THE AMERICAN QUEEN is quite a riverboat!

To say it's large is an understatement.  This is a small floating city!

The park was full of people, passengers who were boarding busses for a tour of the city while others went shopping.  And there was a large crowd of locals, like me, who came down to see the boat.

Looking along the deck, I could see myself leaning on the rail watching the world go by!

The EGO OF THE DAY AWARD goes to DON WILLIAMSON of Flint, Michigan.  Don is a former mayor of Flint and he thinks so much of himself that he had a bronze statue made in his likeness and planted it in front of his house.  Is there anything more repulsive than a politician?

Just caught this GREAT TIMES IN LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN video that will give you a good idea of what we have to offer.  Take a look!

By the way, the AMERICAN QUEEN RIVERBOAT is scheduled to dock from noon to 5 at RIVERSIDE PARK.  I may trot down there to have a look if the weather is half-way decent this afternoon.

I've already started falling back.  I changed the bedroom clock this morning.

RITA AND ROGER will enjoy partly cloudy skies with a high near 50 as they do their "bird thing" in Princeton, Illinois today.  They're coming back home tomorrow.

There's an interesting article on the YAHOO! FINANCIAL PAGE that lists the MOST DANGEROUS CITIES in the USA and in the world based on their crime statistics.

Turns out the most dangerous city in the USA is FLINT, MICHIGAN and the worlds most dangerous place to be is SAN PEDRO SULA, HONDURAS.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE COMPLETE LIST

Here's a great tip I just saw on TWITTER.  If you microwave a LEMON for 15 seconds you'll double the juice when you squeeze.

A gloomy Saturday is forecast for the Coulee Region.  LOTS OF CLOUDS can be expected with a high around 45.  Yesterdays high was 44.  We're expecting MORE SUN TOMORROW.

INTERESTING FACT:  There are about 800,000 BIKES in Amsterdam.

The Red Cross raised $11,000, in La Crosse yesterday, to be used to help the storm victims on the east coast.  Similar fund raisers will be held, Tuesday, in Viroqua and Prairie du Chien.

Unless you're 60, or older, you probably have no clue as to who Sadie Hawkins is.  Well, kids, there used to be a comic strip called Li'l Abner.  It was about the hillbilly town of Dogpatch.

One of the residents, one Hekzebiah Hawkins, had the ugliest daughter in Dogpatch.  He wanted to get her married off so he set up a race for all the bachelors in town.  They were to take off runin' and then he'd release Sadie and she was to run after the boys and catch one.  The unlucky guy who she tagged was hitched up with Sadie.

Ever since they've celebrated Sadie Hawkins day as a day when the girls chase the boys and, at the very least, they have to give her a kiss.

Ready, set, GO!

Donnie's former co-worker, Michael Dukakis, celebrates a birthday today.  He's 79.

THIS IS INSANE!

This train trestle in Durham has been there for 100 years.  It has stopped more vehicles than a highway patrolman.  (Thanks Ron)



Get this: The BIG WINNERS ON WALL STREET TODAY were SAMUEL ADAMS BEER, THE BOSTON BEER COMPANY, BEAM INC., MAKERS OF JIM BEAM, MAKERS MARK AND COURVOISIER!

Hey!  We've got a lot of BIG problems in this country but it's nothing a lot of booze won't cure.

DONNIE SENT A COUPLE MORE PANAMA PICTURES.  "You have published these before, but since you are reminiscing, I send them again."

THE ORKIN MAN WAS JUST HERE.  I'm bug free for a few months.  Actually, I think the bugs who have any sense at all, have left the area for the winter.

I'll bet you didn't know that Orkin has been fighting bugs for 100 years and they still haven't killed them all.  You probably, also, don't know that Orkin is a corporate sponsor of the HOUSTON ZOO in Houston, Texas!

I just looked at the updated FORECAST and notice they've taken the "rain" out of the picture for the weekend so we can expect MOSTLY CLOUDY skies with highs in the mid-40's.  Typical autumn day for La Crosse.

