| On the road again Goin' places that I've never been Seein' things that I may never see again, And I can't wait to get on the road again. Willie Nelson CBS Records |
I
like the road of any kind, for they intrigue me still. I wonder what's around the bend, or just beyond the hill. Rachel Harnett (Age 95), Tucumcary Literary Review, Los Angeles |
Bob
Jensen at Trinity
University
Bob Jensen's home page is at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/
On November 18 moved inside our cottage because it was beginning to get cold mornings in my outdoor studio. Besides I like the foliage views better from our cottage. I took the above picture a few weeks ago from my "winter desk" inside the cottage. This is a view of Mt. Lafayette about ten miles away in the Kinsman Range. Lincoln Mountain can be seen between Lafayette and Cannon. Only Cannon Mountain has ski trails and an aerial tramway. Between Lincoln and Cannon is a mountain pass called the Franconia Notch State Park. After he retired my father took on another job managing the Kossuth County State Liquor Store in Algona, Iowa. The ear of corn next to my monitor was one of his collected Jim Beam bottles of bourbon. Just to the right outside the picture is another bottle in the shape of an Iowa hog. The picture below was taken in the summer. To the right of Cannon Mountain are the Three Graces (also known as the Cannon Balls) and North and South Kinsman mountains.

For
earlier editions of Tidbits go to
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/TidbitsDirectory.htm
For
earlier editions of New Bookmarks go to
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookurl.htm
My Theme
Song
Train of
Life (Willie Nelson and Patsy Cline)
---
Click Here
My music download page ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/music.htm
My electronic literature page ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ElectronicLiterature.htm
On May 14, 2006 I retired from Trinity University after a long and wonderful career as an accounting professor in four universities. My wife and I now live in a cottage in the White Mountains of New Hampshire --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/NHcottage/NHcottage.htm
The pictures taken by a professional photographer courtesy of
the Public Relations Department at Trinity University are available at
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~rjensen/PictureHistory/
A subset of these pictures is available for loading into a browser at
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/tidbits/2006/tidbits060512.htm
Thanks to the generosity of Trinity University, I will continue to tend my knowledge gardens on two Web servers --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/
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The interesting history of our
cottage (formerly called Brayton Cottage) is summarized with pictures at
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/tidbits/2007/tidbits070326.htm
Because of the historic pictures. the above site loads slowly.
Old 35-mm Pictures Across Earlier
Years ---
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~rjensen/PictureHistory/
For a listing of Year 2004 Spring Pictures, click on http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/NHcottage/2004spring/2004spring.htm
Bob & Erika's 2004 Holiday Greetings and Pictures --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/NHcottage/XMAS2004/XMAS2004.htm
Winter 2005 pictures --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/NHcottage/2005winter/2005winter.htm
For a listing of 92 Year 2004 Spring Pictures, click on http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/NHcottage/2004spring/2004spring.htm
More pictures and our Year 2003 holiday season letter are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/NHcottage/XMAS2003.htm
This pictures I took in October download very slowly, so be patient when you are
at this site. They will show up eventually.
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September 20, 2003 picture of the golf club house that is beside our barn (barn not shown is getting new roof and siding). This is the view of the Green Mountains of Vermont on the back side of our home. We can't quite see the golf club house through the trees, but we can see the Green Mountains from a slightly different angle.


MSNBC has a special section entitled "Journey Around the World: A Virtual Picture Tour" that has some wonderful pictures. My secretary, Debbie Bowling" found this Picture 4 on January 27, 2005. Our living room looks up at Cannon Mountain. In the winter we watch the skiers glide down this cold place. It's about ten miles from our house. Cannon Mountain is in Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire.

The link is at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/ under "Travel" and "Photo Tour: Beautiful and Unique Places"
You can find links to other pictures in this region at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/NHcottage/NHcottage.htm
Our 2004 holiday season letter and pictures are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/NHcottage/xmas2004/xmas2004.htm
A holiday picture from our living room is shown below. The White Mountains shown below are on the front (East) side of our house.


SOL DA!!
(means sunny day in Norwegian)
My neighbor's tulips in Texas are out of the ground.
It's springtime in Texas --- http://garywolff.com/springtime/
UFF DA!! (means poopie day in Norwegian)
"New Hampshire Winter: The First Nine Months Are the
Hardest"
Auntie Bev posted this picture of that expresses our
sentiments about winter up in the Northeast this year --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/winter.htm
This is Erika trying to climb up to our back door.

