My brother just graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Congratulations, Ross! Below are some pictures. Click the link to see the entire gallery: Ross’ Graduation Photos. Click the photos below to see the largest size that your browser window allows.
I was able to head home this past weekend for a great weekend of biking (Clover Leaf Century) and some sailing. My parents just got a Flying Scot. It is a small 19-footer but is significantly bigger than the Lasers we’re used to sailing. It is a good sized boat for inland lake sailing or even for Lake Michigan in not too bad conditions. We really lucked out on the weather this weekend. Last year it was in the 40s for the bike ride and we didn’t even think twice about going sailing. However, it was perfect this year: in the mid-80’s for the bike ride and pretty much the same for the sailing.
Please click the photo below to visit my Flying Scot Smugmug gallery.
Since I haven’t written in awhile, I thought that I’d advertise my brother’s blog. He’s really creative so much of his blog posts involve art or music. His description of the blog sums up what you’ll find:
This blog has no real purpose and it is doubtful that a real purpose will ever be stumbled upon. Un-arguably the greatest achievement of this blog is existing— and its second greatest achievement is containing a post detailing its purpose (none, as stated previously). Further, in the case that a purpose is ever found, it is likely to be a poor one characterized by a focus on celebrity gossip, cute purse-sized dogs, and an almost suspicious obsession with the price of crude oil.
I’m disappointed about his blogging effort in that I have yet to see a reference or at least an allusion to the Britney Spears VMA fiasco (celebrity gossip), a review of the GiGi Olivia Purse Style Small Dog Carrier (thanks Google!) (cute purse-sized dogs), or any commentary about how oil has peaked over $80 a barrel (obsession with the price of crude oil). And since he doesn’t own any oil-related stocks I don’t see what is holding him back…it’s not as if he is scared to disclose any financial ties.
A positive thing is that he does link to my frequently updated blog at the top of his links section. For those of you wondering why entries mysteriously appeared overnight from throughout the summer, are you sure you have been reading my blog carefully? Granted, it does appear as if I added entries retrospectively via clever post timestamp changing. However, I have a feeling that if you go to my blog in that tab you always have open and click “refresh,” the old posts that you missed will load right up. They must have been there all the time!
After I had finished my summer research project and Ross finished his summer classes in Madison, we were fortunate enough to have another great family vacation. This time we went to Nova Scotia, Canada. Passports are required to travel into Canada now. We all remembered ours, but Ross’ had expired. Fortunately, they allowed him on the plane, into Canada, and, after the week long trip, back into the United States. I bet if we had been going anywhere but Canada, the airline/customs people would not have let him board the plane.
Photos of the trip to Nova Scotia.
Another great comic from my brother’s collection: Distract Comic
My brother is an incredibly creative person. For the past half-dozen years or more he has drawn quite a collection of single panel comics. Fortunately, he’s starting to post them on his new website, Distract Comic. Many of the newer comics are in color and draw directly on the computer via his Wacom tablet. The older ones were drawn on paper, scanned in, and then touched up in Photoshop. I hope that eventually he’ll get all his comics up.
There is also a section called “the great drawing experiment” where you can request him to draw things…you should see him work; he’s really fast at sketching even the craziest of things! One time during a car trip he asked me to tell him something to draw. I thought of the strangest thing that I could: “Ross, draw a giraffe in the circus with a monkey juggling bananas and riding it like a horse as it is getting chased by a two-headed fire-breathing flying snail.” Sure enough he sketched something that fit the description perfectly. And now you too, my few readers (maybe one…or two…of you? hello? anyone reading??) can ask him to draw crazy things for you: the great drawing experiment
One thing that I hope he allows on the page is a way to distinguish random things that he draws as part of “the great drawing experiment” and his real comics. Maybe he could implement a category system distinguish the comics from the random drawings…
My dad has a really nice website for some Tuesday/Wednesday rides. I especially like the Wednesday rides because we go out to eat after the ride. Also, if you are unfamiliar with the area, make sure to check out the Maps section…the Sheboygan-area has some terrific rides. (Let’s thank the farmers for keeping the country roads paved!)
My brother just created a really cool online sketching site called Sketch Monster
Sketch Monster is a place for all different skill-levels of drawers, sketchers, and illustrators to show their work, learn, and be inspired. To participate, simply create an image for the current subject. Its simple, its free, and you don’t have to sign up for anything!
The subject of the sketch changes every 10 days or so. The current topic is ‘monster sketches.’
My Mom is amazing!
Check out her gallery at: Klettke.smugmug.com
Click below to see an example of one of her watercolors.
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My parents’ volleyball team has played together for over 22 years and compiled a higher than a 71% winning percentage (won over 1,000 games out of 1,400 played). They are all in their 50’s now and are routinely winning against teams of people in their mid-20’s to 30’s. Way to go!! 
By Mary Eckardt
Sheboygan Press staff
They’re legends of the volleyball world, according to their captain, David Quasius.
Actually, a lot of their opponents think they’re pretty good, too.
For 22 years, Quasius’ team of four 50-something couples, The Coasters — now referred to as “The Oldsters†— has been playing volleyball through the YMCA, Community Rec-reation Department, summer and tavern leagues and just about any other slightly-organized competition they could find.
They’ve won more than 1,000 of the 1,400 games they’ve played over the years, mostly against teams with members in their late 20s to early 30s.
Quasius turned 58 Friday; his wife, Kathy is 58; Roger Klettke is 58; his wife, Jane, 53; Bill and Mary Jo Braatz are 57 and 56 respectively; and the youngsters are 51- and 50-year-old Don and Mary Schaning.
Klettke says he hopes to still be competing and contributing at 60. Then it might be time to call it quits.
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