Great Day for Caching

First we went to the senior citizen work-out at the mall. It hasn't changed much since last year. Dick got the oil changed on the Rav, and then it was time for caching. We had a fun day in Ann Arbor, followed by an event at the Grand Traverse Pie Company! We had pie AND cake - no kidding!



09/27/2010 You found I HOP Around the Car Wash Visit Log
Well I did it again. Pulled into the parking lot and knew right where it was. Don't need no stinkin' GPS! Pulled up, she popped out for the quick grab and . . . Ooops! OK I'll check the silly GPS, Oh its a couple of hundred feet that way. This time I'll make the grab. Wow! what a collection of wasps. All right! All right I'll take the GPS with me. (Aren't we supposed to get smarter with age?) Nice hide, nice camo, as previously noted the log should be replaced soon. Thanks for the fun.

09/27/2010 You found Bottoms Up Visit Log
What a neat park! The residents are indeed fortunate to have this facility right in an urban setting. We had the place to ourselves today. Nice walk, quick find. TFTC

09/27/2010 You couldn't find Dirt Don't Hurt #8 Visit Log
We gave this guy our best shot but it just wasn't good enough. Some days you bite the bear, today the bear chomped us a good one.

09/27/2010 You found Great Sauk Trail Council - Action! Boy Scouts Visit Log
Since the BSA are our hosts for game day parking across from the stadium, we had to go for this one. We weren't sure if the folks pulling in were muggles so we smuggled the cache back to the car, signed the log, left a hand sanitizer and stealthily returned the camoed can to its spot. TFTC

09/27/2010 You found A2 Park N Ride Visit Log
I think we found one here a few years ago. Found the container out in the open so we tried to cover it better. Took nothing, left a matchbox car. TFTC

09/27/2010 You found Guarding 94 Visit Log
This guy popped up when we downloaded our new PQ. We had to grab it or Nuvi would drive us nuts. TFTS

Attended 09/27/2010 You attended [Event Cache] Perplexing Puzzles and Pastries Party Part Four Visit Log
It's fun to have so many chances to meet and talk to our fellow cachers. It's a chance to trade hugs with folks we've met and talked and cached with in the past and to shake hands with and introduce ourselves to cachers whose names we've only read in log books. We didn't work on puzzles but we sure put a dent in the cake and cherry pie.

Reiko's Here!!

Jan called and invited us to dinner on Sunday. Reiko and her two boys are visiting from California for a couple of days, and so we had a great dinner and great company too. Hunter and Jet are growing up so fast - and they are so bright and entertaining - lots of potential there. Loads of personality, friendliness and politeness mixed with all of the natural all-boy characteristics! We enjoyed the day so much.

Hunter is loaded with personality:

Jet and his Momma were amazingly good at putting these cars together:

Dinner is served:

Jan and I are picking out the movie we want to see this week - we picked "You Again". It looks really cute.

U of M vs. BGSU

It was a great fall day for football. It was cool and comfortable and not crowded for a change.

Univ.of Mich 65, Bowling Green 21

Three-Headed Quarterback Helps U-M Rout Bowling Green

Sept.25, 2010
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Michigan Stadium)
Score: #21 Michigan 65, Bowling Green 21
Records: U-M (4-0), Bowling Green (1-3)
Attendance: 109,933 (sellout)
Next U-M Game: Saturday, Oct. 2 -- at Indiana (Bloomington, Ind.), 3:30 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan football team (No. 21 AP/No. 22 Coaches) scored touchdowns on nine of its 11 possessions in a 65-21 win over Bowling Green on Saturday (Sept. 25) at Michigan Stadium. The Wolverines posted the second-most total yards in a single game with 721 yards -- 466 rushing and 255 passing -- to surpass the 500-yard mark for the third consecutive contest

Post-game celebration:

Caching A2

Found it 09/24/2010 You found [Traditional Cache] Discovering Clonlara Visit Log
Out grabbing a few before dinner this afternoon and this guy popped up. I have to say that we never expected to find this container in the city. Swapped a harmonica for a pen. Thanks for introducing us to this school.

