Tag Archives: family ramblings

Family Ramblings, spring, Troy's Blog

A New Crabapple Becomes a Beautiful Tree

One summer day at work, I was told about a crabapple tree that was going to be thrown into the compost because the top had been broken so it wasn’t able to be used for our customer. I asked if I could have it? It was a nice tree and with some care it would likely be just fine. So I brought it home and planted this little crabapple in a perfect spot for us to enjoy. With a little trimming that winter, this new crabapple would be ready to grow into a healthy tree for years to come.

Our new crabapple tree

The next spring it leafed out with a few blossoms, but spent more of it’s energy into growing and recovering from being planted. While it was only seven feet tall, we were just excited it survived the winter and was full of leaves. Just keep growing little tree!

The next year it bloomed nicely

When spring arrived the next year, our little crabapple had lots of beautiful, fragrant flowers bringing smiles to our faces. Over the summer, a change for our family would be made. We had decided to move into a different house to fit the needs of our family. One of the hardest parts of that decision was leaving this tree behind. I convinced my wife we could transplant this tree as long as we did it once the leaves had dropped for the season. It had become a healthy and vigorous little tree in a short time and would very likely be able to handle the trauma of being uprooted and replanted. So that’s what we did. That fall, just before this house was sold, a friend came over and we dug this tree out and replanted it at our new house.

We brought it with us when we moved

The next spring it leafed out once again and began growing. Releaf! Over the next few years our little crabapple had adapted to these new surroundings, continued to grow and provide amazing beauty and fragrance each spring. We couldn’t believe how much it grew each year. Some of those years were cool and wet while others were hot and dry. Yet this tree just kept growing.

Some years it didn't bloom much, but it continued to grow

Some years there weren’t many blooms to fill the air with its calming aroma, but we enjoyed it still. Our little tree had some challenges during these years but continued to grow and flourish into a mature tree. This spring it put on such an amazing show as it has become a full sized tree reaching over thirty feet in height. We could never have imagined what it would become over almost 20 years its been in our lives. What a special gift for us!

And now it's a beautiful tree that is an amazing sight

Adventure, Monopoly Traveler Reflections, New Experiences, Troy's Blog

Monopoly Traveler Reflections–Altitude

It was my first time exploring in a mountain landscape. Driving up into the Rocky Mountains with my wife, two children, and my dad made for an incredible experience as we were in awe of the beauty everywhere we turned. It was early July so only the mountain peaks had snow while the pine forests were green and the tundra alive with flowers everywhere. The sun was shining with puffy white clouds floating across the blue sky. In Estes Park where we started it was a nice, warm summer day but as we ascended towards the peaks it became windy and cooler. Only a light jacket was needed still but a noticeable difference. On this, our first full day in Rocky Mountain National Park, we started in the valleys but worked our way up the mountain stopping occasionally to gaze at the grandeur of the sights surrounding us. By lunch time we had arrived at the top of this peak to the Alpine Meadows Visitors center. Strangely breathing had become more labored. Our pace of walking needed to be slowed or it felt like we had run a distance and were now short of breath.

The highest elevation we've experienced so far

We were now over 11,000 feet in altitude and had never experienced this before. Getting use to it a little it became more intriguing to continuing exploring with this shortness of breath. After looking around in the visitor center and enjoying the views from this location, we grabbed something to eat and then headed for the short climb to the summit at 12, 000 feet. I felt as though I was back in training camp for high school football as each step required more and more effort. On top of this, the clouds seemed to be building and there was a sign warning not to be up there when there’s a threat of lightning and thunderstorms. With more clouds now filling the sky we wanted to make our way up somewhat hurriedly and return to the visitor’s center before any storms arrived. What a great experience and view to share with my family! Who would ever think it would be the beginning of more mountain adventures?

