Office visitors
A classic ❤️
Valentine pasta
This can only mean one thing
The losing streak is over
Steak and potatoes, Adam-style
Future Farmer?
RIP Michael Kingsbury, 1946-2020
It seems like I’ve written way too many “RIP” posts recently and unfortunately that now includes my father Mike, who died on Monday at Saint Joseph’s Hospital in downtown Saint Paul. With Colleen’s mom Jean passing at the end of 2019, we are now officially out of parents/grandparents, which is a really, really tough thing to process.
Dad’s medical journey started back in October when he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. He had surgery at Saint John’s Hospital in Maplewood to have his thyroid glands removed. That procedure went fine and the first few times I visited him out there, he was sitting in the chair next to his bed with his iPad playing video poker and could walk around the room. The surgery was close to his vocal cords, though, so he talked in a whisper-voice. Things seemed to be progressing nicely and he was transferred to Bethesda Hospital in Saint Paul, which is now an intermediate care facility in the Fairview system.
After only a few days at Bethesda, I got the first of many calls that said they needed to transfer him to the ICU at Saint Joe’s to deal with more serious complications that they couldn’t handle at Bethesda. These included a chyle leak, heart and breathing issues and the eventual installation of a tracheostomy tube, connection to a ventilator and installation of a pacemaker. Unfortunately, his condition continued to weaken even after these steps were taken, leaving him bedridden and unable to talk. My brother and sister traveled back to Saint Paul last weekend upon the recommendation of the palliative care team at St. Joe’s and we all got to say our goodbyes before he passed away peacefully just before 1 p.m. on Monday afternoon.
Like my mom, my dad loved being a grandparent to our daughters. As I’ve gone back looking for the photos posted below, I remember that he really liked combining his interests with Sasha and Marisa, whether it was a Twins game, a visit to a Disney park or the annual trip to Grand Marais and the North Shore. He loved playing video poker on his iPad (with fake money) and at many of the Minnesota tribal casinos with me and other family members (for real money). He visited me during my time at Fortune Bay, we made many round trip drives from Grand Marais to Grand Portage, used our free spin coupons at Treasure Island, stopped in at Grand Casino Hinckley on the way to Duluth to play the nickel poker machines and occasionally I would even get him to step out at the ritzy Mystic Lake.
The Twins were a huge deal for my dad. I’m super proud of him for going on the team trip to Seattle last year solo. He had partial season tickets for many years and we all liked to attend games with him (or stop by and visit if we had our own tickets). He’d participate in Twins Fest every year, would go to spring training games in Florida with Brian and Patti and had a great time at the bigger events like the All Star Game and last year’s playoff game (stupid Yankees). His man cave is full of Twins bobbleheads and signed baseballs and it will be bittersweet if they have a great season this year – although he did get to experience both 1987 and 1991. I still have the foul ball I got on 9-5-79 at Met Stadium sitting on my desk that he went and had signed after the game by the Twins hitter (Jesus Vega: Twins 8, Royals 3). If I remember right, the KC pitcher was the Mad Hungarian himself, Al Hrabosky.
Thank you to everyone at Mueller-Bies Funeral Home, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church and Acacia Park Cemetery for your help in arranging the events scheduled for next week (please see the obituary below for details). Thanks also to everyone who has expressed their condolences and reached out to our family in this time of grief.
Love you, dad. ❤️
Obituary from Mueller-Bies and photo gallery after the jump.
Well, I can’t seem to find anything wrong with you, Mr. Babar
Still so thankful for this place
Fun little diversion
Hey @TheAthleticMIN, how about a feature on the app that reads @RussoHockey tweets in my headphones during the game?
Thanks, Dad ️❤️ 9/7/46 – 2/10/20
Lida’s Lovely Flip
New brunch menu alert
Saint Paul classic
Slowly, desparatly slowly, the remains of passage debris that encumbered the lower part of the doorway was removed. With trembling hands I made a tiny breach in the upper left-hand corner. And then, widening the hole a little, I inserted the candle and peered in. The hot air escaping from the chamber caused the flame to flicker, but presently details of the room within emerged from the mist…
- Howard Carter (via Kryptos)
FINALLY
Fun night listening to Juliana Hatfield sing Police and ONJ songs at the Turf Club
Tumultuous Tea Party
Ah, the memories
Logo as old as me
Kept It Hot
Buffalo Tap Creek
False advertising
Vikings briefing is delicious
Grumpy’s, NO MOR
Drip, drip, drip – the Vulcans win (at least for one day)
Trip Recap: Birthdays in Banff
“Sleep at the Fairmont Banff Springs” has been item #34 on my bucket list for quite a long time. As we looked to conclude the year of milestone birthday trips, Marisa and I decided we would make ours a combined ski trip (and invite Colleen and Sasha to tag along). SkiBig3 had some good sales after Thanksgiving, so we picked the week between our two birthdays and made reservations. Airfare between MSP and Calgary wasn’t too terrible on the Delta nonstops and I reserved my normal Emerald Aisle rental with National.
We planned to fly on Monday and Friday, with ski days on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The drive from the airport to downtown Banff only takes about 90 minutes and we purchased the required park passes ahead of time, so we didn’t have to stop at the park entrance. Sasha and Marisa brought their own skis with, so we had one large ski bag, four large suitcases and a bunch of carry-ons. Thankfully, National had a Mazda SUV for us that really held up all week with the extreme winter conditions (heated steering wheels are awesome).
Speaking of conditions, the Canadian equivalent of the National Weather Service warned: “Temperatures will plummet to values not seen in years.” Air temp was -30C (-22F) during the early part of the week, closing two of the three ski areas completely on Tuesday. That was the day Marisa and I got to experience the Canadian health system with a morning visit to Banff Mineral Springs Hospital. She had flu symptoms the night before and they did a great job helping get her back in shape for skiing the last two days. Everything was pre-pay for service, so we are now working with our regular insurance to get reimbursed for the hospital and doctor fees (which weren’t outrageous).
Always amazing
That crust, though
Purple piece of history
Should be a fun season
BWW said we are regulars
Room with a view
That’s pig-Latin, itch-bay…
- Who Gon Stop Me
Jesus H. Christ
Icy nightmares
99% sure I’m the oldest one here
Haven’t looked at raw Apache log files in a long time – there is so much crap in there now that they are almost worthless
We found the key to success
Marquee Matchup
“He’s not the Messiah. He’s a very naughty boy!” RIP Terry Jones
Nice summary of my neighborhood by @JoyEstelle, but don’t miss out on Kyatchi
Fire, fire, FIRE
Today’s epiphany: the Mystic Lake Buffet has an A+ egg drop soup
Carbonara birthday brunch
Periods of flurries
Having a January birthday gives one the opportunity to have two early checks on resolutions for the new year – excited for 2020
So confused about Wes Walz: weird end of his playing career > coaching at Woodbury > FSN commentator
My new Hoser Hat
I wish I could. I actually have a fair amount of anxiety in claustrophobic spaces. Ever since my injury, I don’t do well with tight spots…
- Andy
The Great One
Surprise, surprise
Thanks to the awesome plow crew at MSP and our Delta pilots for getting us back safely
Looks like Delta flight control will release us into the MSP snow drama
Bougie Boys
Last night in Banff
Reminded me of Greg ❤️
Lake Louise was wonderful, but I am a much more cautious skier now and some spots honestly scared me
We like this one better
