Tod Baker

While his friends play on the teeter-totter, Gabo shows off his new smile.

He lost his fifth tooth yesterday. For a five-year-old, he seems to be dropping teeth too quickly. How many teeth should a boy lose in five years? Well, he would tell you that he is five and a half years old. Gabo takes one multi-vitamin chewable tablet with fluoride each day. I wonder if he is getting too much fluoride. According to Fluoride and Water, it doesn’t appear that he is suffering from fluorosis, a discoloration or mottling of the permanent teeth, but his permanent teeth are still coming in. I’ll need to keep an eye on them, but so far they are just white.

L to R: (back) Cody, Bob, Gary, Terry, Don, Herb (front) Tod, Bruce, Dean

Surrounded by his defeated opponents, Bruce sits as the crowned champion of this year’s Remus Croquet Classic held earlier this month on August 3rd on the plush, green grass of Gary and Brenda’s backyard.

Remus Croquet Classic Champions

• Bruce Jardine 2008
• Tod Baker 2007
• Terrance Reisch 2006

The Remus Croquet Classic Hall of Fame is in Robbinsdale, Minnesota. For tours and visits contact Gary.

Bruce holds up his first catch of the day, a northern pike, out at the beautiful Breitzman house in Solon Springs, Wisconsin.

He released the northern, hooked up another sucker minnow, cast it off the dock, and watched his bobber. Before we could finish one beer, he had another hit and soon landed a largemouth bass. We released that one too. We also played a little Wii baseball in the house (Bruce beat me there too.) and took the pontoon for a slow ride around the lake with captain Mike, Nancy, and my mom. Later, we drove over to the Soft Pines restaurant for an all-you-can-eat fish fry dinner. What a great day.

Mom, as usual, chatting on the phone as we approach the schooner Niagra in Duluth last month.

Niagra and two other schooners, Madeline and Pride of Baltimore II, sailed into Duluth and treated us to a peak into what life was like on the Great Lakes 150 years ago.

Read Trio of tall ships will recall bygone era by Steve Kuchera of the Duluth News Tribune.

Marcia and my mother book a stay at Christmas Mountain in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.

Look at their faces. Just anticipating all the trouble they are going to get into.

Gary, Cris, Steve, and I prepare for a game of Texas Hold ‘em on John’s deck last month. (John stepped inside to grab the Patron.)

It’s not easy to get old friends together. Cris and I hang out all summer long, but with the others you just never know. Some friends I still haven’t seen this summer and my time is running out. I fly out of here in 10 days.

Gary, the usual winner, walked away from the table just like Steve and me - with empty pockets. Cris cleaned us out.