Violins of Hope

Last Sunday, we attended a concert at The Museum of Russian Art in Minneapolis as part of an exhibit, “Violins of Hope: Honoring Memory Through Music.” Presented in partnership with the Minnesota JCC, the event features 70 violins that survived the Holocaust, and the stories of the Jewish musicians who hid, played and preserved them. The collection was started by Israeli father and son violin makers, Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein, who in 2008 began featuring the instruments at concerts, exhibitions and educational events focused on the Holocaust, the genocide of six million European Jews by Nazi Germany and their collaborators. Once played in World War II hideouts, ghettos and concentration camps, the violins still make music, tour worldwide, preserve victims’ heritage and voices and inspire us to witness a “victory of the human spirit over evil and hatred.”  

Map & web links: The Museum of Russian Art,  https://tmora.org/,  Minnesota JCC,  https://www.violins-of-hope.com/

Bonus Question: In the serial saga Star Wars, what species is Yoda? (answer at end of post)

Source: tmora.org

Source: tmora.org

Bonus Question Answer: Trick question—Yoda’s species and home world have never been named. Star Wars creator George Lucas intentionally kept Yoda’s origin story a mystery.

3, 2, 1… Launch!

On June 13, I attended a rocket launching event, invited by our good friends John (Mick) and Sue McSherry-Jones and their son, John William (JW), who was a participant. I was interested for several reasons: I built model rockets as a youth, launching at the school soccer field in my hometown of Madison, WI; I heard a lot about JW’s rocketry experiences on our sailing trip in the BVI (post link: Dragonflyboating, 1/23/26); and it was a nice day, Kathleen was busy and it sounded like fun. 

At 9:15 AM, I arrived at the venue, located down a dirt road on Central Turf Farms near Forest Lake, MN. A sod vendor founded in 1988, Central Turf graciously allows rocketry events on their property, and the site is ideal—it’s open, isolated yet accessible, and covered with lush grass. Map link: Central Turf Farms, MN. Things were already buzzing when I arrived, with rockets flying and others being prepared. The event was sponsored by Tripoli Minnesota, the local prefecture of the Tripoli Rocketry Association, a global non-profit headquartered in Nebraska focused on promoting amateur high-powered rocketry. Web links: Tripoli Minnesota, Tripoli Rocketry Association. People of all ages, including families with three generations of rocketeers, were launching and retrieving rockets of all sizes. 

JW was there representing the University of Minnesota Rocket Team, a student-run organization dedicated to “providing its members with hands-on engineering experience by designing, building and launching high-powered rockets.” Web link: UMN Rocket Team. In support were two of JW’s teammates and Professor James Flaten, the teams’s faculty advisor from the Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics program within the College of Engineering. 

We hung out and watched the show while JW carefully assembled his rocket, named Night Fury (if memory serves, it’s a character from the movie How to Train your Dragon). There were range safety officers checking rockets, assigning launch pads, making announcements on the PA system and keeping the crowd entertained, although some of the humor only landed with insiders. When one rocket disintegrated shortly after takeoff, the comment “gosh, I’ve never seen an SS motor explode before” got a knowing chuckle from the crowd. As did multiple jabs at someone named Bob (apparently nicknamed “Mr. Excitement”) whenever a rocket malfunctioned—as several did—when the countdown hit zero. 

We wolfed down a quick bratwurst from Brian’s Brats before JW’s launch just after Noon. His was the highest-flying rocket of the event so far, expected to reach 13,000 feet and travel at speeds of up to Mach 1.3 (about 1,000 mph). His launch was a certification flight, necessary for handling larger and more powerful rockets in the future. Today he was seeking his L2 level, which requires a successful launch, parachute descent and recovery of the rocket within a two-mile radius and in good enough condition to use it again. 

The day was sunny and breezy, with winds of 11-12 mph and gusts over 15, and there was concern about whether the two-mile criteria could be met with such a high combination of altitude and wind. Fun fact (not-so-fun in this instance): wind velocities at 13,000 feet can be 30-50% higher than on the ground due to less friction from shrubs, hills, trees and other surface irregularities. It was JW’s call and he decided to go for it.

