The best intentions

Robert was all intent on sleeping in a tent in the backyard for the first time. He didn't make it, however. He spent about 30 minutes out there and then got bored with staying in the tent.

Oh well.

Going to school

One of the first things we (read: Cate) did after we got here was get the kids enrolled in school. I think we knew that coming into a new school system in August was going to leave us behind the 8-ball; we just didn't realize how far behind.

But we got a piece of good news yesterday, and parlayed that into a second piece today: The kids got into our No. 2 school choice here in Minneapolis.

First choice was a magnet school, and we knew that was a long shot. But there's a perfectly good school about nine blocks from us, that we thought we would get into. Instead, that school had a waiting list in both fifth grade and first grade and we were assigned to a school three times as far away, with a bus pickup time of 6:47 a.m.!

Chew on that, InsideOut!

But Tuesday afternoon, Cate got called by the placement office and offered us a spot for Elizabeth in our No. 2 choice. After a phone call to mom's friend who works in the school system and some researching online, we felt pretty confident. Cate toured the facilities and deemed them acceptable. And we got them to take Robert as well. Spanish classes, computers in the classrooms, etc.

And classes there start at a more reasonable hour.

I never saw the school that so turned us off, but let's put it this way: On their tour of the other school, Robert rattled off three things that he liked about Forest Grove Elementary in Sterling and asked the principal if this school had them. They were 0-for-3.

If the 6-year-old knows that the school isn't as good, what else is there to say?

Happy anniversary, mom and dad

Mom and Dad celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary Sunday afternoon by inviting the whole parish over to hear a local folk duo. So Neal and Leandra played and the children drunk lemonade and about a hundred people came out to listen, on a beautiful day, inside. (The adults had champagne.)

In all, a great idea. We were asked to save the date back when they sent out their Christmas cards in February. And it turns out we were here a few weeks ahead of schedule.

Mom and Dad spoke briefly before the concert. Somehow Dad kept his prepared remarks below 20 minutes, Cate was very impressed. Mom related a story: she was talking to her mom one day about a year after they were married and she said she couldn't imagine being together for 35 or 40 years. And Nanny said, "the first five years take forever. And then the next 35 just fly by."

I could manage to agree with that assessment. Cate, sitting at the laptop next to me, says she is still waiting for the flying. "I was promised flying by!"

Below, Dad is wearing The Wedding Coat, which he wore to many summer weddings in the ... '70s, I would assume from the looks of it ... and became part of the family lore. He's recently been able to wear it again. (I added this later, ran out of juice last night, both in the brain and the laptop.)

Many people that I hadn't seen in years, obviously. The Schroeders (John and Dana) from a few blocks down the street jokingly took some credit for my career in journalism, but I told them they were definitely entitled to some of it. They ran a newspaper in rural Minnesota in the '80s and came to our neighborhood when I was in grade school. They helped St. Thomas put together a student newspaper and I was the photographer. (That was the only way I wanted to be involved in journalism, yet I ended up on the word side in college.)

Ann Marie Kotre, who was my parents' realtor in Michigan, was in town. Didn't recognize her, of course, but remembered seeing one of her sons play Tony in West Side Story. Always wanted to play that part, but couldn't dance well enough or sing low enough.

Our cousin Kelly was in from out of town, as well as friend of the family/godmother to Colleen Jennifer. And the family repaired to the family domicile afterward for dinner.

Great time had by all.

I just wrapped up a big D3football.com project, so this is my first chance on the blog in a while. Thanks for your patience. More photos on my Facebook page.

Happy Birthday, Cate!

We were all disappointed when the text message from Barack Obama came in at 2:30 this morning informing us that Cate had not been selected as his running mate for the 2008 election.

This is unfortunate, because I feel Cate could help carry several important constituencies.

• Women
• Catholic women
• Virginia

I was just sure the timing of Obama's announcement and rally on Saturday could not be a coincidence. After all, not only was it Cate's birthday, but it was Cate's 35th birthday, which for those who remember high school civics class, means Cate is now eligible to be elected president.

Plus Cate was curiously non-committal as to what she wanted to do today. I'm sure she wanted to be in Springfield, Ill.

Instead, we celebrated Cate's first birthday in Minneapolis in a not-particularly Minnesota fashion. We didn't go to the lake or to the State Fair, which seems destined to be a future birthday destination since it will frequently be running on Aug. 23. Cate and the kids walked down to the shops in Linden Hills, where the kids did some advance scouting for a later birthday run, and we had the great wood-fired pizza at Punch Pizza. At right is dessert, which I term a good cake spoiled. The kids ... well, they had their own ideas as to what the cake should be ... encrusted with. I'm not interested in leftovers, let's just say that. Cate got to get some downtime and talked with her mom on the phone from Ireland. In all it was a beautiful day as summer in the Upper Midwest winds down.

