… at Quartz Lake before you can drive on it.
Monthly Archives: September 2016
Individual Loyalty
“If a man is not faithful to his own individuality, he cannot be loyal to anything.”
— Claude McKay
Neighborhood Grousing
This spring’s grouse chicks are all grown up. There were actually 6 of them hovering about my drive, but 5 turned out to be rather camera shy.
#11ForJacob
I’ve been asked to explain the #11ForJacob post I put up on Saturday. The post coincided with actions in the Twin Cities, honoring Jacob Wetterling.
Jacob was riding home on his bicycle from the local Tom Thumb store in St Joseph, with his younger brother and his best friend on an October evening in 1989. They had just rented a video, when a masked man with a gun stopped the three boys. He made them lie down alongside the road, and asked the boys their ages and names. The brother and friend were told to run and not look back, but the gunman kept Jacob.
I was still living in Minnesota at the time, and the abduction shook the entire state. Rural Minnesota was hit especially hard, if something like this can happen here, then…
After 27 years, there was finally a break in the case: an early suspect in the Wetterling case had been arrested on other charges. Ties were made with another abduction of a 12 year old boy, just months before Jacob disappeared, in a town nearby. The suspect finally confessed and led authorities to a shallow grave on a farm in Paynesville, about 30 miles from St Joseph. Jacob, who was 11 years old in October of 1989, had been killed within hours of his abduction. The details of the abduction and murder can be found online, I will not give them here, and I will not name the man who took young Jacob’s life.
On Saturday, the Minnesota Gopher football team, and the Minnesota Twins baseball club wore 11 For Jacob patches in honor of Jacob Wetterling. Jacob was the goalie on his school hockey team and he played soccer. Word out there is that he wanted to be a football player when he grew up. Jacob wore #11.
I found the photos of Jacob online, and I would have to assume that they originally came from the Wetterling family. Hopefully, they will not mind my sharing them here. My deepest condolences go out to the Wetterling family and friends, and the town of St Joseph, MN. After all of these years, Jacob has finally found his way home, but this was not the outcome everyone has held out hope for, and knowing Jacob’s final hours can only be painful on a level that I can not comprehend.
Throughout the past 27 years, the Wetterlings have worked with tireless grace on behalf of missing children. So I end this explanation of my previous post with Patty Wetterling’s own words that were posted on the site of the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center:
“Say a prayer. Light a candle. Be with friends. Play with your children. Giggle. Hold hands. Eat ice cream. Create joy. Help your neighbor. That is what will bring me comfort today.”
A memorial service for Jacob will be held at the College of Saint Benedict on Sunday, September 25 in St Joseph.
Celebrate America’s Native Spirit
September was named Bourbon Heritage Month by Act of Congress in 2007. That action, was in addition to the Act of Congress of 1964, which proclaimed bourbon “America’s Native Spirit”. When it comes to alcohol, Congress gets it done.
2014 data tells us that 95% of bourbon produced comes from the state of Kentucky. At any given time, there are 5.3 million barrels of bourbon aging within the state. A number, that exceeds the state’s population.
After two very long days in the seat of a skid-steer, I think I’ve earned the right to celebrate our Nation’s heritage.
Cheers.
Part of the 5% not produced in the state of Kentucky. This particular bourbon was chosen strictly for our readers in San Antonio.
September in the Interior
It seems like every spring and autumn, I hear comments from Outside, about how quick those two seasons blow through Alaska’s Interior. It’s a damn shame too, because in spite of the warning that this month sends us, September is my favorite month in the Interior.
Here in the valley, we had a light frost for the first time on Thursday morning, the 1st of September. The grass was white, but at least it wasn’t crunchy.
By the end of September last year, we were already talking about snowfall measured in feet, as opposed to inches. Let’s hope for an extended autumn this year.
The tri-photo comes courtesy of The Curator.
First Light Show of the Season
The Aurora Borealis put on quite a show Wednesday night. The wave of green and magenta light, flowed and pulsed among the starlight, filling much of our sky. It was the first I have seen the Northern Lights this season, and I was not prepared. I didn’t want to risk taking the dead Go-Pro off of the tripod, so these photos were snapped free-hand with the cell phone.
Eventually, the lights faded from overhead, and moved off to brighten the horizon for close to another hour. It felt good to welcome the Aurora back to our night skies.
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