Brock, JW and Night Fury head to the launch pad

The launch was loud and impressive and we soon lost sight of the rocket as it kept rising. There were two trackers installed, and sensors transmitted telemetry data to an app on JW’s phone. When the data indicated that the rocket had stopped moving, we jumped in our cars and followed the GPS signal. It was an imprecise process, and we backtracked a couple of times, but soon headed down a private road towards a large house east of the launch site. Someone came outside and immediately pointed to a nearby pine grove, where Night Fury was stuck in a tree, about 50 feet off the ground. The residents had heard the bang that deployed the main parachute and they began searching the sky, having a pretty good idea of what it was, living so close to the turf farm which held rocketry events. They couldn’t have been nicer, and offered to help with the retrieval if needed. Google Maps indicated that we were less than two miles away, so the L2 certification was still achievable, if we could recover the rocket. Professor Flaten was consulted and he brought his van with a ladder and extendable pole—equipment he’d obviously used before. After about an hour, a hook on the end of the pole was snagged to the shock cord connecting the rocket parts and parachutes. It took a fair bit of pulling, but the entire assembly (three rocket sections, two parachutes and the shock cord) eventually came down without any apparent damage. Back at the launch event, the range officers verified that everything was intact and JW would earn his L2 certification.

Tracking the flight

One parachute visible

Setting up the recovery pole

Got it!

Certified!

Bonus Question: Where do the names for the days of the week come from? (answers at end of post)

What goes up must come down

This one landed on the irrigator,
but was easily recovered.

Bonus Question Answers: The seven-day week dates back to the Babylonians, who first adopted it around 4,000 years ago, and it became somewhat standard under the Roman Empire. Days were named for the major visible celestial bodies and the deities associated with them.

Sunday: Sun’s Day. Pretty straightforward—the most culturally important day (rest, worship, etc.) was named for the most prominent body in the sky. 

Monday: Moon’s Day. Also straightforward—the second-largest heavenly body, influencer of the tides and illuminator of the night sky. Luna, the moon goddess, gave us Lunes (Spanish), Lundi (French) and Lunedi (Italian), among other languages. 

Tuesday: To the Romans, it was Mars’ Day, named after their god of war, who is still honored with Martes (Spanish), Mardi (French) and Martedi (Italian). Saxon and other Northern European cultures swapped out Mars for Tiw, their god of war, giving us Tiw’s Day.

Wednesday: Sticking with the planets, the Romans named this day after Mercury, the god of commerce and communication, resulting in Miercoles (Spanish), Mercredi (French) and Mercoledi (Italian). Again the Saxons substituted their own deity, Woden, their king of the gods, as did the Norse, with Odin, leading to Woden’s (or Odin’s) Day, and the most difficult day of the week to spell.

Thursday: This was Jupiter’s Day to the Romans, after their king of the gods, and Jovis (Latin), Jueves (Spanish) and Jeudi (French) come from this. The Saxons switched to Thor, their hammer-wielding god of thunder, giving us Thor’s Day.

Friday: A day for love and affection, it was Venus’ Day to the Romans—see Viernes (Spanish), Vendridi (French) and Venerdi (Italian)—but Frigg’s or Freya’s Day to the Norse and Saxons. Frigg was the wife of Odin and goddess of marriage and motherhood, while Freya was the goddess of love, beauty and fertility, and is often depicted driving a chariot pulled by two large cats. 

Saturday:  Saturn’s Day, named for the Roman god of agriculture, feasting and fun. Like Sunday and Monday, later civilizations did not make any changes. 

Lake City, MN. Dragonfly is a sailboat again!

Yesterday, Kathleen and I had our first sail aboard Dragonfly since 2022, before this blog was created. We’ve cruised more than 4,000 miles over the past three years with the mast and sails in storage, and quite honestly, enjoyed being a powerboat more than we expected. But it was time to be sailors again, and we went out on Lake Pepin on a warm, gorgeous afternoon in light southeast winds and full main and genoa jib. Everything still worked, nothing (major) broke and we more or less remembered what to do. 

Dragonfly is now berthed in the Lake City Marina, a 635-slip municipal facility. The harbor was first opened in 1934, and its dedication was attended by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Map link: Lake City Marina.  Hansen’s Harbor, our former home on Lake Pepin and the location of our 2023 Great Loop departure and send-off party, was sold in February, following the unexpected passing of third-generation marina owner Allen Hansen. The site is now Pelican Point Yacht Club and Resort, and we observed significant redevelopment efforts on the grounds when we drove past yesterday. We thoroughly enjoyed our four summers at this marina and were saddened to hear of Allen’s death at the too-young age of 55.

Source: Visitlakecity.org

Bonus Question: Do you know the common names for the following medical conditions?