Learning the rules of high altitude hiking

Monopoly Traveler Reflections, Rocky Moutain National Park, Troy's Blog

Monopoly Traveler Reflections–Our First Encounter With a Bull Elk

It was the fourth National Park in our first week of our Monopoly Traveler Adventures. We had just entered Rocky Mountain National Park and had been there less then an hour before coming upon a huge traffic jam. What was this we wondered? Not having experienced one of these before we had no idea what to expect. Everyone was getting out of their cars after attempting to park them on the side of the road and walking towards a spot in the forest. Eventually we saw what had caused this sudden parking lot, it was a pair of Bull Elk laying down not far from the road. We decided to join in with the rest of the crowd, grabbing a spot recently vacated on the side of the road and walk to see these magnificent creatures.

Bull Elk wanting to be left alone

We couldn’t fully believe what we were seeing. Right next to the road with all of these people around are a pair of elks just resting as if all of this commotion was of no concern. This was the first time any of us had ever seen an elk and spent some time gazing as they would turn their heads swinging their huge, velvety anthers showing us just how large they were. What an introduction to this beautiful park! As if the mountainous landscape wasn’t enough of a reason to be here, now we had some great wildlife to add to the experience. Like many of those around us, I was snapping away with the camera unsure if we would have another opportunity to view another elk in this vast space.

The kids in the Rocky Mountains with a Bull Elk resting in the background

After photographing and watching these wild animals for awhile, I decided to have my two daughters stand with these elk in the background to highlight how close they actually were. Trying to stay the recommended distance away and making sure there was an easy escape should one of these elk stand up and threaten anyone, I continued taking pictures. Unfortunately others decided to approach the wildlife to see how close they could get and take a picture causing this pair of bulls to stand up and meander on through the forest.  This seemed so disrespectful and disappointing because now other visitors didn’t have the chance to see these wild animals. We returned to our vehicle to continue our journey exploring this amazing and beautiful park. By the end of our time in Rocky Mountain National Park, spotting elk would become a little more mundane and almost expected as we would continue to see these large deer in several areas along our adventure here.

The elk was disturbed enough it finally got up to move

Monopoly Traveler Reflections, Rocky Moutain National Park, Troy's Blog

Monopoly Traveler Reflections–Grandpa Was Told to Keep His Leg Elevated

Just before our first Monopoly adventure, my father had surgery on his knee. A few weeks had passed but he was still healing and wanted to come along with my wife and two daughters to explore some of the American West. His doctor told him he needed to keep his knee elevated at times to help in the healing. What better way to keep it elevated than to explore the Rocky Mountains? Our journey had taken us through the Badlands of South Dakota on to Mt. Rushmore before ascending into Estes, Colorado which resides at over 7,500 feet in elevation. At times we went to heights of over 12,000 feet elevation. We kept wondering if that was enough elevation for his knee. I’m not sure the doctor would see the humor in such an adventure.

Hiking to Flattop

During our time of elevating my dad’s knee we hiked a number of trails to see mountains, wildlife, flowers in bloom, and waterfalls. He continued on with us much more than I ever expected, walking through the pain as though it wasn’t really there. Knowing who he is I’m confident there were some challenging moments, which he never let on to the rest of us for fear of holding us back. At the time he likely would have preferred a little less exploring to rest his knee but is happy he pushed through his soreness for all of the great experiences we shared during a 10 day road trip. I’m grateful to have had this time to share with him out exploring such an amazing landscape which we continue to talk about to this day, even though it happened over a decade ago. When the time comes for me to have work done on my knees I know exactly how I want to keep it elevated as it heals!

Taking in a Waterfall

Family Ramblings, Troy's Blog

What’s in Store for 2021?

While the uncertainty with COVID still persists as 2021 begins, there are events planned for me and my family this year. A year ago I had no idea what the year would bring but this year I have a number of things already added to the calendar. Continuing to get out and look for those interesting shots will be a year long endeavor as it has been for many years now. There already has been some nice opportunities as several frosty mornings painted the landscape white. Once again I will be heading to the Superbowl to participate in the atmosphere and whatever events surround this biggest of games. It takes place in Tampa, Florida this year. I continue to be nervous about the worldwide pandemic in a situation like this and will be taking whatever precautions I can to remain safe. At the same time I’m looking forward to some warmer weather and the opportunity to take photographs amongst the palm trees.

