Welcome Home !!!

We start out day out at 5:15 am and its dark..ugh but should only get light but as the time passes the sun does not come up to shine....just big black rain clouds then of course RAIN!

It's a good thing mom just got new wipers because we used them in 3 states.....shes all mad because she didn't even get to wear her sunglasses today! The first time in a very long time i guess...

Oh well, my family is here! Maxine was looking out the window when we pulled in the driveway....i say "who's baby is that?" she yells "mommas home" and runs to the door to give me all kinds of love;) Boy that was so worth the 1932.4 miles in 3 days in a car with my mom.....

Didn't even make it to the parade as it was raining here to! So mom and i attack my house with some HGTV skills, and wow! Then she had to go meet little Randy J. I haven't been over to see them yet will do that right away tomorrow! Delilah and I talked about the different things we each saw along the way....then off to a birthday party for her. Now i am off to bed as its late and i am tired! And sick of being in a car...

i still love my mom all kinds...shes the best! I'll keep ya posted on Oktoberfest:)

Nebraska The Never Ending State...Ugh

What a day we have had...yes were both still ALIVE!!!! Mom is finally sleeping so I can finally blog. We are in Lincoln Nebraska less then 500 miles to my family!!!!!! But it has been a very long day...and i decided next time i travel i'll have to go Amtrack.....alone!

So i have seen so much in the last few days my mind is on overload so i just might have to blog again in a week or so! Anyway the Wyoming wildlife...just the way i like it...stuffed and behind glass! I feel a lot safer now and that was at the rest area.

But the more state lines we cross the closer i am to home..so we enter Nebraska..ugh does it ever end???? It is so flat and windy and just blah, however..the rest areas are by far the best we have come across they have both soap and warm water!!! BTW..Nevada's are just outhouses....nasty! I am in my time zone, so i feel great about that!

So i am talking to my sister Heather on the phone and my mom just freaks out screaming....so i about go into heart failure just to find out there is a bee on her leg (the only picture i didn't get) so we decide to pull off at the next rest area to set it free as it is now in hiding under moms seat when it just flies out right at me!!! Then lands on the window so finally after all that, the bee is set free alive to sting someone other then us;)

i am thinking that Wisconsin really isn't shit when they say the dairy state, as i have seen cows in every state i have been thru... hmmm where are the happy cows really from????

So after 722.4 miles we are tucked safely in the Days inn...eagerly waiting to arrive in Wisconsin but my family will be at the Maple leaf parade for hours after i get home....and driving will be impossible there, so i just might have to walk to find my baby as i am sure Delilah will be hanging out with her friends she really misses me just ask me..she is 13! Then to Luckies bar for a nightcap! We get drinks and when its my turn to buy the $8 drinks i give the bartender a ten and she gives me $11 back.

Moms is about to jump out of her seat when i say sorry about her luck..maybe she should watch what she is doing! Now i am off to bed ready to be with my family....yeah!!!!

I will be putting pics on my myspace when i get to my own computer and the help of my daughter! Oh yeah i am a nonsmoker btw.......don't know why you thought i wasn't!

More from Oktoberfest tomorrow...i'll be home loving my little Maxiner;)

We are all packed and ready to roll out @6:12 am... (mom found room for me;) isn't she a doll!! So our destination for the day is Wendover 400 miles! We pass that by at 2ish and decide to keep on until Evanston WY.... its still day light so we say, shit lets keep at it! We are 740.8 miles away from where we started out..in Rock Springs WY!!!

We passed both of our destinations by over a 100 miles!!!! I cannot wait to get home to my kids, and oh yeah my husband too:) Might make it a day ahead of time but am making no promises! The drive was wonderful! Nice roads and not that much traffic we worked it down to a science! Now we are at the Days Inn here and mom has the TV so loud... i cannot hear myself think! Gotta love mom...shes so cute!

So then i find a drive thru liquor store....thats just my style but gotta get up early and be back on the road so no drinking.

Rex made mom a margarita last night and it was so pretty i had to mention it and show a pic!

We never even listened to any books or anything! I have seen so many beautiful things in the last few days....i'll post more pics on my myspace....if anyone wants to check them out! Taking pics driving down the road what great scenery! Of course my kids will be the best part when i get there!!!