Long ago and far away:  DONNIE and an army buddy during JUNGLE TRAINING IN PANAMA: 1972.  That's 40 years ago!  RITA and I met the army buddy, and family, when we visited Donnie in Panama.  As a matter of fact, Rita stayed with them.  They remain friends to this day.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO NASA AND THE FOLKS ON THE SPACE STATION! It was on November 2, 2000 that the first team of astronauts/cosmonauts arrived at the station to begin their scientific research and the station has had crews aboard ever since.

YIKES! I checked temperatures, around the state, at 7 A.M. and BLACK RIVER FALLS WAS DOWN TO 17 DEGREES.

WILLARD SAYS: "Buddy is mad at me.  I yelled at him, last evening, when he wouldn't come in after our walk."

AND, AWAY THEY GO!

Rita and Roger take off for Illinois, this morning, and a weekend of "birding" in Princeton.  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

NORTH AND SOUTH DAKOTA

ADMITTED TO THE UNION

NOVEMBER 2, 1889

In case you didn't get the word, I'll give Walgreen's a free plug.  Today is SENIOR'S DAY AT WALGREEN'S their "house brand" items are 20% off just for us old folks.  I use a lot of their new "NICE" house brands and it's all really good stuff.

THIS SEEMS LIKE A BIT OF A STRETCH

HERE KITTY!!

Remember those stray cats that wandered into Duane's yard the other day?  The food he gave them was great so they're still there.  And, they all have names; Sasha, Celo, Shaharazaad and Buddy.

Duane said, "They're all sleeping on the chaise on the south patio, snuggled up together.  The kittens know my car.  They wait for me and Buddy comes running."

It sounds to me like they've found a home and it will become their permanent residence.

THINK THOSE RE-RUNS DON'T AMOUNT TO MUCH?

Seinfeld has been off the air for 12 years  but the reruns never stop and they've brought in BIG BUCKS.  Would you believe $2.7 billion in the last dozen years.  Jerry owns a piece of the show which is probably why we haven't seen much of him since the show ended.  He's too busy counting the money.

WHERE'S THE PIG?

Duane says they have a dancing pig at Famous Dave's that dances around the tables while people are dining.  I don't get out much, anymore, but I've been to Famous Daves a couple of times and I didn't see any pig.  That's not fair.  How come Rapid City has a dancing pig and we don't?

THIS IS WHY I'D RATHER FLY

OLD FRANK WAS QUITE A GUY

A man walks out to the street and catches a taxi just going by. He gets into the taxi, and the cabbie says, "Perfect timing. You're just like Frank."

Passenger: "Who?"

Cabbie: "Frank Feldman. He's a guy who did everything right all the time. Like my coming along when you needed a cab, things happened like that to Frank Feldman every single time."

Passenger: "There are always a few clouds over everybody."

Cabbie: "Not Frank Feldman. He was a terrific athlete. He could have won the Grand-Slam at tennis. He could golf with the pros. He sang like an opera baritone and danced like a Broadway star and you should have heard him play the piano. He was an amazing guy."

Passenger: "Sounds like he was something really special."

Cabbie: "There's more... He had a memory like a computer. He remembered everybody's birthday. He knew all about wine, which foods to order and which fork to eat them with. He could fix anything. Not like me. I change a fuse, and the whole street blacks out. But Frank Feldman, he could do everything right."

Passenger: "Wow, some guy then."

Cabbie: "He always knew the quickest way to go in traffic and avoid traffic jams. Not like me, I alway seem to get stuck in them. But Frank, he never made a mistake, and he really knew how to treat a woman and make her feel good. He would never answer her back even if she was in the wrong; and his clothing was always immaculate, shoes highly polished too. He was the perfect man! He never made a mistake. No one could ever measure up to Frank Feldman."

