Crete is the largest and the most populous of the Greek islands and the fifth-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is the harbor city of Heraklion, where the Historical Museum of Crete is located. Bloomington, Minn., photographer Dave Vorland visited the island recently, capturing photos of museum, where artifacts from 1600 B.C. are stored, as well as the …
The first decision of Wayne Stenehjem’s soon-to-be-officially announced campaign for North Dakota Governor comes today, when the three-person Industrial Commission, of which he is a member, decides to give the Oil Industry a big wet kiss on the lips or a tiny slap on the hands. At issue is whether the commission will stick to its guns and enforce its …
On a cloudless Colorado afternoon a few weeks ago, I stood about 30 yards from the summit of Mount Baldy and watched as my son scrambled the final distance to the top. It had been a grueling four-hour hike to get there, and Patrick raised his arms in celebration and relief. I huffed and puffed to join him a few minutes later. …
A subject frequently brought to my attention whenever I discuss issues of diversity and inclusion is that of responsibility. For what perceptions or actions am I personally responsible? Is it my job to make sure people don’t see me as an “angry black woman,” or is it the responsibility of another individual to recognize biases as they occur and do …
When “Monday Night Football” made its television network debut on September 21, 1970, the National Football League was hardly the ratings juggernaut it has become today. In fact, CBS and NBC wanted no part of then-Commissioner Pete Rozelle’s pie-in-the-sky plan to expand the professional game’s coverage. Only ABC, the network with the last-place ratings, reluctantly agreed to try this experiment. …
At first when they arrived at the North Dakota Highway Patrol office in Grand Fork, some of the bears seemed a little apprehensive. But then when they found out how nice everybody is, they relaxed a little bit. A few words of explanation. My mother used to collect Teddy Bears, especially white ones. When she died last month, we decided that …
We are ready to embark on the most colorful time of the year — fall colors. And there is more good news! Great fall color is dependent on just the right weather conditions, especially moisture, and a spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says current conditions put us on track for one of the most colorful autumns on record. With …
The noose around James Henrikson’s neck got a little tighter this week —figuratively speaking, since prosecutors have decided not to seek the death penalty for Henrikson for allegedly masterminding the murder-for-hire that included the killing of a young North Dakota oilfield worker. Henrikson sat in a Spokane, Wash., courtroom this past Wednesday and watched three men who carried out the …
Bloomington, Minn., photographer Dave Vorland captured these scenes on his recent trip to Greece. They include views of a sunset along the sea at the town of Chania on the Island of Crete, the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, the Olympic track at the archaeological site of Olympia, the theatre at Epidavrus in the Peloponnes west of Athens and the Acropolis.
People who love an assortment of outdoor activities face a dilemma this time of the year. There are just too many things to do in too short a time. To do one you, you have to give up the others. For me and a lot of my friends, pastimes such as hunting and sports clash with the end of the gardening season. …
Here are a couple of beautiful sunset pictures from Grand Forks photographer Russ Hons taken at Kings Walk Golf course earlier this week in Grand Forks.
Saddened to learn of the passing of long-time WDAY promotions director Roy “Pete” Peterson. I didn’t know Roy personally. I wish I had. I did know his work. He played a huge role in shaping WDAY’s identity as a station in its early days, as well as how we think of North Dakota State University and the city of Fargo …
Yesterday, a couple of very big, very strong guys (relatives, actually) helped us move my mother’s possessions out of the Hillsboro, N.D., home where she lived for almost 60 years. It reminded me of the time in Bismarck when we hired two movers to help us with some of the furniture in Ginny’s mother’s home after Hazel died. The movers …
For many, many years, some of our best customers have been Larry and Bridget Drummer, who live by Maple Lake near Mentor, Minn. Always quiet, kind and cheerful, Larry clearly loved plants and gardening and his wife Bridget. I finally put together that he owned the big diesel repair shop on the East Side. We never had a conversation, but you didn’t …
Labor Day has come and gone. Already, The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts a very cold and very snowy winter — not the much milder El Niño scenario many weather predictors are indicating. In any case, gardeners will have to prepare for winter and readiness means cleanup. We can start with the vegetable garden. Green beans, peas, sweet corn, melons and squash …
Here are some Faces of the Game photos from Saturday’s 50th annual Potato Bowl game between UND and Drake by Grand Forks photographer Russ Hons. UND won the game 21-18 to go to 2-0 on the season. Next up for UND is North Dakota State next Saturday in Fargo.
The University of North Dakota football team had its way with Drake in the first half of Saturday’s 50th annual Potato Bowl game, running up a three-touchdown lead. But the Bulldogs held UND scoreless in the second half while scoring 18 unanswered points to take some of the sheen off the home team’s 21-18 victory. The disappointing three-point win comes on the …
I sat in the suburban Dallas living room of Earl Crumby as the old soldier quietly wept. His wife had died a few years before, but Crumby said his tears that day weren’t for her. “As dearly as I loved that woman, her death didn’t affect me near as much as it does to sit down here and talk to …
Versailles and the Palace de Versailles were on the agenda for Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson on his last full day in France.
Fireworks over Memorial Stadium on Thursday night — part of the 50th annual Potato Bowl celebration — lit up the sky on the University of North Dakota campus, as evidenced by these images seen through the discerning eye of Grand Forks photographer Russ Hons.
Chicago is a city full of scenic views. Bloomington, Minn., photographer Dave Vorland captured several on a recent trip to the Windy City. They included Trump International Hotel and Tower (also known as Trump Tower Chicago and Trump Tower) — on the site of the former Chicago Sun-Times — advertising the candidacy of Donald Trump; the German submarine U-505, captured by the U.S. in …
On this 14th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, Grand Forks photographer Russ Hons snapped these images of the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) in memory of those who perished. Russ says he hopes those who died were able to “see these beautiful lights from where they are now!”