Found it 09/24/2010 You found [Traditional Cache] A World Away Visit Log
Some times what the skirt covers is just not accessible. Quite a fake out. TFTC

Found it 09/24/2010 You found [Traditional Cache] Obi-Wan Kenobi Visit Log
Boy the muggle problem at the cache is serious. Should we wait till he gets on the bus or try our best stealth? One of us kept an eye on the muggle while the other went for the cache. Never has hiking a skirt been so loud. A quick scoop and casual stroll to the cachemobile and the report was "He never turned to look". Signed log and replaced. TFTC

Found it 09/24/2010 You found [Traditional Cache] Caching Costs $$$$$ Visit Log
It was interesting this morning when I set out to Meijer's. This cache was closer to our apartment than many caches we've sought, just over 1/2 mile. So instead of driving, it was a walk. The problem I have with this type of container is that it takes me longer to replace the log than to find it. After the find a quick trip into the store was made hoping to thank the owner but without success. Perhaps she had already driven north for her Annual Autumnal Amusement.

No Way!

Don's of Traverse City?

On Grand River at 12 Mile? In Novi??

No way.

Happy Birthday Dick

Talking to Tom - must have been good one !


The face scratch is from geocaching, of course:

Kanitz Reunion Overview

All set up and ready to go! Jim, Emilie, Dick and I were helped by Kris, Linda, Paul and Marilyn, and Rex and Wanda! Marilyn says that's what cousins are for :)

Ron and Lana - Ron is 86 this year. He's the oldest surviving first cousin.

We asked people to bring blooms from their own gardens to make bouquets for the hall. There were four or five really gorgeous Kanitz bouquets - they were spectacular. The bouquets symbolize how a beautiful family is made up of many different individuals.

Kris changes from flower arranger to photographer.

Pam, Dan, Drew and Jace

Jim and me

Time to ring the dinner bell !!

Crowd shot - there were exactly 100 people attending.

Jim and Jack

Some cousins really got into the "decorate your own tablecloth" idea. This was our tablecloth, decoratd by Jace, Drew, Dan and Pam!

At the table next to ours, some of Loyola's kids got very creative, and were still coloring after a lot of people had left! It would have won the grand prize - if there had been prizes!

Another prize winner! (As if...)

Whew! A Close Call

Offensive Outburst Allows Michigan to Hold Off UMASS

Sept. 18, 2010

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Michigan Stadium)
Score: #20 Michigan 42, Massachusetts 37
Records: U-M (3-0), Massachusetts (2-1)
Attendance: 110,187 (sellout)
Next U-M Game: Saturday, Sept. 25 -- vs. Bowling Green (Michigan Stadium), Noon

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Sophomore quarterback Denard Robinson (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Deerfield Beach HS) threw two touchdown passes to junior wide receiver Darryl Stonum (Stafford, Texas/Dulles) in a 45-second span late in the first half and junior superback Michael Shaw (Trotwood, Ohio/Trotwood-Madison) rushed for a career-high 126 yards and three scores as the University of Michigan football team (No. 20 AP/No. 22 USA Today) held off Massachusetts (No. 18 FCS), 42-37, on Saturday (Sept. 18) at Michigan Stadium. The Wolverines marched into the end zone on five consecutive possessions between the second and fourth quarters, eclipsing 500 total yards of offense for the second week in a row (525).

Nice offense, but where was the defense?????

Score at the end of the 3rd quarter. Only sort of bad.

Our friend Cheryl from T.C. and her kids! It's amazing how much they all look alike!

Schooner Festival

The Schooner Festival began with a totally miserable day on Saturday. It was dark, rainy and windy all day long. We didn't go down to see how many people showed up or even whether they went out on any bay cruises. The weather was certainly uninviting, and besides we had to watch some college football!

Today was a different story. It was still windy, but with bright sunshine and deep blue skies, it was totally worth a drive to the marina.

The Coaster II from Marquette, Michigan:


The Denis Sullivan, Wisconsin:


The Welcome, T.C.:




General shots of the marina on a gorgeous day:





The beach was pretty much deserted today - the lifeguards are gone since Labor Day, and today the temp. was about 66 degrees - not exactly beach weather. In the background center is the great new 101 Park Street Building which is almost finished. It is such a beautiful building, and a great improvement on the massive hole in the ground that was on that location for a decade! Hooray for Traverse City.