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In six days, twelve hours, and two minutes In six days, twelve hours, and three minutes In six days, twelve hours, and four minutes In six days, twelve hours, and five minutes
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In seven days,
seven hours, and ten minutes I'll awaken with icy breaths Upon those warm shoulders In seven days, eight hours, and nine minutes In seven days, eight hours, and twenty minutes In sixteen days, twelve hours, and four minutes |
Bob did not move toNew Hampshire full time until Erika got his office remodeled as follows:

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H H O A
L P
I P
D Y
A Y S |
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Y E A R 2 0 0 4 |

We can view Mount Washington from our living room.
In the February 26, 2007 issue of Time Magazine on Page 6, there's a page entitled "A Little Taste of the Arctic Close to Home: If you like awful weather, you'll love spending a night on Mount Washington." To read about the history and mean weather on this mountain --- Click Here
Live Webcam atop Mount Washington --- http://www.mountwashington.org/cam/
| Wednesday, January 22, 2003 |
| Are we nuts? Next year we will be viewing Mt Washington from our new home--- | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Conditions at 5:00 a.m. on January 22, 2003 | |||
| Weather: Blowing snow and freezing fog | |||
| Temperature: -34° | Visibility: 100 feet | ||
| Wind Chill Index: -79°F | Relative Humidity: 100% | ||
| Wind: Northwest at 117 gusting to 142 MPH | Station Pressure: 22.80" and falling | ||
| Average snowfall: 40 inches per month | |||
| Where are the palm trees? | |||
Erika and I are capable of fast decisions. We got married two weeks after we first met almost 20 years ago. We just bought a New Hampshire house after looking at it for 15 minutes. I moved from Florida State University to Trinity University after one phone call from Ron Calgaard (former President of Trinity University). It's a darn good thing that I avoid horse sales.
The history of our new cottage is rather interesting. It was the structure called Brayton Cottage on the grounds of a huge hotel. In 1973, all the structures in the resort were demolished except for three summer homes on the golf course and a small power house. The power house is now our barn, and one of the summer homes that was saved was originally named Brayton Cottage. George Foss purchased the land and Brayton Cottage. He poured a fine basement where the hotel's dining room once stood atop a hill. Brayton Cottage was then moved over this basement. The views are spectacular. The front side overlooks the Kinsman Range (about 10 miles away) and the Presidential Range (about 30 miles away) of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The backside overlooks the Green Mountains of Vermont. On a clear night we're supposedly able to look down on the lights of 27 villages, although I've never spotted all of those villages.
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For a description of our new location, go to http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0027pL
There is a fantastic spot in northern New Hampshire for wildflowers with mountains on the horizon (though not usually covered in snow at that time of the year). Go to Sugar Hill, NH in mid-June for the lupine festival. From about June 10th to 17th there are fields of lupines that bloom beneath the White Mountains. In Sugar Hill on Sunset Road there is a 12 acre field completely filled lupines that has Cannon Mountain and Mt. Washington in the background. These lupines come in shades of blue, purple, white and pink. The attached image was taken at sunrise in the lupine field on Sunset Road in Sugar Hill. The back roads around Sugar Hill contain a number of spots where there are large concentrations of lupines, some strategically located near red barns and white churches. This spot is not only great for grand landscape shots, but is also macro photography heaven, the dew drops and little insects on the lupines also make great subjects. But be careful, one morning at sunrise I was intently photgraphing the sunrise and moved towards a tree to include it in my shot. I startled a mother moose and calf who I did not realize were on the other side of the tree and they ran right in front of me. Of course having a 17-35mm lens on my camera with an ND grad and polarizing filter made it a little tough to get a good shot of the moose.
About 5 miles away is Franconia Notch state park where there are lots of nice waterfall opportunities, my favorites include The Basin, the Falling Waters Trail (Stair Falls and Cloudland Falls are both wonderful)and the Flume.
This area in early to mid-June can't be beat. To do grand landscape photography in New England requires a little more work than in the national parks out west, but Sugar Hill is one of the better locations in New England for the kind of photography you are interested in.
