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The Return of Torsten

Good to see you my friend, it had been a long time.

Bachelor Party, when?

New York City has always been one of my favorite destinations. I’ve been making this trip my entire adult life, but this was different. The tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks was very different. Many New Yorkers left the city, while others tried to just get on with things. I am part of the 2nd group, lets get on with it. So I got my haircut, while really hungover. Good weekend fellas, very cool indeed.

Berkshire County Massachusetts

In late August I found myself in Berkshire County Massachusetts. The small towns, mountains & lakes really are something to see. I was surprised to find the Appalachian Trailruns right through this region. I had to give it a look. I did a quick 3 mile hike up to Benedict Pond near Monterey, Mass. The terrain was all I could hope for, muddy, steep and canopied with trees.

Outdoor Baseball in The Twin Cities

In 2010 Major League Baseball returned to the great outdoors of Minnesota. The Twins opened Target Field in the Warehouse District of Minneapolis. I made sure to take in a game on my trip. The highlight of the game was in the 1st inning when Twins DH Jason Kubel hit a homerun over the centerfield wall. The Twins logo, displayed large and illuminated at the top of the stadium, became animated. Minnie & Paul began to shake hands. Nice touch, well done Minnesota. The Twins started strong but the Chicago White Sox were too much, final score Twins 3, White Sox 5.

Bass Fishin’, Cigar Smokin’ & Beer Drinkin’

Greetings from the great northwest. I’m spending a week in Minnesota to catch some fish, and have a break. Here I am on Steiger Lake with a 3 lb. 17.5 inch large mouth bass.

Raised to the Sublime Degree

In Freemasonry, if you are a master mason in good standing when you die, they give you a tribute in the monthly Stated Meeting of the lodge. They mention the day when you were born, the day when you were called from labor (when you died), and the day when you were raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason, or the 3rd Degree.

On Saturday June 25, 2011 I was raised to the 3rd degree of Master Mason.

Are You A Warrior?

One fine Saturday in May I joined a few friends to participate in the Warrior Dash. It’s a 5k through the woods with many obstacles. The most significant obstacle was the mud. Most of the track through the woods was in mud. Not to mention hurdling the fire pit, crawling through mud, climbing over muddy walls, climbing on muddy rope ladders and the grand finale was a huge sloppy mud pit. Bring on the fire hose and a cold beer! Good times.

O’s Beat Tigers at Camden Yards

From a rousing ovation for Orioles managers past and present to the excitement from the stands for an undefeated baseball team to Roberts’ one big swing that carried the Orioles to a 5-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers, the home opener at Camden Yards was a rousing success.

A sellout crowd of 46,593, which enjoyed a game-time temperature of 76 degrees, watched Jake Arrieta continue the early roll of the Orioles’ rotation, Roberts continue his RBI binge with his tie-breaking three-run homer in the fifth inning and the home team continue its winning ways.

Oh The Joy!

Sunday afternoon I completed my annual trek of the Appalachian trail. We came down off the ridge at Duncannon, Pennsylvania with the Susquehanna River in full view. 180 miles of rugged terrain, which started at Shenandoah National Forest, was now over. Feels good to be finished. I’ll be back out there next winter. Below is a picture from 1500 feet above the river.

The Wind of The Cumberland Valley

Sunday I hiked sections 11 & 12 of the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania. Very difficult hike which is 19 miles in length. The toughest part was the wind I faced as I  crossed a huge farm field. The wind was just shocking.