And no, if you're wondering from the top photo, Elizabeth is not that tall, yet. She's standing on a rock. But she is approaching five feet tall, my goodness. She is that cute, though. And so is Colleen.

Colleen's take on Michael Phelps

"Wow."

Her other Olympic comments were rather random. She also claims that she will get her own Olympic gold medal in "nothing" and she'll get it "on Valentine's Day."

Happy birthday to bro

It's Neil's birthday today, as he turns 30 again. I was just thinking the other day, the last time I saw Neil on his birthday I believe puzzles and Star Wars figures may still have been involved. Or maybe a new glove.

That would've been 1991, when Neil ... uhh, turned 13 again?

So happy birthday. We'll spare the singing. Maybe. And we won't celebrate it in multiple small towns across the upper Midwest. Definitely.

The glasses are found!

Mom called me this morning to report that she found Elizabeth's glasses. In the car, where I suggested :) but buried deep in a seat. Sounds familiar.

In the process, she related to me a story from her childhood where a friend of hers named Elizabeth lost a pair of glasses in their car in Chicago. Years later, when Nanny and Pa were selling the car, they pulled the seats out to clean it and found the glasses.

Thankfully this only took a couple of weeks and didn't last all the way to sale. The car is brand-new.

House hunting

Quoth Cate: Only in Edina would there be a million dollar rambler near a highway. One block off 62.

Wish us luck. Someone go buy our house, too.

Robert's take on Michael Phelps

In contrast to Elizabeth, whose view of the gold medal machine named Michael Phelps is fueled by watching the races at night, Robert has been in bed when the races are going on.

Robert was playing with Cate in bed this morning and kicked his feet off the headboard to flip over, and I asked him, "Who do you think you are, Michael Phelps?"

He gave me a puzzled look, so we asked him if he knew who Phelps was, then explained that he was a swimmer who has won a bunch of gold medals during the Olympics.

Robert's response: "Did he cheat?"

Guess we won't be introducing Robert to the Tour de France or any other doping sports anytime soon.

Elizabeth's take on Michael Phelps

Cate and Elizabeth and I are watching the Olympics tonight, with Michael Phelps mania in full force. Elizabeth has enjoyed fencing (the highlights, nothing on TV here) and others but really got a kick out of the description of Michael Phelps prior to the 200 butterfly semifinals.

Phelps was described as double-jointed at the knee, a 6-foot-7 wingspan, and other things. They referenced his warmup move on the blocks as being condorlike. That set Elizabeth's 10-year-old creativity in motion.

And I quote:

Be the condor!

BE the condor!

Be the morph of a condor and a fish. And a human

It's condor man!

(singing) Super condor man! Super condor man!

Then, as Phelps took the lead on the final turn, and Cate and I marveled, Elizabeth responded, "It's because I am super condor man!"

Later she modified it to super condo man, because it was easier to say. But I wouldn't mess with success.

Generation next

The cousin crew got together last night, for the most part, with my cousin Rachel in town with her four boys. (Soon to be five!)

The Lahr cousins were absent, but almost all of the second cousins were there. We only lacked Amelia, who apparently has a more important social calendar. Grand times were had, not necessarily including this group portrait. This is one of the images that didn't include Connor doing the rabbit ears on one of his cousins, Daniel crying, and has Grace actually in the photo. (Alexander facing the camera never quite happened.)

Elizabeth is the oldest of this group, and always will be, of course, as she is a month older than Grant. Grant at 10-1/2 is five feet tall (a few inches short of his mom!) and Elizabeth is about 4-9. Robert and Parker are about a year apart.

Mary Catherine Coleman's great-grandchildren, from left to right, if I remember correctly: Connor Reed, Daniel Reed, Parker Linder, Colleen Coleman, Elizabeth Coleman, Michael Reed, Alexander John, Robert Coleman, Augustine Linder, Grant Linder, Matthias Linder, Grace John.

As I commented to Rachel, now I have to put some effort into remembering which Reed kid is which. Before, seeing them every couple of years, they would change so much in between visits that it wasn't worth trying to retain. The Reeds are 9, 7, and 5. Rachel and the boys are heading up to Duluth for the Hon family reunion and eventually have a 25-hour drive back to New Hampshire next week.

Mom said something to Elizabeth and a couple of the others about winning the prize for attentiveness. Predictably, Elizabeth asked what the prize was, and I told her that when she and others look at these photos in 2047 she can gloat about how attentive she was. Colleen and Grant were good photo subjects as well. And I can bet that Amelia's absence will cause some head-scratching years from now. (Was she born yet? Wasn't that after we moved to Minnesota? Did we still have the blue car? Robert, we never had a BLUE car!)

