AL FREELAND

I don’t claim to be an expert on this subject, but I would like to throw out a thought and see what others think. The subject is, “How green are hybrid and/or electric cars in reality?”

Earlier this year my Uncle Kent & Aunt Kay Freeland planned an outing on Lake Pepin in Lake City, MN.  They rented a large paddle boat that had been restored for use on this large waterfront.  It was a double decker with a full bar, bathrooms, retro-charm, great service, near perfect weather, friends and family and a view to kill for.  It was a perfect day and I'd like to thank Kent and Kay for everything.  Please enjoy the following photo and video albums.  Meanwhile, I am putting together a compilation of these photos and videos, that will be presented to music.  I just wanted to get these up first.

Friends and family that were aboard, please leave a comment for everyone to read.  Tell me what you thought of the trip.  Share photos if you can.

Click here to view all video

I was telling the story today and they thought it was good enough to blog on.  And if you ever read this Dr Gosen, there is no dis-respect meant as you were great to us & and an exceptional doctor.  But, your name begs the question about whether your parents meant to do this, or decided that you name would pre-destine you to be an ob/gyn. 

Dr. Gosen is pronounced "Goes-in" and Dick is short for Richard.  And if you want to get slang with it, you throw the "B" in there and it is all the more funny.  I think you catch my drift.  You just can't make this up!

Dr. Richard Gosen is an MD at Fairview.

TIM FREELAND

I am proud to talk about my families literary skills.  My dad Al, brother Andy, grandma Esta and uncle Kent have all published books over the past 10 years.  I've placed them all here in one spot and have linked them to their respective Amazon.com listing for purchase and review.  I am still working on my first book that will probably be on a topic nothing close to these and probably less interesting. Following is some background from my Dad on his writing experiences.

I always enjoyed reading juvenile or junior reader books - even as an adult.  I have never really psychoanalyzed myself as to why this is so - I just enjoy them.  An easy read - I enjoy pictures - I hate the presumptuousness of the 2000 page books??  Not sure why.  This being the case, I guess that sets the stage for the three books that I have published. 

In the early 80's I started taking canoe trips to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) in Northern Minnesota.  I fell in love with the area, as well as the mystic of the Indian lore, the voyager traders traveling across the landscape so many years ago, and the danger and excitement of the area.  After many years it hit me that there were many types of books written about the BWCA, but not any or at least many, written from a young reader's perspective. 

 Tim and Lori’s Wedding

June 29, 2007

I prepared this just in case I had an opportunity to say a few words at your wedding, but it never happened. I thought I would type it up from the card that I have had in Bible since then, so you can see what I was going to say.

This is truly a fantastic time of my life! I get to see my son marry a person that not only he, but all of us have fallen in love with – Lori! I can’t speak highly enough of her and her wonderful traits that will cement your relationship for all time. I also want to tell you Tim how proud your Mom and I are of you – remaking your life, overcoming the struggle of being a single parent, working hard to make a family filled with love and now finding the perfect match and mate for the rest of your life.

Dad,
I was driving to work this morning and heard a familiar rock band on the radio. Their name is TOOL. You might have heard of them. They have a very famous first video. I had always known that this band is very dark and self-admitted satanic. They're so dark that I don't think they've ever shown their faces on a video or album cover (which is symbolic). Their videos and albums are disturbing to look at & they just creep me out. For example, there is a picture of an extremely obese naked woman lying with a skinny man. The disk itself has a picture of a guy giving himself oral sex. There is also a picture of a burning pig. It just makes my skin crawl. People really follow this band. One of their albums has a hidden track (all the way up to track 69). It is kind of like that Beatles "revolution number 9" song. You can hear "back-masking", someone making prophecies as well as someone on a bad drug trip. This also leads to my next conversation topic. With this disgust fresh in your mind, reply about 2 things. One is rock and roll and its effect on the degradation of today's youth as well as your take on the end of the world. These topics coincide on many levels. I know you don't necessarily like to discuss the end of the world, but want to get your "official" opinion here.

Lyrics to Aenima by TOOL.

Lyrics to Eulogy by TOOL.

I have read the lyrics to Tool’s songs that you had sent. I thought that some were likewise very disturbing, but at the same speaking to the sense of frustration that I know I’ve felt at times at the world around us, “it’s a three ring circus around us. The only way to fix it is to flush it all away.” I also noticed the quasi-religious lyrics as they ask Jesus to come down from the cross cause we need the space for the next fool. It’s easy to see that they think they have heard the Christian message, but don’t get what it all about. Let me give you my two cents worth again at what I think your main questions are:

It has been 976 days since Rylie first stepped through the doors of the new Northfield Montessori facility in 2005.  At age 3 Rylie joined the "Discovery I" classroom where she moved to "Discovery II" and finally into the "Montessori" room.  Last week, she left for the last time after completing the Kindergarten program. I would personally like to thank all the teachers for their hard work over the years.  It's a job that not many could do and I don't think teachers are rewarded enough in our society.

This step in Rylie's life is truly a fork in the road for me and her.  See, Rylie's mom Melissa lives in Farmington and after much debate, it was decided that Rylie would attend public school in that system at this time.  I really wanted Rylie to attend school and grow up in the same community that I did.  However, she will still split equal time between Northfield and Farmington by dividing up vacations, weekends and holidays between the two families. 

It all started for me in the June of 1994 when I was invited to "Mike's Cabin" on lake Tatonka in Waterville MN for a weekend event celebrating their annual "Bullhead Days".  Did you know they are the "Bullhead capital of the world" so their city sign proclaims. 

I was pumped to stay the weekend in the cabin.  Turns out there was no cabin.  Just a parked camper and it was full.  So, I slept in the back of a pick-up truck.  That next morning, I officially re-named it "Hart's lake shore property" so as not to mis-lead anyone else.  Truck beds are brutal. 

For 14 years I have spend the 2nd week of June in Waterville.  I started to collect their celebration pin-back buttons.  I am grateful to the Hart family for having us all down year after year.  If you know of anyone who might have buttons from prior years, please let me know!

Following is a list of traditional activities (some of which I do and do not partake in).

• Lighting off fireworks.  Some legal and some no-so-much.
• Boating on Tatonka and watching Mike do cannon-balls into the green water.
• Taking the boat through a small, shallow channel that I named "Appacolypse Now" after the familiar scenes in the afore mentioned movie. 
• Playing catch with a ball and glove with the guys.  We once had an 8-way going.
• BBQing
• Going "into town" to watch locals eat disgusting deep-fried bullheads.  (those are rough fish...bottom feeders).
• Singing karaoke at the "Corner Bar".
• 2008 was the 44th year of the celebration.

So, here it is.  Almost every photo that I've ever taken of the lake festivities.  It's fun to watch everyone change through the years.  Notice a crew of faithful that never change while the yearly guests change. Click the mosaic.

Or, you can click here to view my collection of Bullhead Days Buttons.