2007 Vacation Update

Grandpa Jeff aka Great Grandpa Jeff is just fine.

2007 Vacation -- Saturday

Grandma's Marathon! Unfortunately, Bodie got tired so we didn't see Kristi on the course or at the finish. It was warm and humid today. I believe Kristi's time is 4:31. We haven't seen her yet, but I followed her progress online while Bodie napped!

2007 Vacation -- Friday

2007 Vacation -- Thursday

Look out seagulls!

2007 Vacation -- Wednesday

Bodie's first baseball game! Duluth Huskies v. Brainerd Blue Thunder at Wade Stadium. The game is still being played, but Bodie is sleeping soundly knowing the Huskies had a two-run lead when he left in the bottom of the 4th.

2007 Vacation -- Tuesday

Fried cheese curds. Is there anything else?

Vacation Photos

2007 Vacation -- Monday

Bodie is truly an Anderson. He grimaced when he tasted chocolate pudding, he won’t even try ice cream, but today he ate smoked lake trout without a blink! His great grandpa Andy, whose fish smoker I can smell to this day, would be proud!

Bodie also took his first steps into the frigid waters of Lake Superior and didn’t want to get out. His grandpa, who I’ve seen bathe in Lake Superior at Isle Royale, will be proud!

Of course, I wanted those first steps to be taken in Minnesota where Lake Superior’s water is more pure. But, we were at the beach and the breaking waves made Bodie laugh and want to get in the water. I tried to explain to him that it would be worth the wait but he just walked in.



I am fascinated by the books found in the condo or cabin rental. There are always gems hidden among the dime store novels. Ours is an eight-volume Treasury circa. 1942 that includes A Treasury Of American Literature, A Treasury Of The World’s Greatest Speeches, and, my favorite, A Treasury Of The Familiar.

2007 Vacation -- Sunday

Another travel day, but first we stopped to visit Grandpa Jeff. He lives at a high-class assisted-living facility in Minneapolis. We signed in and walked around the lobby while Grandpa was called. Bodie made several friends among the crowd waiting for the dining room to open for lunch.

“Jeff didn’t answer his telephone, do you want to go knock on his door?” I was asked by the lady in charge.

“We really don’t want to bother him; he didn’t know we were coming.”

“Well, I’ll just run up and check on him, he hasn’t been down yet,” she said. It was 10:55. She then verified his room number with a gal behind a desk, took a key, and headed to the elevator.

She was going to go into his room! I drew mental pictures of all the possible outcomes to her fact-finding expedition and was really uncomfortable with one of them. The Worst-Case Scenario, I called it.

It’s just that we were on a tight schedule and The Worst-Case Scenario involved paperwork, telephone calls, staff and resident interviews, a determination as to final wishes, and more telephone calls.

The dining room doors had opened and Bodie’s friends had all gone to lunch leaving us alone in the lobby waiting like Pavlov’s dog for the “ding” of the elevator. Finally, it came.

“Well, I went in his apartment and shook him pretty good, but just couldn’t wake him,” I was told.

“Yeah, he’s a pretty heavy sleeper,” I said from experience, having tried to wake him up on a visit three years earlier.

“Do you want to go and try?”

“Oh, no,” I replied as I realized there was a scenario worse than The Worst-Case Scenario, “we’ll just leave him a note and stop by next Saturday evening.”

While I was writing the note, there were mumbled conversations between the lady in charge and the gal behind the desk. I wrote faster.

2007 Vacation -- Saturday

We left the house at 5 a.m. and were sitting at Gate 28 by 6:40. Parking, baggage check-in, and security all went smoothly. The only things that didn’t go through the X-ray machine were the underwear, socks, pants, and shirt I was wearing!

The ticket agent told us the flight wasn’t full and guaranteed us a middle seat by assigning Kristi the window and me the aisle. We boarded late in the process, but it was still an agonizing 20 minutes before the plane backed away from the gate. Bodie had been awake for three and a half hours and was not happy. He fussed a bit, but took his bottle while we were taxiing and was asleep by the time the flaps were retracted.

That lasted 45 minutes. It was all new to him and he just decided he couldn’t miss it. He was pretty good the rest of the flight and made a lot of friends walking the aisle. The diaper change in the lavatory looked difficult from my vantage point in the aisle.

Minneapolis was warm and humid when the sliding doors opened and a lot attendant gave us the keys to a beige, boxy car-van. Looking back, I think he actually said I could take any of the vehicles in the row, but I thought he meant the closest one. I remember a Pontiac G6 and a PT Cruiser as nearby choices. Boxy doesn’t mean big. We all had to hold our breath, but our stuff fit and the doors shut.

The air-conditioned, extra-large room at the Sheraton was a welcome sight for three weary travelers. We all took a late-afternoon nap until, after only an hour, Bodie decided it was time to walk around Lake Harriet.



Bodie finally called it a day at 9:09 p.m. He woke up at 8:30, well-rested and ready for more!

23 Hours And 8 Minutes I'll Never Get Back

The Chik-Fil-A Oxnard Grand Opening. Greg, Matt, and I now get free Chik-Fil-A for a year because we camped in the drive-through and were among the first 100 customers.



Matt brought an X-box.


Matt was first in line and known as the King or Numero Uno, Greg was second and known as The Deuce or Deuces Wild, and I was fifth and known as Cinco or Nickel.

I'm not sure why I did it, but if you're ever in town and want a good chicken sandwich it's my treat!

Planning For The 2008 NSC

Okay, I know. It's more than a year away. But, I'm doing some preliminary planning for the 2008 NSC.

First, I want to play in Division 3. To do so, I need to raise my rating to 1400. To do that I need to learn more words and play in at least five tournaments. So, Zyzzyva is up and running again and I'm looking at tournaments, but probably none before October.

Second, Bodie and Kristi will make the trip with me.

Third, I want my mom to play in the tournament. I'm sure it won't be too hard to convince her.

Fourth, I hope dad and Bodie's Florida cousins will make the trip with mom and hang out with Kristi and Bodie during the day.

Potential Tournaments: Twin Cities (November), Reno (January), Phoenix (February), and some one-day tournaments in Laguna Woods, CA.