Superbowl concerts

As spring arrives I’ll continue my hunt for more of Minnesota’s native orchids. Currently I’ve began to map out a few locations and the time of summer some of these orchids bloom in to add to the calendar. It’s exciting to think about finding and snapping some shots of these beautiful, exotic plants currently hibernating beneath the snow. The goal is to add 6 new species to my list which would bring me to about half of the areas native orchids.

One of Minnesota's wild orchids

The end of spring will bring my second daughters’ graduation. While I don’t like the idea that she’ll be finishing high school this year, I’m excited for what she may do as she begins her next phase in life. It’s unknown what her ceremony will look like and how we’ll be able to celebrate this achievement but we’re hopeful for a closer to normal event. We’ll figure out something regardless. Those who had to find unusual ways to mark this milestone last year have paved the way for us this year figuring out new methods for us to use.

2021 graduation cake

Over the course of the winter, spring, and summer I’ll be in training for a big event I’ll be sharing with my daughters in late summer. We’re going to camp in the Tetons preparing to climb Grand Teton. I’m extremely excited to take this on and also quite nervous as this is a very physical activity. Will I be able to complete it celebrating the climb with my girls? My cousin and his daughter will also be joining us on this trip. The altitude is such a factor for me. I can do the hiking, which is seven miles in one direction, and climbing. Both of these are fun for me but as soon as you add in the element of thinner air, it slows me down as I need to frequently stop and regenerate my oxygen levels. Still, to be able to enjoy mountain views for several days while camping and watch the star filled sky are exciting to prepare for along with summiting with my family members once again returning to a National Park.

Grand Teton

This year has a lot of potential to gain a lot of life experience. How much will be dependent on the COVID levels as we continue to battle this virus which may allow us to return to more normal life. In any event, we’ll adjust as needed and work towards making more life long memories in 2021.

Buffleheads landing in the water

Family Ramblings, Troy's Blog

Happy New Year!

Whenever possible I like to get up to see the sun rise on New Year’s Day. Thankfully that is later in the morning this time of year as typically the night before I welcome the New Year and then retire for the night. This year I awoke, grabbed my gear, something to eat, and headed to a nearby lake hoping for a beautiful start to the first day of the year. It was a cold morning with temperatures in the single digits Fahrenheit. I didn’t plan on staying out long so I didn’t put on all of my cold weather clothing, just enough to watch the sun come up and then head home. What I wasn’t anticipating was the frost covered landscape capturing my interest.

Frost forming on evergreen branches

As daylight grew brighter on this cold morning, I began to notice the little white crystals forming on the trees around me. This winter landscape was becoming white with frost for a beautiful start to 2021. I began to examine the frost covered branches noticing how different it was on evergreens vs bare tree branches and old flower stems from the summer before. The evergreens seem to have little beads of frost while the other plants where forming larger pentagon shaped clear crystals. It was quite interesting to think about how a minor difference in conditions could lead to frost forming differently. Was there just enough difference in the temperature with the evergreens or humidity in the air? Amazing!

Frost crystals

The cold was beginning to penetrate deeper and deeper into me reminding me I was only prepared to be there a short time. Heading back toward my car I kept getting distracted with these frost crystals. The sun began to peak out from behind the morning clouds casting some light onto these little ice formations. I had to stay and try to capture this. Heading towards some cattails I noticed the snow beneath me. It looked so soft with lots of glimmering ice covering it. That must be from snowflakes which had melted in the warm sun filled days before refreezing into clear globes of ice.

The soft snow beneath my feet

On closer inspection, I could see frost crystals everywhere on top of snow. This is something I haven’t noticed before but they were everywhere rising up from the snow covered ground. Looking just right they would glisten in the morning sunlight revealing their pentagon shapes, just like on the dried branches nearby. This was so interesting. Unfortunately it was getting more difficult to work the camera with the cold setting into my hands. It was time to go warm up, but hopefully there would be more opportunities to explore this miniature world of frost. I love experiencing something new and interesting. What a great way to begin the new year!