Passenger: "An amazing fellow. How did you meet him?"

Cabbie: "Well, I never actually met Frank. He died. I'm married to his widow."

POOR LANCE

You know what they say, "when it rains, it pours".  I just read that Olympics officials are now investigating the bronze medal Lance Armstrong won back in 2000.

HAVE A KINKY BIRTHDAY

One of Donnie's favorite Texans, KINKY FRIEDMAN is celebrating birthday #68 today.

Kinky says all the things I believe in, such as, "Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder", "A happy childhood is the worst possible preparation for life" and my all time favorite, "How can you look at the Texas Legislature and still believe in intelligent design?"

ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING

GOES INTO EFFECT TODAY

 

NOW ALL WE HAVE TO DO

IS WAIT FOR THE SNOW

'TIS THE SEASON

200 wreaths were hung in downtown La Crosse yesterday.  Here we go again.  I'll have to put my jolly face on.



IT'S A BRAND NEW MONTH

TODAY IS

ALL SAINTS DAY

 

THIS IS

NATIONAL FIG WEEK

(I hate figs)

 

AND.....

 



ANOTHER NICE DAY

We might see a few more clouds, today, than we did yesterday, and our high will be a bit cooler.

Yesterdays high was 49.  Today we'll be closer to 45.  Our normal high for the first day of November is 52.

THINK YOU HAVE A NICE FLOWER GARDEN??

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO WAKE UP TO THIS?

A LINE FROM LYNNE

Just got off the phone with Mom and she was so happy to see you all. That perked her up.

She sounded good today as I can usually tell in her voice what kind of a day she is having.

Now she is looking forward to seeing her bro Bob which will be so nice. She will be there, for sure, another two weeks to gain strength, balance, nutrition, etc.

FATHER GUIDO TALKS ABOUT THE AFTERLIFE

CARL, RITA, JENNIFER AND I DROVE UP TO VIROQUA TO SEE AUNT WILDA THIS MORNING.

We had such a nice visit and it was really great to see her looking so good.



MORE "STAR WARS" MOVIES

ON THE WAY

THE NEXT ONE IN THEATERS: 2015

THERE ARE SOME SEASONED BEER LOVERS WHO READ THIS BLOG SO I HAVE TO SHOW YOU THIS VIDEO ABOUT THE STRONGEST BEER IN THE WORLD

HERE ARE SOME CARVED PUMPKINS THAT ARE REALLY OVER THE TOP

I SUPPOSE I'M TOO OLD FOR TRICK OR TREAT

Todays high will be around 50 so it should still be well above freezing with partly cloudy skies when the little "no-neck monsters" make their rounds tonight.  We'll get down to 30 overnight but, by then, the little tykes will be in bed with a tummy ache from too much candy.

WHAT THE HELL WOULD YOU DO WITH A 360 POUND PUMPKIN?

I can't get over the story about the 360 pound pumpkin that was stolen from a business place in Merrill, Wisconsin.  It had to be more than one person.  It had to be a gang of people to move something that big and heavy.

 

But WHY?  Why would anyone want a 360 pound pumpkin?  It sure isn't something you'd want to display unless you want to get caught.  How much pumpkin pie can you eat?  How many candles would it take to light a 360 pound Jack O'Lantern?

 

And another thing.  It says the pumpkin was worth $300.00.  How do you put a price on a 360 pound pumpkin?  Is there a market, somewhere, that sets the price on a pound of pumpkin?

 

I wouldn't think a pumpkin would be worth much now.  There are pumpkins everywhere.  Piles of pumpkins in front of the stores.  On the other hand, if you could keep that pumpkin fresh until May, THEN you'd have something.  You don't see many pumpkins laying around in May.  I'll bet a 360 pound pumpkin in May would be worth a thousand dollars or more if it's worth $300 in October.

MORE NEWS FROM LYNNE

Just talked with Mom and her voice sounds good. She had therapy twice and to the lunch room so a busy day for her.

