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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I spent the day at ShamrockFest in DC. Great time seeing all the bands. The self-serve Guinness line was really cool. This may become an annual event for me.

I’m quite far along in this years hike of the Appalachian Trail. I started at the top of Shenandoah National Forest back in November and have come north 120 miles. I have just a few sections remaining before I reach the Susquehanna River and call it quits for this year. Here I am taking a break at Birch Run Shelter. This place is near Pine Grove Furnace State Park during a 19 mile hike. Tough day in the field.

Turns out my hands are the same size as Johnny Mathis. I guess thats something. Anyway, I was walking down the boardwalk and could not resist.