Maxine wouldn't even talk to me on the phone..i am sensing some anger;(
She probably thinks i just up and left to never return....but i will be back!!!!!

i left my mark on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah...........

More from the road tomorrow night...shower sleep more travel..ugh! If ya wanna look up my myspace use my email address nwoods74@yahoo.com. be back tomorrow!

Ready to head back home;)~

This is the best pic Rex says he has seen of Emerald Bay and of course i took it..maybe i should look into making a profit off of it and make it into a postcard;) It is absolutely the most beautiful place i have seen. Glad i got to see it.

That was yesterday...the time change has me all messed up..glad to be heading back home tomorrow...i really need my family even tho i am sure they are just fine and probably not missing me:( So today mom and i went to Taylor Creek to see the salmon... that was weird but very interesting.

I am driving my mother crazy....she will be glad to get me home;) As I will be glad to get there....Jesse (my husband) tells me Maxine has yet to ask about me.....i cannot wait to see the look on her face when i get home to see her! Delilah has been calling checking in on me...she misses me!!! I will be missing the Oktoberfest parade this year:(

Its all good as i have seen 2 men with a banner before!!! Oh yeah we got Rex all hooked up with a myspace....yikes!!! And one last thing i will be glad to get home and sleep in warmth as i froze all night here....HEAT must be a luxury around here!!!!!

Be ready for an update from the road.....

They lay their eggs then bury them and then they die....i guess its called spawning...it was a beautiful day and the Lake was all shades of blue....kinda like me:) Just kidding!!!!!! But there wasn't a cloud in the sky a perfect day to see the Lake!

Oh yeah we also went to Walmart...thats another place that i have never been...hahahahah!!!! Then back to the camper for mom to pack up the car then tell me she has no room for me......ugh!! Its Miller time!!!!

I made it!!! Thru hell and hours of air travel.. which i vow to never do again....flying is the worst!!!! It was great to finally be with my mom!!! Oh and Rex too! A trip to the Lake a beautiful Lake.....the best part was the lady with the pink pants who bit the dust..we didn't ask any questions just got in the car and off to Brothers a non smoking Brothers but we sat outside for the smokers we had with.....And then we went to Carson Station to cash in on some FREE STUFF....I won $20.75 off of $1.00....thats the way i like to play!!!

Then 2 Pizzas for $4.06 (on Rex) and a few beers. Oh yeah i also played Keno and won $3.00! Then we went to The Nugget and Rex lost his money counting on me to throw the dice oh yeah and then a nice band at the bar there waiting on the Keno games which we could wait no longer as we all wanted to rush back to the camper to get online;)~

Rex needed his uniform washed...now thats in the wash so he'll be ready for work tomorrow when finally me (Nikki) gets a a vacation..boy now thats a change!!!!

Now its time to check in on all myspace gossip...i'm sure ya'll will hear from me again soon;)

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY ALI MAE!!!!!!!!!!!

BUSY DAYS !!!

WE'RE HAVING A VERY BUSY START TO MARY'S 5 WEEKS OF VACATION.

YESTERDAY'S TOUR OF THE LAKE BLOG WILL BE WRITTEN BY UNCLE HANS LATER, WITH AUNT KATHY'S PICTURES.

TODAY IT'S DROP HANS & WENDY AT THE RENO AIRPORT AND PICK UP NIKKI FOR, YOU GUESSED IT, A TOUR OF THE LAKE.

HOY!!! HOY!!! HOY!!! AMY SAUCER!!!

COMPANY

Good morning from scenic Carson City Nevada. While on the Lake Superior motorcycle trip a couple of weekago, we had enough to drink one night (well, OK, every night) to come up with a plan to surprise Rex and Mary with a visit to Lake Tahoe. Neil and Kathy were already planning a visit in conjunction with a veterinary meeting in San Francisco, but Wendy and I plotted to sneak out and join them and then ambush Rex and Mary at work. They both dropped their jaws, but not a card, true professionals that they are. Great fun. Today we take the gorgeous loop around the lake. We will collect some pictures and assemble a blog later...............

Uncle Hans

Scattered...

I am taking a "scatter gun" approach to today's blog. That means I don't have any particular rhyme or reason, I am just writing about anything that floats through my head.

