse to make me give up the flexibility in my schedule.

However, you just don’t get out much to meet people when you live your life on the phone. Any advice at all on how to get out of the house and make a friend or two? I really think that sounds dumb coming out of my mouth but it’s an honest question. Can you forget how to make and/or be a friend to another human being?

Especially guys. Why is it so hard for guys to make friends and not try to be “John Wayne?” Where does that urge come from?

A Wrap

military — Here’s a scene from “Always Watching: A Marble Hornets Story.” It’s one of my favorite movies and yes, it’s about Slenderman. (Photo from imdb.com)

Just wrapped up watching two of the better found-footage movies available. I love both “Always Watching: A Marble Hornets Story,” and “Alien Abduction,” two of the better selections in the whole genre. You may not know this about me but I really do love found footage movies. My only problem with the genre is there are so many awful ones out there. Any others that are worth watching that don’t celebrate demons or specialize in straight up gore fests?

July 7, 2019July 7, 2019

Urban Exploration: Boom Island Park

There’s a hidden gem in the Minneapolis area known as Boom Island Park. I took a walk there the other day and was amazed at how the riverfront and the skyline of the city blended with the green of one of the bigger parks I’ve seen in the metro area. As a guy from small town Rural America, I’m amazed at just how much green there is all over the Twin Cities.

One of the more challenging parts of urban exploration around the metro is just FINDING the place you’re heading to. Thank the Good Lord (not joking at all) for Google Maps (or Apple Maps, if you have an iPhone). You know you’re adapting to city life when you arrive at the park, find it’s been shut off because of a private gathering, and you don’t bat an eye about parking in an open lot that you may or may not be allowed to actually park in. You’re risking getting a car towed for a couple hours of exploration. Works for me?

One thing I didn’t know is that some Minneapolis parks have a lot of places to park your kayaks or boats after spending time on the water.

Some of them will even RENT you a kayak. Looked like a lot of fun and something I will be trying again.

As mentioned previously, I walked into Boom Island with the oddest sound in the background. Urban Exploration can lead to interesting (and educational) discoveries. The parking lots were actually roped off because of a Tibetan Festival taking place that day. Being from small town America, as mentioned previously, it was something really new.

However, the most interesting part of the festival, aside from the explosion of color, music and foods, is the fact that almost everyone there smiled at me. Such friendly people. The older I get, the more I’m really enjoying expanding my horizons.

The Twin Cities are an interesting area to live in and explore. They’ve clearly worked hard to put together the best park system possible and I can’t wait to keep exploring it.

Here’s my first look at Boom Island Park, which sits right on the Mississippi River. (Video by Chad Smith)

The park sits on an impressive 22.5 acres right the metro area, right in the St. Anthony West neighborhood.

Here’s a little bit of the music I heard at Boom Island Park in Minneapolis. It’s part of a Tibetan Festival that took place on Saturday, July 6. (Video by Chad Smith)

One of the epiphanies of middle age that have hit me recently is the fact that you don’t always have to take an exotic trip to see something new. Sometimes it’s right in your own “backyard.” Time for me to get off my duff and do some exploring.!

I’d say there was a pretty serious lightning strike here just to the left?

Seriously, THIS is how someone should take a tour of one of the inner-city parks in Minneapolis! Segway is the only way!

Some final thought here in the video directly above.

Here’s a link to my Facebook album with every picture and video I took. Enjoy. And if you like it, let me know? I’m thinking I’d like to do more of this kind of blogging. I just need someone to find it interesting.

https://www.facebook.com/chad.smith.75685/media_set?set=a.2457844644275957&type=3