December 29, 2006 by Brian.

       The air is heavy with the humidity of melted snow, and the temperature is eerily warm for this time of year in Minnesota. Normally, this would make for a restful night of sleep, as worries dissipated into the comfort of a warm blanket.

       Baby Jesus, however, has gotten not a wink, given the auspicious nature of his group of guests. Perhaps, too, he is a little nervous about the squawk of the the pheasant astrut. A little concerning also, is the antagonism between Barnabas, the badger and Winston, a willful, wild wolverine. Behind him, he feels the sultry gaze of the rooster, ogling the hen’s juicy breasts. His lust is frustrated though, by the longing gaze of the hen upon the colorful plummage of the ringneck. And the incessant crunching from the raccoon on that corn cob could keep sleepy dwarf awake.

They travelled from the far corners of the Midwest, beast and fowl alike. The fawn is uplifted to gaze on the babe in all his glory, and he almost forgets the tragedy of losing his mother to a Buick Century. The normally emotionally armored armadillo is a little choked up to gaze on our Lord’s ruddy countenance. The poor squirrel, due in large part to his slight build, strains to get a better look. To their mother’s dismay, the ducklings have wandered away to take part in this communion. Even the timid rabbit and chipmunk have cast off their social anxiety. Such is the scene at Westcott Station Antiques on West 7th tonight.

Posted in Oddities and Miscellaneous | 3 Comments »

December 28, 2006 by Brian.

     Hello All!  

     Since I arrived back in Minnesota in September, I have been fishing and hunting quite a bit, but I also spend a lot of my time playing a game that is wonderful on several different levels . . . disc golf. This game has many of the same charms that regular golf has: a walk around a beautiful course, the hunt for better skill, and comradery. The terminology is the same, in that the first shot is the drive and the last is the putt. Each hole has an assigned number of strokes that represent par and most courses are 18 or 9 holes. The similarity ends there, however.

        First, anyone can play disc golf. A disc costs $10-15 and can be found at most sporting goods stores. Playing a round on most courses around the country is free and there are more courses than you would think. Check out http://www.pdga.com/ to find a course near you. The game welcomes anyone, unlike the other golf, which can cost thousands of dollars a year to play, and is really not nearly as egalitarian as disc golf.

       Additionally, disc golf is more ecologically sound. In comparison to most traditional golf courses, a disc golf course takes up a third of the land. Most courses run through the middle of the woods and only a narrow strip is cleared for a fairway. Some undergrowth gets trampled and walking trails are worn in the earth, but all of the intrusions would be quickly mended by mother nature, if the course were abandoned. Some folks feel is it necessary to discard trash around the course and to break bottles on the tees, but I have a feeling these are teens that come to the courses to party at night. We always try to leave the course better than we found it.

      One would never dream of shooting a round of golf in the dark, but disc golf lends itself well to those of us who lack the luxury of daylight due to a busy work schedule. All that is necessary is a small light normally used for lighted fishing bobbers and some duct tape.

 Tape it in the middle, so the disc is still balanced, and make sure the disc is warm and dry, or the tape won’t adhere well and you’ll find your light, but no disc.

It can be hard to see the pin, so a flashlight can be helpful. So if your tired of sitting in front of the idiot box, get out at night and throw a round.

       Not only can one play at night, but you can almost play in any weather. Rain makes it tough and a fresh blanket of snow can lead to lost discs, but there are very few days that are unplayable. Once you get out on the course, the weather is no longer a concern.

     For those of you who own dogs, there are many courses that allow dogs on the course, so you can make the daily walk more interesting. Try not to teach them to fetch before bringing them out on the course, since this can cause serious problems for obvious reasons.

     I look forward to seeing you all out there. Let me know if you have any questions or help getting started.

 Brian M. Smith

Posted in Disc Golf | 2 Comments »

December 22, 2006 by Brian.

Hello all,

I am up and running. The site still needs a lot of work, but it is here and will be constantly improved, as I have time. Please come back to see my photos and some stories from my travels and add a comment or two of your own. I look forward to communicating in this modern form.

 Until Then,

Brian M. Smith

Posted in Oddities and Miscellaneous | 1 Comment »