To begin with, I want to comment on Rex's "nonsense" blog on Friday. It may have been put up in jest....but when it comes to Rex and his computer....it was not that far off. In reality Rex easily is online 6 to 8 hours a day..and that's just the days we work, how many hours do you think he logs on a day off? Of course that is why our blog looks very professional and why he was able to learn how to download books for my MP3 player. It is also why our web site was so nice and had a lot of really cute features. He's just interested in so many things and the web allows him to research all the topics that catch his interest. I am, for the most part, the beneficiary of what he learns so am glad he is interested and so patient.

It actually snowed on Thursday night above 7,000 feet. I really didn't like to see that...and it's been COLD....I don't like that much either. On our drive to work yesterday I noticed trees with bright red leaves. We take that same drive every day and I never saw any gradual change...it was just boom..red trees. They sure are pretty!!

I was thinking about our blog and the fact that it is over a year old. I actually wrote more blogs last summer. This year I seem to have dropped the ball and left most of the writing to Rex ...good thing we have had help with guest blogist (is that a word?) and I am grateful for that!!

I am sitting here debating over whether or not I should be telling tales out of school. Ya I guess I should.......
Rex is very spoiled. How spoiled you ask?? When he eats he requires his plate "warmed" before his food is put on it. Now is that spoiled or what??

Ok, time is getting short....today is my last day of work so I have been working on last minute stuff so Rex doesn't have to worry while I am gone. Yesterday's project was defrosting the fridge and freezer. Friday's was laundry and floor scrubbing. Never seems to be any shortage of chores, does anyone know why that is?

Anyway I am getting excited about Neil and Kathy's visit tomorrow and Nikki's arrival on Tuesday. I am also getting excited to head out for Wisconsin to see my family. I really miss them!!

Yellow River News

Hi Guy's,

Sounds like you have been having a fun summer and are either too busy or bored and could use a blog entry so here is one if you want it, sorry we still haven't gone digital so no pics.

Jayne and I just got back from a weeks stay up at Yellow River, had a great time visiting with everyone and the weather was good. They had some really nasty floods up there this year, luckily we missed out on the worst of it. Just before Labor Day they had 15 inches of rain in 4 days.

The creek came up so high that it went over the top of the pedestrian bridges at the crossings and the water came to within 10 feet of Charlie's trailer. Everything in the first part of the campground upstream of Charlie's spot was under water.

There were some people trapped in the back but they were able to get out the next day. Rylan (the Park Ranger) closed the entire campground for a week because parts of it were still flooded and where there wasn't standing water the ground was so soft that you couldn't park a camper.

This year we started a new routine up there. When we there over Mothers Day, Rylan asked me if I would do some volunteer work when we came up for two weeks the end of June and the first of July because Harold, who works at the park was going to be on vacation the second week of our stay. The deal was I would work a couple of days when Harold was gone and could camp the two weeks for free.

Now remember the camping there is $9.00 per night so we aren't talking engineers wages, but I like to help them out so I agreed to do the work. The first week we were there Rylan was on vacation so Harold and Dick (another camp host who also works at the park) saw an opportunity and worked me Tuesday and Wednesday mowing. Now when you sign up to do this volunteer work you a technically a State employee so you are covered by workman's comp and if you throw a rock through a windshield while mowing the person goes after the state and not me.

Well I was suppose to have Thursday off but that changed quickly. Charlie and Grace had to go home that morning for doctors appointments and a graduation and would be back the next Tuesday. Harold and Dick were going to finish up a few chores and call it a week, they don't work on Fridays. Since Rylan was still on vacation this was going to leave Dick in charge until Rylan returned Sunday night.

Well Charlie drove over to our camper at 6:30 Thursday morning and started honking his horn and shouting, I through on some pants and a shirt and stumbled out. I got up to his truck and he said I was going to be busy as hell, Dick had a heart attack and drove himself to Prairie last night and then they flew him to Lacrosse. So he gave me the keys to his camper, the tool trailer, gator, A-Frame building and the sawmill headquarters and said I have to go your in charge !!

I slowed him down enough to ask him how Dick was but he didn't know much. It ends up that Dick is recovering but won't be able to return to work. So I went and looked Harold up and helped him finish things up all day. Had to spend the rest of the weekend cleaning outhouse and riding around on the gator answering everyone's questions since no one else was around.

