I Luv my brother!

Last evening, I was at the bachelor party of the tyke in the cardboard go-cart with diaper paint job. The throng gathered for the occasion was recalling first memories of Adam (pictured below, in vehicle, circa 1982).



















Since the groom-to-be is my brother, I was able to reach back a little further than his college friends to recollect a first memory. For some inexplicable reason, the earliest salient memory that popped into my mind was of pushing him around in a Luvs box. I hadn’t thought about it in years—maybe decades—and thought the memory was mine alone. It turns out the whole scene was captured on film.

I got the diaper brand right and everything!

Odds and Ends

Here’s a picture I took through the window of our moving motor home, in the vicinity of Exit 178 on Interstate 90 in Minnesota:



We stopped neither for the picture nor for the museum. Also, I do not regularly eat SPAM.

By the way, our motor home was moving, and I didn’t have to crop the picture. Are you as impressed as I am? I knew you would be.

Here are some links to peruse at your leisure:

• Large picture from this post.
• An enjoyable video spoof, to which this comment alerted me.
• Some information on Erasmus of Formiae, to provide balance to this post, as prompted by this comment.
• A map of the states we visited during the road trip.

Keep those comments coming!

Finally…To whom it may concern: If Vacation Bible School threatens to sabotage your wedding reception by announcing plans to hijack your venue a week before the big day, consider these fun-filled ways to capitalize on the situation:

1. Music for first dance: Choral singing of “Deep and Wide”.
2. Instead of birdseed, throw animal crackers as bride and groom dash to getaway vehicle.
3. Wedding party, 400 VBS kids and this video…the possibilities are astounding.
4. Today’s lesson: Save the best apple juice for last!

South Dakota is not boring.

Heading west to east on I-90 are four gems:







1) Gutzon Borglum created a national monument by blasting four presidents’ visages into a mountain.









2) The ride from Rapid City to Wall passes quickly, as you encounter a different Wall Drug sign every fifteen seconds—you can’t miss them (even though my camera did).

Pictured directly above: The wall and the drugs.

3) Badlands National Park had an impressive storm while we were there, and I joined the folks trying to photograph lightning.

4) Mitchell hosts the world’s only Corn Palace.

Other sections of South Dakota feature large fields, not pictured.

(They have to grow the corn somewhere.)

Double Take

Some years ago, I headed toward the double doors of our church and saw my dad’s silhouette. As I approached the glass, I was startled to discover my own face staring back at me.

My mom took this candid picture of my dad and me. It reminded me of that experience some years back.

Signs of Wyoming

I enjoyed the hike to the top.

Capacity increased by entire busload, due to extinction of mammoths.

Brings back memories of a previous post.

Admission: $6.50, or donation of two medium-sized boulders and bottle of Gorilla Glue.

Sure hope he makes it!

The Best a Man Can Get

Good morning, campers! The road trip continues. Those of you tuning in to my blog today will notice some new posts. Fear not: I have blogged prolifically over the past several days, but have not had ‘net access to post my handiwork. Stay tuned for some delightful back-posts.

This entry, however, is posted in real time, as I sit in our motor home in a campground in Gillette, Wyoming. The online reviews of this campground are understandably atrocious, but its redeeming value is that I have been able to get online at all for the first time in over a week.

28,012 Words

Yellowstone National Park: An open range zoo, nested upon an active volcano.