Happy New Year to each of you with hope for many enjoyable moments and memories!

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Family Ramblings, Troy's Blog

2020–A New Year and a New Decade

The start of the next decade comes with no adventures planned. This is such a weird, and even a little uneasy, situation for me. At least it should give me some time to get projects done around the house that I’ve been meaning to do. There’s some discussion about a quick snowmobiling trip this winter. It’s been several years now since the last adventure on a snowmobile. Outside of that I’m a little lost for what’s in store for the next year. Maybe that’s a good thing.

Hitting the trails on a snowmobile

There are definitely some things I would like to do in this next year. One of those is some camping. I’m sure I can come up with a few spots I’d like to visit and explore in Northern Minnesota.

Tent camping

Another adventure for 2020 could be visiting a National Park or two with my family. This is difficult to do with everyone’s schedule so varied between school and jobs. Hopefully a summer trip can be managed. I would love to take some more time in Utah or maybe go see Glacier National Park.

Visiting a National Park

Working on my photography seems to be a continual goal and one that I’d like to work on further in 2020. I use to set a certain number of photos I’d like to attempt in a year. This new year has me trying to work more on subjects and composition rather than just getting out and shooting. Last year really highlighted some beautiful subjects and compositions for me. Being creative seems to be a challenge and finding the best composition can be difficult for me but I still enjoy trying.

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Family Ramblings, Troy's Blog

What’s Up For 2019?

Our National Park Monopoly board has ended but there are plenty of adventures yet to be had. So far the next year has a couple of travel plans in it. Up first on the list is a trip to Northern Minnesota to explore the frozen North Shore with our French Student we are hosting until the end of the school year and in search of birds that migrate to Minnesota from farther places north in search of food and easier conditions than their summer homes. Seems a little weird to think birds actually travel south to Minnesota for the winter. One such bird that I’m hoping to see is the Snowy Owl which resides in the arctic during the rest of the year. Northern Hawk Owls are another bird traveling south along with Pine Grosbeaks and Evening Grosbeaks. Along the shores of Lake Superior during the cold reside an amazing winter wonderland. Ice coating much of the shoreline, frozen waterfalls, and snow covering the landscape make for a beautiful scene many don’t get to see. It can definitely be cold but appropriate clothing makes being outside in Northern Minnesota actually enjoyable. This should be a good way to kick off Two Thousand and nineteen.

A four wheel expedition

Another trip currently in the plans is exploring some of the off road trails in Utah. Designed and constructed his Jeep to go off road. We decided it’s time to take it out on and adventure and enjoy the fruits of these labors. Utah is well known for these types of activities with trails catering to multiple skill levels along with different off road vehicle levels. Skill levels vary and make sense as each trail adds experience to the driver as well as those navigating a trail but vehicle levels? As it turns out not all off road vehicles can handle the same conditions. Stock 4 x 4 trucks can handle many dirt/gravel/sand roads as long as they don’t have too large of ruts or too steep of angles for the vehicle to climb. Lifting a vehicle along with different types of suspension systems can increase the trail difficulty it can handle. For the serious off roader things like winches, extra fuel tanks, skid plates, and on board air compressors can increase the types of trail challenges a vehicle and driver can handle. Trails can be ranked in difficulty by different means such as the likely hood a vehicle will tip over or what type of equipment must be present in order to attempt that trail. Our sights are on easier to moderate trails for this trip as Utah is very remote and getting help can be a bit of a challenge if something were to go wrong. I’m looking forward to crawling around the Utah landscape and seeing some amazing sights.