No word on her pneumonia but we will find out more tomorrow as we will be having a 3-way conference call at 11:30 a.m. with someone from the Bethel Home to discuss what will be coming up next. (going home, staying in a nursing home, assisted living?) She told me she wants to stay in Viroqua, preferably her home if she can get more help as Jan has so many to take care of.

They can't dismiss her until the pneumonia is completely gone.

OFF TO VIROQUA TODAY

Rita, Jennifer and I are going to see Aunt Wilda this morning.  We wanted Uncle Bob to come with us but he has a doctors appointment so he can't go.  Roger hasn't been behaving so he can't go either.

DID YOU KNOW?



THE CELEBRATION OF HALLOWEEN STARTED IN IRELAND

THE FIRST JACK O'LANTERNS WERE MADE OUT OF TURNIPS

THE FEAR OF HALLOWEEN IS CALLED SAMHAINOPHOBIA

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

AND PEOPLE STILL WATCH THAT CRAP!

Hats off to the "Weather Channel" for reporting that the New York Stock Exchange was flooding with water and carrying on about it like it was the end of the financial world.

Of course, there was no truth to the story.  The stock exchange was high and dry but I'm sure the Weather Channel version kept the audience glued to the channel through the next endless comercial break.

Save reality for those God awful, so called "reality shows" and save fiction for the news reports.  I've said it before and will say it again.  Why people even bother to turn the TV on is beyond me.

AND ALL THIS TIME I THOUGHT IT WAS A UNIVERSITY

RITA AND ROGER are off, Friday, to Princeton, Illinois for a bird show this weekend.  Princeton is two hours west of Chicago on Interstate 80.

THERE'S THAT FOUR LETTER WORD AGAIN

THERE'S A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR

RAIN

OR SNOW

FRIDAY NIGHT

Two guys from Nordern Visconsin are drinking in a bar.

Ole says, "Didja know dat elks have sex 10 to 15 times a night?"

"Aw damn.." says Sven, "and I just joined the VFW!"

THE SHOW MUST GO ON

David Letterman made it in to do his show last night but there was no audience and not all of the crew could get through the storm.  That didn't stop the writers from coming up with a top 10 list.

DID I RUN THIS BY YOU BEFORE? NO MATTER~I'LL RUN IT BY YOU AGAIN

Sometimes logic can interfere with a correct answer.

STUDENT SCORED AN 'F' ON THIS EXAM. I would have given him an 'A'.

Q1. In which battle did Napoleon die? * His last battle

Q2. Where was the Declaration of Independence signed? * At the bottom of the page

Q3. River Ravi flows in which state? * Liquid

Q4. What is the main reason for divorce? * Marriage

Q5. What is the main reason for failure? * Exams

Q6. What can you never eat for breakfast? * Lunch & dinner  

Q7. What looks like half an apple? * The other half

Q8. If you throw a red stone into the blue sea what it will become? * It will simply become wet

Q9. How can a man go eight days without sleeping? * Just sleep at night.

Q10. How can you lift an elephant with one hand? * You will never find an elephant that has only one hand.

Q11. If you had three apples and four oranges in one hand and four apples and three oranges in other hand, what would you have? * Very large hands

Q12. If it took eight men ten hours to build a wall, how long would it take four men to build it? * No time at all, the wall is already built.

Q13. How can u drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without cracking it? *Any way you want, concrete floors are very hard to crack.

MORE MILD WEATHER

I could take this kind of weather all winter.  The forecast calls for afternoon highs continuing to range between 45 and 50 for the next seven days.  That's mighty nice for late October/early November.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRACE!

One of my all time favorite rock stars, GRACE SLICK is celebrating her 73rd birthday today.  She retired from the music business years ago and took up her second love, painting.  She appears at up the 30 art galleries a year with shows of her work.

Below is an interview Grace did a few years ago in which she talks about her art work and shows some of her pieces which I really love.

