Maui

Some good pictures are going to be on here before Thanksgiving. Both Bruce and Sharon and Andrea and Otfried will be in Hawaii. We've even overlap time in Maui for a couple of days. Whether we'll be able to get together there is still an open book.

Photo From Bruce Rosten

Bruce just sent this to me for posting. I have not heard back on the details but am assuming this was this spring when Andrea was home? Someone want to fill in the details? Bruce...perhaps you can comment and give us the juicy gossip about all these girls! Ha!

Lefse apron

If you are looking for a colorful Christmas gift, check out www.oldlutheran.com and click on "tie one on an Old Lutheran." They have a wonderful lefse apron as well as some other things that might make cute gifts.

What I Have Been Up Too!

I have been very busy sewing ever since August and have not even had time to paint! I have to get out the fall line of clothes and the Holiday collection, both of which are nearly done and also did a small sweater jacket collecion which is selling well too. The clothes, Pineapple Express for little girls on the go is a business. I developed it to help Suzy at her store to fill a niche. On the west coast, reconstructed clothing out of used clothes is very popular so that is what I do usually with vintage fabrics etc when I can find them. I will post one of the sweaters from that group as they were fun. I boil down women's wool sweaters to shrink them, cut them and reconstruct them so they become something different in appearance. THis sweater closes on the side which makes it asymetrical which is popular out there right now.
Today I go to talk to the seniors at our college who are graduating in fine art. My book is officially out now and being advertised in art magazines etc and I have had other successes internationally but the reality is I have no money. These kids need a reality check as they think they can live here and make a living with their art which is not going to happen. They will have to move away and fine a place that is willing to buy originals etc. So this will be interesting...bring in a stranger to pop their bubble I guess! Ha! So I will be the bad boy and do just that and hopefully get them thinking about what they need to do to prepare for the real world!
My workshop schedule is filling up, even a cruise! It would be fun if some of you could take the cruise and at least at meals and at port we could have fun! Just a pipe dream I am sure.
One of these days I hope to have time to maybe scan a few old pictures to add here...but so glad Gayle and David are keeping it going! Thanks guys!

Miscellaneous

I notice that things have been a little slow in the posting department lately. Here's some copies of some pictures I got at Bernice's place when I was home in August. Maybe the seven sibling picture has been posted before? I don't recall seeing the one of Bernice and Ginger (love that hat!). And of course the last one is of Bernice and her dog (I forgot the dog's name - nice dog though).

Norris Calvin Hagen, 100th anniversery of birth

On August 22, 1907, Norris Calvin Hagen was born in Ashby, Minnesota, the second son of Andrew and Josie Hagen. In November of 1907, at age 3 months, with his older brother Arnold, and his parents, Norris was transported into the homesteading community near Alamo, North Dakota. You can read about the early days in the book that Norris wrote, Vikings of the Prairie. During his life, he was a farmer, teacher, basketball coach, newspaper editor, federal employee, faithful church member, and most important to me, a simply stupendous-could-not-be-better-or more fun-generous-and-good dad!!!
We loved going to baseball games together, as well as fishing, hiking, camping, and conversations held outside while fertilizing an apple tree or roasting marshmellows over a fire. God is good to provide such excellent parents! We Hagens are so fortunate.
The picture above is from the luncheon held on August 22, 2007, at Grandma Sharon's in Williston, in honor of the 100th anniversary of my Dad's birth. It is a good feeling to remember a good man.

Still more western MI adventure

The first picture of Jaden and Emily is from the motel pool in Grand Rapids after spending the previous day at the Michigan Adventure water park in North Muskegan, MI. The remaining four pictures are a sampling of activities at the Air Zoo in Kalamazoo, MI. This includes a fighter jet simulator ride, carousel airplane ride, helicopter ride and the space walk simulator wheel.

Following the Air Zoo, we had dinner and motored back to Ypsilanti and Belleville, MI. We were driving a Dodge Caravan loaded with luggage, toys, people and memories. We kept the greasy side down for the entire trip.