HAPPY THANKSGIVING

SUNSETS

WE’RE BACK TO THE LAND OF SPECTACULAR ARIZONA SUNSETS, AS THE SUN SETS OVER THE NEWBERRY MOUNTAINS IN CALIFORNIA ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE MOHAVE VALLEY. I’VE TRIED OVER THE YEARS TO PHOTOGRAPH THE BEAUTIFUL SUNSETS, BUT IT’S LIKE TRYING TO PHOTOGRAPH THE GRAND CANYON, IT’S JUST NOT GOING TO TO DO IT JUSTICE.

BIKES ‘N RODS

I CHECKED OUT THE BIKES ‘N RODS MUSIC FESTIVAL AT THE COLORADO BELLE CASINO LAST SATURDAY. IT WAS AN OUTDOOR EVENT WITH MOTORCYCLES, OLD CARS, HOTRODS, AND VENDORS. THEY HAD A LARGE OUTDOOR STAGE WITH A DIFFERENT BAND EVERY HOUR ALL DAY.UNFORTUNATELY I WAS THERE EARILY IN THE DAY AND ALL THE GOOD BANDS WERE AFTER 4 PM.

FLEA MARKET

LAKE HAVASU CITY HAS A HUGH FLEA MARKET EVERY SUNDAY MORNING AND SINCE MARY IS RETURNING TO WORK, THIS WAS OUR CHANCE TO MAKE THE ANNUAL TRIP. I USUALLY LIKE TO WAIT UNTIL SPRING AS LAKE HAVASU IS A POPULAR SPRING BREAK GETAWAY FOR THE COLLEGE CROWD. AT ANY RATE WE GOT OUR SHOPPING FIX IN.

LAKE HAVASU MOOSE LODGE

WHILE IN LAKE HAVASU WE CHECKED OUT THE LOCAL MOOSE LODGE TO TRY TO WATCH THE PACKER GAME. WHILE THE MOOSE LODGE IS FINE, IT’S MIGHTY SAD TO TRY TO WATCH THE PACKERS THIS SEASON……

217 DAYS

IT’S A BAD DAY HERE AT THE HAPPY CAMPER’S TRAILER AS MARY RETURNS TO CASINO WORK AFTER BEING “OFF” FOR THE LAST 217 DAYS. BUT SHE PUT ON HER “HAVE FUN! BE FUN!” FACE AND HEADED OUT THE DOOR AT NOON. SHE’S OK, AS SHE GOT BACK ON DAY SHIFT AND IS STARTING THE SEASON WITH THREE DAYS OF WORK A WEEK. SHE’S SURE THAT WILL CHANGE, AS MORE AND MORE SNOWBIRDS FLOCK TO ARIZONA THIS YEAR AND ARE AVOIDING HURRICANCE RAVAGED FLORIDA AND TEXAS. SO TODAY STARTS A NEW COUNTDOWN TO THE SUMMER OF 2018, AND MARY’S NEXT VACATION, IN 145 DAYS!

ALL SETTLED IN

WE’RE FINALLY ALL SETTLED IN AT THE CAMPER, AFTER WAITING A WHOLE WEEK FOR THE RV REPAIR GUY TO COME AND REPLACE THE LEAKING VALVE ON THE TOILET. THE TRUCK IS ALL UNPACKED AND THE MISSING SHINGLES HAVE BEEN REPLACED ON THE NEW SHED, ETC.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

SO, HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU AND YOURS WHERE EVER YOU MAY BE. YOU SHOULD BE HERE IN SUNNY ARIZONA, AS WE ARE HAVING A HEAT WAVE AND EXPECT TO SEE A HIGH OF 90 DEGREES.

“SUNNY & 80”

CHINA RANCH DATE FARM

ON THE WAY HOME FROM LAKE TAHOE WE STAYED OVERNIGHT IN PAHRUMP, AND IN THE MORNING WE SET THE GPS TO TAKE US TO THE CHINA RANCH. IT STARTED OUT OK, SKIRTING THE EDGES OF DEATH VALLEY WHEN WE WERE SUDDENLY ON THIS DIRT ROAD?

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? DO YOU THINK THEY ACTUALLY HAVE PALM TREES DOWN HERE? THIS IS THE CROSSING OF DEATH VALLEY AND THE MOHAVE DESERT.

