Kansas City Comets

Way back in the day... back when I was as old as Eddie is now (let's not discuss how long ago that was)... our family were regular fans of the Kansas City Comets.

The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), alas, is no more.  But during the time, they really drew a great crowd.  We had tons of fun, especially watching the pre-game laser light and pyrotechnic shows. The great forward, Yilmaz Orhan, with his theatrical falls and deft ball handling, or Gino Shiraldi, with his enormous quads and linebacker style defense of the goal (Mom always loved Gino!)... these are some great memories that cemented soccer as my favorite sport.

Here's a little taste to bring you back...

How Smokey and Bob Taught Luke to Ski...

...plus a nice shot of Becky and Eddie.

Water Skiing Videos

Here are a collection of videos from last week's water skiing. We've got Luke's first water skiing run, a short run that lasted less than ten seconds, but that was enough to give him the taste for the sport that he will never shake. (Luke's later ski run that day, which we did not get on video, lasted for at least fifteen minutes as we made 3½ passes around the lake. Once he got up, he was never letting go!)

Also included here are Eddie's tubing run, Becky's ski, an attempt by Chuck, and one of my ski runs. What a great summer activity! I only wish I still owned a boat.

Last Day at the Lake

Today was our last day at the lake, so it was really wonderful that Uncle Bob and Aunt Smokey, Kathy, Ruth, and Great Grandpa John all came out to see us.  Bob and Smokey brought the ski boat, and we had a hell of a good time!  Becky skied.  Chuck skied.  I skied.  Eddie tubed.  And with Smokey's excellent (and very patient) teaching skills, even Luke skied!  Once Luke got up, he wasn't letting go for anything!  He made three and a half laps around the lake before his little spindly arms finally gave out.

What an excellent and amazing day.  It was great seeing Bob especially, since he is now recovered from his cancer and seems to be doing super.  I wish we could have skied all day, but these old bodies don't hold up any more. I have muscles that I haven't used in a very long time screaming at me!

Now, where is my Ibuprofen?

Here are some of my favorite photos, and a slideshow of the rest.

Fishing, Birthday Presents, and Starry Nights

Highlights from these photos include fishing with the boys, the arrival of Chuck, Becky's dad's presents (especially a cool new sundial and a bathouse), and some starry night photos down by the dock.

More Wisconsin Photos

We're just chilling up here.  We spent some time on the lake yesterday, feeding the bluegill, the ducks, and checking out the osprey (just outside of town).  And this morning, we headed to downtown Bloomer for the Main Street Cafe's $2 Wednesday breakfasts.  (Yum!)

After breakfast, we headed over to Aunt Ruth's and Uncle Steve's to see their clandestine chickens.  (The chickens are the worst kept secret in Chippewa.)

The boys really enjoyed the chickens, and we brought home a few fresh eggs as a bonus.

A Visit to the Leinenkugel's Brewery

We took Monday to go see the Leinie's brewery and even got a chance to meet with Jake Leinenkugel, the current president of the brewery.  It was fascinating to go on the tour and see the process now that we are in a similar business.  There were many similarities to our current operations, including many of the same ingredient suppliers and similar (though of course, much larger) equipment.

After the brewery, we took the boys to the local indoor water park, where we all managed to exhaust ourselves by playing for several hours on the water slides and lazy river.  After the water park, we had some wonderful Mexican food, and enjoyed Olson's ice cream for dessert!

Another fine day in northern Wisconsin!