Rylan got back Sunday night thankfully, but said now he was really short help for the next week. He recruited his father in law who was also on vacation then to help us out. Needless to say what was suppose to be two days of working to camp for free turned into about 70 hours of mowing, cleaning outhouses and scooping horse poop.

Oh well it was a change from the normal grind. While we were up there this time I only spend 19 hours mowing. Rylan had me do that so Harold, John (another volunteer) and himself could clear a huge log jam left by the flood at the first fishing hole in the camp. I felt sorry for those guy's but even sorrier for the chainsaws, I didn't know those things could run under water !!

Wednesday was Charlie's 81st birthday so I had to do the 21.5 pound turkey over the campfire while mowing for the pot luck that night. Sorry you missed out this year Rex. It was a challenge cooking the turkey while mowing, had to make a lot of trips back to check the fire, but the worst part was not being able to have a beer as the State won't let you drink while working. Last year with Rex helping we keep telling everybody the turkey would be done when we were, and we weren't too far off.

That's about it for Yellow River this year, Charlie and Grace think they will be back next year if their health stays good.

Mary, If you and Nikki get close to Indianola on your way back you are more than welcome to stay at our place for the night and have some dinner, it would be great to visit for a while. Give us a call if you think you can stop by.

Travel well our friends,

Mark Hutchens,
P.E.Civil Engineer II
City of Des MoinesEngineering Department
515 283-4045
mthutchens@dmgov.org

MARK, THANKS FOR THE BLOG ENRTY, AND THE UPDATE ON GOOD OLE YELLOW RIVER.

REX

MP3 PLAYER

DO YOU OWN A MP3 PLAYER?

AN IPOD IS A MP3 PLAYER, LIKE KLEENEX IS TO TISSUE, IPOD IS TO MP3 PLAYERS. YOU ALL SHOULD KNOW HOW MUCH MARY LOVES HER AUDIO BOOKS. SHE ALWAYS HAS ONE GOING IN THE CAR.

WHEN WE'RE IN LAUGHLIN, SHE'S IN AUDIO-BOOK HEAVEN WITH A WIDE VARIETY AVAILABLE AT THE CLARK COUNTY LIBRARY BRANCH. I WAS ON THE CLARK COUNTY LIBRARY SITE THE OTHER DAY AND NOTICED THEY HAVE E-BOOKS AVAILABLE TO CHECKOUT.

SO HERE'S THE PLAN. WE BOUGHT A MP3 PLAYER, BY CREATIVE, ZENV, 2 GIGS, AT WALMART. NOW WE ARE TRYING TO GO TO THE CLARK COUNTY LIBRARY WEBSITE AND DOWNLOAD AN AUDIO-BOOK TO THE LAPTOP, AND THEN LOAD IT INTO THE MP3 PLAYER. WE ALSO BOUGHT A DEVICE THAT ALLOWS HER TO PLAY THE MP3 PLAYER THROUGH HER CAR RADIO. IN THE FUTURE MARY SHOULD BE ABLE TO ENJOY HER AUDIO-BOOKS ANYWHERE AND EVERYWHERE, AND BE ABLE TO DOWNLOAD THE BOOKS FROM ANYWHERE.

SOUNDS INTERESTING, RIGHT? SO FAR I'VE NOT REACHED THAT GOAL, BUT I'M STILL WORKING ON IT. IT'S INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT THE APPLE IPOD WILL NOT WORK WITH THE BORROWED E-BOOKS FROM THE LIBRARY. THE BOOK CONTAINS COMPUTER CODE THAT CAUSES THE BOOK FILE TO SELF DESTRUCT AFTER THE 3 WEEKS DUE DATE. IPOD DOES NOT SUPPORT THAT FORMAT. SEEMS APPLE WANTS YOU TO PURCHASE PRODUCTS FROM THEIR POPULAR I-TUNES WEBSITE TO LISTEN TO.

ALL IN ALL AN INTERESTING CONCEPT. THE MP3 PLAYER ALSO PLAYS MUSIC, SHOWS YOUR DIGITAL PICTURES ON A VERY TINY SCREEN, DISPLAYS TIME AND DATE, AND HAS AN FM TUNER TO LISTEN TO THE RADIO.

THE UNIT IS DESIGNED TO HANG AROUND YOUR NECK. SEE HOW TINY THE PLAYER IS?

