First 2011 camping trip!

Memorial Day Weekend was marvelous... despite a forecast that seemed filled with rain and thunderstorms, we had awesome weather and it only rained a little bit! On Saturday when we were relaxing with friends, we had an unusual visitor. The hawk in the photo landed atop a power pole on the edge of our campsite. He sat there for 45 minutes, watching us and looking like he wanted to swoop down and have a beer. He also kept a very close eye on our friend's dog, which kept the owner a bit nervous the whole time. Finally he gracefully swooped away and headed South, maybe to find another campsite with a smaller dog...

Yup, it was a tornado...

According to Glenn Lussky, meteoroligist with the National Weather Service, LaCrosse was hit by a weak tornado Sunday afternoon. It was on the ground for four minutes, traveling 2.3 miles, with wind speeds of 115-120 miles per hour, which means it was a F-2 tornado according to the Fujita scale. It was the first twister to hit La Crosse since 1966 when an F-1 roared through the airport injuring one person and flipping two planes over. It was the first tornado to touch down on the city's South side since 1961, when another F-2 uprooted several trees and crunched several garages.

Despite the significant damage it appears La Crosse will not receive any Federal aid as a result of the storm. Governor Walker toured the damage Monday and promised state aid however. You'll find much more at www.lacrossetribune.com - www.wkbt.com and of course, www.lacrosseradiogroup.net

Photo of the tornado as it touched down in Sparta courtesy of wkbt.

What a storm!!

So, was the storm that tore through South LaCrosse late Sunday afternoon a tornado or not? We'll probably get the final word today from the National Weather Service. Regardless, it was nasty and certainly rattled the security of the old indian legend that you're safe from tornadoes where three rivers meet.

Authorities are still working to restore power, remove debris and downed trees, and are urging everyone to stay away from the areas hardest hit while they do their job. So please stay away, either on foot or in a vehicle. What a storm!

Thanks to Bob Schmidt, News Director of the LaCrosse Radio Group for the photos.

Survivor Finale - 5/15/11

Okay I'm bummed... totally. Survivor Nicaragua/Redemption Island ends with Boston Rob winning. Nasty finish... duh, the guy had four tries and finally won. But I'm bummed because of who he is. I'll explain that at the end.

Here's the recap... on Redemption Island (see photo) Andrea beat the boys, Matt, Mike and Grant all put on the jury. The little gal from Wisconsin beat the guys in a physical challenge. But it didn't do her any good because she rejoined the tribe and was voted out at the next tribal council. The Boston Rob cult still voted the way he wanted them to.

So now we have four left. And Boston Rob controls the cult and wants Ashley gone... so when she doesn't win the next immunity challenge... she's gone at the next tribal council. And when the final three; Boston Rob, Natalie and Philip are voted on by the nine jurists... we go live to New York and Boston Rob wins.

Now, as to being bummed at who Boston Rob is... Grant summed it up the best when he said that Survivor is so much more than scheming, plotting, stabbing in the back and blindsiding people. Survivor is who you are. If you lie to win, you don't deserve to win. If you break promise after promise you don't deserve to win. If your word isn't worth the spit it took to speak... you don't deserve to win. Boston Rob didn't deserve to win.

Survivor - 5/11/11

So do you think anyone's learning why you can NEVER trust Boston Rob? In another treacherous blindside, Rob lied to and betrayed Grant (2nd from left in photo), sending him to Redemption Island. As usual, Rob (far right in photo) explained to the camera how brilliant he is, while teaching us that the best way to play is to lie and betray your friends... my usual sigh seems inadequate here. At least he kept his word to Natalie (far left in photo), it's about time he keeps a promise somewhere. I still can't believe he's dragging Phillip along to the end, thinking he'll get votes ahead of Phillip. Another inadequate sigh here...

So the last couple of weeks, we've seen Rob make promises to, and then betray both Andrea (between Rob & Grant in photo) and Grant. And all the while, he's filling the jury with people that I think will absolutely NOT vote him the million.

Redemption Island was entertaining though, as Ralph couldn't put the puzzle together and was eliminated. Matt and Mike had no problem advancing 1st and 2nd, and Andrea (despite obvious panic when she fell behind) really had no trouble beating Ralph. I felt sorry for Ralph, but the one lesson we've learned in 22 seasons of Survivor... you gotta be good at puzzles!!

So now this Sunday is the finale... and at this point I'm cheering for anyone except Boston Rob. And Phillip. Yeah, anyone besides those two.

May 9, 1962

A small event that had a huge effect happened on this date, forty nine years ago. Producer George Martin signed the Beatles to a recording contract with EMI records. He collaborated with and produced every single Beatle record until the group broke up in 1970. His guiding hand, amazing instincts, and willingness to let the band experiment is as important to rock music today as the many talents of the Beatles themselves. Here's to you George Martin... and thank you!

Survivor - 5/4/11

BLINDSIDE! I was sure it would happen, and it did... Boston Rob secretly rallied his tribe to turn on Andrea (see photo) - sending her to Redemption Island. Personally, I think Rob's only reason was his usual pettiness after seeing her nearly beat him in a very physical immunity challenge. Rob won, but he was barely able to walk at the end... baby. Andrea proved she's a tough lady... hey, she's another Wisconsinite! She's a Theater/Communications major at Stevens Point and graduated high school in Random Lake! She's definitely tough enough to work herself back from Redemption Island... and that part is gonna be soon because the show finale is scheduled for Sunday, May 15th... just two nights left!

A couple of things worth re-capping. First, the elimination challenge on Redemption saw Ralph get the boot for good. We also got to see Mike (the winner on Redemption) trade a visit with his mother to allow the six remaining Ometepe's to spend time with their family members... all that courtesy of the Ten Commandments and the "love thy brother" interpretation. Plus Matt survived the duel as well.

So who are you picking to win? At this point I'm actually leaning towards Grant... he just seems to be strong enough, popular enough, and if he can avoid a blindside from Rob... well, who knows?

Star Wars Day Today!

I love this... it's Star Wars Day! The Star Wars website promised a special announcement today... I've been checking it but nothing so far. Anyhow, celebrate Star Wars Day! And by the way, the reason today was chosen... because it's May 4th. Say it with me... "May the Fourth Be With You!" Get it? Also, the Star Wars website is at www.starwars.com - of course!

May 3, 1964 - Gerry & the Pacemakers

The British Invasion resoundingly continued it's onslaught in America when Gerry and the Pacemakers appeared on Ed Sullivan on 5/3/64. G&TP was eerily similar to the Beatles, they were from Liverpool, they had honed their craft with long stays in Hamburg, Germany, and they were the second band managed by Brian Epstein. During 1964 they took turns with the Beatles at the number one spot on the charts in England with tunes like "Ferry Cross the Mersey", "How Do You Do It" and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying". With Gerry Marsden on lead vocals and guitar, his brother Freddy on drums, Les Chadwick on bass and Les Maguire on piano, G&TP had a string of chart hits as well as a smash-hit movie from 1964 to their breakup in October of 1966. They actually set a record in England as their first three releases all climbed to number one on the British charts.

Happily in 1974, Gerry reformed the group and in one form or another they've been performing world-wide ever since.