Grand Forks photographer Russ Hons captured these outdoor images on a recent road trip in northwestern Minnesota.
The Château de Chenonceau is one of the best-known chateaux of the Loire Valley in France, and that is where Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson’s travels took him Wednesday. Located near the small village of Chenonceaux in the Indre-et-Loire department, the chateau was first mentioned in writing in the 11th century. The current château was built in 1514–1522 on the …
Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson’s most recent day touring the French countryside included visiting Font-de-Gaume, a cave near Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil in the Dordogne department of southwest France. The cave contains prehistoric polychrome paintings and engravings dating to the Magdalenian period. His day ended at Château de Beynac, a castle where Richard the Lionheart lived in the 12th century. The castle is one of the …
The Tuesday market in Le Bugue — that’s where Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson, his wife, Joanne Plager Burke Olson, and their other traveling companions spent their morning. Le Bugue, located on the banks of the Vézère River a few kilometers before the confluence of the Vézère with the Dordogne at Limeuil, is a commune in the Dordogne department in southwestern France. …
Undoubtedly, many gardeners who grow tomatoes have more than they can handle — unless they do some canning. Even those who put up whole tomatoes, tomato juice, salsa or the like might have their hands full if they were overzealous and plotted too many plants, especially this summer in which there have been ideal growing conditions for those who have …
As a kid, I remember long drives to California. We never deviated from the planned route. Sometimes, our plan took us west to Washington, then south to Lakewood and Spring Valley, Calif., where our relatives lived. Once we went south to Texas to visit Mother’s relatives and then west along the old wooden highway that was featured in Steinbeck’s “Grapes …
Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson captured these scenes in Salers, a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France, on his recent trip.
Despite the prediction this summer would be hot and dry, the opposite was the case, which didn’t bode well for some gardeners who raise tomatoes. Early summer rains coupled with damp, cloudy weather conditions severely damaged this season’s crop. If your tomatoes were in a dry spot with lots of sunshine, you probably fared better. According to the Minnesota Extension Service, …
Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson and his traveling companions, including his wife, Joanne Barclay Burke Plager, and Dean Plager and Barclay Jackson, has an “incredible day and tea in Salers, a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France. It is famous for the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée cheeses Cantal and Salers. It is also famous for the Salers breed of cattle …
On his recent European trip to France, Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson ended his boat travel in Mâcon, a small city in east-central France in the department of Saône-et-Loire, located in Burgundy. From there, he and his group headed west by automobile to Massif Central, an elevated region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateau with numerous castles and parks. Their …
The latest episode in my travels with Mister Rogers came recently in Fort Worth, Texas, when I told the story of our friendship to a district meeting of the Optimist’s Club. Before my talk, I read the international organization’s principles, among them —to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. To talk health, happiness and prosperity to …
The was a time when 5-and-10-cent stores (also known as five-and-dime stores or dime stores) were a 20th-century fixture in American downtowns. Then came the emphasis on specialty stores, and the rest is history. But that can’t erase the memories of many people who are 50 or older. Going to the five-and-dime store was something we all grew up with and loved. …
The following is from Tim Norton, re: his mother and my second-grade teacher. See: My last post, “A Serendipitous Chance to Remember Mrs. Norton.” Deeply touched, Tim, and hug your mom for me. “Tim, Your kind words were shared by me here at Creighton University as a tribute to all teachers (professors, TA, Adjunct, etc.) in the classroom and otherwise. …
Pablo Picasso’s famous untitled sculpture overlooking over a farmer’s market in Chicago and Georges Seurat’s “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte” in the Art Institute of Chicago caught the eye of Bloomington, Minn., photographer Dave Vorland on a recent trip to the Windy City.
The recent travels of Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson and his wife, Joanne Plager Burke Olson, took them to the commune of Port-de-Vaux in Ain department in eastern France, where hungry swans and ducks were their marina neighbors.
In 1965, my parents decided to move my younger brother and me from public to Catholic school in our little town in Minnesota. That meant I was the new kid in second grade, which probably explains, at least in part, why Mrs. Norton has such a special place in my heart. My teacher that year was tall and thin, somewhere …
In one of my mother’s closets, our family found some items she wanted in her funeral. We found them the day AFTER her funeral, of course. They included the Bible passage and poem below. We can’t turn back time and use them in her service, but we can place them here. PSALM 121 Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel …
Way back when I was a mere news puppy, wise old editors counseled us on all the news that was — and, specifically, wasn’t — fit to print. “Remember that our subscribers read the paper over breakfast,” they’d caution. “The kids are at the table, too.” Those were the words we lived by. Today’s edition of our local daily newspaper …
When I think of fall flowers, immediately the majestic mums come to mind. These are wonderful flowers that can become part of your landscape until the cold and snow arrives in November. While mums have more frost tolerance than most flowering plants, once the mercury drops to the mid 20s, even the late ones surrender. Mums come in a rich array …
Two comments on the state of politics today: John Hoeven lied. Start practicing now, so you are ready, in 2017, to say “Gov. Stenehjem” and “President Clinton.” First John Hoeven. I am glad that it took me a few days to get around to writing this because last week I was walking through a dusty parking lot in the Bad …
Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson’s travels in France on Sunday and Monday took him through 14 locks from Saint-Leger-sur-Dheune to Chegny and then to Fragnes, all located in in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne.
Broccoli is one of those garden vegetables that keeps on giving. After the first cutting of a large center head, the plant will produce smaller side heads for several weeks. And for those like me who enjoy a good broccoli salad, that’s dandy. Just yesterday, I was able to harvest several smaller heads on my four plants, which Therese used to …