I am CuTRis

Today we went hiking in the Long Meadow Lake Unit of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. It was great weather, and even waited to rain on us until the last five minutes. Here are some of the pictures I am willing to share. This was all that remained from a plundered turtle nest. Spring flooding had deposited sand and silt over the landscape near the Minnesota river. The plant growth was extensive, hiding the trail at times. The White-tailed Deer we saw.

Rumor has it that two "Ho's" live here...

Suppose you worked at a place where those in charge wanted things that were impractical. Just suppose for instance, that "they" wanted you to use a help-desk, or tracking software that caused you to continuously need to input data into a database--in addition to actually doing the necessary work. In fact, suppose the new system caused a huge increase in your workload by virtue of its existence. What would you do? If this happened to me, and I'm not saying that it has, even if I had already seen this same type of micromanagement "crash and burn" when I worked for, oh... say the county, I would use the following particular course of action. I would utilize this new system continuously. I would, whenever possible, use it to the fullest potential. Then, it would either be exposed as a bad idea, or perhaps I could find some practical benefit to using it. Regardless, if I have no say in the matter, I would use the new system as often as possible. That is, if I was in...

We went to see Shutter Island at the cheap theater last night. It was pretty good, even though I'm not a big Leonardo DiCaprio fan. His character had a Boston accent, and DiCaprio is not very good at it. Still, the story is good and I enjoyed the movie.

Now do you know why it's called a " poop deck ?"

Cutris Changes Channels UnAssociated Press May 24, 2010 In a photo taken over the weekend, Cutris shows blatant disregard for the rules. He is seen changing channels on a TV that has a sign requesting the channels not be changed. This is the latest in a series of scandals involving the former Presidential hopeful.

Yesterday (after the morning storms) we went to the Afton May Fair . One of the highlights, was a walk down the marina to a bench where my wife and I sat and looked out at the St. Croix River. The day was hot, and the wind was strong!

You know you want a hat just like it!

As I have entered "the west side" of my life, I have developed (along with the aches and pains) a new sense of confidence I never had before. It comes from experience and "knowing things." I know more things than ever before, even if I forget that one actor's name... from that movie... you know the one! Fun Stuff About Being an Old Guy! 1. I don't worry about being bad at guitar or that my band isn't good. We've been doing whatever it is we do for so long, we're pretty good. 2. Fighting: Old guys hardly ever need to get into a physical fight. If we do and we lose, the other guy "beat-up an old guy!" If we win, we're "a tough old guy!" 3. Knowing our job: I've had so many jobs and done so many things, I know my job pretty well. In fact, I might know your job too! 4. I don't worry about how I look to women . I look pretty good for an old guy, and I have a hot wife! 5. Old guys don't need to pretend to be impr...

Cutris Finds Cool Glasses UnAssociated Press May 19, 2010 Cutris went shopping for glasses today. While we approve of the pair shown, they would look better without the tag still on them. That said, knowing Cutris , if he starts wearing them, everyone will soon want a pair. -UAP

I suffered a nasty bout of food poisoning Sunday night and Monday. I'm still feeling it, though I'm much better. It is very hard on the body.

My wife and I took off work for personal business today. After we finished our personal business, we went hiking in the Wilkie Unit of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The wood ticks were out. This ruined the hike for my wife. I don't mind the little buggers if I can get them off before they dig in. A fine place to contemplate life. Something killed a duck here. A view of the Minnesota River from the woods. The huge trees have a lot of character. Graffiti under the bridge. I like this one.

I've avoided it long enough. It's time to comment on the BP oil rig spill . So, what can one say that we don't already know? A gigantic corporation that feeds on our addiction to petroleum products, has neglected its equipment to the point where it malfunctioned, killed people, and created a huge ecological disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. When one thinks about it, how can offshore oil drilling be "safe?" Working at great depths with high pressure and darkness, how can we expect to avoid disasters? When we already know that oil consumption is responsible for much of the human-made degradation of our planet, why do we continue to use oil--instead of using less harmful, renewable energy sources? I don't buy the argument that we can't "switch-over too quickly." I believe the culprit is corporate greed, and government leaders who come from, and/or profit from the corporate sector. All we need to do is look at our computer, audio and video technology,...