In search of waterfalls

Early in the summer there’s an adventure planned to go back up to Northern Minnesota to show another friend of mine the North Shore which he has never seen. During our week there we hope to see Minnesota’s native orchids in bloom along with the beautiful area of Duluth and multiple waterfalls along the shores of Lake Superior. With any luck there will be a nice summer storm producing some beautiful lightning out over the big lake. It can be a beautiful time to be in that area with all of the spring blooming flowers and wildlife roaming with their young even if the temperatures tend to get a little cool at night and the mosquitoes are starting to hatch in full force. We’ll be camping for the week and exposed to the elements which most likely will include rain. I’ve never had a full week up at the North Shore so am looking forward to being able to explore things in a little more thoroughly.

Back to the island

One final adventure in the plan for this next year is a backpacking trip to Isle Royale. I tried to do this a couple of years ago but things didn’t really work out to actually do it so I’m going to try it again. This time there should be plenty of moose to see but also a potential wolf howling off in the distance as they’ve began to relocate wolves onto the island to help control moose populations. If there are too many moose, vegetation can get decimated along with disease going through the herds which is something people would like to avoid if possible. A different route is planned bringing new views and areas to explore and things to photograph. The challenges of a longer hike and ways to reduce the weight of the backpack are things I’m looking forward to taking on.

As the year progresses I’m sure there will be other possible adventures and unforeseen events to make for a fun new year. Here’s wishing all of you a promising and eventful 2019!

Swan flying by

Family Ramblings, Troy's Blog

2018 Reflections

I think I’m still trying to catch my breath from the past year. It seemed like there was always something going on making it feel as though every week just kept flying by in the blink of an eye. There were a lot of memories made and fun had but I hope the next year is a bit more relaxed. A few of my goals for Two Thousand eighteen included taking in as much of Super Bowl VII in Minneapolis, finishing the National Parks Monopoly board, celebrating a graduation, and doing some summer camping. Ohh ya, and continuing to work on my photography. I think all of the objectives set out for the year were achieved. You can read more if you’d like on the Year Ahead post.

Outdoor concert stage at Super Bowl VII

Super Bowl VII was a lot of fun and pretty tiring with ten days of events. For each of those ten days I was either volunteering at Super Bowl Live helping people navigate downtown Minneapolis, taking pictures for people, crowd control for the outdoor concerts, or getting people out of their zip line gear. Many of the days were cold with temperatures dipping below zero degrees Fahrenheit but for those of us living in the cold, it’s all about dressing correctly for this very weather. Don’t get me wrong, retreating into a warm building now and then felt really nice just to gain some feeling in my fingers and toes. For a little more on Super Bowl adventures you can click here.

Looking over Honolulu

With the Super Bowl in the rear view mirror all focus turned to our final park: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. With a few months left to finalize details there were many hours spent preparing for one last National Parks trip. After a couple of months passed we boarded a plane and landed in Kona, HI many ours later. I had forgotten just how humid Hawaii can be. It almost took my breath away as soon as I stepped out of the airplane. From there it was a week of exploring, snorkeling, enjoying family, and standing on an active volcano as we all found out a few weeks later. There was so much to see and do and I enjoyed nearly every minute of it. Many of those adventures can be found on these pages. One piece I had forgotten about was on our last day on the Big Island. I got up early to see the orange glow of Kilauea, which you can read about on this post. After taking in this amazing orange glow it was off to the airport heading to Honolulu for the remaining few days of our adventure. Upon landing we began to hear news of activity at Kilauea. This was the beginning of months of eruptions and earthquakes. A very memorable time!

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Once we landed back in Minnesota and Spring Break was over the realization set in that the final weeks of school were about to begin for Lysa. Preparations for graduation went into full swing. The end of May came flying at us before we knew it and it was graduation week and then graduation day. Definitely a day of mixed emotions. A sense of satisfaction that your child has reached this stage, sadness that they are becoming adults and will be moving on beginning a new phase of their life, and looking forward to what they will become. Have you prepared them for this time in their life. What have we missed? The next day was continued celebrations with many friends and family stopping by wishing their congratulations and good luck. It was so nice to see many people that we’ve not gotten together with for some time. And now Lysa has entered her first year in college.

