The Royce Files

I've been digging up family history in recent weeks. I guess it is sort of the latest fad because there's a prime time show on NBC about it- " Who do you think you are ?" Of course they make it interesting by searching the roots of celebrities like Spike Lee and Lisa Kudrow. I wish they did Gary Coleman or  Allan George See (aka Gavin Macleod ).  But searching for old dead relatives is pretty boring unless you like sifting through lots of data- especially census data. And I guess I do because I still do it. While, looking at old pictures on Shorpy I found a photo of a character that had a strong resemblance to Minnesota Wild player Derek Boogaard. Could it be a distant relative? Could both these guys be enforcers in their respective jobs? Well, the guy on the right is in the U.S. Navy and so possibly an American. Derek is from Saskatchewan. I wouldn't want to be in fisticuffs with either.

The ugly online ads diminished quite a bit after I blogged about them. They are still around. The "old guys" are popping up in other ads. Finally older women are banking in on the online ads. Well at least one is and her add is rather rare and I believe her picture has been touched up to look even more...well take a look. I believe there has been quite a few wrinkles added. It is an advertisement for wrinkle reducer so why not exaggerate the claims. Make her more wrinkly. To which I wonder if she can sue for defamation. I guess the first question to ask is wether this lady is still in the land of the living.

Blogging from Minnesota this weekend. I am attending the annual Truebridge Conference where a volcano has prevented the main speaker from coming. Ben Goodman is speaking in his stead which I sort of predicted on the weekend. Still good. The father of Brett Winkelman is also in attendance. This year's theme- Building healthy and effective churches through the power of God. Onto other things, like fishing for more Finnish readers. So I had my mostly Finnish girlfriend (MFG) over to Lehigh a few weeks ago. Not that is interesting but I did show her the "fake" sauna. It is an electric one which kind of resembles a one hole ice house. Not authentic but it works. I miss the cedar smell. You can see the picture above.  I am with my MFG this weekend as well. Albeit not in the same lodgings. We went to Como Park on Friday afternoon and I am glad to see that they still have somethings I remember from my childhood, such as this: It looks a little like a jukebox or a strange vide...

Lots of things to discusss. So let's get on with this digest. Red River Basin Flood Spring has finally sprung upon the landscape on the Great Plains. The always anticipated spring snow storm never arrived. The flood waters continue to recede in Red River Valley. As of yesterday I could see most of the paths by the river. This by no means will abate the continuing debate concerning future flood control. It was just heating up as the crest arrived a few weeks ago. A North Dakota diversion seems very popular. It gets more good press then a Minnesota diversion which the Corps of Engineers have stated would be the most cost effective solution. Neither solution seemed to answer adequately the concerns of pushing floodwaters further north . Our hydrology correspondant, DJ George, has advocated some form of water retention for years and not only because of flooding but to increase available water sources in the Valley. U.S. Representative Colin Peterson seemed to echo DJ ...

For now the hard flood work is over. Some residents are even removing dikes. A year ago, I could not have said that. Fargo was watching over the largest historic crest and digging out of a spring snowstorm. It was surreal sitting out a flood and a snowstorm last year This year preparation and planning paid off. Sandbagging ceased before I even had a chance to volunteer. The only real work I did was pray. I believe I wrote in an earlier post that the 2010 crest was almost a non-event although it happened to be the 7th highest. The weather was pleasant, people were flocking to the Main Ave bridge, you might have well packed a picnic and welcomed the crest to town. Across the river, Moorhead was better prepared than last year. One of our correspondents, Phil, who lives on the river didn't have to call in privateers to dike his home this year. The city dropped off sandbags and a busload of volunteers and got it done. I'm sure Phil celebrated with a brew.  I'm sure it wasn...

It was turning out to be a remarkable week in Fargo. The temps were high, the sun was out, the water was receding. All was well. That was until 12:21 AM on April 1st when a torrent of rushing water entered the Red River at Wahpeton. Within hours waters engulfed the unsuspecting cities on the Red River. Regional hydrologists surmise a channel of the Laurentian aquifier deep below the earth collapsed due to recent seismic activity. Off the record, government officials blame it on the alignment of the full moon. "I am not surprised.Crazy stuff happens during a full moon." an official who did not want to be named stated. For now the city remains a veritable natural water park. Fargo is considering charging admission in order to pay for a diversion which will include a wild rapids ride to the west of town. Regional planners are hopeful the diversion and water park solution will bring more vacationers. The city of Centralia plans on holding a sandbaggin...