LYNNE IS DOING A GREAT JOB KEEPING US INFORMED ABOUT AUNT WILDA

Just talked to Mom and she is feeling better than yesterday. She did have therapy today but the kind that she can do. She ate a little better too.

Still is having oxygen.

Her mind is sharp for sure. Hopes to go home and have Jan more so time will tell.

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN LA CROSSE

LOVE THIS CACTUS

DONNIE AND LINDA

HAVE AT THEIR HOUSE



LOVIN' THE WEATHER

While we wish the best for the folks on the east coast, we sure are blessed with some great weather around here.  The summer temperatures may be gone but, for the end of October, we can't complain about sunny days and highs around 50 all of this week!

THE BEACH BOYS

RELEASED THEIR FIRST ALBUM

OCTOBER 29, 1962



THUNDER WILL GET A SPECIAL TREAT

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THE LATEST FROM LYNNE

Bob just called his mom a few times and then called the nursing station as she didn't answer. They had come to take her by wheelchair to a church service so that was good. She talked to a few she knew afterwards.

She is exhausted all the time, doesn't feel for food but does eat some. Food is good so that isn't it. They haven't done any therapy on her which is good as they had her doing things that were making her hurt worse.

Her weight is down to 80 lbs which isn't good. I talked with her last night and she sounded better than when I had talked before. She had no complaints about the Bethel Home today but just said she is just wearing out.

THE COLOR IS GONE....THE SEASON IS OVER....HERE COMES THE BLACK AND WHITE OF WINTER

I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT A LITTLE MUSIC HELPS US GET OVER THE LITTLE PROBLEMS IN LIFE

DONNIE AND LINDA HAVE A PROBLEM

"One of our biggest concerns living here is the exceptionally hard water, and potential long-term corrosion of plumbing and appliances. Suddenly we have exactly the opposite problem: water too soft, generating too much suds, hair and bodies and dishes too slippery.

This will be my worry this coming week. Possibly some contaminant in wells."

This is an interesting dilemma.  I don't have a solution to the problem but I do have a song that might be fitting.

ANOTHER OLDIE DONNIE FOUND

Wouldn't you love to know what Jack and Bobby were talking about???

This was taken at Donnie and Lindas wedding reception.

DONNIE PULLED THIS ONE OUT OF SOME DUSTY OLD FILE

A VERY YOUNG ME AT THE YACHT CLUB
THE YACHT CLUB IS ALL THE WAY GONE AND I'M GETTING THERE!

ACCORDING TO THE DAILY BEAST, THE TOP TEN DRINKS THAT WILL REALLY MAKE YOU HUNGOVER ARE....

1. VODKA MARKINI
2. LONG ISLAND ICED TEA
3. PLANTERS PUNCH
4. GIN MARTINI
5. ROB ROY
6. NEGRONI
7. MARGARITA
8. GIBSON
9. MANHATTAN
10. TEQUILA SUNRISE

If you'd like the recipes for these killers CLICK HERE

NICE ARTICLE ABOUT THE BLUE MOON RESTAURANT IN THE LA CROSSE TRIBUNE THIS MORNING.

Somewhere in my, not so good, memory I recall some of the family going there.  I think I remember Mother talking about the Blue Moon.  But what do I know?  I, usually, depend on Rita to tell me what I remember.  In any event, YOU CAN READ THE ARTICLE HERE.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLIE DANIELS

When I think of Charlie Daniels I think of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" and my days in country music radio in Sioux Falls when that song became a monster hit all over the country.

Those days are long gone but Charlie's fiddle can still get my blood to flowing and my toes to tapping.

HAPPY 76th BIRTHDAY, CHARLIE!  HOPE YOU HAVE MANY MORE.

ANOTHER DAY OF SUNSHINE

Temperatures were in the 20's, again this morning.  The sun is still pretty warm, these days, so it should warm up to about 44 this afternoon.  I can live with that.