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Recent Picture & Stories
After our 50th Reunion
Corny Corner Arizona by Russell Pence It occurred to me that folks visiting the class reunion site might find this interesting. Itsa different world down here fur shur fur shur!
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We took these pictures Sunday June 21, 2009. I call the series AZ Children of the Corn.
Corny Corner Arizona
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Knee High by the Fourth - of May Corn is tossling here in AZ. These fields are not too far from our house.
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Old Guy Disappears into the Corn!
We pulled over in three lanes of traffic for this old fellow to get outa the truck and thrash his way to the forest of cobs to provide some perspective.
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He made it - but now he is a stick in the mud! Apache Corn. These farms and fields are actually surrounded by huge high tech presences such as Intel and Motorola. It is a strange sight to see them co-existing side-by-side.
You may be surprised to know that the Apache People in fact grew corn as a substantial part of their food source. They still do grow amazing maize on the reservations not distant from here.
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Children of the Corn Or ... corny old guy waving at passing motorist slowing down to gawk at the old guy in the corn. Most of the corn in the Cob Forest is at least twice my height. You should see the corn pickers É
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A wider perspective Here you can get a better feel for the height of the corn. Your host and MC is stretching his arm as high as he can to add to the effect. Ya know, I think that corn is actually three times his height. Whadaya think?? |
It's a keeper: Ellsworth man loves thrill of ice fishing Jason Schulte Pierce County Herald - 02/21/2008 Vernon Ellefson likes to stay busy. The 69-year-old’s favorite winter activity is ice fishing, something he’s done for 60 years. The Illinois native was introduced to ice fishing at age nine by an uncle. He learned how to summer fish even earlier as a grandfather took him cat fishing when he was five-years-old. He was seven when he went trout fishing on the Eau Galle River as his family moved to this area. “It’s all about the thrill and anticipation of it,” he said. “To me, it’s just as satisfying to catch a sunfish that’s about 10 inches long and weighs 12 ounces than it is in catching a walleye.” As soon as there’s enough ice on the lakes, Ellefson’s out there. “I’ve gone out on 2 1/2 inches before,” he said. His favorite spots include Bear Trap and Wapogasset, west of Amery, Balsam Lake, Big Round Lake, north of Amery, and Butternut, located near Luck. Ellefson hits those lakes usually twice, but sometimes three times a week with fellow Ellsworth natives Brian Thalacker or Clair Severson. When out there, he prefers fishing by himself, as he brings along a one-man portable shack with his self-made jigs and select rods/tip-ups. Tip-ups are mainly used on windy days because the wind won’t interfere with them as much as a fishing rod. “If there is wind in those portable shacks, it gets miserable,” he said. Ellefson usually targets pan fish, croppies, sunfish or perch, but when an occasional northern comes his way, like the 12? pound one he caught about six years ago on Balsam (using a tip-up, he said, he knew it was a good one when he set the hook and it took his hand into the hole), he won’t pass it up. Which is why he does fish by himself because, if he’s having a good day, he wants to let as few people know as possible. “We spread out and try different spots,” he said. “A good ice fisherman is the best liar because if people see me catching fish, they’ll drill their hole right next to me. “You have to keep things pretty quiet or otherwise you’ll get so many people.” To back up his point, Ellefson told the story that he, along with Severson and/or Thalacker, were having a good day catching crappies on Balsam Lake. An acquaintance of one of the three asked about the spot and, the next time they went out, 16-18 people were at their location. And that is why Ellefson, who still fishes during the summer, has a preference between the two. “If I had to choose between the two,” he said. “I’d sell my boat tomorrow.” He continued: “I like ice fishing better because you get away from the crowds. We don’t even go fishing on the weekends during the summer because there’s so much water traffic from speed boats, wat er skiers or personal watercraft.” The cold weather doesn’t even stop him. He remembered he was fishing at Balsam Lake when it was about 15 below. “The sun was shining and there was no wind,” he said. “I didn’t even have to use the heater.” When done for the day, Ellefson brings his catch home to his wife, Nancy, of 47 years. “I don’t catch them or clean them, but I’ll cook them and eat them,” she said, as she estimated they have fish around twice a week. Fishing is something Vernon passed on to his kids, as all three of them, Nicci, Lisa and Mike, have done in their lives. The family is extended to four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. “They’re all either six- or seven-years-old when they could bait their own hooks,” Vernon said.
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This appeared in the Hudson Paper last October, 2007
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Lori Jacobson holds a batch of rommegrot, a cream pudding, that she has just finished preparing for Bethel Lutheran Church’s annual Scandinavian |
