Food Fest 2010

No family gathering is complete without some of Rose's ribs.

Here are the chefs working their magic


making sure that no one went hungry on this day.

Meline preparing for the coming feast.

And here's her first rib

Even Maggie had her fair share

Afterwards we worked off the extra calories with a game of "Toss the bean bag in the hole"?

Like I said, 90 years and still kicking. Look at that form!

Lovely spectators in the front row cheering grandpa on.

Then, for dinner we had 20 large pizzas from Connie's.

Objects Are Closer Than They Appear

There's this bus that keeps following me home from work, and it's no ordinary bus. I tried to snap a picture of it while driving.

The best I could do was get a shot of it in my passenger-side, rear view mirror.



Here's a close up.

You can't see the entire front of the bus, but I'm guessing there are at least 50 headlights on that thing.

With that amount of wattage the driver should be able to see into tomorrow.

Grandpa Moody's 90th Birthday

There's not many people my age who can say that they still have 4 grandparents alive, kicking, and driving!!! Then, to attend two 90th birthday parties within 2 weeks of each other is almost unheard of.

Basically - with the total age of my grandparents at 345 years, I need to reassess my retirement plan.

This was on our last day as we were checking out of the hotel, but it will be the first photo.

Happy birthday to you....

Still a cute couple after all these years.

Here's grandpa with his book of memoirs from all the people he has touched and inspired throughout the years. Few people in this world have or could receive a gift like that.

Here's my contribution. I put it together to the tune of Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues

Grandpa’s in the basement
Sharing all his lessons
I’m with my cousins
Thinking about what he meant
He’s been around the world
Blue pants, grey shirt
Listen to what he learned
He retired just to go to work

Nine grand kids
Just something he did
Who knew then,
But they’re doing it again

You better duck when you come about
Don't try to change the wind
Just adjust your sail
Don’t hit the wrong nail
He’s got a dotted map
That marks his life’s trail

Going down to Antigo
Corn fields and county roads
Crop duster flying low
Across a dry prehistoric lake
Stopped to smell a skunk stank
Last lesson before we ate
Country Kitchen pancakes

Nine grands kids
On the way to Big Dip

Don’t forget McHenry, smell of coffee
Their old neighbor gave me candy
Garden rocks the size of me
Got a green glass stone
Dropped it on my big toe
Bozo and Cookie show
Bathroom books by Jacques Cousteau

Spring break, Beech Street
Unbirthday party
Ernie’s got the candy
Swiss Family jungle tree
Get burnt, get wet
Waffles and a sunset
Oscars and the Final Four
Easter bunny grocery bag

Nine grand kids
See what they did

Sound of Music, Music Man
Crazy Eights, Fan Tan
Wonder Wheel and ATC
Homemade ice cream brain freeze
Graham crackers in the morning
10 o’clock Little Debbies
Take it out easy
Bass Lake is smooth as glass in the evening

Local Culture

Although Montana's probably better known for its mountain landscapes and Big Sky, the local culture is also worth a visit.

I don't think you'll find it in any guide book - or even on a map, but the Pony Bar is worth a visit(it's called Pony Bar because it's in Pony, Montana and it's a bar. )

Maggie, Nuch and I enjoying some Montana grog.

One evening we attended an auction to raise money for the local rodeo.
Nuch snuck a couple photos of the cowboys.

After a while, I think they finally caught on and started hiding their mustaches.

Here's the auctioneer. Somebody bought a belt buckle for a thousand USD. All for a good cause, of course.

I didn't know where to throw this in, but on our last night in Montana Nuch won 7 dollars on Keno.

CM Russell Museum

One day we took in some culture with a trip to the CM Russell Museum. I had never heard of him and figured he was only famous in Montana, but the following week while in Chicago I overheard someone talking about him. So, he must be famous in at least two places.

His paintings documented life in the old west and are known both for their historical as well as their artistic significance. Along with him CM's painting, his museum had some other interesting displays.


There was a fundraiser of some sort where regional artists designed bison in the style of their choice and then auctioned them off (I think).

Here are two of my favorites. Hippie Bison.


and Jumping Bison. This is depicting a herd of bison being chased over a cliff by Indians.

I could make an entire sofa suite out of this bison alone.

Outside there were some more grizzlies.

Goooooaaaaaaaaal!!!!!!!

Well, it's over now, but for a moment it looked like the US was finally going to do something substantial in a sport that the rest of the world actually cares about.

It's a moment that my American friends and I have waited 8 years for, when the US last cleared the group stage in the World Cup.

When Landon Donovan scored 1 minute into injury time, it was a moment of ecstasy that I thought was only shared by expats and a handful of Americans stateside.

Apparently, not.

A Big Sky Sunset

One night after dinner we were granted an amazing sunset painted across Montana's Big Sky.

Glacier National Park

After a day in Great Falls we headed over to Glacier National Park.

Here's the Lodge we stayed at.

Needless to say, the views were amazing.