BLOG STUFF

MY THANKS TO UNCLE HANS FOR TAKING OVER THE BLOG THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS. THE MOTORCYCLE TRIP AND PARADE LOOKED LIKE A BLAST!!! IT'S NICE TO TAKE A BREAK, AND KNOW OUR READERS ARE STILL BEING ENTERTAINED. IT'S ALSO A NICE BREAK FOR OUR READERS FROM OUR SOMEWHAT BORING RV LIFE.

UNCLE HANS, BY THE WAY, HAS 33 BLOGS OUT OF 433 ENTRIES. BLOGGER IS CURRENTLY STORING AND SHARING JUST OVER 500 PHOTOS FOR OUR BLOG. IF YOU'RE AN "UNCLE HANS" FAN YOU CAN SCROLL DOWN IN THE RIGHT HAND COLUMN TO "LABELS" AND CLICK ON "BY UNCLE HANS" FOR ALL HIS BLOG ENTRIES TO COME UP AT ONCE.

WITH SUMMER TURNING TO FALL, READERS ARE RETURNING TO THEIR COMPUTERS AND DAILY READERSHIP NUMBERS HAVE HIT AN AVERAGE OF 35 READERS A DAY.

I'M IN WEEK #3 AND MARY IS DOWN TO WEEK #1, I TOLD YA THE WEEKS GO FAST ONCE YOU HIT THE SINGLE DIGITS. WE'RE BOTH LOOKING FORWARD TO THE OPEN ROAD AND SOME VACATION TIME. OF COURSE THERE ARE THOSE TWO NEW GRANDSONS TO MEET.............

UPCOMING IN THE BLOG, WE HOPE TO HAVE A FEW GUEST ENTRIES BY NIKKI, SHOULD BE SOME ENTRIES DIRECTLY FROM THE FRONT SEAT OF THE HONDA AS WE HOPE TO BE CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET CRUISING DOWN THE INTERSTATE WITH THE AIRCARD, NEIL & KATHY WILL BE HERE A COUPLE OF DAYS, AND LOT'S OF FAMILY VISITS.

AMY RECENTLY UPDATED HER WEB BASED PHOTO ALBUM. CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THOSE GRANDSONS WITH EVERYTHING FROM BLUE LIPS TO NAP TIME, AS USUAL, CLICK ON "SIDESHOW" FOR THE BEST VIEWING.

Motorcycle Trip Around Lake Superior (Part Last)

..........We left SSM and immediately ran into rain. We slogged along to Marquette Michigan and stopped to see my Goddaughter Sara. (OK. She is Neil and Kathy's daughter, too), who is a senior in college there. We split up, with The GB Rechsteiners heading home and Wendy and I plodded along (NO. 85 MPH in Michigan, Neil learned that last year) until we got to Hurley. The next morning the sun was out so we decided to complete the lake tour instead of take the short-cut home. Breakfast was at the Country Kitchen in Ashland Wisconsin. We had learned our lesson about Greasy Spoons. So, then, what is Wendy studying in this picture so intently??.........

..........YOU GOT IT!!...............

.............ever seen a mid-60's Aqua car? This little beauty was sitting in the restaurant parking lot, complete with a 3 HP trolling motor of the same vintage strapped on the back. What next?.......

.......Bayfield , Wisconsin is the most touristy place on the trip,so we had to take a picture of the Ritten House, a famous Bed and Breakfastthere........

.......the ferry to Madeline Island, highly recommended, but not today.............

............a stop in Port Wing, a Postville sized town whose claim to fame is a fish smoking factory. We bought some salmon...........

........it was as good as it looked...........

........That's it, the entire trip in a few pictures. Sorry about the delay, technical difficulties. This last shot I put in because I know that Neil and Kathy plan to use it for their Christmas card this year. The picture behind is Cumberland Wisconsin, the "Island City". Of course, Kathy is about to eat a rutabaga fry. Now that is a lasting memory that cannot be captured on photo, you have to do it.................

Uncle Hans

Motorcycle Trip Around Lake Superior (Part 4)

This is the rustic Normandie Hotel in Nipigon. From past trips, we know the man who owns this place and it is not a rundown flophouse on the inside. Unfortunately like the rest of Nipigon, the Normandie has fallen on hard times and is closed. The two main employers in town have closed down after a fire and a fall in demand for wood products, leaving the whole place a question mark for the future. We were able to stay here with one phone call from the bartender and we hope it is not the last time. ......

