Aug ’04 16
The Pack is back! The Packers open the preseason tonight against Seattle at Lambeau. The game is on ESPN, and even though preseason games are usually pretty dull, we’ll have the game on.
And what better way to start the Packers’ march to the Super Bowl? With brats of course! And not just any brats, but garlic butter bratwurst from Swiss Meat & Sausage Company in Swiss, Missouri. Growing up in Wisconsin, I always thought we had the best brats, but I have to admit I’ve found a new favorite. Sorry Usinger’s and Johnsonville, but these are the best!
If you live in the St. Louis area, drive out to Hermann, and keep heading south on 19 to Swiss, and you’ll see Swiss Meats on the left side of the road. They have every kind of sausage and meat you can imagine, and they are all great. If you don’t live in the area, do yourself a favor and visit the website and call in an order. They ship nationwide.
Aug ’04 16
On Saturday morning we woke up to find a hawk in our backyard, finishing a morning meal of morning dove. I grabbed the camera and snapped one picture from upstairs. I ran down to the kitchen to take a closer shot, but it was gone in a flash. Collen and I went out to see if there was anything to clean up, but it had consumed the whole dove, leaving only piles of feathers scattered around the yard.
The hawk is one of a pair that lives in the area. We watched one of them grab a rodent of some type off the hillside behind our house, and I spotted one perched on a house one time. Collen is a little big for them to go after, but if I had a little Yorkie or other tiny dog, I might think twice about letting it out unattended.
!http://images5.fotki.com/v73/photos/2/247084/914007/hawk-vi.jpg (Hawk in backyard)!
Hawk having breakfast in our backyard
Aug ’04 8
I managed to make it to the John Kerry rally on Thursday. I was running late, so I didn’t get there until 11 AM, and by that time, the line was all over the parking lot and hardly moving. Apparently the Secret Service slowed things down with the security screening. I was in line for more than an hour until they finally opened up an area, and we all poured in without ever going through security. Turns out there were color coded tickets, and you needed a red ticket to get into the section that was around the stage.
Dave Grohl from Foo Fighters sang a few songs, and then Sean Astin said a few words. We waited a bit longer, and then Dick Gephardt got up and started the introductions for Kerry and Edwards (who were still on the way). The buses finally arrived, and the candidates and their wives took the stage as the crowd went crazy. Edwards gave his “Hope is on the Way” stump speech. Then Kerry gave his “Help is on the Way” speech. It ended with a lot of confetti being shot in the air, and then they boarded the train for the western rail tour.
The crowd was estimated to be 15,000 which was pretty impressive to me. Or so I thought until I heard they had 30,000 in Kansas City the following night! It is reassuring to see such large turnouts for these appearances, especially in states like Missouri. It bodes well for November.
I posted some photos, but I was so far away, they are mainly pictures of crowds and lines. I did blow up one to show that yes, Kerry was in the picture, even if he is heavily pixelated. Alex Medico has some excellent pictures of Kerry & Edwards on the train as it left the station.
After the rally, I headed over to the food court at Union Station for lunch. As I ate my Quizno’s sandwich, I noticed Terry Crouppen at a nearby table, apparently also having come from the rally. If you’re not from St. Louis, Terry is a lawyer you see on local TV a lot. If someone has done you wrong, he’s the guy to talk to. At least that’s what he says in their ads.
Aug ’04 8
I finally have all the photos posted from our road trip To Georgia. If you want to see the photos, here are links to the individual albums at my Fotki site.
Aug ’04 5
John Kerry and John Edwards will be in St. Louis this morning at Union Station for a rally. Barring any emergency at work, I’m going to be there. I remember going to Union Station to see George H. W. Bush back in 1988 when he was running for President. So I’m one for one on attending rallies where the speaker goes on to win. Hopefully it will be two for two after November.