I won the bet

Not quite a year and a half ago, Jennifer bet me I wouldn't be living in Minneapolis within five years.

Five years? How could I not take that bet?

No, a steak dinner wouldn't have been enough for me to move for all on its own, but still, why bet with someone who can solely influence the outcome?

About a year ago, a project manager working with us at work told me he thought that it would be possible for me to take my current job and do it from anywhere, once the site was up and operational and moving smoothly. Which was a relief, because these days, jobs with the Twin Cities newspapers are hard to come by. The site took a while to become operational, let alone smooth, but my boss graciously agreed to let me take my family and job here. I now work out of a corporate office in Minnetonka. (Where, by the way, there are no giggling coworkers.)

Jennifer also lost a weight-loss bet to me last fall (a bet I am still winning, in crushing fashion) and has sworn off placing wagers with me. Which is unfortunate; I always welcome free food.

Which brings us to today's photo -- a dinner remembrance in true Another Delco Guy fashion. Enjoy. It's a Stella Artois for me and ... uhm, some sauvignon blanc for Jennifer. Seriously, I don't memorize wine.

Life behind the wheel

It was 1,262 miles for me to get from Sterling to Minneapolis (and 1,220 for Cate to do the same, thanks to our odometers). Plenty was seen and much was remembered. More was forgotten, though, I'm sure.

Five years ago we drove to Minneapolis for vacation with just two kids in the back seat, Elizabeth, 5-1/2, and Robert, 1. At the end of that trip I turned to Cate and said, "the next time we drive to Minneapolis, it's going to be one way."

And this was it: No return trip coming.

Cellphone camera leaves a lot to be desired, so here's my pathetic attempt at documenting the journey.

Our preferred way to leave Virginia is over the Point of Rocks bridge on U.S. 15. The sign as you depart, however, is fairly understated.

Maryland is a little more glad to see you.

I only wish we could have gone 55 mph on I-70 when we entered Pennsylvania.

This was the view for much of the next two hours, however -- the back of Cate's car or one of a bunch of others. Turned out that after 70 was reduced to one lane, there was an accident, blocking traffic entirely and backing us up more than six miles. We were going 14 minutes per mile for a while.

I am almost always driving the Pennsylvania Turnpike at night. During the daytime it's almost pretty in spots.

We also entered and left West Virginia and entered Ohio, but that was after dark.

Actual PODS containers being moved! Not ours, however.


Yay, Indiana. The halfway point was here somewhere.

Some time after Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me! faded out, we escaped Hoosierland.

We passed a pair of vintage cars in Illinois. Or maybe Indiana. Or Iowa. No, definitely Illinois.

Took us a long time to get through Illinois. We stopped for lunch and then had some panicky moments where gas stations were few and far between.

Final destination. Or final border stop anyway. After a bathroom break and a hail storm we finally got to Minneapolis, after 11 p.m. Not much of a sign on U.S. 52 after crossing the border into Minnesota.

A farewell to 406

As requested, took some pictures of our house in Sterling, literally on our way out the door.


In the master bath, I did most of the tearing up of the old (old!) linoleum tile and I managed to lay the easy tiles. Cate finished it off, though, doing all the hard parts.


The kitchen got new hardwood floors. Cate had done a deep clean on the cabinets a couple weeks earlier and we had replaced every appliance in here in the course of our five years in the house.


The living room has new hardwood floors as well. Note the incredibly disposable rug.


Another angle on the living room.


Cate stands in the entryway.


I don't have time to do a good photoshop job on this and the phone doesn't have a delay timer ... or a stand ... to get us both in the same picture.

We escaped!

It only came 22 hours later than expected, but Cate and I have departed Sterling.

We got everything on the list done ... more or less .. and are sitting in an Applebee's in Washington, Pa.

Lots to tell and when we stop for the night I'll try to get some words down. Cate is too tired to talk right now and I am running on adrenaline and caffeine.

Still in our old dominion

We seem to still be in Virginia, and with a fair amount of work left to do. We're about to attempt the jigsaw puzzle known as the PODS container and see what has to be put in the cars and what has to be put in the trash.

Obviously this puts our arrival in Dubuque on Saturday night in jeopardy. Gotta go, lifting now!

We have really great friends

Thanks, Jennifer and Kyle, for taking the time to look in on our kids (and give my parents a break) tonight! Sounds like everyone is having a great time.

August is here, both Eastern and Central time. We'll see how we do in the next 16 hours.