THE WELCOMING COMMITEE….

HEY MARY, DO YOU STILL HAVE THAT .38 HANDGUN IN THE TRUNK?

BELIEVE IT OR NOT THERE WAS A CREEK AT THE BOTTOM SURROUNDED BY PALM TREES….

THE FRUIT IS HARVESTED IN NOVEMBER, SO THERE WAS STILL LOTS OF DATES ON THE TREES. EACH FEMALE TREE PRODUCES 100 – 300 POUNDS OF DATES. ENJOY THE PICTURES….

THE WORD I’M LOOKING FOR IS “OASIS”. THERE WAS A GIFT SHOP AND BAKERY ON THE PROPERTY. MARY HAD A DATE SHAKE, AND I HIKED TO THE TOP OF A MESA FOR A PICTURE.

WE THEN ASKED THE GPS TO TAKE US HOME TO THE MOHAVE VALLEY AND THE GPS HAD US ON THE OLD SPANISH TRIAL HIGHWAY AND WE AVOIDED DRIVING THROUGH LAS VEGAS.

WE ACTUALLY HAD GOOD WEATHER FOR LAKE TAHOE IN NOVEMBER, AND ALTHOUGH WE WEREN’T IN SHORTS AND T-SHIRTS WE DIDN’T HAVE A FOREST FIRE OR SNOW TO DEAL WITH.

AHHH….TAHOE

THE END OF FOOTBALLAT65 BLOGS RETURNS THE HAPPY CAMPERS BLOG TO IT’S NORMAL BORING REPORTING. THE OLDEST MAN TO PLAY COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS ALL IN THE BOOK ON AMAZON NOW. IT’S GETTING SOME GOOD REVIEWS AND HAS A 5 STAR RATING.

MARY AND I ARE SPENDING THE WEEK AT BEAUTIFUL LAKE TAHOE.

THE CONDO WE ARE IN IS ELEGANT, TWO BEDROOMS, FIREPLACE, ETC. IT’S A GREAT PLACE TO REST UP BEFORE MARY RETURNS TO CASINO WORK LATER IN THE MONTH.

RETURNING TO MOHAVE VALLEY I HAVE A COUPLE OF PROBLEMS TO SOLVE, A WATER LEAK IN THE BATHROOM, A COUPLE SHINGLES MISSING ON THE NEW SHED, HAVEN’T TRIED THE FURNACE YET, ETC. OTHERWISE IT WILL BE BACK TO MY THREE TIMES A WEEK POKER GAME, LOT’S OF SCOOTER RIDING, AND BACK TO MY DAILY QUEST FOR 10,000 STEPS A DAY. CHECK OUT MY FITBIT FRIENDS LIST THIS MORNING….

#4 ON THE LIST? CONGRAT’S TO GANDSON ALAN ON BEING #1 ON THE LIST! IN DEFENSE OF MARY, SHE’S BEEN UNDER THE WEATHER THE LAST FEW DAYS, AND UNCLE NEIL JUST ISN’T UP TO DATE ON RECORDING HIS STEPS.

I’LL LEAVE YOU WITH A PICTURE OF EMERALD BAY ON LAKE TAHOE.

Last Game

By Uncle Hans

I finally got the pictures from the last game, it was against Finlandia on Saturday November 4th.  We had lost to Finlandia about a month earlier by one touchdown. We had made too many mistakes and had 90 yards of penalties. We were so itching for the rematch!

We had a much better day. We made fewer mistakes and our running game just ground down Finlandia. Our number 22, Zach Marengo, had a really great game as running back, tackling people on defense, and even quarterback occasionally. The final score of our last game was 41 to 14 and will be a lasting and sweet memory of the 2017 Lions football season.

In spite of valiant efforts by our football Department, I never got permission to play. So I spent the game walking the sidelines and enjoyed every minute.

At halftime they had a nice ceremony for the seniors who were playing their last game. The school awarded them their jerseys in a nice frame for all their hard work.

 

I was shocked when they called me over to join the ceremony at the last minute as a surprise. They unexpectedly extended that same honor to me because it was my last game.......

