Text Box: Cold on the Outside, Warm on the Inside by Rob Crowe

Southwest Angle News and Views

Published by Rob Crowe

www.southwestangle.com


 

 

 

Home About Rob Contact Rob Southwest Angle Column Related (or not so) Links






December 31, 2008                                                                     Volume 1, Issue 2
Text Box: The short warm snap ended and frigid weather took over outdoors on Monday, December 29 as many Roseau County 4H-ers made their annual trek to the 7 Clans Water Park at Thief River Falls. Inside, however, the attire of the day was swimwear in the warm, humid air of the water park. The activity of choice was tubing around the Lazy River, circulating in packs through the deluges and currents. Tia Hoppe of the Malung Club said that she liked everything about the Water Park. She said she had no favorite rides after spending the better part of 5 hours there with her parents and friends. Another 4H-er, Kyrsten Nelson, said that her goal Text Box: was to try everything twice. Her friend, Cody Nelson, nodded assent as the two rested up after some exciting water slide rides. As the huge water bucket discharged its load over the roof above the small slides every four minutes, the parents and leaders Text Box: During the month of December, the Warroad Area Chamber of Commerce members hosted a "Catch the Spirit" shopping promotion. During each week of December there were 4 "host" businesses that had the drawing boxes in their stores. The first and second weeks the drawings consisted of $250 per box for a total of $1,000 per week. The 3rd week consisted of 2 $500 prizes and the Grand Prize drawing was held on December 24, 2008 for $1,500 for a grand total of $4,500 in Chamber Bucks given away to lucky shoppers. The Grand Prize winner was Karen Pederson of Warroad. Karen was extremely excited to be the recipient of $1,500 in Chamber Bucks good for purchases at any participating Chamber Business. Karen and her husband Wes had recently purchased a vehicle at Lake Country Chevrolet Buick Pontiac and Karen faithfully filled out the slips and entered them into the drawing box hosted at The Trading Post Gift Shop. When Karen discovered that she had won the Grand Prize she was speechless! Congratulations Karen and thanks for shopping locally!Text Box: The 4H-ers floating on tubes around the Lazy RiverText Box: The water slides curving around in front of the building in the cold December airText Box: Big Prize for Local Shopper Submitted by Donna LaDukeText Box: Karen Pederson receiving her $1500 prize from Warroad Chamber President Jon ColeText Box: (Water Park continued on back page)Text Box: Southwest Angle by Rob CroweText Box: Page 2Text Box: Southwest Angle News and ViewsText Box: Text Box: convoying through the snow covered countryside. The wind hadn’t yet blown the snow from the tree limbs; it was simply gorgeous. The only mar on Christmas was to find that the furnace had quit on our house in Hill City. Fortunately, no water damage and we were able to repair the pipes over the weekend. Back to the Great North on Sunday night. Monday morning I was assigned to take the Little 4H Girls to Thief River Falls to the Water Park. After sending Management off to work, I took the back seat out of the Aerostar. In the midst of the task, I received a call from the crusty old Norwegian, Orlin Ostby. He demanded to know what I was doing. I told him and he said I was cruel to have sent Management to work while I was playing. I reminded him that I also was charged with the important task of picking up the organ Management was purchasing from him on our way back from the Water Park. After a couple more insults, he let me go. We drove down to the Water Park and the Little Girls enjoyed their time there. Dad relaxed and took some pictures. On the way back, as promised, we stopped at the Ostbys’ to pick up the organ. Orlin had the important job, telling sons Eric and Christopher Text Box: Christmas is nearly over for this year. I’ve only one or two things on the list to make it complete. The major item left is to finish the yearly newsletter for the household. Usually the household cats (the authors) and I (publisher) have it done before Christmas, but during a couple of years in recent history, the task has been left until after Christmas. This is one of those years. After spending Christmas Eve with the Roseens, we had a leisurely Christmas morning at home before heading south on Christmas day. It was like a rolling postcard, Text Box: what to do as they hauled the organ from the patio and carefully slid it into the back of the Aerostar. Plenty of room. We went out and looked at the horses in the barn and then he showed me a neat covered sleigh he had in the yard. It was too dark for pictures so that will wait for another