July 28, 2008 - Monday

Todays Gazette is being brought to you, in part, by the beautiful giant
floral flag in Grafton's Leistikow Park.
----------------------
The current temperature is 77
Yesterdays H/L temperature was 86/52
Normal H/L temp for this date is 83/57
It was 106 on this date in 1917.
=======================
"Profanity makes ignorance audible."
=======================
L O C A L news & stuff,.. mostly stuff.
-------------------------
It's been awhile since the last Gazette. For the most part some of that
time was spent as a self appointed weather observer (sometimes adverse)
and part of the time I participated in a self appointed walleye and
small fish feeding program.
Now then, even though "the catching" hasn't been the absolute best I've
ever experienced, the fishing experience out of Arnesen's Rocky Point
Resort continues to be just as fantastic as ever, or better.
Saturday our grandson Tyler, with a bit of help from his uncle Mike,
caught a 26 inch walleye. The next day, Pat dragged one in that measured
26 and three quarter.
-----------------------
One of the first things I noticed when we got back to town was the work
being done on Simonson's new Subway Sandwich Station on the corner of
Hill Avenue and hiway 17. Although there is still a lot of work to do
before the grand opening, it won't be long and we'll be able to eat a
Sub while looking up & down both major hiways in town.
------------------------
Grafton's True Value Hardware Store is getting a brand new front facade
as well. The giant front windows that once gave us insight to the
fabulous fashions featured by the Reylecks clothing store, and later,
the folks that worked at True Value are being replaced by smaller, more
energy efficient ones. And, I was pleased to see that the new windows
are MARVINS WINDOWS, made right here in Grafton North Dakota.
-------------------------
The B & D Flooring and Carpet Cleaning Store is also getting a new face
lift. The front and west side of the building that Bill Meier built for
his Grafton Glass & Paint business will be refurbished giving our son
and daughter-in-law Brad and Denise's store a brand new look.
It's heartwarming to see the business community reinvesting in the
future of the community in which I live.
--------------------------
Speaking of heartwarming. Pat and I drove through Leistikow Park this
morning, and, as always I thought of my dad. I remember how he would
stand out in the park with members of the park board waving his cane at
various trees shrubs and flower beds. I remembered the time he actually
bought a specific tractor just because he believed it was the best way
to prepare and plant the area south of the swimming pool.
As I looked at the pool this morning, I couldn't help but remember Hugo
Kutz and all of the things he done for the pool, and the community, over
the years. Hugo taught me how to "patch" a high pressure water pipe with
strips from a tractor inner tube.
As we continued thru the park, I slowed a bit, to remember and
appreciate Earl and all the things he contributed to make our drive thru
the park an enjoyable one.
Then, I noticed that some of the blacktop has been removed from several
different areas throughout the park. That, I suspect, is in preparation
for the preposed new blacktop mat to be laid down in the next few weeks.
The posts bordering the drive thru the park always remind me of my good
friend and former mentor Milton Johnston. It was Milton that originally
orchestrated the method of rounding off the posts so that they would
shed water and not rot away prematurely.
HOWEVER, the really, truly, heartwarming part of my most recent trip
through Leistikow wasn't the parks beautiful grass and trees. It wasn't
the pool or the new Frisbee course. It wasn't even the fantastic
campgrounds. (with special thanks to our friends from the pipeline) The
real heartwarming part of todays spin thru the park, was when I reached
"Milton's American Flag" in flowers.
Having a floral flag in the park had been a desire of Milton Johnston's
for a number of years. One I am pleased to say, he eventually did see
accomplished. Unfortunately, for some reason, the floral flag was
omitted from the parks flower bed plantings of the past several years.
It certainly was HEARTWARMING to see it return.
Aren't memories wonderful?
------------------------
Speaking of Frisbee Golf. It s my understanding that you can get the
Frisbee's at the Walsh County Record.
=========================
GOTTA GO WORK ON MY DASH
=========================


Write if you can, call if you can't, and, tell your loved ones they
are,..... before it's too late