.......the highlight to any trip to Nipigon is the Chinese/Mexican restaurant and Karaoke bar owned by a Vietnamese man who speaks very little English..........

.......He loves broccoli, as the soup Kathy is enjoying is about all broccoli. He loves me, too, apparently. This is because the last time we were in town, we stayed at the bar too long and began to offer the patrons who could still walk, rides on our bikes on main street. I gave him a ride. On the "photo-pass" I felt him move and wondered if he had fallen. Nope. He was still behind me. Standing on the seat!! I never saw the pictures, but he thought it was great........

.........no rides this time, his new wife disapproved in a dialect no one understood but we all picked up the meaning!.........

...........we sang and danced until 02:30...........

.........these guys should stay with the banner gig...........

.........the next morning it was raining and there was little to be cheerful about. Off we went to Sault Saint Marie. It rained off and on all day so not much photography happened. We saw a cow moose and a yearling calf in the ditch but she escaped before we could get a shot off............

......this is a gas stop in the middle of no where (Dorion, Ontario, to be exact) where someone painted this killer mural on a building...........

......the dashboard gets a little blurry (along with everything else) above 80 mph. In general, if the road was dry, the rate was 80-85. The Ontario Police apparently don't care if you kill yourself on the King's Highway. We had about 5 hours of rain running so we were at slower speeds then..........

Lists, Lists, & More Lists !!!

Tick tock, tick tock, so goes the clock and I am feeling the pressure!! One week from today is my last day of work at Harvey's this summer. One week from today Neil and Kathy arrive. We are looking forward to showing them as much of Lake Tahoe as we can in the one day they will be here. Then on Tuesday my daughter Nikki arrives. She will ride back with me but she also wants to see something of Lake Tahoe which is certainly understandable as it is a long way to come just to jump in a car and head out!!

Time is going and I have lots to do before I leave for Wisconsin. As you can imagine I have a lot of lists going on here. I have a list of what I want to take for me. I have a list of what I need to take for Rex. I have a list of stuff my son Chad bought while he was here that I need to take to him. I also have a list of places I want to go in Wisconsin and things I need to buy in Wisconsin. Will it all come together??? I sure as hell hope so because it is a long way go get something forgotten!! Well actually that's not going to happen...I will have my checkbook with after all!!

Tick tock, tick tock, so goes the clock----is the pace accelerating?? Sure seems that way to me! Whoever said time marches on sure knew what he was talking about!!

Motorcycle Trip Around Lake Superior (Part 3)

.........we spent the first night here, a place we nicknamed "The Lodge". Kathy has an aversion to rundown flophouses with attached filthy greasy spoons, so Neil decided we should stay here. The inside was much worse, so much so that Kathy refused to eat there and we retreated to somewhere safe. After much teasing and coaxing, we got her to stop there later for a nightcap. One look at the mangy bartender and the dirty conditions, and she wanted to leave. She was considering ordering a bottle of something (no glass, Please!), when she noticed that they use plastic glasses. She was safe!!. She ordered a drink. When it was half gone, Neil turned to me and asked that famous question "What's that fly doing in Kathy's drink?" I looked carefully and replied, "I think it is the backstroke!" I think she nearly died!! There was an actual dead fly in her drink, not in ours, but only hers, naturally.............

............with Kathy taking all the pictures it is hard to actually get into a pictures once in a while.........

........it gets pretty boring on the back................

.....this stretch takes the road about as close to the lake as you get on the whole trip.......

.........Neil and I have made this trip around five times and never actually stopped to look at the lake. We decided to stop and touch the water. ............

.............away from the bikes, we look like almost normal tourists.........

.........lots of historic landmarks around Grand Marais, Minnesota.........

.......Getting into Canada is pretty easy. No passport, birth certificate or note from your mother. You just have to promise you don't have any guns, alcohol, tobacco, or worthless American currency.........

............this is the cell phone moment in a parking lot in Thunder Bay when Jake called to tell us he heard on the radio that we were awarded "First Place" in the parade judging. Later we found out it was just the radio DJ's opinion that we were first place. Oh well. We won.(something) ....................