No Class

We surely enjoyed watching the Michigan game - it was very exciting at the end, and we cheered vigorously. Thank you, Team! However...

If you are feeling all tingly and joyful about Univ. of Mich. beating Notre Dame, read this article. It will bring you crashing back down to earth. Things like this leave us in total disgust for he who shall not be named.


West Virginia Football: Rich Rodriguez Loved To Recruit Thugs
By Frank Ahrens (Senior Writer) on June 13, 2008

Exactly how many thugs did Rich Rodriguez recruit during his seven years at West Virginia University?

Do the players think that new coach Bill Stewart is a pushover because he doesn’t scream and curse like Rodriguez? Is that why they think they can get away with the boneheaded and/or criminal behavior we’ve set out below?

Or were they simply thugs all along, and it was only a matter of time until their true nature found an opportunity to exploit?

Stewart must feel like a new judge taking over a caseload of criminals from a retired judge who just couldn’t be bothered to sentence any of them.

Since Stewart has taken over following WVU’s Fiesta Bowl rout of Oklahoma, he has:

Kicked RB Eddie Collington, DL James Ingram and LB John Holmes off the team for possession and intent to distribute drugs. Smart.
Kicked S Charles Pugh off the team for—get this—allegedly picking up a set of car keys from a table in the student union then using the panic button to find the car in the adjacent parking garage. Then, he and a woman entered the car, stole a credit card, and racked up nearly $2,000 in purchases.
Kicked TE Evan Rodriguez off the team for assaulting a female student. Nice.
According to West Virginia media, applied team discipline to RB Noel Devine and WR Jock Sanders after charges were filed against the pair following a fight with students.

Last August, CB Ellis Lankster and LB J.T. Thomas were arrested for stealing a laptop form a student’s house and trying to fence it. Again, smart. They were suspended for several games.

Earlier last summer, S Quinton Andrews and okay-now-he’s-coming-back-for-real RB Jason Gwaltney spent the night in the Morgantown pokey after a dustup with cops.

All of this has landed WVU at the No. 2 spot on the vaunted Every Day Should Be Saturday’s Fulmer Cup, which awards points to college football student athletes based on arrests, convictions and so forth. (Barely behind Mizzou.)

What are we to make of all this?

Andrews has been a known problem for most of his time at WVU.

Lankster came from a JuCo. We’d hate to over-generalize, but if we did, we’d note that players with Division I talent who opt for the JuCo route do so because they don’t have the academic credentials to go straight into Division I. Now, if we over-generalized even further, we’d note that dumb athletes also often are violent. It’s why Bob Huggins got his bad-JuCo rep at Cincinnati.

Pugh’s mom said in the West Virginia media that her boy Charles didn’t act alone, implying that a woman with Pugh urged her son to become a criminal. As my friend Ann likes to say, “P***y make you crazy!”

Charles, however, died the way he lived: His uni number was 15, which made sense. He was forever drawing 15-yard personal foul penalties for late hits out of bounds and other unsportsmanlike behavior.

Devine had a crazy troubled childhood: nine kids by six different women, both parents dead, etc. However, nothing in his past indicated violence.

And let us not forget the all-time braindead Mountaineers brought to Morgantown by Rodriguez: Pacman Jones, recently reinstated to the NFL after a one-year suspension, and Chris Henry, who just today was suspended by the NFL indefinitely for being arrested about six times in eight states.

It should be clear by now that Rodriguez cared much more about 40-yard-dash times than character. And because of that, he left Stewart a mess to clean up.

Rodriguez: The gift that keeps on giving.

Notre Who?

GO BLUE!
Robinson Rallies Football to Victory at Notre Dame

9/11/2010

Quarterback Denard Robinson capped a school-record day (502 total yards -- 258 rush, 244 pass) with a two-yard touchdown rush with 27 seconds remaining to rally the Wolverines to a 28-24 win at Notre Dame.

September 11

Remembering a day that tore down our innocence of what a human is capable of. Not only the hate and destruction, but the way strangers will give their lives to help someone they have never met.


