The Oncoming Chill And Memories That Never Fade

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October 26th, 2017

It’s October 26, as I write this. All around these parts, whether you’re talking about Woodbury, the Twin Cities, or Minnesota in general, people know what’s coming. It may come early, it may come late. It may be brutal, it may be mild. But it’s coming. It’s winter. You can almost smell it.

One week ago. (Click on any photo to enlarge)

Today’s first photo was taken last Friday. The fall colors were clearly nearing their peak if not at it, and they were so vibrant I couldn’t help clicking this photo with my iPhone. All around Woodbury it was an amazing sight to see so many different trees all hitting their brightest autumn colors right on time and in sync.

Sunday was possibly the most perfect day in Minnesota weather history. Yes, my mother told me a million times to stop exaggerating so much, but it really was about as nice a day as this human could imagine. A deep royal-blue sky, mid-60s, gentle breeze, and no humidity. It was stellar. It was spectacular. It was, like, “really nice out” if you catch my drift.

As this week then progressed, we’ve had some ups and downs, and have had lows in the upper 30s at night. It think it was Tuesday when I was out running errands and upon departure from our home the thermometer on my dashboard said it was 61. After my first stop, it was 58. The wind was starting to really pick up, too, and it was out of the north. By my second stop it was 55. By the time I got home it was in the low 50s but with the brisk north wind it felt much colder. And I’d left the house in a t-shirt and jeans.

We’re back up to about 59 today, but the cold and windy conditions shortened the life cycle of our beautiful leaves. As of this morning, they were mostly on the ground. So much so, you could barely tell we had a yard.

Not so pretty anymore…

This photo is from two hours ago. What a difference a week can make.

And things have changed since I took this one, as well. Today, the company our HOA management firm hires to do cutting, mowing, pruning, irrigation services, snow removal, and clean-up came through our neighborhood to do the final item on the list, so all of the leaves on the ground are gone now. Soon to be replaced by the ones still on the trees. But therein lies a bit of a rub.

I sit on the board of directors in our neighborhood, St. John’s Village, which is part of the larger Dancing Waters community and development. One of the issues that has been regularly raised by residents during my time on the board has had to do with the company mentioned above. Whether it was tardy or sloppy snow removal, blowing grass clippings into places where residents don’t want them, or a slew of other things, there has been some complaining. So, the board voted 3-0 to have our management company look into replacing them.

St. John’s Village is in the upper lefthand corner of Dancing Waters, and our street connects to another neighborhood (called Cardinal Way for all of you St. Louis baseball fans) that is not part of Dancing Waters. Over the last year all three of us on the board had been admiring the work of the company that does the same sorts of work for Cardinal Way. Their driveways would always get cleared before ours, their grass was always cut better, their trees were regularly pruned, and much more. Their guys even looked more professional than ours, with nice matching uniforms. So, we hired them.

Our contract with the original company is up October 31, so this was most likely the last thing they will do for us, which means we might need to pay our new company to finish the fall clean-up that was started today. Last year, they came and did the clean-up too early, with most of the leaves still on the trees. We had to negotiate with them to get them to come back. We won’t be doing that this year.

See, this is the drama that goes on with the board of directors and the best interests of our residents. And I thought it was all going to be fun and games when I accepted the nomination.

And we might get a dusting of snow on Friday, but I won’t be here to see it. I’ll be jetting my way to Las Vegas and will be at the track on Saturday. As for that dusting of snow, and the fact it should happen before October 31, unless it’s 1.5 inches or more (and that’s way more than a dusting) the yard guys don’t clear it. And yes, we’ve had a few disagreements with them over the last few years, when our measuring sticks showed 2 inches but the company said “Oh no, we came out and measured and it was an inch and a quarter.” Maybe they have a magic ruler they use.

Can’t wait to read this!

Now, on to a different topic. And a literary topic it is. This book arrived in my mailbox today, and it’s taking all the discipline I can muster to write this blog and leave it sitting on my desk. I know what I’ll be reading on the plane tomorrow.

The author, Joe Castellano, went to the same high school I attended. St. Louis University High, aka SLUH. He was a senior when I was a geeky little freshman. And he was part of one of the greatest SLUH football teams of all time. This book is about their journey as a team and as men. I can’t wait.

As I wrote in “Bats, Balls, & Burnouts” in great detail, SLUH is an all-boys Jesuit school. We had a nice gym but no home football field. The practice field, which generally had no grass on it, is now the site of a real stadium and great playing surface, but through my four years at SLUH all of us who wanted to see a home game had to gather a few miles away, at O’Fallon Tech, to see a “home game” being held at a neutral site. We also had no home baseball or soccer fields, and no pool for water polo, swimming, and diving. We hardly had anything other than the gym, but through the annual largesse of many hundreds of alumni, myself included, SLUH now has top-notch facilities for every sport.

