13 Colony Certificate arrived!

Several weeks after this special event ended and I sent the required monetary amount and information- here's what showed up thru snail mail!!A very well done certificate- each Year I participate I'm amazed at the quality of the event. Thanks to all who make this possible! Eleven states and both special event stations-- not a clean sweep but not too Shabby for a single day's participation! Wait till next Year :)
73---Tim

A Turtle and other happenings.

On a recent walk with Our Dog on the main road in front of Our House,I happened to see a turtle trying to cross the road. Traffic can be very busy so I decided to "help" the turtle cross. This ended up being not too easy since Bella- Our very curious Dog decided to help! Well We did eventually make it to the other side and I was very happy to have a break in Cars while We attempted this operation. The turtle wandered off towards the little stream running thru Our property and I felt good about saving a turtle.I felt even better when I later identified it as a Wood Turtle which according to the Minnesota DNR website is considered threatened.
Summer appears to have finally happened in northern Minnesota and along with it the many thunderstorms that accompany the hot,humid weather. Several severe storms has passed thru the area and We have been lucky with no damage. My Job with Communications has been busy with lightning damage but thats a Yearly summer event!
Our three chickens have been laying eggs again after the long Winter and after seeing many predators on several game cameras , We have kept then in the two chicken runs and not free ranging without standing guard. The birds actually seem to enjoy the company.
I have not been in the radio shack much although i have tried to participate in some 6m openings when I can. Last weekend I listened for VHF activity for the Wordwide VHF contest but heard nothing.I had also set up the radio to participate in the CQ RTTY contest but ran out of time and energy but did read several email comments about conditions being s0-so.Maybe didn't miss too much but,dang I do like those RTTY contests!!
73---Tim

13 Colonies Special Event 2014

This special event starts on July 1st and ends on July 6th and I totally forgot about it until the last day. Last year I accomplished a clean sweep and the year before only missed one station so when I realized I missed the first five days wasn't sure about a possible clean sweep. The weather up here was hot and muggy so at least time spent in the basement would be a relief and I wouldn't feel like i was neglecting any chores. I did accomplish a few outside activities between contacts on the radio. Conditions seemed good and all bands had some activity so I started on 10m and watched the spotting networks for the K2A-M stations being spotted. Turns out the most contacts for Me were on 20m but had several on 10 and 15m too.
About supper time I had most stations for a clean sweep including the WM3PEN and W3FT station which both had excellant signals in Minnesota.Fact is most of the stations were loud .After Supper i heard one of the last two needed- K2A from New York but He was running a little different than normal. He would ask for stations to call and make a list then tell everyone to stop and ask for the copied stations He called back one at a time. Ate up alot of time but- hey- He obviously felt more comfortable with this than by the numbers or running split. Unfortunately for Me- this meant a very difficult time getting thru--eventually i gave up when i saw K2B spotted on 20m too. His signal was not a strong and was mostly looking for DX! Bummer! I really needed to finish a few chores so decided to throw in the towel although I still had a few hours to try. Figured i did OK with 11 contacts plus the two extra stations but no clean sweep. I'll still send away for a certificate. This is a very fun event and I applaude all the operators who devote so much time to make it happen!!
Nice looking certificates too!!
73---Tim

Ghost Court

This is a Tennis court not far from Our House which has been totally neglected. We happened to find it while searching for available courts to practice at in Our area.The picture doesn't show it well but the closer of four courts is the best of the lot--and thats not saying much!Looks very spooky with the fog that was rolling in from Lake superior that day!
  I always think its sad to see Houses,buildings and facilities like this  fall into disrepair. Recently the older wing of the Elementary school where Our children went to school was demolished. I always liked the older part of the school better than the new! Must be My age :))
73--Tim

Grandma's Marathon 2014

We are lucky to live in an area which sponsors a premier marathon like Grandma's Marathon. Our Daughter ran Her first Half marathon Yesterday and was able to finish with a smile on Her face. She didn't train for the run as much as She would have wanted but did great anyway. First Marathon was a thrill for Her to complete. Weather was real typical for Duluth area-cool and foggy but for running it was maybe ideal conditions as the course record for the full Marathon was broken after 30+ years!
I also had an opportunity to listen to the local repeater and was impressed (as always) with the professional communications for the Marathon by the local radio club - The Arrowhead Radio Amateur Club! Congratulations on another well-planned and executed event - And also a Heartfelt Congratulations to Our Daughter for a well run race :)
73---Tim