Winter refuses to give up in northern Minnesota this year. Today winds were clocked at 60 mph out of the Northeast. Anyone from these parts knows that those conditions means for great waves on Lake Superior. Thus, this morning I drove up the shore to Stoney Point. Within 60 minutes the snows kicked in and visibilty dropped to zero.
Click upon any image to view at full size. You will also find a brief video below the two photos.
Stoney Point Breakers
Three weeks from today I retire from Honeywell. It's been a good 28+ year run, but when life changes, it's important to manage one's social networks. Over the years I've always actively managed my social contacts, particularly upon my favorite social network for professional relationships, LinkedIn. Thus, I ask the question, how many of you actively manage your contacts?
Earlier today I consolidated my LinkedIn contacts from 750+ to slightly under 350 individuals. While the 400 people I eliminated are good folk, when life changes, one needs to manage that change. With my impending retirement, and startup of limited software consulting, my approach will become more regional. Thus, I decided to eliminate noise in my network feed. While you may not agree with my approach, you should actively manage your networks.
LinkedIn's announcement today that one will now be able to "at/@" mention someone in an update drove my change to limit noise. I love their new feature, and in this case will be able to better handle the value.
Four weeks ago today I had Green Laser Enlarged Prostate Surgery. Yesterday, I went bicycling for the first time. The only reason I waited this long before cycling is the Nordic skiing this March has been grand … the best Spring skiing in Years! My main reason for writing this post is to complete my blog series on enlarged prostate surgery, and let other men know this kind of procedure is nothing to fear. In fact, I wish I had recognized the warning signs and taken care of my prostate problem earlier. Please read my first post, and learn to recognize the signs of an enlarged prostate and also how to avoid the more severe (and potentially dangerous problems). You don't want to end up in an ambulance like me being taken to the emergency room.
However, this story ends well. My first bike ride was a "non issue" from a prostate perspective. I rode up the shore of Lake Superior and enjoyed almost two hours in the saddle without any pain or issues. Perhaps my behind was a touch sore, but then I have not biked since early November. Remember, I live in northern Minnesota where cycling gets rather tough during the Winter months! I could not haved asked for a nicer ride. Lake Superior was in her Winter ice breakup glory. The shades of blue and white were like something out of an artists paintbox. There was narry a breath of wind, and the sun warmed the temperature to 44F. It was exhilarating.
In conclusion, while I cannot speak to the more serve prostate surgery which involves incisions, life has returned to normal only a few short weeks after Green Laser Enlarged Prostate Surgery. I've included two photos below from yesterdays ride, and links to the other posts in this series on how I dealt with an enlarged prostate.
I am now looking forward to my Upper Mississippi River – 30th Wedding Anniversary Tour! Check out my trip journal found upon the Crazy Guy of a Bike Portal. Our bike tour starts in mid May.
Posts in this Series:
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Click to view either photo at full resolution
Strange title?! I wanted to test Amazon's new service which allows any web site owner to send content to a Kindle. At the same time, here in northern Minnesota we have some of the best Spring snow conditions in years, which means excellent white water skiing! Thus, this post reviews both a favorite and little known favorite sport of mine, Nordic River Skiing … and Amazon's new feature that allows a web site owners to easily (?) configure content to be sent to a Kindle. I wanted to include some interesting content for my Send to Kindle test … thus Nordic River Skiing.
First the techie part, then on to river skiing. Amazon's instructions for web site owners may found via this web link. Upon reviewing the options, the process actually looks somewhat complex. Although a software nerd, I have to admit I don't pay much attention to CSS (cascading style sheets) and html formats for this blog. The Amazon template almost appears to be more trouble than it's worth in terms on setting up proper configurations and syntax.
The three screenshots that follow this paragraph were taken in succession on the Amazon Send to Kindle Setup Page. I decided to to ignore all the options and just clicked to obtain the code. In other words, I did zero configuring and just copied the standard code. Eureka it worked! You will need an Amazon account, but that requirement is obvious. You would not have a Kindle otherwise. In addition, you are able to send the finished product to Kindle software on other devices, not just an Amazon Kindle. Later you will see screenshot examples from my Nexus 10, the Kindle App.
If you would like to test the Send to Kindle service, you will find my Send to Kindle button at the very bottom of this post. Click and Try!
(click upon any image to view at full size)
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Oh yes, I promised some Nordic River Skiing as part of this post! While most of you are enjoying the first days of Spring, here in northern Minnesota, Winter is still very much in force. I enjoy skiing up rivers from Lake Superior. The frozen waterways provide trails into the back country wilderness which are impossible to reach (or at least very difficult) in the Summer. Here is how the sport of Nordic River Skiing works:
The only thing to remember is that the river current under the ice will be stronger on outside bends, and right under waterfalls. As long as you use a bit of common sense, your ski into the wilderness will be quite enjoyable! By this time in the Winter the ice is normally quite thick, and the river flow much reduced. Thus, on the one or two times I've broken through the ice in my life, only my feet and lower legs became wet.
It is truly unique experience to hear rapids gurgling underneathe your skis as you enjoy a workout. The final rush is when you head back downstream to the starting point of your journey. Remember those waterfalls you skied up? You now get to ski down a waterfall. It's a hoot. In addition, I saw zero people during my three hour ski … just me and the wilderness!
In closing here are a few photos from yesterday's ski up the Lester River, including one taken at the top of a waterfall a few moments before my descent. In addition, I've included a screenshots from my Nexus 10 … this blog post "sent to my Kindle".
(click upon any image to view at full size)
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And Kindle screenshots of this post from my Nexus 10!
Send to Kindle
Went Nordic skiing over lunch. It was wunderbar! Don't believe me? Ask my skis!
(click to view the photo at full size).