Swimming to the Olympics in Omaha

Swimmer on the side of a building

Olympic pool in the downtown Quest Center.

Swimmers get ready to take their Mark.

There off.

One of the event Stars gets interviewed.

From near downtown Omaha, you can still spot the Swimmer on the side of the Mutual of Omaha’sbuilding.

Drive by at night time, as that’s when the light show is on. 

The blue flood lights use a moving gel filter which actually creates the appearance of moving water.  Cool Blue!

  

                                                                                             It was interesting to see how the Media came out of the wood work after each of the billed Stars completed their performance.  Better yet was the fact that they had the breath to do so! 

                             

Babes or Dolls……..

First, no not babes. This is about real Dolls. Not not the ones that walk down the Catwalk, but the ones you find posed up on the shelf being eye candy to little girls everywhere.

 

 

Behind the glass case American Dolls stand posed to catch the eye of every little girl who walks by.

 

 

 

 

 

                                        Every Doll needs an outfit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here we find Dolls all lined up in a row.

 

Ok, truth be known, I really do not have much of an interest in Dolls.  But, my young nieces sure did when visiting the American Doll Store.  Where else could you ever find not only a place with a selection of dolls and doll outfits to stagger the mind and overwhelm the senses of every little girl out there?  Plus, need a place to grab a bite?  They have there own eatery complete with highchairs for the newly purchased Doll of their Dreams!  Now, all you need is a really good piece of plastic!

Signs of Spring, regardless of the Weather.

 

The weather has not been very spring like,as of late.  But, al long as the sun shines and temps remain above freezing, signs of spring are all around.

Canada Geese have a new family.                                                                                   Egrets take flight.

 

Egrets gathering..

 

 

 

 

A large Heron showing who’s the boss.                                         An Egret keeps watch.

Yes, regardless of what we may think, Spring is in full swing…………  I wish summer could wait just a bit longer.

 

What happened to Spring?

Is it just me, or did the Midwest jump right from Winter, straight into the throes of Summer?  Only last week we had nights with temperatures down below freezing.  Average ground temperature has been hovering around 56 degrees Fahrenheit, which is barely warm enough for seeds to germinate.  Spring is supposed to be the time of warm spring breezes blowing in your face, while you plantseeds in preparation for what awaits you come summer. 

   Not this year.   Winter has seemed to hang on like a giant ice-sickle, clinging to the edge of your roof, on that one corner of the house that just never seems to get any sunlight.  Just when you would think Spring as here, another chunk of ice comes falling down to remind you that winter has not yet given up.

   Then along comes the last four days and bamb!  Temperatures soar up into the upper 80’s and threatening us with 90’s.   So, checking the calender, I see that we really are approaching Summer, at least according to this long time standard of reference. 

   So, back to my original question.  What ever happened to Spring?

Bull Riders; Brave or just a little Crazy

 The Mrs. and I went to a down-to-earth Rodeo Bull Riding event last weekend.  What we saw was a production of the Professional Rodeo Circuit which was a well run 3 hour production with a host of true athlete’s risking life and limb (literally) in a calculated gamble to stay on the back of a twelve hundred pound plus animal that really did not appear to want to be ridden. 

  Obviously you do have to be in really good shape to even consider doing something as hard as riding a bull.  For one thing, you need to be in the best shape possible, so that when your done, you’re still approaching something similar to what most consider being in good health.  Or, at least having a good shot at it.  Having watched two riders being hand carried off the arena, one of which was not to return even-though he had enough points to do so, and another one or two who didn’t walk off standing as straight as when they first walked in, I must say a person does start to question the real sanity of anyone willing to do this.

   OK, there was the one rider who has a career total winning of just over 3.5 million dollars.  But, personal I think you would stand a better chance at the dollar slot machines in Los Vegas.   Well, at least you stand a better chance of walking away without being carried.   The bulls on the other hand, seemed to be faring much better through out the night.  Overall, I would have to rate the Bulls (40), Cowboys (17).  Sounds like a football game doesn’t it?

   The other thing we could not help but notice was who some of the sponsors for the event were.  One which surprised us was a major brand of chewing tobacco.  They even had tall blond chewing tobacco (brand name left out) model girls at the event to help promote the product.  Funny thing though, I never saw even one of the girls take a chew? 

   You do have to admire the undaunting bravery or perhaps lack of the other “B” word (  hint, sounds like rain ) contained within each of those young men.  Seriously, the  bottom line is the event was a very entertaining event, to which I would not hesitate bringing a younger member of the family to see.  Though there were jokes made by the Rodeo Clown, they were all clean and yet very funny to everyone in the audience. 

 

So, if you get a chance to go see some really Brave and yet somewhat Crazy group of young men, jump on the back of a huge wilder-beast looking animal, and try to ride the thing for over seven or eight seconds, please do not hesitate doing so.  I highly recommend it. 

Ride’m Cowboy!!!!! 

    

Yeeeeeee Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Boys will be Boys, Girls will be Girls…..

Ah Hem….