(from my niece Pam. Couldn't say it any better.)

Round Robin 2010

Here we go again - it's time for the annual Round Robin letter to my high school friends in the class of 1953. We're the SLGs, and we won't tell what that stands for.

Sept. 10, 2010

Hi Everybody!

It’s a beautiful day in Northern Michigan. Our hot, hot summer seems to be over, and we have deliciously cool 60s and 70s. Today is an absolutely perfect day.

We’ve had an eventful year. Here are some brief highlights. At Easter time we went to Washington, D.C. to visit daughter Jana. Daughter Laurie flew up with grandson Dylan to join us and introduce Dylan to that wonderful city. We showed him all of the monuments, including the new FDR memorial and the WWII Memorial, and of course the White House and the Capitol. To our surprise the biggest hit was the Art Museum! He’s been well educated by his art teacher in middle school, and he was really thrilled to see the great masters up close. He especially liked Andy Warhol and some of the abstract things. “Oh, Grandma, that illustrates order and chaos!”

At the end of May, we went to Alaska with friends - spent a week touring Denali, and then a week on a cruise ship looking at glaciers! Magnificent experience - glaciers are truly one of nature’s wonders. Let’s face it, cruising is just a lot of fun,. We had stops in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan. I recommend it.

Our Florida kids came to visit in July and August for about three weeks. We love having Dylan here, and look forward to it every summer. Our son-in-law thinks they’re imposing and offers to stay in a motel - but he’s told, “No, no, you don’t understand - we want Dylan here!”

This year we are the hosts with the most. We’ve hosted three small geocaching events, Dick’s annual family reunion (GenFest), and next week we’re hosting the 46th Annual Kanitz Reunion downstate. This one is the biggest - we expect 150 cousins to come.

It must be our age - so many friends are selling their homes and moving to condos. Nola, Sandy N., and Betty have sold their homes. Our next door neighbors are moving to a condo this very weekend. I ran into Hank Johnson at our Rehab gym last week - he and Sue are selling their home and moving to a condo. Holy cow. Out here on the river, Dick has just ordered another load of firewood for the year after next, so you can tell we have no moving plans in the near future! But we can see the writing on the wall.

This year we were honored by the Michigan Geocaching Organization - one of five teams in the State to receive a special silver coin for “outstanding contributions to geocaching” and other complimentary statements. It was quite a surprise!

Our kids are all fine. Jana is the one we worry about. She’s been unemployed for over two years now, and it’s very troublesome. She does get contract work often, so she’s kind of a free-lance consultant, but it’s very unsatisfying to her.

Dick and I did get our shingles shots a few months ago. We debated and debated because of the cost, but we had watched Mother suffer with it and finally made the right choice, I think. So sorry for those of you who’ve had to experience that awful affliction.

Margo: How great that you are helping homeless folks. Especially these days, more and more are down on their luck. Our Goodwill Inn has expanded, and they are helping many families now. There are many homeless kids in the schools, which is something we haven’t seen before. Good for you - it’s important work!

Mary: Depression is certainly nothing to sneeze at! I’m glad you’re getting treatment and therapy - it’s the only way. Daughter Jana is dealing with depression also, with the help of a psychiatrist and a therapist and medications. Her therapist helps her immensely, and I wish you both peace of mind and comfort. Friends and family are so important.

Betty: Hey, you California girl! Nothing like moving across the entire country for a change of scenery. Seeing your grandkids every day is a big, big plus. I hope you had good luck with your ankle.

June: Glad all is well with you and yours. Sounds like you two have an active, healthy, happy Florida life.

Sandy M.: Sciatic nerve - oh no! Mine was a lot less severe than yours - the epidural took away the pain. I do have nerve damage in my left leg, which weakens it. I’m still going to the Rehab gym (4 years of it) and my Dr. says that now they believe that the nerve will eventually heal over time. Hope you continue to do well.

Donna: Good health news from you! Hope it’s continuing and that you’re getting good reports. The economy is affecting every family in one way or another, isn’t it…good that John is employed anyway - maybe by now he has a teaching job. I hope so.

Debby: When you’re home from Florida let’s get together and you can tell me about your hip replacement and your great family in person!