day. Once we got inside, it was business time. Orlin demanded that I pay him three dollars for the organ since he’d paid two fifty for it at an auction. I reluctantly shelled out the three dollars as he complained that it should have been more since he’d had to store the organ for a couple of weeks since Management said she’d take it. I told him I figured he should have delivered it for the three dollars, but I’d already lost that argument. Orlin’s wife Mandy took pity on us and fed us all some potato and dumpling stew before sending us on home. Another week in the great north, see you next week! Text Box: Southwest Angle News 26051 County Road 13 Roseau, MN 56751 Phone: 218-424-8064 E-mail: rcrowe@wiktel.comText Box: The Menagerie on Christmas morning. Management, Alyssa, Valeri, Katelyn, Amber the horse and Abby the dog.Text Box: The Aerostar sitting at DeWayne’s under a light cover of snow before being pressed into service for the family...Text Box: He’s planning on using the bob sleigh for hay rides and also to haul hay for the horses to eat. He’s not sure whether he will build a driver’s stand in front of the bed or just stand on the platform to drive. As it is, he figures it works very well and was making plans to haul a round bale the mile or so home on his next trip. Another one of the neat projects that can be found here in the Southwest AngleText Box: Old Iron, Animals and Projects Section by Rob Crowe Text Box: This week we’ll take a look at a horseman from Falun township and a project he’s just completed. Al Kukowski has a team of Percherons and a nearly full complement of implements to use behind them, however he needed a flat bed sleigh for hauling around bigger objects like baled hay, both square and round. He picked up set of bob sleigh runners that needed some work and purchased some lumber from fellow horseman Clayton Skoien to finish the project. The bob sleigh was missing its tongue so he fashioned one for the sleigh out of the purchased lumber. He set two squared timbers lengthwise of the bob sleigh beams. Then he nailed down some wide 2” thick boards crossways for the bed Text Box: and attached a stiffener board lengthwise on top of the bed on each outside edge. “I should have had my friend Lyle Roseen over to cut the board edges with the chain saw. He’s better at it than me and I got it a little crooked,” Al says with a smile. He had the new bob sleigh completed before Christmas Eve. On that day, he harnessed up his Percherons, Snip and Snap, to the bob sleigh and drove the rig over to Roseen’s homestead. After breaking a trail around the 40 acre plot, he loaded up the neighborhood children for a ride in the near zero weather. As can be seen from the photos, the horses became somewhat frosty during the excursion. Text Box: Page 3Text Box: Southwest Angle News and ViewsText Box: Text Box: Steam rises as Snip and Snap move smartly towards home.Text Box: Do you know where this is? This picture was taken on Christmas Day somewhere to the southeast of Roseau County on a State Highway that is just 46 miles long. Answer in next week’s edition Last week’s picture was taken north of Bemis Hill on the ditch grade road east of the Trout Stream. Several of the area outdoorsmen and loggers knew exactly where it was taken at one glance. Text Box: read, worked on projects or chatted as the kids floated and slid the day away. Periodically, the kids would desert the waters for the food tables to snack on the goodies brought along for the occasion. The event, which started at 10:30 am, wound down sometime after 4:30 pm as the small groups of kids and parents gradually left. One parent Text Box: Text Box: commented that the numbers were down this year from previous years. She also said that the number of tubes available for use was less than in previous years. Looking at the smiles on the faces of the kids, these weren’t detracting measurably from the fun to be had. As the sun set on the cold winterscape, the voyageurs from Roseau County made their way back north. It is probably a safe bet that most will be back, next year for sure if not before. Text Box: Winter in the Southwest Angle…. This winter we have...snow, plenty of snow. While many winters we have gone weeks without snow, this month has seen nearly one a week. Below is a Warroad City employee plowing snow with a backhoe/loader the near the Lookout on the Point after the Monday snowfall. For the mechanically inclined, the machine is a 4 WD John Deere 310SJ. Text Box: Tia Hoppe after her day at the water park

Water Park (continued)
Text Box: Kyrsten Nelson and neighbor Cody Nelson relaxing at the Water ParkText Box: 4H-ers taking a break from the water activities to snackText Box: Southwest Angle News and ViewsText Box: Back Page

The Bucket of water that tips every four minutes.