   Of course Girls will be girls, or else they would be boys. Duh…..  And Boys will be boys and as I learned as a young boy, “a horse is a horse, of course of course”……

   What this old saying is perhaps really trying to tell us is, girls and boys are different.  Which is of course something most of us already know by the time we are about three years old.  But considering when this saying was first popularized, the typical girl was growing up being taught how to become the perfect little wife, in the perfect little house with the white picket fence and the rest of the ideal dream life.  Of course the boy was being taught how to be tough in a competitive world where he would have to become the “Bread Winner” for the girl down the street who’s been taking “Home Economics” and learning how to balance that weekly allowance her husband was going to provide. 

   Then the 60’s and 70’s hit, and everything changed.  Girls started to be taught about how to become successful in the business world by doing more than becoming either a secretary or nurse!   Boys were being enrolled in the Home Economics classes so they could learn how to cook, as their wife just might not be home in time to start dinner, nor feel anymore like cooking than he did.  Boys were also being taught how to be more in touch with their emotions, though of course they had to use the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy….

   So with all of these changes, what has really changed?  Many girls still like boys.  Many boys still like girls.  Some of each, like each other, and some just like to be left alone.  Or, just like in the old days, things are pretty much the same, it’s just that we are a little more aware of who likes who!

   As for me and the wife; after over 33 years of sharing each others company, going back to our early High School days, who knows?  They said it would never last.  And who knows, perhaps in another 30 or 40 years we will grow tired of each other?  Ok, maybe we will just grow more old…………………….

April Showers bring May Flowers, or do they?

   As the old saying goes, “April Showers bring May Flowers”.  But, the reality is this really depends on what part of the country you live in.  Here we are at the beginning of April and here in the Midwest, we are waiting for the April showers to begin so the flowers can start spouting from the ground.  Actually, we are waiting this year for all of the frost to finally leave the ground so all the heaved sidewalks will settle back down to something you can walk on without tripping. 

   I was just down to Florida at the end of March and not only were there flowers up and growing, it looked like they had been that way for a while.  So in Florida is the saying “Marching showers bring April flowers” or perhaps, it’s “February may be stark, but flowers bloom in March”. 

    Perhaps the winter has been just a little too long this year.  Everyone here in the Midwest is really starting to get antsy for spring to kick into high gear.  What is meant by “antsy” anyway?  Does mean we behave like ants?  Then again, what is “Kicking into high gear” all about.  Do we mean it’s going to happen more quickly or just with more speed?

    Perhaps I am just starting to get a case of cabin fever.  Do we really get warmer from cabin fever?  Can an aspirin relieve us from the effects of cabin fever?  What if you live in an apartment?  Can you get apartment fever, or for that matter house fever.  Is cabin fever only something someone who lives in a forest can acquire?

   Anyway, hope you have a great Summer!

Just an average Swedish, German, Norwegian, English, Swiss; American

Just an average Swedish, German, Norwegian, English, Swiss; American.

That’s me.  I’m an American with relatives throughout Europe.  So what makes me different than any other citizen of the United States? 

I do not have 2.7 kids, but I’m close.  I’m not young, but then I’m really not old either.  As the average American is either Male or Female, I guess again; I am average.  I am fair skinned, but can get a pretty brown tan in the summer.  I’m happily married, so perhaps I am not really average, according to the latest polls anyway.

But the single most important thing, that makes me more than average is; my thoughts are my own.  Each person is a unique collection of experiences and learned information.  Every person may on a whole have similar experiences in many regards, but their’s are still unique travels through the life stream they live.

The one thing I do share in common with someone from lets say Sweden, is I have some DNA which is similar at certain points along the long line of double helix, that makes the basis of my body.  Some of the extra fat reserves, I have to take blame for myself.  But then, I can say the same about someone with lineage from Norway, Germany, England or even Switzerland.  Guess I’m kind of a Hines 57 sauce at heart.

But in mind, I always remain that unique individual, that blended together in the fabric of life, makes me me.

Watching the Academy Awards or “Mr. Oscar”

How long does a cold last?

    Have you ever wondered just how long a cold is supposed to last.  Is it three days, one week, two weeks or something more than that?  Well, I caught a cold, complete with runny nose, watery eyes, coughing and little sleep just before Christmas.  Of course, having it last through the end of the month was not a total surprise.  Then about the middle of January, just when I thought it was all done, my “cold” caught it’s second wind. 

    So back with a vengeance, it reared it’s ugly head to my mine miserable.  The good news is, it finally started to leave somewhere around the middle of “what month is it?”, oh yes, February.  The good news is I’m finally sleeping through the whole night and waking up feeling pretty rested.  Though the expectorant and cough suppressants are no longer needed on a daily basis, I have found that I still need the twelve hour antihistamine to keep the pipes clear into the morning.

     So just when I’m feeling pretty good about myself, the misses develops a flue bug, complete with the sudden onset of stomach contractions which have the result of emptying all contents!  

     Well it’s been four days and no sign of cross contamination.   After watching her, I think perhaps my drugged out cold, is perhaps not so bad!