Freda: What a full life you are living. It’s always a treat to hear about your expeditions and adventures. Get the shingles shot - shingles would ruin your itinerary! Bill’s Parkinson’s will be a challenge, but I believe that you will deal with it in your usual competent fashion. My maid of honor’s husband also has it and she reports that at this point he is only comfortable in his own home, in his own space.

Nan: Northport really is a marvelous place in the summer. In the winter…not so much! Say hi to your husband (my third grade boyfriend)!

Nola: Wow - what a wonderful picture of you and your grandchildren! As you know, Dick and I have one (1) grandchild. Every family is unique! Count your blessings. It will be interesting to hear how you’re enjoying your retirement home - such a big change for you two - but we all will have to make that adjustment sooner or later. Let us know how J & K’s situation is working out. Of course I’m wishing for the best outcome for everyone.

Sandy N.: How nice that you’re close to the lake, and have a great path nearby. I’m thinking that you will be happy and comfortable there, with no worries about maintenance, etc. Hooray for you.

Normal Thursday With a Twist

Already starting to pack things to take to Ann Arbor next week. We've rented an apartment there for 5 weeks for football season. This will be the 3rd or 4th year we've done this - I've lost track! We'll be there for 4 games - one week there's an away game. Tom is coming for the MSU game on Oct. 9, and Jana hopes to come for a visit too, but nothing is definite yet. We really love Valley Ranch - it's convenient to everything - shopping, dining, the stadium, the A2 library - just everything. We leave one week from today.

This year, in addition to our personal things that we'll need for 5 weeks, we're also packing things for the 46th Annual Kanitz Reunion on Sept. 19th. Jim and I are in charge this year, so I'm packing table coverings, serving spoons, decorations, - you get the idea.



Our niece Kris is helping immensely - and I think we've got everything covered - but I keep going over in my mind - what am I forgetting? Coffee cups, check, Kool-Aid cups, check, crayons for the kids, check, etc. This is a big reunion. We expect around 150 people - of which we know about a dozen! The rest we see once a year. I'm actually looking forward to it this year - that hasn't always been true.

Today we went to the gym and did errands - Omelette Shoppe, Visitors Center, PO, library, Oleson's and Progress...oh wait! At the Progress Laundry there was a big banner saying "Master Dry Cleaners", and none of the familiar people were there - new folks behind the counter. I asked - has there been a change in ownership? Oh yes there has been - oh no. I used to go to Master's on 14th St. but I switched when their prices went up. It will be interesting to see how much they charge me for the things I left today. I loved Progress - they all knew me by name and went to get my order as soon as our car pulled up. Doggone it. It seems that the older I get the more resistant to change I become. Phooey.

M vs. UCONN

Who would win, a wolverine or a huskie? A wolverine would win - 30-10.

We drove down to Ann Arbor this morning, because the game didn't start until 3:30. Stopped at Frosty Cup in Cadillac for old times' sake. We got to the stadium in plenty of time to get acquainted with the newness and the changes.

View of the new stadium from our parking lot.


New concessions in the outer stadium area:






Views of the new part of the stadium, two hours before kick-off:





Warm-ups - Holy Hannah, the PA system is loud - they have really cranked up the decibels.




"All The Maize and Blue Faithful Join in a Rousing Chorus of The Victors"



Today's game was just about perfect - the weather was wonderful, and the outcome was very satisfactory. However, as our seatmate Tony pointed out - the offense seems to be "quarterback left, then quarterback right, then quarterback left, etc. ad infinitum". After a while it becomes supremely predictable. I'm sure that Denard will be the prime target on Saturday in South Bend.

The stadium is extremely loud this year - bring your earplugs. We couldn't even carry on a conversation. I was wishing I had hearing aids so I could turn down the volume! (Just kidding, God!) Dick wants to take in a decibel meter to see how bad it is. He might have trouble getting past the turnstiles with that piece of equipment though - you're not even allowed a water bottle.

Good luck to us at Notre Dame (fingers crossed)! At this point, we really don't know what to expect.

Spent the night with Sniders - we always enjoy their hospitality. We had great conversations about good books, super grandchildren, old times, and Belleville gossip. It doesn't get any better than that!