But the biggest and most pleasant shock for me was the appearance of my brother Neil and our mutual friend Don. They had driven all the way from Green Bay in a snowstorm so bad that they drove 20 miles an hour for a while and could not find a hotel room until 1:30 a.m. because of all the stranded travelers. It was quite an honor for me because it was Parents / Senior Day and my parents were, ........well, ........unable to attend.

I apologize for the delay in this blog but it took me a few days to collect these pictures from other people who graciously sent them to me to use.

    I am settling back into the life of a rural general surgeon. This morning I did a laparoscopic cholecystectomy on a 75 year old woman. Both the patient and the doctor did well, thankfully.

    This is probably the last football blog for a while. This project has been a success for me personally, but the book will only be as successful as the publicity the football has generated. So far that is nearly zero. I and others have contacted multiple TV stations, newspapers, and other publications.NOT ONE has shown the slightest interest. Seems to me like the oldest man in history to play college football at the smallest college in America with a team, would make a great story. So if any of you loyal followers has any ideas on press publicity, please feel free to make that contact. I would very much appreciate your help, as I have appreciated your following. 

THANK YOU VERY MUCH

N. Hans Rechsteiner MD FACS

Spooner, Wisconsin

hans-rechsteiner@hotmail.com

715-416-2058

Now you can go back to the beginning of the story and catch up on what you've missed so far including all the pictures. CLICK HERE

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The Last

By Uncle Hans

This blog is a series of pictures of things I'm doing or seeing for the last time in my football experience at Trinity.

The last class. Thurber's worldview theology.

Last test. This is my college mentor Kyle, who taught the college student from the 70s how to adapt to college in 2017.....

Last team film session.

Last practice schedule

Last practice. Yes, several guys decided to do it without shirts......

Last pregame team breakfast.

Last team meeting. This is room 150, where we had our first meeting at 8 a.m. on August 8th. how time flies!

The last Chapel.

Last big day of work for the team managers, Britney and Abrina.....

Last time at my humble abode. I am packing to leave.....

So, what happened to last game? I am still collecting those pictures and that blog, which is pretty interesting, will be posted in a few days.  Stay tuned........

Uncle Hans

Now you can go back to the beginning of the story and catch up on what you've missed so far including all the pictures. CLICK HERE

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LAKE TAHOE

OFF ON VACATION TO LAKE TAHOE, IT’S BEEN EIGHT YEARS SINCE WE’VE BEEN HERE!

Volleyball

By Uncle Hans

Probably the most enjoyable part of my time at Trinity Bible College was participating in the intramural volleyball league. I saw the sign up sheet in the hall and boldly added my name to one team. I did it because the team appeared to be managed by one of our assistant football coaches who is a graduate student.

( editor's note:  What Hans fails to point out is that he has played volleyball for 4 to 6 hours a week for the last 35 years. He points out in his book that it is the number one reason that he is able to play college football at 65)

He seemed a little hesitant when I talked to him about being on the team. Who wouldn't be skeptical about a 65 year old who wants to be on your team when you won the championship last year and want to repeat?

But they let me play. You could see they were a little uncomfortable at first because they play a quite a different style from the way we play. We play with the net at regulation coed height, which is 7 ft 11 and 5/8 in. They use regulation girl's height. We also don't play the more advanced "position" volleyball that these girls have been taught. So I had to be taught where to stand, Etc.

I picked it up in time and began to contribute. I have a fairly steady overhand serve which was helpful. I also have a rather unusual Kareem Abdul-Jabbar "Skyhook" spike, which my colleagues at home have come to call "the windmill". It is unpredictable and hard to block. So I actually earned my place on the team, as opposed to football where I never got good enough to contribute.

In this picture, the big guy in the maroon shirt across from me at the net is about to become a victim of "the windmill". Because my cell phone camera is, well, a cell phone camera, you can just barely make out the ball as a blur in the edge of the blue sign just above the net on the far wall of the gym. The ball came down and hit him in the elbows, dribbling harmlessly down his front and onto the floor.

I am just returning to earth with a big smile on my face. These pictures are from the semifinals, which we won. We lost in the finals to the same team and had to settle for second place. What happened there is another story, which I might tell if I ever get on Oprah Winfrey or Ellen DeGeneres.  LOL!

Uncle Hans

Now you can go back to the beginning of the story and catch up on what you've missed so far including all the pictures. CLICK HERE