The 22nd annual Pepsi Challenge Ski Cup Race was held at our local ski area on January 21. There were 564 ski racers, nearly double the field of the event last year. Giants Ridge has a world-class reputation for its race trails. The Ridge has held the World Cup, Olympic Trials, national Collegiate finals and the U.S. National Championships. This race is part of the American Ski Marathon Series.Matt Weier of Marquette, MI, and Sarah Peters of Navan, Ontario, won the 48K Freestyle event. Joshua Tesch of Superior, WI, and Mary Beth Tuttle of Pine Springs, MN, won the 24k Freestyle event. Evan Pengelly of Plymouth, MN, and Margaret Nelson of St. Paul, MN, won the 24K Classic event.This event draws Nordic ski racers from all over and brings some positive publicity to our area; we are very proud that the race is held nearby.
Geocaching--"Where YOU are the search engine"--is a sport that the WT's have come to enjoy. Geocaching ("Geo" for geography and "cache" for hidden stash) makes use of the multi-billion dollar satellite system that the government has in place. Once the Defense Department stopped scrambling these signals beamed to GPS receivers from the military satellites on May 1 of 2000, owners of a handheld GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) receiver could hide "treasures," post the information on the Internet (see our link at the right), and others would flock to find them. Once they found the cache (pronounced "cash"), the finder would write in the logbook, exchange a trinket in the container, and then later log the find on the cache site. There are now caches in over 220 countries in the world and during a typical week tens of thousands of people log in "finds" on the site.The WT's have taken advantage of this. Jodie has two of the handhelds now and plans outings for the group. In addition to finding caches, we have also hidden some in our area. We have developed Travel Bugs which travel from cache to cache and are logged on the site. In fact, one travel bug which we started in 2004, the year of the Centennial of our town, is now in New York!One of the most fun aspects of this is that many of us now have our adult offspring and grandchildren interested in the sport. We love to hear them say, "Our grandmother is the one that first got us interested in it!" We love it when we learn something "techie" before they do!Photos: Jodie with her GPS on a "find" in Arizona. The group near a cache that we hid at a drill site. The group at a mine viewpoint near another cache that we hid.
Sharon has been quilting since 1998. Here she is with some of the quilts/wallhangings in her home. Through the years we've enjoyed seeing many of her sewn creations: quilts, wallhangings, jackets, ponchos, and more. She's made quilts for her children and grandchildren, and taught one of her granddaughters how to sew and quilt. When she's not quilting, she might be working on scrapbooking.
"Unless we set up some kind of a schedule, we just aren't going to get around to all the things we should be worrying about." Erma Bombeck
It appears that Gail Sheehy's new book, despite its title, might be something that the WT's would be interested in. Perhaps there are parts of it that used us as examples. She talks about the "seasoned woman." We are definitely that! A seasoned woman is spicy and has been marinated in life experience, according to Sheehy. The WT's are that--we can be alternately sweet, tart, sparkling, mellow--just like complex wine. In an article in the Sunday magazine section of the paper, she discusses what makes a woman "seasoned." Her answer is "time." Although we only have two Boomers in our group (Mary and Sue--Jodie missed it by 6 months!), we are definitely the passionate, liberated women she mentions--unwilling to settle for the stereotypical roles of middle age! We are definitely part of the Second Adulthood. The Seasoned Woman offers a "what-the-hell-life-is-short" joie de vivre, emotional stability, financial independence, the ability to talk about anything, no ticking biological clock or toddlers underfoot, and a knowledge of what she wants sexually and the appreciation of a good lover. Well, five out of six ain't bad!The book comes out at the end of this month and I'm sure that someone from our group will get one right away to read and share with everyone! We can barely wait!
Joan and Tee are off to another Elderhostel. This time they head to Poteau, Oklahoma, to discuss Will Rogers and to study contemporary Oklahoma artists and authors, the post-Civil War Frontier and the culture of Native Americans. One of the highlights will be a tour of the Will Rogers Museum. Once again, they will return with many stories to share with those of us who are staying home. We're certain that they will regale us with many Will Rogers' sayings.
Like many other members of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), I joined to please my mother. Membership requires proof of descent from a member of the military or a support group of the Revolutionary War. My plan was to prove that I was her daughter and join on her apron strings. Mother would have none of that. She had proved seven different lines and assigned me to another that she had not been able to prove several years before. It was a good move on her part. As I searched for birth and death certificates, marriage licenses and proof of service, I became fascinated with their social history. I found myself reading about the routes they must have traveled and marveled at thrir courage. It opened a whole new world!
