These Belgians Out-Pull Clydesdales Any Day.

From my Brother Joe:  "Here are the Belgians we met on the bike trail near Dunellen, FL. The teamster was Mr. Vogel.  The team was Adam (on the left) and Jake.  Aged 7 and 12 respectively.  Adam weighs in at 3200 lbs, Jake somewhat less.  As to the Belgian's work ethic, Mr. Vogel stated emphatically - they'll out pull a Clydesdale any day, all day!

Boss Kicks.

A guy can never have too many pairs of really good shoes -- boss kicks as we used to call them. These ECCO's fill the bill. My dogs are mighty safe and comfortable as they fill the shoes.  Bought two pairs 'cause I liked them so much. 

Little Lake Calhoun Sailors, Home from the Sea.

Lucky ones, these mighty mite Lake Calhoun sailors in their little prams with battened lateen sails and more than adeqquate personal flotation devices.  These boys learn hiking and tacking early in their racing careers, navigate by checking Calhoun Beach Club and perhaps catching a glimpse of the IDS Tower.  The class racing season ends the last Friday in August each year, and I came upon these mariners just after they'd slid across the final finish line, to the sounds of air horns blaring and muffled applause.  Wait 'til next summer, many of them seem to say, all except the young man in the foreground who won every race I watched.

Curtis "Jenny" Takes Flight in MN History Center.

History buffs agree: this WWI replica "Jenny" is the perennial favorite exhibit in St. Paul's Minnesota History Center.  Built to scale, and with its rich history time-line on plaques encircling the rotunda, one cannot help but be impressed by this TINY airplane and its HUGE impact in the century since Armistice Day.

It's safe to say that commercial aviation in America might never have taken off without the "war surplus" Curtis Jenny .  Check out this exhibit, soon.

Santa Gives Thumbs-Up to Long Lake Tree.

The ornaments on the 2013 tree are wooden, hand-painted, passed down through the generations, and hung with love by Hadley, Oliver and Duncan.  The lights, however, are from True Value in Long Lake, strung by Poppina some weeks back.  All the loot under the tree is from friends, family and loved-ones, via Santa and Rudolph. We are about to unwrap the bonanza and remind ourselves just how blessed we are.  Merry Christmas to one and all!

Big Bird. Gluten-Free Stuffing. Yummmmm.

You're looking at the beginning of the Thanksgiving dinner layout. Two drumsticks, the moist GF stuffing, and a very classy platter assure the kind of yummy meal our Grandma's used to whip up back mid-Century.

I snapped this foto before Jason had sliced the white meat, added the mashed taters and the steamed broccoli.

Poppina and crew, including Ali, Hadley and the Boys, outdid themselves -- though I wish I'd taken a pic of the fam damily chowing down around the dining room table.

Hope all readers of Poppy's blog enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday as much as we did.  And here's wishing you a very Merry Christmas as well.

Exploring "Prohibition" at MN History Center.

If you like booze, if you enjoy history, if you ever dated a Flapper Girl, then "The Rise and Fall of Prohibition" exhibit up now at the Minnesota History Center is your cup of tea. Or, shot of rye.

Personality profiles -- Meyer Lansky and Al Capone -- lots of black + white period footage, old cars and motorcycles, even step-by-step instruction for learning "The Charleston," this is your kind of party.

My time was limited the day I visited:  I'll definitely go back for a night cap.

Last call!

Happy Holidays Terry + Holly of Budget Printing.

Good pals at Budget Printing and  Awards in Long Lake, MN send you best wishes for the season. Old Poppy relies on Budget for all printing needs -- cannot recommend them more highly.  Merry Christmas Holly and Terry (and Karla and Cindy, too, though they didn't make the foto).

Columbia Sportswear Christmas Elves Serve Hot Cider.

Out front of the Columbia Sportswear flagship store on Hennepin Avenue in Uptown Minneapolis today, Santa's little helpers were serving hot cinnamon cider off their "icicle tricycle."  The ladies were attired in the latest and and smartest outerwear for distaff elves, while the gent, in a bold red layered look, comped passers-by with discount store coupons to make Christmas shopping a breeze.

As for the Icicle Tricycle I learned there is only one of them, it travels to all Columbia Flagship stores, and even makes the trek overseas.  There is generally an assigned Columbia Crew, though outside CONUS local help is generally hired to work the deal.

I asked if I could hire on to pedal the three-wheeler.  I'm filling out a job application tonite, and will specify a locale where the temp never drops below 50-degrees.