I traded emails with Kristin (last time it was Hannah) from Publish America. I got the exact same (as last time), copy-and-pasted response regarding my book being over-priced. I wanted to put the Publish America responses here, but they were just so long! They were filled with links directed toward the Publish America site that try to legitimize their business. In all fairness, you can get your book published by Publish America, no matter if it is good or not. They will edit it (and by that I mean add errors), and you can see your book and hold it and it won't cost you anything. The downside is that they over-price the (softcover) books and only print-on-demand. That means when the order comes in and is paid, they will then print the books. This makes it virtually impossible to sell any beyond your friends and family. Publish America is aware of this, and your friends and family are their target sales--though they pretend to be global. The author pushes their book on friends and fa...

There I was, driving along 94 west, winding past downtown St. Paul. Behind me, about six feet from my rear bumper was an SUV. I was traveling along slightly over the posted 55 MPH speed limit. I also happened to be traveling in the left lane; because I had to use this lane to connect to my interchanges (otherwise I would have moved to the right). When I reached 35E south, I had to slow slightly, to merge left, into traffic. At this point, the SUV continued in the lane I was previously in, and the driver extended his middle finger as he drove past. I was slightly amused, because I could not find any good reason , that this individual should be upset with me--except that I was apparently "in his way." When I was in Providence, Rhode Island, I sometimes had people honking behind me at a red light--wanting me to drive into oncoming traffic because they wanted "to go," and my life meant nothing to them. This trait is why the smallest state has the "worst drivers...

Today, my wife and I went hiking in the Black Dog Preserve of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. I took a 45-minute side trip by myself, through some pretty wet and sinking mud. The red arrow shows my approximate location. It is where a natural gas line runs through the preserve. This is some of the terrain I was going through. The photo is deceiving as to how unstable the ground is in places. If possible, I try to walk where trees or woody plants grow. These areas are less likely to sink when you walk on them. The large gas pipe runs beneath the water filled trench visible in this photo. Along here, it can be stable in one area, and deep mud and water a few feet away. I always find it interesting to walk into those places few people are willing (or dumb enough) to go into. Eventually, I had to backtrack and find my way out. Luckily I have a patient wife who waited for me to finish "mucking through" the slop...

Cutris Seen Lunching with Friends UnAssociated Press May 7, 2010 Cutris posed with friends for a photo after their luncheon get-together on Thursday afternoon. From left to right - Stephen Hawking, Mick Jagger, Bob Ballard, Elizabeth Vargas, Jack Hanna, Cutris , John Malkovich, The Dalai Lama, Barack Obama and Kathy Ireland

Little Caesar Arrested for Solicitation UnAssociated Press May 5, 2010 Little Caesar was arrested for soliciting an undercover St. Paul police officer for sex today. Neither Caesar nor his lawyer had any comment about the incident. Officer Lars Johnson made the arrest while working undercover. We saw Lars, and we think he looked stunning!

If you were wondering how the manhunt ended , two poor excuses for human beings killed a cop and then one died in a later altercation with police and the other turned himself in as SWAT teams closed in on him.

Like last year, my wife and I were able to enjoy a hike in the wildlife refuge on our anniversary. This year we hiked the Bluff Trail, in the Long Meadow Lake Unit . I came out with over 100 photos. I deleted a lot of them. As always, I save my best for myself--but here are three I'll share. Honeysuckle Jack-in-the-Pulpit

There is a man hunt in my neighborhood for two guys who killed a cop! There is a helicopter flying above us right now. It has been going on all morning. http://www.startribune.com/local/92581919.html

Cutris Exonerated of All Charges UnAssociated Press May 1, 2010 Cutris was exonerated today, of all charges levied against him by Stickman. "I don't like being accused of things that aren't true," said Cutris . "I just hope that people and stick people everywhere can learn a lesson from this!" Cutris is shown after receiving the news that all charges against him were dropped for lack of evidence.