A. Sigmatism

B. Circadian disryhthmia

C. Cephalalgia

D. Sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia

Lake City, MN (population 5,200) is 65 miles southeast of our home in St. Paul and is located on Lake Pepin, a 40 square mile natural lake on the Mississippi River. The lake was named after Jean Pepin, a French explorer who settled here in the late 1600s, and the name first appears on a 1703 map of New France. Lake Pepin sits in a valley carved out by the last ice age, and was created when sediment from the Chippewa River dammed up the Mississippi and backed it up for 22 miles. Besides Lake City, a large part of the Minnesota shoreline belongs to Frontenac State Park, a 2,600 acre collection of river bluffs, prairies and forests with excellent trails, campgrounds and picnic facilities. The Wisconsin side is home to the villages of Maiden Rock, Stockholm and Pepin, which was our first stop in September 2023 after leaving Hansen’s Harbor. Post link: https://dragonflyboating.blogspot.com/2023/09/first-stoppepin-wi.html

Lake Pepin was the site of one of the largest maritime disasters on the Mississippi River, when the ferry Sea Wing capsized in an 1890 storm, killing 98 people. In 1922, Lake City native Ralph Samuelson invented the sport of water skiing here, using a pair of boards and a clothesline—towed by his brother, Ben, at about 20 mph. Samuelson spent the next 15 years teaching waterskiing and performing in shows from Michigan to Florida. A large bronze statue of him is on display in a park adjacent to the marina and Lake City celebrates Waterski Days every year on the last weekend in June. 

Bonus Question Answer: 

A. Sigmatism = Lisping

B. Circadian disryhthmia = Jetlag

C. Cephalalgia = Headache

D. Sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia = Brain freeze

Acadia National Park, Maine

Thursday, May 21: Kathleen, Danielle, Jay and I left Boston at 9:15 AM, fought our way through the heavy city traffic and drove three hours north to Augusta, ME. Fun facts: Maine is the only U.S. state with a one-syllable name and the only state that borders exactly one other state (New Hampshire). Bonus Question 1: Which two states border the most other states? Hint: They touch each other (answer at end of post). 

Augusta (population 19,000) is the easternmost state capital and the third smallest capital city. Bonus Question 2: Which two state capitals are smaller? (answers also at end of post). Portland was Maine’s first capital city, but was considered too far south, and Augusta replaced it in 1827. The attractive statehouse was constructed of locally-quarried granite, hauled here by teams of oxen. After touring the building, which was mostly empty, we ate a picnic lunch in the 20-acre Capitol Park across the street on a sunny but cool and windy day. Map link: Augusta, ME

Number 32 on my state capitol quest!

Next we drove two more hours to Trenton, ME, arriving around 4:00 PM. Jay and I went grocery shopping, we ate dinner at our Airbnb, and spent a quiet night in. Our rental is on the west bank of the Jordan River, a tidal estuary which flows into Mt. Desert Narrows and the Atlantic Ocean. The tidal range here is a whopping 11 feet, big enough that you can see the moving water level in real time during the roughly six-hour cycle. The photos below show the change in the shoreline from high to low tide. Map link: Trenton, ME

At low tide you can walk out to the island behind
the trees on the right

Friday, May 22: We awoke to a beautiful, chilly morning, with blue skies, a moderate northwest wind and 47F outside; cool enough to need our bedroom space heaters. At 8:45 AM, we drove about 30 minutes to Acadia National Park, the first American national park east of the Mississippi River. Established in 1916 and renamed Acadia in 1929, the park encompasses about half of Mt. Desert Island plus many smaller islands and is one of the top 10 visited national parks in the country. The natural beauty, variety of activities and proximity to big population centers are the main reasons for Acadia’s popularity and the park does not disappoint. Its mountains, valleys, beaches, headlands, woodlands, lakes, streams, ponds, ocean vistas, hiking trails, and a 45-mile network of historic carriage roads draw more than 4 million visitors annually. Map link: Acadia National Park

Our first stop was Sand Beach and a hike up to Great Head, once the summer estate of Louisa and Herbert Satterlee, who received the land as a wedding gift from Louisa’s father, J.P. Morgan. We took in the spectacular views of the nearby islands and coastline from the summit, then descended to Sand Beach and ate lunch at the trailhead. Next we took the Ocean Path south to Thunder Hole, a natural blow hole, although it was low tide and there was no thunder. We continued on to Otter Point Overlook before we pooped out, got our car and drove back to Trenton. After showers and a little recovery time, Danielle and Kathleen drove to nearby Ellsworth and an L.L. Bean outlet store, then we all went to dinner in Bar Harbor, enjoying excellent Mexican food outdoors at Salsa Verde Grill, followed by ice cream on the Village Green in chilly 50-degree weather.