Watching the sun go above the horizon while camping

As all of the years events wound down and summer hit I took some opportunities to go camping at Lost Lake in Northern Wisconsin. Here’s a few posts about that if you’re interested. These were much needed weekends of quiet after the craziness of spring. Hopefully this is something I can do again in 2019. Near the end of summer we decided to take one more National Park adventure and visit the only one in Minnesota – Voyageur’s. We spent a couple of days here camping near the park during the peak of the Persied Meteor shower. Is there a better way to watch a celestial event than in the darkest area of the state? My post on Voyageur’s can be found here. During this trip we stopped at Itasca State Park for a few nights exploring one more area I wanted to see with the family – the place where the Mighty Mississippi River begins. A few posts on that can be found at this link. This completed everything I had set out to do in two thousand eighteen which was a great year of adventure. On to another year…..

Sunset over Kabetogama Lake

Family Ramblings, Troy's Blog

The Year Ahead – 2018

Now that the holidays have passed I like to make goals for the new year. Some are already underway while others have yet to be defined. This is going to be an interesting year for our family. To begin the year Minnesota is hosting the Super Bowl and my wife and I are committed to be a part of that which will be great. My oldest daughter is getting ready to graduate from high school and move on to the next phase in her life so that’s going to be a big change for us. Before the school year ends we are expecting to complete our National Parks Monopoly board with a trip to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. After graduation there are no definitive plans which feels weird for me. I’ve had an adventure planned many summers and not having one this year seems like something is missing. Maybe this will be a good summer to get another dog and use this time to train it. Once the fall arrives there could be a transition bringing our daughter to college in a different state. We’ll see.

Getting Ready for Super Bowl 52

In just a few short weeks Super Bowl 52 will take place and I get to be there for all the fun, with my wife and several other family members, for the entire 10 days. During this time I’m a part of the volunteer group Crew 52 which will be roaming the Super Bowl Live area each day so if you’re in Minneapolis during Super Bowl week look for me and say hello. I’ll be the one in the long, blue coat that says Crew 52 Volunteer on it. In addition to that I’m also a part of the halftime setup crew so that is really exciting. There will be posts on these experiences I’m sure. The question often comes up wondering if I will be part of the crowd on TV. No, I’m part of the crew that sets up the staging and takes it down all in a matter of minutes so the only opportunity to get on TV is possibly in the background behind the on field analysts during halftime before or after the show.

Volcanic rocks

Plans for traveling to Hawaii to explore this great National Park and Island have been in the works since last fall but there is still much to do before we go on this adventure over spring break. This is a happy and sad trip bringing mixed emotions each time I plan another piece of it. I’m really looking forward to spending this time with family exploring another National Park and learning more about volcanoes and the tropical wildlife in the area. However, this is the last trip that I may get to take with my children in this way. The future is uncertain with the oldest moving on in her life. Sure, there’s likely to be other trips but will it be with significant others or spouses and how often will vacations align to take trips like this? I’ve really enjoyed our trips to explore National Parks and cherish the time spent together and I will do the same with Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Just about to graduate high school

Shortly after returning from the Hawaiian Islands, graduation will take place. Something I am definitely not ready for. It’s one of those events you know will come (at least you hope it will) but that doesn’t make it any easier to prepare for. High School goes so fast even though it may not seem like it on a day to day level. Our youngest daughter has now entered her first year in high school so she is not far behind. It’s kind of exciting to see what her future holds as she becomes more in control of it. A factor I know that is scary for her but she’ll be fine I’m sure.

A pair of Ringneck ducks

Once these events are complete there really is nothing on the books to look forward to. There are several possibilities such as more homeowner projects of which there are always plenty. I would like to take in a hiking and camping trip here or there to enjoy the summer and use the camera to photograph more beautiful scenery. Continuing to improve my photography is another goal throughout the year but I have nothing specific determined yet. We’ll have to see by the end of the year what comes up because one thing is almost guaranteed – something always comes up. I’m not one to just sit around hoping for things to appear. I hope you have several things to plan for to make 2018 a great year!

A rider connecting with her horse before going into the riding arena