2002 - No. 5         www.malecek.com        

Sept 24th
   After enjoying Chris’ speciality, hot shrimp creole, for supper (Ne had some great garlic prawns) Chefs we went to the Twins game and saw a 4-3 victory over Indians in the ninth.
 It was Celia’s first time and she loved it.  Lively naval group below us on 3rd base side.  We were given commemorative team photo and they unveiled the A.L. Central Division Championship banner that the team earned this year.  Liked the "Kiss Cam" where fan couples had to kiss when on the big screen.  Other new things since '97: a blimp flies around and drops fan items and a guy uses a bazooka-type gun to shoot Twins tee shirts intot he crowd.

fans Pre-Game

fans

    Ne and I made it to New Ulm in mid-September and got Joyce setup in her new apartment at Realife with the help of Patty, Bob and their sister, Janet, who arrived the day before we did, driving up from Texas.  We were able to join a local tradition by going to Carl’s in Essig on a Sunday evening for a meal and sure enough we ran into Bill and Shirley doing the same.
     Ne and I made a trip to the cities to be with my mother when she had a skin cancer removed from under her eye.  We decided to stop at the Dairy Queen in Winthrop (just like we did 40-50 years ago whenever Dad or Mom could be talked into it) and who does Ne bump into at the door? — Gutzke.  He and Patty had picked up Joyce's sister, Louise, who flew in from Virginia at the airport in the cities and were heading back to New Ulm.
Carl's click on photo to enlarge Louise
   We had to cut our stay short with Mom and Bob as we needed to return to New Ulm for the big Krohn reunion under the giant statue of Herman at Heritage Park.  A good turn out and I was able to catch up with David, Erline, Mike E. (got some details on his job at Lodgenet), Paul H. (ins and outs of corn harvesting), Bob H., Gwen, Jeff and Star, and met Colletta (interested in family tree) and Chuck (real likeable guy).  Was too bad Gail couldn't make it, too. So many smiling faces, especially them Haalas, eh?  After the meal, so much good food, Ne and I joined the young'uns for a game of bocce ball and we won.  After zipping to library, before it closed, to check email I brought in the "People Weekly" trivia cards for a session with Chuck (who reckons he is pretty good), Rachel, Cheryl, Ne and Gwen (knows stuff, too).  I did a New Zealand "lollie scramble" (handfuls of candy thrown out to kids at fairs, parades etc...) demonstration using Tootsie Rolls.  David informed me that in the USA 'clowns' toss candy.
Haalas Dents meal
Smiling Haalas
   Brought Ne to Mankato to put in an application at Social Security and while there we checked out the place that Chuck manages, Grizzly's, where I gave the waitress a bad time about not having New Zealand wine and demanded to see the manager.  Chuck gave us staff discount for the tequila chilli I had and the tortoise cheesecake we shared.  Then he got me going on NTN trivia where you play against the world on-line.  I'm "malleynz" and you can usually find me near the top of the winners lists.
   On way back to the cities we picked Louise up at Gutzke's and brought her to the Lindberg Airport for her flight back to her lonely dog on the east coast.  Got her there on time despite missing the turn off to the terminal in 494 - did I tell you how much the road system has grown and changed. Roads crowded 24 hours. Figure there must be a million vehicles at any one time.
Milacs LAKE MILACS
in the AUTUMN		 Inez Malley Muses
   Ne and I spent October at my Father’s in Coon Rapids.  We were very lucky to have the use of Joyce's car for the month and we were able make a few visits.  Drove to Lake Milacs and spent a few hours with Chuck and Inez. As usual it was four hours of good story telling (e.g. Chuck's fear of flying and the wicked flight from Las Vegas; how Inez can watch "Wheel of Fortune" while getting mail without missing a letter, as every house is watching it and how Inez's brother got stuck in Mexico and it turned out to be a blessing).
   We stopped in Isle to get gas and the two boys in the place were straight out of "Fargo" - told me that the Washington sniper had been arrested and how he was shooting through a hole in his trunk. So I said he was pretty clever and too bad that the media told us that fact as now more people will do it. Began leaving, turned around and asked them if they had a drill I could use...pause - no laugh...so I could make a hole in my trunk.  Literally didn't get it!!!!! They told me they don't have a drill and were telling me where I could get one when the dummer one goes: "I get it" and starts laughing.  Don't think the bright one (he was the one reading the newspaper) did. 		Why not just display the head at a wake — just think of all the money you would save with the very small casket required to do the job?

Chuck at work

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