Thunder Hole

Saturday, May 23: Kathleen and I were up before 6:00 AM on another clear, cool day. We went through our morning routines (coffee/tea, Wordle, Waffle, crossword, etc.), then read and watched the tide go out, a mesmerizing and peaceful experience that became a new ritual. After breakfast, the four of us drove to Seal Harbor, where we rented bicycles and rode into Acadia National Park to ride on the carriage roads. Built for horse and buggy riding between 1913 and 1940 by philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr., one of five children and the only son of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller, Sr., the 45 miles of crushed stone trails are an enjoyable and popular way to see the park’s interior. Only bikes, pedestrians and horses are allowed, motorized vehicles are forbidden, and the system is very well marked. We completed the 9-mile Jordan Pond Loop, which was hilly and challenging in places, but mostly fun. After our ride, we ate a picnic lunch at the crowded Jordan Pond House, a teahouse and restaurant serving vacationers since the 1870s. We returned our rental bikes, then hiked part of the way around Eagle Lake, a beautiful, unspoiled lake under the shadow of 1,530-foot Cadillac Mountain, the highest point in the park and one of the tallest peaks on the Atlantic seaboard. 

We stopped for groceries on the way back to Trenton, then ate in again. Our dinner preparation was interrupted by a large red fox hunting in the meadow behind the house and we all gathered around the kitchen window completely captivated. After our meal, we played Azul, a favorite board game, then watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Blake Edward’s 1961 hit movie based on Truman Capote’s novella. The movie was critically acclaimed and a commercial success, but out of the all-star cast of Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal, Mickey Rooney and Buddy Ebsen, only Hepburn was nominated for an Oscar. Composer Henry Mancini won an Academy Award for Best Musical Score and his classic song “Moon River,” performed by Hepburn, won the Oscar for Best Original Song as well as a Grammy for Song of the Year. 

Eagle Lake

Carriage roads

At Jordan Pond

Sunday, May 24:  We had a slow morning, and passed the time watching the tide and the birds—in less than three days we’ve counted more than 20 different species on the property. We drove to Bar Harbor and walked along the Shore Path, a public thoroughfare that crosses private land, then continued across the namesake “bar” of Bar Harbor. The rock and gravel strip out to Bar Island, which is part of Acadia National Park, uncovers at low tide and is a popular day hike. Hundreds of others had the same idea and the bar and island trails were very busy. On the island there are warning signs to mind the tide tables so you don't get trapped on the uninhabited island; there’s also a phone number for a water taxi if you want a rescue, or you can just wait the 6+ hours until the next low tide. After the walk back to town, we ate lunch at Side Street Cafe, then shopped at the Village Green Craft Fair before driving to Southwest Harbor, in a less-busy section of the park. There we hiked the Flying Mountain and Valley Cove Trails, seeing only three other groups on the trail. We returned to our Airbnb, made dinner, played Code Names, another favorite game, then read until bedtime. Map link: Bar Harbor and Bar Island, ME

The Shore Path

Balancing Rock

The bar at low tide. The dark line of seaweed at
Danielle’s feet is the high tide line,

Village Green Craft Fair

Lobstah pawts in Bah Hahbah

Monday, May 25 (Memorial Day): We woke up to light rain, which turned to steady rain for the first half of our drive back to Boston. Rather than take the interstate, we traveled on the more scenic U.S. Route 1, which runs 2,370 miles from Fort Kent, ME, on the Canadian border to Key West, FL, and connects most of the major cities on the East Coast. We stopped for coffee in Rockland and lunch in Portland, where the rain stopped and the skies cleared, allowing us to stretch our legs in a nearby city park after eating. Traffic wasn’t bad as we approached Boston, and we returned to Danielle and Jay’s around 4:30 PM. After resting and unpacking, we ate dinner, watched Jeopardy and Taskmaster on television, then read until bed.

Bonus Question 1 Answer: Missouri and Tennessee both touch eight states, including each other. See map below.

Number of states bordered by each state

Bonus Question 2 Answer: Montpelier, VT, population 8,000, is the smallest state capital city, followed by Pierre, SD, population 14,000.