In that freshman fall of 1970, Joe and his Junior Billiken teammates went 11-1 on the football field. Our biggest rivals, annually, were the Cadets from Christian Brothers College (although it was, indeed, a high school) and the SLUH – CBC game was such a big deal it was played at Busch Stadium. That fall, this freshman and 19,000 other fans watched the Jr. Bills beat the Cadets 14-13. The team made it all the way to the state championship game, versus Kansas City Center High, in a location perfectly well placed in the middle of the state. It was SLUH vs. KC Center at the University of Missouri stadium. Final score: SLUH 28 – Center 19.

I still have my yearbooks from freshman year and senior year, but sadly my sophomore and junior yearbooks were lost in a flood. Just flipping through my freshman book, this afternoon, brought all those memories, all the excitement, all the emotions, right back to life. It was an amazing group, and we truly looked up to them as grown men, while most of us felt like little boys. We practically idolized these guys, and they were true leaders at school. Great athletes, great students, and great role models.

State Champs!

Like it was yesterday, I vividly remember a lengthy caravan of jam-packed charter buses carrying SLUH boys and their guests to Mizzou. I remember the fact our family was friends with another family who had a relative on the Center team, so they traveled to Mizzou as well, but sat on the other side of the stadium. And, in doing so, they got a full-throated taste of one huge SLUH advantage. At co-ed schools, the cheerleaders were girls and most of the cheering in the stands was done by girls. As an all-boys school, our cheerleaders were guys with big megaphones and every SLUH student knew all the cheers. Our family friends told us they couldn’t hear their own side of the stadium cheering. All they could hear was us.

And boy do I remember that ride home from Columbia. I feel sorry, to this day, for the bus drivers who had to get us home. And, being just a freshman and only a few months into my high school career, I figured we’d win state every year. We call that being naive.

And how about the fact two SLUH boys have published books this year! I know Joe’s book is going to really touch me, and bring back all those youthful highlights. SLUH was a very special place. It still is. SLUH maintains its place as an institution that annually takes in freshman classes of boys and four years later sends them off to college as men. Good men. I’m honored, truly honored, to have been a Jr. Bill. I will always be a Jr. Bill.

A SLUH Junior Billiken for life!

My four years there ranged from the fear and intimidation I felt when I arrived for my first day, to the enormous pride I felt standing on stage at the Kiel Opera House, in a white tuxedo, receiving my diploma. I’d made some of the best friends I ever had. I was challenged by the curriculum every day, by instructors who demanded nothing less than our best. Those instructors, whether we addressed them as “Father” or “Mister” turned us into men. When I then arrived on the campus of SIU-Edwardsville in the fall of 1974, I was ready to excel at everything. I had to work my butt off every day at SLUH, but that’s why I made the Dean’s List every quarter I was at SIUE. I’m very fortunate to have spent four years at the Backer Memorial. Even if we didn’t have a football field.

And what is the miracle that makes garments like my letter jacket shrink so much just hanging in a closet for 40 years? This relic is in a frame now, along with my SIUE, Detroit Tigers, Oakland A’s, and Toronto Blue Jays jackets, but before that happened I tried to put it on. Not. Going. To. Happen! What, was I half the size I am now?

So that’s about it for this week. Tomorrow I’ll be heading for the airport around 12 noon, landing in Las Vegas just before 4:00 pm, and at my hotel by 5:00ish, I hope. Then, a full day at the track on Saturday, hopefully selling and signing some more books (my book, not Joe Castellano’s book) and then dinner with the Hujabre family that night. Back home again on Sunday. Just two races left in the campaign, and the Top Fuel and Funny Car championships are going to be epic. I predict they will both go right down to the wire.

And speaking of that, I was fortunate enough to be speaking about those very championships, on WFO Radio yesterday, with announcer Joe Castello. And hey, how often do I get to write about Joe Castello and Joe Castellano in the same blog? The answer is once, at least so far. The show is here:

http://wforadio.com/nhra-nitro-10242017/

My segment starts at the 1-hour and 29-minute mark. Hope you enjoy.

And I hope some of you will give Joe Castellano’s book “Bull In The Ring” a look. I think you’ll like it.

As always, if you read this blog and enjoyed it, please “Like” it by clicking the button at the top.

See you next week, with tales of massive winnings on the Vegas slots. Fingers crossed. If I don’t mention that, next week, well… Those casinos aren’t that huge and beautiful for no reason.

Bob Wilber, at your service and about to travel back in time to St. Louis U. High, in the early 1970s.

FRIDAY UPDATE: Apparently you really can tempt fate. After leading off this week’s blog with weather news, and the thought that all Minnesotans know what’s coming, the “dusting” of snow we were supposed to have late this afternoon arrived early this morning as a wet heavy snow storm, driven sideways by north winds. It’s winter. BAM! As the check-in agent here at the Delta Sky Club at MSP said, “They really should ease us into this a little more. Going from fall to winter overnight, while we slept, was a little too stark.” I agree with her, and left home a full 45 minutes early just to take my time and make sure I got to MSP (and inside, where it’s warm) with no issues. I did, however, see my first “car in the ditch” of the 2017-2018 winter. It won’t be the last…

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