-- Ed McGuirk , April 06, 2002; 06:15 A.M. Eastern
I live in New Hampshire and have done a good amount of hiking in the Whites and know of some good places. In particular one place that comes to mind is on Mt. Garfield - there is a pond, a short way from the summitt which is beautiful. I hiked up Mt. Eisenhower in the spring in early june/ late may (I can't remember exactly when) on a cloudy day and it was spectacular (with 70 mph winds). Additionally, there is one trail that I myself have not been on - The Alpine Garden Trail on Mt. Washington, which is known for its alpine flowers which bloom in June (I'm hoping I'll get up there for that). Good luck. I too, am very much looking forward to spring photos in the Whites.
-- Doug Seigars , April 06, 2002; 08:35 P.M. Eastern
A very nice and nearby inn is the Sunset Hill House, Sunset Road,
Sugar Hill, NH 03585, (603)823-5522 or 800 SUN HILL --- http://www.bnblist.com/nh/sunset_hill_house/
Fall and winter pictures of the Sunset Hill House (about 100 yards from our
house) are shown below:
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About a quarter of a mile from our house is The Homestead. The
Homestead is the 24th oldest family business in the USA, home of Sugar Hill's
first settler (1780), and handed down through 7 generations of family.
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The
Homestead Corner of Route 117 and Sunset Hill Road P.O. Box 619 Sugar Hill, New Hampshire 03585 Phone: (603) 823-5564 Toll-free: N/A Fax: (603) 823-9599 http://www.thehomestead1802.com homested@together.net |
A short distance beyond The Homestead is the lovely Foxglove Inn near our
church --- http://www.foxgloveinn.com/
Route 117 at Lovers Lane, Sugar Hill New Hampshire 03585 Toll
free: 888-343-2220
email: Foxgloveinn@compuserve.com
About four miles away, you will find The Franconia Inn --- http://www.franconiainn.com/about.html
Sugar Hill is a village that has only houses, two churches, and a post office. Another village (Franconia) with a grocery store and hardware store is about two miles away. The backside of our four acres borders on a small golf course, but I don't think residents are looking forward to the arrival of the divot king.
There is an an art studio beside the house. Erika already has plans to make it a home for her bench saw, her scroll saw, her drill press, and her other heavy tools. All I'm concerned about is the speed of my Internet connection in these remote mountains.
We are fortunate to have the Robert Frost home and museum within a short walk from my new house in the White Mountains. You can see some pictures of his old home at http://www.simplybicycling.com/sugarhill.htm
We're a bit tired of city dwelling and the Texas heat. However, we may return to San Antonio a couple of months a year. Of course for the next two or three years, I will be teaching at Trinity University about nine months per year (which is full time for Trinity).
Live Webcam atop Mt. Washington --- http://www.mountwashington.org/cam/
Current weather report from Mt. Washington --- http://www.mountwashington.org/weather/index.html
Bob --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/
More photos of our new home are
available in the following PDF file:
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/NHcottage/NHhouse.pdf
New England Mountains --- http://www.billwood.com/travel/newengland/
Retirement in New England --- http://www.seniors-place.com/retirementhavens/AdirNewEnglandWest.html
New England Travel --- http://www.virginholidays.com/ski/breakout.html?url=http://www.virginholidays.com/ski/resorts/newengland.html
New England Ruins (photography, American history, travel) --- http://photos.dobi.nu/
Hiking in New England --- http://hiking.alpinezone.com/
New England Books --- http://www.nesales.com/newengbk.htm
New England Skiing --- http://skiing.alpinezone.com/
Look at what you can get at a New Hampshire spa --- http://spas.about.com/library/weekly/aa070703.htm
- Botanical Body Masque
- Shirodhara
- Full Body Rejuvenation (I could use this one!)
- Thalassotherapy
- Body Polish
- Organic Mud Therapy
- Rose Envelopment
A few miles down the road from our new retirement cottage in the White Mountains of New Hampshire is the home where Bode Miller was raised deep in the woods. His parents believed in a simple life (not even plumbing or electricity) and sound values.
A World Class Athlete With World Class Ethics That Will Impact Upon Future
Generations
He speaks his mind --- and apologizes later.
He loves to party --- and doesn't care about winning. Yet Bode Miller
is poised to strike Olympic gold. On the slopes with skiing's bad
boy,.
Bill Saporito. As written on the cover of Time Magazine, January 23,
2006 ---
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1149374,00.html
Jensen Comment
Bode Miller is the best of the best in a sport where winners are determined
by hundredths of a second on a stop watch. His picture is on the cover
