10/06/2025 to 10/12/2025
We had our monthly dive team meeting on Tuesday where we learned Terry had to withdraw from the team due to numerous other obligations he has, I still look forward to diving with him in the future. As time has moved forward, I have also found it more difficult to volunteer my time for civic activities due to work and family obligations. However, for the time being I don’t have any plans on giving up trying to find time to spend with the team just yet.
On Wednesday morning it was ~ 26 degrees outside. The Clayton farm had the irrigation system spraying water on their crops to protect them from freezing. I can still remember my college physics professor Dr. Paul Seifert lecturing about thermodynamics and giving the example of latent heat produced and transferred to grape vines from water turning to ice. Later in the evening, Kim stopped by to wish me a happy birthday, she said she was heading up to Turtle Lake for the weekend. Thursday, I joined Jon and Ken for a dive in Tioga. I experimented with using my dive light to illuminate backgrounds while taking pictures of the wall.
Friday October 10th, was my fifty-first birthday. During the day, I managed to reach Neverland in Kingdom Hearts. ❤️🗝️ Later in the evening, Tiffany took me to the opening of Tron Ares, auditorium 1, row C, Seats 8 & 9. I thought the sound track by NIN was awesome, Tr⭕️n existing within our reality is a wild idea, the nod to the eighties was cool, and the Tron digital geometry was satisfying to me. The AI storyline was a little weak but overall, I thought the movie was entertaining and provided the Tron experience that I was hoping for. 🍿
We got up at 4:30 am on Saturday morning and drove to Grand Marais in order to meet the Thingelstad Family by 10 am. We had a few donuts from World’s Best Donuts and I picked up an Iced Vanilla Latte at Crosby Bakery before exploring the shoreline.
We walked out on Artist’s Point that is comprised of ~ 1.1-billion-year-old volcanic igneous basalt bedrock. It is cool to be able to see and feel the vertical hexagonal fractures that make stepping and climbing on them so much fun. The clear dark blue water hitting and splashing against the solid bedrock reminds me of a mechanical watch movement ticking away from the potential energy released from the mainspring marking the passage of time.
After eating lunch at the Angry Trout Café, we hiked the Oberg Mountain Loop which is also connected to the Superior Hiking Trail.
After the hike, we then headed back to Duluth. The traffic from Silver Creek Cliff tunnel to Two Harbors was backed up for miles. We ate dinner At Sara’s Table Chester Creek Café and then headed to Pier B for the evening. Jamie, Tyler, Mazie, Andrew, and I, enjoyed the outside hot tub before turning in for the night.
Jamie and I got up early and enjoyed the sunrise over the Duluth harbor before heading over to 190 Degree Coffee which is located within the lower level of Lincoln Park’s Enger Lofts apartment building. I had a delicious latte while visiting with my brother. Initially, I assumed the name of the coffee shop was just another cliché northern touristy reference to location, turns out 190 degrees is apparently the perfect temperature to roast coffee.
After checking out of Pier B, we checked out bikes from the hotel and went for a bike ride along Duluth’s boardwalk. We biked all the way to Duluth’s Best Bread where Tiff and I bought one two-pound sourdough loaf and four caramel rolls.
100 TON Mooring Bollard
For my birthday, Jamie, Tyler, and Tammy drove to JPs Backyard Games and picked up an Official Standard Tournament Kubb Set used at US Kubb Nationals Championships and made from solid poplar pieces for our newly minted Keating Kubb pitch. Also included, a handy Kettle Moraine Pitch-Pal 2.0 measurement line to quickly establish a correctly proportioned pitch. On Sunday, we properly broke in the new set by playing a round of Kubb in front of the USCGC Sundew which is berthed in a private slip next to Pier B. Tyler, Mazie, and Andrew knocked the king down. ♔
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