My Chapter of DAR is the Daughters of Liberty Chapter in Duluth. It was organized in 1897 and has been active ever since. Our programs revolve around patriotic, historical and conservational topics. With more people becoming interested in computers and the increased capacity of genealogical research, we have been growing. We have two projects tht we are very proud of. We offer several $200 grants each year to teachers in the Duluth area for special class projects. We also sponsor and serve at a reception for immigrants on the day they become United States citizens. A most rewarding experience--their stories rival my ancestors' stories! Check out the link for the Liberty Chapter on the right.
Our resident author, Mary, appeared on PBS on "Sewing with Nancy." The appearance marked the introduction of Mary's newest collection of apron designs. Mary and host Nance Zieman showed viewers a variety of clever aprons for children, dolls and adults."Newfangled Reversible Aprons" is the program topic and the title of Mary's newly released pattern. She presented the steps of easy-to-make aprons in three different reversible styles. "Sewing with Nancy" has aired on public television for 24 years. In these programs, Nancy specializes in presenting efficient sewing methods that result in professional looking garments and projects. Mary has appeared on the program on numerous occasions and we all try to watch her or tape the program whenever possible. She is our resident celebrity!Check your local listings for Progam #1920. You can also check out how/where to purchase the apron pattern on the link to the right for Mary's Productions.
The local school hosted a Cross Country Invitational Ski Meet yesterday, the largest high school nordic ski meet in the nation. Out of 58 teams, our local team came in 14th. Several of the local skiers finished in the top 100, including Lorraine's granddaughter. The weather was perfect--perhaps even a little too warm for these high-energy events--mid 20's, which is still a great deal better than any below zero weather.Events such as this and just the general business that the ski area brings to our communities make us realize what a gem we have nearby. They help to focus on all that the area offers, including many loyal volunteers who helped to make the event run smoothly.
News from the Northland: Well, The Shopper just arrived and it is full once again. The big news is that the Pepsi Challenge Cup Cross Country Ski Race will be on Saturday, January 21, at Giant's Ridge Ski Area. There will be a Spaghetti Feed in the Pavilion in a neighboring town the night before. There are several different races: a 24K and 48K Classic Race, a 24K and 48K Freestyle race and a 7K Freestyle race. The Awards Banquet will be at 5:00 that evening. This is usually one of the colder weekends of the year with temperatures sometimes below zero and it usually doesn't stop most people. Sometimes the race is postponed until later in the day when it might warm up. They used to truck in snow to our main street and lined the race track with discarded Christmas trees. The racers would ski through town and townsfolk would stand and ring cowbells to cheer them on. Some of us really miss "those good ol' days!"There are several Snowmobile Safety Training classes coming up, beginning on January 9. School is back in session (January 3), so the weekly lunch menus are printed. Doesn't look too bad. Don't remember having tacos when we were in school. They still have hamburger gravy on mashed potatoes--some things do not change. You know, that still sounds pretty good! They also have something called a "Grab & Go Bag" Sounds interesting--PB&J sandwich, string cheese, carrots, apple and milk. There are also several athletic events scheduled. In small towns across the country, most of the life centers around what seems to be happening at the school.The regular newspaper delivery person is having a sub because she is having foot surgery. We appreciate the fact that she gave us a number to call if there are any problems.Someone had a purse stolen and with it her heart and asthma medicing plus a prescription for her eyedrops. We hope that it will be returned.The Girl Scouts will be having their cookie sale kick off. Looks as if we have something to look forward to.Some of the ads: The local floral and gift shop is encouraging high school students to order flowers for their dates for the Snowball Dance which is coming up next Saturday. Sounds like fun.With the new year, several beauty salon owners are encouraging us to come in to try a new "do" for the new year. That's definitely something to think about! Some of the local "watering holes" are advertising Super Bowl parties already. "King Kong" is playing through Thursday and "Rumor Has It" will start on Friday. That sounds like a field trip.Until next week . . .
"Those voices you hear make sense!"
"Be yourself and you will always be in fashion."
If that's the case, the Walkie Talkies must be VERY fashionable!
Happy New Year and the very best to everyone in 2006 from the Walkie Talkies!