of the January 23, 2006 edition of Time Magazine. Although he's
relatively unknown in his home country (U.S.A.), he's been an established
hero in Europe where crowds chanted "Bode, Bode, . . . ." while he was on
his way to winning the 2005 World Cup. He's poised to become the Gold
Medal hero in the 2006 and obtained recent U.S. notoriety due to a recent
interview on Sixty Minutes (CBS television) in which he admitted that having
fun is more important than winning and that he sometimes partied too much
when skiing including a few instances when he was a bit tipsy or hung over
when crashing down the slope at over 80 miles per hour.
Chagrined media analysts questioned whether the partying and outspoken Bode Miller was really a role model for our young people. I contend that he is largely do to some things buried in the article in Time Magazine. After discussing his partying and independent nature, the article goes on to explain how Bode more than any other skier in history made a science out of the sport. Most of his life has been spent studying and experimenting with every item of clothing and equipment, every position for every circumstance on the slopes, and the torques and forces of every move under every possible slope condition. That sort of makes him my hero, but what really makes him my hero is the following quotation that speaks for itself:
Last year, after tinkering with his boots, he discovered that inserting a composite --- as opposed to aluminum or plastic --- lift under the sole gave him a better feel on the snow and better performance. Then he did something really crazy, he shared the information with everyone, including competitors. His equipment team flipped, but in the Miller school of philosophy this makes complete sense. Otherwise, he says, "I'm maintaining an unfair advantage over my competitors knowingly, for the purpose of beating them alone. Not for the purpose of enjoying it more or skiing better. To me that's ethically unsound."
One has to be reminded of the famous poem painted on the wall of my old Algona High School gymnasium:
For when the Great Scorer comes
To write against your name.
He marks -- not that you won or lost --
But how you played the game.
Grantland Rice --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grantland_Rice
Congratulations to Don and LaDonna Jenson on their Golden Wedding Anniversary. The picture below is from a family reunion in August 2005 (Don and LaDonna are in the right in the first row):
Here are some fun sites if you've got speakers on your computer
In the past I've provided links to various types of music
available free on the Web.
I created a page that summarizes those various links ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/music.htm
Retirement Music: Some days you can't win --- http://wandascountryhome.com/retirement/
The following interesting poems and music vary quite often.
The current ones are at http://www.plantinghisseeds.com/httpdocs/poems.html
The "Train of Life" one has the following verse:
I want to feel the winds of change,
Blowing in my face, (Yep, that's for sure in the White Mountains)
I want to see what life unfolds,
As I move from place to place
Great Photography PowerPoint Show (turn up your speakers) --- Click Here
Also see "Treasures" --- http://www.plantinghisseeds.com/poems/treasures.htm
My dreams are getting better all the time.
For Sven, Ole, and Lena stories, try
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ole_and_Lena
Remember the Old Barn? Check it out at http://www.countrywhispers.com/oldbarn
"Our get up and go got up an went." http://www.eakles.com/get_up_go.html
Music from our generation --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/music.htm#JukeBox
Various Music --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/music.htm
Hope Has Place (I love this one) --- http://www.jessiesweb.com/pity.htm
Train of Life (Willie Nelson and Patsy Cline) --- Click Here
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/singingman7/TOL.htmRomantic music --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/music.htm#Romantic
Inspirational Music --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/music.htm#Inspirational
Other free music downloads --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/music.htm
Cindy is David's wife and the mother of four of our grandchildren. Her journal about raising four children near Yuba City, California --- http://journals.aol.com/cb96db/Summeradventures/
Ten things Bob Jensen's
done that nobody else has done
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/tidbits022605.htm#TenThings
God Bless America --- http://www.dayspring.com/movies/view.asp?moviename=GBA2movie.swf
Other Dayspring fee online videos --- http://www.dayspring.com/movies/
Please check on your bank account --- http://www.scottstratten.com/movie.html
Bob Jensen's home page is at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/